CH 47

Episode 47 – Retreat for Now

“Hmm? I ama girl.”

Arje pointed to the pink hair in a flustered voice. Then the pink hair greeted Arje in a graceful voice.

“I see you again, lady Arberaj.”

Did Arje end up here because she revealed her identity to the pink hair? So the pink hair is the reason Arje ended up here?

“Hmm? But I am Arje.”

Well, not really, looking at Arje’s reaction. Also…

“You are not so good at lying.”

She was really bad at lying.

“Who are you? You don’t appear to be an ordinary bartender.”

Arje reached out her hand. This meant that if the pink hair lied to her, then she would make them pay for it with their life.

“Yes. I go by Cream. I mostly do assassinations and things.”

It wasn’t really something to announce so confidently?

“And if you, princess, need my service at any moment, I hope that you call me. I will give you a discount, since you could call this fate.”

The pink hair bunny who introduced herself as Cream showed off the dead man as if she was showing off.

“What nonsense!”

Arje screamed, but a sudden drawing of air was heard.

“Wait! Then the old man at the bar is also?”

Arje was taken back. Oh, now that I think of it, Arje didn’t know yet that the old man was Pucci.

“No, he is safe. I had borrowed his place for a bit.”

“Then that’s good to hear…but why are you, an assassin, helping me?’

Arje was confused. 

“Well, that’s because I owe my kind something.”

“Your kind? Ah.”

Arje looked at me, but I couldn’t help but frown.

“I knew it. You did help us. Thank you. I guess there are only kind rabbitmen around.”

“Right?”

The droopy ears of the pink hair who called herself Cream went up for a bit then went back down.

“Arje, don’t trust that thing.”

I warned Arje, who now let her arms down.

“Do not trust her? Although she helped us?”

Arje was confused.

“The old man at that bar was Pucci.”

Arje just blinked, as if she didn’t understand me.

“You said you are Cream, right? Do I have a reason why I shouldn’t kill you?”

But Cream was still nonchalant. She seemed as if she didn’t have any idea that she would die.

“You’re too mean. Trying to kill someone of your kind.”

“Same kind my ass.”

Then, Cream pretended to cry covering her eyes with her droopy ears.

“Before you did acknowledge that we were the same kind.”

“You are the one who stabbed me in the back first, after having said that!”

When I got mad, Cream stopped pretending to cry then slipped her tongue out.

“What do you mean by stabbing in the back? We were just helping each other out being rabbitmen.”

“Help each other? I am really going to cut off that tongue of yours.”

Cream crackled at my final straw.

“Ohhh, such scary words from such a cute face.”

“Then she pointed her finger.”

“First, if you were to stay there, you would have fallen asleep after having the sleeping pill in the drink.”

“Sleeping pill? Oh! So the drink was spiked!”

Arje was astounded. But from what I remember, she was drunk in the first place, so it wouldn’t matter.

“Second, you got your dagger back after I killed the director.”

Cream continued after pointing two fingers this time, then released her third finger.

“Third, I led our lady Arberaj to this place by pretending to be a bartender. And fourth and fifth is that I retrieved your dagger again and killed this slave trader for you. Aren’t I super nice?”

Cream complimented herself, but she laughed again at my frightening expression.

“I guess not?”

“Of course not! It’s not like you helped me with good intentions!”

Cream tilted her head. As if she was clueless.

“You used us so that you could easily kill this slave trader who traited Pucci.”

Then Cream smirked. This meant yes.

“Then, after you are done using us, you will take me to Pucci and Arje back to the palace.”

“How dare!”

Arje was astounded. She must have really thought that Cream was helping us.

“Is this true, Cream?”

Cream shrugged her shoulders.

“Maybe.”

I got into fighting position.

“I have no plans to be captured so easily.”

“Same here! I am not going back!”

Arje reached her arms up. Still, cream shook her head as if she had no intentions to fight.

“Arberaj, I said maybe, but not yes.”

What was that thing thinking?

“Normally I would have had to, but I decided to help out once more.”

What was she planning?

“What are you saying?”

It was at that time.

“What’s this sound?”

It was at this moment.

“What is this ruckus!”

