Chapter 353 - Unexpected Grit in a Pinch
I left the academy again and arranged to meet up with Valeria and the others.
For now, I returned the bike to its original spot and waited for the armored vehicle to arrive. Even if it belonged to a stranger, I couldn't just abandon it if they might be a fellow rider. I borrowed it without permission because I was in a hurry, but if I were the one it was stolen from, I wouldn't forgive them even if it was returned.
But there was no reason to feel bad. Selfishness that only benefits oneself is a privilege reserved for scoundrels!
Since it was only for a short time, I thought they might not have even noticed it was stolen, and just as I was thinking that, the armored vehicle pulled up beside me.
Violante was driving, and Valeria and the student who was still asleep were in the back seat. I immediately got into the passenger seat and had her head toward the shopping district instead of back to the academy.
"The injuries were just some scrapes, but she shows no sign of waking up. Big Sister, is she okay?"
"I used a third-class recovery potion, so she should be fine."
I looked back at their report and touched the sleeping girl to check her condition.
"Hmm, even if she hit her head, it shouldn't be a problem since you used a recovery potion. It's probably extreme tension and fatigue, and maybe some kind of sleeping drug. She'll only be noisy if she wakes up, so let her sleep."
"Even so, she was lucky to be safe. Valeria arrived quickly, but does that mean the thugs had no intention of hurting her?"
"Probably."
A high-born lady being kidnapped by thugs is a terrible scandal. Even if she was rescued without any harm, the world isn't so kind as to take that at face value. Once it's known that she was kidnapped, her future will be bleak.
Moreover, if they were to harm a noble's daughter, normally, they'd be on the fast track to execution. It seems they limited it to just kidnapping to avoid that, but such restraint is meaningless. It was over the moment they took her.
Currently, the only people who know about the kidnapping are the Student Council members, Thompson—who received the personal report—Jienko Nigi, and us.
If it's leaked to everyone else, it would be remarkably careless. The Student Council kids are idiots, but they should at least have a minimum amount of consideration for their companion. I can expect all the limited parties involved to try and keep this incident a secret.
However, thinking about the future, I can't help but think that the ones most likely to endanger this secret are the Student Council members themselves.
Thompson shouldn't slip up, if only to avoid getting dragged into trouble. He has to be sensitive about information handling to survive as a corrupt Blue Coat.
The thugs, even if they survived, I don't think they'd blab about a failed revenge drama due to pride. No, I should consider them fools who might do exactly that. Even so, no one would seriously believe the word of a thug.
Even if they boasted about it, it would be treated as nothing more than a tall tale, and most people aren't foolish enough to spread a suspicious rumor about a noble. Besides, I doubt a tall tale circulating in the lowest strata would ever reach the upper layers. Overall, it should be fine to leave it alone.
The most dangerous ones are definitely their fellow Student Council members. They might be fine as long as they're friends, but I can imagine them spreading rumors as soon as they feel any hostility for whatever reason. If malicious women spread rumors in social settings, they can deal a fair amount of damage.
In the end, it's a sad reality that the insiders who are close to you can be more of a source of trouble than strangers of a different status.
But then again, I think it's fine if we're the only ones who can use this secret. The kids are connected through their misdeeds, so I'll remind them later that they're all in the same boat if the secret is out.
A secret only has value because it is a secret.
"Hm, good timing."
"Big Sister?"
"A communication came from the Blue Coats."
The flat communicator in my pocket emitted a pulse of mana that felt like a knock. It was the signal for an incoming call.
I flipped the switch and held it to my ear.
"This is Starling, Starling. Can you hear me?"
Starling? A code name to prevent eavesdropping just in case. The voice was slightly altered, but it was likely Thompson. I felt a slight distrust, but I kept the conversation to the minimum, knowing this was just how it was.
"I hear you. And?"
"Your tip was useful. You have my thanks."
He must be talking about Jienko Nigi's hidden assets. It seems they succeeded in seizing them. Jienko Nigi is probably on the verge of being cut loose, especially after kidnapping a noble's daughter. Even a corrupt Blue Coat values their own safety over tribute or pocket change.
"I see. Anything else?"
"About the matter you asked for. I just got word a little while ago, but you should check out their headquarters. You'd better hurry."
"Understood. I can crush them, right?"
"I don't mind, but don't be too flashy."
I cut the transmission after the brief exchange.
As expected, the Blue Coats have cut ties with Jienko Nigi. This makes things a bit easier.
"Violante, our destination is Jienko Nigi's headquarters. Head there as fast as you can."
"The roads are complicated, so it'll take some time, but I'll go as fast as possible."
"Big Sister, what was the content of the transmission?"
"The girl with the ringlets seems to have been caught by Jienko Nigi. We're picking her up too."
"They're such a handful."
Exactly. No, really.
We were already heading toward the shopping district, but it will take a little longer to reach our destination.
Thompson said to hurry. That likely means the girl with the ringlets is in imminent danger. I wonder what's going on.
Regarding the student who was still asleep in the back seat, it seems they tried to treat her somewhat properly, but is it different for the ringlet girl? Is it because they thought she was a companion but leaked information?
I don't know if that's true, and it's useless to think about it now. In any case, I'll know once I get there.
If she's in a pinch, being five minutes late could be too late, yet it'll probably take another thirty minutes. It looks pretty bad.
But this is her own fault. I want to tell her that no matter what terrible thing happens to her, she was playing around with those risks in mind. She's a delinquent, but she's not supposed to be stupid. No, that's not it. Far from not being stupid, she's an absolute fool. Academic grades have nothing to do with it.
Hmm, but what is it? They say the foolish ones are the most lovable, and it might be true.
