Hawkit Street was straight down the main boulevard and past the commercial district. That meant that Shannon had to pass right through the heart of the festival, and the resulting foot traffic was unexpected. She climbed some stairs and stood on her tiptoes, looking down at the street and the tops of the festivalgoers’ heads. Crowds stretched out as far as the eye could see.
“Wow, there’s a ton of people,” she said, awed.
There had been a lot of people around when she arrived in Eldoa the previous night, but that was nothing compared to how many there were at midday. According to what the bandit had told her, the festival would last a week, and today was its third day. That meant that, including today, there were still five full days to go.
“Mm, delicious!” Shannon had purchased four meat skewers at a food stall, and she was stuffing her cheeks with them, her eyes sparkling. Juices spilled out of her mouth as she ate. Mouthwatering scents wafted from all over, and naturally, she had gotten hungry; throughout her long life, food had remained an eternal source of delight. “This is super juicy stuff!”
As she chewed, she made her way slowly up the gentle slope without going against the flow of the people around her. A building with a pointed roof towered ahead of her, so tall it seemed to split the sky in two. In fact, she was pretty sure it looked even taller than it actually was, perhaps because it was crammed so tightly between the buildings on either side.
According to that old man, there was a job board in front of the knights’ office, and people posted requests there. She hoped she could find something just right for her.
She gave in to the flow of the crowd and continued walking, and gradually, the foot traffic around her began to ease off. She passed through an archway and came to the end of the main street, where she could see more of what was around her. At last, she was able to relax enough to walk at her own pace toward—
“Eeeek!” A sudden loud shriek came from an alleyway off to the side.
“Hmm? A scream?” Shannon murmured. It had sounded strained, like someone was afraid for their life. In an area like this?
Still chewing on her kebab, Shannon peered down the dim alley. Wooden crates and empty bottles sat lined up against the walls, and there was a slight dampness in the air that wasn’t present on the main street. At the far end of the alley stood the imposing figure of a man. He was staring down at another man, this one blue-haired, who was on his knees.
“I-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” the blue-haired man said tearfully. Snot dripped from his nose as he planted both hands on the ground in front of the other man.
This didn’t seem like something that should have been happening. Curiosity piqued, Shannon slipped into the alley.
The imposing man—who, Shannon saw now, wore spectacles—spoke in a calm, rational tone. “You know, doctor, I won’t be happy if you don’t return the money. You’ve already missed the due date.”
“I-I can’t do that right now. I, um, don’t have—”
“I’m afraid you borrowed the money, so it’s your responsibility to pay it back,” the bespectacled man said lightly. While his tone was exceedingly polite, he gave off a wrathful aura.
“Ah... Aha ha, w-well, yes, but circumstances being what they—”
The bespectacled man violently kicked the stacked boxes next to them, creating a sudden bang that made the blue-haired man jump.
“Doctor, do you remember the medicine that you were making? The one we saw potential in and lent you the money for? It’s been half a year since then—was that enthusiastic presentation you gave us a lie?”
“N-No, no, of course it—”
“If you don’t give us the money back, we’ll have to collect something else from you. We’re not a charity.”
He grabbed the blue-haired man by the collar, pulling him close, and the blue-haired man cried out in fear. The bespectacled man pulled a knife from his belt and, with a practiced hand, held it close to his victim’s throat.
“W-Wait!” cried the blue-haired man. “P-Please let me go. I’ll do anything!”
“Then you’ll return the money?”
“I-I told you, I don’t have any right now! I used it all to b-buy the ingredients! Just p-please give me a little more time!”
The bespectacled man smiled at these desperate pleas, and the other man smiled back, as if lulled into a sense of security.
“I guess I’ll have to kill you after all.”
“You can’t say that while smiling!” the blue-haired man screamed. “Someone heeeeeeeeelp!”
But the bespectacled man’s expression didn’t change at all. He brandished the knife. “Well then, goodbye.”
“W-Wai—!”
“Hooold it! Hold it!” Shannon called out, running out in front of them and holding out her hands. The two men froze, flabbergasted at her sudden appearance.
“Huh...?” the blue-haired man said, gaping at her.
The bespectacled man, holding the knife perfectly still, gave Shannon a suspicious look. “And who might you be?”
Shannon bit off another piece of meat from her kebab, somehow swallowed it, and said, “Y’know, bro, it’s not okay to kill someone.”
The knife-wielding man had sharp eyes, a stern countenance, and swept-back hair. Looking at him closely, Shannon knew without a doubt that he was a hardened criminal from the underworld. By contrast, the blue-haired man, who was still being held by the collar, was older, more of a fellow who already had one foot in the grave. His furrowed brow and pitiful expression were pointed at Shannon.
“I really don’t want to kill him either,” the bespectacled man said. “It’s dirty work. I have to, though—he didn’t pay back the money we lent him.”
“You know that if you kill him, no one’s getting any money, right?”
“We stopped thinking in such naive terms a long time ago. Please get out of here. I’ll look the other way if you do.” He let out a long sigh and turned his attention back to the blue-haired man, who looked certain that he was about to face his end.