"At most, they will have to starve for a week or two, sell their bodies, or steal and sell something from their neighbor - but if they can't get their hands on one big copper coin within the time that the Foul Reaper's symptoms get so bad that they can't move... Well, that just means they didn't try hard enough."
The boy explained and shrugged with a dismissive expression.
"...horrible... that is so, so horrible...!"
Zorivia began to sob and wipe her tears alternately with her left and right hand.
"I am not going to apologize because I do not feel guilty for using you, and it will sound really condescending coming from me, but... Listen. Everyone gets scammed and used at least once in their lives. If you don't like being the one on the getting used side, use this experience to learn, grow, and use others to never end up in this situation again. Okay?"
Medea declared, stood up, and dusted off his pants before checking on his heart-shaped pendant and hiding it back under his clothes.
"N-no... I didn't mean that... I mean... that too, but..."
"...pardon...?"
Zorivia continued to cry, making Medea lean back and ask while squinting his eyes at her, brimming with suspicion.
"Those people... those criminals... they even forced a child like you to take part in something so horrible...!"
"..."
The blond-haired girl cried out – and this time, her words had a much stronger effect on the black-haired boy than before.
She's this dumb, but she still thinks she's so much more mature than me...?!|
The anger of a boy whose crush didn't treat him seriously boiled over, although it didn't completely take him over.
*rustle*
"...e-eh...?"
Medea retracted his steps, getting back to Zorivia, and reached down, getting a hold of the girl's chin and making her look up while he leaned down and glared right into her sapphire eyes.
"Me being used? Who do you think came up with the idea to contact the moonshiners in order to properly dilute your tonic without polluting and wasting it? Who do you think kept tabs on the hired people standing in line so they wouldn't snatch a potion for themselves? It was me! I was given a chance and jumped right on it!"
"!!!"
The black-haired boy growled, feeling satisfaction over watching the girl's eyes widen from the shock upon hearing the confession.
"Hmph!"
The boy scoffed, letting go of the baffled girl, and reached down, picking up the sachel with tonics from the haystack.
"..."
The girl only lowered her head and said nothing as the boy left the barn, leaving her alone.
Even when no one was there to scold her, she cowered and clenched her fists on her dress, crumpling the fabric as big tears started streaming down her face.
*sniffle*
Zorivia sobbed and raised her arm to wipe her tears when.
"...e-eh...?! I-I'm sorry...!"
Someone grabbed her hand, causing her to yelp and apologize.
Then...
"...eh...?"
She gasped in disbelief, looking up at the grumpy face of the black-haired boy who returned for her.
"Don't you – eh – me. A stu... a dummy like you probably doesn't know her way home, and you definitely will stroll right up to a soldier or a guard and ask to escort you back to your mansion. You will probably blab out everything I told you to your father or that rude servant of yours, but at least I will have a bit of time to hide and hopefully wait things out."
Medea scoffed, gritting his teeth, and declared, pulling the girl up to her feet and leading her outside after double-checking if it was safe to leave the barn.
"...thank you... for returning for me..."
"...!"
As the two of them were sneaking through the back alleys getting closer to the rich part of the town and the Rotteloss family mansion, Zorivia sniffled and muttered shily to Medea, causing the boy to tense up.
"..."
Medea glanced over his shoulder at the blond-haired girl, obediently letting herself be led without even looking around, and then down his shirt to the tiny metallic box, already partially open, hiding a couple of differently colored marbles.
It took them quite a long time to reach their destination, but eventually, they were in the back of some fancy story, hiding in a decorative shrub, with only a busy street separating them from the gate of the outside wall surrounding the Rotteloss mansion.
"I've led you far enough. Go."
"Umm..."
Medea motioned towards the gate with his chin and let go of Zorivia's hand, but the girl hesitated.
"I... I will not tell anyone about you... because... because you are only a child, and you don't even know that you are being used by bad people..."
"!!!"
The girl reached out and tugged on the black-haired boy's sleeve before speaking up, making him grimace as his head and heart became a mess.
"I said go, stupid!"
"I'm sorry!"
Medea bit his lips and spat through his teeth, frightening the girl, who apologized out of reflex and jumped out of the shrub.
*rustle*
She glanced towards the plan to which Medea shook the shrub to make it seem as if he left to prompt the girl to move forward.
"..."
Which she did, and then Medea reached into his shirt's pocket and flicked through the marbles in the metallic box – ending up with a yellow marble in his hand.
The boy gulped down his saliva and aimed at Zorivia's back.
The blond-haired girl was patiently waiting for the speeding carriages that waited for no one to pass so she could cross the street.
If, for example, something happened to her and she fell forward, she would undoubtedly end up trampled.
"..."
Medea closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm down.
He carefully prepared, took aim, and...
"...!"
...he froze up as he noticed Zorivia fidgeting and putting one hand to her mouth, gently touching her lips and turning around.
It wasn't like she noticed Medea in the shrub – she was looking over the plant as if hoping to catch a glimpse of the leaving boy's back.
"...you dummy...!"
Medea bit his lips and whispered as his hand trembled and his heart ached.
Meanwhile, Zorivia blushed, putting the hand she was touching her lips to her heart, and faced the road again, utterly oblivious to the danger.
"S-stupid!"
Medea hissed, but he wasn't cursing at Zorviva but at himself.
He stuffed the yellow marble back into his pocket and ran off, fully aware of how stupid he was for not getting rid of the girl who heard the crime confession straight from his mouth.
...and the clueless girl crossed the road safely and shocked the guard with her sudden appearance and unkept clothes...