I'm certainly concerned about her, even if she's a problem child. I might even say I'm more concerned about her than the students in the Magic Doll Club. I feel like it's already too late for a lot of things, but I'd at least like to save her life.
Violante continued to navigate the narrow, winding streets with care.
Then, we emerged into a familiar place near the shopping district. Since it was daytime, I had her park in an alley with almost no foot traffic and finished my preparations.
I took out the skull mask I'd forgotten in my bag, borrowed it from Valeria, and got out of the vehicle alone. There was no need for numbers, so they could stay on standby.
"Now then. I hope she's still safe."
I observed the surroundings with mana sensing while probing the state of the destination.
"Hmm? Something strange seems to be going on."
Something interesting might be happening with the girl with the ringlets.
I approached while hiding so as not to be seen by anyone and entered their hideout from the back door, just as I had before.
Last time I only broke into the second floor, but this time I'm in the shop space on the first floor. What in the world is going on?
The scene I peeked into was completely different from what I first imagined.
The girl with the ringlets was sitting there, bleeding from various parts of her body. Her club-style clothes, which I'd seen before, were torn in places, making her look quite wretched. Well, this alone wasn't so different from one of the patterns I'd predicted.
The problem was the men who were lying in piles. Less than ten men were writhing on the floor, letting out groans of intense pain.
For now, the situation seemed to be that the ringlet girl had defeated these men by herself... but...
What I found strange was that they looked less injured than the girl with the ringlets, at least.
The ringlet girl was covered in blood and looked like she was struggling to breathe, while the writhing men were full of energy in their suffering. They had some injuries and burns, so I think they were hit by the girl's magic.
Even if she had good grades in magic, she shouldn't be able to face so many opponents alone. Including that, it was a strange situation.
The sight of the men rolling around on the floor in agony looked more energetic than the girl sitting there powerlessly. Moreover, it was incomprehensible that every single one of them was rolling around in the same way.
Without losing consciousness, their state of writhing in pain looked like a swarm of the damned who had been cast into hell.
I wonder if it would be like that if someone used some kind of magical ability, a magic tool, or poison.
No, but she did a great job. No matter what means she used, her grit in taking on so many people alone while being covered in wounds was wonderful. The result of defeating everyone was top-notch. She's impressive.
As I was secretly impressed, the ringlet girl seemed to have finished her rest and stood up while wobbling.
She held her side and walked with a limp toward the exit. But fate is unkind. It's not over yet.
I'll watch a bit more to see how she handles the appearance of new guests.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's all this?"
"Edith, don't tell me you did this?"
"I didn't hear you could do something like this. What kind of trick did you use?"
"Who knows? But from the looks of it, you're out of tricks now."
"Hey, Edith. You okay?"
"Ugh, you're covered in blood. That's not my thing."
"Is that so? Heh, I'm getting fired up."
"You're the worst."
"Hey, isn't this kind of bad?"
"Idiot, look closely. She's already on her last legs. Don't be scared."
"Who's scared?!"
A whole bunch of reinforcements appeared at Jienko Nigi's headquarters. There were more than twenty. Every single one was a noisy person with a foolish face.
"Edith, you sure have some nerve betraying us."
A large man came from the back, pushing aside his companions to step forward. He was probably the one I saw sitting next to the ringlet girl at the dance hall before.
The girl, receiving all their gazes, didn't have the energy to deal with their idle chatter; she looked like it was a struggle just to stand.
"Those damn girls from your school have no choice but to do as we say. We'll take back the drugs you snatched and roll you for your money. Don't think you can escape. You're our slaves for life."
"Hahaha! Whether you're nobles or not, we've got that person backing us. It's reassuring, isn't it?!"
Huh? A backer? They're not afraid to make enemies of the Ribbonstrat family or the families of the Student Council members?
It seems it's not just idiots running wild, but they're acting recklessly because they have a backer... but would a high-ranking noble really back such people? Are they just being deceived?
"Say something, Edith!"
Whoops, the loud voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
The large man approached the girl and suddenly punched her in the cheek. It was a crude blow driven by rage. The girl, who could barely stand, tried to take a defensive stance by raising her arms, but she took the hit squarely and was blown away.
"Gah?! Aaaaaaaagh!"
The one who was hit was the girl, but the one who let out a magnificent scream and rolled around was the large man.
The girl raised her arms in a defensive stance when she was being punched. That wasn't to defend; it was probably to touch the man's arm. Whatever effect it had, the girl's magic seems to activate when she touches the opponent's body.
I see. A tactic of letting the enemy cut your flesh to cleave their bone. Does that mean she defeated the enemy while being hit?
It's probably a magic that can only be activated upon contact. I don't really understand the effect, though. No external injury was visible on the screaming large man. That said, it didn't look like his internals were destroyed either, so I think it's a special attack method.
The men who were down when I arrived were likely defeated in the same way. The ringlet girl had good grades in magic practice, but she wasn't strong enough to overwhelm a group. If she's come this far by continuing a tactic that was almost like a double-suicide, she has incredible grit.
And then, she even defeated the one who seemed to be the boss of Jienko Nigi. But this is the end.
There are still plenty of the faceless masses. They're just small fry, but they have numbers.
The girl, lying on her back, had her face swollen a dark purple, and she coughed or convulsed as she spat out blood.
Combined with the injuries she already had all over her body, things were finally looking bad. Even with grit, a reversal from here is impossible. The girl's fate is as good as sealed by the furious thugs.
"She's surely learned her lesson after being beaten that much."
I'm sure the girl has learned a lot.
If she hangs out with people like that, it's bound to end badly no matter how things turn out. If she's going to hang out with anyone, they should be people with more backbone. Jienko Nigi is such a half-baked bunch.
Oh well, I guess it's time to help her.
You can be deathly grateful to me as your savior.