[791] Beta Fish (1)
The Arakne Intelligence Agency had filed the report.
It looked as if she was now leading a mercenary guild in the small trading town of Timaros, near the capital Bangol.
"Jeystin Mercenary Guild, huh…"
Rather than take a new name, she'd dropped her family name; her members numbered at most ten.
It could be called an ordinary life, but she must have given up far too much to buy that peace.
"Where is Timaros?"
Paronica swallowed hard and asked.
"It's a small town about fourteen kilometers east of Bangol. I'll order entry permission."
"Thank you for the cooperation. Let's put out the urgent fire about the terror case first and discuss the rest later."
Only after Shirone gathered the papers and left the Grand Hall did Paronica finally breathe.
"Phew. What a terrifying man."
The regent bowed his head, his face drained of color.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. I handed Miss Arakne over and yet he treated us like strangers…."
"No, this is enough. He used the word 'terror'—he won't just stand by and watch."
Still, Shirone's presence was strong enough to trample the spirit of the Seven Kings' Palace underfoot.
'Does he have the look of someone who bears the world on his shoulders?'
When Shirone had first announced he would come among the Ivory Tower's select, they'd cheered. Now their view had completely changed.
"If he compromised this much against one of the Five Greats, aren't we in a decent position?"
The regent nodded without a word.
* * *
Shirone shot straight up from the royal palace and flew toward the small town on the horizon.
At the gate arch the captain of the guard—already informed—saluted in a booming voice.
"Welcome. We were ordered to ensure nothing interferes with your business. Is there anything you need?"
"I'll just look around."
He wanted to handle things quietly.
"It's an honor for Timaros. If you need anything, please find the nearest guard."
He passed beneath the arch and a row of shops lined the dirt road.
'Is it because of the World Beauty Pageant?'
There were more foreign visitors than locals; the market felt like a festival.
Pushing through the crowd to the guild quarter, the bustle thinned noticeably.
After passing a blacksmith, an alchemy shop, an apothecary and a recovery guild, he finally found the place he was looking for.
Jeystin Mercenary Guild
The building didn't look particularly busy—the town's defense would normally be handled by the guards.
"Excuse me."
Tables were spaced thinly and the counter stood empty.
A group in the corner, bottles at their side, turned away from their card game.
"Who the hell are you?"
The man who spat that out was one-eyed and slurred from drink.
'There must be so few people looking for them…'
Shirone, who had been thinking for a moment, asked plainly.
"I'm looking for someone. Can you help me?"
The plump woman at the table sprang up and came forward.
"Oh my, a customer. Come over here."
She took the counter and slapped open the guestbook, raising a puff of dust.
"Finding people is our specialty. Who are you looking for?"
"Amery Jeystin."
Color drained from the woman's face; the mercenaries' hands froze mid-game.
"Excuse me—who did you say?"
"Amery Jeystin. It seems the leader of this mercenary band goes by Jeystin."
The one-eyed man said.
"Close the door."
With a thud the door shut, and a black-haired man—who must have slipped in unnoticed—drew a blade and stood guard at the entrance.
'He's skilled.'
Shirone had felt the presence; even compared to the Silvering Guild he'd belonged to, this man was high caliber.
"You'd better speak properly, kid."
The one-eyed man leveled a rifle fitted with a mana round.
"Who told you her surname is Jeystin?"
From that question Shirone learned Jeystin had confided her past to her subordinates.
'So this is a mercenary band bound by real trust. I need to be careful what I say.'
Shirone raised both hands.
"I didn't come to fight. I came to ask Jeystin a favor. Call it a commission if you like."
"We warned you."
The rifle clicked as it was cocked, and two other men drew long swords with a dangerous glint.
"Speak properly."
At the same time a mana round spat fire and the black-haired man at the door lunged with his dagger.
"Damn—!"
Shirone teleported to dodge the mana shot; the wall detonated in a concussive blast.
"Watch out! It's a mage!"
"A mage?"
The swordmen ran along the wall and leapt from both sides of Shirone.
"You're still just a kid!"
They hissed and slashed in an X, but Shirone was no longer there.
"I told you I didn't come to fight—!"
Shirone's voice was swallowed by the roar of the mana blast as the surrounding walls blew apart.
'This is their shop!'
He didn't seem to care.
'Or he judged it too dangerous to risk otherwise…'
Though Shirone hadn't yet seen her face, he could infer the life Jeystin had led.
"Kill him! I'll deal with the aftermath!"
The woman shouted, and the black-haired man pressed Shirone with his dagger held reverse.
'As expected, this one's the strongest.'
Realizing talk was pointless, Shirone drew the Shining Chain and bound him.
"Ugh! What is this…! Aaaagh!"
The black-haired man flipped upside down as the chain lengthened, sweeping through the guild and binding people as it went.
"Let go! Let go of me, you bastard!"
The Shining Chain cinched the swordmen's ankles to the floor and finally wound tightly around the one-eyed man's hands behind his back.
"Phew."
