“Noor, Lady Lynneburg...” Sirene approached us, awash with relief as she took in the siblings’ joyful reunion. “I see you’ve found Mina’s brother.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Honestly, we thought he was done for when we first saw him.”
“Indeed,” Lynne added. “Judging by his current state, though, he’s sure to be okay.”
I could tell from the look on Sirene’s face that she was glad things had worked out. We’d found Rigel in miserable shape—so weak that we hadn’t been sure he would survive, even with treatment. Fortunately, thanks to Lynne’s desperate efforts to heal him, he was now strong enough to walk on his own.
It had been the right call not to bring Mina with us. Had she seen her brother as we’d first found him, I suspected she would have fallen apart.
All in all, little Rigel had surprised me. Despite his sudden return from the brink of death, he was grinning from ear to ear, behaving as though nothing had happened. He was trying not to worry his sister, I thought, as he slowly moved to stand in front of me.
“Is everything okay?” I asked. “Does it still hurt anywhere?”
“Oh, no. Thanks to you, Mister Noor—and you, Miss Lynneburg—I feel better than ever before. I just wanted to thank you properly.”
“Again? It was no trouble—really. Nothing worth making a fuss about.”
“I understand you also rescued my sister. For that, I offer my deepest gratitude. Truly. You have my word that we’ll work hard to repay our debt.”
Mina scampered over, and the pair bowed deeply to us. Though Rigel was about the same size as his sister, his speech was more formal and measured. His calm composure had stood out to me during our first meeting, and now, in conversation, I was amazed at how well put together he was.
“You’re pretty mature for your age,” I remarked.
“Unlike my sister, I’ve had a delicate constitution since childhood,” the boy explained. “Before my illness, I was trained and educated for intellectual servitude. I adopted this manner of speech along the way. Is it...not to your liking? I can act more childish, should you pre—”
“No, no, no. It’s fine. Impressive, even. It’s just...are you really the younger sibling?”
“We’re twins, actually. That’s why we’re almost the same height.”
“Twins, huh? I can see that, now that you mention it.” Inspecting them side by side, the similarities in their physique were obvious. Rigel was just a touch shorter and more slender, but that was all.
Mina looked at her brother, hung her head, and sniffled. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I bet the reason you’re so frail is because I took all your Mister Muscles when we were in mom’s tummy!”
“‘Mister Muscles’?” I repeated.
“That’s not true, Mina,” Rigel protested. “It was purely an accident.”
“Oh! But in exchange, I gave you all my smarts!” Mina puffed out her chest. “That’s why you’re so brainy!”
I looked from Mina to Rigel and back again. It would have been too awkward to agree outright, but I could definitely see where she was coming from.
“Is, uh... Is that right?” I eventually asked.
“M-Mina...” Rigel whined.
“In any case, I’m glad you’re both feeling better,” I said. “Would you mind waiting here to recover your strength? We have some more business up ahead.”
Rigel noticed the glance I exchanged with Lynne and seemed to catch on. “You’re going back inside, Mister Noor?”
“Yeah. This place is full of the sick and injured. Most of them won’t last more than a few days unless we do something.”
“They’re in terrible shape,” Lynne agreed. “We must act swiftly.”
“You can say that again.”
“Noor.” A new voice interrupted us. “Sorry, but could you delay those plans for a moment?”
“Rashid?” I turned to see the man in question, standing with Galen. They had parted from us a short while before. “Where have you two been?”
“Oh, I just asked Galen here to bring me up to speed on some recent events. In regard to your plans, I assume you intend to rescue all the dying slaves?”
“Yeah, we do.”
“Far be it from me to get in your way. However, I would recommend adhering to the proper procedure, at least.”
“Really?” I glanced down at his hands. “What’s with all the papers?”
“It’s a catalog of all the assets being sold within the capital—a price list, if you will, distributed only among merchants with a certain level of wealth and trust from their peers.” Rashid waved the thick sheaf of papers right beside Galen’s face. “I thought the appropriate first step would be to examine the city’s current state. Words can deceive, but transactions never lie. And would you believe it, I’ve discovered something rather interesting.”
Rashid began flipping through the papers, and his expression turned uncharacteristically serious.
