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Volume 5 Chapter 2 Part 4

By the time they managed to reach land, it was already getting dark.

「I’m back… 」

Looking out over the desolate coast, Theo murmured to himself.

「Yes. 」

Siluca nodded at Theo.

To liberate his hometown of Sistina, which is suffering from the tyranny of the oppressive rule of the Rossini family. That was Theo’s dream, and Siluca vowed to aid him in making that dream come true.

「We’ve finally made it this far. 」

Theo turns to Siluca.

「And i’s all thanks to you. 」

「No, it all starts now. 」

Siluca smiled.

「I agree. 」

Theo tightens his expression.

「But I want to thank you anyway. Just by coming back here, I can prove to everyone that I didn’t just run away from home because I couldn’t handle it. 」

Theo knelt down and placed his right hand on the ground of his homeland. His lips were slightly trembling as he spoke those words.

「So, what are you going to do now? 」

Aishela asked while catching up her breath.

「We have made a lot of preparations for this day… but now all of our supplies have basically been swallowed up by the sea and rest at the bottom of it along with the ship. 」

「So we’re going to be hungry for a while? 」

The twins looked at each other and nodded, and as if to go along with their voices, His Highness Balgary poked out his face from Siluca’s shadow and turned his eyes to her appealingly.

「Please wait for a little while. 」

Siluca crouched down and stroked her highness’s head.

「We might be able to procure food from somewhere…

Irvin muttered while looking around their surroundings.

「If we dive into the sea, I think we can catch fish, shellfish, and seaweed. 」

「Then we’ll hunt the prey so we could eat. 」

One of the twins said and raised her hand. Werewolves are also excellent hunters.

「Since we also have money, why don’t we go to a nearby village and ask if the villagers could sell us some food? 」

Priscilla made her own suggestion. They were forced to leave their luggage behind, but they still brought money along with them in case it was ever needed.

As for Aishela, she was even carrying a box with extra pole weapon tips on her back. Thanks to that, the small boat became heavy and it was really hard to fly it.

「Even if we are close to a human settlement, it would be best for us to think that any food the locals had to spare was already exhausted. But If we do end up buying food, then I want you to ask you to not take all of it from the people here. There is no extra sources of food on this island, and since the winter has already started, so it’s time for the starvation season to begin. 」

Theo said while looking far away into the distance.

Siluca knows that at times like this he was remembering the old days.

「I guess there’s nothing we can do about it, eh? 」

Siluca sighed.

「So, what do you think we should do? 」

Theo asked Siluca when he turned around.

「I was thinking of seeing the whole island first, but no I have no choice but to change my plans. Let’s go to the city of Laxia first. 」

Siluca suggested so.

「Won’t the Rossini family find out that we came here if we go there? 」

「That is precisely our aim here. 」

Siluca smiled.

「I was wondering what would be the best way to get the people of Sistina to know that the hero Theo Cornero had returned to the island, but at this time, I can think of no better way then to openly declare that you are going to take the island over from the clutches of the Rossini family. 」

「What do you mean? 」

Theo was always a good guesser, but now he seemed really confused.

「For the time being, it’s going to be more than enough if you proclaim your name loudly and clearly in the city of Laxia, Lord Theo. Back in Halusia, Pederico Rossini has already shown that he recognizes you as an enemy. After all, he immediately dispatched a group of assassins to deal with you, so this time when he learns that you arrived at Sistina he is bound to do the same. He will surely dispatch his men to look for you, and they’re going to search every village on the island in order to find your hiding place, by doing which they’re going to unknowingly spread around the fact that someone who is hostile to the Rossini family has come to this island. 」

「I see… 」

Theo nodded in admiration.

「And while in the city, we can also get the things that we’ll need for the time being, so it seems like a move that’s well worth the risk. 」

「I cannot help but feel that I’ve lost my job. 」

Irvine remarked sadly.

Indeed, information manipulation is normally a Shadow’s job, and this particular Chamberlain had a personality that made him feel uneasy whenever he wasn’t working.

「There are many more things that we have to do from now on, so don’t worry. 」

Siluca smiled at Irvin.

「Please order me to do anything you want. 」

Irvin answered while bowing politely.

「Since everything has been decided, then we’ll go into the city of Laxia with the clothes we are currently wearing, since the one that we have prepared to act as our disguises have been left on the ship at the bottom of the sea now. 」

Theo said with a bright voice.

* * *

Laxia was the capital of Sistina and the only city on the island.

It has a harbor and the city center is surrounded by walls. The slums were stretching outside of the city proper.

The people whom they were passing on the streets all looked gloomy, and their eyes were void of any light in them. They looked at them as if they were passing judgement on them, and whispered something to each other as the observed Theo and his companions from afar.

「If it’s like this, rumors about us will soon spread by themselves. 」

Aishela said while smiling wryly.

「If all of these guys are going to be like the ones here, then we should be able to deal with them in half a year, maybe even less if we put our backs into it. 」

「Don’t underestimate them. 」

Unusually for him, Theo reprimanded Aishela.

「What was that? 」

Aishela narrowed her eyes and gripped the pole of her glaive. Depending on the answer he was going to give her, she was going to cut off Theo’s neck and torso. In truth, her personal opinion about Theo didn’t change at all since the early days when she first met him.

「They have sworn blood loyalty to the Rossini family, which is why they are allowed to live here, and are given the right to plunder in the name of tax collection. 」

That’s the way in which Rossini family managed Sistina: they do next to nothing to actually govern the island, but they’ll do anything they can to exploit the people as much as possible. Rumors of their outrageous practices have even spread to the continent.

「If they really swore a blood oath to them, then they’ll have no choice but to pay for their loyalty with their blood. 」

When Aishela glared back at the residents of the slums who were casting their suspicious gazes at her, she stomped the ground beneath her strongly to send them a warning. Her eyes were filled with genuine murderous intent.

The residents panicked and averted their gaze from her in a hurry. They were incredibly sensitive to sensing danger. That is a skill that all inhabitants of Sistina needed to develop. If they didn’t do that, they wouldn’t be able to live here for as long as they did.

「The residents of this district were originally on the side of being robbed, and most of what they looted was taken from them inside of the city beyond the walls. 」

The manor where the members of the Rossini family lived was located in the center of the city. That is also where the wealthy merchants and the craftsmen lived.

「I want people like this to wake up and open their eyes to faith… 」

「I think that if people could control themselves with the power of faith, they would’ve changed for the batter too. However, it’s best not to spread the word of your god here alone if you want to return bac home safely. 」