Ch.280Chapter 280 – Find a Ship (2)

The place I followed the woman to was a nearby back alley.

At the entrance of the deserted alley, the woman leaned against the wall and spoke.

“This should be far enough.”

Her face wasn’t fully visible because of her hood.

However, she didn’t seem intent on completely hiding her face, as she made no effort to tidy her long black hair that had fallen down.

Looking at her, Beatrice spoke with a sneer.

“Not going any deeper into the alley?”

That was Beatrice, deliberately speaking confrontationally when she could have asked normally.

I thought about cautioning her, but seeing how she was looking at me, I stepped back slightly.

Judging by her eyes, she didn’t seem to be speaking that way without reason.

The woman quietly observed Beatrice.

“Hey.”

“…Excuse me. You resemble someone I know.”

The woman spoke in a not-so-friendly voice.

But soon she turned to me and said:

“My shop… or should I say, my base is inside, but if we went that far, you might suspect a trap. Isn’t that right?”

“Perhaps?”

I replied lightly, as if I hadn’t been thinking anything of the sort.

Of course, it was true that I had no intention of going any deeper because I was wary of a trap, just as she said.

“Please rest assured. Despite appearances, there’s a bounty on my head, so I’m the one who needs to be more careful.”

“A bounty? You must be quite the criminal then?”

At my question, she suddenly giggled.

Though she stopped quickly, she continued with a slightly amused voice.

“Yes. I’m actually a tremendous criminal.”

Finding it amusing to herself, the woman laughed a bit more.

Then she spoke again.

“Why else would both current Florence and the king put such an enormous bounty on my head? Thanks to that, I’ve been reduced to wearing a hood and skulking around back alleys.”

“So you’re an extremely dangerous criminal.”

“Yes. I’m an extremely dangerous woman.”

I could see a smirk form on the woman’s lips.

Then she quietly asked me:

“Well? Are you scared?”

“Not at all.”

The woman seemed a bit disappointed by my answer.

I spoke quietly to her:

“Just so you know, having your subordinates or whoever they are lying in ambush around us won’t do much good. Our companion already noticed them a while ago.”

As I finished speaking, Sia, who was behind me, quietly nodded.

Looking at Sia, the woman smiled and said:

“My, they’re quite skilled. You’re impressive. I thought you were being rather careless for people concerned about traps.”

“Two or three people hiding doesn’t even qualify as a trap for us.”

The woman quietly nodded at Sia’s words.

Then Sia spoke to her again:

“Well, they don’t seem to have any killing intent. Who are these people hiding around us?”

“They’re my friends. They followed at a distance because they thought it would be dangerous for me alone.”

“I tried to stop them,” she added quietly.

“Their purpose is less about watching you and more about keeping an eye out for any unwanted visitors. Not mentioning them because I was worried you might be wary has backfired, it seems.”

The woman sighed lightly, seemingly a bit regretful about how things had turned out.

Then she looked at me quietly and said:

“If I’ve offended you, I apologize. Will you accept?”

“Depends on what you do next.”

Whatever her intentions were, and even if we didn’t perceive her as much of a threat, she had still tried to deceive us in a way, so it would be difficult to let it go unless she showed some clear sign of trustworthiness.

Fortunately, she seemed to understand my thinking well and nodded before speaking again.

“Let’s get back to business. About the item you want.”

“You seem to already know what it is.”

The woman nodded at Eve’s question.

Then she quietly said:

“A ship. A vessel that can travel a considerable distance. Correct?”

“You’re well-informed. Where have you been eavesdropping?”

Eve spoke in a somewhat unfriendly voice.

The woman nodded and quietly replied:

“I have many ears, but I didn’t eavesdrop. A friend told me.”

“I suppose you have more friends besides those keeping watch over there?”

“Yes. Someone you know as well.”

From the woman’s words, I could immediately tell who this friend was.

We hadn’t met many people since coming here.

No, rather, besides ourselves, there was only one person who would know our purpose to some extent.

“You must be a friend of Miss Domestica.”

“Yes. A very old friend.”

The woman bowed her head again and said:

“Domestica was supposed to meet me here. I heard a lot about you from her.”

“I see.”

I quietly asked her again while looking at her:

“Did you hear anything else from Miss Domestica?”

“From Dome, I only heard that you helped her and some news about the capital. But I did hear some interesting stories from another friend.”

The woman smiled slightly and said:

“For instance, the story of how you fought demons here.”

“…”

“Oh, don’t worry. That friend is very discreet and only told me and my friends about it. I learned about your fight with the demons by examining the scene myself this morning.”

The woman spoke as if trying to reassure us.

“Of course, I was able to reach that conclusion because I had heard about demons from Domestica.”

“You investigated the traces quite thoroughly.”

“I was fortunate to have several friends skilled in magic.”

The woman said with a smile.

Then she spoke again:

“We’ve gone off topic. Getting back to the point, I’d like to make a deal with you regarding that ship.”

“What kind of deal?”

“It’s simple. I want you to help me with my work.”

The corners of the woman’s mouth turned up slightly.

“It might be a bit dangerous, but I’m in a hurry too. I need the help of reliable people with strong combat abilities, which is why I’ve come to you.”

“How did those two conditions lead you to the conclusion of making a deal with us?”

“Because you possess strong combat abilities and are trustworthy.”

The woman smiled and answered my question.

“The fact that you fought demons without suffering any damage proves your strength, doesn’t it?”

After saying that, she pointed at me and continued:

“And you didn’t do anything to Domestica when she was unconscious. Instead, you treated her and safely brought her here, which makes you quite trustworthy, doesn’t it?”

