75. Before you leave
“… What are you talking about?”
As if agreeing with the weak warrior’s question, Maya and Adrien also rolled their cloudy eyes and stared at Isabel.
Isabelle cleared her throat from reciting her prayers all night and looked anxiously at Gracie, who was sipping a drink in the corner of her room.
“Gracie. Stop drinking and come over here.”
“… ….”
“Haa….”
Ever since he heard the incomprehensible words from Austin, Gracie has been staring blankly into space like a completely insane person. Sometimes he laughs without reason, and sometimes he cries out of nowhere. Even so, he never put the bottle in his hand, and just continued to drink like that.
“… Gracie. Can you hear me? Please listen there.”
Still no answer, but I’ve already given up on hearing from Gracie. Isabelle sighed again and opened her mouth to the warrior sitting across from her.
“As you all heard last time, Austin doesn’t seem to want to be with us anymore.”
“Black….”
“Sorry… Sorry….”
“Everyone….”
Isabel was heartbroken at the attitude of the girls who were still heartbroken. But suddenly, in a corner of my head, I also heard this question.
‘Why do these people miss Austin so much….’
It is too much to think that it is simply guilt. No matter how much accumulated guilt she had, she wouldn’t be so sad.
This is like….
‘The feeling of losing a lover… I’d say it’s the same.’
Could it be that everyone had feelings for Austin?
… No, please To say that, even before the seeds of distrust were planted, there was no sign of anything special. Adrien was especially severe.
Adrien didn’t seem to like Austin from the start. She didn’t openly show her dislike, but she always looked at her Austen with her quivering eyes.
“This, Isabel…. So, what are you going to do… ?”
Of course, with Maya, the story would be different.
Isabel looked at Maya in her stern look, and she felt depressed.
Maya always secretly expressed her feelings for Austin. Although others may not have noticed, she knew as well as Isabelle. When she was still at the party, she stayed up all night with Austin and talked about this and that. Of course, she hadn’t seen it since the seeds of mistrust had been planted.
“Isabel… ?”
“… Ah. Hmmm…. Sorry. I was thinking about something else for a while….”
This is not it. Isabelle shook her head, shaking her thoughts away.
“I don’t want to give up on Austin just yet.”
At Isabelle’s firm tone, Adrien laughed and made a sarcastic remark.
“Isabel. That’s what everyone here is doing.”
“Then why are you so pathetically locked in your room without taking action?”
“What, what?”
Everyone, including Adrien, was visibly taken aback by Isabel’s aggressive tone, which was different from usual. It wasn’t even a crowd. Even Gracie, who was buried in her lap in the corner of her room, quietly raised her head.
“Even if Austin doesn’t want to be with us, I still can’t give up on him. No, I don’t even want to come back to the party anymore. But….”
Isabel’s voice began to tremble slightly. Isabel’s eyes, who had been holding back her tears and memorizing her prayers all night, were getting wet.
“But…. If we break up like this, we will never again….”
During her adventures, Isabel thought of Austin, whom she had always been kind to. When she stayed up all alone, she cleaned up the tableware and naturally sat next to her and talked about Doran Doran.
“I…. I don’t want to let Austin go yet…. It’s because of some stupid mistake I’ve made, but still….”
“Isabel….”
Isabel wiped her tears with her sleeve and then raised her head with a stern look on her face.
“To Austin… I’m going to apologize again.”
“… But, Isabel. Austin obviously told us, let’s stay unknown from now on….”
“… If so, you can just start over.”
At Isabel’s words, the girls were shocked. How could you interpret her words that way?
“Isabel. Anyway, with that pun-like logic, Austin….”
“If you don’t try, you won’t know. At least, it’s better than just crying in the corner of the room like this.”
The hero is in trouble. Apologizing to Austin again, there was no reason to worry.
“Austin, would you like to meet us… ?”
“You don’t know until you try.”
However, the hero was uneasy. Austin had been so savage, and now he was making such puns that he didn’t know what to expect if he approached.
In the room where there was silence for a while, the sound of bottles rolling around resonated.
“… I will follow Isabelle.”
Gracie, who had not been able to move her body until just a moment ago, was standing up at some point. Even after drinking so much of his drink, Gracie’s eyes were burning with fighting spirit.
“I will go too.”
