Chapter 12
It was early morning, and the shop hadn’t opened yet, but money truly was all-powerful.
“Is this enough?”
“Yes, that’s perfect.”
Theophanes seemed a bit displeased as he looked at the dress she was wearing. It was a plain dress with no decorations, but it had good mobility, so Daphne didn’t mind.
“We’ll have to call the dressmaker as soon as we get to Anaxi,” she said.
“We should. You don’t even have a jacket to wear,” Theophanes replied.
“I’ll pick a very good one for you,” he added.
“Thank you.”
“Shall we walk?”
“Yes.”
The two of them walked toward Phantom, chatting along the way.
The shopkeeper of the dressmaker’s shop smiled widely as he looked at a pouch of gold coins.
“This is quite a windfall.”
He counted the gold coins and was still smiling when the door opened, and a man entered the shop.
“We’re not open yet.”
“I have a question.”
“Yes?”
“Did some customers just leave?”
“Yes.”
“Who were they?”
“They were incredibly beautiful, though I can’t describe them fully. What’s the matter?”
“Was it a man and a woman?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Was the woman silver-haired?”
“Yes, she was.”
“Got it, thanks.”
The man turned to leave, but just as he reached the door, the shopkeeper heard the sound of a lock being clicked shut.
“Thanks for the info.”
The man, now holding a knife, came back toward the shopkeeper.
“How about sharing some of that gold? Or better yet, giving it all to me?”
Not long after, the man left, looking content. He had just started to check the gold coins when a voice called out to him.
“Boss!”
“Ah, you scared me, Poncho.”
“Did you only ask for info from him?”
“Yeah, but how could I just leave it at that? Take this.”
The man, called Reaper, tossed a pouch of gold coins to Poncho. Poncho, startled, dropped the pouch when he felt something wet on his palm.
“What…?”
He saw the bloodstains and rushed back into the shop. The shopkeeper lay motionless in a pool of blood.
Poncho had just wanted to make some money, but he didn’t want to see someone die.
But Reaper was a man who saw life like the life of an ant.
Poncho thought about running, but Reaper would find him and kill him anyway.
“If you keep hesitating, you’ll get caught,” Reaper said, seeing Poncho standing still.
Poncho, feeling guilty, muttered an apology, wiped his eyes, and left the shop.
Reaper, watching him leave, smiled and tossed another pouch of coins in the air.
“Make sure you hold onto that one.”
Poncho was terrified of Reaper, who seemed to know exactly what Poncho was thinking.
“Now, let’s go find that woman.”
–
As the two walked through the market, the busy sounds of people buying and selling filled the streets.
Daphne stared at the bustling scene, surprised at how lively it was.
She hadn’t realized how vibrant the place was, or perhaps she had chosen not to see it.
Theophanes noticed her reaction and spoke.
“How about taking a look around?”
“Sorry?”
“It’s a sight you won’t see again for years. You were born and raised here, so it’s like saying goodbye to this place.”
Daphne gave a faint smile at his words.
“But we don’t have time,” she said.
“If I push Dante a little more, we’ll be able to aget there quickly. No need to worry.”
“You might make the deputy run away,” she teased.
“I haven’t raised him that weak,” Theophanes said confidently.
Thanks to Dante’s teleportation ability, they had already saved quite a bit of time.
Daphne thought about it for a moment and then nodded.
“Well, since you’re being considerate, I suppose it would be rude not to take a look.”
“I’ll assign someone to keep an eye on you.”
Daphne hesitated, unsure if she should accept, as it felt odd to be out in the open alone.
“Actually, I’ll be fine. I’d like to experience a bit of freedom,” she said, surprising herself with the admission.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I’m not a child.”
“Alright. I’ll be back in thirty minutes, at the fountain,” Theophanes said, checking his watch.
“Okay.”
Before he left, he handed her a small pouch.
“You might get bored waiting. Maybe buy some breakfast or a little jewelry.”
Daphne smiled, accepting the pouch.
“I don’t usually accept these kinds of offers,” she said.
“Then I’m glad,” he replied with a smile before heading off.
Now alone, Daphne felt strangely awkward with the sudden freedom.
She wasn’t used to walking around on her own. She glanced around, feeling a bit lost, and then started walking.
She paused when she heard the faint sound of a bird.
Turning around, she saw a shop with various animals for sale.
The vendor greeted her with a smile as she walked up.
“Would you like to look around?”
Daphne was drawn to a white bird in a cage.
“This is a white-eye sparrow. They’re native to Himonas, but they’re rare and hard to catch, so they’re quite popular. We just caught one this morning.”
It reminded Daphne of a bird Jacquette had liked.
“Can I see it up close?” she asked.
“Of course, but please don’t tap on the cage or touch it,” the vendor said, grinning.
Daphne nodded and approached the cage. She noticed something unusual about the bird—it felt different, almost like it understood her.
Suddenly, the bird flapped its wings, startling Daphne. She stepped back.
“I’ll take it,” she said, deciding to buy the bird.
“Great choice!”
Daphne pulled out the pouch Theophanes had given her.
“How much is it?”
“Fifty silver.”
Daphne hesitated, unsure. She only had gold coins, and she wasn’t sure if Theophanes meant for her to spend them freely or if he was testing her management skills.
The longer she took, the more uncomfortable the vendor seemed.
“Do you… not have money?” he asked after a pause.
“No, that’s not it.”
The vendor looked confused, but Daphne quickly pulled out a gold coin and handed it over.
The vendor stared at the gold, blinking in disbelief.
“Is this…?”
“Change is fine,” Daphne said.
The vendor quickly went to wrap the bird.
But by the time he returned, Daphne had disappeared.
🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