[132] What Comes First (3)
Of course, there was no doubt about Amy's skill. But Shirone thought differently. He'd just heard from Marsha thirty minutes earlier about how dangerous the island was.
The harbor touts had their own networks. The street-level touts, in particular, were said to be the low-end muscle for a powerful organization.
"Marsha warned me about guys like Jis. Even if it wasn't him, this island's closed off and dangerous. Things that'd never happen on the mainland get handled here without much fuss. Plenty of nobles go missing on this island. You can't just assume Amy's safe."
Rian tucked a shortsword into the leather scabbard at his waist.
"No need for a long lecture. Let's go, Shirone. Lead the way. I'll deal with anyone who gets in the way."
"Thanks. It's actually my fault for being late."
"There must've been a reason. For now, confirming Amy's safety comes first."
Tess watched the two boys. This was the sort of conversation people bound by a knight's oath had. It was only imitation for now, but as someone who dreamed of knighthood, she couldn't help feeling a little envious.
"Wait. I'm coming too. You two aren't the only ones worried about Amy."
The three left the villa and went down to the beach. Once there, they had no idea where to start.
Faced with the wide sweep of white sand, Tess's confidence drained.
"Where do we even look? At this hour, the only place someone like Jis would take her is the commercial district. Should we split up and check there?"
"I don't think that's a good plan. The three of us can't cover the whole commercial district. Besides, we don't even know this place well."
"Then what do we do? We can't search everywhere. Might as well try finding a needle in that sand."
Shirone propped his chin and thought.
"Don't be ridiculous. Let's go to the docks. They said there's an organization there. If that's true, we might learn Amy's whereabouts from one of their people."
"The docks? That's south, right? Wouldn't it be faster to search around here than to go all the way to the docks? Amy probably isn't at the docks anyway. It's not a tourist spot."
"No. Going to the docks is right. If we break Amy's situation down, there are two possibilities. One: Amy is safe. Two: Amy is not safe. If she's safe, going to the docks won't hurt. But if she's not safe, we must go to the docks. Amy being unsafe only makes sense if she ran into Jis's organization. So whatever the case, we need to go to the docks and make contact with their people."
"...Right. That makes sense."
Tess nodded as if hypnotized. She'd never felt words move faster than her own thoughts before.
Rian didn't hesitate. The moment Shirone said docks, he was already hiring a carriage.
When Rian paid the driver and motioned for them to mount, Shirone and Tess sprinted and flung themselves into the carriage compartment.
The driver laughed and urged the horses faster.
"Young ones are something else. Must be urgent at this hour, eh?"
"Yes. Please hurry!"
"All right! Then let the beasts show what they can do! Giddy-up!"
It was night, so the roads were quiet. Tempted by gold, the driver urged the horses until the carriage rattled.
They reached the harbor in twenty minutes, and the driver bragged that it was his best time in five years.
The three ran into the docks.
Most of the ships were moored, light leaking through gaps in the cabin windows. The sailors were probably playing cards.
They eyed the vessels floating near the shore suspiciously, but it was already late for a thorough on-foot search.
Shirone focused their search on the taverns by the harbor. Many patrons looked like organization men, but in truth a lot were ordinary sailors.
"What do we do? Can we even find her like this?"
"We can. At least one of them will know."
Shirone tenaciously questioned the taverns. At last he found a lead in a small inn.
At first he hadn't recognized them—their eyes were swollen—but they were clearly the touts who'd been beside Jis earlier that day, drinking.
"Hey, you two! Weren't you with Jis?"
"That's right. Leave this to me from now on."
Rian cracked his knuckles and stepped forward. In situations like this, presence mattered more than raw skill.
"Hey, you remember me, right?"
"What? You picking a fight? I'm in a really bad mood—ugh!"
The boy who'd been slurring suddenly recognized Rian and scrambled to his feet.
Rian's bulk was intimidating, but the real reason the boy was stunned was that he knew what Jis—who'd been grabbed by Falcoa—had been up to.
"Um, well… it's like this."
"I know. I know everything. So let's talk somewhere quiet. I get violent where people are watching, and mellow when we're alone. What'll it be?"
The tout glanced at his companion. Their eyes met briefly, and then, without anyone calling who was first, they bolted for the door.
"Damn! Run!"
They stampeded like maniacs, but no matter how fast they ran, the door didn't seem to come any closer.
'What's wrong? Why's this happening? Is this a dream?'
Only after the panic drained did they realize their feet weren't touching the ground.
"I'll give you one last chance. Come quietly, or I'll plant you face-first right here."
Rian lifted each boy with one hand as if to show off.
They were terrified. Holding two full-grown men at arm's length wasn't mere strength; it bordered on inhuman force.
"O-okay. We'll go. Please don't use force."
From there things got easier. Rian dragged the touts toward the breakwater and learned the rough outline of what had happened.
"So Falcoa ordered them to bring Amy, right?"
"Yes. Jis got beaten to a pulp. We almost died too. Don't go up against Falcoa. That guy's a lunatic."
