[167] A Dangerous Deal (4)
Amy walked over to them. Covering the corner of her mouth as if sharing Shirone's thought, she taunted Kanis.
"Hohoho! You actually failed? Well, figures."
Shirone had won the fight, so he might not bear a grudge, but Amy had taken a lot from the two of them.
She believed debts must be repaid and intended to land a proper hit this time.
But Kanis didn't take the bait.
"Hmph, aren't you the same? Now that I look, even the graduating class isn't all that."
"Are you kidding me! How do you know I failed?"
"If I know you failed, that means you two took the test too. If you'd passed, you wouldn't be wandering around here now. Are you an idiot or what?"
"You little—! Don't you dare mouth off to a junior like me!"
"And who was getting dragged around by that junior with no way to move? And you should be grateful. If I hadn't stopped Lucas, you might've died."
Ice flashed in Amy's eyes. The memory of nearly being humiliated after being picked by Lucas when exposed to the Abyss Nova rose up, and her anger flared.
"You bastard…!"
Before Shirone could stop her, Amy raised her fist toward Kanis.
Just as she was about to lash his face with the power of her schema, a shadow that had been draped behind Kanis surged up and a black, clawed hand crawled over his shoulder.
Amy recoiled. A Harvester—protecting Kanis as if embracing him—split its mouth into a grin.
"Kikikiki! Long time no see, sister. Your temper's the same."
"Eek! What is that!"
Tourists screamed and fled at the sight of the Harvester. Shirone could understand—the magical effects nobles were used to didn't include a human-shaped shadow suddenly jerking to life like that.
Even Tess was stunned.
"My goodness. The shadow talks? Rian, have you ever seen anything like this?"
A small face atop broad shoulders, a waist narrow as a tiger's. Humanoid in form, but the arms were twice as thin and long as a human's. The palms were shield-sized and the nails as sharp as blades.
"No, I haven't. But Shirone looks familiar with it."
The Harvester splayed its palm wide, shielding most of Kanis's torso. Against a Harvester specialized in absorbing impact, even Amy had to be cautious.
"Kiki, let's both be careful not to get too close. I don't want to see blood in a place like this."
"That thing—"
As Amy charged again, Shirone raised a finger. A red photon condensed at his fingertip, trembling with afterimages as if ready to fire.
This time the Harvester remained silent. It was the laser technique that had obliterated it before.
"Apologize to Amy. Picking at other people's wounds is a bad thing."
"Wounds? You call that a wound? Besides, I was the one who saved her. Honestly, nobles and their thinking—"
"Whether it's a wound is for the wounded to decide. If you reminded someone of a painful memory, you can at least apologize. How long are you going to keep looking at the world with that crooked attitude?"
"Hah! I don't want to hear that from a greenhouse flower."
At Kanis's taunt, the Harvester puffed up its upper body to intimidate everyone. At the same time, Shirone's laser flared brighter.
Arin transformed her Spirit Zone into a tentacle shape and slowly sent it toward Shirone. She intended to use a mental disruption to force the laser to dissipate—this felt dangerous otherwise.
But before the Zone could touch him, Amy stepped in front of Shirone. Arin frowned in frustration. Most mental magics were useless against the power of crimson eyes.
Different types of magic—beast magics, lasers, mental spells, personal memory—interlocked and orbited like bands. No one moved rashly; everyone was watching everyone else.
Feeling the tension that might erupt at any moment, Tess grabbed Rian's arm and put on a show of crying.
"What's with them. Scary."
Rian's reaction was different. People called mages strange; the stranger they were, the more their identity as mages was reinforced. He was pleased Shirone had become that strange, abnormal kind of person.
"Good job, Shirone."
"What, what was that?"
Tess blinked, baffled—like someone staring at a pervert.
Rian walked toward the mages without answering. He drew the short straight sword from behind his back and said, "Hey, I don't know who you are, but—!"
Tess, who'd been running up, jumped onto Rian's back and smacked a palm over his mouth.
"Please use your head. If you go off like that, what then?"
"Ugh! Let go! Shirone! Ugh!"
Shirone and Amy, Kanis and Tess, watched Rian and Tess's scuffle in stunned amusement.
Thanks to that, the battle tension eased and the Harvester deflated.
As the laser dimmed, Arin's Spirit Zone relaxed. Amy's crimson eyes returned to normal.
There was no point in a fight. Amy had pressed Kanis's sore spot; Kanis had simply layered on his emotions and countered.
"Enough with this useless war of attrition. We didn't come here to fight you."
Kanis absorbed the Harvester back into the shadow as he spoke.
When the other side proposed a truce first, Amy calmed down and regained her senses.
With the tension gone, Kanis asked the question she'd been curious about since first seeing Shirone here.
"By the way, what's the deal? You failed the exam but you're staying here—does that mean you found a way into the Kergo autonomous zone?"
Shirone was about to answer when Amy cut in before he could speak.
"Why should we tell you that?"
This time it wasn't a taunt. In a sense the information had been won at great cost and wasn't something to blurt out to someone untrustworthy.
"Don't be so guarded. We know how to get into the autonomous zone too. You're probably planning to use the Loop smuggling route, right?"
Though she didn't show it, Amy was surprised. Kanis seemed to know the Freemen organization's Loop trading channels. If so, why had they bothered entering the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice to take the test?
Kanis watched Amy, who'd drifted into thought, and lifted the corner of his mouth.
"I can hear the wheels turning over there. Want me to tell you?"
