PHATFO 42

~Chapter 42~

Jacob and the apothecary were thrown into prison.

The apothecary confessed everything before Lady Wellington.
Jacob had stayed behind, wanting to see Lala fall under the noblewoman’s wrath—only to be caught himself.

The apothecary gave up the moment he entered the cell. Even if he survived, he knew his life as an apothecary was over.

Jacob, on the other hand, sat in the middle of the cell like it was his own room, shouting.

“Gale’s outside, right? Go call him.”

It was pathetic how he flaunted his connection to Gale, the head of the town guard, but the guards didn’t dare oppose him.
In Ermel, a small town, the head guard’s authority wasn’t small.

“The captain is absent.”

“I know that bastard isn’t busy. Probably drunk and passed out somewhere.”

At that moment, Gale was actually being scolded by the estate manager—but Jacob had no idea.

“Tch, annoying. Hey, got any booze hidden? Let’s share a drink.”

“Alcohol isn’t allowed for prisoners, but I can bring you water.”

“You uptight bastard.”

Grumbling, Jacob took the cup.
When he returned the empty cup, he noticed the guard holding a bundle of papers.

“What’s that in your hand?”

“Wanted posters. A new list came in.”

“So… faces of criminals on the run?”

“Exactly.”

“Don’t just pass by—let me see. You’re gonna post them on the walls anyway, right?”

The guard hesitated, then tore off a few and slipped them through the bars.

“They’re not confidential.”

Jacob sat on the floor, flipping through them.

‘Whoa, this guy killed three people? And this one’s a scammer…’

He chuckled at how many were worse than him—
until his hand froze.

‘Wait… did I see that right?’

On the paper was a face he knew too well.
He’d seen it hundreds of times.
The only difference was the silver hair.

Underneath the drawing was a name:

“Bella Rohiltern”

“These are all wanted criminals, right? Then this woman too?”

“Ah, her.”

The guard checked and nodded.

“I don’t know her exact crime, but they say Duke Armin himself posted the bounty. Must be serious.”

“That so?”

Jacob grinned at the poster. The guard reached out.

“Finished? Hand it back.”

“Don’t be stingy. I heard the duke takes tips about her directly. That true?”

“I’ve heard so. Why do you ask?”

“She looks like someone I know.”

The guard frowned, but Jacob smirked.

“I’m not asking much. Just pass my name to the duke’s men. No risk for you.”

The guard considered. Jacob looked far too confident for a prisoner—
the kind who truly believed he’d be free soon.

‘No reason to make an enemy over something simple.’

“I’ll deliver the message. But I know nothing of what comes after.”

“Don’t worry. Even if it goes badly, nothing will come back to you.”

Because I don’t even know your name.

“….”

The guard shook his head and left.

“Haha… hahahaha!”

Jacob burst out laughing.

“They say fortune never completely abandons a man!”

He had only asked to see the posters to kill his rising anxiety.
Yet there he had found the answer.

The bounty poster only mentioned 100 million gold, but Jacob knew the rumor:
the duke had also offered a wish token.

Back then, he thought, whoever gets it will be one lucky bastard.
But now—

“Turns out that lucky bastard is me!”

If he could meet the duke here,
and if Lala was indeed Bella…
He’d not only become rich overnight,
but gain backing stronger than even the Hobbes Guild master.

It was the chance to flip his entire life.

“This is all your fault, Lala. You made me like this…”

Bang.

“You say you saw Bella?”

Jacob had been moved from the prison to a guest chamber in the estate.
The duke wanted to meet him personally.

It wasn’t luxury—his food was poor, the shackles stayed on his wrists—
but compared to the cell, it was heaven: a bed, sunlight, and privacy.

Jacob hoped the duke would arrive late so he could stay here longer.

But—

‘Why so soon?’

The duke arrived in less than two days.

‘But he was supposed to be at the frontlines…?’

Could it be an imposter? No—the knights flanking him radiated killing intent.

Jacob, who only knew how to throw punches and had never killed, shrank back.
He was wicked, but far too lazy to carry out true evil.
He couldn’t withstand that aura.

His reasoning was sound.
After all, it should’ve been impossible for the duke to travel from the southern front to Ermel in two days.

But Jacob didn’t know—
that Duke Armin had mastered using war mages to open teleportation gates,
and that when it came to Bella, he’d drop everything and rush.

That was why his sudden arrival shocked everyone.

“Why no answer? Did you lie?”

Jacob snapped back to his senses.

“N-no! I saw her with my own eyes!”

His desperate plea didn’t impress the duke.
He’d heard many false reports before—but never from someone this untrustworthy.

“Where did you see her?”

He still listened. Even rotten straw had to be grasped when drowning.

“On Byton Street! On the edge of the market district. There’s an apothecary named Lala.”

Jacob babbled, claiming she looked just like the poster, had a bad attitude, and so on.

The testimony was full of suspicion—but also oddly detailed.

And—

“An apothecary, you say…”

Among all who had claimed to see Bella,
this was the first time someone mentioned her skill with medicine.

“So. Where is this apothecary now?”

“Th-there!”

Jacob led them to a narrow alley at the far end of the shopping district.

Shops clung together tightly, barely any sunlight reaching.
Most dressed themselves up with colorful signs and decorations—
but one plain shop stood out all the more for its simplicity.

The irony made it striking.

Creak—

The door opened.
A woman with loosely tied black hair stepped out with an elderly lady,
saw off a customer, then went back inside.

It was only a blink—
but he saw her face.

“Well?”

Jacob asked. The knights turned to the duke.

“…It’s her. That’s Bella.”