Galliant Island (2)

"Hey, welcome to Galliant. Are you here on vacation?"

Jiss waved his hand in a friendly tone. Regardless of their noble status, the rule in this world was not to use honorifics towards the victims.

In a way, it was like risking their lives to make money, but even if they got into trouble, they would only have to lay low for a month.

It was because there were few cases of those who came to play on the other side of the sea causing harm again.

"Yes, I came to have fun with my friends."

Shirone smiled and welcomed him. Amy, on the other hand, had a frowning expression. She knew why they were approaching because she had been in touch with the world of darkness when she commanded some alley ruffians in her childhood.

"You seem to be students. What academy? Surely a prestigious one?"

"It's the Aldeas Magic Academy."

"Ah! I know that one. Many come to play because it's nearby."

Amy regretted. Even revealing that she was a student was a problem, but it was no different from being prey if she revealed her alma mater.

"But you have a good physique to be a wizard."

"What? We're from the Kaizen Swordsmanship Academy! We're tall because we're sword warriors, idiot!"

As expected, Jiss triggered Tess. She was proud of her figure but didn't want to hear that she was big and was paired with Rian.

"Haha! Sorry, I lack tact. I was trying to compliment you, maybe you took it the wrong way."

Jiss thought it was all over. The reason these rogues could be proud even in front of the nobles was that they were not subject to the established rules of the world.

On the other hand, the noble was in a position where there was much that bound them. The Aldeas School of Magic and the Kaizen Swordsmanship Academy were known for their discipline. If they caused trouble in a tourist spot, they couldn't avoid punishment.

"Anyway, welcome. I'm Jiss, the local guide. If you hire me, I can take care of everything from sightseeing to accommodation."

"We haven't finished discussing yet. We'll think about it."

Shirone repeated what he had told the other tout who had approached them so far.

But Jiss' gang was different from them. As he had already grasped their weakness, he persisted and insisted on hiring his group.

"Oh, why are you doing this? You attend a good academy, so you must have money, right? We're really poor people. Did you come to spend money anyway?"

It was then that Shirone realized that he was not a simple tout. Rian and Tess's eyes seemed to realize the same thing, and their gaze cooled.

Jiss' friends, who met the eyes of the warrior swordsman, shivered and stepped back. But Jiss didn't blink.

'Huhu, they can't do anything to us anyway.'

Having been a seller since he was young and growing up, he was interested in the inside information.

The Alpeas Magic Academy strictly prohibits the use of magic outside the academy. Since the Magic Academy was like that, needless to say, the Swordsmanship Academy, which emphasizes chivalry, was different.

Of course, there were times when they were caught and beaten by a student with a bad temper, but wouldn't he have to endure such a thing to get through the month? Furthermore, based on that experience, Jiss' tightrope walking skills had already reached their peak.

"Don't worry and just trust me. I'll tell you the most fun way to play on Galliant Island. Come on. What kind of man lacks guts? Sprinkle some money in front of the lovely ladies. Huh? Are you coming? Alright then, shall I carry the luggage?"

"Just a moment! We'll discuss this one last time."

"Ugh, fine. But it would be really bad if you refuse after coming this far."

Jiss was already holding their heavy luggage with both hands.

Shirone looked at his friends with an uncomfortable expression. This was the first time they faced such a situation, and Jiss' attitude extended to both sides of the line that made it difficult to confront him openly.

"What should we do? Should we trust this guy?"

"You know the name of our academy. That's why he's so bold. He knows we can't act recklessly."

Upon hearing Amy's words, Tess's annoyance grew. It was a shady method but definitely effective. By her nature, she should have thrown a punch already.

Rian, on the other hand, showed no particular concern. The only criterion he had in mind was Shirone's safety.

"I really don't care. If Shirone wants to, I'll just follow. If he tries to force us even after Shirone says he doesn't want to, then I'll just beat him up."

For Rian, this trip wasn't just a vacation. It was the first time he was out of town with Shirone after their knight's oath. One day, countless such situations would be encountered, so it was good to experience this and that in advance for the future.

"Ah, my arm hurts. Can't you decide quickly? All of this costs money, too."

"This idiot is really...!"

Shirone prevented Tess from approaching Jiss. As long as the academy's honor was at stake, he couldn't allow it.

"It's fine. We'll hire you. How much will it cost?"

"Haha! Good decision. I'll give you a special discount because it's you. Just give me 5 gold coins."

"Eh? 5 gold?"

Shirone widened his eyes. 5 gold coins just to hire a guide. It was an outrageous scam. He didn't know the island's cost of living, but no matter how expensive it was, it didn't seem to exceed 1 gold.

"Isn't that too expensive?"

"What are you saying? Let me tell you, if you pay 5 gold, you don't have to do anything; I'll take care of everything. I'll rent you a carriage, arrange accommodation, and show you the tourist attractions. It's cheap enough."

Amy was upset. From the beginning, she didn't want to cause a scene, so she remained still, but now that he had found their weak spot, he even intended to squeeze them.

They probably wouldn't even be proper guides. Furthermore, even if they were, 5 gold would be an extravagant amount ten times the market price.

'Haa, this is why you should have cut the grass at the root.'

Amy remembered the past and regretted it. Why did she forget? The fact that these kinds of people would only become bolder if not dealt with firmly.

"But no matter how much, 5 gold is a bit..."

"This is a tourist destination. Of course, it's more expensive than the market price."

"Well, still..."

"Never mind. Let's give it to him and move on."

Amy rummaged in her pockets. It would be counterproductive to have those kinds of people around. If they backed down once, they would surely ask for more money, taking advantage of their perceived weakness.

