Chapter 22 — Raw Deals and Melodrama

Part 1 — Exile, Then Saving the Nation

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The info we needed practically slapped us in the face.

We swung by the Adventurers’ Guild to file a dungeon report, and the first thing on the notice board was a wanted poster: Kelly and Jack. My jaw tensed.

“Ooh, got your eye on a bounty?” purred Rue, the receptionist.

“Just surprised,” I said. “They don’t look like hardened crooks. What’d they do?”

“Embezzled a noble’s daughter,” she chirped. “Baron’s kid. Hundred gold alive, fifty for the man dead or alive.”

I sighed. Figures.

The twins kept pace with me without comment while Rue squealed about our “chance to earn a fortune.” She even offered herself as a prize. I ignored her. Ellie did not, judging by the pinch she delivered once we left.

***

On the way home with supplies—including an extra tent for our “dead” guests—Ellie glared at me. “You’re not seriously turning them in?”

I snapped the buckles tight. “Of course I am.”

“Dan!”

“Relax. Not for money. For survival.” I flicked the reins. “Their two corpses will solve a lot of problems.”

She gasped. The horse twitched its ears.

***

The foxkin swarm updated us on the build and begged for decisions. One look at the rising log walls warmed me: the entire first floor framed in days. At this rate, we’d be dry within the week.

Then we ducked into the newcomers’ tent. Jack was awake, pale but upright. He and Kelly tried to bow from the bed.

“Don’t move,” I said. “Now, ready to explain why you two look just like the baron’s favorite fugitives?”

Kelly froze. Jack’s jaw tightened. “So the bounty reached you.”

“Every guild board from here to Sazanport,” I said. “Dead or alive.”

Kelly clutched Jack. “I won’t go back! I’d rather die than marry that man!”

“And I’d rather die than let them take her,” Jack added quietly.

Ellie folded her arms. “Dan, don’t—”

“Answer me,” I said. “Do you actually want to spend your lives together? Even if it means death?”

Jack hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. Whatever it costs.”

Kelly echoed him.

“Then you’re going to die,” I said calmly.

Ellie yelped. “Dan!”

I ignored her. “Give me something unmistakably yours. Jewelry. Clothes. Your blood, if necessary.” I tossed them spare peasant garb. “Dress like mercs. Burn those outfits.”

Kelly blinked. “Why?”

“Because I’m going to kill you,” I said with a grin. “On paper.” 

Fake proof means angry barons stop chasing ghosts. It also means I can collect the bounty with a clear conscience—or better yet, leverage the “news” to shut down the hunt for good.

Ellie stared, then exhaled. “You scared me.”

“You know me,” I said. “I hate raw deals. This one’s almost fun.”

***

We set up the new tent, left the “dead couple” with strict orders to stay hidden, and headed back to town with their old clothes. Rue nearly fainted when I dropped the bloodied garments on the desk.

“Proof,” I said. “Bridge, west forest gorge.”

She stamped the paperwork with shaky hands. “Dan, you devil. Did you really…?”

“Tell the baron his daughter chose death,” I said. “Maybe he’ll rethink his leash.” I left the reward on the counter. “Donate it to the guild’s orphan fund.”

On the way out, Ellie bumped my shoulder. “Melodramatic, aren’t we?”

“Hey, melodrama saves lives,” I said.

The twins snickered behind us.

----- End of chapter -----