flower garden.
flower garden.
before the bowl is finished.
As soon as I heard that, the first word that came to my mind was ‘Finally.’
In hindsight, I had been sitting in this city for a lot longer than I initially expected. At first, I just thought the bowl would be finished soon.
“Exactly how much time is left until the bowl is finished?”
Desperacio touched his chin and shook his head in thought.
“No matter how much I do, it is difficult to know the exact period unless I personally see the condition of the bowl. By any chance, how many people live here?”
The Owl Woman, who stood behind us and watched us quietly, answered briefly.
“About fifteen people.”
“It is not a small number, but it is not a large number either. If so, I think this may not be the only place that was attacked.”
“What does that mean?”
“What do you mean?”
Desperacio snapped his fingers and said lightly.
“It means that the hideouts of the anti-emperor faction could have been robbed literally simultaneously. I don’t know if only one place here was completely wiped out, but if all the other places were helplessly wiped out, I’d have to lower my estimate of the strength of the anti-emperor faction a bit.”
“Is it possible to rescue people who were here?”
“Hmm. Rescue…”
He thought as he walked round and round in place, but then shook his head.
“I think it is really difficult. First of all, we do not know the location of the enemy’s hideout, and even if we do know, there are too few sides to attack there. Perhaps by the time we were lucky enough to break through the defenses, the captives would have already been boiled and become something?”
“You mean give up?”
“Yes!”
After answering lightly, Desperacio tilted his head and continued talking cautiously.
“Among the captives, was there a precious person who must be saved? He is the kind of person who must be saved even at the cost of his life.”
“doesn’t exist. In the first place, this is just an employer who pays money. I have no intention of risking my life.”
“Then, do you know of a hideout where people of a higher rank than those who worked here are hiding? I want to know exactly how the anti-emperor faction suffered damage from this raid.”
“I know. It’s just…”
The Owl Woman stopped talking to Desferacio and glanced at me.
“When going there, it is prudent not to accompany that priest.”
“Is that right, Priest Marnak?”
“Positive.”
I say no?
“Why?”
“Forgot?”
she replied incredulously.
“Ultor. Don’t you remember?”
Ultor? Oh I remembered He belonged to the anti-emperor faction, but he was a priest who served the ‘misaligned second hand’. He had a quarrel with me over an artifact from Ceylon. Well, it wasn’t exactly a fight because of that, though.
“Are you alive? It must have been finished with a magic cannon.”
When I saw that Owl Woman trying to bounce with her Ulthor, I shot her right away. Perhaps remembering the situation at that time, the owl woman frowned and answered briefly.
“Alive. Not fine.”
“How are you feeling?”
“He has lost his limbs and is still not regaining consciousness.”
“Good.”
In the first place, he was the one who came to avenge his teacher who died while torturing Giselle and attacking us. I didn’t feel even a sliver of sympathy for the story that such a person was in a critical condition of unconsciousness.
“So you’re telling the people in your hideout that you’d rather not show your face in the negotiations since I already hated you for putting Ulthor in that state?”
“Positive.”
The Owl Woman nodded.
“I think it is better to have less room for dispute.”
Desperacio nodded after her.
“I’m sure that sounds right. It would be better for me to leave Priest Marnak alone.”
If I go back here alone, I won’t be able to follow you for nothing… It wasn’t.
I wasn’t particularly attached to the anti-emperor faction anyway, and it didn’t make much of a difference whether or not I made an alliance with them, as Pearly’s plan would only be carried out by me and my party.
I beat Desperacio coolly once, and thanks to the fan, I roughly figured out the location of the next sacred object.
“I hope things work out. I’m fine then.”
I’m going to buy some snacks for my mother on the way back.
When I turned my back without regret, Desperacio called me urgently.
“Wait a minute! Why don’t you just go away like that? He is a colleague who has traveled with us all the way to this point!”
“Since when have we been colleagues? Please don’t talk nonsense.”
“I’ll be going alone this time, so take Lily with you…”
“I hate it!!!”
“I don’t like it.”
I hated having to go with someone who hated me so much for no reason. The first time Lily and I agreed, Desferacio laughed awkwardly.
“Hahaha… that’s not going to work either. that.”
“If you send me alone with him, just keep that in mind, I’ll just get rid of everything from today and I won’t work with you again!”
As if she had been downcast when, Lily just jumped around and expressed her rejection. I watched it and opened my mouth.
“Then I will really go.”
“wait a minute! Even if you go, just listen to this and go.”
Desperacio narrowed the distance with me and quickly spat out words.
“The ‘god’s vessel’ is a vessel that physically exists, and the size may be smaller than expected to contain the god. It’s probably actually something close to a catalyst.”
“catalyst?”
“There is a high probability that the real ‘god’s vessel’ is organically connected to the whole city. Think about it. Why do you take risks and make pottery in a place where there are so many people and it is easy to be discovered? It would be much easier and safer to keep it secure by shutting it down in a remote mountain valley and making it quiet.”
There’s a good chance something will happen again, engulfing the whole city, just like when the Liberatorio did so far. Before it gets into that situation anyway, Pearly will steal the bowl, which is the key axis of the ceremony.
“So what is the conclusion?”
“While I am aligning myself with the anti-emperor faction, I was wondering if you could find and destroy the points that are supposed to resonate with the vessel of the gods somewhere in this city! Then, of course, the completion of the bowl will be delayed further, and we can use the time we have earned to put our heads together and consider better ways to interrupt the ceremony!”
