PDCOO Chapter 14

"What?"

"The guards' armament level is low. Catching armed bandits would be their limit. The walls also show signs of hasty construction. Looking at that low height and purposeless finish, it's clearly a stone wall built hastily during the war—Mmph!"

Anna quickly covered Bertram's mouth.

It was fortunate he was sitting. Otherwise, no one on the cart could have reached his mouth.

Fortunately, the guards didn't seem to hear his words.

The village chief grumbled.

"Damn it. Anna, you ride on that bachelor's shoulders and if he's about to spout nonsense again, cover his trap."

"...You don't need to strain yourself climbing up. I'll be careful from now on."

"Please be careful. You'll leave and be done with it, but we can't even buy cloth to make clothes without this city!"

In front of the gate, the village chief greeted the guards warmly. The guards gestured with their noses in the air, then their expressions hardened when they saw Bertram crouched in the cargo area.

"Village Chief, that man is..."

"What? He's not a bad person!"

"Did he go to your village to repay a debt? Did you have any frustrating incidents?"

"...You know about him too?"

"Don't even mention it! He came in a week ago looking for a creditor and turned us inside out. He's not a bad person, but doesn't he seem a bit strange?"

The guards muttered to the village chief, but their voices carried all the way here. Anna covered Bertram's ears tightly and glared at the guards.

Anyway, the inspection ended. The cart passed through the gate, and voices whispering behind them were audible.

—It's annoying enough when country folks come to sell things. This time there aren't even any decent women.

—They only brought little brats...

"Village Chief."

"What is it, Anna?"

"Can I go hit those bastards?"

"Save that anger for haggling. Bertram, follow me. I need a man who can make a fierce face when I'm selling wolf pelts."

Bertram didn't refuse and toured leather shops with the village chief.

After making a complete pilgrimage through the small city's leather shops, the village chief returned to Anna and Lara, shaking his money pouch with satisfaction.

"Good, with this much I can drink until my nose is crooked tonight!"

"Viilllllage Chief? Did we entrust you with the wolf pelt so you could drink? The hammer handle at the communal farm is rotting these days."

"...Argh. I shouldn't have brought you, Anna. I'll look at tools, so you go sell your things with Lara."

"Understood! Village Chief, don't just buy a hammer—get some nails too!"

"All right. Bertram, you follow them."

The village chief pushed Bertram's back.

Bertram didn't move even half a span and asked.

"This time, should I follow Anna and flex my arms every time someone tries to lowball the price?"

"Anna haggles well so that's fine, just watch out for strange guys. There are always villains targeting country girls in cities. Pretend to be Anna's older brother. I usually had Dieter do this, but his ankle had to break now, of all times."

"Dieter usually played the role of Anna's older brother?"

"No. That guy can only imitate a husband dragged around by Anna!"

The village chief laughed heartily and slapped Bertram's back.

Anna and Lara had already gotten far ahead. Bertram caught up to them in a few long strides.

Anna's blood sausage sold quickly. The butcher shop that mainly traded with the village communal farm bought it. Anna was satisfied with the price, but Bertram flexed his arms just in case. As a result, the butcher shop owner—who seemed to match Bertram's weight if nothing else—evaluated him solemnly.

"Looks like you only eat lean meat and exercise. Eat fatty meat sometimes too. That's how butcher shops survive and the nation thrives."

"...I'll take that to heart."

The conversation with the butcher shop owner, who thought meat-centrically about everything, ended there.

'Was I not helpful this time?'

As Bertram thought that, Anna—who'd been pocketing the sausage money—grinned and said.

"The butcher shop owner always scared me before, but with you here, he even said funny things! Thanks!"

...He couldn't easily understand it, but it wasn't bad.

The problem arose next, with Lara. No one would buy the gemstones she'd brought.

She'd said she came along to gain sales experience so she didn't expect much, but being ignored the moment she mentioned "gemstones" at any shop seemed to gradually stir up Lara's stubbornness.

