[143] The Name Parrot (1)
There was a secret space in the tavern Wanggung. A place inside the Freeman organization that only Palcoa could enter.
It was the Loop workshop.
"You insolent brats! Do you think this is the end of it?"
Jis's heart pounded as he stood beside Palcoa. He'd seen Palcoa's antics for a long time, but this was beyond anything he'd witnessed before.
What on earth was Palcoa planning? Why had they dragged him here?
Jis had been coming back from his usual touting at the harbor when Palcoa's men grabbed him and brought him to this place.
A full day had already passed since Shirone and his group had made a scene at the tavern and left, yet Palcoa's rage hadn't cooled.
"Heh heh heh. Just wait. I won't let them off."
Palcoa grinned grotesquely, splitting his mouth wide. The faces of Shirone's group kept flashing through his mind.
The one he hated most was Amy.
When she had tossed back the drink Palcoa handed her—mixed with Loop—and then bared those crimson lips, Palcoa had almost drawn his sword on the spot.
Jis glanced at Palcoa, terrified.
Palcoa was working on a device to turn Loop into powder.
You compress the Loop root, squeeze out the juice, then grind it until every last drop of moisture is gone—leaving a fine powder.
But could that still be called a drug?
Originally, Loop was used by chewing the tree root and neutralizing it with saliva. What Palcoa was making now amounted to a toxic chemical engineered solely to maximize its effect.
"Jis, you need to go again."
"Uh... where to?"
"To that girl called Amy. We succeeded once, so we can do it again. Don't say we can't—you can see how I'm doing if you've got eyes."
Jis swallowed. He'd expected Palcoa to seek revenge, but never imagined he'd go this far.
Jis suspected Amy came from a powerful family. If Palcoa made a move on her, the Galliant government—or the whole island—could be dragged into disaster.
"You mean… you're going to poison her?"
"Poison? You fool. That woman will never be addicted. Of course not. Would the Red-Eyed ruler, famed across the continent, fall for this pitiful Loop?"
"Then why even bother? You'll only make trouble for nothing."
Jis tried to reason, clinging to a sliver of hope.
Palcoa already seemed unable to hear anyone.
"You idiot. Can't you think? Didn't it occur to you that because she won't be addicted, this plan will still work?"
Palcoa scooped the powdered Loop onto greaseproof paper, then dumped it into a glass of water he had ready.
Jis felt his breath catch.
He'd never used Loop himself, but he knew how it worked.
Normally one root was enough to chew for about two hours. The amount Palcoa poured in was three times that.
And because it was dissolved in water, the effect that would normally take six hours to spread would hit all at once.
"N-no way…"
"Exactly. Give her this again. That girl will take it confidently and drink. But with this much Loop she'll die without fail. You understand?"
"B-b-But why do that? If she dies, you can't sell her, can you?"
"Heh heh. I don't care. Bring me the body."
Palcoa poured the Loop solution into a glass bottle. The liquid looked like a pretty jade-colored cocktail when it settled in.
"Here. It's simple. Lure her out with some excuse, give her this, then load her into the carriage and bring her here. You can do it, right?"
Jis stared at the bottle with bloodshot eyes. His body trembled.
Amy wouldn't refuse. If she took even one sip, it would be over.
"What, you're not going to take it? Or do you want to drink it yourself?"
Palcoa's murderous intent pressed down on Jis like a physical weight, as if hands had formed from it and clamped around his throat.
"Stop it, you trash."
"What?"
Palcoa blinked in surprise.
Was Loop still affecting him? That shouldn't be the case—he'd kept Loop in his mouth without a break and had become numb to its effects.
"What did you just say? Say it again."
When someone experiences something absurd, they sometimes become strangely calm. Palcoa was like that now.
Getting angry could wait. First he wanted to confirm whether the wet-behind-the-ears brat had really said what Palcoa thought he'd heard.
The words stuck in Jis's throat would not come out.
This might be his last chance. If he begged now, maybe he'd only be half-killed.
But—
Jis could not bring himself to kneel to Palcoa.
"I don't dislike someone like you."
Those words—spoken with a smile from the carriage—had frozen Jis in place.
Why? It would have been enough just to admit his weakness.
If he apologized to Palcoa, it would make Amy look like a liar; even if he wanted to take back what he'd said, the words would not come back out.
"Shut up, you filthy bastard. You're not even human. A drug-crazed wretch who can't tell right from wrong! Calling you trash is praise!"
Dizziness washed over Jis. Pleasure and fear tangled until his mind slipped; he began losing consciousness.
But he blurted it out—the very words he'd heard in the carriage: "I don't dislike someone like you." He said them like Shirone might, as if the future didn't exist.
