Chapter 130: The Galiant Island (6)

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Chapter 130: The Galiant Island (6)p>Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 130: The Galiant Island (6)

Shirone felt a heavy ache in his heart. How much abuse must a child endure to utter such words?

"From that day on, those words became a sort of spell. Every time my adoptive father beat me, I would say, 'You can kill me if you want.' Then he would stop hitting me with an angry look and leave. Hehe, I just lived like that. When I was twelve, thirteen, and until I left home at seventeen."

"That's about my age now."

"Yes, it's the age to open one's eyes to the world. Then, one day, I finally realized the meaning of what my adoptive father had done to me all along. Or maybe I already knew, which is why I never asked for anything."

Shirone could guess by now. Marsha's adoptive father had harbored an unthinkable and terrible thought.

"Foolishly. If he wanted to, he should have just done it openly. Then he wouldn't have been entangled in such filth for 17 years. In the end, he was just a pathetic coward who couldn't do anything. Since then, I started carrying a knife hidden on me. One day, I saw the eyes of my adoptive father as he was beating me. Ah, it was so pitiful I couldn't bear to watch. So, I just told him."

Marsha spoke calmly, her emotions restrained.

"You can hug me."

"Did your adoptive father do that?"

"Hehe, strangely enough, there's no twist in such stories. He pounced on me as if he had been waiting, and I stabbed him in the throat with the knife. Honestly, I didn't feel anything. Then I left home and wandered around the world until I ended up here."

Shirone's heart was heavy. Hearing the story firsthand from the person involved brought an indescribable sense of outrage, unlike anything he had only read about in books or heard through rumors.

"Um, I don't know what to say..."

"It's okay! I'm getting by now. My adoptive father is dead, but the kleptomania doesn't go away easily. I've had my share of trouble because of it. Sigh."

As Marsha laughed cheerfully, Shirone felt better too. He admired her for being considerate of others despite what she had been through.

"If it's an unforgettable pain, embracing it might be one way to deal with it. You're doing your best to overcome the pain, and the kleptomania will disappear soon."

"Thanks for understanding. If you had any plans to do something to me tonight, you would have been completely fooled."

"No! I really..."

"I know. No need to blush. Having a brother like you wouldn't be boring."

"Me too. In fact, I even thought Marsha really felt like my real sister."

"Hehe! Thanks."

Shirone was sincere. Having seen the relationship between Rian and Reina, he had thought it would be nice to have siblings.

Would it feel like this to have a sister? Her every word and action comforted Shirone's heart.

In the meantime, the bartender, who had gone into a room, came out.

Though Shirone didn't know the details, it seemed that all sorts of information were collected from the room the bartender emerged from.

"The Gamos alert has been lifted. Seems he found a woman to his liking and returned to his mansion to throw a party."

"Phew, it's good it wasn't too late."

Marsha glanced at Shirone with a sly look.

"Hmph, seems you really hated being with me? Just a moment ago, you were using your baby voice, begging, 'Marsha sis, please become my real sister.'"

"I didn't say it like that."

Shirone felt the same regret. It was the first time he had lost track of time talking to a woman, given he wasn't used to them.

But for the sake of the household staff waiting at the villa, holding their stomachs, he had to leave.

"Do you think we can meet again?"

"Of course. What, afraid I'll run away in the middle of the sea? If you're bored, come visit. I plan to stay here for a while."

"Haha! Then, I'll take my leave."

As Shirone hurried out of the bar, Marsha ordered a strong drink with a relaxed expression.

As expected, two men who had been eyeing her approached as if they had been waiting.

"You're quite a catch. Because of you, I ended up paying more for drinks than usual."

"Booking a room? This place isn't safe for a woman alone. How about I join you?"

Marsha didn't even turn her head.

"Beat it. Before I kill you."

"What? You done talking? Want to get a proper beating tonight?"

"Really? Then can I eat the potatoes I brought?"

Tess glared and shouted.

"Why are you so thoughtless? Think about Amy."

"What's so serious? Shirone had more to deal with than me. It's normal for him to be late."

Tess was infuriated. Although Shirone wasn't her partner, having empathized with Amy, she even found Rian detestable.

"Even if Shirone had more to do, he's smarter than you, so it's only normal for him to return sooner. So, it's a serious issue! You just go munch on potatoes or chew on turnips in the corner."

"Why are you so angry? What did I do?"

Rian scratched his head like a bear. Indifferent to the insults hurled at him, he couldn't exactly be called selfish.

For the first time, Amy spoke up, trying to smile apologetically for ruining the mood.

"Sorry, it's my fault. You guys go ahead and eat. I'll wait for Shirone."

"We can't do that. It was supposed to be a cooking contest."

"But Rian is hungry. It's Shirone's fault for being late anyway. Let's just consider it our loss."

Tess tried to console Amy with a tearful expression.

"It's okay, Amy. Honestly, I'm not even hungry. Just deal with that glutton somehow."

Rian was indeed chewing on a raw potato in the corner. Unable to even perform Schema but possessing equivalent physical strength, he required several times the calorie intake of an average person to maintain his massive strength.

As silence ensued without a resolution, Amy propped her cheeks on her knees, resting her feet on the chair.

'Why isn't he coming? Is something wrong?'

Shirone wasn't one to break promises. Nor was he foolish enough to waste time due to a mistake.

There must have been an unavoidable circumstance.

But no matter how much she tried to compose herself, she couldn't help feeling neglected.

'You're the one who brought me here. Besides you, everyone else is someone I met today.'

She felt lonely. Although she had become friendly with Rian and Tess, their partnership had a level of understanding that Amy couldn't intrude upon.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

Someone knocked on the door. Tess's face lit up, and Rian clenched his fist, thinking he could finally eat.

"Shirone? Wait a sec..."

Before Tess could finish, Amy walked to the door. With her eyes narrowed, she flung open the door and yelled.

"Hey! Where have you been all this time... Huh?"

Amy blinked, the door wide open.

It wasn't Shirone. Nor was it a stranger. It was someone who definitely shouldn't be here.

Zis, who had argued with them at the harbor, stood there.

"What? Why are you here?"

Zis's face turned red. Of all people, he hadn't expected her to answer the door.

Recalling the day's events made his teeth clench, but seeing her in casual clothes, his heart fluttered again.

Regaining his composure, Zis looked around the villa with a brazen attitude. Despite the pain in his abdomen from Falcoa's beating, his expression remained unfazed.

"Wow, this place is really nice. Nobles are different, aren't they?"

"What do you want? How did you know we were here?"

"I asked around. For the ruler of the harbor, Zis, finding this place was no big deal. Now you know how well-acquainted I am with the island, right?"

"So? You came all this way just to show off that one trick?"

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