Tess was quite unsettled by Shirone's swift change in stance. From what they had been through, she knew how rationally he viewed the world.
Shirone wasn't someone who adjusted the situation according to his mood. But that didn't mean he was cold-blooded either.
He simply knew how to control his emotions, yet there must have been numerous conflicts in his mind.
Tess saw that Shirone's current condition might negatively affect the battle.
"Shirone, there's no need to worry. We're not going to fight; we're going to rescue Jiss's sister. It's enough to find out for ourselves what kind of person Marsha is."
Shirone forced a smile. He knew why Tess was concerned, but that only made him more determined.
If the woman he had seen with his own eyes was indeed a villain, he planned to forget all the emotions he had felt until now and defeat her with all his might.
"Don't worry. I won't make a mistake."
Shirone kicked the horse and swiftly cut through the night air.
***
There's no road from the west to the hideout in the north. This is because there's an indigenous autonomous zone in the center.
Those who kidnapped Yuna circled Mount Toa and headed towards the hideout. When they arrived at their destination, dawn was breaking.
In a run-down building resembling a warehouse, Falkoa sat on a chair. Chewed Loop shells were scattered at his feet as he sat there expressionless, half-closed pupils indicating a daze.
The men who opened the warehouse door bowed to Falkoa and tossed the bag containing Yuna to the floor.
A dull thud was heard, but no screams escaped. However, an intense tremor could be felt from inside the sack.
From the extent of the tremors, one could tell how terrified she was.
As Falkoa rubbed his chin, his subordinate pulled out a knife and tore the sack open. Yuna, soaked in tears and sweat, was revealed as if a cocoon had been opened.
Yuna's eyes filled with desperation as she looked around in fear. She didn't know where she was, but the fact that she had been running all night told her that time was passing.
Before her stood a man who didn't seem sane, gazing at her with dilated pupils, and near the entrance, frightening-looking men had blocked even the escape routes.
"Please, forgive me."
"You can leave."
The subordinates, who knew from experience what would happen if they disobeyed their boss, opened the door and disappeared as soon as Falkoa instructed them.
Alone with Yuna, Falkoa approached, chewing on Loop.
"You're better than I expected. Do you know why you're here?"
"I... I don't know. Please, let me go back home."
"I'm sorry, but I can't. My plan is to make you the most miserable human being in the world. Why? Because your brother sold you."
Yuna froze as if in shock. But she still believed in Jiss with all her heart. What kind of brother would sell his little sister to someone like this?
"That can't be true! My older brother cares about me more than anyone!"
"Is that so? Then why are you here now? I gave Jiss a tremendous gift and got you for him."
Falkoa didn't think his words were false. After all, he had saved his life—wasn't that like giving him a large sum of money?
Furthermore, he even guaranteed him time to miss Amy, so it wasn't an exaggeration to say he was Jiss's benefactor.
"That can't be true! My older brother couldn't have sold me!"
Yuna screamed as she clutched her chest to overcome her fear. The fact that she had been dragged to an unknown place was shocking, but even more so was the idea that her brother had sold her.
"Send me to my older brother! I'll ask him myself!"
"Hey, little miss. You seem not to understand the situation. You can't go home. You can never go back. There are two options: either you die by my hand or you commit suicide."
"No! That can't be true! Kyaa!"
Falkoa abruptly approached and grabbed Yuna's wrist. Pulled by an irresistible force, Yuna was forced to stand up and was thrown into Falkoa's arms.
"Stay away, you bad man!"
For a moment, Falkoa, relishing the resistance of the delicate girl, twisted Yuna's arm and broke it. Then, threateningly, he grasped both cheeks in his hands.
"Don't exhaust yourself too soon. There'll be plenty of chances for you to scream."
At that moment, the warehouse door opened, and someone entered. A cold voice echoed around the warehouse.
"Falkoa. Human trafficking goes against the rules."
"Free Man..."
Falkoa frowned in disgust. Agado Freeman, the only man in the Parrot Mercenary Band with a higher rank than his, observed the situation in the warehouse with sunken eyes.
Standing over 190 cm tall and dressed in a long white coat, he appeared equally pale. His eyebrows were completely shaved, and his lips were as thin as those of an ill person.
As the person who served as the vice-captain of Parrot Bandits, the predecessor of the Freeman Organization, he was a mastermind and used techniques involving magic bullets. Yet, within the organization, it was believed that he surpassed even Lucas in pure physical ability.
"What's this all of a sudden? I haven't seen you in a long time. Did you lose some money?" Falkoa spoke with a note of disgust. Since the days of the Parrot Mercenary Band, Freeman was the indisputable second in command, but Falkoa was the only one in the organization given a free hand.
The conflict between the vice-captain and the leader intensified after they entered the island. It was due to Freeman's desire to maintain the rules of the old mercenaries even after they fell into banditry.
Feeding dozens of subordinates tagged as rebels required massive funds. But Freeman couldn't find a solution for that.
The person who had led such an organization for 5 years was Falkoa. He forcibly expelled the gang bosses from the island and sustained the organization with the money left over from the distribution of the drug called "Loop."
There was a reason why Freeman had tolerated Falkoa's misdeeds despite knowing them.