Palcoa's fist flashed at Jis's face like lightning.
"Ugh!"
Darkness closed in and reality hit him. What awaited Jis was a future that could only be called hell.
"You insane fool! What's wrong with your head!"
Palcoa revealed his true colors and beat him.
It wasn't just to scare him. He kicked and stamped as if he truly intended to kill him.
If Palcoa had opened his Schema, Jis's body would have been crushed like meat at a butcher's.
"Die! Die! Die!"
Jis couldn't even scream.
The feeling of his body being smashed came and went; then nothing remained. Only the impact beyond pain registered.
"Huh. Killing someone like you isn't even fun."
Palcoa calmed himself. That only meant worse things were ahead for Jis.
"Gak! Gak!"
Palcoa grabbed Jis by the hair and hoisted him up. It felt like his neck might snap, but Jis was in such a state he couldn't even be concerned about that.
"All right, I've thought of something."
Palcoa was tired of fussing over details. Even if Jis didn't cooperate, he could still set a trap for Amy and make the outcome useful.
"Impressive, Jis. For a scummy bastard like you to summon courage. Seems you've got a thing for that girl. Fine—she won't be touched. Happy now?"
"P-please… please just see me once."
Jis sobbed. He already knew what Palcoa had in mind.
"You said your sister's name was Yuna, right? From now on you'll regret today's choice for the rest of your life."
"No—please, not Yuna… guk!"
Palcoa slammed Jis's head into the floor. His face bounced like a ball and then slammed back down. That one blow knocked him out.
"Heh heh heh. Well, this is getting interesting."
Switching the target to Jis's sister didn't mean Palcoa forgave Amy. He planned to bring Yuna to his hideout and torment her to blackmail Jis. Threaten the sister's life and Jis would have no choice but to obey.
"Bring that girl Yuna to the hideout right now!"
Palcoa barked orders to his men, then bit the Loop root and chewed it whole.
* * *
By the time Shirone and his group reached the villa, it was almost midnight. The distance had been long, so they'd stopped to eat dinner on the way back.
They hadn't achieved their intended result in the Room of Achievement and Sacrifice, but they'd taken away much to think about.
The four of them talked without pause, and in doing so started to spill things they'd kept tucked away.
"Oh my, you want to be a soldier?"
Tess's eyes widened when she heard Amy's future plan. She hadn't expected Amy to aim for the military.
As a flame-type mage who'd honed sniper mode, Amy was well suited to being a combat mage.
But the Amy Tess knew was softer and more affectionate than she seemed. Tess couldn't picture her out on the battlefield cutting down countless enemies.
"Honestly, I'm worried. I thought something more feminine would suit Amy."
"Huh? Me, in a feminine job? No one at school said that either."
Tess could guess from Amy's school life how spirited she was. But because Tess read people well, she knew Amy's true side.
"Heh heh, I've a knack for espionage. Amy's actually quite delicate and feminine under it all."
Amy smiled faintly. She'd never thought of herself as feminine, but she couldn't deny it completely.
No matter how bold her nature, the military is a man's world, and she wasn't sure she could truly fit in.
"To be honest, I don't really know. I chose fire because my target style favors long range, so I picked the major that suited that best. But I'm open to the military. Being a soldier isn't only about fighting on the front lines."
"That's true. There are supply officers, and if you get into an operations command the future looks bright. Hey—what about this?"
Tess clapped suddenly, and Amy looked at her with curious eyes.
"Hmm? What is it?"
Tess pinched her index and middle finger together, miming a crosshair as if aiming at someone walking the white sand at night.
"Spy work. At your level, you've got excellent problem-solving, and long-range striking is your specialty, right? Above all, you've got the most important weapon for espionage."
"The most important weapon? What's that?"
Amy's eyes sparkled. From the standpoint of considering her future, the idea she might have another unrecognized advantage was thrilling.
"A pretty face. Looks are essential for a female spy. No man hates a beauty."
Tess smiled like a mischievous brat. Amy turned away, pouting.
"Ah, come on. I got my hopes up for nothing."
"Heh heh, sorry. But I wasn't joking entirely. When they pick national intelligence agents, looks are a factor. In a job dealing with people, your impression would be a huge advantage. Think about it seriously. I'll recommend you through my family."
"Enough. I'll trust only my magic."
Amy flushed. Though she answered brusquely, she wasn't entirely displeased by the compliment.
"Aww, how cute. See? How feminine she is?"
To Tess, Amy was endlessly fun to tease. As Tess pondered ways to bother her further, a real question popped into her head.
"By the way, what will you do after graduation?"
"Huh? Well, I'll take the certification exam and then find a job."
"No—what about Shirone."
"Shirone? Why Shirone?"