# Chapter 139
—
Arthur blinked.
‘Hmm… judging by those pointed ears, it must be Miss Jeannie, but… why is she dressed like that?’
Black leather pants and a crisp white shirt.
Her clothes, in themselves, weren’t especially odd. The problem lay with her accessories.
Gold rings adorned her fingers, and even a gold chain hung around her neck.
At a glance, one might mistake her for the boss of some gang.
Arthur tilted his head in puzzlement—when the woman before him removed her sunglasses and muttered,
“Finally found you. My crazy bastard.”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
With the sunglasses off, there was no doubt anymore.
The woman before him was Jeannie Davern.
An elf-blooded mercenary of the backstreets—and once a maid of his household.
Just as Arthur was about to greet her warmly, Jeannie seized him by the collar.
“Oh?”
Arthur let out a sound of surprise, lowering his gaze.
There, Jeannie was smiling coldly.
“Mind if I start by slapping you across the face?”
“My face?”
“Yes. Otherwise I don’t think I’ll get over my rage.”
Arthur scratched his head, then leaned his face forward.
Her eyes narrowed at the gesture.
“I don’t know what this is about, but if it’ll ease your anger, then hit me, Miss Jeannie.”
Jeannie gave a hollow laugh.
Because seven years ago, after striking Arthur Bayern on the back of the head in a mysterious laboratory, he had behaved in just the same way.
‘Yeah… this really is Arthur Bayern.’
After a brief hesitation, Jeannie released his collar.
Arthur smoothed down his rumpled clothes and asked,
“You won’t hit me, Jeannie?”
“…I’ll hit you later.”
“Hm… then may I ask one question?”
“What?”
“Why have you changed so much, Jeannie?”
Jeannie replied curtly.
“And what have I changed into?”
“A gang boss.”
“…Not a gang boss. A mafia.”
“Ah. So these days it’s called mafia instead of gang boss?”
Arthur’s remark made the surrounding mafiosos visibly uncomfortable.
Calling them thugs was one thing, but to speak so rudely to their boss, Jeannie Davern?
Meanwhile, Jeannie explained,
“Thugs, yes—but gentlemenly thugs. We don’t extort citizens. We squeeze the Arcane search police.”
“Oh? Then you’re righteous thugs.”
“Something like that.”
Arthur smirked.
And without warning, he pulled Jeannie into an embrace.
The sudden hug shocked the mafiosos, and even Jeannie herself gasped in surprise.
Arthur whispered into her ear,
“I’ve missed you so much, Miss Jeannie.”
“……”
“Seeing you now, I’m truly glad. I thought of you so often. Perhaps hundreds of times.”
Jeannie’s lips opened and closed silently, before she murmured without realizing,
“…If you thought of me so much, why did you only come now?”
“There were circumstances.”
“Circumstances that required you to vanish for seven years without a word?”
Releasing her from the hug, Arthur replied,
“Yes. Should I explain now?”
Jeannie lowered her head onto his shoulder.
“No. Tell me later. Too many eyes are watching now.”
Her voice trembled slightly at the end.
Arthur pretended not to notice her quaver and answered,
“Of course. A gang boss must keep up appearances.”
—
—
Members of the \[Long-Ear] mafia shifted their eyes nervously.
They could not hide their astonishment at seeing their boss hugged by Arthur.
‘B-boss… is crying?’
‘What on earth… who is that man to make her cry?’
‘Could he be… her secret lover?’
Jeannie Davern—the boss of the Long-Ear gang.
In only a few years, she had grown into one of the backstreets’ greatest powers, practically the reigning queen of the underworld.
And yet, such a woman was weeping in the arms of an outsider man.
The mafiosos were still reeling when a gunshot rang out.
“Seize them—!”
“The boss of the Long-Ear gang, Jeannie Davern, is over there!”
Along with the gunfire came the sound of hurried boots.
Arthur released Jeannie and said,
“Perhaps we should leave the reunion for later?”
Wiping her reddened eyes, Jeannie replied,
“We must. How could I not, when I finally met you again?”
“Did you really miss me that much?”