After saying that, the woman spoke again:

“So, what will you do?”

“Obviously, we’re holding off for now.”

Eve quietly spoke to the woman who seemed to be rushing a bit.

“If you’re a local, you surely know that all ships above a certain size have been requisitioned by the Emiris Order and the royal family. Because of that, there wasn’t a single large ship at the dock.”

“So you’re asking where I’m keeping a ship in this situation, is that it?”

“That’s right. How many merchants would decide on a deal without seeing the actual item, especially when there’s no established trust?”

Eve spoke quietly.

“When there’s no trust, showing the actual item before trading is a merchant’s basic principle. I don’t want to repeat myself.”

“You’re absolutely right. I guess I teased you too much.”

The woman tapped her head with a light thud.

Though I couldn’t see it because of her hood, I suspected she might have stuck out her tongue slightly.

Then the woman spoke again:

“Indeed, unless it’s hidden somewhere that neither the royal family nor the Order can touch, it would be impossible to show you the actual item.”

“But,” the woman said with a smile.

“What if I told you I know a place that neither the royal family nor the Order can touch?”

“If such a place exists, that’s where we should be talking.”

Eve quietly replied.

The woman then put her hand inside her garment and said:

“Then let me show you. A place that neither the Order nor the royal family can touch.”

She spoke while rummaging through her garment.

I focused, wondering if she was going to pull out a map or something.

After searching for a while, she seemed to find what she was looking for and smiled slightly as she took out the object.

Then she extended her hand.

“Ta-da! Here’s the ship you want.”

“…What is this?”

I spoke with disappointment as I looked at the object on the woman’s hand.

“This is just a model ship.”

It was a ship, yes.

But given that it fit in her hand, it was hard to call it a ship.

It was a completely unexpected item.

While I was starting to get angry at this absurdity, I managed to calm myself and looked at the ship.

‘…It is quite detailed, though.’

It looked like a real ship that had been miniaturized.

It was a ship with impressive white sails over a black hull.

There were also some elaborate decorations around the ship.

I didn’t know what kind of ship it was, but it seemed to be a miniature of some famous and elaborate vessel.

“…I don’t know much about art, but it’s a well-made model. So where’s the actual ship?”

“My, this is the ship you wanted.”

Just as I was contemplating whether to get angry at the woman’s words, Beatrice suddenly thrust her head toward the woman and asked:

“You, where did you get this ship?”

Beatrice spoke threateningly.

For some reason, she seemed to have become urgent.

The woman calmly pushed Beatrice away and said:

“See? Beatrice already knows this is a ship.”

“Stop changing the subject…”

“Your companion seems confused. Please calm down and explain about this ship to them, would you?”

The woman’s words were slightly chilling.

At those words, Beatrice stepped back without answering.

She placed her hand on her chest as if to calm herself and began to take deep breaths.

I quietly called out to her.

“Beatrice?”

“Sorry. I’m calm now, Togu.”

Beatrice adjusted her hat, apologizing for causing worry.

Then she looked at us and spoke quietly:

“That is indeed a ship, Togu.”

“…It looks like a model no matter how I look at it.”

“It may look like a model, but it’s a ship.”

After saying that, Beatrice looked at the ship on the woman’s hand and said:

“That’s a ship belonging to one of the Seven Princesses.”

“One of the Seven Princesses?”

“Yes.”

Beatrice spoke quietly.

“It’s a magical ship that a court magician presented to Princess Dana of Florence, the Dancing Princess. It’s usually kept in a small state and can be enlarged when used.”

A magical ship, huh.

It looked like a model at first glance, but it was actually a ship in a reduced state.

“But the Dancing Princess Dana…?”

“One of the Seven Princesses who was skilled in dancing and magic. She has passed away now.”

The hooded woman provided additional explanation.

Ignoring her for the moment, I quietly asked Beatrice:

“Is there a possibility it’s fake?”

“No.”

Beatrice said with a bitter expression.

“Only those who know can see it, but… the sail of that ship has the symbol of the Florence royal family drawn on it.”

“There’s nothing drawn on it.”

“It’s a kind of anti-counterfeiting measure. When it’s in its reduced state, it’s hidden by magical power. Conversely, you can use magical power to determine whether the royal family’s symbol is drawn on the sail or not.”

Beatrice quietly explained that this was how one could easily tell if it was real or fake.

Given how she was speaking, it must be genuine.

After Beatrice finished her explanation, the woman bowed her head toward us and said:

“This is the item I’m offering for trade. Not bad, right?”

“…”

“For your reference, this was a royal item, so it’s a priceless treasure. You can get it cheaply now.”

After saying that, the woman extended her hand toward us.

“Well, shall we sign?”

“No, we’re still holding off.”

Beatrice intervened at the woman’s question.

Then Beatrice quietly looked at the woman with a not-at-all friendly gaze.

The woman tilted her head and asked:

“Why? It’s something you need.”

“That doesn’t mean we should jump at it right away.”

Beatrice pointed at the ship with her finger and said:

“That ship isn’t something you can easily obtain. It would have been strictly managed.”

The woman quietly listened to Beatrice’s words.

Then Beatrice spoke again:

“Yet such a ship is in your hand.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Who are you, really?”

The woman was silent for a moment.

“I’m asking who you really are.”

“I am…”

Just as the woman was about to speak in response to Beatrice’s urging:

“Please wait a moment.”

It was a familiar voice.

Looking toward the source of the voice, I saw a familiar face.

“Domestica.”

“I see you sooner than expected.”

Domestica was approaching us.