66 – Agillem
There are several cities on the continent, and among them are huge cities that everyone on the continent knows of.
Most of these cities are the capitals of a country.
Even for cities that are not the capital of their own country, it is rare for everyone to know about them.
If a city is not even the capital of its own country but everyone knows about it, then it must be considered as the capital of a country.
However, there are a few exceptions to this.
There is a city that is not the capital of a specific country, yet it is known by everyone on the continent, albeit in small numbers.
One of these exceptions is Ferdion.
Established by the academy, causing a gathering of population, the naturally formed city of Ferdion does not belong to any country but has gained recognition by all the people on the continent.
And there is another city that falls into such an exception.
That city is Agillem.
Located in the central northwest of the continent, where the plains end and the desert begins, Agillem is often referred to as a free city due to its characteristics.
True to its name, Agillem is operated and managed solely by its citizens and internal groups without belonging to any nation.
Originally, Agillem started as a small village not even worthy of being called a city.
People began to gather and live there one by one because it was easy to obtain water for daily use from the nearby river, marking the beginning of Agillem.
The insignificant village grew exponentially in size over time.
The reason was simple.
It was all because of Agillem’s exceptionally favorable geographic location.
Located relatively close to the center of the continent, at the border of grasslands and deserts, and with a massive river running through it.
It was not an exaggeration to call it a hub of transportation, and naturally, people and logistics were drawn to Agillem.
As time passed, Agillem prospered and eventually became a fairly affluent city.
But it didn’t stop there.
Long ago, at the peak of Agillem’s development into a trading city, there was a mayor who was not satisfied with the state of Agillem and harbored ambitions to make it even bigger.
His gaze fell upon entertainment.
Even back then, Agillem saw a constant influx of people.
Thinking that if entertainment facilities were established in the city, they could profit handsomely from the visitors’ pockets, he began attracting entertainment businesses to Agillem.
Thus, somewhat hastily and forcefully, the entertainment industry was introduced to Agillem.
Exceeding even the mayor’s expectations, it grew with unprecedented momentum, becoming a lucrative business that amassed a significant amount of money.
Not only did those visiting Agillem enjoy the entertainment, but there were also those who came specifically for it.
In the end, Agillem achieved continuous development through trade, commerce, and entertainment, establishing itself as a remarkably wealthy city on the continent.
Every day, countless goods and people gathered, turning Agillem into a vibrant city where the streets never went dark at night.
In that city, a woman was walking.
What to call her? She was an ordinary woman.
From her face to her figure, height, gait, everything about her was ordinary.
So ordinary that she was forgettable to the point where after looking at her face, you could easily forget it after a few steps.
Her ordinary steps led her to a rare, small grocery store in Agillem.
Not every area or building in Agillem was grand and glamorous.
There were ordinary households and areas where ordinary people lived.
This grocery store was located in such an area.
“Oh? Miss, back again.”
The owner, sitting at the counter reading a newspaper, greeted the woman as she entered.
“Hello.”
After lightly greeting the owner, the woman went inside the grocery store.
She wandered around, picking up various groceries like vegetables and meat, and brought them to the counter in a basket.
The owner glanced down at the basket and its contents.
It was a lot for one person to consume alone.
Considering the frequency of her visits to the store, she didn’t buy groceries for several days at once.
So, it meant she wasn’t living alone.
The owner casually speculated.
Well, it wasn’t a significant guess. Just a habit formed over the years of doing business.
“You’ve been coming in quite frequently lately, so I’ll give you a little discount.”
The owner decided to show some goodwill by discounting the price.
She had been a frequent customer lately, and she bought a lot.
For customers like this, service is a necessity.
Because it’s how you create regulars with just a small gesture of service.
“Thank you.”
After settling the bill, the woman lightly nodded to the owner before exiting the shop.
Watching the woman’s retreating figure, the owner silently observed her.
From Noble mtl dot com
Deciding that she was a woman whose face you couldn’t remember no matter how many times you saw her.
***
Creak—
Amidst the creaking of the old door and latch, the woman entered the dimly lit room.
She turned on the familiar light, placed the purchased items on the table, and headed towards the innermost room of the house.
Click—
As she opened the door and entered, the first things that caught her eye were the bed tucked in a corner, and on it, a figure lying still.
The figure’s appearance was pitiful.
Wrapped in bandages from head to toe, it raised doubts about whether there was any life left in it.
Only the faint rise and fall of the chest passively proved that the figure was still breathing.
“….”
Quietly observing the feeble proof of life, the woman closed the door and stepped into the room.
She then sat on the chair placed next to the bed, facing the motionless figure.
“…Sigh.”
She let out a deep sigh, clutching her head as if regretting something.
“Why did I have to do this….”
Muttering in a tone of regret, she ran her hands through her hair before her gaze returned to the figure.
Originally, it wasn’t supposed to turn out like this.
But it did.
Chewing on her lip, the woman named Bella recalled the events of that day.
***
As usual, traveling across the continent for missions and requests, Bella heard a rumor one day.
It was about the prince of Elvrent who had died at the academy, and the rumor of the culprit fleeing.