With Maya joining in, now only Adrien and the two warriors remain.
“What are you going to do with the hero and Adrien?”
Yes. It’s already happened like this, one last time….
“… Do you know where you are?”
* * *
“Good job. Certainly, one thing is staggeringly good.”
When I finished my work and returned to Becky’s office, Becky smiled happily and stroked my hair roughly.
“Well, this is chewing gum.”
“Really? Would you like to do one more thing?”
“No.”
“You are unkind.”
I buried myself in the now-familiar sofa and tilted the teacup Becky handed me.
“Yes. Are you leaving now?”
“Yes. I can’t stay here for a hundred days.”
“Hmm…. Too bad. You really can work as part of our family, if you want.”
“Okay. I have no intention of living as a gangster.”
“I thought so. I’m sorry, I’m sorry….”
Looking at me like that, Becky looked like she really regretted my departure. No, more than that, why are you staring at my face?
“… Why. What do you have to say?”
“… Are you going up to Mettelheim?”
“Isn’t it?”
Becky listened to my answer, pondered something, and out of nowhere he got up and trudged toward his desk.
“What is it?”
“Wait a minute.”
Soon he took out paper, envelopes, and wax from the desk drawer, then immediately picked up a pen and started scribbling.
“Hey, light a fire.”
“Uh, yes.”
As Becky instructed, she lit a candle with a match placed on the desk, and Becky, who had finished writing the letter before she knew it, dropped the wax and pressed the wax with the ring on her finger.
“It’s done.”
Becky’s ring fell off, and a cat-patterned seal was stamped on the green sealing wax.
I knew that sentence too. A pattern commonly used by Becky’s businesses, proving that the letter was written by Becky. I know it is a seal that is only used for very important letters, but what is it about?
He blew the completely sealed envelope, bit it with his lips, left a lipstick mark, and handed it to me.
“Come on. Take this.”
“… What is it?”
“What is it? If you wrote my seal, do you ask if you know it’s a business-related letter?”
“No, what kind of business….”
“You don’t have to know that.”
You don’t have to know, damn it. You told me to go, but you didn’t even tell me what it was about. It’s farting.
… The words came to my throat, but I kept my mouth shut because I didn’t want to upset Becky.
Perhaps he read my expression, Becky narrowed her brow slightly and continued.
“I have several places of business in Mettelheim. Among them, tell the rat in the commercial district.”
“… A rat?”
You bastard. This is an unheard of name. I’m sure you’re not referring to a real rat that moves on all fours.
When I didn’t understand, Becky sighed.
“Haa…. What do you know? Rowell the mouse, don’t you know?”
How do I know, you crazy b*tch.
“It’s been a long time since I haven’t been to the capital….”
“Tsk…. He’s the information dealer that works for us. If you go to Brooks General Store in the Commercial District and ask, they’ll probably direct you to the rats. You can go and give her this letter.”
“That b*tch? Is it a girl?”
“She’s a woman, but she’s an unusual rat beast. He seems to have lived his life wandering around the back alleys, but his ears are quite keen on this and that information. I have a lot of connections. Maybe you will use it often too?”
“… Hmm.”
A rat beastman, an information dealer. Somehow the image fits perfectly.
“I wrote down the information that will help you, so just go and hand over the letter and the rats will take care of it.”
“Okay. Then slowly….”
As I tried to snatch the envelope, Becky swung the envelope up and pulled me by the collar.
“Have you missed something?”
“… I will crack down on you, sister.”
“Yes. No matter how curious you are about the contents, do not open the envelope recklessly. I don’t care, but that crazy b*tch really hates it when people read my letters.”
“Is it possible or not?”
I said this, but honestly, I was curious about the contents of the letter. What will Sylvia do for you? Sylvia also handles beeswax, so at least the wax can be restored somehow….
“Don’t think nonsense. Because you see it all on her face?”
“Uh, um. Then.”
Let’s just pass the letter quietly.
“Go away now. I’m busy.”
“Cheer up…. I go See you later.”
“It doesn’t go far.”
When I left Becky’s gambling house, the sun was already setting.
Originally, I was going to leave tomorrow, but today I couldn’t replenish my groceries because I was helping Becky with her work.
“… Shall we rest for one more day?”
I’ve been having a hard time lately, so a day or so should be fine.