Volume 5 Chapter 22 It's A Little Scary, But...
I have mixed feelings about things going according to Reed's plan, but I understand that it's not easy for us to escape Eubarest on our own, as he says.
If you eat poison, expect to taste the plate. Or perhaps, fight fire with fire. Even though I can't completely trust Reed, for now, we need to swallow his poison.
I glance at Aina and the others, and it seems they've come to the same conclusion as me.
"...Alright. We'll cooperate. Just don't expect us to get too familiar. We're only working together out of necessity. Don't forget that."
In response to my somewhat pointed reply, Reed snaps his fingers.
"Alright, then it's settled. First things first, let's change our location. This place isn't exactly safe."
"Is it really safe to go outside now? There are still those thugs out there who were after us."
Mikage glared at the door and spoke. She could hear the voices of the people looking for them outside.
"That's not a problem. Well, come on. But I'm not the guide here."
Reed looked at the man who had brought us to this place. He nodded at Reed and gestured for us to follow him towards the door with a light swing of his hand.
We exchanged glances, wondering if everything was okay, but Reed followed the man with a light step. Once he had declared that we were in this together, we had no other choice but to follow, and we stepped outside the house.
Most of Reed's subordinates who had been inside the house scattered on the spot, but a few of them followed the man's trail.
The man leading us continued to guide us through the city at night, sometimes stopping and sometimes jogging.
Mikage spoke quietly to Reed.
"Isn't that man your subordinate? He seems quite familiar with this city."
"Subordinate, or more like, feels like one of the collaborators. More accurately, he's the lackey who's going to meet someone later. He knows these back alleys like the back of his hand, so naturally he knows the routes that won't attract attention."
"So, quiet down from here," Reed said, placing a finger on his lips. Despite finding his gesture irritating, Mikage kept quiet. Without encountering any dangerous situations, we reached a certain district.
It was a shady street different from the bright image of a tourist district.
What came to mind first was the red-light district in the royal capital. The air around here was very similar to that. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the people walking the streets were not exactly law-abiding citizens, and there were women dressed provocatively standing around here and there.
This place is what they call the "backstreets" of Eubarest, and I quickly understood that. It's not just any backstreet in the usual sense. It's literally the hidden side of the city.
Once a city reaches a certain size, regardless of whether it's the royal capital like I'm familiar with, according to what I've heard from Mikage and Kyunei, places like this exist.
"A-are you sure it's safe?"
Aina asks, nervously scanning our surroundings. I can't blame her. After all, we're currently being pursued by the underworld of this city. Meanwhile, Reed casually waves his hand.
"Don't worry. This area belongs to a different territory than the ones chasing after you guys. Even if we were to be found out, they wouldn't dare to mess with us that easily."
What does he mean by "different territory"?
"I'll explain that along with everything else soon."
We kept walking down the street just as Reed said, and although there were plenty of people around, none of them seemed to be directing any obvious hostility towards us. As usual, there were a few guys here and there who couldn't help but stare at Kyunei and Mikage, but that was about it. Before long, we arrived at the largest building on the street, which looked like a tavern from the sign. However, on either side of the double doors, there were tough-looking men in tailcoats standing guard.
As Reed led us towards the entrance, the sharp-eyed men glared at us.
"Hey there. Is the boss around?"
"...Who are the folks behind you?"
"My colleagues here are powerful reinforcements who are helping out with this matter. They may look cute, but they're well-known individuals."
"...The boss is inside. I always say this, but make sure to show some respect."
"Got it. We'll consider handling things positively."
"Is that guy just talking nonsense?" I thought to myself as the two gatekeepers sighed and gestured towards the door. It seemed like they were familiar with Reed, but they seemed to have given up dealing with his attitude.
As we entered the shop, it had a slightly different atmosphere from the taverns I had been to before. There were counter seats and table seats, but it was a very calm atmosphere. In my mind, taverns were always filled with rowdy drunks making a ruckus, especially at dusk.
"Oh, they have some good liquor lined up here."
Kyunei remarked, admiring the bottles lined up on the counter wall. I didn't know much about the quality of alcohol, but they certainly looked expensive.
"This is an exclusive high-end place, not for casual visitors. The selection here is top-notch, even compared to the shops on the main street."
We continued on, passing through the first floor where the entrance was and heading up the stairs. There was a room with a curtain hanging, and once again, a strong man was guarding the entrance.
The guys outside and these dudes are seriously buff. It might sound weird comparing them to mercenaries who fight monsters, but they could probably hold their own against 3rd rank mercenaries.
'He has got a pretty good eye for this stuff. Probably a VIP room where only a select few can get in, right?'
As Gram and I silently exchanged words, Reed approached the burly guy.
"I wanna see the boss. Is he available now?"
"He's in the middle of a meeting with some clients. Wait a bit."
"Got it. I'll be on the first floor, so call me when it's settled."
Back on the first floor, Reed plopped down at a random table. We hesitated for a moment, but figured standing around in the shop would draw attention, so we sat near Reed. Just to be safe, Kyunei sat next to me. Meanwhile, Reed had already ordered drinks.
As soon as we all sat down, Reed leaned in across the table.
"Hey, Kyunei-chan, wanna sit next to me? I'll even treat you to the most expensive drink in this place."
"Sorry, I'll pass."
"Well, that's a bummer."
Seems like he expected to get turned down, 'cause he didn't push it and backed off right away.
"Um, Reed-san, could you please tell us who we're meeting with soon?"
"I'd be happy to tell you if the young lady here pours me a drink."
"Quit joking around."
"Black Blade, your girl's a little scary, huh?"
Reed looked pretty scared after dishing out that snarky remark with a grin. I didn't feel sorry for him, but I gotta admit, it was kinda scary.
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