14
Subaru was hog-tied and lying atop the cart, its wheels rattling against the ground. All he could do was glare up at the sky.
He and Liliana had been ambushed on their way back to the manor. The next thing he knew, there he was—on his back, seeing nothing but blue sky.
He was wrapped tightly in cloth, then tied with rope, immobilized in the worst way possible. There was a faint lingering pain in his head from being punched, and judging by the way he was tied up—
“Aha, looks like sonny boy woke up, too. Sorry we were so rough with ya, kid.”
The booming voice came from somebody who noticed Subaru was conscious. Subaru craned his neck to look in the direction of the voice, and there, he saw a seated figure robed in white. Noting the unsettling head-to-toe white ensemble, Subaru finally grasped the situation he was in.
The men in white had not stopped their activities, even though their boss had been captured. They had to be an unrelated party.
“Wait, does that mean being a Liliana fan and wanting her song were two separate motives?! Could you make things any more complicated?!”
“The muse has spoken. I present you with my new song—‘Liliana, a Sinful Flower.’”
“Shut up! Now’s no time for singing!” Subaru yelled at the girl, who was tied up the same as him. He couldn’t see Liliana from the way he was positioned, but given how she was still able to utter her silly little catchphrase, it sounded like her spirit wasn’t completely broken. Breathing a sigh of relief to himself, Subaru turned his head to look at the man in white.
“So…any chance we can talk without the kicking and punching?”
“Yeah…we’d prefer that, too. Maybe too little, too late, but we want to move you without too much roughhousing.”
“Too little, too late? No shit. Some credibility you have there.”
The man chuckled with a quiet “Fair point.” Then he removed his white hood, revealing a bearded face. He looked like he was in his early forties.
“We are the White Dragon’s Scale, mercenaries for hire.”
By exposing his face and offering his name, the man was clearly trying to negotiate. It was a surprisingly cordial thing to do, considering how roughly he had treated Subaru before. Subaru felt the man’s attempt at goodwill was just as clunky as the cart’s wheels on the ground beneath them.
“Ugh, I’m gonna hurl. Could you at least let a guy sit up when you talk to him?”
“Nothing would please me more than that—but unfortunately, we tied you up so nice and tight that you’re stiff as a wooden board right now, and trying to sit you up would be quite a struggle. Sorry, but you’ll have to keep lying down.”
“Well, if I get carsick, I know where I’m aiming. Cower before my mighty mayo-vomit attack.”
Due to their little ruse earlier that day, all Subaru had to eat was that world’s equivalent of mayonnaise, so that was the only thing that would come up, should the need arise.
Subaru’s quip seemed to win the man over. As he raised his arms in a gesture of defeat, another voice cut into their conversation.
“Wait, is this cart being pulled by that ox thing instead of a land dragon? Man, you guys are using some old-school animals. We’re basically riding an artifact, y’know.”
“I don’t know if you’re saying that out of shock, sarcasm, awe, or intimidation, but none of that’s helpful right now, so shut up for a minute.”
Subaru turned his head and grabbed the bound foot just barely in his vision, and a set of toes wriggled back at him. Apparently, they had set Liliana and Subaru down side by side, head to toe.
“Guess this is a classic case of out of the frying pan into the fire. We didn’t see it coming.”
“Yes, looks like the success of our kidnapping strategy backfired epically! Now, chore boy, as the architect of this master plan, I’d love to know what you’re thinking right now!”
“I’m thinking, if I could just slap your flippant face right now, nothing else would matter.”
Thanks to Liliana’s usual antics, Subaru was somehow able to retain his composure. Though in actual fact, the men in white had them in the palm of their hand. And Liliana was right; the White Dragon’s Scale’s ambush had only worked because Subaru’s guard had been down after the success of his ruse. Even though the men in white hadn’t planned on that, the circumstances had linked the two groups together and made the bard ripe for the taking.
“I’m pretty sure our buddies back at the manor have noticed we’re missing by now…”
However, it was painfully clear that their lack of manpower would affect how quickly their friends could find them. Their list of allies was short enough as it was, but Ram was still away on an investigation. Neither Emilia nor Roswaal could take direct action, and Subaru was uncertain whether or not Beatrice would help.
That meant the only one who could actively search for them was Rem.
Reading his mind, Liliana piped up, “Our friends have to keep an eye on the people we just caught, so our chances of rescue are pretty slim, eh?”
“Yeah…afraid so.”
Liliana’s words twisted the knife. With their situation dire in every way possible, how could Subaru and Liliana keep themselves safe?