After going around and around, the last place they stopped was a pawnshop.

The pawnshop was on the second floor of a building, and the path there was far from easy. The wood scraps loosely laid as stairs creaked in even the slightest breeze.

Anna shook her head.

"It looks doomed just looking at it. This place is a no."

"I don't need to sell it for much. I just need to earn even one coin before going back!"

Lara's face was bright red with stubborn determination after being continuously ignored.

"Dad always scolded me, saying these things don't make money, that I only developed superficial tastes... I want to throw down a gift bought in the city in front of him and laugh triumphantly. Even if it's just one piece of candy."

"Just borrow money from me instead."

"It's fine. We're not even that close."

"You're surprisingly blunt, you know?"

"I'm completely pissed off right now! Then I'll be back!"

Lara stomped up the stairs, fuming. Anna watched her from behind while leaning against the wall.

She'd be rejected and return within a minute, so following her up seemed pointless.

...But her expectation was betrayed.

She waited long enough for a worm to crawl from the end of one shadow to the end of the opposite shadow. There were no returning footsteps.

Those stairs had definitely creaked as though the world was collapsing when Lara went up earlier.

Anna didn't wait any longer and placed her foot on the first step.

"Bertram, wait here. If you come up too, the stairs might collapse."

"But going up alone doesn't seem like a good choice either."

"If the stairs collapse, we'll both be trapped. If I'm not out in five minutes, call the guards."

Anna neatly sorted out the situation, then climbed the stairs.

The closer she got to the second floor, the more musty smells intensified. The smell of old dust, tobacco. And... a strange perfume smell too.

When Anna, feeling uneasy, opened the pawnshop door and entered, a heavily bearded pawnshop manager whistled.

"A cute customer. What brings you here? We don't sell candy."

Suppressing her irritation at being treated like a child, Anna looked around.

The space was narrower than it looked from outside. The walls were completely covered with curtains, making it impossible to see what was on the other side. There was no trace of Lara either.

Anna's back went cold with foreboding.

Moreover, the man was toying with what were clearly Lara's gemstones.

Anna spoke as coldly and calmly as possible, pretending she'd noticed nothing.

"Mister, did you see my little sister?"

"Little sister? Not older sister? ...Ah."

The man immediately realized he'd made a slip. His expression turned fierce, then he forced a smile.

"Looking for someone. Sit here for a moment, I'll ask some people I know. What does she look like?"

"Um, black hair covering her ears. Blue eyes."

Lara had brown hair and green eyes, so the description was completely different. The man looked somewhat relieved.

"I see. How tall is she?"

"Quite tall. Taller than me. Tall enough that you'd look and think, ah, that's a bear."

"To you, most men probably look as big as bears. I'll look for her, don't go anywhere, stay here!"

The man forcibly sat Anna in a nearby chair, then went down the stairs. The creaking sound was especially loud. If Bertram had stepped on those stairs, they would have collapsed immediately.

The moment the man left her sight, Anna roughly pulled back the curtains. Behind the fluttering cloth were numerous wooden doors. All had latches fastened toward this side.

At least they weren't padlocks, but...

I can't find her by shouting, so do I have to open them one by one?

Of course, action was faster than thought.

As Anna opened several doors within reach, she suddenly realized a clue lay before her eyes.

A curtain was caught in one wooden door.

As if someone had just been roughly shoved inside.

The moment she opened that door, she saw Lara buried in a pile of cloth, covered in tears. Nothing more needed to be said. Anna immediately wrapped her arms around Lara's waist and headed for the exit.

As she looked to see if they could both go down the stairs at once, Lara suddenly cried out.

"Anna, Anna!"

"Be quiet. That bastard might come up—"

No, that wasn't it.

An ominous feeling loomed behind Anna's back.

"Well, well, who's this? Two customers? Did sisters run away from home together?"

No time to turn around.

What entered her vision first was a tobacco-reeking hand reaching over her shoulder.

Anna tried to escape from that hand.

But the man wasn't targeting Anna.