“Do you think I wouldn’t?”
Arthur smacked his lips.
The sight made Jeannie let out an involuntary laugh—
But then, mafiosos at the door shouted,
“Boss! The search police are coming up the stairs!”
Jeannie’s face hardened.
“We break through in one move! Out of the way, all of you!”
With those words, Jeannie summoned a high-ranking spirit—Sylph.
“Sylph, clear the way!”
\[Understood, Jeannie!]
A fierce gust surged forth, sweeping over the search police climbing the stairwell.
“Gaaaghh—!”
“It’s the Long-Ear’s magic!”
“Be careful! She’s a high-ranking spirit summoner!”
Meanwhile, the mafiosos dove out the windows.
Seeing this, Jeannie grabbed Arthur’s hand.
“Hold tight, we’re flying out!”
With that, she leapt out the window, still clutching him.
“There! That’s the Long-Eared boss!”
The search police shouted at the top of their lungs, but they could not stop Jeannie and Arthur, soaring into the sky.
They could only stomp their feet in frustration, staring blankly upward.
Arthur, watching Jeannie clutching his hand, thought,
‘Hmm… Miss Jeannie’s bloodline hasn’t changed, I see.’
But then he tilted his head.
‘Then why was the contract with the gnome and undine severed?’
He had thought the spirit contract had been broken because of her—but perhaps not?
While Arthur pondered this, Jeannie gradually lowered their altitude.
When he looked around again, they were in the back alleys of Sector C, not Sector B.
Still holding Arthur’s hand, Jeannie said,
“This way.”
“Is this your base, Jeannie?”
“That’s right.”
“Hm… but what about your subordinates back there? Was it okay to just leave them?”
“They’ll find their way out.”
Arthur nodded, then paused.
“But Jeannie…”
“What?”
“You’ve been switching between formal and casual speech with me. Why’s that?”
“……”
Jeannie’s ears twitched.
“…Because I’m confused.”
“Confused about what?”
“About… what you and I are to each other.”
Arthur chuckled.
“Isn’t it maid and master?”
“That was ages ago.”
“So? Has anything changed?”
“…?”
“Seven years passing isn’t reason enough for our relationship to change.”
At that, Jeannie laughed softly.
“That’s true… but give me some time. I still can’t believe this situation.”
Arthur shrugged.
Meanwhile, Jeannie led him into a derelict building—common in the underdeveloped Sector C.
Inside, she descended into the basement.
Arthur gasped.
“Oho…?”
A vast underground hall.
Dozens of men were sharpening blades or tending to guns.
Beyond the hall lay numerous rooms, like an anthill.
‘For a gang’s hideout, it seems… surprisingly organized.’
Arthur was observing with interest when the men noticed Jeannie and roared out.
“Welcome back, Boss—!!”
Jeannie winced.
“Tone it down! Did you all swallow megaphones?”
“We spoke quietly, Boss. Maybe it sounded loud because of your big ears?”
“…Want to die? How many times have I told you not to joke about my ears!”
“Whoa now! Was that a joke? I was just stating facts!”
Jeannie drew her gun and fired at the ground by the man’s feet.
Bang—!
The startled man fell backward, and the others whistled.
“Boss must be in a good mood today!”
“Normally, she’d at least break an arm!”
Arthur muttered,
‘Hmm… so they’re mafia, but not quite what I expected.’
There was a certain look criminals bore—something hard to erase.
But these men joking with Jeannie didn’t carry such an aura.
‘And Jeannie herself isn’t the sort to commit crime… Then who exactly are these “mafiosos”?’
Jeannie stopped and entered a room.
It was furnished plainly in muted tones—an office.
“Sit… down. For now.”
At her urging, Arthur sat obediently.
Jeannie frowned, muttering,
“Sigh… I still can’t believe it. Are you really Arthur Bayern?”
Arthur shrugged.
“Want me to prove it?”
“…How?”
“Well… what if I cut off my head and reattach it?”
“……”
“You’ve seen me do that plenty of times, right? It’s not something anyone else could casually do, so it’s good proof.”
