Chapter 28
Liliana silently rubbed her wrist. It didn’t hurt. She had just been startled, that was all.
‘To think that someone like that exists even in the Cartel…’
They said this was a village for all the marginalized people of the world, yet the very guards meant to protect the village were the ones committing acts of violence. Of course, most of the villagers were kind. It was only that young man who had approached her with such aggression.
“Ms. Lily, today’s incident was my oversight. This fellow only recently joined the Cartel. I apologize.”
At Dert’s apology, Liliana let out a faint sigh. She avoided his gaze and replied.
“...It’s alright.”
“I am sorry. You seem quite shaken, so we will take our leave now. We shall visit again.”
Dert bowed politely and turned around. He grabbed Kaban by the shoulder and practically dragged him out of Liliana’s house.
“What on earth do you think you’re doing!”
Once the small cabin was out of sight, Dert stopped. He shouted at Kaban, but Kaban wore an aggrieved expression.
“Captain, that woman is lying! I clearly picked up the intense energy of an Uno in this vicinity, and that house is right in the middle of it—”
“So what! Do you think that just because we don’t get the answers we want, you have the right to commit violence against a civilian? This is the Cartel, not some other place. It is a village that protects the weak and respects those who are marginalized!”
“...I apologize. My judgment was clouded.”
Dert was deeply incensed. Even if Liliana were related to an Uno, as long as it wasn’t certain, she was just an ordinary villager. To Dert, every resident of the Cartel was someone worthy of protection.
“I, too, do not believe that Ms. Lily told us the absolute truth.”
“...Captain.”
“I had guessed that if I went to that house, I might uncover the full story of the incident. But after seeing Ms. Lily’s attitude, I realized it wouldn’t be easy to find out.”
*Hoo.* Dert let out a deep sigh.
“I am just as frustrated as you are. However, if we go to inquire or keep watch for a few days, clues are bound to emerge. If we wait, we will eventually obtain information.”
He clicked his tongue as he looked at Kaban, who was staring up at him blankly. Then, he said coldly.
“Violence is a foolish act. Starting tomorrow, you are confined to your home for three days.”
“What? Confinement? But Captain! I did it for the sake of the Cartel—!”
“Did you not hear me? I said that violence is something that should never happen in the Cartel.”
“Still, three days is too long.”
“You are getting off with this much only because you provided the information. Go home and cool your head.”
Having said his piece, Dert walked away without looking back. Left alone, Kaban ground his teeth.
“If only that woman hadn’t lied…!”
He clenched his fists tightly, panting with rage. He debated whether to go back right now and give her a piece of his mind, but the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. Soon, Kaban’s lips curled upward.
“That’s right, there’s no need to go right now.”
He had plenty of time. Three days of confinement. If he could find out something from that woman during that time, Dert would no longer punish him. Furthermore, if he found concrete evidence that she was related to an Uno, it would all be to his credit.
Kaban looked back at the path he had just walked. Smoke was curling up from the chimney of the cabin.
* * *
“*Haa.*”
Liliana slumped onto her bed. Only then did her tension ease, and her heartbeat returned to normal.
‘Did that man do that because I looked weak?’
Her body trembled. She was angry. She never expected to face something like this even after leaving the Parvane family.
‘Should I have just used my power? To make sure she doesn’t look down on me…’
Liliana shook her head. It was obvious that revealing her power would only have the opposite effect. They might have realized she wasn’t a Dos and taken her away.
‘But… what did those people mean by the strange things that happened?’
There hadn’t been many strange things she’d experienced in the Cartel. Finding Momo, losing Momo, and almost being eaten by cannibals.
“Ah!”
Liliana recalled the memory she had wanted to bury. The day she was caught by cannibals and nearly lost her life, she had returned home after losing consciousness and waking up. Back then, she had just assumed the Dos from the Barrier Tower had saved her…
‘Could it be that it wasn’t someone from the Barrier Tower? I thought they saved me because the Dos often patrol the area…’
It was a mystery. Most of the Dos in the Cartel belonged to the Barrier Tower. A Dos who could not use magic, like Valor, could not belong to the Barrier Tower. In other words, the only Dos who would be patrolling were those from the Barrier Tower, and if such an incident had occurred, the captain of the guard at the Barrier Tower would have known.
‘Then does that mean the one who saved me wasn’t a Dos? And why did those people come looking for me? What did they mean by the strange things that happened to me?’
Only questions arose, but there was no one to answer them. She felt frustrated, not knowing what on earth was going on.
‘They don’t seem to know that I am a Cero, but I still have to be more careful.’
