It wasn't long before we made it back to the Moth Head. I found out the girls name was Angie and she is NOT in fact the other daughter of Pharmel. Angie is the daughter of the owner of a local restaurant. I know she wants to go see her family as soon as possible but I need her as a witness and proof to bring Minc down first.
I didn't see any other hostages though, did I misstep somewhere? It's possible they were holding other hostages on another floor, I felt that was unlikely though. I should have tried to search more…
I'm not one for judging others by any means, but this girl Angie does act a bit strange though. She's a bit jittery, I'm sure she's been through a lot.
"What if Minc sees me?"
"That wouldn't be a problem, with you out of danger we can go directly to the Royal guards now and Minc will be arrested."
"Ye-yeah…"
"Were there any other hostages other than yourself?"
"No, it was just me…"
Really? Something is strange, is it possible Minc has another warehouse? No, I highly doubt that's the case. I wonder where the daughter of Pharmel is?
Also another thing on my mind is that strange event with the guy that attacked me earlier. What in the world was that power? Was that really my doing? I have to put those thoughts on the back burner for now.
I gotta stay focused here.
"You're pretty brave for a little girl you know."
"No, I'm just stupid."
Angie tried to strike up a conversation, I'm not good at those at all though. I'm what you might call socially awkward.
It has now been an hour since I left the Moth Head, I was half expecting to see chaos once we got back but it was surprisingly quiet. We went in through the secret path under the deck, super convenient because I can see through the cracks of the floor boards what's going on. It seems Shirone and his men have made their appearance and are questioning Minc and his goons.
Better late than never, I guess.
-_____-
Angie stopped in her tracks, she wore a dark expression despite the clearly good situation. I mean, with this all that's left is a large scale raid at Minc's warehouse and all those baddies are smoked as well.
Angie was the only hostage I saw, but even if they have any more in there somewhere they'll be rescued immediately. It should still be a flawless win from how I see it.
I pulled Angie through the door, I'm only 9 and I'm quite a bit smaller than her but somehow I managed to pull her inside.
I waved at Shirone, he was looking a bit sternly at first but then smiled. Probably trying to keep his "bad cop" appearance up or something.
"This is some good work Sada, you've really impressed me with everything you've done here."
Oh? I'm being praised awe yay. *^-^*
"I'm sorry Mr. Moth, I searched Minc's warehouse on the other side of town but I couldn't find your daughter…"
I bowed my head apologetically. I feel like I failed despite thinking this plan through…
"I see…well, Hermel is a strong girl…I'm sure she's fine..."
"Hermel!? She's probably long gone by now! She's the one who set me up and took all the damn money!"
Minc burst out deliriously.
"What? You're saying Hermel is the one behind this crime?"
Shirone was shocked at the idea.
"Yeah, she set us up perfectly to take the fall while she enjoys all the money to herself. She's probably halfway to Selina by now!"
"uh-"
Angie attempted to intervene but she was overwhelmed by all the loud men yelling.
"You bastard! You probably killed her just to cover your tracks you scum!"
Pharmel refuses to believe his daughter would do something like that, though I have to admit that sounds possible. I wouldn't put it past Minc at all.
"Um- uh-"
"What is it Angie? You seem to know something."
I figured I'd speak up on her behalf.
"Well, it's just- Hermel, I do remember a girl by that name…"
"Yes, that was the hostage I was asking about earlier."
"Hostage? No, she always walked around like she was the boss. The men holding me hostage always followed her orders…"
"Really? Well…I suppose that's that then. What should we do Mr. Shirone?"
"We're taking these fools to prison."
Shirone stated in a matter of fact tone. It seems there are more guards on the way which will be plenty enough to arrest the other no good bad doers at the warehouse. This is case closed as far as I'm concerned.
Well, as it turns out the actual crime boss was Hermel but she was ahead of the game. A warrant was sent for her arrest, but there's no telling if they'll ever find her. If she travels as far as Selina then she's free from all her crimes.
Though they say only 1 in 10 people make it to Selina, you have to travel through the wasteland to get there. Selina is a town separate from the rule of the kingdom of flames. Basically, my father has no jurisdiction there.
It was almost 11, the sky was dark and the streets were empty. I finally got back to the inn and greeted Poe with a smile. I left him here for his own safety, I was willing to be hurt but if he was hurt I'd never forgive myself.
I was lucky enough to be paid a huge sum of 20 gold coins for my efforts. My eyes popped out of my head the moment I saw that much money. I bought myself some healing ointment which healed the wound on my shoulder immediately.
I stopped by the Whitpost restaurant, they were shocked to hear what happened. I went ahead and got some delicious pasta and of course a banana nut muffin to share with Poe.
I was so exhausted that I fell into a deep sleep the very moment I laid my head on the pillow.