C132
Of course, there was no doubt about Amy's skill. However, Shirone thought differently. It was just 30 minutes ago that he had heard from Marsha about how dangerous the island was.
Port tout have their own organization. In particular, it was said that the street tout were the lower end subordinates of a powerful organization.
"She warned me to be careful of people like Jis. Even if it's not true, the island is closed off and dangerous. They can easily deal with things that are hard to even imagine on the mainland. There are also many nobles who go missing on the island. We can't just think that Amy is safe."
Rian mounted his straight sword into a leather sheath.
“You don’t need to explain every word. Let's go, Shirone. Lead the way anywhere. I'll deal with anyone who interferes."
"Thank you. Actually, it's because I'm late."
“You must have had your own circumstances. First, let’s make sure Amy is safe.”
Tess watched the two boys. This was a conversation between those bound by a knight's oath. Although it was still an imitation, it was a sight to envy for her who dreamed of becoming a knight.
"Wait a minute. I'll go with you too. It's not just you guys who are worried about Amy."
The three of them left the villa and headed down to the beach. However, they had no clue where to start looking.
In front of the vast white sand, Tess's confidence dropped.
"Where do we find Amy? At this time, the only place that Jis would take her is the commercial district. Should we split up and go there?"
"That doesn't seem like a good idea. After all, we can't cover the entire commercial district with just the three of us. Plus, we don't know the geography here well."
“Then what? There's no way to find her. I'd rather find a needle on this sandy beach.”
Shirone rested his chin and was lost in thought.
"Let's not do that and go to the port instead. They definitely said there's an organization. So, we might be able to find out Amy's location by asking an organization member."
"The port? That's in the south, right? Wouldn't it be quicker to search here by the time we get there? Amy probably isn't at the port anyway. It's not a tourist spot."
"No, we should go to the port. If we simplify Amy's situation, there are two possibilities. First, Amy is safe. Second, Amy is not safe. If she's safe, there's no loss for us going to the port. But if she's not safe, we absolutely must go to the port. The only reason why Amy is not safe is because she collides with Jis' organization. Therefore, no matter what the situation is, we must first go to the port and make contact with the organization."
"That... Yes, that makes sense."
Tess nodded as if hypnotized. It was the first time he felt that a person spoke faster than he thought.
Rian didn't think. The moment Shirone said to go to the port, he was already renting a carriage.
When Rian, who had paid the coachman, gestured for them to ride, Shirone and Tess ran over. Then they threw themselves into the galloping carriage's compartment.
The coachman burst into a merry laugh and sped up.
"Ah, youth is great. You guys seem to be in a hurry at this hour?"
"Yes. Please go quickly!”
"Alright! Then let's put our horses to work for the first time in a while! Giddy up!"
It was night, so the road was quiet. Offering a gold coins, the coachman drove his horse so much that the carriage rattled.
The wagon arrived at the port in 20 minutes, and the coachman was bragging about it being a record for the past five years.
The three ran to the port.
Most of the ships were moored in the dock, and light leaked through the cracks in the windows as if indicating people were on board. Perhaps the sailors were playing a game of cards.
The ship floating in the nearby sea was also suspicious, but it was too late to run around every corner.
Shirone focused on searching the bar in the port. Most of them looked like gang members, but in reality, there were many cases where they were sailors.
"What do we do? Can we find her like this?"
"We can find her. There should be at least one."
Shirone patiently inquired into the bars. Finally, he found a clue in a small tavern.
At first, they didn't notice because their eyes were swollen, but the touts who had been with Jis during the day were definitely drinking there.
"Look, those two! They were with Jis, right?"
"Right. Leave it to me from now on.”
Rian patted her fist and walked away. He knew that in these situations, it's more about the impression you give than your actual skills.
“Hey, do you guys remember me?”
"What? You wanna fight? Cause I feel like shit right now... Huh!"
The boy, who had been cursing with a twisted tongue, recognized Rian and stood up.
Rian's size is also intimidating, but the reason he was really surprised was for another reason. It was because he knew what Jis, who had been captured by Falkoa, had gone to.
“Tha- That… Um.”
"I know, I know it all. So, let's talk in a quiet place. I'm the kind of person who becomes violent in people's presence and nice in quiet places. Which one do you prefer?"
The tout glanced at his friend in the seat. The moment their gazes briefly crossed, they started running towards the door without any discussion.
"Damn it! Run!"
They stamped their feet madly. But no matter how much they ran, the door wouldn't come close.
'What's going on? Why is this happening? Is this a dream?'
It wasn't until the tension of the run disappeared that they realized that both legs were floating in the air.
"I'll give you one last chance. Do you want to follow me nicely, or should I plant you upside down right here?"
Raising the boys one by one in each hand, Rian held out his arms as if to show off his strength.
The boys were stunned. The man was supporting the weight of two grown males with his arms extended. It was beyond just strength; it was close to superhuman.
"Al- Alright, we'll go. Please, stop exerting so much strength."
From then on things were easy. Rian led the tout to the breakwater, where he could hear the general situation.
"So this Falkoa guy is the one who ordered Amy to be brought over, right?"
"Yes. Jis was beaten to death. We almost died too. You better not mess with Falkoa. He's absolutely crazy."
"Doesn't care. There's not a single madman who's recovered after being punched by me. Where did they take Amy? You know the place, right?"
"We really don't know the exact location! Please believe us!"
"Is that so? Then I'll ask your friend. You're choosing to give up the chance for both of you to survive and choosing for only one of you to live."
