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Slap!

Jin 6th—a little over two months since I was transported to Velatya.

「Ye've overstepped yer bounds, kiddo...」

We'd returned home as the clock struck nine. Our underground adventure ended with the Sentinels escorting us through the Warrens and back to the village.

Jesus... even holding back he still hits like a truck...

「Don't get mad at him, Rysef! I should've stopped him when I had the chance!」

Both of us were called to Rysef's unused bedroom in the manor. It was a place far away from anyone else—none of our discussions would be eavesdropped on.

Yet what awaited me, was less of a discussion and more of disciplinary action.

Melyn clung to the Ashen Thief and begged for him to calm down—it was hard convincing the man who'd subconsciously reverted to his dialect out of anger.

All I could do was lay on the ground with a stinging red mark on my cheek as the fuming behemoth towered over me.

「As the older one, I should claim responsibility for Zozo's actions! I'm the one at fault here, not him—!」

「No ye ain't, Mel! It's him. From day one he's been makin' ye dance t' his own beat. Th' churchyard explosion, th' reports of a marketplace disturbance earlier today, and now this. Ye could never come up with any of th' ploys he's orchestrated.」

He stared me deep in the eyes, but I wasn't fazed.

Waiting outside the manor were the children. Children who'd put their faith and trust in me. And the people who required medical attention.

If one mere smack was all it took for me to abandon them, forget my pride, I'd have to renounce the Lorenzo name altogether.

「Heh... sorry, I'm a little deaf in this ear—I didn't catch any of the garble you prattled on before seeing me off. And forgive my candor, but that note of yours? Terrible. If there's anyone to blame, it's you with your crappy directions.」

「I'd take this seriously if I were ya, Lorenzo. Destroying buildings is bound t' rouse suspicion from th' Yarzon authorities. I thought ya were smart enough t' avoid somethin' like this.」

It irritated me greatly how he was pinning everything on me.

If he were a better District Master, none of this would've happened.

「Take this seriously..? That's rich coming from you...」

Rysef took a deep breath and returned to his neutral accent.

「And what is that supposed to mean, my dear apprentice? Care to elaborate?」

「You know exactly what I mean!」

I bolted up and stood my ground.

「Let's not pretend this is about the Yarzon authorities! It's the Church you're scared of! The sole reason you've been neglecting the city slum dwellers! The people cooling their heels in front of our home are a direct result of your trepidation surrounding that damned institution! What has you so afraid you lummox?!」

「So you're aware. Good, then that saves me some time. You should know that fomenting a response from the Church will lead to our downfall.」

「That makes us no different than rats in a cage! Are you so blind as to not realize that?! Will you simply stand by as our subjects are toyed with?! What of our freedom?! Our dignity as Lakua slum dwellers?! Why is bending to their will more important than the lives of our own?!」

「Because I've witnessed what they're capable of! They're absolute monsters. Any District Master who tells you otherwise hasn't truly faced them. If Master Lakua couldn't defeat them, we sure as hell couldn't!」

There was distress in his voice. I'd never seen Rysef so shook before. He'd usually laugh off my arguments and provide an ample rebuttal in response.

But now? It was plain to see he was desperate to hedge around the quandary.

「Zozo... maybe we should apologize and give up on this. Rysef is clearly against what we did...」

「Whose side are you on Melyn?! What about the orphans and the infirmed?! Do we abandon them after giving them our word?!」

「I-I'm not saying that..! It's just...」

The Ashen Thief gently pushed the thief girl aside and faced me with that solemn expression of his. I braced myself for whatever he had to say.

「Lorenzo. We're not harboring any of the freed prisoners. Both the orphans and the infirmed.」

Rysef mouthed his decree with finality. Like a brick wall, he wasn't willing to budge on the issue.

「You plan on foisting them on someone else? Or are you going to cast them to the streets and overlook the moment they get recaptured by the drug gang? This village is the only safe location, Rysef. Anywhere else is just setting them up to be caught again...」

「This village may have been founded to house fugitives of the Church, but there remains the issue of a food shortage. The local wildlife has been dwindling as of late, and security in the northeastern market district has been reinforced. Sources of meals are as scarce as ever. Taking in more people will further worsen the situation.」

「But—!」

「To that end, I find the Hlanu District as a suitable location to hide the fugitives. Seyna, although crass, has made strides in constructing an underground shelter for the pursued. Transferring these children and afflicted adults there is the most sound decision to make. We have our own problems to deal with...」

I clenched my fists and struggled not to snap at him. His justifications sounded like excuses to me. Excuses to not involve himself with the Church.

