Chapter 8
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When she casually brought up the jewel-swapping incident that had sent Lumière into an uproar half a year ago, the gypsy’s expression changed. It seemed Elain was standing face-to-face with the jeweler who had committed the crime.
“Don’t worry—I’m not interested in your past.”
“Who do you think you are, talking back like that?”
Elain silently pulled a pouch of gold coins from inside her cloak. If someone had betrayed a client because they were blinded by greed, then money was the only way to win them over.
“Hide me among you. I’ll pay you for it.”
“Hmph!”
Elain’s eyes widened as the gypsy snatched the pouch away. If there was one thing she hadn’t anticipated, it was that proper negotiations with criminals were impossible.
“…What are you doing? Can’t you hand it over right now?”
“What’s going on, you bastards? What’s happening here!”
As the Guards’ torches illuminated the riverbank, the Gypsies who had been crouching there scattered like insects. This was because if they were caught by the Guards, they would be dragged off to a labor camp and forced to work. The Guards raised their voices in exasperation.
“Don’t cause any trouble, got it?!”
After leading her into the overgrown thicket, the Gypsy chuckled.
“You’re a rookie, so you don’t know much. It’s just a token patrol anyway—why bother hiding?”
Elain’s face hardened. Were the kingdom’s soldiers really this negligent on duty? But unfortunately, the Gypsy was right. Pretending not to see the Gypsies, the clopping of the guards’ horses’ hooves echoed steadily: clop, clop.
“Alright, then, shall we have some fun?”
“Huh…! What on earth…!”
The gypsy roughly tore off her cloak. Having fled in a panic after the army stormed the marquis’s estate, Elain was wearing only a thin nightgown. Her white skin glowed smoothly through the fabric amidst the deep green foliage.
“Ooh… your skin is absolutely stunning.”
“I’ll give you all that money, so get away from me right now.”
“The money is mine, of course. And so are you.”
Elain swallowed her trembling breath as she saw the gypsy’s eyes, fixed intently on her, glinting with dangerous desire. Pull yourself together, Elain. Showing fear will only fuel his excitement.
“Do you want to lose all that money and work until your back breaks?”
“What?”
Elain whispered quickly through clenched teeth at the gypsy, who was furrowing his brow deeply.
“Do you think the guards could still turn a blind eye if I screamed for help right here? Then you’d be guilty of aiding and abetting.”
Her heart pounded as she watched the gypsy’s expression grow increasingly menacing. But her will to survive kept her grip on her sanity tight.
“Is that all? The noblewoman whose diamond you swapped must be grinding her teeth right now. Judging by the look on her face, she’s probably lost all the money she got from selling the jewel. There’s a high chance you’ll die in prison without anyone ever knowing. So if you want to salvage even that money now, get the hell out of here...!”
The gypsy grabbed Elain by the throat. Elain couldn’t breathe.
“You little bitch—the more I look at you, the more your attitude skyrockets? Are you trying to play the noblewoman here?”
“Huh...!”
“Go ahead, if you want to scream, go ahead and scream, young lady.”
The gypsy knocked her to the ground and straddled her. Watching Elainecover her mouth with both hands to stifle her coughing fit, the man’s yellowish whites gleamed.
“Huh? You can’t even make a peep. Young lady? What, are you some kind of maid who ran off with a nobleman’s money?”
The veins in her temples bulged, and her fingertips turned white. The second thing she had overlooked was that she couldn’t possibly match the brute strength of a grown man. But… Elain trembled uncontrollably as she felt her way along the floor with her now-cold hands. Please let there be some weapons. Please, please.
“If you’ve made it this far, you must’ve been having a wild time with the noble lords anyway, so why go to such great lengths... Ugh!”
With a thud, the gypsy clutched his nose. A pebble from the riverbank slipped from Elain’s hand. She’d aimed to strike the gypsy on the back of the head, but he’d risen just as she threw it, causing her to miss.
“Hah! You crazy bitch…!”
The gypsy’s face was covered in blood, and the veins in his neck were bulging. Facing him as he glared and shouted, Elain’s face turned pale. She couldn’t stop her whole body from trembling like a quaking aspen. Fear was one of the things she couldn’t control with her reason.
