Chapter 147 : Upheaval (3)
Upheaval (3)
Looking back, something felt strange.
No one had mentioned Plerine in her absence.
From my perspective, I could justify it by saying I shouldn't show favoritism toward a specific employee.
But thinking back, it was odd that even the other employees hadn't said anything.
'At least one of them should've asked me if I was looking for Plerine.'
But now, looking at the note, there seemed to be a hint of why.
'The underground prison at headquarters, huh.'
I'd never even been to a military detention cell in Korea, let alone prison, but unfortunately, I was all too familiar with the headquarters' underground prison.
I'd been taken there the day I brought Plerine back from Grey Fortress.
But why?
'The reason Plerine is now imprisoned in headquarters' underground cell.'
Honestly, with her strength, escaping there wouldn't be a challenge at all.
Besides, Plerine had left a note asking me to come "secretly".
In other words, she was waiting for me to return.
"?"
Without realizing it, the taste of blood welled up from my lower lip as I chewed on it.
It felt as if my instincts were rejecting the situation I was now facing.
'Damn it.'
Something was off in several ways.
From the way all the employees kept silent about Plerine as if planned, to Plerine asking me to come "secretly".
Of course, that didn't mean I could just not go.
One can't resolve a problem without facing it.
So dawn arrived.
Ever since expanding the shop, I had been running the tavern until dawn,
but today I'd obviously ordered a closure under the excuse of needing to tidy up the shop.
'Harper made a fuss, saying it was a shame to lose business after a victory.'
But is there anywhere in the world where an employee can win against the boss?
Anyway, I managed to slip out of the quiet shop without anyone noticing.
'Time to go, then.'
Now that I was 4th-rank and equipped with the Fragment of the Firmament,
it meant I could see and sense far more than a typical mana user.
I maximized my eyesight and scouted the surroundings.
Although the moonlight was weak at dawn, making it dark compared to midnight,
my eyesight, like a night vision device, revealed the way ahead.
Of course, without the Fragment of the Firmament, this mana-consuming technique would be impossible,
but I figured it would suffice until I met Plerine.
As I made my careful way to headquarters, two people came to mind.
'If only I had stealth-type skills like Schutmann or Jeros.'
They had truly mastered moving unseen.
They disappeared and appeared without anyone noticing.
'Should've memorized some utility skills, too.'
Swallowing my regret, I pressed on for about thirty minutes.
Without issue, I infiltrated headquarters and took the stairs down toward the basement.
'How lax.'
Was it because they were intoxicated by victory?
There wasn't a soul guarding the cell.
Come to think of it, it had been the same when Plerine and I had been imprisoned.
'They usually execute or pass sentence immediately, not just lock people up in jail.'
Lost in such thoughts, I moved forward carefully—
"Come in, boss. There's no one here."
A voice I'd missed sounded from inside.
Only then did the tension gripping my body melt away.
With a casual but quick step, I entered the cell corridor.
Step, step, step.
I stopped and peered into the cell behind the iron bars.
"Hm. Didn't you say you hated it here?"
I asked Plerine, who stood there smiling,
and found the corners of my lips lifting as well without realizing it.
I must have been glad to see her.
"Too late now. I don't even dislike this place anymore."
Her perfect answer made my chest swell with emotion.
*
The headquarters' underground prison.
I'd never imagined I would be reunited with Plerine like this.
But she greeted me just as I expected her to:
With her typical voice, speech, and expression.
"For a mage of my level, this isn't so uncomfortable. It's more livable than it looks."
"That's a relief."
All of it put me at ease—
but only for a moment.
Plerine's next question brought me back to my senses.
"You came without anyone noticing, right?"
Just as I was curious about her,
Plerine seemed just as eager to hear what had happened to me.
"Yeah. I came quietly and no one found out."
Even before I'd finished, she pressed on.
"What became of Schutmann?"
"I killed him. With my sword and your magic."
"I see."
Plerine answered, her voice trembling faintly.
She must have already had an inkling.
The vanished enchanted magic, my healthy return—
all of it implied nothing but Schutmann's death.
"Well done, boss."
"... There were many sacrifices."
I told Plerine everything that had happened.
How I colluded with the battalion commander on my way to the front,
how I tried to become 4th-rank but failed,
how I got caught up in the rabbit beastkin's scheme, leaving the battalion commander cursed,
how Schutmann went berserk,
and how Zaiya and Ralph died in the process.
"I equipped the Fragment of the Firmament. That's how I became 4th-rank, and I barely won by using the spell you'd put on Nash."
I told her too how the battalion commander sacrificed himself to save Hank.
After hearing all that happened, Plerine was silent for a long while, then spoke.
"It should have been me."
A deep sadness and regret colored her voice,
but now it was my turn to ask what I was curious about.
"Devanne said he saw you working at the shop. What happened? Why are you suddenly in jail?"
Her lips became truly serious in an instant.
"What did Devanne say?"
"He said he ran nonstop after hearing what you'd told him. Haha. Just what kind of trouble were you getting into in my absence, that even a company commander followed your every word?"
