Chapter 167 – Friends (2)
20. Friends (2)
Searching the slums was, in an extreme sense, like rummaging through a huge dumpster. It’s a bit harsh to describe everyone, including the people living there, as garbage, but considering the security and hygiene conditions there, it wasn’t that wrong.
No matter how much the group was divided into two, it was a daunting task for two people to rummage through half of the garbage cans in the city.
‘A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step…’
If it was actually walking, I didn’t want to walk even ten miles, let alone a thousand miles, but unless there was a special way, I couldn’t do anything. I have no choice but to move more diligently, even for one second.
However, it was not ignorant from the beginning. Seeing that Ar’s house was also destroyed, I thought that there must be a place in the slums that went into chaos before us.
“Let’s ask something.”
“Yes? What dog suddenly-“
Ding-
“I will answer like -!”
“Today or yesterday or the day before yesterday. Everything you know about the chasing and chasing chasing. One more thing if you have any useful information.”
“This is what I went through over there the day before yesterday…”
The idea hit the mark. In the greedy city of Salem, strangers are hard to trust, but the power of money is trustworthy. People living in ephemera or slums poured out all sorts of information on the shiny gold coin. It was to the point that I had to filter it out because I tried to exaggerate words that were so useless.
As I followed the trail like a stepping stone, there was a mess everywhere. Of course, since it is a slum where incidents and accidents never cease, not all of them are related, but we were able to drastically reduce the number of candidates to be searched for, and once we gained momentum, we were able to follow the trail with our own strength.
Shay and Illumina have been separated for about three hours.
Me and Kaya were taking a break in a place about 500m away from where we thought Ar was hiding.
“If you approach it any further, it looks like it will get caught. Right.”
“Yes. Besides, we’ve been outspoken in our quest to find Ar as quickly as possible. Given the speed at which rumors spread, I think it is only a matter of time.”
“They said there was a nun following Raella-sama over there. Because of that, she made Ar more difficult.”
“I understand what you mean.”
“I am not blaming the nun, of course. She said that nun was just exercising her usual convictions, and she doesn’t know Ar.”
“I know. Leave the pursuers to me.”
“… Thank you.”
Arga, who lived well without being caught even before contacting us, she suddenly got caught up in this chase because of a nun, and she was convinced that if she was also a nun of the same order, she would not point a weapon at Kaya. There was According to cross-validation of the testimonies of several witnesses, the pursuers are widespread, but it is the party that includes the nun that determines the direction and distance, so she believes that if Kaya holds on to the nun, she will somehow find time. Did.
“As long as possible, but safely. Know? After some time, whatever the outcome, just come back to the inn.”
“Don’t worry. See you later.”
As she kissed her lightly to express her gratitude and concern, Kaya, who blushed, returned two kisses in return. She then immediately made her presence known and openly approached the pursuers loitering. She counted 30 in her mind and moved.
‘It’s so fucking far away.’
It was quite a distance to walk. However, it felt longer as I tried to approach as unnoticed as possible. I was not particularly good at stealth, so I almost ran into the sparsely arranged gang several times. Even Salem’s ephemera were truly disheartening to go this far in order to suck a girl down the spine.
‘Let’s think about taking it out first.’
Approached about three blocks ahead. It was a total gamble here. It was only a guess that Ar would be here, so it could be bothersome if you accidentally poked it wrong. There must be a limit to Kaya’s wasting time.
If you think about Ar’s feelings after being chased by many people for a long time… Where is she where is she hiding what is she thinking She paused and imagined. Although our time together was short, I considered Ar’s personality, her habits, and tendencies that I knew.
‘What should I say when we meet?’
Life is a series of choices, she chose to share her colleagues just a while ago, but this time she also stood at the crossroads of a choice.
There are three candidates that catch my eye.
After a brief consideration, of the three candidates, I chose the one that was closest to where I was hiding and had the least stealth, but I could escape to another place at any time.
Judgment carefully, if judged promptly.
As I was walking stealthily, I witnessed two gangsters licking their mouths while crossing their legs near the place I had chosen.
– When will it end?
– You know Nanda? I don’t know what kind of trouble you’re having because of that bitch. There is nothing to eat and drop.
– Because there is no one as talented as her in our situation. Depending on whether she exists or not, the commission fee differs a lot, but are you not greedy? In terms of skill alone, a tolerable warrior is a bitch to pass up.
– But why didn’t you become a warrior and get into a dirty game like us?
– You know Nanda? Anyway, since the nun seems to have gotten really close, this must be the last time.
– You’re thinking of capturing him and making him a slave?
– I don’t know if it’s a slave or what, but I’m sure it’ll roll. I mean, it’s because I’m stuck on something.
– Fuck, if you don’t give me money for missing something like this, I’ll have to turn it over.