I have to run. Elain wrapped herself in her cloak and tried to stand up, but it was no use. The gypsy grabbed the hem of her fleeing cloak once again with all his might.
“Where do you think you’re going, you bitch…!”
Her bloodstained hand scraped against the dirt floor, and her legs trembled so violently that her knees buckled. No, not now. The cloak she was clutching was roughly torn from her. Elain shut her eyes tight.
“Go ahead, ram into me like a beast… Ugh…!”
The gypsy couldn’t finish his sentence and just coughed hoarsely. To Elain’s ears—clenched shut—came the sound of a man’s light laughter.
“What the hell is this?”
Was it an auditory hallucination? Curled up with her arms wrapped around her head, Elain slowly opened her eyes. The man’s voice continued.
“You didn’t really smash this bastard’s face in, did you?”
The familiar voice wasn’t a hallucination. Never before had such a flippant tone been so welcome.
Elain lifted her head from where it had been buried in her knees.
“This… ugh… let go…!”
Ignoring the Gypsy’s struggles as he was grabbed by the collar, the man looked at her and exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow… So Elain Berlois is the type who acts before she thinks?”
“….”
“You’re just like me.”
Splash!
As the gypsy’s scream erupted along with the sound of rushing water, Elain swallowed hard. She could see the gypsy, who had been clinging to her tenaciously until just a moment ago, being swept away by the swift current.
“…Aaargh!!! Help me, ugh. Save me…!!!”
Tap, tap. Elain turned her gaze at the hand tapping lightly on her shoulder. As their eyes met in the night air, Deckard smiled cheerfully.
“Hi, Ellie.”
The screams of the drowning gypsy grew fainter as he drifted away. Deckard gently helped her to her feet as she sat slumped on the ground. Clearing her throat, Elain asked,
“…Why are you here?”
“I wonder? Why indeed?”
Deckard tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. She wanted to press him for answers, but there was no time for a long conversation.
“Who are you! State your affiliation!”
That was because the gypsy’s bloodcurdling screams had drawn two members of the Imperial Guard toward them from the woods. And that wasn’t all. She could hear the sound of a group of soldiers approaching from the other side of the bridge as well.
“Looks like the pursuit party’s here.”
Deckard pursed his thick lips. Eeek! He blew a slow, soft whistle and gave a sly smile—an expression that was far from one of panic. Had he worn the same expression just a moment ago, when he’d thrown that person into the water?
“…Is this really the time to be whistling leisurely?”
As she barely managed to speak, Deckard gave her a look that seemed to say, “Why not?”
“Don’t you know that if they find out you’re with me, you’ll be in danger too?”
If the Capital Defense Force and the pursuit squad discovered him with her, even someone like Deckard would certainly not escape interrogation. Deckard wasn’t stupid enough not to realize that.
“Are you worried about me right now?”
Deckard curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.
“Want to make a bet? On whether I’ll be in danger or not.”
Seeing the confidence radiating from his expression, Elain’s heart suddenly grew cold. It felt as if freezing water were running down her spine.
“You wouldn’t actually come to take me away before the pursuit squad does, would you…?”
“Oh, stop with the boring talk, Elain.”
Deckard clicked his tongue. Elain bit her lip and tried to steady her quickening breath. Right. If he’d been determined to catch her, he would have already done it in Mudrow.There’d be no reason to let her escape in the first place. But… wasn’t it also true that Deckard’s madness went beyond that of an ordinary person?
Elain clenched her fists and tried to read the man’s mind. Against his backdrop, she could picture the guards silently but swiftly encircling her from the darkness. Yet Deckard was utterly at ease. As if he were leisurely enjoying tea time on a battlefield where bullets were flying.
“Tell me, Elain. Why do you think I went out of my way to come all the way out here on a moonlit night?”
People bow their heads to Deckard, who had kicked aristocratic dignity to the curb. The reason was that, despite his incredibly flippant tone, his skill was no mere bluff. Among the finest knights, not a single one could surpass him in swordsmanship. Moreover, he wasn’t just skilled with a sword. His overwhelming stamina and beast-like instincts were enough to break the spirit of any opponent standing before him.
Deckard’s eyes gleamed as he whispered into her ear.
“If you give me an answer that disappoints me, I’ll really finish you off this time.”
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