Jeannie’s face twisted.
“Talking insane nonsense… yeah, you must be Arthur Bayern.”
“How is that insane?”
“…Forget it. Just explain now.”
She sat across from him heavily.
“Why did you disappear for seven years without a word?”
Arthur hesitated.
‘How much should I say?’
In the end, he decided to leave out the matter of meeting his father.
It was unbelievable anyway, and there was no need to tell her.
So he began to explain—
Jeannie’s eyes widened.
“…Whitebeard? That black magician took you away?”
“Yes. I was trapped inside his curse for quite a while.”
“A curse?”
“Mm… hard to describe. Just think of it as a space of nothingness.”
“……”
“In that place… seven years here, but about fifty years there, I was alone.”
Jeannie’s jaw dropped.
“F-fifty years?”
“Yes. I didn’t count exactly, but it must’ve been about that.”
A heavy silence fell.
Jeannie’s lips trembled. Arthur looked at her quietly.
After much hesitation, Jeannie whispered,
“Then when you said earlier… that you thought of me….”
“Yes. To endure that place, I thought of you, Jeannie.”
“……”
“It was a void, nothing at all. To keep from going mad, I needed something. So I recalled my days in Arcane. And of all things, your face came to mind the most.”
“……”
“Since we worked together, naturally—huh?”
Arthur blinked.
Jeannie had burst into sobs.
Scratching his head, Arthur asked,
“Jeannie? Did you develop mood swings while I was gone? Why are you crying so often?”
Sniffling, Jeannie shouted,
“H-how could I not cry, after hearing that?”
“…Did I say something wrong?”
“I don’t know! Just… shut up!”
Wiping her tears, she muttered,
“So now… you’re being chased by Whitebeard?”
“No. He’s already dead.”
“…Dead?”
“Yes.”
“…By whom?”
“By me.”
“……”
Jeannie’s mouth fell open, tears forgotten, overwhelmed.
“You—you killed that thousand-year-old black magician?”
“That’s right. Not easily, but yes, I did.”
She swallowed hard.
‘Can I even believe this…?’
Who was Whitebeard?
The thousand-year-old dark sorcerer, the nightmare of legend.
Yet Arthur claimed to have slain him.
As Jeannie gaped, Arthur asked,
“Now it’s your turn to explain.”
“……”
“Why did you become mafia? The Jeannie I knew was greedy for money, sure, but never someone who extorted others.”
Snapping back, Jeannie pouted.
“…What did you take me for?”
“Mm… a money-grubbing long-ear?”
“……”
“I’m joking. I always thought of you as the foul-mouthed elf.”
Jeannie sighed deeply, rummaged in her drawer, and handed him something.
Arthur tilted his head—then his eyes lit up.
“Oh!”
It was familiar.
“Good heavens… this is Beast!”
Jeannie chuckled faintly.
“I stumbled across it while searching for you.”
“…Where was it?”
“Apparently it fell near the plains by Arcane. A merchant picked it up and sold it. He claimed it was cursed.”
“Cursed?”
“The moment he picked it up, he was robbed by bandits, then pickpocketed… or so he said.”
Arthur’s lips curled.
“Ah, that’s right. This pistol is cursed.”
“……”
“They say every one of its past owners died mysteriously. That’s why it was called the Cursed Magic Pistol.”
Jeannie grimaced.
“…Why in the world would you use such a gun?”
“Because it’s good. I’ve never seen anything kill people as well as this one.”
Jeannie let out a sound of disbelief.
“Now that’s a very Arthur-like reason.”
“But who found it? You?”
“No. Sir Willet.”
“…?”
She handed him some papers from her desk.
Arthur’s eyes widened as he read.
“What? This is….”
“That’s right.” Jeannie propped her chin and smiled slyly.
“These people aren’t a gang. They’re a resistance—formed to retake Arcane. And…”
Arthur looked up.
Meeting his eyes, Jeannie’s gaze gleamed.
“The leader of the resistance is Sir Willet. These so-called mafia are Arcane mercenaries following him.”
Arthur’s mouth fell open.
—