“Looks like we’re on our own. Just us and diplomacy.”
They would skillfully and eloquently craft a plea that wouldn’t push their captors’ buttons and would result in their freedom. Luckily, their captors had signaled that they did want to negotiate. Subaru’s only choice was to engage in a little diplomatic fencing, seeking out compromises and securing their safe release.
“You can do it, chore boy.”
“If you want this to work, then keep that mouth shut. Don’t answer that—just take note.”
“You two just about done?”
Seeing that his captives were wrapping up their conversation, the man returned and lowered himself onto the cart bed with a thunk and folded his legs.
“Now, let me introduce myself again… We are a band of mercenaries called the White Dragon’s Scale.”
“Sorry, but I’m new in town, so I’m not up to date about local gossip. Meanwhile, she’s a wandering bard with no roots to speak of…and bless her heart, she’s kinda dumb and slow on the uptake.”
“Hey, chore boy! Don’t bless my heart! This is no time for romantic overtures!”
In the interest of negotiations proceeding smoothly, Subaru ignored Liliana’s little outburst. The bearded man followed his lead and ignored Liliana as well, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
“Well, I can’t blame ya for not hearing of us. Only a part of Lugunica knows about us, and that was about ten years ago. We don’t exactly have as much of a reputation anymore.”
“Before… Did you disband and get back together? You really should consider your age if you’re gonna be naughty.”
“No, we didn’t disband. We did cut back a little, though. But then we got this job that we had to finish. We can’t hang up our robes for good until we do.”
The bearded man’s voice was low, and his eyes were filled with resolve. Between the proud atmosphere and the hint of tragedy in the man’s demeanor, Subaru sensed there were extraordinary circumstances at play.
Lying on his back, Subaru let out a sigh and said, “So…you’re doing one last job before you finally retire?”
“Our treasurer betrayed us—snuck off with every last coin to our name. We just want to get back everything he stole. We can’t retire until we do that.”
“Wait, what…? What does that have to do with Liliana?”
Going off age alone, it was impossible to believe that Liliana was the treasurer in question.
“The traitor built himself a huge mansion in town with the fortune he stole. We’re sure he’s been living in the lap of luxury, the bastard… Anyway, we found him. We were gonna get the money back and get some closure…but that wily old man!”
Subaru waited for the man to continue.
“He noticed we were onto him. That’s when he hid the money in a cave and locked it up with a metia. And the key to unlock it is a song, of all things.”
“A song…! Now I get it. That’s how she’s connected.”
As he listened to the bearded man speak, the word song surged through his brain like lightning. The old man who’d welcomed Liliana into his home and taught her the song that must never be sung—that was the treasurer who’d betrayed White Dragon’s Scale. And that song was the key to unlocking the seal the old man had used to hide his treasure.
The old man had forced the key onto Liliana, a traveler. Then he had forced her out of his house and far away from the town where his treasure was hidden. Then when the members of the White Dragon’s Scale learned that Liliana knew the song, they tried to capture her. Kiritaka was just some random asshole. A bit of white noise that made everything less clear.
“And the rich man of Wawer is your traitor? Man, this was a revenge plot all along?”
“We do resent him for betraying us. But at this point, we don’t really care what happens to him. We just want our fortune… We just want to get back what we rightfully earned. We have to get it back.”
The man looked down, his voice quiet with gritty determination. Subaru sensed they had a reason for needing so much money. A reason that was time-sensitive.
“This cave where the money’s hidden—do you know where it is?”
“We do. So all we need now is the song to unlock it. In other words…”
“If Liliana sings and unlocks the cave, there will be much rejoicing.”
The matter would be resolved, and Subaru and Liliana would be set free.
Subaru’s face lit up. He had found a compromise both parties could agree to and a way for them to be released peacefully. Seeking Liliana’s approval, he turned to the girl, whose fingers were shaking.
“Hey, Liliana, you heard that, right? The only thing you have to do is sing the song that must never be sung to that cave, and all’s well. So—”
“—refuse.”
“Eh?” Both Subaru and the bearded man grunted in unison. That was just how out of the blue Liliana’s answer seemed to be. Her fingers jutted out straight like claws. It was like a physical expression of the unyielding nature of her will.
“Unlocking spells on caves…I will never sing for such a purpose. Music isn’t… Music isn’t any substitute for money or treasure—for things that will eventually disappear! I refuse! Don’t mock music…don’t mock stories…and don’t you dare look down on bards!”
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login