“Get a hold of the situation and find out what’s going on immediately!”

“Gosh, are all the guests here nobles?”

We heard loud noise outside, and could tell from just the sound what kind of people they were.

“And you won’t have time to fight me. The soldiers are here.”

“The soldiers? Cream, did you call them?”

From the cold tone of Arje, Cream looked back at Arje questioningly.

“Since the princess Arberaj made such a scene, wouldn’t the soldiers follow?”

“Ah.”

Then Arje was flustered.

“So, if this continues, then you, princess would also be ina  difficult situation. You not only hurt nobles, ran away from home as soon as you returned, then killed all the slave trade associates.”

Arje flinched.

“Are you blackmailing me?”

“No, I’m just trying to help you. These guys sell humans, too. Although trading dual specimen is legal, it is illegal to trade humans. I will help you so that you, my princess, won’t be in a difficult situations.”

But Cream wouldn’t help out of kindness. She must be planning something.

“What do you want?”

Arje should know, since she knew politics, that this bunny assassin wouldn’t help for free.

“Just stay still. Do not go around doing grand things such as following our kind around, or fighting for the freedome of dual specimen slaves.”

“How could you? You are also a dual specimen!”

Arje seemed to be in shock. It must have been more shocking that a dual specimen was rooting for slavery of dual specimens.

“I have to first pay back for the one who raised me before working for my kind.”

There was a slight darkness that passed through Cream, but she quickly managed to return to her original face. Still, since I was quick-witted than anybody, I noticed.

“If you are to refuse, then not only you, princess, but the emperor would be in a politically difficult situation.”

Arje couldn’t refute, when the context revolved around politics.

“Then what will happen to our Aris?”

Arje worried about me in the meanwhile.

“We need to get her out of here. You don’t possibily think that a dual specimen who kidnapped the princess, murdered the bishop and directosr of the emperor’s church and attacked nobility will be able to save their life using your powers as a princess, do you?”

“I have to part with Aris? But I just saved her!”

Then, Arje refuted even stronger than last time. Still, although it wasn’t pleasant, it was the truth.

“Arje, I will go find you later. For now, do as Cream says.”

“Aris?”

Arje was shocked and threw her mask away. She had tears in her eyes that would drop if I had poked her.

“I promise. I have always kept my promises.”

Then Arje circled the room for a bit, wiped off her tears, then looked at me determined.

“Okay. Still, please don’t get caught or killed. I will go find you once things quiet down.”

We no longer had time.

“What is this room right here?”

“Hurry and open it!”

The soldiers had reached our room.

“I will get you up to that window, hurry.”

Cream got ready to lift me up to the window. I nodded and manage to get to the top with her help.

“Why are you helping me?”

Was it because she was my kind? Or because I helped with her murder plan?

“It’s because I wish that your fate does not become like that of my mom’s.”

Was it something dark? I didn’t ask, since I thought it would be rude.

“Kin. I am warning you for the last time. You and the princess cannot catch our Pucci. Leave Zeros at once. This is the last act of kindness I can do. The next time we meet, I will bring you to Pucci.”

Cream warned me for the last time to leave.

“What do you think that I will do?

I asked Cream in return, then Cream smiled and pulled her hood on top of her head.

“I warned you. The next time we meet, we won’t be able to talk like this.”

Cream must have found out which decision I made.

“Yes, it won’t be like this. That is for sure.”

So I got Cream’s assistance in escaping the building, and 

Bam!

“Who are you!”

“Calm down. This is lady Arberaj.”

“…It’s the princess!”

“Banu! The princess is here!”

There must have been Banu among the soldiers. It was unfortunate that I couldn’t see Banu, but anyways with Arje and Cream’s help, I was able to escape easily.

“Phew.”

So after walking in the forest, I started to think about how I will return to Zeros. I wished for a legal method that would allow me to get in without showing my identity.

Clank…clank…clank.

As I was pondering, I saw a familiar carriage approaching me. In the back were bunch of hardwood, and driving the horses was a familiar face I was happy to see.

“Peter!”

I went up to Peter, forgetting that I was pondering.

“Hmm? Miss Aris?”