Chapter 628

“Ian, could it be here?”

Ian and Beric scanned each building in the darkness, each one with clotheslines strung across them. Often, they found no signs of use, no basements, or no passageways—just dead ends.

The two climbed to the rooftop of the tallest building in the market and looked around.

“Ian, or should we come back tomorrow morning? Or maybe bring Hale and Fang along? It’s a bit much to handle just the two of us. Besides, Fang can use clone magic.”

“Wait.”

Ian furrowed his brow and motioned to Beric. At the same time, Beric sniffed the air. They caught a faint scent drifting on the wind.

“Hey, that’s the same smell from before.”

The scent of blood from the fighting arena.

“…Beric, do you see that man running over there?”

“Yeah, of course I do.”

Ian hesitated for a moment, then crouched as if ready to jump over the railing, whispering to Beric.

“That could be a bandit group who heard about the arena. Beric, let’s follow him.”

---

“Ian Hielo? Bariel’s Minister of Magic?”

“Yes, that’s what they say.”

“Damn it!”

The Cut-Ear bandits jumped up in surprise, and the boy acting as interpreter flinched. He’d come here thinking he’d just be translating Bariel language, but now he wished he’d refused.

The client was a wanted Cut-Ear in the market, and the target was the mother of Bariel’s Minister of Magic. The boy tensed, but Philia gently took his hand, as if to reassure him.

“Why would those crazy bastards, who belong to the royal palace, not fly their banner? They’re dead men—palace puppeteers, no less.”

“They must have moved in secret. Now it makes sense. They went to Bariel, kidnapped the Minister’s mother, but they couldn’t exactly announce, ‘We’re from the Tolrun royal palace.’”

“I’ve heard rumors that the Minister of Magic is a pretty boy. Yeah, seeing his mother’s face, I get it.”

“Is now really the time for nonsense? This is a mess.”

“You said her name was Philia, right? Maybe we should ask around Bariel, just in case.”

Philia nodded eagerly when her name was mentioned. She couldn’t understand the rapid chatter, but she knew they were discussing her identity.

“Forget checking. The palace already shut down the market. That says it all. Remember that merchant we met in the market?”

“Maya?”

“She definitely knew something. She spoke Bariel language well.”

“Right. She called out to Philia with gold coins because she knew who she was. Damn it! This is why people need to learn! If we’d had someone who spoke Bariel earlier, we wouldn’t have come back to Tolrun!”

“Who are you blaming? You can’t even speak your mother tongue properly.”

“Calm down, let’s get a grip and sort this out.”

The royal palace had unofficially put a bounty on the Cut-Ears. With the slave market shut down, the merchants who lost their livelihood were now desperate to track them down.

“If we hand Philia over to the palace, we probably won’t get paid. We’d have to settle for the price of the palace puppeteers’ lives. And even that’s iffy.”

“Exactly. The palace only said to bring Philia back, but they never mentioned what happens afterward. If we hand her over, we’re all dead.”

“Kidnapping the Minister of Magic’s mother isn’t a small matter. That means we’re among the very few civilians who know. I think we’re screwed.”

“So, is sending her to Bariel still the best option?”

The bandits all looked at Philia at once.

“…It’s not easy.”

“Right. The border guards must be tighter now. How are we supposed to get her to Bariel? Even if we hand her over and get paid, we can’t come back to Tolrun.”

“Even if it sucks, this place is better than Bariel. None of us can speak a word of Bariel.”

“They might send pursuit squads to hunt us down. I think it’s better to try negotiating with the palace while there’s still a chance.”

As the bandits argued stubbornly, Philia’s eyes darted anxiously. From the way things were going, the group was split between staying in Tolrun or going to Bariel.

‘If there’s a way to gain huge benefits from Bariel without clashing with the Tolrun palace, the bandits would choose that. But the problem is, I have no idea what that method could be.’

There had to be a wise path. What would Ian do to persuade the bandits in a situation like this? Just as Philia was about to speak, deep in thought—

Bang!

“Shit, this is bad!”

A group of bandits burst in, throwing the door wide open. Everyone was about to snap at them, but the news they brought left them speechless.

“Marni’s fighting arena has been shut down.”

“…What?”

“The problem isn’t just that. The captain of the city guard was killed in the arena, along with a dozen or so guards.”

“Does that mean Marni killed the captain? No way. He’s different from us. He has too much to protect.”

“Exactly! Don’t you get what this means? The palace set a trap! What do you think Marni will do, now that he’s been dragged into the palace? Like you said, he’s got too much to lose!”

If they didn’t spill information about the Cut-Ears, they’d be charged with treason for the guard’s murder. That meant the palace would learn about this secret hideout.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, the bandits all jumped up, their faces grim.

“Sh-shit, what do we do now?”

“Contact the palace. Tell them we’ll hand over Philia!”

“The palace is just setting Marni up. Do you think that’ll work now? No time to think. Pack up. We’re heading to Bariel.”

“You idiots! Don’t you realize this is our last chance?”

“If we get caught running, it’s a death sentence!”