Having sorted out her thoughts to some extent, Liliana lay down on the bed. She pulled Momo, who had been sitting quietly beside her, into her arms.
“Momo, honestly, I was really scared earlier. But I’m okay now. Because you’re here with me, Momo.”
Momo—Lajes—held in Liliana’s arms, was not feeling very good.
‘Because of that bastard, I almost revealed my identity.’
The moment the Dos touched Liliana, something hot had surged from within him. To think that a mere Dos would dare to lay a hand on her, someone he himself couldn’t even touch. He had wanted to reveal his true form right then and there to deal with him.
However, at that moment, the captain had stopped the man, and thanks to that, Lajes had been able to keep his composure. It was still too early. It was too soon to reveal his true self to Liliana. He planned to reveal his true form when Liliana would not be surprised to learn his identity, or when he could think of a way that wouldn’t make her push him away.
‘It seems like those guys will keep coming back…’
Lajes felt annoyed by the sudden intruders. He had always thought the Cartel was peaceful. But contrary to his expectations, there were many factors threatening Liliana’s safety. From Valor to the Kunt Tribe, and even the guards of the Barrier Tower.
‘I can overlook Valor, but I really don’t like those guards.’
Lajes agonized over how best to deal with them.
In the meantime, Valor, who had been invited to dinner that evening, arrived. Valor was carrying a large basket in one hand and a small one in the other.
“Lily! I’m here.”
“You’re here?”
Liliana, who had been rolling around on the bed with Momo, stood up immediately. She set Momo down and headed toward Valor.
“This is what Mrs. Muffin asked for. She wants me to mend the torn parts and embroider flower patterns.”
“Okay, I understand.”
Liliana took the small basket from Valor. The sewing work was a job that had started when villagers who saw her clothes and Momo’s clothes during her occasional walks around the village asked where she had bought them. From basic sewing to embroidery, the villagers asked for her help through Valor whenever they needed her skills. Thanks to that, Liliana was able to make a living without having to rush to find work.
“And this is meat for Momo!”
Valor grinned and held up the basket as if to show it off. He approached Momo, who was lying on the bed, and shook it from side to side.
“Momo, how is it? Doesn’t it smell delicious?”
It was an action meant to win Momo’s favor, but far from winning him over, Momo didn’t even show any interest. Valor let his shoulders slump and returned to Liliana. Pouting his lips, he said,
“Lily, does Momo really hate me that much?”
“He doesn’t seem to hate you as much as he used to. He hasn’t bitten you much lately, has he?”
“That may be true, but he bit me when we were drinking here last time.”
“...Well, that’s because you were dead drunk back then, right?”
Liliana said with a smile.
“Yeah. That was my fault back then. Then I guess it’s all my fault. There was a reason Momo hated me.”
Valor turned his back and muttered self-deprecatingly. For some reason, it sounded like he was sniffling.
“Valor, you’re not crying, are you?”
“Ah, I’m not crying! By the way, you said you’d make dinner tonight, so why isn’t anything prepared?”
Valor wiped his eyes with his forearm and turned back to ask.
“About that, it’s a bit of a long story.”
“What is it?”
Liliana debated whether she could be honest with Valor. Then, she decided to tell her friend, who had helped her many times.
“A Dos from the Barrier Tower came to visit.”
Liliana and Valor sat facing each other at the table. Instead of dinner, fruit, salad, and orange juice were placed between them. Valor gulped down the juice and said,
“So, a Dos from the Barrier Tower came to see you? Was it Dert, the captain of the guard?”
“Yes.”
“Why? What reason would Dert have to come see you?”
While Valor was questioning her, Liliana hesitated again. She wondered if she could tell her friend the whole truth.
‘Is it okay to reveal to Valor that I am a Cero?’
Liliana, who had paused for a moment at Valor’s question, told him everything except for the fact that she was a Cero.
“I don’t know the exact reason either. But he was suspicious of whether I was a Dos and asked if anything strange had happened.”
“...Suddenly?”
“Yes.”
“If you’re not a Dos, what do they think you are? And even if that were the case, you’re a member of the Cartel, so they wouldn’t do anything to harm you.”
Liliana bit her lip. No matter how much she was a member of the Cartel, the Barrier Tower were the ones who protected the Cartel. If they judged that she, a Cero, might be a threat to the Cartel, they might kick her out or do something even worse. Of course, this was just a guess. But it was a realistic one. It had been the same back in the Parvane family.
‘And yet, I thought the Cartel would be different…’
“*Hoo.*”
“Lily, are you okay?”
Valor asked with a worried face. It was heartbreaking to see her sighing, which was unlike her usual self.
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