[145] The Name Parrot (3)
"Hmph. They're just thugs. Don't worry—just wait for us to come back."
Jis told them what he knew. He didn't want to frighten the people who were going to rescue his sister, but if he let them go without saying anything he didn't think his conscience would let him rest.
"They showed up out of nowhere and took over the island in three months. It's not just a simple gang. A direct subordinate of Falkoa said that before coming to this island they were called the Angmu bandit gang."
"The Angmu bandit gang?"
Shirone's eyes widened. Amy went quiet, surprised as well.
If it really was the Angmu bandit gang, it was the thieves' group that Lucas belonged to when he and Arcane attacked the school.
Amy had seen Lucas fight. From memories that surfaced when Abyss Nova's effect faded, he'd been a foe that even Iruki and Nade's joint attack couldn't handle.
If not for Shiina's sudden intervention, it would have been impossible for all the students to come away unharmed.
Still, knowing their name didn't change anything. A girl's life was at stake, so leaving immediately was the top priority.
"It's okay. We've even fought and beaten the Angmu gang's deputy commander before."
Jis swallowed his tears and ground his teeth.
"Thank you. For doing this for someone like me."
All the nobles Jis had met so far hadn't treated a back‑alley thug like a person.
It was perhaps inevitable. Why would those who monopolized the world's wealth and prestige pay any attention to people living in the dark alleys?
But these people were different. They were willing to fight for someone who'd only tried cheap talk and tricks to swindle them.
"How on earth do I repay you...."
Embarrassed by Jis's continued gratitude, Amy put a hand on her hip and sighed.
"I told you, it's fine. If you think about it, you actually saved me. We're the ones who owe you."
"But something this dangerous..."
"Don't overthink it. We're not strangers anymore. And you even asked like a man, so of course we'll help."
Jis stared at Amy in disbelief.
How could "asking like a man" fit this situation? Shouldn't it be the opposite?
"Tch, don't pity me. 'Asking like a man' my foot. What kind of man would beg so pathetically? My pride's been flattened."
"What are you saying? You gave up your pride to get your sister back."
"Maybe so, but..."
Amy smiled and lightly pressed his forehead.
"That's exactly what being manly is, you idiot."
After she said that and walked away, Jis choked up, almost crying. But he held it back. If he cried now, he felt it would dampen the resolve the others had.
Rian patted Jis's shoulder and followed after Amy.
"Don't worry. You saved my friend before, so we'll definitely get your sister back safe."
Tess added, "But when we come back, you'll have to give us a proper welcome. We'll make sure we're paid for our trouble."
Shirone turned to Jis at the door and said, "Trust us. We'll bring your sister back safe."
In the end Jis couldn't hold back his tears. He ran to the door, barely noticing his bandaged wounds, and shouted after Shirone's party as they faded into the distance.
"Be careful! Seriously, be careful! If you don't come back safe I won't forgive you!"
They didn't look back. But the quickening of their steps was a surer answer than a thousand words.
* * *
Shirone's group rented four horses in the western commercial district. Tess argued that slow, cumbersome wagons wouldn't get them there in time.
Though they'd promised Jis, the actual situation was turning against them.
What weighed heaviest was the belated discovery of the true identity of the Freeman organization.
Lucas, the Angmu gang's deputy commander, had been a B‑class criminal.
Criminal ranks measured not only the severity of a crime but also combat capability. Even a serial killer who'd terrorized a city wouldn't be sent to the western prison Inferno if they were a mentally unstable person with little fighting power.
Shirone had a sinking feeling he'd been dragged into something serious.
Something didn't add up. After the Arcane incident he'd heard the Angmu band's leader was an A‑class criminal currently wanted.
So who was the Freeman behind this Freeman organization they were about to face?
"Amy, are you sure they're really the Angmu band? Doesn't it feel off?"
"I thought the same. How could a wanted group set up roots on a tourist island? With the Angmu band under heavier scrutiny after the Arcane case, it doesn't make sense."
Tess, riding on Amy's right, cut into their conversation.
"They're not the Angmu band."
"Huh? Do you know something?"
"The Angmu band probably changed its name when they crossed into the Tormia Kingdom. Their original name was the Angmu mercenary corps."
"A mercenary corps? They were mercenaries? So Lucas—"
"That I don't know. But I do know how they ended up as a bandit gang."
"Why?"
Shirone asked, and Tess hesitated to answer.
On the surface it wasn't a huge secret, but with the fierce fight ahead she feared the truth might sap Shirone's morale.
"Tess, if you know, tell us."
Amy couldn't hide her curiosity, so Tess reluctantly began to explain.
