“Nagi, was it? You must also calm down. We do not wish to thoughtlessly hurt anyone.”
Nagi looked down at the driver’s head. Zamin understood what he was thinking.
“I shall apologize for what Bandore has done. But that man was also at fault. Calling us that word is unforgivable. So, for what reason have you come here? Depending on the cause, we may well release you safely.”
Nagi was reluctant to talk to the Tainted, but that didn’t apply to Saya.
“Zamin, we have simply been running away.”
“From whom?”
Crap.
Saya answered Zamin before he could stop her. “From nobles.”
The fact that they were running away from nobles meant the Tainted could hold them captive and turn them in for a bounty. The Tainted Nagi knew of were the type to do anything for money. And just as he thought, Saya’s words had them astir.
“You two are being chased by nobles?” Zamin asked.
“That’s right.”
Something dawned on Nagi at that moment. It felt like the animosity the Tainted had toward them had abated a little.
“Why are you headed to the capital, then?”
“We have allies there. I can’t say anything else about them,” Nagi cut in.
He felt like Saya was guaranteed to mention Cobalt if he didn’t. That would be really bad. Besides, now that he had cooled down, he was thinking much more clearly. Perhaps there was a way for them to get out of this predicament. To that end, he couldn’t allow Saya to continue speaking with foolish honesty.
“Why are you being chased?” Zamin asked.
This was the question Nagi had been waiting for. Knowing his answer would be a turning point, he steeled himself for what was to come.
“I killed a noble.”
Immediately, the Tainted were in uproar.
“Nonsense! A noble?!”
“You can’t kill a vampire!”
“Cut the crap!”
Nagi was ready for Tess to hit him again, but this time she simply grabbed him by the collar. She glared at him head-on, staring into his soul with her deep, black eyes. A sweet smell gently wafted over him, reminding Nagi that Tess was a girl. She was more violent than the ones he was used to, though.
Waving these idle thoughts away, Nagi chose his next words carefully. He spoke slowly, making sure everyone could hear him. “I’m not lying. If you let us go, I’ll teach you how it can be done.”
The commotion grew louder. Zamin held out his hand to stop them, and silence fell over the square.
“Nagi, do you have proof that what you say is true?”
“The overcoat this girl is wearing belonged to a noble. It’s got a family crest embroidered in its lining. Is that proof enough?”
Nobles treated goods marked with their family crest with extreme care. They would never hand them out to others. This was the best proof he had.
“How do we know it wasn’t just stolen?” Tess asked.
“It should be stained with a fair bit of his blood. Doesn’t that prove how big a wound he was dealt?”
“You could’ve just stained it with someone else’s blood, or that of an animal.”
“And why would I do that? I wasn’t expecting to be captured.”
“You... have a point there.” Tess unexpectedly cocked her head and accepted Nagi’s explanation. “Well, I guess we can take a look. Hey, undo her ropes.”
A Tainted man followed Tess’ orders and untied Saya’s ropes.
“You’d better behave. You do anything funny, and I’ll stab her. This spear can go right through a beast’s bones. A girl like her will die in a single thrust,” Tess said as she held out her weapon.
The tip of her spear had the dull shine of steel. Taking a closer look, the large axe Bandore and the rest of the weapons the Tainted carried were all made of the same metal. They were of far better quality than the weapons in Strano Village.
How did they get these?
Nagi had heard that the Tainted lived like beasts. As he pondered over these curious details, Saya calmly removed her overcoat, paying no heed to the blade pointed at her.
Her silver hair spilled out as she removed her hood. The Tainted men began murmuring. Nagi could even hear someone gulp. He suddenly cursed himself. The Tainted were known to kidnap women and use them as playthings. He shouldn’t have shown them Saya’s figure. Her beauty was likely to stir up lust in these savage men.
Unaware of Nagi’s inner turmoil, Tess accepted the overcoat with more than a little surprise and spread it open. There were indeed a noble family crest and bloodstains on the inside.
“Please inform us of how you accomplished this,” Zamin said.
“Take off these ropes first. I won’t struggle.”
“We cannot—very well. If you promise to remain obedient.”
“I promise. I wouldn’t have gotten caught in the first place if I were strong enough to fight off this many people.”
Zamin signaled a man over with his eyes and had Nagi’s rope undone.
“Do you have my bag? Return that to me, too.”
One of the men brought over the bag at his request. Nagi searched through it and took out the bottle of Halahala.
“This is Halahala. It’s a poison that takes away a noble’s regenerative abilities. A blade coated in this stuff can wound them.”
The Tainted gaped at the bottle in shock, their voices picking up once more.
“I would like you to yield that to us.”
“I can’t give you all of it. We’re being chased by nobles, after all; I’ll need some if worst comes to worst. But if you let us go, I’ll give you half. Do you have something to put it in?”
“Very well. In return, I would like you to promise that you will never disclose the location of our village to anyone.”
“I promise.”
Did he even have anyone to talk to about it? Nagi exchanged glances with Saya, who nodded back at him.
“Okay then,” Nagi said as he held out a hand to Tess.
It was common in Strano Village to seal a contract with a handshake. Nagi was actually negotiating with Zamin, but he was a little farther away.
“What’s this?” Tess asked, tilting her head to one side. It seemed she didn’t know about it.
“A handshake. We grip hands to seal our deal. Come on.”
“Uh, right.”
Nagi had forgotten that commoners avoided physical contact with the Tainted. It was impossible for anyone to request a handshake from them. Tess timidly gripped Nagi’s hand and he squeezed back tightly. The sense of relief he felt from escaping this dilemma made him inadvertently put too much strength into it.
“Ow.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“N-No... It’s fine.”
Tess looked down at their joined hands. Her cheeks were ever so slightly red. Zamin walked up next to her, his gaze fixed on Saya. There was something strange about that look in his eyes. Now that Nagi thought about it, Zamin had become strangely courteous partway through their conversation. When had it been, exactly?
Right, it was ever since he had seen Saya’s face.