6
My Villains Chapter 6
3. Elemental Mage (1)
I struggled for a while to stop the bleeding on my shoulder with my uncomfortable body, then asked the Elemental Mage for help.
"Um..."
"Hm?"
The girl raised her eyebrows as if asking what was wrong.
Though I was wary of someone who could so casually sever a person's neck... Seeing that angelic face made me feel a bit more at ease.
"Could you tie this for me? It's difficult with one hand."
"Ah."
The girl rolled her eyes for a moment then shook her head.
"No."
"...Huh?"
"It's dirty. I don't want to."
Momentarily stunned by the unexpected firm refusal, I tried to act nonchalant and nodded.
"O-okay. Can't be helped."
There were other passengers and crew members, but no one looked like they would help me.
Not because of personality issues like someone, but because everyone seemed busy tending to their own or their companions' wounds or doing other things.
A sudden thought crossed my mind and I opened my luggage bag that had been rolling on the floor.
Sure enough, among the miscellaneous items like a short blanket, emergency rations, and coin purse, there was what I wanted.
'Potions!'
There were not just one, but four bottles of potion glowing with a brilliant red light.
Even in the Dark World full of magic and mystery, potions are quite rare items. They're not even sold in shops until Chapter 5, and even after that you have to pay quite a high price for life-restoring potions.
I quickly took out a bottle of potion and gulped it down.
- Gulp.
It had a strange taste that couldn't be called good - fishy yet refreshing, bitter yet sweet. However, the effect was clear, as the pain noticeably subsided and the bleeding seemed to slow down a bit.
Come to think of it, I had chosen the passive skill 'Flowing Blood'. It was a basic skill that increased control over my blood and helped with life recovery.
Whether it was that effect or something else, I could feel the arrow lodged in the wound slowly being pushed up.
Just as I was about to drink a second bottle of potion, a white hand suddenly entered my field of vision.
"Oh, you had potions?"
Then that small hand invaded my bag at will and plundered two bottles of potion.
"Hey, what are you doing!"
I showed a bewildered expression as I looked at the Elemental Mage who had quickly retreated before I could stop her.
The girl shrugged and said, "Hmm? Did you forget I gave you a potion earlier?"
"Yes, it was just one bottle."
At my words, the girl furrowed her brow and shook her head.
"I saved your life in an emergency. Two bottles is still a losing deal for me."
I took a deep breath to calm my anger.
To think I compared such a person to my angelic niece. I'm sorry, Ji-won.
Somehow managing to control my trembling lips, I spoke in a calm tone.
"I'm in a hurry now too. I'll give them to you later, so bring those back."
"I don't want to."
"I'm asking nicely. Bring them back."
"What if I don't? What are you going to do?"
"You-"
As she said that, the girl tapped her shoulder with a wand that looked like a recorder.
Remembering the scene where the Wind Blade from that wand had blown away the pirates' limbs, I shut my mouth.
As I quietly lowered my gaze and opened the last remaining potion bottle, a small voice brushed past my ear.
"Kekeke."
"...What did you say?"
"Hm? What?"
When I glared at her with a fierce look, the girl put on an innocent expression and calmly pointed at my wound, saying, "For wounds like that, it's better to sprinkle the potion on rather than drinking it. Well, that's common sense."
After glaring at that crazy gi- no, the girl for a moment, I tried sprinkling the potion on the wound as she said.
Indeed, the flesh grew back at a speed incomparable to when I drank it.
'I'll let it slide this time.'
I gritted my teeth inwardly as I tended to my wound.
I'll pay you back someday. Really.
The navy of South Harbor, which controlled the port and nearby waters, didn't show their faces until the ship docked at the pier.
That was due to the abnormal situation in South Harbor.
Perhaps it was natural, as in a normal situation, it would have been unthinkable for pirates to appear right in front of the port.
I got up with my body which has considerably recovered in a short time and disembarked from the ship with the support of a kind sailor.
Meanwhile, I overheard a conversation between the captain and the dock manager.
"What? Lockdown? What do you mean?"
"Tsk tsk. Seems you haven't heard the news. Lucky or unlucky, I'm not sure."
"Explain so I can understand."
"The port is under lockdown. There are bandits lurking in the reed fields outside the city walls, and the sea is swarming with pirates."
"What on earth..."
"Shall I explain it simply? You're trapped. Completely screwed, I tell you."
Confirming that it wasn't much different from the Dark World scenario, I moved on after hearing just that much.
The scenery of South Harbor felt new, as if the scales had fallen from my eyes after the pirate attack.
Black smoke was rising in the distance, and the high city walls were broken in places and stained with blood.
The busy-looking port was in chaos with merchants whose movements were restricted and soldiers carrying out orders.
The expressions of passersby seemed to reveal undisguisable anxiety, fear, and hostility towards outsiders.
I was detained and questioned by soldiers due to my weapons, but thankfully, the sailor who supported me and a few merchants from the ship vouched for my identity.
Well, vouching for my identity wasn't anything grand. They just boasted about my exploits in slicing up the pirates.
One merchant seemed to slip something to the soldiers. It looked like just a few coins, but the effect wasn't bad.
To think they'd go this far for me. The sorrow I felt while alone nursing my wounds seemed to lessen somewhat.
The soldiers, having pocketed a small side income, let me pass, saying it was fine as long as I wasn't part of the bandit group surrounding the city.
"I'm indebted to you." As I slightly bowed my head, the merchant who had passed the bribe waved his hand awkwardly.
"It's nothing. We'd all be dead if it weren't for you. I feel bad I can't offer proper compensation."
Despite his thief-like appearance with tanned skin, piercing eyes, and a roughly grown beard, he was a merchant with some sense of decency.
Stroking his beard, he casually said, "Go see the captain later. If he has any conscience, he'll give you at least a few silver coins. He seems quite flustered right now."
