Towards the Winter Cabin of Serenity and Madness, Cinderella Runs - Chapter 60
After a brief silence, a loud cheer erupted.
They joked about Kyden not being impotent, Kyden liking women, and Kyden being human after all, making all sorts of light-hearted comments. The band leader wiped away tears and asked again.
“So, what’s this woman like? Huh? We’re all curious.”
“…She’s about this small.”
Kyden said, placing his hand near his chest.
“Light wheat-colored hair, pale skin, round eyes, cute, shy…”
“Wait, wait, come inside, let’s talk in here.”
Realizing Kyden was serious, the band leader invited him inside. They sat down as he took out a description paper and Kyden started to detail the woman’s features.
“She must’ve arrived in the capital about a week ago. If she went to the employment offices near the Pumpkin Blossom Guild… we should find her quickly.”
“We need to find her as soon as possible.”
“That’s what all guys looking for their runaway wives say.”
“….She’s not my runaway wife.”
“Oh, then she took off with your money? Ha ha ha!”
Kyden’s face crumpled. The crude and barbaric mercenary couldn’t possibly understand his feelings. Kyden lost the will to talk.
“Just find her quickly.”
“We’ll contact you as soon as we find her! This turf is our specialty. We should have her within a week.”
Though they appeared unreliable and sloppy, the Wild Dogs Mercenary Band actually had significant reach within the capital. Investigating employment offices was easy for them, even if they used brute force rather than finesse.
As soon as Kyden left, the band leader called for a younger member of the gang who was known for his skills and character within the group.
“Call our Ace!”
Ace was the group’s so-called best, aptly named and recognized among the juniors, although his real name was also Ace.
“Hey, go comb through the nearby employment offices.”
“Why are we looking for a woman? We’re not a detective agency.”
The young Ace complained, full of bravado.
“Come on, it’s a job from our former second-in-command. How can you refuse without any loyalty?”
“That guy was a former second-in-command? He looked too refined…”
Grumbling, Ace left the office. The command to take a few more guys with him went in one ear and out the other.
It’s embarrassing to mob around and search the manpower offices, isn’t it? Since when do mercenaries look for jobs at manpower offices? Ace snorted dismissively as he headed to a nearby office.
‘A pretty girl would obviously go there.’
Ignoring rumors that suggested otherwise, he stormed into the Black Rose Employment Office, which was known for sending many women to dubious establishments.
“Hey, you bastards! Give back my sister-in-law, damn it!”
Since the Black Rose Office was connected to gangsters, causing trouble there was difficult. But things were different with the Wild Dogs Mercenary Band. Ranked among the top five in the capital and having ties to the underworld, they were not the type to be intimidated by thugs.
Faced with unexpected havoc, the staff at Black Rose could only wipe their sweat.
“We really don’t know such a person! We’ve looked through all the documents, she’s not here! We swear!”
“She might have used a pseudonym!”
Ace smashed a table at the employment office.
“Agh! We’ll look through the descriptions! We’ll find her!”
“If you don’t, you’re dead!”
Ace licked his lips as he left the Black Rose Office.
“Guess she’s not here.”
It was impossible they wouldn’t remember someone who arrived a week ago. Annoyed at having to deal with this task, he trudged to the next office.
* * *
A week had passed.
Kyden was also searching at employment offices and inns for Roel. There had been no progress, and even the confident Wild Dogs Mercenary Band had gone quiet.
Driven nearly mad with anxiety, Kyden stormed into the Wild Dogs Mercenary Band’s headquarters like a disaster.
As soon as he entered, he knocked down two men who started trouble, and the band leader, after calming him down, brought him to the office.
This son of a gun knocks people down every time he visits the mercenary band. Such a savage, the gang leader cursed Kyden inside.
As soon as Kyden sat down in the office, he roared without catching his breath.
“You said you’d find her quickly!”
“I’m really ashamed.”
The band leader sighed deeply, stroking his chin.
“I’m afraid this isn’t an ordinary situation.”
“Not ordinary?”
“Our Ace sent people to just about every employment office. No one recognized her name or description.”
“….And?”
“I suspect she’s been kidnapped or smuggled out by one of the dangerous employment offices…”
“….”
Kyden’s expression turned fierce. The band leader leaned closer and whispered.
“We might need to investigate those gangster bastards.”
