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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Opportunity
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“He must still be going through his rebellious phase.”
I could tell from his sarcastic demeanor that he was angry. But I saw that Darcy's gaze remained fixed on the boy until the very end.
It was different from the anger he showed Ryan. His contemplative expression revealed an emotion deeper than simple anger toward the child.
“You want to save him, don't you?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why are you looking at him like that?”
At my words, Darcy turned to look at me. His eyes clouded over for a moment.
“He knows what I've done. He won't be happy even if I save him.”
Darcy confessed the reason he was so reluctant to step in.
For some reason, Darcy's magic doesn't work on that boy. He even knows his true identity.
If the boy knew what Darcy had done, he would know Darcy was the enemy who had constantly fought the mages, so of course, he wouldn't welcome his help.
But we couldn't just pretend we hadn't seen him.
His anxious expression, more so than my own, was unfamiliar. Darcy narrowed his brow and bit his lip.
“Let's just go.”
But his feet had long since stopped moving. Contrary to his words, he didn't budge.
It was as if he had woken from a dream, from the excitement of escaping his suffocating guilt to have fun with me.
These were the only people besides me before whom the usually fearless Darcy became small. It was a fragment of the guilt he now faced in a completely different place.
I felt a raw emotion.
The anxiety in his eyes was far deeper than I had imagined. It was like looking into a bottomless abyss.
I caught a glimpse of the emotions he would one day have to confront, and a sense of remoteness washed over me.
Couldn't I be the one to step forward?
‘Maybe this is an opportunity.’
I squeezed his hand tightly.
“Darcy.”
“Yes.”
“Let's rescue him and take him back to the shelter.”
“…What?”
“This is a chance to earn their trust.”
“Why.”
“Because I don't want to miss it.”
I spoke up for Darcy, who couldn't bring himself to say he wanted to save the boy.
I held Darcy's hand firmly and met his gaze.
“You have to do it.”
I smiled gently at Darcy, whose eyes had widened in surprise.
“Because it's part of my path to happiness.”
I didn't add any further explanation, like how I could be happy if I could build the mages' trust and see them happy.
And yet, he fully understood my meaning.
But in that moment, I finally realized.
For me to be happy.
You have to be happy first.
“Alright.”
Because the way his face relaxed as he nodded, as if he had no other choice, made my heart race once again.
It made me feel alive.
Darcy fell silent for a moment, gazing at me intently. Being the subject of his stare was always thrilling, but it also made me tense.
As I stood there, stiff with tension, Darcy gently tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and whispered.
“First, let's find out why they were captured.”
The place Darcy and I had come to was an island far from our empire.
The island, which had minimal interaction with the empire, was isolationist and didn't readily accept outsiders.
But its beautiful year-round weather and fertile land made it difficult not to covet.
‘The empire originally coveted this place.’
However, the empire had failed to conquer it.
The currents were treacherous, causing ships to vanish as if in the Bermuda Triangle, and it was too far from the empire to be managed effectively as a colony.
In the end, the empire gave up on it completely.
Those who found it difficult to live in the empire often fled to the island.
The island's inhabitants were proud of their home and dealt with trespassers severely.
Those who entered secretly, ignoring the local laws and procedures, or refused to leave, were captured and made into slaves.
Magic was uncommon on the island. Instead, they branded people's skin.
Of course, such unsettling factors didn't matter to Darcy.
This was why he had decided to make this place his home.
Arriving via Darcy's teleportation, we used the documents and identification he had prepared in advance to become legal... no, since he had forged our identities and names, we became illegal travelers.
The boy, who had been vigorously shaking the bars, looked in my direction. He, who seemed on the verge of breaking the bars, froze.
“He's acting like he knows who you are.”
We had changed our hair and eye color before leaving the beach.
“It's possible for that boy.”
Darcy muttered. Someone who could recognize him and me at a glance despite our changed appearances.
Someone who knew Darcy's true identity.
“Because that boy's specialized ability is 'True Sight'.”
Hearing Darcy's words, I understood. True Sight was the ability to see through to a person's essence.
An ability that allowed one to identify someone even if they used magic to transform into another person.
“That makes sense.”
If the boy's ability was True Sight and he knew the person dragging the mages away was Darcy, it was understandable that he wouldn't like him.