As the bandits shouted heatedly, Philia pulled the interpreter boy close. The atmosphere was growing tense. Then—

Smack!

“Ahhh!”

A fight broke out. One bandit grabbed Philia’s shoulder, but another punched him to break the hold.

Philia staggered, but no one cared. They just threw punches to overpower anyone who opposed their opinion.

“Give me the goods!”

“You crazy bastard!”

“If you want to die, go ahead! Are you that stupid?”

“How many times do I have to say it? Going to the palace is the only way to survive!”

“Do you think the Minister of Magic is worthless? Three hundred gold coins, maybe more! Don’t you see this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance?”

Without a leader to unite them, the bandits’ conflict escalated to a breaking point. Philia and the boy retreated to a corner, curling up to protect their heads.

“Damn it, come here!”

At that moment, a man with a busted nose and mouth spotted Philia and roughly grabbed her. Philia couldn’t tell if he was from the palace or Bariel’s side. As she struggled, the interpreter boy spoke up.

“Philia! That man wants to go to the palace.”

“N-no! Let me go!”

Philia fought fiercely, but the man grabbed a fistful of her hair, determined not to let go. The boy tried to intervene, but the size difference was too great.

Thud!

A heavy sound came from outside. Something had fallen, but the bandits were too caught up in their fight to notice.

Thud!

Again. This time, some bandits glanced toward the noise, but they couldn’t imagine it was the sound of the latch breaking on their hideout’s entrance.

Creak.

The wooden door opened cautiously, revealing only darkness beyond.

The bandits finally stopped fighting and turned their attention outside. A sense of unease settled over them. After a lifetime of chasing and being chased, their instincts screamed danger.

“W-who’s out there?”

“Identify yourselves and keep your distance! Otherwise, the goods will be taken as corpses!”

Philia trembled as she stared down the dark corridor. If she was dragged to the palace, what would happen to her? Would she bring trouble to Ian and Bariel? If so… maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to face her fate here with the bandits.

She thought of Ian, Roel, Nersarn, and all those she held dear.

Swish.

“Y-you crazy—!”

She grabbed the dagger aimed at her with her hand. Pressing it against her own throat, she braced herself to strike. The bandit was startled and pulled the blade away.

At that moment—

Whoosh!

In the underground chamber with no windows, a fierce wind swept through, stealing their breath away.

The startled bandits hesitated briefly, then saw golden eyes glowing brightly in the darkness.

“…!”

Eyes shining like a beast’s. They couldn’t even begin to imagine who—or what—owned them. A person? Or a monster?

While the bandits froze in shock, Philia inhaled deeply, overcome with emotion swelling in her chest.

“Get down.”

A pale voice spoke in Bariel. Philia shoved away the man gripping her shoulder tightly and dropped flat to the floor, closing her eyes. The interpreter boy, who understood Bariel, instinctively crawled under the desk to hide as well.

“Uh, uh—?”

The thieves stiffened as Philia suddenly dropped down. Then, in that frozen moment, they were met with a sudden flash of light.

「Hooked Scythe」.

A cold, massive sickle. Like a whirlwind, it sliced straight through the necks and bodies of the bandits.

Shing!

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

Philia covered her ears, forcing herself to ignore the hot liquid dripping down from above her head.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. The surroundings fell eerily silent, but Philia couldn’t move easily.

Swish.

A small hand touched her back. Startled, Philia flinched and turned around, meeting a pair of golden eyes sparkling like stars. It was Ian—her son, the most beautiful and radiant light in her world.

Despite her trembling body, Philia forced herself up and wrapped her arms around Ian’s neck.

“Ah…”

“It’s okay. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I-Ian…”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Ian, Ian…”

Tears streamed down Philia’s face as she finally let go, and Ian gently patted her back over and over.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come out that night.”

“No, Mother. Those who planned to go to Bariel are to blame, not you.”

“H-How did you find me? Did you come alone?”

For some reason, Ian looked a little thinner. The war with Burgos must have been hard on him.

Too overwhelmed to speak properly, Philia only furrowed her brow in worry as she kept her eyes on her son.

“Iaaan!”

Bang!

“Is this the place? I smell blood. There’s no one in the building across—oh! Philia!”

“Beric!”

Beric, kicking the door, spotted Philia and broke into a bright smile. The two embraced tightly, sharing the joy of reunion. Ian glanced briefly at the bodies of the bandits, then nodded toward Beric, silently signaling him to take Philia away.

“Philia, this way.”

“Ian, what about you?”

“I’ll clean up here. You should leave.”

Ziiing!

Shing!

As Beric wrapped an arm around Philia’s shoulder and led her outside, Ian conjured a small flame with his magic. Though he couldn’t erase all traces, he could at least sow confusion for the palace guards who might be pursuing them.

Creaaak.

Pouring kerosene and channeling his magic into it, the flames roared fiercely. Without hesitation, Ian turned away.

Moments later, as the fire reached the ceiling, the boy hiding under the desk peeked out. No one was there. The flames grew stronger.

Crackle, crackle!

Shing!

“Ugh!”

The boy stepped over the severed bodies and dashed outside, running without hesitation toward the guardhouse.