"I'll do that."
As we walked along the dock, he said it was only natural for the captain to compensate me.
The expensive fare included costs for safety, after all. I had done what the captain should have done, he said.
But my thoughts were a bit different.
From the captain's perspective, he had lost more than half his crew and was trapped in a closed port. If I went asking for money, it might unnecessarily cause trouble.
Besides, thanks to the money I earned in Ailant, my financial situation wasn't too bad.
As I was thinking this and walking, there was a commotion behind me.
"Get down, you sorcerer!"
"Don't put your hands in your cloak!"
Wondering what the fuss was about, I turned around to see soldiers pointing spears at the Elemental Mage.
To think heavily armed soldiers would point spears and shout at a small girl.
The soldiers were threatening her with high-tension, oppressive voices like American police threatening a murder suspect.
I was dumbfounded.
The girl seemed flustered but tried to raise her voice with a forced calm face.
"I'm a mage who studied at the La-Palais Palace!"
"Bullshit, how can we believe a magician without a badge!"
"I don't have a badge, but I have a letter of recommendation from my master,"
"I said don't put your hands in!"
"Ack!"
When the girl reached into her clothes, a soldier struck her arm with the shaft of his spear.
She gritted her teeth and shouted.
"How dare you-"
As she said that and reached into her clothes again, a soldier behind her thrust his spear at her knees.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
...They really stabbed her?
The spearhead protruding through her thin leg revealed between the robe folds.
The soldier dragged the girl's leg with the spear and swung it sideways, and the girl collapsed sideways without even being able to scream properly.
"Subdue her!"
The soldiers rushed in and struck with their spear shafts. One soldier stepped on and broke the wand the girl had dropped.
"Those crazy-"
When the girl was first hit on the arm... Honestly, I thought she deserved it. However, seeing a girl who looked at most like a high school student being stabbed and mercilessly lynched completely erased that thought.
"Where do you think you're going!"
"Sob..."
The girl tried to crawl on the ground, but a soldier stepped on her arm, leaving her helplessly exposed to violence.
The girl curled up, covering the back of her head with one arm, then coughed as she was kicked in the back.
I tried not to compare, but I kept thinking of my niece Ji-won.
So I shook off the restraining sailors and merchants and limped towards the soldiers, shouting, "Wait! Stop for a moment!"
As if they hadn't heard my voice, the soldiers continued to strike with their spear shafts.
Gritting my teeth, I jumped in, kneeling on one knee and blocking the spear shafts with my back while shouting, "Stop! Please stop!"
A couple of spear shafts that hadn't been pulled back in time struck my shoulder and arm.
It hurt terribly, but I didn't feel like complaining because of the soldiers glaring at me with fierce eyes.
"What the hell, you bastard!"
"Get lost!"
My shoulders instinctively shrank as sharp spearheads hovered in front of my nose. I showed both hands to calm the soldiers.
"Please, please calm down- Oh, I'm sorry, soldiers!"
Saying that, I prostrated myself before the soldiers.
The soldiers seemed a bit bewildered when the warrior who had sliced through pirates' necks like picking fruit suddenly prostrated himself.
Well, it wasn't really fitting for Phoenix's cold impression.
After observing the soldiers' startled reaction, I pointed at the fallen girl and said, "This child is with me. She's young and doesn't know much about the world or manners, so she made a mistake towards you soldiers."
This was my own life skill, a know-how I had acquired through years of social life from school, military, to company.
When dealing with extremely angry or excited people, stay prostate until they calm down.
"The situation is already difficult, and I'm sorry for causing you unnecessary stress while on duty. I'd like to offer some compensation if I may open my bag?"
People usually need a justification to withdraw their anger, due to pride and face.
When I asked politely, the soldiers with sullen expressions exchanged glances and nodded.
I quickly took out a coin purse from my bag.
After pondering for a moment with the purse open, I decided to use silver coins with my eyes tightly shut.
Quickly counting the number of soldiers, I took out five silver coins and slowly stood up.
"You're working hard on duty. This is nothing much..."
Saying that, I discreetly handed over the silver coins as if I were a corrupt politician.
However, the soldiers pocketed the bribe with a brazen attitude, seemingly unconcerned about the gazes around them.
Observing the brightened soldiers, I carefully said, "As you can see, I'm injured in many places, so would it be alright if we withdraw now? I feel sorry for wasting your time..."
As I trailed off, a soldier who had been maintaining a stern expression alone spoke, "I've heard that sorcerers rarely forget a grudge once they've harbored one. Is it okay to let them go?"
"Hmm, that's true."
Only then did I remember that the perception of mages in the Dark World setting wasn't very good.
But when playing the game, it only resulted in NPCs' dialogues becoming curt, and there weren't events like this... Shaking off my thoughts, I shook my head and hands exaggeratedly.
"Oh my, what grudge? How could she hold a grudge for something that was her own fault? This child may be inconsiderate, but not to that extent. You absolutely don't need to worry!"
"...Can we trust you?"
"Ah, of course. There's nothing to worry about."
At my exaggerated assurance, the soldiers pondered for a moment and then gave a slight nod.
"Thank you. Take care!"
Quickly bowing my head, I supported the Elemental Mage and helped her up, despite my limping leg.
Though she wasn't unconscious, the girl barely managed to stand up while staggering. However, with her leg pierced by the spear, it seemed impossible for her to walk alone.
In the end, the girl had to move while almost hanging onto my arm.
Fortunately, this body's strength was close to superhuman, so it didn't feel very burdensome. Moreover, fitting her small build, the girl was so light that I could hardly feel her weight.
As we approached the dock with her leaning on me for support, the girl who had been keeping her mouth tightly shut suddenly burst into tears and opened her mouth.