Aventurine had barely taken two steps when his vision went black, and he nearly fainted.
He had clearly been hit by that technique again.
"...I swear."
Suppressing his anger, Aventurine gritted his teeth and purged the power of Harmony once more. He took a deep breath.
"I promise, once this is over, I'll make that wing-headed bastard pay."
A member of the Hound Family noticed that Aventurine looked unwell and hurried over to ask:
"Sir, are you all right? Do you need help?"
"Hm?"
Aventurine turned to him with a faint smile.
"It's nothing. I'm fine."
"Here, these gems are for you."
He handed the Hound Family member a handful of gems.
The Hound named Woolsey froze.
His expression turned complicated, as though he were looking at a sparrow soaked in muddy water.
"Friend, why are you giving me these...? And you don't look well!"
"If you need help, I can contact the hotel and have them wake you by force."
Aventurine shook his head.
"No need. I'm fine... But thanks."
"I could use some help with something else."
"As one of Penacony's finest Hounds, have you dealt with any stowaways lately?"
"Hm? Stowaways?" Woolsey folded his arms, puzzled.
"Stowaways? Why would Penacony have stowaways? Nothing like that has ever happened..."
"..." Seeing how tight-lipped the burly man was, Aventurine took the hint and said goodbye.
"Hmm... All right. Hope your work goes smoothly."
Aventurine shook his head as he walked away. The Family really wouldn't tell the company anything.
He had barely taken another two steps when his vision went black again.
He staggered and nearly fell.
Clearly, he had been hit again.
"I am so... done with this."
Aventurine clutched his head and looked at the black-and-purple crow perched on a utility pole nearby. He genuinely wanted to