Good Deeds Aren't Always Rewarded

Duen left High Town and concealed himself in the night, only returning to Simon's home around three in the morning.

When he opened the door, Nami was sitting in a chair with her head propped on her hand. It was hard to tell whether she was asleep or simply lost in thought.

Duen took a few light steps forward. Hearing the faint sound, Nami immediately turned around. Only after seeing the familiar figure did she let out a soft sigh of relief.

Duen took off his black cloak. "I heard staying up late is a woman's worst enemy... Don't tell me you were so worried about me that you couldn't sleep?"

"Worried..."

Nami helplessly rubbed her forehead. "I was worried that if you failed, the kingdom's military police would follow the trail here and mistake me for your accomplice. That would be terrible."

"You make it sound like you're innocent."

"How could a delicate young girl like me possibly be an attacker's accomplice? No one would believe it if I told them."

"No, I would."

"Tch, give it a rest." Nami huffed, though a trace of nervousness flashed through her eyes. "So... how did it go?"

"It's over. He's dead." Duen sat down calmly.

"Is that so..." Nami did not look particularly surprised, but she felt as though a stone had finally dropped in her heart.

By the flickering candlelight, she looked at Duen's face. Sometimes, it was hard to imagine how this rather handsome boy could kill someone without the slightest emotional ripple. How exactly did he do it?

In the brief silence, Duen seemed lost in thought and murmured quietly, "Promoting force isn't the goal, but it is an indispensable means... a means of changing and breaking the status quo."

Nami asked, "What are you muttering about?"

"Nothing... This matter just gave me something to think about. I'll carefully consider the path ahead as well."

Having said that, Duen did not elaborate further. He asked, "Where's Simon?"

Nami said, "He was exhausted after getting injured, so he's already asleep."

"Mm." Duen closed his eyes and thought for a moment. "We'll leave here in a while."

"Where are we going?"

"A nearby village."

"Shouldn't we say goodbye?"

"There's no need. We'll have to come back when we set sail anyway. For now, we just need to lie low... Besides, I've helped him as much as I can. Since he chose this road himself, he should finish walking it himself."

"Oh..."

Nami nodded in agreement at Duen's explanation. She was also used to a life of hiding from place to place. The reason she had followed Duen in the first place was because of the several million Beli on him.

The night passed without incident.

Less than four hours later, when the first light of dawn appeared, Duen and Nami packed their belongings and left Simon's residence. There were no farewells, only a simple note of goodbye.

Other than a few scattered civilians, the silent streets held only garbage carts rolling slowly along, transporting all of the Goa Kingdom's trash toward Gray Terminal.

News of noble Bernal's murder apparently had not spread yet. There was also no word about Duen killing those desperados in the alley yesterday.

After passing through the streets and alleys and exiting the city gate that separated Border Town from Gray Terminal, the stench of garbage mountains rushed into their nostrils, mixed with the sweaty smell of damp armpits and the stink of feet.

Duen frowned deeply. Nami pinched her nose and clutched the black bag full of Beli under the other arm as they continued forward.

From the filthy, dilapidated shacks, several sallow-faced men occasionally poked their heads out and stared blankly in Duen's direction.

Some withdrew and continued sleeping, while others emerged from their shacks. They stayed about five meters behind Duen and Nami without approaching too closely, following them all the while and watching the two with sinister eyes.

"These people... really make me uncomfortable." Nami shuddered beneath their stares.

Duen kept his face calm as he looked ahead. After walking only a few steps, he suddenly turned his head and spoke seriously. "Nami?"

"What is it?"

Hearing Duen suddenly call out, Nami froze slightly. Her eyes shifted as she watched the people around them from the corner of her eye, lowering her voice vigilantly. "Is something wrong?"

Duen sniffed. "Is it your shit that smells, or does this place smell worse?"

"Negative emotion value from Nami +4..."

"Go to hell!"

Nami's face darkened. Was that really a question to ask at a time like this? Could such a crude question even be said aloud? And why was he comparing it to the smell here?!

Duen said with a straight face, "Can't I?"

"Negative emotion value from Nami +55..."

Nami flushed with humiliation and anger. She wanted nothing more than to get as far away from this guy as possible, cut all ties with him, and go their separate ways forever.

But at that moment, Duen gripped the black broad blade on his back with his right hand. With his other arm around Nami's back, he pulled her forward against him, then suddenly drew his blade and swung it ahead. With a flick of his wrist, the horizontal blade snapped upright just above Nami's shoulder, severing a strand of orange hair.

Bang!

Before Nami could cry out, a buzzing sound like a steel ball reverberating after impact rang beside her ear. At the same time, a powerful force traveled from the blade into Duen's palm, numbing the web between his thumb and forefinger and nearly knocking the broad blade, which weighed over twenty kilograms, from his grip.

The ricocheting bullet instantly blasted a hole through the roof of a nearby shack.

Cold sweat broke out on Duen's back. He lowered his head slightly, then could not help looking painfully at the dent in his blade before raising his eyes toward Border Town.

Five or six men dressed in black stood there with vicious expressions, holding all kinds of cold weapons. The slight bulges beneath their coats revealed the outlines of firearms at their waists.

The lead man's face seemed completely ruined by some past injury. He held a revolver, and a wisp of white smoke appeared to rise slowly from its dark barrel.

A trace of surprise flashed through the man's eyes at Duen deflecting the bullet with his broad blade. He took a few steps forward. "Ghost, you've got some skill..."

Duen subtly shifted forward, blocking Nami at his side, and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Aren't you afraid of getting arrested by the military police for firing a gun here?"

The man smiled dismissively. "This is a garbage dump. Even if ten thousand people died here, the kingdom's military police wouldn't care. Don't expect them to come save you, Ghost..."

"Who are you?" Duen's expression remained calm. The other party did not seem connected to the military police, so this probably had nothing to do with last night's incident.

The man did not bother hiding it. "My name is Rom. All you need to know is that the Goa Kingdom's underworld will soon be under my control..."

His gaze swept over Duen and Nami, and then a cold smile curved across his lips. "Hand over that black bag, and I can spare your lives."

Sensing the malice in Rom's gaze, Duen lowered his head slightly and leaned close to Nami's ear. "Looks like this guy came because of you..."

"That shouldn't be possible!"

Nami was almost pressed against Duen's body, but this was not the time to think about that. Thoughts raced through her mind. "I've never exposed myself. How could they be after the Beli in the bag...?"

"My patience is limited."

Rom raised his gun again and aimed it at Duen's head, a look of absolute confidence flashing in his eyes.

Duen gave Nami a look, then took the black bag from her loosened hand and raised it before him as though he intended to agree. "I don't mind giving it to you, but there's one thing I want to confirm. Why are you so certain this contains something you want?"

Rom laughed darkly. "A ghost told us. In all my years, this is the first time I've seen someone generously give a beggar tens of thousands of Beli..."

As his words fell, Duen clearly felt Nami's body tremble violently.