[144] The Name Parrot (2)
At first Amy blinked in confusion, then, realizing what Tess was getting at, turned away with an embarrassed look.
"Why are you saying weird things all of a sudden? What does Shirone have to do with my graduation?"
"But that's exactly it. Shirone's still in Class Four, and you're in the graduating class. With your skill, you'll probably graduate next year. If that happens, you'll leave for the capital, won't you?"
The moment she heard "leave for the capital," Amy's heart started pounding.
She'd never thought about it before. But realistically, it wasn't something that would only happen in some far-off future.
"That's none of my business."
"Oh? Really?"
Amy's tone was cold, but Tess detected no real conviction in it.
After a short silence, Amy, just as Tess had expected, let out the words she'd been holding back.
"Still… we made a promise. He swore he'd catch up to me. That was the condition for us to be able to talk freely."
Tess pursed her lips, surprise and admiration mingling in a soft sound. If something like that had been exchanged between them, their feelings weren't exactly trivial.
"Hmm. Shirone is incredible, of course. But you said he reached Class Four in only half a year, right? Even a genius can't graduate that easily, can they?"
Amy actually knew the truth. Shirone's accomplishments so far were beyond what ordinary people could even mimic.
An eighteen-year-old who'd never known magic rose to Class Four in only half a year.
Expecting more from that might be greedy.
Amy watched Shirone's back ahead of them. Had he ever thought about this? If he really graduated, would he miss her?
It's hard to take a step ahead when everyone else is giving their all. Yet Shirone had already taken several strides. Maybe he was burning every ounce of talent to his limit as he ran.
Amy knew that, and still it stung. She glared at his back and sent a silent message.
"Hurry up and catch up. If you fall behind, I won't let it slide."
The two women finished their private conversation and quickened their pace to catch Shirone and Rian.
Back together, the group chatted as they climbed the hill toward the villa. Then Tess suddenly stopped and warned in a low voice.
"Shh. Quiet."
"Why all of a sudden…?"
Amy turned to Tess. At first she thought it was another prank, but the seriousness on Tess's face made her fall silent.
Tess trained in sabre swordsmanship and, among schemas, specialized in sensory-type builds.
Not to the extent of an archer, perhaps, but her sensitivity to stimuli far exceeded that of a normal person.
Shirone and Rian, sensing the shift, came up behind. Tess put a finger to her lips and signaled them to be quiet.
"There's someone in front of the villa. Judging by lung capacity, it's a man. If he's average build, he's probably between 170 and 175 centimeters tall."
Rian gripped the hilt of the straight sword at his back. After last night's ruckus at the palace, an intruder was a real possibility.
"I don't sense hostility, but be ready just in case."
Tess moved forward like a cat on silent paws, and the others followed slowly behind.
When they reached the villa, they saw someone standing at the door. In silhouette he didn't move, merely staring off into the distance.
Shirone's group advanced cautiously, but before they'd taken more than a few steps the silhouette suddenly went limp and collapsed to the ground.
They exchanged glances and hurried to the door.
The midnight visitor was Jis. He looked like he'd been beaten—there was not an unbruised patch on his face.
Shirone grabbed him by the side to support him. The moment a hand touched him, Jis winced in pain.
"Ugh! It hurts!"
"Are you all right? Who did this to you?"
"G—get away!"
Jis shoved Shirone off. If Shirone knew why he'd ended up like this, he wouldn't be angry—at least Jis didn't want to show weakness in front of Amy.
He slid down and sat against the door. As Shirone moved forward to steady him again, Jis let out a bitter, pained laugh.
"Out partying until this hour? You've really got a charmed life."
Though Jis's condition looked dire, Tess never let her guard down.
He'd been the one to lure Amy into danger with a strange method the night before. Even injured, Tess wasn't inclined to trust him.
Amy, however, stepped forward without hesitation. Not because she trusted Jis, but because she knew the rules of this world and could already guess part of what had happened.
"What happened to you? Tell us. Was it Falcoa?"
Instead of answering Amy, Jis lifted his head and glared fiercely at Shirone.
Being able to glare back at Shirone head-on made him feel better.
After hitting rock bottom and still managing to protect Amy's life, he figured he deserved at least that minute to be the protagonist and explain himself.
"Hey, you. Listen carefully. Take good care of your woman."
"What are you talking about?"
Shirone tilted his head in confusion and Jis scowled. Since the carriage conversation with Amy, he'd had suspicions—he couldn't clearly define Shirone and Amy's relationship.
That made him angrier. Why should he suffer because of someone like Shirone who had everything he didn't?
"I'm talking about Amy, you bastard! If you pull that kind of stunt, you better protect her to the end!"
"I don't understand what you mean. Why Amy? I was with her all day."
Jis remembered Falcoa's instructions. Even recalling it made him laugh bitterly at how absurd it was.
