Reason – Part 05
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Translator: Kell
“So we decided to keep you locked up until the day of our departure,” Secrecy said.
Mercenary listened to him as he lay on his bed, his expression unchanged.
Secrecy thought he might complain.
“I thought for sure I was gonna be publicly executed,” Mercenary huffed.
Secrecy frowned. “There is no precedent of a public execution being carried out because someone crushed another in a fistfight that escalated from an argument.”
“For humans, maybe.”
“And right now you’re human.”
Mercenary laughed bitterly. “You treat humans like this? Can’t say I’m surprised. I’ve seen how they treat human-turned Beastfallen in Wenias.”
“We wouldn’t have done this if you didn’t almost kill the knight.”
“You want me to keep my mouth shut and take their shit?”
“I’m saying you should’ve fought words with words. That’s what you’ve been doing all this time.”
Grimacing, Mercenary thrust his fist out in front of him. “I thought such a small hand wouldn’t hurt that much. Human hands have too little skin and fat. It was like hitting with a bare bone. Truth is, I’ve always wanted to do that. I’ve always wanted to beat the shit out of every one who talked shit about me. But if I hit them, they would die. I had to grin and bear it.”
“So? Did you feel better after hitting that man?”
“Don’t laugh, okay?”
“Depends on your answer.”
“My fist hurt.”
Secrecy chuckled.
“I told you not to laugh!” He let his fist fall to his chest. “Those Noble Guards guys want to execute me, right? From what I’ve seen, the townspeople are on their side.”
“You knew that, yet you still resorted to violence. You are such an idiot.”
“Just execute me. Or you can banish me from the town. I don’t care. If I’m kicked out of the warding, people would be relieved.”
“And then we will go back to finding peace in witch hunts. If we banish you, who do you think will be the next target? It could be me, the one who injured Orlux, or the Beastfallen Lily, or the dragon tamer, or the demon-possessed Director.”
Mercenary laughed. “When you put it like that, we’re like the odd ones out.”
“You haven’t realized it yet? Now that you’re human, you’re the least odd among us. Banishing you will put us in danger. So stay put in here.”
“Are you asking for a favor?”
“I am. If you don’t listen when I’m asking politely, I’m going to have to resort to a little bit of violence myself.”
“Whoa, scary.” Mercenary laughed again, then shooed Secrecy away. “You want to lock me up, sure. Not like I can go against you in this body anyway. At the very least, you’ll have to talk the people into not tying me up on the day of the departure. I can finally ride a horse, and I intend to ride one untied.”
The day of the departure arrived.
People gathered in the town square, their wagons loaded with household items. They brought as much food and water as possible, and even farm animals.
Gemma was busy scanning the list of citizens, making sure that every resident was gathered in the square.
“If only the Director’s eyes could reach inside the wards, we could check in an instant if anyone was left behind,” Gemma muttered.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to rely too much on the power of demons,” Secrecy pointed out.
Gemma’s lips pursed. “I know that. But commanding civilians is way different from commanding an organized unit. I’m sure God will forgive a little grumbling.”
“The Captain’s right,” Barcel cut in as he appeared. “At this point, I say we live like God will allow anything. Anyway, I’m here for an update. Preparations for departure are almost complete. All that’s left is to get Mercenary out of his room, but I think it’s better to wait until the last minute.”
It would be nothing short of foolish to leave Mercenary with a crowd of anxious people when he was one of the reasons for their anxiety. Once they set off, they would have no time to worry about anyone but themselves.
“Captain Gemma and the Director will be at the head of the column, while I will stay at the rear,” Secrecy said. “Her Excellency will be in the middle of the column, with Vice Captain Leyland as her guard. We let Mercenary out as soon as I leave.”
Barcel nodded. “I’ll leave the good sir to you, then. I will offer my assistance where needed then head to the front with the Captain. Oh, one more thing.”
“What?”
“It seems that one of the horses escaped, so there’s been a change in the formation. I’m trying to decide whether to have humans pull the cargo or just reduce our load.”
“We’re missing a horse?” A tinge of nervousness flashed across Secrecy’s face.
“Yeah,” Barcel answered nonchalantly. “It’s possible that it got mixed into the other units. Unfortunately we were in a hurry, and there’s too much mess here and there.”
“Call the Dragon King! Now!”
Gemma’s eyes widened. “Wh-What for? The Dragon King should be praying in the cathedral right now.”
“Then tell him to bring the dragon to the square at once. I’ll check on Mercenary.”
“You don’t mean…” Gemma swallowed hard.
Barcel turned pale. “You don’t think he ran away, do you? Why now? He’s been staying put all this time.”
“If I’m simply overthinking things, then good. Just to confirm, is he done preparing for the journey?”
Barcel’s face turned sullen. “Well, yeah. I left all his stuff in his room last night.”
Gemma rushed to get the Dragon King, while Secrecy and Barcel headed to Mercenary’s room.
As they opened the locked door from the outside, a chill wind rushed out, wrapping around them both. The shutters creaked as cold air blew in through the open windows.
“He jumped down from the window?! We’re on the third floor!” Barcel dashed to the window and looked around for any sign of the man.
Unfortunately there was no trace of anything, indicating that he climbed down from the third floor without using any tools. From the outside, it was difficult to see something wrong. No one would suspect anything from an open window.
“He was nimble for his size.”
Barcel and Secrecy had heard of the time when Mercenary scaled a cliff using only knives and his claws. They didn’t expect him to be capable of a similar feat in his human form. He couldn’t even walk properly at first. They underestimated the man’s tenacity.
“I shouldn’t have told him to get accustomed to his body,” Secrecy hissed, turning back toward the square.
With the Director’s eyes and the dragon’s mobility, Secrecy should still be able to catch up to him.
And I can still save him.
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