Chapter 8

Bay sat crookedly in his seat, scratching his dull, straw-like blond hair. His pale green eyes swept over me. A heavy mahogany desk sat in front of him, with various documents neatly organized.

 

“I came to arrange a stowaway passage to the neutral country of Kay.”

 

“For two people, that’ll be 100 gold.”

 

“No, just me. This person is my escort.”

 

“Ah, just one then. That’ll be 60 gold. I offer a discount for two at once.”

 

Why are you giving discounts like that? I shook my head and asked,

 

“When’s the earliest I can leave?”

 

Bay pulled out a thick stack of papers and licked his finger to flip through them. He sighed as he pulled one out.

 

“In a hurry, huh? If you’d come yesterday, you could’ve left immediately. But there are no ships for the next week. There’s one ship a week from now, departing at 8 p.m. from the Lowal Pier. It’ll dock briefly at Teheran Island before heading to the neutral country. The voyage will take about two months. Should I book that for you?”

 

Lowal Pier was about five hours away. Whether it’s four or five hours, not much difference.

 

“If you’re in a real hurry, there’s also a ship leaving from Bale Port in three days.”

 

Bale Port was to the south. Even riding a carriage all day wouldn’t get me there. Since I didn’t know when Kid would show up, that wasn’t a good idea. He might even block the sea route on the way.

 

“I’ll go with the one from Lowal Pier. How much for a forged ID, too?”

 

“150 gold. The machine we use to forge IDs is no cheap piece of equipment.”

 

150 gold was about a year’s living expenses for a family of four. But if I think of it as the price of my life, I guess it’s worth it.

 

Well, it wasn’t my money anyway, so I didn’t care if it was cheap or expensive.

 

I took out a few jewels from my pouch. They were probably worth more than 150 gold, but I planned to hand them all over. A small act of revenge against Kid.

 

‘I’m going to bleed your fortune dry, piece by piece.’

 

Sorry, Seniel, but let’s call it a fine for all the crap I’ve been through.

 

Bay inspected the jewels with a cylindrical metal gem appraiser, turning them this way and that.

 

“I paid more than 150 gold for these, so this should be enough.”

 

“Yeah, looks about right. Please wait a moment. I’ve got a great new machine, so it won’t take long.”

 

They said this was the biggest broker group in the area, and the division of labor showed it. I waited quietly, and Bay soon returned with a convincing fake ID.

 

The ID had a face similar to mine and a randomly assigned name.

 

“When you arrive at the port, someone from our side will meet you. He’ll be kind of ugly and have a braided beard. Just say you’re from Bay’s Teahouse, and he’ll handle everything. It’ll be a smooth and safe trip.”

 

I gave a quick nod and stood. Ezette, who’d been standing behind me, followed me out.

 

* * *

 

After leaving Bay’s Teahouse and reaching the street, Ezette said nothing. I knew she was reserved, but I didn’t expect this level of silence.

 

Are you thinking that trying to please higher-ups is an annoying way to die?

 

I was about to formally ask her to keep this whole thing a secret and offer a nice reward when she suddenly asked,

 

“…Are you going against the will of the gods?”

 

She brought up divine will out of nowhere. For someone who doesn’t even believe in fate, why bring that up? It gave me a bad feeling.

 

Realizing she’d asked something unnecessary, Ezette quickly apologized.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“No, it’s okay.”

 

I glanced at Ezette. Should I ask why she said that?

 

I turned my eyes forward again.

 

“If it’s to survive, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do.”

 

I deliberately made it sound deep. It was something Ezette used to say often in the novel.

 

She had fearlessly threatened the High Priest and even wore a cursed necklace to disguise herself as her brother.

 

Ezette said nothing. Only after some time did she finally speak.

 

“I’ll be rooting for you.”

 

Even though I pretended to be unaffected, I’d been tense, worried I had misjudged her.

 

I wiped my sweaty palms on my robe and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

 

‘She’s supporting me, huh?’

 

Maybe she’s the only one in this world who is.