“As it stands, many business owners have been liquidating their assets at dirt-cheap prices. It’s especially egregious in real estate, where slave trading houses that would normally be held as tightly as prized gems are now being listed on the market in droves. Bonds, on the other hand—which are conveniently mobile—have become abnormally popular among buyers. It seems the wealthy are pulling their riches out of the city.”
“Why would they do that?” I asked.
“Because of a looming threat they fear they cannot hope to overcome. I wonder who it could be.” Rashid stared straight at me, grinning. “They have good reason to worry—not even a few days ago, there was all that drama about the City Forgotten by Time changing hands. Then, there were rumors of a preposterous man who triumphed over an army of primal golems. And to crown it all, after a strange sandstorm sprang into existence just outside the capital, those at the very heart of all the recent turmoil entered the city. Any merchant deserving of the name would see those risk factors and declare withdrawing from the market a smart move. Although of course, the most accurate information comes from the source—from us.”
“I see. So that means, uh... What does it mean?”
“In essence, Noor, this is your achievement. Because of your actions, market prices that once seemed immovable are now shifting, creating splendid opportunities to capitalize on. So I thought, while we’re at it, why not turn an exorbitant profit?”
Still grinning, Rashid gave me a merry clap on the shoulder. I returned the gesture with a look of sheer confusion, while Lynne narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
“It couldn’t be...” she muttered. “Did you plan this from the start, Lord Rashid?”
“Oh, no, Lady Lynneburg. How could I have?” Rashid fanned himself with the papers. “I might have predicted this outcome, but that was all. I saw the die had been cast and made an educated guess about what might happen. You brought a genuine miracle with you from the Kingdom of Clays.”
Lynne breathed a quiet sigh. “At long last, I see what drove you to yield such an absurd amount of wealth to my instructor.”
“I did not yield anything—he won our contest fair and square.”
“A contest that went exactly as planned, I suspect.”
Rashid’s eyes widened, and a smile graced his features. “If my actions have given you cause to doubt me, I apologize. As I see it, I treated our contest with sincerity and earnestness—for the most part, at least.”
“You need not apologize. I cannot deny that entrusting Instructor Noor with your assets was the best way to ensure their safekeeping. In fact, I would even go so far as to say it was a wise decision.”
“Oh? My read of you was right—you are less of a stick-in-the-mud than your brother. You are correct, Lady Lynneburg; Noor is the most trustworthy money box in the country.”
“That isn’t what I said...”
“You have nothing to fear, of course. Knowing what he is capable of, I would never be so foolish as to attempt to retrieve the assets he now holds by force.”
“I know. Instructor Noor is not one to be trifled with. If you even think of trying to manipulate him, expect to be taught a harsh lesson.”
Rashid chuckled. “This is why I like you, Lady Lynneburg—you speak frankly on subjects that would cause most others to hesitate. Rarely does someone see the truth of the matter so clearly. May our relationship continue to grow long into the future.”
“In that case, Lord Rashid, would you answer me one more question?” Lynne’s stare became piercing. “What was your true objective in coming to Sarenza City? I doubt it was profit, and it most certainly wasn’t because your family summoned you.”
Rashid chuckled again—harder this time, causing his shoulders to shake. Only when the sudden bout passed did he return his gaze to Lynne and confess, “I would dearly love to tell you—truly, I would. But as much as it pains me to say this, now is not quite the time.”
“I see. In that case, I suppose you won’t mind if we put our relationship-building on hold.”
“Oh? Even if I could tell you, would you believe me?”
“Honestly? I doubt it. All the more reason for us to wait.”
Tensions were once again rising between Lynne and Rashid, though I supposed that was nothing unusual. Maybe it went to show just how close they really were; they certainly spoke with each other more frequently than with the other members of our group.
“U-Um, I’m terribly sorry to interrupt...”
“Hmm?” Rashid turned to Rigel, who had mustered the courage to interject. “Do you have something to say?”
“You mentioned that many of the city’s slave trading houses are up for sale. I don’t mean to presume, but would it not be wise to buy them now, while they’re cheap?”
“What makes you think that? Come, now—use your words.”
“U-Um...”