"Here, take these 5 gold and get lost."

Amy threw gold coins at Jiss's feet. Shiny gold coins bounced at his feet.

"Wow! Real gold coins!"

Jiss's friends hurriedly picked up the gold coins that had fallen to the ground. Jiss, on the other hand, didn't move as if he had frozen.

If someone else had scattered the money, he might have picked it up and run away, just like his friends. But in front of her gaze, which was like looking at an insect, he couldn't crawl on the ground at all.

"...What are you doing now? Are we beggars?"

"Are you any different? I don't need a guide or anything, so just disappear from my sight."

"This is serious! Did you just say all that?"

"Now, wait a moment. Let's not get excited..."

Shirone tried to intervene with a puzzled expression. It's annoying to be cheated, but he didn't expect Amy to react this way either.

"Shirone, it's fine. He asked for it. What can this little thing do? They're just scammers. They'll use the excuse of showing us around to scam us even more. They're human trash that can't be reformed."

Jiss's friends shuddered. Their business was exactly as he described.

Shirone frowned and turned away.

"Amy, stop."

"What do you mean stop? We give up, and they think we're scared and backing off? Rather, in this place..."

"But still, stop."

Amy finally closed her mouth. Since Shirone wasn't a noble, he might have felt uncomfortable witnessing the scene before.

But if they didn't do something like this, those guys would stick to them like leeches, sucking their blood until they died.

Jiss gritted his teeth and contained his anger. It was a life he had endured solely with his pride. No matter how much he was insulted by nobles, his heart never broke.

"Ji-Jiss. Let's stop and go. We have the money."

"Give it back."

"Eh, what?"

"Give me back the gold. Do you want to be treated like this? Don't you have any pride as men of the island?"

Jiss took the gold coins from his friends one by one. Indeed, the weight thrilled him just by holding it.

But he clenched his fists as if to suppress his desire. Then he turned his cold eyes towards Amy.

"Hmm, arrogant nobles. I envy you guys, throwing around 5 gold. How does that feel? I can't even imagine, right?"

Jiss lifted his chin as if to boast and scattered the gold coins in front of Amy's feet. The coins emitted a bright light and rolled around the area.

"Aha? Is that how it feels? It's fantastic. Guys, let's go."

Jiss took his friends and entered an alley.

Amy was speechless at his audacity. However, the objects of her anger had already disappeared.

"Ugh, those guys... Shirone, why did you stop me? Those guys need to be taught a lesson."

"I know. But if you really dislike it, you can express your anger or refuse. There was no need to go that far."

"What do you mean? Are you saying I look down on people because I have money?"

"It doesn't seem that way to me. But it ended up looking like that."

"You're still saying that even knowing what kind of guys they are? You were also bullied when you were young, right?"

Shirone bit his lip. Maybe Amy was right. But no matter how despicable the other party was, he didn't want to see her degrading the dignity of other people.

"Okay. Let's go. Let's get a carriage first."

When Shirone didn't say anything, Amy turned around and walked away. Tess, who was looking at her, scratched her head with a worried expression.

"This. The situation has become ambiguous."

***

As they entered alleyway 3 at the port, Jiss argued with his friends. They were supposed to receive their share when the boat arrived, but now that all the visitors had left, all they could do was argue.

"Jiss! Why? Hell, let's return that money! 5 gold is a lot, we could live days without paying any tribute."

"Don't you have any pride? He throws money in front of us and you want to take it like beggars?"

"And so what? After all, money is money."

"I can't do it like this. Damn girl! Even if she ignores me, I have respect for myself!"

Jiss clenched his fists and trembled. But his friends couldn't understand it. What was bothering him?

Of course, the woman's behavior who threw the money was a great humiliation for them, but the arrogant attitude of the nobles wasn't something recent anyway.

"Jiss, be honest. Were you in love with her?"

"What? Why would I like a girl like that?"

"You always defend your pride in front of a girl you like. But that girl is a noble. It can never work, and seeing how she easily handed over 5 gold, she must be of a very high rank among the nobles."

"And so what? What if she's a noble? I'm Jiss. I'm destined to be the ruler of the port!"

At that moment, they heard footsteps from the dark corner of the alley. With the characteristic sound of the heels of boots hitting the ground, Jiss's hair stood on end.

His friends too. There was only one person at the port who made footsteps like this.

"Hey, Jiss."

It was a middle-aged man of robust build. A fierce impression with a gaze sharp as a venomous snake. It was Falkoa, the leader of the Freeman Gang, the gang to which Jiss and his friends belonged.

Jiss shivered. Falkoa was cruel. He didn't care about being beaten, as befitting his penchant for violence. Whether the odds were 10 to 1 or 100 to 1, he would charge and beat anyone he could. No wonder he was known as the madman of Galliant.

"Ah, Brother Falkoa."

Falkoa stroked his chin and encircled Jiss with his arms. A repugnant odor pricked Jiss's nostrils. Like a drug addict, he never removed the pipe from his mouth.

"Give it to me. You have the money, right?"

"Ah, that... um, it's not here."

"Not there?"

There was a cold light in Falkoa's eyes. Anticipating that they would have to pay for this, Jiss's friends fell to the ground.

"For-Forgive us! Those kids said they wouldn't take our carriage! We stuck to them until the end, but they threatened us..."

"Is that so? Then, what was that you threw before? Was that not money but crap?"

Jiss's heart sank. He pretended not to know, but it seemed Falkoa had been watching from start to finish.

Was this how a frog feels when bitten by a snake's fangs? His breath grew tense due to fear.

"Haha, what do I do with these cute things?"