Hearkening back to my days as a guild master, it became apparent that Rysef was wanting in the sensibilities of a strong-willed leader.

I rolled my eyes at how pathetic he was acting.

「"Our own problems"..? What's with that..? Are you the Lakua District master or the village master?! Make up your mind dammit! You talk as though the people outside aren't your own! What happened to "slum dwellers stick together" huh?!」

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「This is different. Lives are at stake. You wouldn't understand, Lorenzo.」

「I-I wouldn't understand?! Look in the mirror shit-for-brains! You're the one who doesn't understand! There was a drug factory exploiting your subjects right beneath our noses! The Sentinels you stationed on the rooftops did jack! For Christ's sake, people have died because of your incompetency and you still think I'm not capable of grasping whatever you'll throw at me?!」

A brief silence followed. The Ashen Thief had cast down his eyes.

I don't know what he was thinking, but his response afterward was what truly got me riled up.

「Someday you'll learn. The Church is not a force to be taken lightly. You only feel the way you do because their presence in Yarzon is infinitesimal. But when they inevitably grow stronger...」

Rysef's response was fittingly equivocal.

He turned around and began walking away.

「After I sort everything out with the freed prisoners and the destroyed street corner, we'll talk more about your punishment. In short, your apprenticeship is to be revoked, and you will be prohibited from traveling outside again.」

「R-Rysef..!」

「Mel. Never listen to orders from him again. His mind is only dangerous when it has a weapon to wield.」

He showed his back to us and didn't care to look back.

It was then that I was overcome with a single emotion. It had swelled up inside me like a balloon and reached its breaking point. My ire towards the Ashen Thief had never been more palpable.

And like a balloon, it was ready to burst.

Fwoop! Thuck!

The bolt narrowly missed Rysef and pierced the wall beside the exit door. I had pulled the trigger without a second thought.

He glared at me from over his shoulder.

「Is this genuinely the hill you want to die on... boy..?」

I quickly reloaded with my last arrow and took aim.

「Z-Zozo, what in Vel's name are you doing?! Have you gone mad?!」

「The tenets say you can't betray another slum dweller. Yet here we have a bastard willing to drop his followers into the wolves' den. This is his just comeuppance.」

The thief girl situated herself between me and Rysef, blocking my line of sight.

「Move Melyn.」

「Why does it have to be this way?! What was wrong with Rysef's proposition?! Virvir and the rest will be safe over there so what's your problem?! Is it because of the promise you made with them?! Or are you still hung up with our fight with Seyna?! Don't immediately draw your weapon without an explanation!」

「I won't blame you for defending him—you must share a lot of history. But this is between me and Rysef! If you happen to get caught in the crossfire...」

「Just talk to us Zozo!」

Her crimson eyes wavered as my stance sharpened. She was lost without a directive from either of us.

The Ashen Thief stepped back and opened the door behind him.

「Mel, leave. I believe Lorenzo wants to speak with me in private...」

「But Rysef...」

「Everything will work out. Trust me.」

She nodded and darted to the exit. I was relieved that Rysef was able to read between the lines.

Once she was gone, I could now begin the real extraction of facts.

「So kid? What is it you want to say that you can't in front of Mel?」

「Two months. In two months I've learned as much as I could about this world. I've amassed an intangible amount of knowledge corroborated by numbers and data. But when it comes to the Church, holes in this investigation start popping up. Things that don't make a whole lot of sense.」

「And you think I've got the answers?」

「I need merely a yes or no from you.」

The Ashen Thief eyed my weapon. I quite literally had him at gunpoint after all. Well... it served as less of a threat and more of a display of how far I was willing to go.

In the end, he stroked his chin, interested by my demand.

「I swear... you come up with the most darnedest ideas... Why'd you have to end up as radical as she was..?」

「Is that a yes?」

「Fine, fine, fine. I'll entertain this last request from you before I terminate your apprenticeship. But only yes or no questions. It's the most I can do. And limit it only to five. I haven't got all day.」

「Is that a promise?」

「I swear on my master's legacy.」

「That's acceptable. Guess I don't need this anymore.」

I slid my ballistette under the bed behind me and sat on the chair in the corner. Truth be told, I was pretty exhausted from all the action in the Yarzon underground.

I cleared my throat and ran through the questions I'd kept for this very occasion.

「Right off the bat, I have to know...」

Thank God she isn't around...

「Was the Church responsible for the death of Melyn's family?」

Rysef was visibly startled by the inquiry. As this was my last chance to milk him dry of insight, I wasn't willing to hold back.