That's why a conversation was even more necessary. A chance to clear up the misunderstanding.
‘Though conversation doesn't always resolve every misunderstanding.’
For those already consumed by prejudice, even the attempt can be seen as a hostile act.
I surveyed the group of people who had now passed us.
Six people surrounding the cage. And two people on horseback in front. A total of eight people.
“Shouldn't we see where they're going?”
“I know. For today, they'll lock him in the prison near the sea.”
“Oh?”
“And tomorrow, there will be a trial. If he can't prove his innocence there, he'll be branded as a slave immediately.”
As someone who had planned to live here, Darcy was thoroughly knowledgeable about the island's affairs.
If he had come here, he probably would have blended in as naturally as someone born on the island.
Darcy stared blankly at the boy, who was busy pointing an accusatory finger at him.
“Are boys usually that hot-blooded at his age?”
“…They are.”
I didn't bother mentioning that the boy's sharp demeanor reminded me of Darcy when I first met him.
Even his silver hair and blue eyes were strangely similar.
“When are you planning to go?”
Darcy turned away from the boy, checked the position of the sun in the sky, and answered.
“The guards will let down their guard around evening, so until then, let's enjoy our vacation as planned.”
Considering Darcy's abilities, his leisurely attitude wasn't strange. It was born from the confidence that he could take care of everything later anyway.
“Alright, let's eat.”
Nothing works on an empty stomach. Besides, we could make a plan while we ate.
Separate from Darcy's abilities, I didn't want to rely on him too much. Depending solely on his power would make me no different from Emperor Kies.
As the soldiers moved further away, the crowd dispersed, each going their own way.
“Good, let's prepare while we eat.”
We entered a restaurant. Situated by the sea, it had an excellent view.
Being on the coast, the seafood was rich in flavor and fresh.
I took plenty of pictures while I ate, hoping I could bring others here someday.
The idea that my experience could become someone else's knowledge was more thrilling than I expected.
After finishing the meal, I got a lobster sandwich to go. I thought it would be good to give it to the boy later.
He looked like he'd been starving. There's nothing more important than feeding a hungry person. Food is important.
The sun began to set.
We sat and gazed at the sea connected to the restaurant.
“See that lighthouse over there?”
Darcy pointed to the lighthouse, pretending to admire the scenery.
“There's an underground prison beneath that lighthouse. He'll be there.”
They didn't just kill everyone who came here right away.
“If you go there, you'll find records of why the prisoners were arrested.”
“…Could the others have been wrongfully imprisoned too?”
“Doesn't seem likely. Some of them already had brands on their bodies... and the rest had a menacing air about them.”
I had been worried about saving only the boy, but that cleared up any guilt I might have felt.
But Darcy could be wrong.
“Let's check just in case.”
“We will. But...”
Darcy, who had paused for a moment, pushed the newly arrived dessert in front of me and broached the subject carefully.
“How about you wait here?”
“Will I be a burden?”
“No, you could never be a burden. It's just that it could be dangerous.”
It was a suggestion made out of concern for me. But after careful consideration, I shook my head.
I couldn't let the two of them be alone when they finally met.
If there was even a single moment when I might be needed, I couldn't send Darcy alone.
I knew Darcy could handle the situation without me. That he possessed strength and abilities far greater than my own.
But that doesn't mean the scars will disappear.
Thinking of the future, this was a good thing for me too. Since I was planning to meet the mages.
“Then I'll go with you.”
“Alright, but...”
Under the table, Darcy handed me something. I stealthily took the object tapping against my dress and gasped.
“It's a gun.”
“Shoot it if you have to. I've already loaded it with a magic stone.”
…I've never fired a gun in my life, though?
But Darcy's expression was more solemn than I expected. And it was true that the situation could become dangerous.
It's not a real gun, right? I took a deep breath, recalling the games from my world before I became Marso.
I couldn't let Darcy bear all the risks alone.
To the extent he was taking a risk, I had to be able to help him. In ways other than just using my wealth and authority.
At times like this, one might even discover a hidden talent, right?
Besides, this was a gun made based on the knowledge I had given him.
‘It's for subduing people, not killing them.’
Reviving the morals that remained from my modern-day self, I slipped the gun into my bag.
Evening was approaching.
