#18
Medo denied that Baberi and he could ever be of the same mind. It was a premature thought, but perhaps it would remain true forever.
“Then I have nothing more to say to you. Forget the protection—go back.”
He didn’t want to get involved with a rebellious person who wouldn’t listen. Medo tried to drive Baberi away, telling her not to waste his time.
“No. Today, if I don’t protect properly, Sharon said she’d be eating only beans for the rest of her life.”
Baberi refused to accept Medo’s refusal. She couldn’t keep eating bland beans alone while Kur was enjoying a delicious pie beside her.
Begging for just one piece was one thing, but pride wouldn’t allow it any longer.
“Let me be honest. Even if you join me now, I have no money to give. But I promise this.”
Baberi raised her index finger with a serious expression.
“I’ll give you an incredible position—ranked fourth in my country.”
That was quite an extraordinary offer.
Baberi made the proposal confidently, pointing to her chest with her thumb.
“Rank one is me. Naturally, I’m the king. And…”
She pointed at Kur, who seemed disinterested in the conversation and was looking elsewhere.
“This guy is rank two.”
If someone else were to desire a higher rank, it would be best not to try to surpass him. As Baberi advised, Kur glanced at Medo and said:
“If you try to cross him, I’ll tear you into four pieces, horizontally and vertically.”
“Why are you threatening the one you’re supposed to coax into joining you?”
Baberi scolded Kur. He glared at her and then turned his head away.
“So, you do have subordinates.”
Medo didn’t know who Kur was, but he secretly regarded him as ridiculous. Mentioning fourth rank suggested there was a third-rank person as well. Medo was curious about what kind of fool Kur could be.
“If you join now, you’ll be rank four. How does that sound? Don’t you feel like joining?”
“Not at all.”
Medo refused coldly. Even if Baberi argued about why it was tempting, he remained unmoved.
“I have a rope that’s sturdy and safe, unlike a rotten one like you.”
Baberi frowned at being treated like a rotten rope. But there was something more important than arguing about that right now.
A sturdy and safe rope? Who could that possibly be?
“Could it be Glock?”
Rob had asked Glock for help, but Jacob had told him that Glock ignored them. There was also talk that Glock wasn’t helping the mercenary group.
“If the rope you trust is Glock, it’s Arthur. That bald guy isn’t a rope—he’s hair.”
And there wasn’t much of it.
Baberi offered sincere advice based on experience.
Medo shook his head.
“The rope I trust isn’t Glock.”
“Then who is it?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Medo drew the line. Baberi persistently asked who he intended to follow, but he never revealed it.
“Forget the protection or whatever. Go back. Being with you seems more dangerous.”
“But… I don’t want to eat beans again…”
Pouting, Baberi reluctantly withdrew. Medo called her from behind.
“Leave Sharon’s house. No, leave Rondar as soon as possible!”
Baberi looked back, hoping perhaps he had changed his mind, only to be disappointed. She ignored his words and headed to Sharon’s house.
When they arrived at Sharon’s store, a customer was standing to leave.
It was the official they had met in front of the city gate on their first day in Rondar. He seemed to have ordered quite a bit of food, as dishes were scattered on the table.
“Let’s make him come again.”
Yet he tried to leave the store without paying. Sharon silently watched him.
The official paused when he noticed Baberi and Kur. He adjusted his beard that spiked skyward and narrowed his eyes.
“What are you looking at?”
Baberi frowned and asked, but he glanced briefly at Sharon and left the store.
“What was that about?”
Baberi felt strangely upset. Sharon quietly cleared the dishes the official had eaten from.
“Why didn’t you take the money? Did you get it in advance?”
Sharon’s shoulders twitched.
“I don’t take money from someone I owe a debt to.”
“What kind of debt makes you eat that much food without paying?”
Baberi scolded Sharon, saying free food shouldn’t be allowed. Sharon glared at her, dumbfounded.
“You, Your Majesty, eat free food every day.”
“I’m your king.”
Baberi replied, saying it couldn’t be compared. Sharon sighed lightly at her audacity, then suddenly realized something.
“What about Medo’s protection? Did he return?”
“Ah, that…”
Baberi explained that Medo had driven her away, so she had no choice but to return. Sharon, thinking it was an excuse, gave Baberi some beans again.
“Annoying. I didn’t do anything wrong today; he refused to protect me.”
Baberi lay face-down on the table, protesting. Sharon, busy washing dishes in the kitchen, paid her no attention.
