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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: A Deal is Struck
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I never thought the villainess image I’d worked so hard to shed would be useful like this, but…
‘When else would I use the image of a villainess who isn’t satisfied until she gets what she wants?’
At my words, Eaton bit his lip tightly. He seemed to be trying to gauge whether my claim of having nothing to do with Darcy was the truth or a lie.
My conscience pricked me a little, but I maintained a confident demeanor and observed Eaton’s reaction.
His inability to speak easily suggested he was caught in a serious conflict. This was my chance to deliver the final blow.
He seemed to be well-versed in the rumors about me, so it would be best to touch on that.
“You seem to know all the rumors… have you heard the one connecting me to the ambitious new play by the playwright Pitol?”
“…”
“That secret is related to my current business.”
I didn’t need to tell him how many people were curious about ‘that thing’ Pitol had mentioned.
Even though I had all but handed him the answer, Eaton remained silent. To be fair, it was too big a decision for him to make alone.
“Of course, it’s not something you can decide on your own. But I figured if I rescued you on my way to meet the mages, it would be easier to negotiate a contract with them.”
I explained the reasoning behind my actions in detail.
“If you can’t decide, at least arrange an opportunity for me to speak with the villagers.”
I drove the point home in a quiet voice. At the same time, this was an act to lessen Eaton’s responsibility.
I couldn’t let him bear the entire burden of the choice.
At last, Eaton nodded. But he added a condition.
“Don’t bring that man.”
It was obvious that ‘that man’ was Darcy.
“We’ll decide that later.”
Of course, I wasn’t going to blindly agree to Eaton’s condition.
Regardless of how they perceived Darcy, they needed to know the circumstances he was in and why he had to do what he did.
Isn’t it only fair for them to know that this whole situation wasn’t solely Darcy’s will, and that he, too, was nothing more than a pawn on a chessboard?
If only for the sake of the life he was originally supposed to lose so meaninglessly.
Eaton frowned, clearly displeased with my words. But he couldn’t refuse.
‘He must know what a good opportunity this is.’
Seeing Eaton at a loss for words, I smiled faintly.
“Then I’ll take that as a yes.”
I turned around. Darcy was leaning against the wall, waiting for our conversation to end. I beckoned to him.
“Darcy, let’s take him with us.”
“Alright.”
Though I was standing in the same direction as Eaton, Darcy’s eyes remained fixed on me as he approached.
Then he took out a key.
‘…Huh? Where did he get a key?’
I didn’t remember bringing one.
“I picked it up while you were talking.”
Darcy answered breezily. Was getting a key really that simple?
Eaton glared at Darcy with the same look as before.
To ease the suddenly frigid atmosphere, I spoke up.
“Darcy is quite handsome, isn’t he?”
“Hah…”
Eaton, who was about to make a sound, shut his mouth after his eyes met mine. Beside me, Darcy blinked and stifled a laugh.
I couldn’t sense any other presence. It was an eerie silence, as if no one else existed.
At this point, even a fool would realize what was going on.
‘Darcy must have used his powers.’
I didn’t know when, but he had already taken care of the situation before we came here. It was just like him to resolve things before anyone even noticed.
‘He said Eaton is a mage, too.’
Now that he had made a deal of sorts with me, he would probably follow, but one could never be sure. I knew all too well how dangerous it was to look at a situation with only optimism.
I held out my hand to Eaton.
“…What?”
“Take it. I don’t know what you might do. And since you don’t trust me either… this is a sign that we won’t harm each other.”
If we were holding hands, he wouldn’t be able to try anything funny.
Eaton frowned but reluctantly took my hand.
I felt a persistent gaze on the back of my head. Turning, I saw Darcy with his arms crossed, staring intently at my and Eaton’s clasped hands.
Darcy came up beside me and whispered, his voice low enough for Eaton not to hear.
“My hand happens to be empty.”
“I trust you, so it doesn’t matter.”
At my words, Darcy raised an eyebrow and muttered.
“In times like these, I don’t think you need to trust me quite so much.”
…Who asks to hold hands like that?
I let out a small laugh. To think that after trying so hard to control his emotions, the only thing he could voice was his complaint about me holding Eaton’s hand.