"That doesn't matter. I've yet to meet a lunatic who didn't come to his senses after feeling my fists. Where did they take Amy? You know the place, right?"
"Really, we don't know! Believe us!"
"Is that so? Then ask your friend. You're choosing to give two people a chance to live and take only one. Is that your choice?"
The two boys stared at each other in terror. They didn't have the will to endure torture. But Rian cowed them with words alone—interrogation techniques he'd learned at the sword school.
"We really don't know. But there's a place we can guess."
Shirone and Tess stepped closer. Rian stopped pretending to be an awkward investigator and shook the tout by the collar.
"Where is it? Tell us."
"It's—the Palace."
"The Palace? What nonsense is that?"
"It's the tavern's name. The biggest tavern in Galiant! Any carriage will take you there! Please, don't say we told you! If you do, we'll be dead!"
Rian didn't wait for another word and turned. Shirone and Tess were already ready to run.
Outside the harbor they saw a carriage waiting. Coincidentally, it was the same one that had brought them.
"Sir! Driver!"
The man who'd been lounging in the cargo box with a long pipe looked up. His guests who'd enjoyed that glorious gallop were racing back.
"Hey there, finished sightseeing already? Quick on the entrance, quick on the return. Ha ha ha!"
"Sir, we need to go now! It's urgent!"
"I know, urgent indeed. Youth is urgent! Come on, hop in!"
The driver leapt from the cargo box with fiery enthusiasm.
He started the horses and shouted while glancing back. The wind made his voice carry.
"All together now—where to this time!"
Shirone, Rian, and Tess shouted in unison.
"The Palace!"
* * *
Tavern — The Palace.
A tavern that could comfortably hang a sign reading "The Palace" was arguably the island's most dazzling spot.
The four-story building showed exactly what wasting money looked like. Gold and gems glittered everywhere, and magical crystal lamps glowed—things ordinary folk couldn't even glimpse.
Shirone and the others were struck by the building's display of wealth. It felt like they'd arrived somewhere they shouldn't.
As Shirone approached, the bouncer at the entrance stepped forward, just as expected.
"Hey, weapons aren't allowed—!"
Rian ignored him and shoved the bouncer by the throat. The man was similar in build to Rian but couldn't match his strength.
By the time the choking bouncer came to, Shirone and the others had already barged inside.
The tavern thrummed with voices.
Scantily clad women danced as if nothing else mattered. Shouts, insults, and obscene talk cut through the air.
Tess frowned. Galiant might look like a peaceful resort, but once the sun set, it turned into a whirlpool of base desire.
"Could Amy really be in a place like this? So many people—and what are those women? Don't they feel any shame?"
"Yeah. Definitely not a place Amy would like. But she might've followed someone willingly. And be careful. If anything happens here, the guards won't come."
After hearing Marsha's description of the island's politics, Shirone was certain. This tavern, used in a different way, was probably one of the places where the government had made deals.
When they couldn't find Amy on the first floor, they went up to the second. A brutal gambling den was underway.
The third floor had rooms along cross-shaped halls with iron doors, and the fourth floor held VIP suites for the highest nobles.
After searching each floor, Rian let out a frustrated sigh.
"This is going to be hard. She's not in the hall or the gambling room. To search the third floor we'd have to check every door, and the fourth is crawling with guards."
They had to choose. Ask permission and search every room politely, or make a proper scene.
They chose the latter. Now that they knew Amy had been taken by malice, they had no intention of being gentle.
"There they are! Those bastards!"
The bouncer they'd roughed up at the entrance pointed at Shirone's group. A man at the back rolled up his sleeves and approached.
Rian had to tilt his head back to meet the man's eyes. The man was enormous—his head seemed to reach the ceiling.
"Are you trouble-solvers?"
Shady places tended to sort their guests. Usually the bouncer filtered trouble, but those who barged in and made a scene were handled by an enforcer.
"What is this? A bunch of wet-behind-the-ears brats. Oh, and that girl's no ordinary kid."
The enforcer leered at Tess and flexed his knuckles. From his towering vantage he could take in Tess's figure more clearly than anyone.
"Heh heh, you're exactly the kind of customer this place likes. Let me give you my appraisal."
The enforcer's hand reached for Tess. The outstretched palm felt like a net ready to snare her.
Tess grabbed the enforcer's middle finger and twisted with all her strength.
"Argh!"
The huge man contorted, his arm straightening and his middle finger bending back until it pressed against the back of his hand.
"It hurts! Stop, it hurts!"
"Hmph. Should've been more careful. No matter what, my arm's stronger than your middle finger. If you act big just because of your size, this is what happens."
"Ugh! You bitch!"
Unable to bear the pain, the enforcer threw a punch with his other hand. Tess released the finger, spun like lightning, and drove her elbow in.
The quick strike clipped the enforcer's jaw with perfect timing, as if he'd walked into it on purpose.
His brain rattled and his consciousness cut out. When Tess stepped aside, the giant's body crashed down like a felled tree.