"Hmph! Who said I was curious? I already know enough!"
"Ah, really? Arin, what about you?"
Kanis turned and asked. Arin, who'd been distracted, hurriedly snapped back to attention.
"Huh? Ah, I lied. I'm actually very curious. I'm bouncing all over the place."
"Damn it…!"
Amy ground her teeth. She didn't know what "bouncing all over the place" meant, but Arin—whose ability is tied to her menstrual cycle—couldn't hide her emotions.
At that moment Arin's stomach let out a loud gurgle.
Everyone in Shirone's group turned to Arin. She bowed her head in embarrassment; her face flushed scarlet like a persimmon.
Kanis looked at Arin with a worried expression he had never shown anyone and asked, "Arin, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. It's nothing. It wasn't a problem before."
Kanis clenched his teeth. Since leaving the Magic Academy he'd been traveling a long time, and their money was gone—he hadn't eaten for three days.
He could go hungry, but he couldn't let Arin do the same. The instinct to protect her, formed over ten years in Radom, remained.
Kanis swallowed his pride and said to Shirone, "Do you... happen to have any food? Arin hasn't eaten. I'm fine, but can't you do something?"
Only then did Shirone take in Kanis's appearance. His clothes were shabby and dirt-streaked as if he'd slept on the mountain—clear signs of a long journey.
'He said Arkein's inheritance was all taken…' Shirone recalled.
Kanis hadn't come to the school since the psychic pulse test. For people with no connections, simply getting by was the biggest problem.
Mages with skill but no certifications had a hard time finding work; clients avoided them. Some did hire them, but most offers were tied to crime.
Still, Kanis didn't want to live in the shadows any longer. He'd realized he could never rise by fighting society alone.
Amy sighed. "We should at least get something to eat. There's a tavern we used to go to. Their noodles are good."
"No! I'm really fine!"
Arin waved her hand. She was starving, but she couldn't bring herself to follow because of Kanis's pride.
Amy grabbed Arin's wrist and hauled her along.
"What do you mean you're fine? There's thunder in your stomach. You need stamina whether you fight or not. Kanis, you're coming too."
"I'm fine. Just take Arin."
"Shut up and come. A senior buying a meal for hungry juniors is the least she can do."
Shirone nudged Kanis forward.
"Come on, Kanis. Let's go in. I have things to talk to you about anyway."
Unable to refuse, Kanis followed, and Amy led them to the tavern where they'd met mercenaries before.
Once the six of them sat down, Shirone introduced Kanis and Arin to Rian. Rian was a bit surprised to hear Kanis was a disciple of a great mage, but Amy's friendly explanation that Kanis had lost to Shirone put him somewhat at ease.
Priority was filling stomachs. Kanis and Arin were truly hungry and devoured two bowls of noodles each.
Shirone and the others, having eaten Yuna's lunch earlier, felt full just watching them eat.
Shirone smiled at the sight of them slurping the broth. No matter their origins or personalities, they were still human.
After they'd eaten and looked like they might survive, Shirone gently steered the conversation.
"We've all got complicated thoughts. Let's be frank to some degree. Why are you here?"
"Kanis's always been into ruins. So we were exploring a ruin."
"Oh, Kanis wanted to be an archaeologist?"
"Tch, enough with the nonsense."
Kanis, who hated talking about himself, grumbled. He didn't tell Arin to stop, though.
Arin wasn't someone who'd meekly answer just because she was asked. Her reply revealed facts while concealing the full truth—a perfect response.
In truth, they hadn't come to the island for ordinary ruins. They had a special reason, and to get what they wanted they absolutely needed Shirone.
"Let's ask you. Why are you here?"
Kanis pointed at Amy. Though Shirone was clearly the leader of the four, he didn't want to show too plainly that he was interested.
But Amy was no novice in psychological warfare. She knew how to avoid Arin's menstrual-linked ability and how to conceal the truth.
"Heh heh. We came to get into the Kergo autonomous zone. Just like you lot."
"Hmph, and what do you think is there?"
"Hmm, you say it like you know."
"Could be. Could be not."
Amy put on a practiced smile, but inside she was nearly frantic.
'I know. He definitely knows.'
Kanis had chosen the test route rather than the Loop smuggling route. That meant he had a definite reason for picking that place.
'This is awkward. How am I going to get information out of them?'
Kanis and Arin were not like the mercenaries they'd met before. And with Arin's cycle-linked ability, psychological games would be useless.
Shirone, who had been listening, asked directly.
"Kanis, could you tell us what you know? The truth is, we don't know much."
Amy knew what he was aiming for, and the situation was clearly disadvantageous. It would be better to open up honestly and see the response.
Contrary to expectations, Kanis accepted plainly. Shirone's group must never suspect, but the truth was Kanis and Arin desperately needed Shirone's help.
"All right. But there's something I need to confirm first."
"Ask anything. If I know it, I'll answer."
"Your reason for trying to get into the autonomous zone. Is it because you want to learn about Miro's space-time?"
Shirone's eyes widened. Miro's space-time was known only to close friends and the headmaster.
"How did you know? You know about Miro? No, how much do you know about the Kergo ruins?"
Shirone asked urgently, but Kanis only leaned back casually and propped his chin on his hand.
"Who knows. I'd say I know more than you, at least."
Shirone fell into thought with a serious expression. Where could they have gotten that information in less than a month?
Then it hit him. The shadow at Kanis's feet and the magical beast dwelling there told him everything.
"It's Arkein's knowledge."