His petty jealousy thrilled me.
‘I’ll have to hold his hand later.’
I couldn’t be too close to him in front of Eaton, so for now, I just made a mental note. I did, however, poke Darcy’s hand.
Soon, our secret operation to escape the prison began.
…Though it was over too quickly to be called an operation.
Darcy guided us through the dark paths of the cave as if it were his own home.
After returning the way we came, I saw a man, who hadn't been there before, passed out at the entrance.
Darcy casually attached the key to the man’s belt. Then we went outside. Everything happened in an instant.
‘This feels more like we’re on a picnic.’
Everything was too easy. And I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
Eaton looked around with a bewildered expression.
“There’s no way it was this easy.”
“It just goes to show what an exceptional mage Darcy is. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to get in there either.”
Eaton pretended not to hear me. He clearly didn’t want to thank Darcy.
We continued walking along the path.
“Where are we going now?”
“To get off the island.”
“Then shouldn’t we be going to the port?”
Eaton tilted his head as he watched us head toward a beach far from the port.
When using the ring, teleportation was limited to a space designated by Darcy. This meant we had to go to the beach where we first arrived to leave this place.
I was anxious that the boy might suddenly change his mind.
People were like that. When circumstances changed, they often cast aside promises for their own benefit.
…The things Marso Etoile had gone through remained as a part of my experience.
I squeezed Eaton’s hand and explained the plan.
“Eaton, you need to take me back to the mages’ residence.”
“So we should be going to the port, right?”
“No, we don’t need to go through the port.”
Soon, we arrived back at the beach we had been on early this morning.
The Milky Way strewn across the night sky created a mystical atmosphere. Just like in the morning, there was hardly anyone in sight.
Darcy stopped and briefly explained the situation to Eaton.
“We’re going directly to the capital from here.”
“…By magic?”
Eaton asked back, as if he couldn’t believe it.
“It’s the work of a magic tool, rather than magic.”
“A magic tool?”
I hesitated for a moment as I went to take off the ring on my hand. I knew this wasn’t the time, but I hated the thought of intruding on the memories Darcy and I shared.
But I also knew this wasn’t a situation where I could show such feelings.
“Wear this.”
His eyes, now tinged with a mage’s curiosity, held less suspicion than before.
Darcy stepped in front of Eaton.
“Wh-what!”
“It’s necessary to teleport. Whatever you’re thinking, you’re probably wrong.”
Darcy bluntly hit the mark with a deadpan expression. Eaton’s face flushed red.
“How can I not be suspicious when I know what you’ve done? That’s what’s strange!”
“I never said you shouldn’t be. I just corrected you that you were wrong.”
“Ugh!”
Eaton looked annoyed, but he didn’t do anything rash. Separate from his wariness of Darcy, he seemed capable of sound judgment.
As the person who knew this teleportation magic best and the creator of this ring, Darcy had to be with the person teleporting each time.
It required two teleports, and we decided to send Eaton first. We could easily find Eaton at my mansion, but it was a different story on this island.
Darcy was not at all pleased about me being left here alone, but I reassured him that I would be fine for a little while.
Was he still worried? Darcy, standing with Eaton, had his gaze fixed intently on me. I said goodbye first, as if to shake off his worries.
“Go on.”
“Okay.”
Darcy replied as if he had no choice, and then he vanished.
***
“What’s your game?”
The place they had teleported to was Marso’s room, the same room he and Marso had left from that morning.
Before he even had a chance to look around the room, Eaton snapped at Darcy.
He loathed accepting any favor from this man. But he also knew that without this man’s help, he could not have escaped the Emperor’s eyes.
There was no such thing as a favor without a price. He didn’t know when the man might reveal his true intentions again.
So, before he showed his cruel face once more, it was right for him to find a new home somehow. That was why he had hidden on the island.
If the people on the island, who had escaped the Emperor’s notice, could just hide, wouldn’t they no longer need to rely on this man’s strange helping hand?
…But he had been caught. And not only had he been caught, but he had also ended up receiving this man’s help.
This was a great humiliation for Eaton.
So, he had to at least figure out what this man was truly after.
