SWY 79

While Lestel and Yuel were talking, Elieas, who had been quietly listening, nodded.

“Yes. Of course, Delos was an eyesore, and I was planning to deal with him eventually. I want to restore the city, not completely as it once was, but at least partially. For that to happen, it’s not ideal for factions to be divided like they are now. If we can unite the factions and pool our strength, we could gradually clear the moving corpses and expand the survivors’ territory bit by bit. Don’t you think?”

It was an idealistic plan, but not one that seemed entirely impossible.

“……”

“I heard the staff of the mansion in central area are loyal to the merchant lord. Could you persuade them?”

“I owe them my life, so I’ll talk to them. I was going to return to the mansion anyway. But even if I convince Simon, unifying the city won’t be easy. Not with Yuel in the picture.”

“Yuel has agreed to cooperate.”

When Lestel looked at him, Yuel simply shrugged, indicating it was true.

“There are a few minor factions led by self-proclaimed lords, but they’re not a problem. The biggest obstacle was Delos, and he’s already been dealt with.”

“You didn’t kill him though.”

At Lestel’s pointed comment, Yuel cut in.

“I’m looking for him. Lost quite a few informants thanks to those damn corpses, but still, nothing escapes my eyes in Verden. That’s also how I found out so quickly that you had arrived.”

“When you find him, you tell me first. I’ll kill him myself.”

Yuel glanced at Elieas.

“I have a personal grudge too. He killed my father, but… I’ll let you have that chance.”

The murderous gleam that had briefly flickered in Elieas’s eyes subsided quickly.

“Thank you.”

At Lestel’s gratitude, Elieas gave a small nod.

“As long as Delos ends up dead, I don’t care who does it. Since Elieas is stepping back, I’ll let you know the first lead. But… you’ll owe me for that information, right?”

“Yesterday you shamelessly demanded payment for saving my life after you found your master, thanks to me. Even though it was your master’s damn drug that got me captured in the first place.”

“Didn’t I say I’d waive the rescue fee just now?”

“The math doesn’t add up. Let’s say the drug settles the rescue fee. Then that means I still saved your master, which you haven’t paid for.”

Yuel, visibly flustered, muttered under his breath.

“F… fine. I’ll find Delos for free.”

“Good.”

“B… but you still need to pay for the clothes you and Sharhan are wearing! You know how hard it is to get clean, durable new clothes these days, right?”

“I’ll pay for the clothes.”

“Then great! Here, give me this. One of my men found it among the survivors’ belongings. Derry said it’s yours.”

Yuel grinned and showed him a brooch. Lestel immediately shot to his feet.

“No!”

Yuel’s eyes widened in surprise at the outburst. Sharhan was just as taken aback.

‘What the hell is that thing to get him so worked up?’

Lestel had said Yuel could take all the jewelry and gold in the mansion, so why react like this? Sharhan tilted his head as Lestel marched over and snatched the brooch out of Yuel’s hands.

He recognized it, he had seen it since the day they left Verden. It was just a common amethyst brooch.

‘I never looked closely, but it didn’t seem all that special.’

Of course, to Sharhan, amethyst had personal significance. The heirloom of the Kaios family, known for their black hair and violet eyes, was an amethyst. But for nobles outside of Kaios, amethyst was just a notch above a pebble. It had fallen out of fashion, and nobles now preferred rubies or diamonds.

When he’d first seen the brooch, he hadn’t said anything, but he had been surprised. Lestel had always been fashion-conscious. At the Academy and in Serman, he always wore whatever was most fashionable, and he could afford the finest clothes and gems.

‘Now that I think about it, what happened to our family heirloom that was pawned?’

He had fled the castle with only Iris and the nanny, leaving no time to retrieve it. Losing the seal had been unavoidable, but not recovering the heirloom still stung.

“Amethyst isn’t even that rare. Why react like that? Makes me feel awkward.”

Yuel scowled at Lestel, who had snatched the brooch from him.

“And why were you being so greedy over something not even rare?”

“I don’t have many amethysts.”

“Then take all the gems in the mansion. No one else is hoarding jewels these days except you.”

“If you’re offering, I won’t refuse. I just don’t get it, why do people treat gold and gems like trash now? They’re eternal. Just looking at colored stones brings me joy.”

“That’s just you.”

Lestel scoffed as he tucked the brooch into his pocket, glancing at the glittering rings on every one of Yuel’s fingers.