"There was a notorious incident on the continent tied to the Angmu mercenary corps. Do you two know about the Flower Vase incident that happened seven years ago in the Iron Kingdom?"
"Oh, yeah. I know. I heard about it at school."
Shirone recalled the basics: at a noble gathering in the Iron Kingdom, an upper‑house noble named Valtes declared he'd give a prized flower vase to anyone who could prove braver than him.
A lower‑house noble named Mus took the challenge and, in retaliation, threw the vase against a wall.
It seemed like a drunken noble's prank, but beneath it lay a long‑brewing political conflict.
"The Iron noble system is bicameral. The upper house carries the king's will, and the lower house represents commoners. That made Iron prosperous, but noble infighting was extreme."
If commoners were drawn into politics, nobles' authority weakened. Yet a politically active commoner base inevitably made the state wealthier.
"Upper‑house power comes from authority; lower‑house power comes from taxes. The clash was inevitable. When Mus, a lower‑house noble, acted arrogantly, Valtes seethed. The incident was hushed up at the time, but the resentment lingered."
"But what does that have to do with the Angmu mercenary corps?"
"Three months after the vase incident, a civil war broke out in Mus's domain. A nameless army invaded. From intel, Valtes was behind it. He hired mercenaries, not his private troops, to attack Mus."
"Then maybe one of the mercenary groups that fought there...?"
"Exactly. That was the Angmu mercenary corps. Many mercenary groups joined, but the Angmu corps displayed overwhelming power and broke through Mus's defenses. Just as they were about to breach the inner keep, Valtes's private troops charged from the rear and ambushed the mercenaries."
Shirone could picture the situation.
Hire mercenaries to defeat your enemy, then use your own troops to ambush the mercenaries. You win and keep plausible deniability.
"Valtes never intended to eliminate Mus outright. Lower‑house power backed by the commoners was stronger than he expected. He likely only wanted to punish him. The mercenaries were expendable. Send them to sack the domain, then wipe them out—perfect plan."
"But if that happened, wouldn't the lower‑house nobles fight back?"
"They would, but they couldn't make it public. The upper house nobles had the king's protection. There was probably a deal. The fact Mus hasn't brought it up even seven years later means he likely received some compensation from Valtes."
Rian frowned at that.
"So the mercenaries were simply discarded? I can't understand politicians. It goes against chivalry."
"That's a natural reaction. But in my family I've handled far worse intel than this. The world doesn't move the way we want it to."
Tess's words silenced them. Someday they would have to step into arenas where great powers moved. The Flower Vase incident wasn't their affair—but it wasn't someone else's either.
"In any case, they were abandoned. The mercenaries who attacked Mus's domain were executed on charges of treason, and the Angmu corps disbanded."
"But they survived in the end. So they must have fled to the Tormia Kingdom as exiles."
"Right. The corps was dissolved, but a few capable fighters escaped the battlefield. My guess is, branded as traitors, they couldn't keep a mercenary corps together. They fell into banditry, and when they were driven further into crime they drifted to this island."
Tess's reasoning made sense, but Shirone felt uneasy.
If those branded traitors had kept the Angmu name while fleeing the nation, they'd need capital, influence, and an exceptionally capable leader.
"It could just be coincidence. There are countless guilds; Angmu isn't a unique name."
Tess hesitated. The situation she'd feared had come true.
"Shirone, remember that woman you told us about before?"
"Huh? Marsha?"
After rescuing Amy from the palace, Shirone had briefly mentioned Marsha at supper. He hadn't gone into the ugly details—the story about nearly being harmed by his foster father was something he intended to keep to himself.
"When I first heard Jis, I thought it was a wild guess too. But there's a reason it can't be. The name of the mercenary corps's leader popped into my head."
"The leader's name? Isn't the Freeman—"
"Clay Marsha. That's the leader's name."
When Tess finally said it, Shirone went blank. He couldn't reconcile the Marsha he'd thought of as an older sister with Marsha, leader of a mercenary corps.
"At first I thought it was just a namesake. But when I heard she'd been raised among mercenaries, I started to worry. Then after listening to Jis, I was sure. Those running this island are remnants of the A‑rank mercenary corps betrayed in the Iron Kingdom seven years ago."
"That can't be. Marsha wouldn't... I told you before—she wouldn't do anything like that."
"Do you really believe that?" Tess fixed him with an intense gaze, different from her usual self—an intelligence operative's look that read people's minds.
"Do you really think the Marsha you know is the same person?"
Shirone bit his lip. The truth was he'd already had his doubts. No matter how much he wanted to trust her, his instincts were starting to question everything.
"Sorry. You're probably right. It's very likely..."
When he checked the facts one by one, everything fit. Her mocking reaction to talk of collusion between nobles and criminals finally made sense.