"Out of the way! Move!"
Yugo shoved his way through the cluster of Cooking Club members and burst into the room.
There, he found Fee sobbing in a heap on the floor, while Melt and Anhel knelt beside him, trying to offer what comfort they could.
"Melt, Ann! Where’s Shiroi!?"
"I'm sorry... by the time we got here, they’d already—"
Melt’s expression twisted with grief as she forced the words out. Yugo fell silent, the weight of her unfinished sentence telling him everything he needed to know. Before he could speak, a voice dripping with mockery drifted in from behind him.
"My, my. You’re back sooner than expected, Yugo."
"It’s a good thing we hurried to hand the boy over to the villagers. If we hadn't, you probably would’ve tried to interfere."
"Cyan... Egos...!"
"It was them!" Fee cried, his voice cracking as he looked up at Yugo with tear-streaked eyes. "They brought the villagers and barged in! They took Shiroi away!"
Yugo’s gaze shifted to the smug, grinning faces of Cyan and Egos, then to Hao, who stood awkwardly to the side, looking anywhere but at the people in the room. He pieced together the situation instantly.
"...You dragged the truth out of the President, then used a Master Key to barge in here. Quite the professional operation."
"Naturally," Cyan sneered. "We couldn't very well leave an innocent child in the hands of scum like you."
"We know your game," Egos added. "You were planning to keep that kid hidden so you could drive up the Reward Money from the villagers, weren't you? Using a child for profit... you really are a piece of work."
Yugo didn't bother defending himself against their baseless assumptions. He understood there were things far more important than his own reputation.
"Where did you take Shiroi? How is he?"
"We handed the brat over to the landlady," Cyan replied. "He’s probably back home right now, getting an earful from his parents."
Yugo immediately moved to rush out of the room and into the village to find the boy, but Cyan and Egos anticipated him, stepping into his path with mocking laughs.
"Not so fast. We're not letting you go. We don't know what you're plotting, but it’s obvious nothing good happens when you get near that kid."
"I get that you're frustrated about losing your payout, but don't take it out on innocent people, Yugo," Egos chided.
Yugo’s voice was low, vibrating with suppressed tension. "...How was he acting when you took him?"
"Huh? Oh, he put up a bit of a fight. Quite a lot of resisting, actually."
"The kid probably knew he was in for it," Cyan laughed. "He ran away and caused trouble for his family and the whole village. He was terrified of the scolding waiting for him at home. That’s all."
"...So that’s all you thought it was. You didn't even try to consider what he was actually afraid of."
A simmering aura of rage, hot as a furnace, began to radiate from Yugo. It was directed not only at Cyan and Egos—who had turned a deaf ear to the desperate pleas of a child—but also at his own failure to protect him.
He couldn't forgive himself for letting down the boy who had asked for his help. Clenching his fists, Yugo funneled Magic Power into the Blaster on his left arm. He glared at the two men, his eyes burning with intent.
"Get out of my way. I’m going to save him. If you try to stop me... I won't hold back."
"Hah! A blatant kidnapping declaration? You really are total trash!"
"Scum like you needs to be put in their place. If you want to go, then come on! We'll take you!"
It was clear that words were wasted on them. They wouldn't listen to reason. Yugo prepared to save Shiroi by force, even if it meant becoming a criminal in the eyes of the village. But just as he was about to engage his armor, Marcos stepped in, grabbing his shoulder.
"Stop, Yugo! I know how you feel, but don't escalate this!"
"Don't stop me, Marcos! I have to help him!"
"And then what? Suppose you save him and flee the village—what's the end game?"
"I’ll head back to the city and get the Security Force! With Skull's Leg, I can be back in no time. Jinba-san will listen to me. He'll send a squad, and—"
"Shiroi might be safe, yes," Marcos whispered, leaning close so only Yugo could hear. "But what about the other villagers? If your theory is right and the real people are being held as mana sources, what do you think the culprit will do if we bolt? They'll kill the hostages to destroy the evidence!"
Yugo gasped, his momentum stalling.
"If you flee with the boy now, you might save one life but condemn dozens more. That isn't saving him in any way that matters," Marcos continued, his voice firm. "Endure it, Yugo. As long as we stay in the village, the culprit won't risk moving against the captives yet. And if I’m right... the mastermind will move against us tonight to eliminate the threat we pose. That will be our chance. Until then, you must hold your ground!"
"...I understand."
Yugo forced his racing heart to slow. He nodded, though his fists still shook with the effort of holding back his frustration.
Cyan and Egos looked almost disappointed that the fight had been de-escalated. As they turned to leave, Fee suddenly shouted.
"Th-That! Shiroi's knife...!"
"Hmm? Oh, this?" Cyan looked down at the Stone Knife in his hand. "It’s technically a weapon. I thought it’d be dangerous for a kid to have, so I confiscated it."
"Give it back! That’s Shiroi’s treasure!"
Cyan looked at the knife, then at Fee’s desperate face. After a moment, he tossed it toward the boy with a malicious smirk. "Whatever. Here. Give it to your little friend the next time you see him."
Fee caught the knife and clutched it to his chest, remembering Shiroi’s proud smile from the night before. Satisfied they had sufficiently rattled the Clay brothers, the two men turned their attention to Melt and Anhel.
"I hope you two have finally come to your senses. This is the real Yugo—a bottom-feeder who uses missing children and worried families for his own gain."
"Hanging around a guy like that is only going to ruin your reputations. Why don't you join our party instead? We’ll actually treat you right!"
"The Lord Hero Candidate is certainly full of 'kindness,'" Anhel said, her voice eerily flat.
She drew Fee close, wrapping a protective arm around him. Her expression, however, was as cold as ice as she looked the two men up and down.
"I have a rule," she spat. "I can’t stand people who make children cry. And I loathe men who try to hit on women while a child is sobbing right in front of them even more."
Cyan and Egos blinked, taken aback.
"Don't you ever speak to us again," she continued. "Actually, I don't even want to see your faces for as long as we're in this village. Get out."
The two men stood frozen, their mouths slightly agape. They had convinced themselves that by "rescuing" the child and exposing Yugo, they would look like the heroes of the story. They had expected the girls to fall into their arms. The raw, unfiltered disgust in Anhel’s eyes clearly confused them.
"...Fine. Whatever," Cyan muttered, trying to recover his dignity. "We stopped Yugo’s little scheme and we’ve got the Reward Money coming our way. Serves you right. Consider this a win for us."
"And Yugo," Egos added, pointing a finger. "Stay in this room. You’re under house arrest until we say otherwise. Got it?"
Unaware of how pathetic they sounded, the two men swaggered out of the room. On their way, they stopped by the trembling Hao and pressed a few gold coins into his hand.
"Thanks for the tip, Hao. We couldn't have saved that kid without you. This is a little something for your trouble."
"Ah... no, I..."
"Alright, everyone! Show's over! Back to your rooms!" Egos barked at the lingering Cooking Club members.
The crowd scattered like startled insects. As Yugo and the others prepared to shut their door, Hao caught a glimpse of the sheer, burning rage in Fee’s eyes. He let out a choked groan and slumped against the wall, his face pale with a guilt that no amount of gold could wash away.