Volume 2 Chapter 54: The Inquisitor from Iberia
"Hun... hungry... Sideroca, I want food."
"I know, I know. The food's almost ready."
In the tavern at Prion Town, Sideroca snuck a glance at her wallet and let out a long sigh as she watched the white-haired little girl beside her hungrily shove flatbread into her mouth with both hands.
It had been exactly one week since Garde disappeared. After witnessing the battle between Garde and Ishar'mla firsthand, Sideroca had become even more determined to protect the young girl at her side while Garde was gone.
The only thing shaking her resolve was the fact that this little girl ate way too much. In just a week, not only had she devoured all the payment Garde had left for her care, but Sideroca had to dip deep into her own funds too.
If Garde didn't return soon, this girl was going to eat her wallet dry.
Still, there was some comfort: after a week of effort, the girl's aggression had finally toned down a bit.
When Garde had just left, the girl had bitten Sideroca more than once—she would've drawn blood if Sideroca hadn't reacted in time.
Even so, subduing her had been no easy task. Sideroca had nearly lost control, until, strangely, the girl just suddenly… quieted down.
Sideroca had worried she'd been mentally affected by Garde's departure. But after a week of observing her, she realized something simple calmed her down: food.
As long as this little shark girl was fed, she'd either stare blankly into space or head in a specific direction. The only time she resisted was when Sideroca tried to stop her from going somewhere.
But Sideroca prided herself on her strength—if a professional mercenary like her couldn't handle a little girl, she might as well quit the trade.
After a full meal, Sideroca stepped out of the tavern with the girl, only to notice a gray-haired Liberi girl standing on the street, a thin sword hanging from her waist.
Though she was dressed somewhat like a mercenary, Sideroca could tell immediately: she wasn't one. She gave off more of an official patrol or enforcement vibe.
She watched the girl stop a nearby mercenary and ask:
"Excuse me, have you seen a woman wearing a red dress? She's dangerous. If you've seen her, please let me know."
"You got money?"
"…Huh?"
"Give me some cash and I'll tell you where she went."
"Really?"
The gray-haired Liberi girl pulled a 1,000 Minoan stater from her pocket.
She and her teacher had been given a fair bit of budget before leaving, and 1,000 Minos wasn't much.
"Is this enough?"
"Eh, only 1,000? Whatever, fine. After you leave the town, head east. That red-dressed woman went that way."
"Okay, I understand. Thank you!"
The girl thanked him earnestly and made a mental note to report this to her teacher as soon as he returned.
This girl was none other than Irene, an Inquisitor from Iberia, who had come here alongside her teacher Dario in pursuit of Ishar'mla.
When they arrived at this town, Dario had decided to split up—he would search the outskirts while she gathered intel from within.
Finally, she was being useful!
Irene couldn't help but feel secretly proud.
But she wasn't entirely naïve—she didn't trust the mercenary's words completely. Before reporting to her teacher, she decided to verify it by asking a few more people.
Soon, she noticed Sideroca and the young Seaborn girl stepping out of the tavern.
"Hello, have you seen a—"
"Woman in a red dress, with white hair?"
"You—how did you know?"
Hearing Sideroca's words, Irene was startled—she had never mentioned the woman's appearance, only that she wore a red dress.
"If you're talking about a white-haired woman in a red dress, then yeah, I saw her a week ago."
Sideroca wasn't sure what the Liberi girl in front of her wanted with the red-dressed woman, but judging by her expression, she definitely wasn't an ally of that woman.
Mister Garde and that woman were fighting, right?
Sideroca recalled the scene from a week ago—Garde and the red-dressed woman's battle had even blasted through the walls of the inn.
It might be meddling, but honestly, she just wanted Garde to come back.
Her wallet couldn't take much more.
The enemy of my enemy... should be a friend, right?
"Really? You really saw her a week ago?"
Irene was visibly excited. Compared to the mercenary earlier, Sideroca—who knew Ishar'mla's appearance—was surely providing more reliable information.
"Sideroca?"
The Seaborn girl beside Sideroca looked up, her small hand still held in Sideroca's. She tilted her head curiously toward the Liberi girl.
Irene noticed the child for the first time. Hearing her speak, she hesitated.
"This child… is she an Aegir?"
"Probably?"
Sideroca wasn't entirely sure either. But after spending the past few days together, she hadn't seen any scales, tails, or horns on the girl. Plus, the girl loved bathing—she always got quiet in the bath.
Maybe she really is an Aegir.
Even though Minos was close to Iberia, Sideroca had never seen an Aegir herself. The only reason she knew the name was because of stories she'd heard from other mercenaries who had traveled to Iberia.
Irene gave the Seaborn girl a lingering glance, her crimson eyes oddly reminiscent of that red-dressed woman's.
But… no. That couldn't be.
Can Seaborns… even talk?
. . . . .
Outside Prion Town
A man in a wide-brimmed hat walked alone. From his travel case, he drew a sword and a hand cannon, moving with purpose in a single direction.
He had lied to his disciple.
In truth, the moment they neared the town, he had already detected traces of the Seaborns.
The land bore subtle signs of being tainted by the Seaborns—only a true Inquisitor, one who had fought them before, could have noticed.
He understood his teacher's intentions.
But understanding and acting were two different things.
He was a High Inquisitor of Iberia. It was both his duty and his obligation to fight the Seaborns and protect the people of Iberia.
He had left the town far behind.
Now, standing in a secluded valley, he could no longer deny the evidence—the traces left by the Seaborns were too overwhelming to ignore.
And for the first time, his calm, stoic eyes shifted.
He saw them.
Seaborns.
Countless Seaborns.
The entire valley was filled with them—and their corpses.
A battle had taken place here.
Who had fought the Seaborns?
The red, dust-like remains of Seaborns were spread across the valley floor like a thick carpet.
He asked himself, If I had faced this many alone… would I have survived?
Then, he saw a tall figure step out of the valley.
In his arms, he carried a girl in a red dress.
An Aegir?
The High Inquisitor Dario gripped his sword and hand cannon tightly.
No—
That was a Seaborn!
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