 

Come to think of it, she might be the only person who would side with me. She could even be my safe haven on the day I escape.

 

Realizing she was truly on my side, the tension drained from me all at once.

 

A soft, weary laugh escaped me. It wasn’t my intention, but I threw her a cheeky joke.

 

“Is it okay for a holy knight to root for someone defying the gods?”

 

“I didn’t say I support defying the gods.”

 

What’s that supposed to mean?

 

“But if that’s how you took it… then I suppose that’s what it is.”

 

Word games.

 

As we left Roadwald Street, I bid her farewell.

 

“Thanks for today. Please keep this a secret. And could we meet again in a week? I’ll send the time and place by post. I could just send a reward, but I want to thank you in person.”

 

I mean, I need to hand over the evidence in person.

 

“You don’t need to go out of your way. I know you must be busy.”

 

“Are you refusing a kind offer? Or should I interpret that to mean it’s fine for me to wait alone at the meeting spot and leave a pile of gold there?”

 

With my stubborn tone, Ezette let out a shallow sigh.

 

“I’ll come.”

 

“Great. Then take care. It was nice today.”

 

I was about to head off to another district. With a week left before escaping, I planned to buy some protective gear to keep myself safe.

 

Besides tying up my hair and ditching earrings and necklaces to avoid being grabbed by Kid, I needed something that would actually protect me.

 

“…”

 

“You’re not going?”

 

Ezette stuck close, suspicious of my movements toward a different street.

 

“Where’s your carriage?”

 

“I’m taking a public one. And I’m not going back to the estate right away.”

 

I’d already sent the carriage back since I didn’t know when I’d return. I planned to use a public one from the streets.

 

Ezette eyed me with suspicion and then asked sharply,

 

“Then where are you going now?”

 

“Somewhere safe, so don’t worry. Just head back.”

 

“If something happens to you, I’ll be the first one held accountable. I can’t allow that.”

 

Such honest words, very fitting for a main character.

 

I might’ve had good luck meeting her today, but for her, this was probably a cursed day. Seeing how tired she looked, I scratched my cheek.

 

“I’m going to buy some self-defense tools. Just a bit further ahead. It’s a safe area, so nothing will happen.”

 

If I recalled Vivi’s memories correctly, it was a place full of students and kids. No way anything would happen

 

But Ezette didn’t back down.

 

“I’ll escort you.”

 

Stubborn to the end. I felt bad. I wanted to tell her to leave, but her expression made it clear she wouldn’t listen.

 

‘Well, it’s tied to her reputation. No wonder she won’t back down.’

 

In a society with a rigid class system, Ezette likely wouldn’t have cared this much otherwise.

 

She was already a busy and burdened heroine.

 

‘…Since I feel bad, let’s just buy things quickly and leave.’

 

“…Alright. Please do.”

 

As expected of a holy knight, Ezette was a fantastic advisor when it came to buying protective gear.

 

“This one doesn’t show under clothing, is flexible, and easy to move in.”

 

So kind, our heroine. Even though this must be annoying for her, she was so attentive.

 

“This artifact can block close range attacks. Rings are better than necklaces.”

 

I sold all the jewels I’d taken from Seniel’s mansion and bought gear with the gold I received. Some soft armor, a few artifacts.

 

There was something that looked like a taser, which I bought for a high price.

 

Technically, it wasn’t electricity, but rather it used divine power for attacks. When used, it would shoot a strong blast of divine energy to knock someone out.

 

‘I wonder if that would work on Kid.’

 

Ezette said it was effective even on priests, but there was no guarantee it’d work on Kid.

 

As I plotted a possible Kid-roast, I sincerely thanked Ezette.

 

“Thanks to you, I got everything I needed. I keep owing you. It’s not much, but this is a gift.”

 

Ezette kept glancing toward the bookstore.

 

If I remembered the novel correctly, Ezette would often stare blankly at book covers when thinking of her brother. He used to live with a book always in hand.

 

I wanted to buy her some armor or weapons, but she refused, so I chose a poetry book instead.