‘Are those guys not motivated, are they really doing that because they can’t find it? Or are you just killing time because there are no instructions from the nuns?’
I didn’t know anything about their situation, but there seemed to be no way I could get past them without being noticed.
‘Should I become an Assassin at this moment?’
Well, I won’t kill you because actually killing them can cause trouble… You will be able to imitate it.
I took out my dagger instead of an axe and proceeded cautiously. It wasn’t that they were scary, but the possibility that they might be found out every time they took a step closer made me quite nervous.
“ぅ!”
“What! Omg!”
But my worries were in vain.
Their vigilance and skills were beyond my imagination. Maybe it was because we weren’t vigilant and we were talking to each other, so I don’t think I could hear my footsteps… Even so, I didn’t expect the two of them to be incapacitated in less than 5 seconds.
‘Do I have this kind of talent? Hey. Return my tension, you bastards.’
Even thinking about it made me laugh out loud. I pushed the two into a corner and approached the candidate site. OK…
[Ar]
A message popped up when I was a colleague. I still couldn’t see Ar in my field of vision, but at least the message didn’t lie. I searched every nook and cranny of the shabby building, and I saw the back of Ar, who was crouching among the dog holes, probably on the verge of running away again. If it was the usual Ar, he would have noticed right away before even approaching… Seeing the back of the boy made me very sad. Originally, he was skinny, but while we were together, I wondered if he had gained a bit of weight because he ate a lot of food, but he was thinner than when we first met because of how much he suffered.
‘I haven’t used any of the gold coins I gave you… It just smells salty and fuzzy for no reason.’
I understand how he felt that way, but I was a little bit offended.
‘It’s okay to write down a hint, Arya.’
I tapped her on the back and imitated the voice of the man I had knocked down earlier.
“I was here.”
“… !”
“I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”
Like a cat thrown into the water while sleeping, Ar’s expression, which had regained a sense of security after being frightened, was enough to wipe away her physical fatigue.
“Put this on and get on your back.”
“…”
“Hurry.”
“… Hendrick.”
“Come on, don’t you have time?”
“Hendrick… Hendrick is right… ? You’re here to help me, right? ?”
“Who do I look like then? Even if you say Hendrick with your own mouth.”
The front view was worse than the back view. I couldn’t hide my grotesqueness. He pursed his lips and seemed to hold back tears. I wanted to comfort her, but it wasn’t the case. I put the robe I was wearing on Ar to hide her appearance, and I put her extra rosary from Myricaya around Ar’s neck to hide her aura.
“Ugh…”
“Are you having a hard time?”
Then, Ar was unable to control her body properly, as if the energy emanating from her rosary was uncomfortable. She didn’t seem to be able to hang on properly. So instead of carrying it, I hugged it.
“Be patient. I’ll eat something delicious and give you a warm bath.”
“… Huh.”
Ar was weakly affirmed. Ugh, it’s really salty. It’s salty.
I turned around and headed to the inn by another route I had known beforehand. Ar was pitifully light.
**
“Captain! Are you?”
“Kaya is washing up in her bathroom.”
“Ah… What a relief. I’m so glad…”
Ar rescued safely. Since I had no means of contact, I returned first and waited in the inn room without stopping just in case, and I was able to rest only after Shay and Illumina returned late at night.
“It’s nice that Kaya-sister took the time, but if that happens, isn’t it only a matter of time before she starts talking to the Church and Salem Castle?”
“No, it’s true that the nun tracked down some uneasy energy in her, but she said she didn’t know she was a werewolf. She was a young nun and she must have never actually seen a werewolf. Because Ar is of mixed blood, it seems that his energy is weak.”
“Still, with her involvement as a nun and the ghetto turned upside down quite a bit, will she stay in Salem Castle? If an investigation comes out, she will be very troubled.”
“It’s not inside, it’s just a collapsed building in the slums. You wouldn’t even care in the castle? It’s not like anyone died. Besides, I don’t think the young nun has any connections at Salem Castle. Even if she reports today’s incident to the higher ups of the monastery… The highest peak in the Salem branch is Cestia anyway, right? So it will be fine.”
“I can say that Cestia-sama is definitely on our side… But if you find out the identity of Are, you won’t know again.”
“It has been several hours since I came back. But it didn’t come from either side. The ephemera chew on the hero, but are also afraid of it, and even if they find out about this place, there are no big ones who have come this far. And if the monastery had sent someone, they would have come a long time ago.”
“It’s getting late, so maybe you can come tomorrow morning?”
“Well, I don’t think it’s because of the time… Still, as you said, it would be better to keep the possibility open.”
He had a hunch that perhaps tomorrow, he might ask Sestia an unreasonable favor.