Only Kur, unable to watch anymore, told her to get up. Even then, he didn’t look at Baberi, still focused on his pie.
Baberi sighed through her nose, poking the beans with a spoon.
“How should I get Medo on my side?”
Baberi tapped Kur’s foot, asking him to suggest a good idea. Kur paused, frowning.
“Are you not giving up on someone who said no?”
“The king needs soldiers.”
“There are plenty of humans around. Why not get someone else?”
“Where else can you find soldiers who survived impossible battles?”
“They weren’t impossible to kill!”
Kur snapped. He ground his teeth, thinking he had let them live because they hid. Judging by his reaction, he had genuinely tried to kill Medo but failed.
“I let them live.”
“Sure you did.”
Baberi picked up a spoonful of beans, her face sly.
“Shall we try to sow discord between Medo and Glock?”
“How?”
“…Well.”
“Think before giving suggestions.”
“Eating only beans doesn’t give good ideas. Give me some pie.”
Baberi opened her mouth. Kur avoided looking at her and didn’t meet her eyes.
“How about winning his heart by granting him a favor?”
“How?”
She opened her mouth again, asking for just one piece. When Kur didn’t respond, she sighed dramatically.
“Since he’s constantly being hunted by bounty hunters, protecting him from danger should work.”
“Oh, clever!”
Kur finally fed her a piece of pie.
“Surely I told you to leave Rondar?”
Seeing Baberi and Kur again gave Medo a headache.
“Don’t bother me here. Take your subordinates and leave quietly.”
Baberi blinked and looked at Kur. Kur followed her but seemed elsewhere, staring blankly. He didn’t seem to be listening to the conversation.
“If I leave with my subordinates, wouldn’t that put you in trouble?”
Baberi asked seriously. Medo shook his head, saying it would be fine.
“What’s this? I thought you and Sharon were inseparable.”
Seeing him say leaving was fine made Baberi wonder if it was only Sharon who mattered to him.
“Why is Sharon involved here?”
“What do you mean?”
Baberi tilted her head. They stared at each other, confused.
“Could it be…”
Medo’s face darkened as he realized. His lips parted, then he gritted his teeth.
“I wondered which fool was joining the rebellion… and it’s Sharon.”
He realized that the subordinate Baberi mentioned earlier was Sharon and felt despair.
“You called your own girlfriend a fool? That’s harsh.”
Baberi whispered loudly to Kur, saying she’d tell Sharon later. Kur glanced at Sharon, who was frozen.
Their eyes met, and Sharon quickly hid behind a pillar. She had actually brought plenty of pie with her.
“Crazy. Completely insane! What was Sharon thinking? Is she mad enough to want to die?”
Sharon had anticipated Medo’s reaction and kept her loyalty to Baberi a secret. But distributing the pie briefly gave her away. She panicked, unsure how to fix it.
“Sharon is an innocent woman who’s never left Rondar. She doesn’t understand the dangers of rebellion!”
“Rebellion? That’s nothing. I was born into it.”
Baberi fanned the flames, telling him not to overthink.
Medo hit the wall with his still-healing right hand. Anger dulled the pain.
“She doesn’t know what’s right or wrong. She has no practical judgment or insight.”
Baberi started feeling irritated listening to him. Sharon wasn’t someone who couldn’t tell right from wrong. At least she was better than Medo, who had once believed Baberi was the nonexistent Margaret, sister of the Dragon Slayer.
“She’s young. I helped her a bit when she was struggling, and that was enough for her to like me.”
“Do you really think that of Sharon?”
Baberi asked, and Medo flinched.
“Sharon always genuinely worries about you, saying you’re a good and kind person.”
Thinking about that made Baberi annoyed.
“Medo doesn’t deserve Sharon’s pie. Beans are precious—let him eat the shells.”
Medo could only move his lips in reply. Kur, looking at Medo with disdain, finally spoke.
“At least Sharon has discernment, unlike you.”
“Exactly! You’re the one without judgment!”
Baberi loudly agreed with Kur.
“No matter what rope you hold, if it’s not this fool’s, you’ll fail.”
“Right. You’ll utterly fail. Wait, did you just call the king a fool?”
Baberi frowned at Kur. He ignored her growl and continued:
“In that sense, Sharon joined Baberi’s rope long ago, so she’s much wiser than you.”
Medo felt a sharp pain in his head.
“You really think you can succeed in rebellion? The three of you?”
“One of the three is me.”
Kur was extremely confident. Medo’s face twisted with frustration and disbelief.
“And who do you think you are?”