 

Sure enough, Ezette stared at it blankly. Her previously tense expression softened slightly.

 

Seeing her silently staring at the cover made me a little awkward, so I spoke randomly to say goodbye.

 

“You kept glancing at the bookstore, so I thought maybe you liked books. If not, just use it as decoration. I’ll properly repay you next week. Thanks again. I’ll be off now.”

 

Without waiting for her response, I got into a public carriage I’d spotted earlier. Ezette finally lifted her head. I waved from inside.

 

She seemed about to say something, but the carriage started too quickly for me to hear.

 

The moment I sat on the hard wooden bench, exhaustion hit all at once.

 

‘Will he come out again tonight?’

 

I couldn’t afford to let my guard down. It was almost time to return to hell.

 

* * *

 

A pair of blue eyes silently watched the retreating carriage. As it disappeared from view, they suddenly felt like the entire day had been a dream. If not for the poetry book in hand, they might have thought they’d gone mad.

 

Ezette looked down at the book again.

 

“Was I really staring at it that long?”

 

They hadn’t even realized where their gaze had landed. But the woman they’d known for only a few hours had noticed.

 

“Vivi Jezline, was it?”

 

Now that she was married, she’d be Vivi McCurt.

 

Ezette wasn’t good at remembering people. If they really tried, they could force names into their  head, but didn’t want to. Meeting people, living life, and everything else were of no meaning.

 

If she hadn’t acted strangely at the wedding, Ezette wouldn’t have remembered her. Wouldn’t have ended up doing this odd escort mission.

 

As always, Ezette stood in the cathedral with blank eyes yesterday. The assigned spot, front right corner, standing still, expressionless, watching the day’s events unfold.

 

Seniel, the High Priest, was someone they were already familiar with. Though he did seem oddly anxious.

 

They turned their gaze to the pink haired woman. She’d entered nervously, then suddenly looked at the officiant with hopeful eyes.

 

‘Is fate really so wonderful?’

 

Fate. That damn thing.

 

Ezette was too tired to love her own fate.

 

Born poor, raised by a vain mother and a gambling-addicted father, it was Ezette’s fate to hear endless complaints about the family.

 

It was fate to bury three younger siblings, one to poverty, another to disease.

 

Even in the knight order, they were unwanted, friendless, and alone.

 

Thinking about it only created a headache. They looked to the void. Prayer time was approaching.

 

The solemn cathedral stretched before them.

 

She didn’t pray. Only watched those who did.

 

‘Why don’t you pray?’

 

Everyone else was praying except her.

 

It felt strange to see.

 

The bride, who had seemed happy upon entering, was now trembling, looking desperate, almost like someone else entirely.

 

Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice them.

 

‘What are you planning?’

 

Running away?

 

Today’s protagonist clutched her dress in shaking hands and slowly turned her body.

 

They found themselves silently cheering her on. Ezette didn’t know her reasons or what she was doing, but…

 

Just the act of defying the divine brought quiet support.

 

When she finally took a step, they involuntarily held their breath.

 

Cough.

 

But sadly, the moment passed in vain. She adjusted her dress and pretended nothing had happened.

 

Even after that failed escape, they couldn’t take their eyes off her.

 

Because she was beautiful? Because she looked good in white?

 

No. Ezette was simply curious why she kept tearing up.

 

That was all.

 

‘Whatever it is, it’s probably better than my life.’

 

Maybe she was just in love with someone back home.

 

With that thought, interest vanished.

 

Love was for the well fed.

 

By the next day, they’d forgotten Vivi even caught their interest.

 

Even knowing they’d meet again in such a shabby district wouldn’t have changed anything.

 

Yet, somehow, her bright eyes today caught Ezette’s attention.

 

“A solo stowaway, huh.”

 

Not even in pairs. Just her, alone, delighted to defy fate.

 

Ezette felt curious, but snuffed it out.

 

“She’ll be gone in a week anyway.”

 

Time to return to reality. A life of debt, enemies, and no allies.

 

Still holding the poetry book, they turned away