He didn’t seem to realize yet that I was waiting for the bowl to reach completion.
“I will try.”
After answering with a rough answer like that, I broke up with Desperacio. Even as he left, he waved his hand, saying, ‘I’ll visit you to exchange information as soon as things progress to a certain extent!’
When I broke up with him, I felt like I was tricked somewhere.
I even tried to kill him once, but suddenly I heard Desperacio’s story again.
He was a man with a corner that was hard to hate somewhere. No matter how much he tries to stir up hostility, he shows no hostility and smiles, but it must be hard to hate him easily.
Of course, decapitating when necessary is a different matter.
Besides, hearing his story made me want to ask Pearly something.
***
“Hello! hi! Accident! Is it a coincidence?”
“Now you’re not even trying to pretend it’s a coincidence.”
After parting ways with Desperacio, I went to the market alley to buy some snacks for my mother. Pearly, wearing a bread hat, was standing against the wall waiting for me.
“How did you know I was coming here?”
“continue! continue! Was it because I was sorry?”
“Since when?”
“Since you banged Desferacio’s head against the wall, ‘bang!’ Hi-Hi!”
She trotted towards me and lifted her head to look up at me. Those big purple eyes were full of innocence. I don’t know if that innocence is really innocence.
“If you listen to the story, it sounds like you chased after Desferacio as soon as he knew that I was alone with Desferacio.”
“That’s right!”
Pearly came close to me, almost half in my arms, and looked up at me like a cat.
“What did you two talk about? I did it?”
“Should I tell you?”
“Can I touch your chest? Then can you tell me?”
She gently lowered her collar, exposing her breastbone. Quickly, I grabbed the cunning hand and pulled it off the collar.
“No need.”
“then! then! Can you tell me what I can do?”
“Why do you want to know what Desferacio and I were talking about?”
Pearly pouted her lips and replied as if she was slightly disappointed.
“Aren’t you curious to hear that the business partner I asked for first talked with a sneaky guy who carries a hundred serpents inside?”
“I think Pearly looks more sinister and dangerous in that way…”
“What?!”
She pretended to be surprised for a moment, then smirked.
“so! so! What did you hear?”
“You seem oddly obsessive today. As if there was a story I shouldn’t have heard.”
“It’s not that you shouldn’t listen! You’re disappointed in me that I didn’t bother to tell you! Disappointment! I’m afraid I’ll do it! I don’t want to be hated by you!”
see what’s there I don’t need to show my hand in advance here.
I just chuckled.
“You tell yourself what the story is that you didn’t bother to tell. After hearing it, I will think about it.”
“Are you going to come out mean?”
“Who hid it first?”
“It’s not exactly hidden, it’s because! I just didn’t say it because it didn’t need to be said!”
“So what is it?”
Pearly patted her thick lips, pondered, then smirked again.
“I’m working on the last minute anyway, so would you like to see with your own eyes what I’ve been hiding?”
“Can you explain in words? I was just going to buy some snacks and go back.”
“I am so! very! What if you’re hiding something terrifying?”
It wasn’t once or twice that she was hiding something from me, and this one wasn’t really surprising either. He also said that the fact that he showed off like this in the first place was not something that he desperately had to hide.
“This time, just words…”
“No! I will refuse!”
Pearly grabbed my hand and started dragging me somewhere. I reluctantly let out a sigh as I was dragged away.
After sending Desferacio, I thought I should finally go back and rest.
***
“So, are you sure you memorized it? huh? Who am I?”
I replied by fiddling around with the simple leather armor I was trying on for the first time and the gloves on my hands.
“She has a pretty face and a lively personality, but she’s as resourceful as her face… What was behind it?”
“A super-attractive beauty black marketer with good skills and beautiful breasts!”
“Isn’t that just a dark trader?”
“Being a beauty is more important than being a black trader!”
“If being a beautiful woman is important, why did you make burn marks on your face?”
Pearly patted the burn marks that covered half of her face and smiled broadly.
“You have to have a scar like this to look like a beauty with a story! And why do pretty beauties do blacksmiths! You need at least one or two of these scars to become a black trader! And did you remember who you were?”
I answered while wearing a leather mask covering my lower body.
“A pure-hearted escort and porter who can even give his life in an emergency, admiring such a beautiful black trader…” “
That’s not the end! Where did the setting that you don’t know that you like me yet? That’s the most important thing!”
Looking at it now, it was clear that in a corner of Pearly’s head, there was a flower garden that she had carefully cultivated.
“I’m going to go. What on earth are you hiding from me, why are you doing such a troublesome thing?”
“Words can be misleading, so I’m trying to show you! I’ll explain everything soon, so wait a minute! Hmmmm!”
Pearly cleared her throat a few times to herself, then immersed herself in her role. Suddenly, the popping atmosphere disappeared somewhere, and a black dealer with a calm impression of a beautiful woman with scars was standing in front of me.
She glared at me with cold eyes.
“Why are you looking at my face like that? If you get paid, I want you to focus on your work.”
“No, I didn’t get paid…”
Chin.
She took out a heavy pouch from her waistband and placed it in my hand. Considering the weight that simply felt in the palm of my hand, what was in here must have been quite a lot of money.
I bowed my head toward Pearly, a beautiful woman.
“I will sacrifice my life to protect my beautiful employer.”
“I hope I’m not a man who only talks. Let’s go.”
Pearly went ahead, and I followed her, pulling the cart she had prepared in advance.
Only the sound of well-maintained wagon wheels echoed along the dark night road.
moon moon.
