Chapter 20
I knew there was a bounty on me. Of course, it was my first time actually seeing the wanted poster.
I unfolded the crumpled brown parchment that had been shoved in front of me.
<Fugitive of Love, Kanoe Bluebell. Age 22.>
Below that embarrassing nickname was a photo of me, blown up larger than life.
Underneath, in tiny packed letters, were my alleged crimes and distinguishing features. My eyes narrowed.
“Special note… ‘A romantic figure who escaped a ship in pursuit of love’?”
“Ugh…”
“I guess wanted posters these days are all about clickbait.”
The boy lying on the ground groaned in pain. The burly man who had been standing there moments ago was nowhere to be seen—my single strike had knocked him out cold.
“What the—? They said your ability was just, like, shooting a water gun!”
“Guess that water gun turned out to be a heavy cannon, huh?”
“N-No one told me that!”
‘That person,’ huh.
So someone put him up to this. I crouched in front of the boy sprawled out on the ground and studied his face.
He’d changed.
Not just his body size—his face shape and features were completely different. He’d looked like he was in his mid-twenties before, but now he barely looked like a teenager.
Even his voice sounded younger. If someone told me he was a different person entirely, I might believe it. The only thing that stayed the same was his red hair.
“So, you’re an ability user too. Transformation power?”
“Sis… it hurts so bad… please don’t kill me…”
His trembling fingers and watery eyes gave him away. He basically confessed to being an ability user himself. I shrugged like I didn’t notice.
“Who’s your sister?”
“You’re the ‘fugitive of love,’ aren’t you? Someone who knows love shouldn’t be this coldhearted!”
“You’d do fine if you just kept your mouth shut.”
I spun a small, blue droplet of water around my finger. The boy flattened himself against the ground and started begging for his life again.
Now I really did feel like some villain.
With a sigh, I popped the droplet. No point in tormenting the kid.
“S-Scary woman…”
“Hey. What’s your name?”
“W-Why do you want to know?”
He glared at me suspiciously, and I answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“I’ve got questions for you. If I keep calling you ‘hey,’ it’ll sound like I’m bullying you.”
“…You are bullying me.”
“Who was it that dragged me into a deserted alley, again?”
Funny—when he was disguised, he could pull off all kinds of sleazy lines, but now?
Apparently, being on the receiving end was more than he could stand. He cursed under his breath and yelled:
“You hit me first! Damn it, I was just told to find someone, that’s all!”
“Yeah? Who told you?”
“…”
This time, he clammed up. Must be someone he doesn’t want to—or can’t—expose.
“Hey.”
“…Lucas. Most people just call me Luca.”
“Didn’t want to tell me a minute ago.”
“Felt like you were bullying me…”
He slumped like a soaked puppy and slowly got to his feet. Didn’t look like he planned to run—not that he could, and he seemed to know it.
“Alright, Luca. How much were they paying you?”
“…Double.”
Luca pointed at the wanted poster I was holding.
“They said they’d pay double what your bounty is worth.”
I glanced down at the parchment again.
<Fugitive of Love, Kanoe Bluebell. Age 22.>
No matter how many times I looked at that nickname and awkward photo, I couldn’t get used to it.
<Bounty: 10,000 Gold>
A staggering amount—on my head.
* * *
While Kanoe was facing off with Luca…
“Pfft—Hahahaha!”
Lloyd clutched his stomach with laughter as he looked at Ian’s freshly dyed blond hair.
“So you’re telling me you dyed your hair just to bring me my wallet?”
“Keep your voice down. You’re too loud.”
Ian slapped the wallet into Lloyd’s hand. Wiping tears from his eyes, Lloyd asked again:
“Kanoe do this for you? Thought you were too lazy for dye jobs.”
“…This is your fault.”
Ian frowned, pushing back the golden hair that glittered under the sunlight—so out of place on him.
“But how’d my wallet even end up there? I swear I left it in my pocket…”
Lloyd scratched his head and checked his pocket again. No way he’d taken it out, as far as he remembered.
“Anyway, I’m leaving.”
“Ian, wait.”
As Ian turned to go, Lloyd stopped him with a jerk of his chin toward the clothes rack.
“Since you’re here, help me pick out something. I was just about to look for clothes for Kanoe.”
“…”
“I don’t know her size. Women’s clothes all look the same to me.”
Lloyd waved a flimsy dress in his hand. Ian felt a dizzy spell coming on.
He hadn’t thought much of it before. When Lloyd offered to grab some spare clothes, Ian assumed it’d be a few practical outfits.
But this was Muiya Island—a tropical paradise where it’s hot all year round. All the ‘everyday clothes’ on display were thin and skimpy.
“Clothes…”
Ian scrubbed his face with his hands and looked away, but every direction had dresses with daring cuts.
“…You’d know women’s clothes better than me.”
“Not just any woman’s clothes—your woman’s clothes.”
“…”
Ian’s expression darkened slightly, and Lloyd caught it, smirking.
“What kind of clothes does Kanoe like? Dresses? Or maybe pants for easy movement?”
…Like he would know that.
“Haah.”
Unable to answer honestly, Ian sighed and glanced at the dresses Lloyd had been holding: a bold floral print and a frilly pink nightmare.
He shook his head firmly.
“Neither.”
“What? After all that trouble picking them out?”
Ignoring Lloyd’s whining, Ian scanned the display.
When they first met on the ship, Kanoe had worn a prison uniform. Out at sea, she’d been wrapped in rags.
Only after arriving on Muiya had she worn that simple yellow dress.
He’d never really paid attention to her clothes before. What she wore didn’t matter.
But picking something that suited her? That was different.
Kanoe would look good in this.
He reached for a white dress, picturing her standing in the sea breeze. Lloyd crossed his arms, satisfied.
“Now you’re getting into it.”
The two of them were so caught up in shopping, they didn’t realize Kanoe was gone—until much later.
* * *
“What? Our crewman Lucas is on his way back with the target?”
Behind Muiya Island, inside the lair of the Raging Tide Pirates.
Captain Grimvold set down his wooden mug of brown liquor with a thud.
“Wahaha! I knew the kid would pull it off!”
Ever since that fancy-looking young master showed up, Grimvold had been over the moon.
Catch a single woman and get paid a mountain of gold? Yes, please.
A pirate’s job is to chase treasure. And Grimvold lived by that creed every day, plundering with zeal.
“What the hell did that woman do to have that kind of bounty on her head?!”
He downed a swig of harsh rum. One of his men chuckled and raised his cup.
“Heard she killed someone and ran off with some guy.”
“Hah! Sounds like a wicked little thing. Think Luca’s putting the moves on her?”
“That’d be a sight!”
Laughter filled the cabin, rum scent hanging thick in the air.
In the middle of the raucous noise, Grimvold glanced at their guest sitting primly in the corner.
“Young master. You’ll pay the fee you promised, right?”
“Of course.”
The calm voice cut through the chaos like a blade—utterly out of place here.
The pirates went silent for a moment. The man smiled, refined and serene, his eyes sweeping over them.
“But I don’t appreciate you talking about Kanoe that way.”
Tap.
He set a small silver goblet on the table. Red liquid shimmered inside, sliding down the walls like blood.
“Mind your tongues.”
Their client—the one who offered double the bounty—smiled gently.
“After all, it’s hard to taste liquor without a tongue.”
Rev Valentir.