As Shirone caught his breath, the woman hiding beneath the counter pulled out a whistle and fired a poisoned dart.
"Pfuhk!"
A stream of toxin-tipped darts flew, but under the Slow spell Shirone had cast they seemed frozen.
"...."
He pinched a dart between forefinger and thumb as if time itself had stopped, and the men tied in the Shining Chain gaped.
"You—caught it with your hands."
From their experience, catching a dart fired under a time-slowing spell was impossible.
'They say people spend their lives trying to slow that one percent…'
Only a photonic genius like Alpheas could make the flow of time feel dreamlike.
"Who…are you?"
The one-eyed man's gaze flicked to the counter woman as she readied another poisoned dart.
"Kyaaa!"
The Shining Chain wrapped her first, hauling her upside down to the ceiling.
"Alright, fine! I'm Amery Jeystin! Now let me go! Talk to me!"
If it was true, it needed to be verified.
"Can you show me a wound?"
The mercenaries' faces hardened.
'This one came here knowing everything.'
Just then the back door banged open and a woman walked in, hair still damp as if she'd just washed it.
"You bastards! Did you burn the deed or what? What's all this racket—!"
She looked toughened by a hard life, a sniper rifle modified for a marksman slung across her shoulder.
Beyond the door the firing range was visible.
"What is this ridiculous scene?"
Scanning the messy tableau, she fixed her gaze on Shirone.
"You're the one putting my men on the line?"
"Boss! Run! He knows the name!"
The one-eyed man cried out.
Her brow twitched for an instant, but Jeystin—calm as someone in the eye of an incident—didn't act rashly.
"…Release my men."
As long as the mercenaries' murderous intent could be felt through the Spirit Zone, she couldn't free them.
"Are you Amery Jeystin?"
"Yes. If you have something to say, say it to me."
Like the woman at the counter, the clearest verification was in the eyes.
"Show me the wound on your flank."
The one-eyed man thrashed.
"Boss! Get out of here! You bastard! Untie me! I'll kill you once I get out—agh!"
As the Shining Chain tightened, the one-eyed man screamed and everyone linked by it winced.
"Ughhh!"
Jeystin shouted.
"Enough!"
She grabbed the hem of her shirt and hauled it up to her chin; her chest heaved and bare skin was exposed.
"Enough? Now release my men."
"B-boss…."
While the men averted their eyes from the embarrassing sight, Shirone stared at her ribs.
'There it is.'
A wound that must have been fatal at the time ran clearly along her ribcage.
"Why? Want me to show below too?"
Shirone released the Shining Chain.
"Grrr!"
The woman fell from the ceiling and her men dropped to their knees, clutching aching limbs.
"Pathetic…"
Jeystin clicked her tongue but couldn't hide the worry in her eyes.
'A strong person.'
He felt the steel of a soldier who'd crossed the line.
"Okay, I'm Amery Jeystin. Now what? Are you going to kill me?"
"I told you I didn't come to fight. I have no intention of hurting you."
"Is that so?"
Jeystin gave little reaction.
"Fine. Let's hear it. You want to talk alone, right? There's the perfect place."
She led him to the firing range she practically lived at.
"Boss! We'll come with you! Auugh!"
The one-eyed man tried to stand but sank back down, bones aching.
"Take care of yourselves. Stop fussing…."
After Jeystin and Shirone slipped out the back, the woman behind the counter brought out an ointment.
"Put this on. Your skin's scraped."
The one-eyed man rubbed the salve on and frowned as he inspected chain marks on his skin.
"Damn! I'll have to wear long sleeves. How can I walk around like this? People'll think I'm a pervert."
The swordsman glanced back at the rear door.
"Think it's okay? He wasn't ordinary. Shouldn't we follow them?"
"Hmph. Ordinary skill?"
The black-haired man scoffed.
"You think ordinary skill could restrain me? Well, maybe your lot could."
The one-eyed man bared his teeth.
"What the hell, you bastard! I'm already upset and now you're rubbing it in."
"If he wanted to kill us, he would have already done it."
Everyone fell silent.
"If he'd had evil intent, we wouldn't be here now. That's why the boss went along. Trust him and leave it."
"...."
The one-eyed man blew on his salved shoulder.
"No scar, right?"
A mana round detonated.
"Next!"
When a target was set on the hillside, the sniper's recoil kicked as usual.
"Next!"
Jeystin, absorbed in her shooting, stood beside Shirone as he fell into thought.
'What is she shooting at?'
Her marksmanship was almost miraculous—skills forged only by daily, relentless training.
'She's still fighting.'
Jeystin finally spoke.
"If you're not a hitman, why come here?"
"I have a request."
"A request? From me?"
She pulled the bolt and a spent casing ejected from the side of the sniper rifle.
"Kill Habitz."
Her breath stopped and her shoulders began trembling like a tsunami.
"N-next!"
As soon as the target rose the trigger was pulled, but the mana round detonated in a completely different place.
"Habitz…."
Terror swept across Jeystin's eyes.