But this time it was too much. If you're going to bear the name of Parrot, there's a line you shouldn't cross.
Although Freeman was just a suit-and-tie leader, he stuck to the policy of strictly punishing human trafficking and looting through violence.
"Do you not know the rules of the organization? Human trafficking degrades the standing of the Parrot Mercenaries."
"Parrot Mercenaries? Since when have we lived just looking at past glories? Look at us now. Do you think the organization could have survived without the money I brought?"
"You've gone crazy, Falkoa. I'll commend your hard work for the organization, regardless of the method. But make this clear. I am the one leading the organization."
"I don't care. I don't recognize you. Wasn't that the plan from the start? You can't suddenly act as if you're the boss."
An icy aura surged from Freeman, who had been observing Falkoa's defiant behavior. If he were a weaker creature, it would be such an intense energy that it would kill just by being exposed.
However, Falkoa absorbed the murky energy as if it were stabbing him in the body with a knife. It was painful, but he accepted it without changing his expression.
"Kukuku, man, you're scary."
Freeman was at a loss. For such a warrior, pain and anger were mere accelerators that aggravated the situation.
'Has he become a wild dog to this extent?'
Even if it wasn't for Loop, Falkoa was a person driven solely by desire from the beginning. It was just that his desire focused on combat and killing, which suited the mercenaries.
However, now that he was working as a tavern owner on the island, he was in a state of frustration. Even as he indulged in Loop, alcohol, and women, it was difficult to appease his innate madness.
"Please, please forgive me."
As Yuna trembled and begged, Freeman, who had been watching her, turned his gaze back to Falkoa and said,
"Do you really have to go this far? Have you lost even the pride of the parrots?"
"Pride? Hey, let me tell you something. The Parrot Mercenary Band has already ended. The leader is gone, and their subordinates are also at their limit. You should also surrender and come to our side."
Falkoa buried his face into Yuna's neck as if to show off. Still, Freeman did not move. It was because Falkoa was now showing a murderous intent.
The moment he moves, the battle will begin. When that happens, one of the two pillars holding up the parrot will collapse one way or another.
If they truly fight, it would be difficult for anyone to guess the outcome. But Falkoa was confident because he knew that Freeman couldn't control him.
"Why not try quitting? I'll tell my subordinate, you can take some money. It would be good if you admitted it and learned to enjoy it."
"Oh, it's a real mess, a mess."
The door opened, and a woman's voice was heard. Falkoa quickly turned his head at the voice that pierced his mind. But before he could see anything, he received a blow to the jaw and turned his face away.
"Wow!"
Then, a powerful kick struck Falkoa's abdomen. As Falkoa crouched on the ground, Yuna also lost strength in her legs and fell.
"Damn. This is really unfortunate."
Falkoa spat saliva and slowly got up. The reason he, who had animal-like reflexes, couldn't avoid two attacks was that he unconsciously suppressed counterattacks.
Claire Marsha. Standing there was the leader of the Parrot Mercenary Band, which once reigned over hundreds of mercenaries.
"Is she really the leader?"
"Is there a fake one? Half-breed, you've lost your senses because you've been free for a few years."
Falkoa wasn't angry. No, he didn't even show hostility.
To a member of the mercenary band, Marsha was such an existence.
As the first leader of the Parrot Mercenaries, it took more than strength to elevate the mercenary band to an A rank in a few years.
And Marsha did it with her outstanding skills. Moreover, she was a powerful figure who was the only one in the organization classified as a Class A criminal.
However, Falkoa didn't follow Marsha for such trivial reasons.
He was defining a woman named Marsha in this way.
Fallen Marsha.
Marsha is kind and caring, but it's not an exaggeration to say that almost none of the people she embraced were normal.
Those abandoned by their families, those born to crave blood by nature, social outcasts who couldn't reveal their existence outside the battlefield.
Falkoa was one of them.
When no one treated his mental illness and only pushed him out of society, Marsha was the only person who embraced him.
In Parrot Bandits, Marsha was an older sister and a mother, and the best leader they could trust and rely on in any situation.
However, it was true that even such a leader would have a burst of anger. What does it mean to show up now without contacting for several years?
"Darn it. Where have you been hiding? You're not even the leader. All this time we've..."
"You, you've become a drug addict, haven't you?"
Falkoa's face hardened. Even his dilated pupils became clearer, at least for this moment.
He must have heard it countless times in the last five years, but for some reason, it felt like he was hearing it for the first time.
Drug addict. Is that really the case? Has he, who used to be called a demon on the battlefield, now become a drug addict?
Freeman approached and bowed his head to Marsha.
"It's been a while, Captain. When did you return?"
"When I heard the news that Lucas was killed, I left immediately. It will definitely blow his hideout. It seems we'll have to clear this place soon."
After explaining this to Freeman, Marsha approached Falkoa. As she approached, Falkoa, as if surprised, subtly avoided her gaze.
"Falkoa, I'm sure I told you. Human trafficking is not allowed."
Falkoa's forehead wrinkled. Now that he thought about it, there was nothing to be ashamed of. All the fault lies with Marsha, who abandoned the organization and left.