Chapter 39 Fireworks
The Arcanist had completely fallen from grace, now just a pathetic figure, still shrieking in desperation.
"I've rigged explosives in the warehouse! If anything happens to me, everything goes up in flames!"
"Did you really think we hadn't dealt with that? Did you actually believe this path was the captain's usual walk?"
Luka leaned in, looking down at him with cold amusement.
No, they hadn't lured me in.
They had deliberately crafted a route that included the secluded area and the man's hideout, leading me to think I was choosing my path.
They even made me think I'd picked the spots myself, including the sketchy back alleys of the under-town and the old factory nearby.
"Okay, that was a bit flashier than I expected... Are the expenses still covered?"
"It should be fine."
If Luka said it was fine, then it probably was.
By the way, this warehouse was a rundown building once used by a dried fish factory that had just received a new drying machine.
I had negotiated with the military to use the space for fireworks during the Founding Festival, knowing they had their eyes on it.
I had replaced the contents with items that wouldn't matter if they got damaged, just in case the experiments went wrong.
"So it all went according to plan...?"
"All we did was turn the tables on you."
With a bright smile, Luka looked at the dazed man, finger teasing the trigger.
"Wait! You were a civilian now, weren't you? You can't shoot a human──"
Still as slippery as ever.
Not a bit like Isandro, who had met his end with a laugh.
"Do you think the law applies to the dead? This time, I'll make sure to finish the job, ghost."
* * *
Startled by a thundering bang from outside, Yuruyana peeked out of the general store, still damp from his bath.
"I can't believe it──didn't think I'd be dealing with someone who couldn't even use silencers..."
He thought he heard a grim muttering, but then spotted a familiar large silhouette emerging from a nearby alley, and relief washed over him.
"Thomas?"
"Oh, Mr. Yuruyana. Good evening!"
Yuruyana had assumed, given the military's request, that Thomas was once again hanging out with the members of the Fourth.
So he raised an eyebrow when he saw him standing alone in front of the shop, still sporting that cheerful smile of his.
"Weren't you with Tsukumo today?"
"Not today. He asked me to check if you could see the fireworks from here."
"Fireworks? Was that the sound from earlier?"
"Yeah, but I couldn't see anything."
"Well, with houses on both sides like this..."
It was a one-story house squeezed in a cluttered part of downtown, flanked by tall, looming apartment buildings that blocked out the sun.
No chance of seeing anything.
"Was Tsukumo stuck making fireworks for the Founding Festival or something?"
"Yeah! Since he's making them anyway, I wish they could at least be seen from the shop on the day itself."
"I thought that sound was similar to an arcane gun. You scared me!"
"It's not like they'd be firing in the middle of town, right?"
Thomas chuckled lightly, and Yuruyana joined in with a smile.
"Since you're here, why not grab some tea? Tsukumo should be back soon."
"Is it okay? Thank you!"
"Oh, and tell me more about Tsukumo's time as a soldier. I can't ask him, you know──"
The door closed, muffling their bright laughter until it eventually faded away.
Before the nearby residents noticed the bodies stacked in the darkness of the alley, men in inconspicuous outfits swarmed in to quickly gather them up.
* * *
Isandro's lifeless body lay sprawled out, eyes wide open, blood seeping from his forehead.
He watched the frantic fire extinguishing and cleanup efforts from nearby, feeling as if it were happening in another world.
When he tried to wipe the blood off his face with his sleeve, Luka grabbed his arm and handed him a towel.
"You're still slacking off in the weirdest places. Let's get outside, okay?"
"Got it..."
Leaving the warehouse with Luka, they headed toward the sea, aiming not to get in the way of the ongoing work.
The sky was filled with stars above them.
The strong sea breeze still carried a slight chill.
"Glad you didn't get hurt too badly. Need a healing hand?"
"Nah, I can manage."
With a flick of my wrist, I activated healing magic to mend the minor scrapes and bruises from the rubble.
"Normally, I'd just leave these kinds of injuries be, but hiding evidence is such a hassle..."
And all this just to keep Yuruyana from worrying, with 3 Arcanists working on him no less.
It was more care than he'd get from the royal family.
"I mean, it's nice that the captain is actually looking out for my health now."
As I wiped my face with a damp towel, Luka placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head and letting out a big sigh.
"You better dry your hair properly. You don't want Yuru-Yuru finding out, do you?"
"Oh, right."
I'd changed into a black jacket to hide the blood, but I'd totally forgotten about my hair.
Even if it was dark enough not to show, the smell might still give him away.
As I wiped diligently, the towel turned redder than I'd expected, and the faint scent of blood hit me like a truck, making my vision blur.
"Whoa! Captain, now of all times?"
Luka rushed to steady me as I stumbled, barely able to stand.
Just when I let my guard down, this happened.
I slowly knelt, taking a deep breath to steady myself.
"I'm not the captain anymore..."
I couldn't afford to faint here, so I tried to regain composure with some light banter.
Keeping my eyes open made me dizzy, but closing them brought back memories of those I couldn't save, the faces of the slain, blood pools, and debris──better to stay awake.
"You're still the captain, you know. That's why I made room for you."
"Stop abusing your power for that."
Despite being an illegitimate child, I held considerable influence as the son of a prominent noble overseeing the military. My one stubborn demand? That anyone but Tsukumo Kreis leads the Fourth.
If I'd left My out of the equation, I would've climbed the ranks far beyond where I'd be now.
"...No matter what anyone says, I'm not going back."
"Why not?"
"Because I finally feel like I can choose what I want to do."
As I thought about the faces of Yuruyana, Ms. Kanae, the usual crowd at the cafeteria, Mr. Junce, and others I had met since leaving the military, including family, the dizziness slowly began to fade.
I would do everything in my power for them to live peacefully and happily, but I couldn't carry anything more than that.
Luka scratched his messy hair, let out a sigh of exasperation, and stood up.
"You make it hard to say anything with that face."
"What face?"
"The kind I don't usually make."
He then extended his hand.
"Let's head back. I think it's about time Thomas runs out of ways to cover this up."
"Yeah."
With his help, I stood up, changed clothes, and checked for any other blood splatter.
Just then, Keel spotted us and came sprinting over.
"I'll see you home, so can I leave the rest to you?"
"Huh?!"
So the whole 'Captain' thing is still sticking, huh?
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