His pause was considerable but ultimately broken by a single reply.

「Yes... That's one question.」

「And just to confirm... did your master, Lakua meet his fate the same way?」

Another break, but shorter. The Ashen Thief was not accustomed to revealing such things. But, he honored his word.

「No... And that's two questions. Three more.」

Was it wise to waste two questions on matters I'd more or less figured out? Maybe, maybe not.

But with confirmation on those two vital pieces of info, came confidence in the line of questioning I'd developed.

「Do you know of anyone in the Church who's capable of influencing the rumor mill?」

「Y-yes... I do...」

I cracked my knuckles and proceeded with the next.

「And is he the one who runs the drug peddlers?」

Silence. With an atmosphere heavier than lead.

「You don't want to dig any deeper Lorenzo...」

「Yes or no?」

「Even if I do tell you, what difference does it make? Are going to further endanger us and aggrandize yourself by playing hero?!」

「None of your business. I'm the one asking the questions. So? Yes or no?」

The Ashen Thief sighed.

「Yes...」

And now I reached the final question. What tantalizing inquiry did I have in store for the now-squirming Ashen Thief?

I leaped off the chair and sauntered toward him.

「My last question is simple...」

He probably noticed the minute I slowed down my breathing. I purposely delayed my final question and waited for footsteps outside our room.

I'd finally outsmarted him. As footfalls approached us, I smugly grinned at the Ashen Thief.

Bang!

「Rysef!」

Lia and Asthos had busted open the door with Melyn close behind. The first words they heard from me swiftly shattered Rysef's intentions to turn away the freed prisoners.

「Deep down inside, don't you want to keep the pursued here..?」

Checkmate.

Knowing Rysef, he couldn't lie. Swearing on his master's legacy was his biggest mistake.

「Mel... why are Lia and Asthos here..?」

「She came t' us screamin' 'bout a fight between ye two. Th' boy was goin' t' shoot ya wasn't he?」

Asthos surveyed the room and couldn't spot a ballistette in view. Hiding it under the bed was good foresight on my end.

What was Rysef's second-biggest mistake? Believing Melyn would stay quiet.

The thief girl was an imperfect puppet. If she didn't fully trust one's judgment, she would take matters into her own hand.

Crying to the other adults in the district did not stray too far from my expectations.

It was a predictable outcome, like analyzing routes in AI pathfinding.

「So what's your answer Rysef? Your heart must be aching to foster the children and treat the infirmed.」

The pressure was on. Would he reveal his true feelings on the issue, or lie and besmirch the good name of Lakua?

Contrary to what he believed, I was cognizant of how much Rysef actually cared about the slum dwellers.

He may have been a bungling leader who resorted to licking the Church's boots, but he still bit bullets for the sake of his district.

Yet from now on, I can't see him as anything beyond an amateurish head of a broken district...

The Ashen Thief finally scratched his head and groaned.

He must've grasped the scope of my counter-plan and given up resisting. He bounced back from the realization with a hearty guffaw.

「Haha! It's my defeat. Yes, deep down inside I do want the freed prisoners to stay with us.」

「Wait, Sir... then tomorrow's plans to transport the fugitives..?」

「Temporarily postponed, Lia. Focus all manpower on monitoring the Warrens and cleaning up the city damages. The Hlanu shelter isn't safe with the drug peddlers still at large.」

「Yes, Sir!」

「Asthos, assist Maksa in treating the infirmed. Melyn, help the orphans settle in. I give you full permission to repurpose the tunnel leading into the training chamber as sleeping quarters. Get help from the Sentinels if your magic reserves are low.」

Everyone nodded and carried out their assigned tasks, leaving me with Rysef.

「And Lorenzo...」

「I'm all ears.」

The Ashen Thief patted my head and chuckled.

「Haha! My third biggest mistake just came to me.」

He ruffled my auburn hair.

「I underestimate you far too much.」

His ash gray irises had some color in them as he spoke. It was as though I'd rekindled his childlike spirit. A cheerful smile lined his lips.

「You may hate my guts, but I value you as my apprentice. Although your insubordination today I found deplorable... I don't believe it warrants that harsh of a punishment.」

「I-is that so..? Thanks, I guess...」

「You're a real pain in the ass to deal with, so we'll go your way for now. But the moment I catch wind of things going south...」

His fingers closed in on my head. It brought forth a sensation that trod the fine line between uncomfortable and painful.

His visage changed as he imparted these unfinished conditions to me.

Just as I thought I was warming up to him, the air between us turned colder than a winter's night.

Him blowing up at me was somehow more comforting than the distant smile he bore.

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