Infinite Mage

Chapter 130: The Galiant Island (6)

Shirone felt a heavy ache in his heart. How much abuse must a child endure to utter such words?

"From that day on, those words became a sort of spell. Every time my adoptive father beat me, I would say, 'You can kill me if you want.' Then he would stop hitting me with an angry look and leave. Hehe, I just lived like that. When I was twelve, thirteen, and until I left home at seventeen."

"That's about my age now."

"Yes, it's the age to open one's eyes to the world. Then, one day, I finally realized the meaning of what my adoptive father had done to me all along. Or maybe I already knew, which is why I never asked for anything."

Shirone could guess by now. Marsha's adoptive father had harbored an unthinkable and terrible thought.

"Foolishly. If he wanted to, he should have just done it openly. Then he wouldn't have been entangled in such filth for 17 years. In the end, he was just a pathetic coward who couldn't do anything. Since then, I started carrying a knife hidden on me. One day, I saw the eyes of my adoptive father as he was beating me. Ah, it was so pitiful I couldn't bear to watch. So, I just told him."

Marsha spoke calmly, her emotions restrained.

"You can hug me."

"Did your adoptive father do that?"

"Hehe, strangely enough, there's no twist in such stories. He pounced on me as if he had been waiting, and I stabbed him in the throat with the knife. Honestly, I didn't feel anything. Then I left home and wandered around the world until I ended up here."

Shirone's heart was heavy. Hearing the story firsthand from the person involved brought an indescribable sense of outrage, unlike anything he had only read about in books or heard through rumors.

"Um, I don't know what to say..."

"It's okay! I'm getting by now. My adoptive father is dead, but the kleptomania doesn't go away easily. I've had my share of trouble because of it. Sigh."

As Marsha laughed cheerfully, Shirone felt better too. He admired her for being considerate of others despite what she had been through.

"If it's an unforgettable pain, embracing it might be one way to deal with it. You're doing your best to overcome the pain, and the kleptomania will disappear soon."

"Thanks for understanding. If you had any plans to do something to me tonight, you would have been completely fooled."

"No! I really..."

"I know. No need to blush. Having a brother like you wouldn't be boring."

"Me too. In fact, I even thought Marsha really felt like my real sister."

"Hehe! Thanks."

Shirone was sincere. Having seen the relationship between Rian and Reina, he had thought it would be nice to have siblings.

Would it feel like this to have a sister? Her every word and action comforted Shirone's heart.

In the meantime, the bartender, who had gone into a room, came out.

Though Shirone didn't know the details, it seemed that all sorts of information were collected from the room the bartender emerged from.

"The Gamos alert has been lifted. Seems he found a woman to his liking and returned to his mansion to throw a party."

"Phew, it's good it wasn't too late."

Marsha glanced at Shirone with a sly look.

"Hmph, seems you really hated being with me? Just a moment ago, you were using your baby voice, begging, 'Marsha sis, please become my real sister.'"

"I didn't say it like that."

Shirone felt the same regret. It was the first time he had lost track of time talking to a woman, given he wasn't used to them.

But for the sake of the household staff waiting at the villa, holding their stomachs, he had to leave.

"Do you think we can meet again?"

"Of course. What, afraid I'll run away in the middle of the sea? If you're bored, come visit. I plan to stay here for a while."

"Haha! Then, I'll take my leave."

As Shirone hurried out of the bar, Marsha ordered a strong drink with a relaxed expression.

As expected, two men who had been eyeing her approached as if they had been waiting.

"You're quite a catch. Because of you, I ended up paying more for drinks than usual."

"Booking a room? This place isn't safe for a woman alone. How about I join you?"

Marsha didn't even turn her head.

"Beat it. Before I kill you."

"What? You done talking? Want to get a proper beating tonight?"

One of the men grabbed a bottle from the table and raised it upside down. As the tension became palpable, people around the bar turned their heads.

With all eyes on her, Marsha sighed inaudibly and then suddenly changed her tone, laughing coquettishly.

"Hahaha! Fine, let's go to a room. But are just two of you enough? If you have friends, why don't you bring them along?"

"What, what?"

"Bring them. 10? No, even 20 is fine. I'll entertain you all night long. I hate it when things get cut off halfway."

The men were displeased without even understanding why. But Marsha knew. When sexual competition intensifies, males reveal their inherent weakness.

"What, damn. Is she crazy? Let's go."

"Ah, such bad luck."

As the men walked away, Marsha watched them with a look of disdain and then turned away.

The drink she had ordered was already served. Downing it in one gulp, the fire blazed through her throat, warming her senses.

"Phew, this is how booze should be. Bartender, one more."

Instead of serving a new glass, the bartender came over and poured more into Marsha's glass.

"Are you Marsha?"

"Hehe, is there another Marsha?"

"I heard you're wanted by the Magic Association and have been evading capture until now. Decided to come in for good?"

"No. I'll leave soon. Just came to settle some things."

