“Haa. Huff, huff.”
The boy, running aimlessly through the darkness, kept looking back as if he was worried about what was behind him.
With a slender body, striking red hair that stood out from afar, and an impressive face, the boy leapt two or three times with a rather flashy technique. Then, evading the eyes of those chasing him, he hid his body in the back alley of the plaza, inside a shabby warehouse.
“Find him! Where is he hiding?”
“Over there! Look behind there! I think he just went in there!”
“This is a pillar. Did he enter through the wall? No matter which way I look, it’s impossible!”
The group chasing the boy searched the warehouse in confusion, then soon disappeared, following another scream that echoed from afar.
…… Fortunately, there was space behind the pillar.
Klisha took a moment to catch her breath, as the sound of footsteps grew distant, she sharpened the small knife she was holding in her hand and put it inside her shirt.
It was a good thing she bought a knife from a store in Mosses earlier. In this situation, she couldn’t swing a longsword.
“What the hell…….”
It was a lucky day. Well, it couldn’t be exactly lucky. If she had been lucky, she wouldn’t be hiding here today.
A sinister light flashed through Klisha’s eyes.
* * *
Around noon. Evanor.
The Northern Archduke, no, Tomma Ryuiken, who had appeared out of nowhere, became suddenly serious, paid for her meal, and then disappeared. The money! She could have paid too! Well, it was exactly not really her money, though.
He disappeared as quickly as he came, as expected.
‘Northern Archduke.’
He’ll appear as fierce as the north wind, aiming to capture the heart of the lady. But what could she, a fragile lady, offer? In the end, what he wants is the lady’s body… perhaps? Hehe..…
Klisha, who had been standing in the middle of the street alone in broad daylight and daydreaming, came to her senses at the clumsy murderous intent she felt from the nearby café and scratched her head slightly.
“It’s a little embarrassing….”
She was full. So she wanted to walk around a bit. As she looked around, Evanor in the daytime had a slightly different feeling, not as gloomy as the Grand Plaza.
The passersby all looked elegant. Classic music drifted through the alleyways, and well-dressed ladies… no, the noblewomen, strolled between the neatly trimmed trees. Even the dogs they carried around seemed to have a refined air about them.
Klisha briefly thought of her Macaron at home and… her beloved Shukrim for a moment, then couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Macaron and Shukrim were sworn enemies, yet they were also the best of friends.
‘Ah. I have to go get Shukrim quickly.’
Klisha was worried that Shukrim had been bullied because of his gluttony nature and that she had left him as collateral.
‘That guy. He’s probably just chewing on hay that doesn’t even suit his taste. What if he thinks I abandoned him and gets all downhearted? I should go and feed him some meat to cheer him up.’
But Klisha didn’t know.
Her Shukrim was very happy right now.
The fact that he’s completely, not even a little bit, thinking about his owner, and was actually enjoying himself. And if possible, he hoped his owner… didn’t come back for a long time.
This was the power of the ‘Collateral Management Program (special_Ⅳ)’ that Klisha didn’t even know she had signed. Or more precisely, the power of ‘money’.
Walking around with light steps and looking around, Klisha found the ornately decorated tourist information center of Evanor.
“Excuse me, could you tell me the transportation options to Myuta?”
“Are you referring to Myuta, the commercial and gateway city? It’s a day’s journey to Myuta, so you’ll need to rent a horse.”
“Aren’t there any carriages or anything like that?”
“Hmm… There’s a 12-person carriage that departs from the clock tower in the southwest of the Grand Plaza at 7 p.m. Otherwise, you’ll need to arrange for a personal carriage, horses, and a coachman.”
Klisha briefly considered renting a horse, but.
For some reason, it felt like cheating on Shukrim, who must be waiting anxiously, so she decided against it. That guy. He’s very sensitive about things like this.
I guess I’ll just take the public carriage.
“How much is the 12-person one? Do they sell tickets here?”
“You can pay directly at the plaza. First class seats are 10 ruel, and the regular seats are 5 ruel. The rest stop fee along the way is separate.”
“……”
Now that she thought about it, she didn’t have any cash.
If she handed her shiny ‘black card’ to the coachman, he would look at her like she was crazy.
But going back to the headquarters of the Central Royal Bank was a bit embarrassing.
Klisha thought back to the commotion from earlier and shook her head.
“Is there a branch of the Central Royal Bank near the Grand Plaza?”
