ushernet Side Stories: Chapter 19
Side Stories: Chapter 19
Side Stories: Chapter 19
Zich wandered around Yuras aimlessly. He yawned so widely that tears welled up in his tears and he looked like the perfect, carefree person on a stroller. Zich was scratching his belly and seriously wondering how he should kill time for another day when somebody called out to him.
“Sir Zich!”
Chelsea and Pina approached him together. The way Chelsea smiled and waved her hands widely made it seem as if they were close friends of at least ten years. Though he already knew this, Chelsea was a truly brazen-faced person. Even if she was kicked out by the Karuwimans, Zich was sure that it wouldn’t make much of a difference in her standard of living. He believed this even more when he saw Pina looking embarrassed next to her.
“What is it?”
“Do you have some time right now?”
“I’m not busy at the moment.”
“Then, please lend us some of your time,” Chelsea said and dragged Zich to a nearby empty room.
“So, what’s going on?” Zich asked.
“This!” Chelsea then took out wads of flapping papers. They had writings in black ink and appeared to be reports. Zich didn’t take the papers and simply stared at them with his arms crossed.
“What are those?” he asked.
“These are reports that detail the recent activities of Feijadiru Browning, Wesker Grashane, and other people from the Miftil Kingdom.”
Zich’s eyes left the wads of papers and turned toward Chelsea’s face. Her eyes were sparkling eagerly like a dog wagging its tail and waiting for compliments.
“Why did you bring these to me?”
“Well, you showed interest in Feijadiru last time.”
Zich tilted his head and blinked. “I did?”
“...Yes. The last time we met at the bar, we had a conversation after Brown...no, Ms. Lara handed the dragon’s body over at an unbelievably low price.”
“Ah!” Fortunately, Zich remembered, but Chelsea couldn’t lower her guard. Zich’s response was different from what she expected. Pina thought the same while standing next to her.
“Yes, I remember, but didn’t I say that there’s no need to dive too deep into that man?”
“Yes, you did, but if it’s you, Sir Zich, wouldn’t you have conducted an independent investigation? Although my investigative abilities aren’t as good as yours, I thought it would be more efficient for other people to work together to uncover a scheme. Thus, Ms. Acous and I have been tracking these people’s movements in detail.”
Yet, Zich had no intention to look at the reports. “You did a lot of work, but honestly, it’s not necessary.”
“Sorry?” Taken aback by Zich’s disinterested face, there was a change in Chelsea’s smiling face.
“I didn’t do any independent investigation on my own, and I’m not really curious about the people you mentioned.”
“B-But you showed interest in Feijadiru Browning!” Pina exclaimed instead of Chelsea who smiled and froze in place.
“That’s true, but there was no need to do a whole investigation on him.” Zich tapped on the two’s shoulders as they both looked astonished.
“Either way, good work, you two. You guys should take care of those reports before anyone else sees them. It will stir up unnecessary conflict. Why don’t you enjoy the festival for now?” Zich said and passed Chelsea and Pina. The two couldn’t do anything but stare blankly at Zich’s back as he went farther away.
***
“Did Sir Zich really say that?”
“I don’t think it’s unlikely. There’s just no chance of that happening.”
“Then do you have any reason as to why he is acting so calmly like this?”
“That’s...” Hans couldn’t reply.
“Of course, since I can’t say I have a complete grasp of his thoughts or thinking process, I can’t make definite conclusions. Considering his actions right now, there’s a possibility that his behavior might have changed.”
“I still don’t think he would have changed that much...”
“Honestly, I think so too.” Pina sighed. “There’s no way his intense personality would change that easily. I think I was just too disappointed that my hard work turned into ashes. Please don’t take my words to heart.”
“No, I think your words have merit. After hearing what you said, I’m starting to think that you may be right. As you said, his mindset might have changed a little, but I don’t think it’s to the extent that he’d ignore things that he finds suspicious.” No matter how much he thought about it, Hans didn’t think Zich changed that much.
Chelsea got up from her seat. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come here. I just wasted your time.”
“No, it was also a question that was on our minds.”
Chelsea and Pina separated from Hans and the others and left the room. A long corridor appeared in front of them.
“In the end, it really was all in vain.” Chelsea pouted as her disappointment had not completely subsided yet.
In comparison, Pina seemed to have already fully come to terms with her emotions and said calmly, “Forget about it. You’ll only feel worse if you keep thinking about it.”
“I know that. I know but, ugh....” Chelsea groaned and then opened her eyes wide. “Ms. Acous.”
“Why?”
“What would you do if you could change sides?”
“What are you talking about?” This didn’t seem like a casual topic, so Pina lowered her voice without realizing it.
“The reason why we gathered information about the Miftil Kingdom and tried to hand it over was to get Sir Zich’s favor, right?”
“Yeah.” Although it sounded really opportunistic, Pina didn’t deny it because it was true.
“Actually, I received a request from Wesker Grashane.”
“...What request?”
“To keep an eye on Sir Zich and let him know about his movements. He must have thought that he could use me because of my past actions.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know the details, but it’s clear that he’s planning something fishy.”
“Then you should have said it to everyone!”
“Yes, I thought about that, too. Wouldn’t it be better to have as many cards as possible? Honestly, unlike Hans and his group who blindly give their loyalty and faith to Sir Zich, we move according to our advantage, right? Then, we should at least think again and determine which side is more advantageous for us.”
“...”
“Honestly, if I tell this to my Karuwiman superiors or Sir Zich, nothing will happen. There’s no evidence, and Grashane can just feign ignorance. Moreover, even if he’s acting suspiciously, I’m not sure if he’s just jealous or he’s actually planning a big conspiracy. So, it’s a gamble.”
Pina asked, “...Even then, isn’t it better to be on Zich’s side?”