Chapter 64 - Volume 3 (2/2)
Speaking of that, just a while ago, the lady at the flower store had said that lately some unseemly thugs had been hanging around this area, and to be on my guard. And just now, I remembered that.
They wouldn’t bother a plain looking girl like me, I had said smiling to the shopkeeper. Sigh. I supposed that these were the guys that she had been referring to. I looked up at them. One of them smiled broadly, and snatched my basket.
「Ah!」
I unconsciously let out a cry. One of the men grabbed me, and that feeling sent chills down my spine. It was unbearably uncomfortable.
「Please let me go.」
「「Please let me go.」 she says. Don’t be haughty.」
「It’s not like I hate this type of woman though. With this sort, once you get them in bed, they get wild.」
「Oi. Before that, pay my medical bills.」
「While you’re at it, give us some tender nursing.」
What medical bills? What nursing? Don’t joke with me. That sort of thing, even if you fell to the ground begging, I’d refuse. At the very least, go fix your face and then come back and ask.
Or that was what I thought, but I didn’t say anything. The one who had his arm around my shoulder pulled me into an empty alley. He pushed me up against a wall, and I bit my lip in the process. The basket was still in the men’s possession, and I was surrounded with my back to the wall. I couldn’t see a way out.
「…」
I unconsciously touched the bracelet that Edi had given me, still around my right wrist. He had taken a child stone from one of the magic gems in his staff to use as the main piece, and because of that this was connected to his staff. If I used this, he’d probably get here immediately. But, but even so. Even under normal circumstances, he was swamped with work. Was calling the kingdom’s head magician really okay? Although he would certainly say 「If you have time to think that, hurry up and call me.」
Even so, my will power stopped me from doing that. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it strength, but as his wife, to hold that position with pride, I didn’t want to rely on him whenever the going got rough. Because it was him, Though, if I requested his help, far from being displeased, he’d actually be happy. But, if I continued to do that, someday I’d lose my place as his equal. I feared that much more than my current predicament with these men.
And while I was engrossed in these thoughts, I was silent. The men grew angry at the fact that I didn’t look particularly scared or flustered, and threw my basket on the ground.
「Ah!」
The ingredients were strewn across the ground, along with the book that I had just borrowed. I unthinkingly let out a loud cry, and they smiled, trampling the groceries underfoot. One picked up the book. To go so far as to trample food, must be a damning act. Thinking that it would be nice if the goddess smote them right there, I glared at them.
「What are you doing?」
「It’s your fault for spacing out, isn’t it?」
「Exactly. Even though you’re a girl, reading this big of a book.」
「Rather than a book, we’re much more fun to play with you know.」
At their remarks, I clenched my trembling fist. What were they saying. 「Playing」 with them, or reading, there was no need to compare. To even propose a comparison was impertinent.
「Regarding the fact that you all have ruined my groceries, I will reluctantly let slide. But I won’t overlook the book. Please give it back.」
「Oooh-, cheeky.」
「Please show us exactly how you won’t overlook it.」
「Don’t touch me!」
The man in front of me stretched his hand out to touch my cheek, and I instinctively slapped it away. Th sound resounded through the alley. Shoot, I thought, but it was too late. Looking at his red hand, he grew angry.
「I had thought I’d treat you gently, but then you do this!」
「Don’t be so stuck up!」
One of the men threw the book against the ground. In that instant, something fluttered out from the pages.
「!」
Panicking, I tried to pick it up, but just before I could get to it, one of the men got there a step faster.
「What’s this?」
「…A bookmark, I think.」
「Please give that back!」
He was holding in his hand my bookmark, which had been between the pages of my book just a moment before. Several years ago, back when Edi had still been in the Magic Academy, I had sent him a handkerchief embroidered with a wood sorrel, and in return, he had given me this bookmark, of a pressed daisy. To me, it was one of my treasures.
The men must have been able to tell from my expression and voice just how important the bookmark was to me, as they grinned broadly at each other and feigned self-importance. One made a disgusting smile.
「I was mistaken. This isn’t simply any old bookmark. It looks like this bookmark is verrry important to this lady.」
「Looks that way.」
Smiling, the men exchanged looks, and then looked down at me. The man dangled the bookmark right in front of my eyes, but when I moved to grab it, he held it out of reach. I simmered with irritation.
「Please. Would you give that back?」
「That depends on you.」
「Right. If you pay our hospital fees, we’ll consider it.」
I could feel my body trembling. Not out of fear, but out of anger. My left hand touched the bracelet around my right wrist. Calm down, calm down, I told myself. In this situation, because of these guys, if I called Edi, I’d never forgive myself. Even if Edi himself would want me to call him in this situation.
I wracked my brain trying to come up with a way to deal with this with my own power, but nothing good came to mind. I couldn’t do anything but silently glare at the pair. That seemed to get on their nerves –
「Say something!」
His hand came up and I instinctively shut my eyes. 「Ahh, I messed up.」 For some reason I was strangely calm. Taking a solid blow to the face like this would definitely swell up something fierce.
Edi’s quiet, furious figure floated through my mind. 「Why didn’t you call me?」, he would ask quietly, and then find these men and scheme some revenge. He really was a troublesome guy.
I knew that, and still didn’t call him right away. I knew that, and yet still – come to think of it, I had been bracing for the inevitable pain of this strike, but it never arrived.