The two boys looked at each other fearfully. To be honest, they didn't have the mental strength to endure the torture. But Rian was only overpowering them with words. It was thanks to his learning of interrogation techniques at the swordsmanship school.
"We really don't know. But there's a place we can guess."
Shirone and Tess came closer. Rian also stopped pretending to be a clumsy investigator and shook the tout by the collar.
"Where is it? Speak up!"
"It's, it's the Royal Palace."
"Royal Palace? What nonsense are you talking about?”
“It’s the name of the bar. The biggest bar in Galliant! Grab any wagon and they'll take you there! But, you must never tell them that we told you! We'll be killed!"
Rian turned around without even having time to answer. Shirone and Tess were already getting ready to run.
As they left the port, they saw a wagon waiting. Coincidentally, it was the carriage that brought them all the way here.
"Mister! Mister coachman!”
The coachman, who had been sitting in the luggage compartment smoking a pipe, turned his head. The clients who had enjoyed the fantastic gallop of his horse were running towards him in haste.
"Yo, you've finished sightseeing already? You're as quick at sightseeing as you are at running. Hahaha!"
"Mister, we need to depart now! It's urgent!"
"Ah, it's always urgent with you youngsters! Come on, get in!"
With a boiling passion, the coachman jumped down from the luggage compartment.
Once the coachman had started the horse, he turned around and shouted. His voice naturally grew louder due to the sound of the wind.
“Okay, where this time!”
Shirone, Rian, and Tess all shouted at the same time.
“The Royal Palace!”
------------------
Tavern, Royal Palace.
The grand tavern, which could proudly display a sign reading 'Royal Palace', could arguably be the most glamorous place on the island.
The 4-story tall building perfectly demonstrated what a waste of money was. All kinds of gold and silver treasures that reflected light were decorated, and magic crystal lamps that ordinary people could not even see were emitting light.
Shirone and the others were overwhelmed by the wealth radiating from the building. It felt like they had arrived somewhere they weren't supposed to be.
As Shirone walked to the tavern, as expected, a guard, who was guarding the entrance, blocked their path.
"Hey, weapons aren't allowed in here...!"
Rian didn't even listen and shoved him by his neck. He was of similar size to Rian, but the guard couldn't match Rian's strength.
When the guard, who had been choking and struggling, regained his senses, Shirone and the others had already entered the establishment.
The tavern was filled with people's voices.
Scantily clad women were dancing around, and obscenities, insults, and all sorts of indecent talk were flying around.
Tess frowned. Despite being a peaceful resort on the surface, Galliant turned into a place swirling with filthy desires after sundown.
"Do you really think Amy would be in a place like this? There are so many people, and what's with those women? Don't they feel ashamed?"
"Indeed, it's definitely not a place Amy would like. But since she came willingly, she may have resigned herself to it. And be careful. Even if something happens here, the guards won't intervene."
After hearing about the situation on the island from Marsha, Shirone was convinced. Although the method of utilization is different, this place was also likely one of the places where some sort of deal with the government had been made.
When they couldn't find Amy on the first floor, they went upstairs. A fierce gambling scene was taking place.
The third floor had rooms lined up along a cross-shaped corridor with iron doors, and the fourth floor was a VIP room where the top nobility stayed.
After searching through each floor, Rian let out a regretful sigh.
"It's going to be tough to find her like this. She's not in the hall or the gambling room. We have to search each room on the third floor, and the fourth floor is crawling with bodyguards."
It was time to make a choice. o ask permission and search like a meticulous investigator, or to cause a real stir.
"Of course, the decision of the three was the latter. Now that they knew Amy had been dragged away by a malicious plot, there was no intention of backing down gracefully.
“There! Those f*cking children!”
The guard, who had been beaten up at the entrance, pointed at the Shirone group. Then, a man in the back rolled up his sleeves and approached.
Rian had to raise his head to make eye contact with the man. He was so huge that his head reached the ceiling.
"You the bouncer?"
In a store where the back alley was rotten, it's usual to be picky with the customers. Most were filtered out by guards, but there were quite a few who barged in and caused a mess. It was the bouncer's job to control those people with force.
"What's this, huh? These are just wet-behind-the-ears brats, right? No, now that I look at it, this girl is not just a kid."
The bouncer looked down at Tess, grinning through his pug nose. Unlike ordinary people, his high vantage point allowed him to observe Tess's rich qualities better than anyone else.
"Hehehe, someone like you is the perfect customer for this shop. Let's see, shall this uncle give you an evaluation?"
The bouncer's hand reached out towards Tess. Just by opening his palms, it felt like a net had been spread in front of her eyes.
Tess gripped the bouncer's middle finger tightly. And then, with all her might, she bent it backward.
"Aaaaah!"
The giant's body twisted comically. His arm was fully extended, and the middle finger was bent enough to touch the back of his hand.
"It hurts! It fu*cking hurts!”
"Hmph! You should have been careful. Even if I'm a woman, my arm strength is stronger than your middle finger, you know? This is what happens when you rely on your size and act impudently."
"Argh! This wench!"
Unable to bear the pain, the bouncer swung his other fist. At that moment, Tess let go of the finger she was holding and, like a lightning bolt, twisted her body and swung her elbow.
A swift, single blow struck the edge of the bouncer's chin and passed by. It was so perfectly timed it felt like the opponent had intentionally approached to be hit.
The bouncer's consciousness was cut off as his brain vibrated. As Tess stepped aside, the giant's body fell with a thud, like an old tree
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Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