“Let’s see…… There isn’t one right in front of the Grand Plaza, but there is one in Terban about an hour away. However, it’s only open until 4 p.m.….”
“I see. Thank you.”
9 to 4. The Central Royal Bank was strict about its business hours. She knew it better.
When Klisha walked briskly and arrived back at the Grand Plaza, she saw the young siblings were sitting in front of the fountain. Seeing her, they ran toward her with bright smiles.
“Mister!”
“Huh?”
“I’m glad you’re safe. I was worried for a long time!”
“Ah.”
The pair of brother and sister smiled brightly. They were the siblings who had shared the bread with her.
“How are you? Are you okay?”
“Yes. We are okay. We were looking for you for a long time.”
“For me? Why?”
“The very kind nobleman who helped us has been waiting for you since a while ago.”
“Nobleman?”
“Yes! The nobleman said he knows mister very well. He has pretty green eyes…….”
“And he owes you meat.”
A soft, pleasant voice rang out from somewhere.
“Huh? The Detective…… sir?”
Borrowing the effects of the same medicine, Ian, who had disguised himself again, swept back his dark brown hair and let out a slight chuckle.
“Detective, huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“…….”
For a moment, Klisha’s expression turned a bit sour as she recalled the series of events triggered by hunger two days ago.
“Well. There is something like that.”
Do you think I’ll forgive you just because you showed up all neat and handsome now? What were you doing when I was starving? I got caught in the guards’ net, you know? I looked like a beggar with a bounty on my head…… Hmph. Tsk. Tsk. Snort……
“What about lunch?”
“I’ve eaten. Already, A lot. Packed it all in, just meat. Stuffed to the brim. Deeply. Completely.”
“Oh. Even though you don’t have any money. How?”
“A really handsome rich boss bought it for me. He even took me to bed, bathed, and dressed me…….”
“Hmm?”
Ian’s pale green eyes sunk slightly.
“A rich boss……”
The corner of the young man’s lips slightly went up.
“I guess…… he’s more capable than I thought?”
Flinch.
For some reason, there was no real presence, yet why was it so scary? It felt unnerving.
Klisha rubbed the back of her neck, as a shiver rose her spine.
“Well, anyway…… you don’t have to pay for the meat. I’m full now. I’ve also…… caused some accident.”
Ian tilted his head slightly and opened his mouth.
“Then let’s go for a walk.”
“Huh?”
“You’ve come all the way to the capital. It’d be a shame to just wander around the plaza and head back. Since you just came from Evanor, how about we head to Mosses? It should be worth seeing.”
Huh?
Suddenly a date? Why? By the way… … did he just say I was from Evanor? No. Before…… didn’t he say I’m not from the capital?
* * *
Ian had received a report on Klisha’s whereabouts from the Royal Guard’s elite ‘Knight’ unit, and then made his way to the Grand Plaza at the right time. No one in the capital could escape the eyes of the guards.
He heard that she appeared in the Grand Plaza at dawn on the day the assassins appeared, and got into ‘Homer Ryuiken’s’ carriage, then headed to Evanor.
‘Homer Ryuiken.’
Ian’s mind drifted to the old merchant he had met a few years ago over the issue of the Free Trade Zone. The head of the merchant company, which controlled the economy of the continent Asha. Well, for his age, he did have a certain dignified charm…..
‘By the way, her tastes are unusual. Is it her father, Lord Issac’s influence?’
The young Emperor, or rather, Detective Ray Vaughn, narrowed his pale green eyes and looked down at the red-haired girl who was chattering nonstop beside him.
“Wow, that building over there is really pretty. I think they sell jewelry inside. Let’s go over there……”
She was just pouting earlier with her little mouth all twisted. Now, as Klisha bounced around, blushing and admiring everything, it seemed like all her frustration had disappeared. Ian shook his head slightly while watching her.
‘…… She’s cute.’
He opened his mouth with a soft smile.
“Shasha-mon, you have plenty of time, so don’t run…….”
At that moment, a rough voice was heard from somewhere.
“Hey, you two young lovebirds. You have such a good vibe. I can feel your pure energy.”
A fairytale-like scene unfolded before them, with endless rows of charming buildings in retro styles.
Klisha and Ian, who were passing through the beautiful building of Mosses, a famous resort for nobles in the northwest of the capital, stopped walking at the thick accent of a shabby old man who didn’t fit in with the luxurious neighborhood.
“Are you talking about us?”
“Yes. You young people.”
