Chapter 144: The ‘Parrot’ (2)

Chapter 144: The ‘Parrot’ (2)

Translator/Editor: Ryuu

Chapter 144: The Parrot (2)

At first, Amy blinked, not understanding, then, catching on to what Tess meant, she turned her head away with an embarrassed look.

"Suddenly talking nonsense. What does Shirone have to do with my graduation?"

"But it's true. Shirone is still in Class Four, and you're in the Advanced Class. Plus, with your skills, you'll definitely be able to graduate next year. Then, won't you leave for the capital?"

At the mention of leaving for the capital, Amy's heart suddenly started racing.

She had never thought about it before. But realistically, it wasn't something that would happen in the far-off future.

"It has nothing to do with me."

"Oh, is that so?"

Amy spoke in a cold voice, but Tess couldn't feel any sincerity in her tone.

After a moment of silence, Amy, as Tess had expected, spilled what was on her mind.

"Still... we made a promise. That he would definitely catch up to me. That was the condition for speaking comfortably to each other."

Tess pursed her lips in surprise and let out a 'Hooh.' If they had gone as far as making such a promise, their feelings for each other couldn't be taken lightly.

"Hmm. Of course, Shirone is amazing. But he moved up to Class Four in just half a year, right? No matter how much of a genius he is, it can't be that easy to graduate, can it?"

Amy knew too. The achievements Shirone had made so far were something ordinary people couldn't even imitate.

An 18-year-old boy who had lived without knowing magic had reached Class Four in just half a year.

It might be greedy to expect more from him.

Amy looked at Shirone's back, who was ahead. Had he ever thought about this? If he really graduated, would Shirone miss her?

It was difficult to take a step ahead among people who were doing their best. But Shirone had already taken several steps ahead. Maybe he was running, burning all his talent to its limit.

Knowing this, Amy couldn't help but feel upset. She glared at Shirone's back with a piercing gaze and conveyed in her heart.

'Hurry up and catch up. If you fall behind, I really won't let it go.'

After finishing their secretive conversation, the two hurried their steps to catch up with Shirone and Rian.

Reunited, Shirone's group shared various stories as they climbed the hill towards the villa. Suddenly, Tess stopped and warned in a low voice.

"Shh. Quiet."

"Why all of a sudden...?"

Amy looked back at Tess, initially thinking it was another one of her pranks. But seeing her serious expression, she immediately kept quiet.

Tess, who trained in saber techniques, focused on the sensory build among the Schemas.

Though not as much as an archer, her sensitivity to stimuli far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

Shirone and Rian, catching the atmosphere belatedly, approached her. Tess gestured for them to be quiet with a finger to her lips.

"There's someone in front of the villa. Judging by the lung capacity, it's a man. If he's of average build, then probably between 170 to 175 cm tall."

Rian grasped the hilt of the straight sword on his back. Having caused a commotion at the palace the night before, the possibility of an intruder was high.

"I don't feel any hostility, but better be prepared just in case."

Tess walked silently like a cat, and the others slowly followed her.

Upon reaching the villa, they saw someone standing in front of the door. The silhouette, seen only in outline, stood motionless, looking elsewhere.

Shirone's group advanced without letting their guard down. But before they took a few steps, the silhouette collapsed to the ground, losing strength.

The group exchanged glances and hurried to the door.

The nighttime visitor was Zis. His face was so battered it was hard to find a spot that wasn't injured.

Shirone supported Zis by the side. Just the touch made Zis cringe in pain.

"Ugh! Ah, it hurts!"

How long had he wandered the streets in such a mess? Who would care about a back-alley girl? He could vividly imagine Zis calling out his sister's name, ignored by everyone's indifference.

"My sister. My everything..."

"Do you have any idea where they might have taken your sister?"

Zis lifted his head. He had come seeking help because there was no one else, but even wanting to help, they'd have to confront the Freeman organization, the rulers of the island.

It wasn't easy to promise help in a situation where even magicians couldn't guarantee their own lives, so he had pleaded with the readiness to give up even his life.

But Shirone didn't hesitate to ask where his sister had been taken.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Zis bowed his head repeatedly, expressing his gratitude in the only way he knew how.

Watching with disapproval, Amy grabbed Zis's arm and helped him to his feet.

"Enough. Do it as you usually do. Acting like this suddenly makes us look even weirder. Let's go inside. We'll start by treating your wounds and talk."

"But my sister..."

"Idiot! If we rush in recklessly, we'll be the ones in trouble! If she was taken on her way home, we still have plenty of time. If necessary, we'll fly there, so let's start with the treatment."

Amy led Zis into the villa, holding him up. While the girl, Yuna, was a concern, attending to the wounds came first.

As Zis lay on the bed, Tess began to remove his clothes. With her extensive training in various combat support skills, she could tell Zis's condition at a glance. Judging by the pattern of the bruises, his ribs were definitely damaged.

Tess pressed on various parts of Zis's body.

"Ugh! Ah, it hurts."

"Of course, it hurts. You've been beaten up like this. They really didn't hold back. Just bear with it a little. I need to check your organs too."

Tess pressed down hard on Zis's abdomen. The organs, protected by skin and muscle, couldn't be checked unless pressed down with such brute force.

"Ughhhhh!"

It must have been excruciating, but Zis endured desperately. He knew the faster the treatment finished, the sooner he could go to save Yuna.

"Lucky. There's a crack in the ribs, but the rest are just simple bruises. The organs are safe too. You're surprisingly tough."

Zis smiled bitterly. Although he wasn't good at fighting, years of being attacked by various nobles had made him quite resilient to beatings.

As Tess wrapped the bandages, Zis explained the situation.

Considering Yuna's work hours and the time she would have returned home, the abduction would have occurred around two hours ago.

"They must have taken her to their hideout, so she wouldn't have arrived yet. But I'm not even hoping for us to be on time. I just... if only Yuna is alive..."

Amy interrupted Zis's words.

"No, it's okay. They'll be moving by carriage, so if we borrow horses and ride, we can easily catch up. Where exactly is their hideout? It seems quite far from here."

"I've never been there myself. I heard it's on the north side of the island, but I'm not even sure about that."

"No, it must be there."

Shirone was certain that place was the hideout. The north side of the island boasted a natural cliff. When they first arrived, they had to navigate around the island to dock at the southern port because of it.

Moreover, being close to the Kergos Autonomous District, it was a place beyond the government's reach. There couldn't be a better environment for a hideout.

"Alright, then let's go. Can you stay here alone?"

Zis nodded. Even if his condition worsened, he was determined to send Shirone off.

His expression remained grim, however, burdened by the guilt of pushing unrelated people into danger.

"Are you sure you're okay? I know it's ironic to say this after asking for help, but those guys are really strong."

Amy snorted. Even if Zis's sister wasn't involved, she had been planning to deal with Falcoa eventually.

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried

***

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Link to donations in the discord!