86 – Darville (2)
“Can I help?”
The young man who appeared before her with such a question seemed somewhat out of place in this alley, unlike the woman.
He must have just reached adulthood.
With hair and eyes of a brown shade that might not be the most common.
And a strikingly attractive appearance.
The reason why he seemed out of place in the alley with the woman was not simply due to his exceptional looks.
What should I call it?
The atmosphere was different.
The alley, and the men surrounding her, all shared a common vibe.
It could be described as rough, or even menacing.
But such a feeling was not sensed from the young man.
It felt completely different.
That’s why the young man seemed alien in this alley.
“H-help…!”
In a moment of life-threatening crisis, someone appeared to help.
With a look of relief, the woman, who was about to ask for help, forcibly held back the words about to escape her lips.
Was she afraid of attracting trouble by shouting?
No, that wasn’t the reason.
It was a strand of worry.
What if she asked for help, and this seemingly harmless young man ended up getting hurt?
She knew the truth that one should not judge people by their appearances, but still, the difference between the men surrounding her and the seemingly calm young man in front of her was significant.
To the point where it would be lucky if she didn’t get hurt.
And it seemed like she wasn’t the only one with that thought.
“What’s this, someone decided to interfere.”
The bald man checked the young man’s face and smirked, as if he found it pathetic.
“I don’t know where you came from… but how about leaving on good terms? If you leave now, I’ll let you off lightly.”
The young man, as if considering it a mere minor inconvenience, was ridiculed by the bald man.
The bald man, however, did not underestimate the young man just by his appearance like a woman.
Here in Darville, he might be nothing more than a lowlife, but the bald man had his fair share of mercenary life.
It’s good to be aggressive, but he knew he had to look at the opponent before causing a ruckus.
That’s why the bald man quickly scanned the man from head to toe.
And he came to a conclusion.
He’s nothing special.
His height was decent, his body sturdy, but he didn’t exude the aura and magic typical of a seasoned warrior, despite his years in the mercenary business.
His senses, honed over a considerable period as a mercenary, were speaking.
This guy is weak.
Although his handsome appearance bothered him, upon a quick observation, his demeanor seemed unimpressive, with no visible bodyguards around.
A safe target to mess with.
“Don’t want to get hurt, do you? Then scram.”
Sometimes there are guys like this.
Driven by misplaced sense of justice or trying to impress a woman, they meddle without knowing their place.
Normally, he would have made a fuss, but thanks to catching a big fish after a long time, he was in a good mood.
He’d gladly let go of such guys.
However.
“Hmm… You seem to be in trouble.”
Despite his mercy, the young man, to his surprise, stood still, not intending to leave.
“Um, well… It’s a bit… troublesome…”
The woman hesitated in her speech.
She was still battling her conscience.
Upon hearing her response, the young man said, “Then let me help you.”
He took a step forward.
“I’ve shown mercy, but… well, if you’re so eager to die, there’s nothing I can do.”
Watching the young man who was contemplating rejecting the mercy he had shown and planning to take his own life, the bald man shook his head in disbelief.
“Guys, handle him with care.”
He then instructed his subordinates to deal with the young man.
With a nod from his men, they started walking towards the young man.
Having seen that scene, the bald man switched off his concern for the young man.
He believed that without his intervention, the matter would be settled by his men.
“Well, then let’s continue our conversation─”
Thwack!
Unexpectedly, a cheerful sound of impact came from behind.
‘These guys… they’ve improved.’
Satisfied with his subordinates’ progress, he was about to finish the job.
“What, what is this…!”
“This is…!”
The tone of the voices he heard was peculiar.
His subordinates were not speaking urgently as if they were flustered.
The man who sensed something strange turned his body straight away.
The situation had already ended.
Looking at his subordinates lying on the ground like fallen vehicles and the young man standing alone among them, the man realized.
“We lost.”
It was a big problem.
However, his realization came too late.
After all, the young man’s fist was already approaching his face.
Thwack!
With a cheerful sound of impact, the man’s vision darkened.
***
The woman doubted her own eyes.
It was inevitable.
Such an unexpected scene unfolded before her eyes.
The young man, who had expected to be at the mercy of the brutal men, instead swiftly dealt with them.
And yet, there was no change in his expression.
As if knocking down the men was as natural as breathing.
“Are you okay?”
“Uh… yes.”
In response to the man’s question, the woman quietly nodded.
The man gazed at her silently and spoke again.
“Why did you come here? It’s a dangerous place.”
“Uh… how should I say…?”
Although she had come with a purpose, she thought it unnecessary to explain the situation in full.
Otherwise, there was a high chance the man would view her with suspicion.