The mysterious old man continued speaking slowly.
“Do you know ‘Tao’?”
“Tao? ‘Tao’ what?”
“Yes. The ‘Tao’ originally means a path, a destiny. Let me see…. I can sense the spirit of fire from you. Someone in your family deals with fire, right? Hmm….. maybe they have been burned by fire, or lived off fire, or their hair color resembles fire…..”
“Wow. My father is exactly like that. How do you know?”
When Klisha’s already big eyes widened even more and she clapped her hands, Ian clicked his tongue inwardly.
“Heh heh. This too is fate, so why not let me read your fortune? It’s just 30 ruels per person. Pretty young folks like you… I’ll give you a discount. Both of you have well-shaped eyebrows, a sign of being favored by fortune.”
“Wow. Is this the gypsy fortune telling I’ve only heard of? This is really amazing.”
“Gypsy fortune telling? No, no. It’s disappointing if you compare it to such superstitions, you know? This is modern divination, packed with five hundred years of tradition and expertise.”
“Wow. Modern divination! Amazing.”
“Haha. It’s very cheap……”
“But I don’t have money.”
The old man, who had been covered in a blanket all the way to his head even in the middle of summer, suddenly changed his demeanor. The warm tone he had been using a moment ago transformed in an instant into the cultured, refined speech of a modern gentleman commonly used in the capital.
“That won’t do, miss. Heh. Away with you. Go.”
Klisha licked her lips and muttered under her breath, looking a bit disappointed.
“…… I have a card.”
“I accept cards, my dear customer. You should have told me earlier. 6-month interest-free installment plan available.”
“Oh my. An offer at the first try…….”
Ian, who was watching the two’s banter from a step behind, quietly interrupted the flow of conversation.
“Using magic is forbidden in the capital.”
The self-proclaimed modern divination interpreter stared intently into Ian’s green eyes and opened his mouth.
“Magic? Oh no, I’m just getting a little peek with the help of our ancestral spirits. Someone like you…. would understand.”
“……”
Ian glared at the fortune-teller for a moment before grabbing Klisha’s hand and turning away.
“Huh? I want to know that. Why?”
“Let’s go somewhere else.”
As Klisha kept glancing back regretfully while walking, Ian never once turned around as he walked. The fortune-teller, watching them disappear, muttered in a monotone voice.
“They don’t have a marital connection… how strange. I wonder where… it got tangled.”
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
Klisha, who was walking around Mosses and getting various sweets and ice cream, reflexively jumped up at the sound of the bell ringing from the spire of the temple in the distance.
Ian watched Klisha with a puzzled look. She was eating sweets heartily a while ago, but suddenly froze and exclaimed.
“Detective! We have to go to the bank! It’s open from 9 to 4. If we miss it, there’ll be big trouble!”
“Bank?”
“Yes. I have some business there.”
“You’re asking me to go with you…..?”
“No, it’s fine. The bank is in the Terban district, so it’s not far. I’ll be back in a moment, so please wait here! You have to wait!”
As Ian chuckled softly while getting up to follow the red-haired boy, no, lady, disappearing like the wind, a small voice echoed from the darkness.
“Your Majesty. Someone has appeared with information regarding the disappearance of the late Empress.”
“What?”
“Would you like to meet them now?”
“……”
Ian turned his head to glance in the direction where Klisha had disappeared, let out a short sigh, and then called over a waiter to leave a note.
「See you at the Western Sunset Tailor Shop. –Ray Vaughn.」
The green eyes of the young man leaving the shop suddenly turned into a low-saturation blue. He raised his right hand slightly and gestured, and in an instant, the knights of the Royal Guards descended.
“You two, follow that guy from earlier. Unless it’s a matter of life and death, there’s no need to reveal your presence. The rest will go to the informant.”
“Understood.”
In front of the Terban branch of the Central Royal Branch.
Klisha, who barely made it to the right time, was speechless. It wasn’t because the bank was closed. Nor because the black card was blocked.
That thing in front of her…..
Dozens of those posters stuck on both sides of the bank’s main entrance…….
Wanted poster?
「★★WANTED★★」
> Name: Klisha Mezerine (Shasha Rin). 21 years old.
> Characteristics: Red hair. Almond-colored eyes. Female. Escapee. (Rune Operator, Fierce Aura)
> Bounty: 10,000 Ruel.
※ An additional 10,000 Ruel will be rewarded for bringing all limbs intact.