"Bring her—by any means, even kill for it. Lace a drink with a highly lethal poison and bring it to Amy. She won't have any choice but to drink it."
"This is insane…!"
Rian's eyes flashed like a tiger's and he clenched his fist. The others listening were just as furious.
Of course Amy wasn't foolish enough to miss Falcoa's scheme. But considering her pride and the power of her crimson eyes, that drink could have led to something horrific.
At that thought Tess shuddered.
"He's mad. I knew he was off, but he's really gone too far."
Shirone's voice trembled like never before.
"So you—threw that drink away?"
"I dumped it in the trash. I refused to do it. See? I protected Amy. Not you—me! I risked my life to keep her safe! Do you get that, you idiot?"
Shirone's group fell silent. They had no rebuttal and didn't want to argue.
Shirone knelt to meet Jis at eye level.
"Jis, we—"
"Exactly!"
Jis cut him off and shouted. He screamed with all his strength until it felt like his ribs would break. But the tears streaming down his face weren't from pain.
"So—"
He collapsed flat and, forehead to the ground, sobbed in a choked voice.
"Please help me."
Shirone and the others could only look down at Jis in silence.
"My sister… my sister's been taken. I woke up, went to the shop, and she said she'd gone home. I went to her house and she wasn't there. I went looking…and no one would help me. Please—please find my sister. I'm begging you."
Jis, pleading with Shirone's group, finally broke down and kept repeating "please."
Shirone watched him, filled with equal parts anger and sorrow.
How long had he been wandering like this, wrecked and desperate? Who would care about the sister of someone from the back alleys? The image of Jis calling her name while everyone ignored him burned in Shirone's mind.
"My sister. My sister. My everything…"
"Do you have any idea where they took her? Any place you can think of?"
Jis lifted his head. He'd come because there was no one else to turn to, but helping him meant confronting the Freeman organization that ruled the island head-on.
Even mages couldn't be guaranteed survival in that kind of fight, so asking for help was no small thing. That was why he'd begged as if he'd risked his life.
Still, Shirone didn't hesitate and asked where Jis thought his sister had been taken.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Jis kept bowing his head. That was all the gratitude he could show.
Watching the scene with displeasure, Amy grabbed Jis's arm and hauled him to his feet.
"That's enough. Get back to what you were doing. If you act weird now, we'll look even stranger. Come inside. We'll treat your wounds and talk."
"But—but my sister—"
"Don't be stupid! If you rush in headlong because you're desperate, we'll be the ones to get hurt first! If she was kidnapped on her way home, there's still time. We can catch up to them even if we have to ride. First we treat the wounds."
Amy supported Jis and pushed open the villa door. Yuna's safety was worrying, but treating the injuries came first.
When Jis lay on the bed, Tess began removing his clothes. With her myriad combat-support skills she could read his condition at a glance. From the bruises it was clear several ribs were damaged.
Tess pressed at various spots on his body.
"Ugh! It hurts!"
"Of course it hurts. You were beaten like this. They really didn't hold back. Bear with it a little. I need to check your internal organs too."
Tess pressed hard on Jis's abdomen. Organs protected by skin and muscle aren't easy to examine without a rough shove like that.
"Ughhh!"
The pain must have been insane, but Jis held on. He wanted the treatment finished quickly so they could go save Yuna.
"Fortunately, there's a hairline fracture in one rib and the rest are simple bruises. The organs are fine. You're tougher than you look."
Jis gave a bitter smile. He wasn't much of a fighter, but having tangled with many nobles, he was used to taking hits.
While Tess applied a pressure bandage, Jis explained the situation.
Given Yuna's finish time and when she should have gotten home, the kidnapping likely happened about two hours ago.
"They probably took her to their hideout, so she might not have arrived there yet. But I'm not counting on them to keep a schedule. I just want Yuna to be alive…"
Amy cut him off.
"No, it's fine. They'll be moving by carriage, so if we borrow horses we can catch up. Do you know exactly where their hideout is? Sounds like it's pretty far from here."
"I've never been. I heard it's on the north side of the island, but I'm not sure."
"No. It's probably there."
Shirone was certain the north was the hideout. The island's north side was a natural cliff—an ideal defensive position. When they first came here, they'd even gone around the island and docked at the southern port because of it.
If it's in the north, it'd be near the Kergo autonomous district, out of the government's reach. There was no better place to use as a hideout.
"All right, let's go. Can you stay here alone for a bit?"
Jis nodded. Even if his wounds worsened, he intended to send Shirone.
Still, his expression was dark—he blamed himself for dragging unrelated people into danger.
"Are you really okay? I know you begged for help, but they're really strong."
Amy snorted. Whether it was Jis's sister or not, Falcoa was someone she intended to deal with sooner or later.