“Speaking of amethyst, the young lady….no, it’s the same color as Sharhan’s eyes, right? Oh, and I heard a rumor about the Kaios family’s heirloom…”

“Stop talking nonsense. Are we done here?”

Cutting him off, Lestel grabbed Sharhan’s arm and pulled him up. It was a clear sign they were done with both the meal and the conversation.

“When will you be heading to the mansion? I’d like to come with you.”

Elieas asked urgently.

“There’s no reason to delay, so we’ll go right away.”

“Then I’ll prepare too.”

Elieas stood and quickly left the dining room, saying they’d see each other shortly.

“You mentioned earlier your men brought in the survivors’ belongings. Where are they?”

Sharhan asked.

“Just a bunch of odds and ends. Is there something you need?”

“My sword.”

“Oh, weapons are stored separately. I’ll have someone show you.”

Yuel gestured, and one of his men came over.

“Lestel, come out with me for a bit. We need to talk.”

Lestel looked displeased at Yuel’s summons, but Sharhan nodded toward him, giving him permission to go. He left the dining room, and Derry, who came out with him, said he’d go retrieve his things and walked off.

“Sharhan!”

He stopped at Abel’s call. Abel, limping slightly, threw an arm around his shoulders.

“Just a bit of running and I’m winded already. With Delos’s faction gone, the eastern gate is open. We’re leaving soon, right? I was worried when they were blocking the east, but now it’s clear. Though we almost died doing it. Seriously, yesterday I thought we were dead meat.”

Abel shook his head at the memory of the bleak situation.

“Same here. It was a miracle Yuel and Elieas showed up when they did. Now that the Delos problem’s settled, we’ll go to Lestel’s mansion, take care of what we need to, meet who we must, and kill that bastard Delos before leaving.”

This was near the eastern gate, so going directly was most efficient. Still, they had to stop at the mansion. There was Simon, the whistle that summoned Thunder and Lightning, and they couldn’t just leave Delos behind. Elieas had a deep grudge, and might want to deal with him herself, but judging by Lestel’s expression, he wasn’t going to let anyone else do it. Sharhan himself wouldn’t feel right leaving that bastard alive.

“How are you feeling, Abel?”

“Not great, but lucky to be alive. Oh, and Ras survived too.”

“I heard. Glad we all made it. Have you seen Raul?”

Among the inn survivors, the ones who stuck in his mind were the Red Wolves and the Raul siblings.

“Yeah. Luckily, he’s safe. Half the inn’s survivors died, but the ones who made it got a pretty sturdy shelter.”

“Sturdy shelter?”

“Elieas took all the survivors into the City Hall. Good news. That place is bigger and safer than the inn. And with Delos’s hoarded food, there’s finally enough to go around.”

“That’s great news.”

“Makes it easier to leave with peace of mind. But hey, why are you limping? Are you hurt?”

Abel had noticed Sharhan’s odd gait and asked with concern.

“I… I got hurt. You know, from that jump yesterday.”

“The doctor from the City Hall was decent. Let him take a look.”

“I’ll handle it.”

The truth was, his thighs and the inside of his ass still ached and throbbed, making it hard to walk normally. Sharhan answered awkwardly. He’d tried to hide it, but Abel’s sharp eyes hadn’t missed it.

Abel glanced at Sharhan’s burning red ears but didn’t press further, thankfully, they had just arrived at the weapon storage.

Sharhan rushed inside and quickly found his sword among the piles of weapons. The moment he laid eyes on it, it was like reuniting with an old friend. A strange sense of calm washed over him.

“These are all unclaimed. Feel free to take anything you like.”

Sharhan sheathed his sword at his waist and looked over the other weapons. His own sword felt most comfortable, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a backup. He picked a hammer.

“This will do.”

He gave it a spin and nodded in satisfaction.

“Can I take one more?”

“Of course. Take whatever you need.”

With permission from Yuel’s man, Sharhan grabbed weapons for Lestel and Derry too, an axe for Lestel and a metal bar for Deri. He also spotted a bow and, feeling slightly guilty, quietly took that as well. When Yuel’s subordinate saw this, he laughed.

“You’re pretty greedy, huh?”

But he didn’t stop him, so Sharhan slung the bow over his shoulder with a small cough.

Now fully armed, Sharhan felt like he’d gained an extra life.