Upon hearing the rumor, she thought to herself.
It smells of money.
He was, after all, a prince of the empire.
There was no way the empire wouldn’t put a bounty on the culprit, and the amount wouldn’t be ordinary.
Most likely, it was an astronomical sum that an ordinary person could live on for a lifetime, she thought.
Sure enough, as expected, the bounty on the culprit’s head was a staggering amount.
Even for her, it was hard to ignore.
With that kind of sum, it could significantly hasten the day her goal was achieved.
In the end, Bella decided to join the competition to catch the prince’s killer.
With the amount being what it was, there were competitors aplenty, but she deemed it worth a shot.
She was confident in her skills.
Bella immediately moved her body following the rumors.
Whether it was worth the effort of continuous movement for days, she finally managed to catch the culprit.
She witnessed a scene where people scattered around, looking like colleagues at first glance, were moving busily.
Convinced that the culprit was nearby, she followed her colleagues into the mountains.
Judging by their actions, it seemed that the culprit had not been caught yet.
Therefore, Bella continued to move forward, imagining a golden scene.
Her unwavering progress was interrupted by a loud noise coming from deep within the mountains.
With a thunderous roar that seemed to shake heaven and earth, a powerful wave of magic burst forth.
She intuitively sensed it. There was a battle going on up there, and a formidable foe was present.
Money was important, but it was nothing compared to one’s life.
With that in mind, she decided to keep her distance and observe.
She didn’t know what was happening exactly, but she decided to wait and see the situation before making a move, confident that it wouldn’t be too late.
Before long, the noise subsided.
Realizing that the fight was over, she wanted to check the source of the noise.
She thought there was a high chance the recent fight was related to the culprit.
However, taking the normal path would be too late.
Even now, many competitors were heading towards the summit with determination.
She wasn’t lacking in the ability to outpace them, but doing so would consume a considerable amount of stamina or magic, and it would be difficult to widen the gap.
Considering the aftermath, it was clearly not a wise choice.
So she decided to take a different path.
Just then, she saw a steep cliff in the distance.
An insurmountable, rugged, and steep cliff that an ordinary person wouldn’t dare to climb.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed that if she climbed that cliff, she could easily reach the summit.
Therefore, while heading towards the cliff, Bella sensed a presence.
A faint presence that could disappear at any moment.
Perhaps, it could be the culprit.
The small possibility briefly crossed Bella’s mind.
Since it wouldn’t take long to confirm, it wouldn’t hurt to check.
With that in mind, Bella quickly moved in the direction where she felt the presence.
And soon, she saw it.
A man lying by the riverside, dying.
Uncommon black hair, taller than average, a face that seemed to be around twenty.
It was exactly as described.
As Bella approached the culprit with wide eyes, her steps suddenly halted.
“…?”
It was a sense of déjà vu.
She felt like she had seen that face somewhere before.
Squinting her eyes and examining the man’s face, Bella eventually realized.
She had met this man before.
‘That moment…!’
It was a man she had met in the city where she had gone on a mission last summer.
The man who had helped her when she was entangled with street thugs, pondering how to deal with them.
The man who had realized his mistake, avoided her detection, and fled.
That man was dying before her eyes.
Charged with the crime of killing the prince.
In that sudden and absurd reunion, Bella momentarily lost her mind.
However, that time itself wasn’t long.
Even amidst the chaos in her mind, her body moved towards the man.
And then, she began emergency treatment.
‘If this continues…!’
If left as it is, the man will surely die.
Originally, she had come for the bounty, and the empire didn’t care about life or death, so there was no need for her to save the man. She was aware of this fact, but Bella’s body didn’t stop.
She fed the man a potion she had on hand for emergencies and applied it to his wounds.
Despite being an item with remarkable effects prepared for special situations, the man’s condition was so bad that it only slightly improved, serving as a temporary measure.
She lifted the slightly improved man and began to run.
If she stayed there, it was certain that the bloodhounds would soon catch the scent and swarm.
So, with the wanted criminal she should have killed on her back, Bella left the scene.
***
And now, it comes to this.
Bella, having erased all traces of the scene and carrying Wade, made her way to Agilrem, her base.
A choice she never would have made, never even considered, to help a wanted criminal with a hefty bounty.
Yet somehow, she found herself making that choice for the first time in her life.
In truth, even after arriving at Agilrem, she could have easily changed her mind.
It was just a matter of contacting the empire, and it would be over.
But Bella couldn’t bring herself to do that.
Instead, she ended up treating Wade’s wounds and taking care of him.
“….”
She hesitated repeatedly.
The thought that contacting the empire immediately was the right thing to do crossed her mind numerous times a day.
However, she never acted on it.
She couldn’t understand why she was acting this way.
They had only met once, exchanged a few words, and that was the extent of their relationship.
Of course, it was true that she had a favorable impression of him from that one meeting.
But it wasn’t such a strong impression that she would risk losing everything for it.
‘Why on earth…’
Without finding an answer to why she was acting this way, Bella could only let out a sigh one after another.