"... Is that all?"
I remembered Plerine apparently cried when she saw Devanne,
but decided not to bring it up.
"That's all. What else could there be?"
"I see."
"More importantly, tell me now. Why are you here, and why did you leave that note?"
"...."
After a brief silence, she drew a small breath and spoke as if she'd made up her mind.
"It's harder to tell you, boss."
A sad smile lifted her lips.
It was the first time I'd seen Plerine smile so sorrowfully—my whole body bristled.
"You know, boss. So, the thing is..."
Sadly, I felt like I already knew what this confession would be.
It was the truth I'd sensed but avoided until now.
"Boss. That fire mage who raided the spirit stone quarry and left Company Commander Devanne in a coma..."
At last, Plerine said it.
"That was me."
*
It was lamentable.
Why do ominous premonitions always hit the mark?
But what was even worse and sickening
was the reality that, even feeling that premonition, I couldn't avoid it.
"Sorry. It was me after all."
She bit her lower lip, her expression twisted with pain.
Drip.
Tears fell down Plerine's cheek from under her blindfold.
"...."
I couldn't say a word.
Her face was filled with nothing but pain,
and I wanted to keep the promise I made when I took her in.
― No matter who you were or what you did in the past, it doesn't matter to me, Plerine. Just stay by my side.
I'd promised not to question her past.
So I racked my brains, trying desperately to piece things together.
'Could it be that the reason no employee mentioned Plerine...'
Apparently, my subordinates already knew.
Plerine must have confessed to them, just as she had to me.
'That's why no one spoke about her.'
The incredibly competent employee that even I, the boss, trusted most,
was revealed to be a heinous criminal who attacked the spirit stone quarry.
That's why everyone hushed it up.
It also explained why Plerine, despite being able to escape, quietly remained in her cell.
Plerine was confessing her crime and willingly staying here.
She was, literally, the one who walked herself into jail.
"Sorry, boss."
Plerine cried ceaselessly, as if she didn't know what else to do.
Seeing her cry so sorrowfully for the first time, I felt surprised and awkward,
but, oddly, a sense of satisfaction welled up inside me.
"Plerine. Come here."
"?"
"I said come. Muck up!"
Plerine hesitated at my reaction,
but slowly walked over to the iron bars where I stood.
As she reached within my arm's reach,
I placed my hand on her crown—chak—and gently mussed her hair.
Pabababak!
"W-What are you doing?!"
Plerine flinched as if startled,
but she didn't pull away or step back.
So, congratulating her, I ruffled her hair even more.
"Well done."
"??"
"And also, hmm... thank you."
Plerine's mouth hung open in surprise.
Her blindfold eyed me,
and I was so proud of her I said,
"For not leaving the village, and for protecting it."
Honestly, I don't know what she was truly feeling as she stayed.
But the fact that Plerine was here now, crying tears of guilt, willingly in jail—
didn't it mean she was trying to keep her promise to stay by my side?
'What an excellent employee she is!'
As boss, I couldn't just sit by.
If an employee was in danger,
it was only right I do whatever it took to save her!
"I'll get you out of here, no matter what—don't worry."
*
Returning to the shop, I lay on my bed.
Hmph. My mind was spinning.
Seems I won't be getting any sleep tonight—better sort out my thoughts.
'The reason Plerine asked me to come "secretly" was out of concern for me.'
She was anxious that even making contact would make me an accomplice.
Now that I think about it, company commanders and officers avoided eating at our shop.
I thought it strange, even after the old man died and the orders were rescinded,
but it seems they discussed Plerine privately, leaving me out completely.
'How infuriating.'
I probably shouldn't have resigned as battalion commander, after all.
In Granfen, a battalion commander's power nearly rivals that of the northern chief.
With just one word, I could have had Plerine declared innocent.
'Haaa. What's the point in regret? What's done is done.'
Again, I realized life is a matter of fortune and misfortune,
and pondered how to break Plerine out.
'Still, things aren't so bad.'
At least there's no fear of Plerine being executed.
She's powerful, and I'm not about to do nothing either.
'Now, there's no one in Granfen stronger than me.'
Of course, taking on several company commanders at once would be tough,
but smuggling her out and fleeing is well within my power.
So now I think—
'Maybe it's time to leave Granfen.'
If I have no reason to remain in this village,
if I can't settle here anymore,
then leaving the village becomes one of my options.
I'm no longer the person I was.
I'm not the outsider who got beaten up by Burt and forced into slavery.
Now, I have the strength of a 4th-rank,
enough money to buy a building or two,
and my special perk that lets me run a food shop anywhere.
'I can leave any time I want.'
That thought made me chuckle despite myself.
'To think—a guy who risked his life to protect Granfen village, now considering the worst just because an employee ended up in jail.'
It made me realize just how much I owed Plerine.
If not for her, I would have been dead long ago.
I'd already lost count how many times she's saved my life.
'So this time, it's my turn to save Plerine.'