“Um… do you still have business here?”
“Oh, no…!”
“Then let’s leave. I’ll escort you to the main road.”
“Yes, yes….”
Escort her? Why?
No, setting that aside….
“Why did you help me?”
Although she was naive about the ways of the world, she understood well that everything in the world revolves around profit.
If someone does something for another, it means they want something in return, as her parents had repeatedly said until they were blue in the face.
So, did this man have his own motives?
Was he helping her for a reason?
If that assumption were true, what exactly was he aiming for?
Perhaps… he intended to lead her somewhere dangerous.
While she should probably remain vigilant with such thoughts…
“Somehow… I feel like it’ll be okay.”
For some reason, she felt that this man would be okay.
The basis for such thoughts was.
‘His eyes.’
It was the man’s gaze.
That gaze was completely different from those who had tried to harm her just a while ago.
While they revealed their ill intentions through their eyes, the gaze itself was ominous and sinister.
But the man’s gaze in front of her… what should I call it?
‘Transparent.’
Yes, it was transparent.
Almost excessively.
It was so transparent, as if he held no emotion towards the woman, excessively transparent.
That’s why, for some reason, she felt relieved, but at the same time, she became curious.
Just what kind of man was he? Why did he help her?
While the woman scrutinized the man and speculated about him.
“We’ve arrived.”
Before she knew it, the two were out on the main street.
“Ah…”
Looking at the bustling atmosphere and people around, the woman was engulfed in a sense of relief, letting go of all the tension she had been holding.
And in that moment of calm for her.
“Well, I’ll be off then.”
The man left with a brief remark.
“Oh, wait…!”
The woman tried to grab the man.
She couldn’t even convey her thanks or respond.
She couldn’t disgrace her family’s honor by doing such a shameful act.
Despite her pitiful attempt to reach out, she couldn’t grab the man due to the crowd around her.
As the woman tried to chase after him.
“Miss!”
A familiar voice grabbed her foot.
To her surprise, it was Dorothy, her escort.
“Where on earth were you going!”
Ignoring Dorothy’s mix of worry, relief, and anger in her eyes, the woman chased after the man’s shadow.
However, no matter where she looked, she couldn’t see the man.
***
“Oh? You’re back so soon?”
The man nodded silently at the clerk who greeted him as he entered the room.
“Yes. I’ve taken care of what I needed to.”
“Already?”
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The clerk was surprised at the man’s response, then quickly put on a soft smile and spoke.
“Indeed, it’s Andel.”
“It wasn’t anything extraordinary, really.”
“While it may not have been a terribly difficult request, it was rather cumbersome and time-consuming. Andel’s assistance came at a time when I was in a bind due to a lack of manpower, and I can’t emphasize enough how much of a help it was.”
In response to the praise and gratitude directed towards him, the man known as Andel smiled modestly.
It was indeed quite a hassle, but he didn’t consider the favor he had been asked to be of the magnitude that warranted such words.
“You haven’t eaten, have you? Please wait a moment.”
After observing the waiter heading into the kitchen, Andel sat down at one of the many tables in the restaurant, leisurely starting to pass the time.
In the man’s mind, the face of the woman he had met earlier came to mind.
Encountering the woman had been purely coincidental.
After completing the task he was entrusted with and leaving the alley, he saw the woman surrounded by the alley’s riffraff, and at that moment, he understood the situation.
Even without resorting to imagination, if such a scene unfolds in such a place, grasping the situation isn’t a difficult task.
Although he checked just in case, as expected, the man immediately went to help the woman.
Sorting out the situation was quick, but to ensure nothing untoward happened to the woman if left alone in the alley, he even went as far as escorting her to where she needed to go.
“It’s my first time seeing it in person.”
He had heard of outsiders entering the alleyways of Darville, but this was the first time he had witnessed it himself.
For an outsider, it was an unwritten rule not to enter the alleyways of Darville.
“Well, I won’t be meddling in the future.”
“You’ve waited long.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Shortly after, the waiter brought the food, and the woman’s face vanished from the man’s mind.
Subsequently, the man began his meal.
And the waiter, looking on with a pleased expression, observed the man.
“Andel, you seem to be quite accustomed to this place now.”
“Really? I still feel far from it.”
“No, I think the rookie vibe is definitely lessening. Actually, come to think of it, Andel, you seemed relaxed from the start.”
The man, Andel, had recently appeared in Darville as a rookie mercenary.
Given the nature of the place, those starting mercenary life in Darville with grand dreams were quite easy to come by.
From that perspective, Andel wasn’t particularly conspicuous in Darville.
Except for the fact that he was being chased by the Empire for the crime of regicide, that is.