Chương 145: Beneath Aqareth

Felicity and Ethan had just collected the bounty. The authorities had handed them one hundred and fifty crowns, the reward set for the capture of Seth the Bastard. Felicity, however, was not happy at all. Not that she was the kind of person who usually burst with joy, but this time she was particularly irritated. She had spent hours exploring the abandoned area of Aqareth in search of Seth the Bastard's supposed treasure. They had searched collapsed buildings, old homes, and even a few makeshift hideouts.

They had found absolutely nothing. As if that weren't enough, when they returned to Aqareth to turn in Seth's body, the authorities had also confiscated the horse. The reason was simple: Felicity had no documents proving that the animal belonged to her. And so, on top of finding no treasure, she had lost the horse as well. Now she and Ethan were heading back toward the inn, walking side by side along the dusty streets of Aqareth. Felicity wore a dark expression.

"What exactly did they need a horse for? This city is full of greedy people", she grumbled irritably.

"Now we have one hundred and fifty crowns. Maybe if we take a few more bounties, we'll be able to buy a horse".

"Horses cost too much these days…maybe we can afford a donkey. Or perhaps we'll have to steal one".

"You and your stealing…how can you not understand that it's wrong?"

"And how can you not understand that in this world, always doing the right thing makes no sense?"

"If everyone thought like that, the world would be hell".

"Isn't it already?" Felicity asked. Ethan remained silent for a few moments.

"It's a violent world, but it's not lost yet". Then he lowered his gaze.

"To be honest, I hate myself a little for what I did. I didn't intend to kill him. And yet he died. I tricked him". Felicity glanced at him.

"You feel sorry for someone like Seth the Bastard? Do you have any idea how many people he killed?" Stolen novel; please report.

"I know. And I'm not saying he didn't deserve to die…but I didn't kill him honorably".

"Neither did he fight me honorably. Honor is sometimes just a word".

"You say that, yet you chose to fight him alone".

"That's different. I was sure I could beat him one-on-one. That wasn't-" A sudden scream interrupted her. Ethan immediately recognized the voice.

"It's Agnes!" He started running toward the direction from which the scream had come, Felicity followed without hesitation. When they arrived, they found Agnes on the ground, her hands tied behind her back. Standing over her was a woman in her twenties with medium-length pink hair and blue eyes. She had a slender build and was wearing a white tank top, loose white pants, and golden sandals. A saber hung from her belt. Two other people stood beside her.

One was a child who appeared to be around the same age as Agnes, he was completely bald. Finally, there was a tall, muscular man with long brown hair that reached down to his back. He had extremely thick eyebrows and a goatee framing his face. He wore a worn black uniform and carried a sword at his side. Ethan immediately drew his weapon.

"What the hell are you doing to her? Let her go!"

"Ethan, help me! These bastards are trying to kidnap me!" Agnes shouted. The pink-haired girl quickly covered her mouth with one hand.

"Liar. This one tried to steal our backpacks".

"Yeah", the man added with a laugh.

"A little thief". Ethan looked at Agnes.

"Is that true?"

"I did what Felicity does", she said quickly.

"I stole from people who deserved it. They looked like bad people". Ethan immediately shot Felicity a look.

"Look what the hell you've taught her". Felicity did not respond. Ethan approached the pink-haired girl.

"I apologize for her behavior. It won't happen again. But please, untie her". The girl sighed. In the end, however, she untied the ropes. Agnes quickly got back on her feet and took refuge beside Ethan, glaring at the girl who had held her captive. The latter carefully examined all three of them. Her gaze moved from Ethan to Felicity, then to Agnes, finally settling on the weapons they carried.

"I see you're swordsmen too. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Elion Kair. The boy is Firmin. He's mute. And the one with the enormous eyebrows is Shigeru".

"Nice to meet you", Shigeru said with a smile.

"I'm Ethan. She's Felicity", he said, pointing at her. Then he placed a hand on Agnes's head.

"And this, as you've already figured out, is Agnes". Elion smiled.

"Now that we know each other…why don't you join us?"

"Join you?" Ethan asked, confused.

"We're investigating something very important", Elion explained.

"What?"

"A slave-trading system…operating right beneath our feet. In the underground". Elion paused briefly.

"That's where we found Firmin. We lost many companions during our last raid, but the three of us survived. We intend to go back there". Ethan looked at Felicity. She shook her head.

"It doesn't concern us", she said immediately.

"We won't be staying here long. We have to get back to Xia and Leah".

"We could save people", Ethan countered.

"Saving people doesn't earn us any crowns". Shigeru burst out laughing.

"You're wrong, girl with two swords. We're not doing charity"" He pointed at himself and the others.

"When we destroy that system, we'll take all their treasure. We'll become incredibly rich. You'll have so many crowns that you won't be able to spend them all in your lifetime!" Elion crossed her arms.

"You don't have to accept right away. Why don't you come with us? We can tell you more about it". Felicity sighed at length. She still seemed unconvinced, but eventually nodded.

"Fine". Elion and Shigeru exchanged satisfied smiles. Afterward, Felicity, Ethan, and Agnes followed the new and rather peculiar trio.