"Preferably, keep it quiet. If someone of your caliber causes a commotion, it'll disturb the island. We don't want the agreement to break. If you promise to cooperate, we'll let you stay here for a while."

"Forget it. I never planned to stay here in the first place."

The bartender wiped a beer glass until it squeaked. After a long silence, he casually spoke.

"The boy will be disappointed."

"Hehe. It's okay. At that age, it's normal to experience heartbreak."

“I thought you both were getting along?"

"It was fun. Ah, to be honest, it was a bit dangerous."

Marsha hugged her shoulders and looked up at the ceiling.

"How can there be such disgusting people?"

***

The villa was as quiet as if no one was there.

Amy sat on the sofa next to the fireplace, and Rian and Tess couldn't even bring themselves to start a conversation, wary of her mood.

Shirone was nowhere to be seen. It had already been 2 hours since he went out to shop; unless he was fetching fish from the sea, it was well past the time he should have returned.

"Sh-Shirone is late, isn't he?"

Trying to thaw the frozen atmosphere, Tess spoke up and was startled by her own voice, which seemed louder than usual.

Yet, Amy remained motionless, staring into the darkness.

'Ugh, it's like walking on thin ice here.'

Tess shivered, feeling the cold as if Amy's bad mood was palpable.

Of course, as a woman, she could fully understand. Regardless of the trip being for couples, this was supposed to be an exciting first holiday for the two, wasn't it?

'Shirone, you were too inconsiderate. I'm disappointed in you too. Tch!'

Birds of a feather flock together, and Tess sided with Amy.

She knew how much Amy had conceded to Shirone, even when there was a conflict of opinion at the harbor. Despite that, she readily offered to cook. Men might think that it’s a small thing, but from a woman's perspective, it was the most sincere act of wanting to reconcile quickly.

Yet, Shirone was over an hour late compared to Rian. Getting lost might be a reason to worry, but it was Amy's expectation for him to handle even such minor issues responsibly.

"Ah, I'm hungry. Why isn't he coming? Should I go look for him?"

Rian mumbled, holding his stomach without any tact. Not having set meal times, enduring for an hour was already a long wait for him.

"Nevermind. We might just miss each other."

"Really? Then can I eat the potatoes I brought?"

Tess glared and shouted.

"Why are you so thoughtless? Think about Amy."

"What's so serious? Shirone had more to deal with than me. It's normal for him to be late."

Tess was infuriated. Although Shirone wasn't her partner, having empathized with Amy, she even found Rian detestable.

"Even if Shirone had more to do, he's smarter than you, so it's only normal for him to return sooner. So, it's a serious issue! You just go munch on potatoes or chew on turnips in the corner."

"Why are you so angry? What did I do?"

Rian scratched his head like a bear. Indifferent to the insults hurled at him, he couldn't exactly be called selfish.

For the first time, Amy spoke up, trying to smile apologetically for ruining the mood.

"Sorry, it's my fault. You guys go ahead and eat. I'll wait for Shirone."

"We can't do that. It was supposed to be a cooking contest."

"But Rian is hungry. It's Shirone's fault for being late anyway. Let's just consider it our loss."

Tess tried to console Amy with a tearful expression.

"It's okay, Amy. Honestly, I'm not even hungry. Just deal with that glutton somehow."

Rian was indeed chewing on a raw potato in the corner. Unable to even perform Schema but possessing equivalent physical strength, he required several times the calorie intake of an average person to maintain his massive strength.

As silence ensued without a resolution, Amy propped her cheeks on her knees, resting her feet on the chair.

'Why isn't he coming? Is something wrong?'

Shirone wasn't one to break promises. Nor was he foolish enough to waste time due to a mistake.

There must have been an unavoidable circumstance.

But no matter how much she tried to compose herself, she couldn't help feeling neglected.

'You're the one who brought me here. Besides you, everyone else is someone I met today.'

She felt lonely. Although she had become friendly with Rian and Tess, their partnership had a level of understanding that Amy couldn't intrude upon.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

Someone knocked on the door. Tess's face lit up, and Rian clenched his fist, thinking he could finally eat.

"Shirone? Wait a sec..."

Before Tess could finish, Amy walked to the door. With her eyes narrowed, she flung open the door and yelled.

"Hey! Where have you been all this time... Huh?"

Amy blinked, the door wide open.

It wasn't Shirone. Nor was it a stranger. It was someone who definitely shouldn't be here.

Zis, who had argued with them at the harbor, stood there.

"What? Why are you here?"

Zis's face turned red. Of all people, he hadn't expected her to answer the door.

Recalling the day's events made his teeth clench, but seeing her in casual clothes, his heart fluttered again.

Regaining his composure, Zis looked around the villa with a brazen attitude. Despite the pain in his abdomen from Falcoa's beating, his expression remained unfazed.

"Wow, this place is really nice. Nobles are different, aren't they?"

"What do you want? How did you know we were here?"

"I asked around. For the ruler of the harbor, Zis, finding this place was no big deal. Now you know how well-acquainted I am with the island, right?"

"So? You came all this way just to show off that one trick?"

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