Crisis

To keep Heka from jumping out the window and escaping, his room faced the courtyard. It was far from the street, but high enough that he could barely make out the streetscape across from it.

Heka came to the bedside. Dense footsteps rang in his ears, along with a suffocating atmosphere buried beneath the heavy silence.

There were no walls in the world that did not let the wind through. The Black Mountain Merchants had already been at odds with some of the local Lineages. Now that they learned the merchants were hiding the key to clues about the gold coins, several opponents joined forces with Lineages that had previously remained neutral and attacked one of the Black Mountain Merchants' outer strongholds overnight.

Heka lowered himself and swept the square below with the corner of his eye. Corpses were being carried down from carriages one by one. Most bore obvious external wounds; the stench of blood probably came from there.

The Black Mountain Merchants had all donned armor. A few had even put on chainmail while still bare-assed.

The leader in black hunting attire walked among the corpses, seemingly confirming each person's identity.

"The pressure is too much. We never should've trusted those Marnie Lineage vermin. They were the ones who told us to come compete with the Deya Lineage, babbling on about how they would help us.

"And now look at this. We haven't even seen the Deya Lineage's faces, and just a pack of dogs raised by the Deya Lineage has already killed so many of our people.

"I say we should agree to their demands and throw that kid out. At least it'll make those mad dogs from Blood Sparrow settle down..."

A slender sword left its sheath and stopped steadily before the speaker's eyes. At its thickest, the little sword was no wider than an adult's pinky finger.

Its length had barely allowed it to escape the category of an embroidery needle.

Yet its slim blade formed a comical contrast with the leader's broad body.

Like an elephant putting on a pair of pink ballet shoes, then spinning on tiptoe across the floor.

"Since when did men of Black Mountain have to watch other people's expressions?

"We did not come here to be any Lineage's dogs. They are using us, but we are using them as well. Heka is important now. That is my judgment.

"And you are not qualified to question my judgment."

The little sword was sheathed again. Its blade scraped the metal ring at the edge of the scabbard, releasing a hum.

After examining every corpse, the man suddenly raised his head and instantly fixed his gaze on Heka at the windowsill. Heka immediately ducked down, avoiding his eyes.

Throughout the morning, an indescribable bloody stench hung over the grounds below. Heka wisely remained in his room, only occasionally glancing down from the corner of his eye.

Before lunch, just as Heka was hesitating over whether to skip a meal, Deko shoved open the door and barged in.

Tuft of Hair was wiping the floor. The boy stuck out his butt and pushed a rag somewhat larger than his palm across the ground with all his strength.

"He really is diligent."

Deko stood in the doorway without stepping on the floor that had already been cleaned.

Most of the Black Mountain Merchants were warriors. There were practically no elderly, weak, women, or children, and only the leader and several highly respected elders had personal servants.

Everyone else handled their own chores together with their roommates.

As for cooks and stablehands, those were side jobs. Even the carpenters were the same.

Only people whose work required expertise, such as doctors, were hired from outside.

Deko knew about Heka's situation. He had never seen Heka work; nearly all the tasks were handled by his little follower.

"Has the doctor come?"

Heka rose from the desk. The table in the room was very narrow, so he had previously been using the carpenter's large table in his workshop to complete his drawings.

"No, the doctor's matter may have to be delayed for a while. But don't worry too much. Since the boss promised, he definitely won't go back on his word.

"A guest is coming tonight. The boss hopes you can prepare to meet them. It'll be good for you. Don't go out this afternoon."

Deko arranged his words, avoiding Heka's eyes as he spoke.

Heka raised a brow, then took a slight step back and looked at the empty corridor behind him before turning his gaze back to the man in front of him.

"Am I going to meet your partner in Seapeak Port? You can't withstand the pressure anymore?"

Heka recalled the corpses he had seen that morning.

Though he had a little trouble telling Black Mountain men apart by their faces, after observing them carefully over the past few days, Heka had roughly counted their numbers.

A little over a hundred Black Mountain men had come to this core stronghold so far.

Seven had died yesterday alone. That truly counted as a blow to their sinews and bones. Heka had previously heard Graytooth Gang thugs chatting idly that most Black Mountain Merchants could fight three opponents at once.

Even if their opponents wounded them, they could still retreat unscathed through close coordination and superior weapons.

The Graytooth Gang's boss had even declared that anyone who could kill an armed member of the Black Mountain Merchants would be made a minor leader.

Heka's words made Deko take a step back, directly blocking the door. As for the window ahead, even if Heka jumped out, he would only land in a courtyard guarded by heavily armed men.

"Don't look at me like that. I can't read minds."

Seeing Deko's complicated expression, Heka shrugged.

"And you say you can't."

Deko's hand was already pressed against the hilt of his sword. Damn it, had this kid been playing the fool to catch the tiger all along, or had some Demonic Beast replaced him at some point?

"The Black Mountain Duchy and Seapeak Port aren't adjacent. You came here only a little over a year ago. Around that time, people from the Wealth Church also arrived. I even ate the little biscuits they handed out for a while."

"Yes, the little biscuits were delicious."

Tuft of Hair, who had been wiping the floor, raised his head and looked at the two men talking with blazing eyes.

"I'll take you to eat some later."

Heka sat on the bed and waved, signaling Deko not to be so tense.

Deko edged forward slightly. He would probably be unable to evade an attack from this position, but if the other party was some monster living inside a human body, his blade could at least reach its neck.

"You were invited here, weren't you? Whose side are you on—the Wealth Church's, or one of the local Lineages'?"