Chapter 111: “Big Boss’s Preaching”

This Translation is hosted on bcatranslation.com

During the evening rush hour, the public bus was invariably packed with commuters. On a good day, one might find a spot to stand without feeling squished, but today was not such a day; the bus was so crowded that there was hardly room to shift your weight from one foot to the other.

Shirley, petite and delicate, found herself uncomfortably wedged between strangers, feeling as trapped and helpless as a hamster in a maze. Emotional stress welled up within her, and she fought back tears, lamenting her inability to escape the human press.

If Duncan hadn’t witnessed Shirley single-handedly taking down a room full of cultists while holding Dog, he might have been entirely fooled by her seemingly innocent and helpless demeanor.

Carefully navigating through the sea of bodies, Duncan managed to inch his way to Shirley’s side. Using his larger frame, he created a small bubble of space for them to converse. Far from being grateful, Shirley’s expression grew even more fearful and anxious.

“What are you so afraid of?” Duncan asked, looking down at her with concern. “I’m not going to eat you alive or anything.”

Shirley’s voice trembled as she responded, “You… are you planning to cook me first?”

Duncan paused, momentarily speechless.

He had a good idea why Shirley might be so terrified of him. It seemed that Dog, her loyal companion, had somehow discerned some hidden, darker aspect of Duncan’s identity and had likely conveyed this unsettling insight to Shirley. Duncan could only imagine how he appeared in her mind, perhaps akin to the fear a sea captain might feel when encountering the mythical Vanished—a demon lord of the seas. In such situations, the best one could hope for was to hastily scribble a last will and testament, even though it would likely end up sinking to the ocean’s depths.

“Is your dog around?” Duncan inquired, recalling the shadowy canine that should be somewhere near.

“Ah… Dog usually finds a hiding spot where people can’t see him,” Shirley replied reluctantly, her voice barely above a whisper. “But he’s aware of what’s happening to me right now…”

“In that case, please extend my greetings,” Duncan said, nodding. “I still have quite a few questions about our last, rather unusual meeting.”

As Duncan spoke, he could feel Shirley shudder even more, her body tense like a frightened rabbit.

“Relax,” Duncan sighed, sensing an almost palpable aura of stress emanating from what he suspected might be the girl’s shadowy canine companion. “There’s really no reason to be so on edge around me. Neither you nor Dog have anything to fear from me.”

“That’s… good to hear,” Shirley managed to say, her body still rigid with tension. Trying to break the ice, she looked around for a neutral topic. Her eyes landed on Duncan’s empty shoulder. “You didn’t bring your dove with you this time?”

Duncan shrugged, “Pets aren’t allowed on public buses. Plus, I gave him some time off to go hunting.”

The atmosphere remained taut, but it was a start. At least the conversation had shifted, albeit slightly, away from their peculiar past towards something resembling normality.

“Let the dove out to… hunt?” Shirley stared at Duncan, her eyes wide with incredulity. She nodded vigorously, trying to find the right words. “Ah, yes, of course. A dove would be excellent for hunting, with its keen eyesight from up high in the sky…”

Her words began to unravel into an aimless stream of thought, straying so far from coherence that she seemed to lose track of what she was saying altogether. Thankfully, the bus conductor’s voice blared from the front of the vehicle, breaking her meandering monologue. “Sixth block! Who’s getting off here?”

At the conductor’s announcement, Shirley visibly perked up. She sprang to her feet, eagerly confirming her exit. Pushing through the crowd, she turned to Duncan. “This is my stop. It was… interesting running into you again today.”

Before she could finish her sentence, Duncan also began to make his way toward the exit, his expression dark and inscrutable, like a demon toying with a vulnerable soul.

“I’m getting off here too,” he said, his face expressionless.

Shirley’s face twitched uncontrollably. While she knew it would be socially awkward to suddenly declare she no longer wanted to disembark, the idea that Duncan might be playing some dark prank on her gnawed at her insides.

As the bus conductor started urging people to get off, Shirley’s shoulders sagged in resignation. She tightened her neck muscles and started to shuffle toward the exit, her eyes downcast in defeat.

“Hold on, kid. Did you buy a ticket?” the conductor suddenly asked, breaking the tense silence.

Shirley looked up in shock, her eyes meeting the conductor’s in the dim light. The conductor’s blue uniform seemed especially ominous at that moment. It was as though she had never considered the possibility of being questioned about her fare. “You didn’t buy a ticket, did you? I remember now,” the conductor continued, her suspicion becoming more evident.

Duncan intervened just in time. “I know this young lady. She may have misplaced her ticket. Allow me to purchase one for her.”

The conductor cast a skeptical glance at Duncan, then looked back at Shirley, sizing them both up. Eventually, she decided it wasn’t her place to question further. “Alright, then,” she said, nodding.

Duncan reached into his pocket and pulled out some coins to cover the cost of Shirley’s fare. The two then stepped off the bus, finding themselves in a deserted, antiquated station.

Ironically, despite the bus being so overcrowded it seemed to groan under the weight of its human cargo, only Duncan and Shirley disembarked at the sixth block. The empty station stretched out before them, a silent witness to the growing tension between them.

Duncan first surveyed the area, taking in the surroundings. Although the scene was typical of a lower city neighborhood, there was a sense of aging and neglect. The buildings, though old and showing signs of wear, were not in complete ruin as he had perhaps half-expected. Mom-and-pop stores still occupied the street-level units, open for business as if defying the area’s apparent decay. Pedestrians were few, but those he saw walked with an air of routine as if this underdeveloped, secluded neighborhood was the most normal place in the world.

Duncan’s mind briefly touched upon an event that had occurred here eleven years ago—a factory leak that had marred the area’s reputation. Despite the residual effects of that accident, the neighborhood seemed less afflicted than he had initially presumed.

Turning his attention back to Shirley, he found her standing timidly as if waiting for something to happen. She looked like a helpless animal that had given up on escaping its cage, resigned to whatever fate had in store for it.

A chuckle escaped Duncan’s lips as he observed her seemingly docile disposition. If he hadn’t seen her confront and battle those cultists with such tenacity, he might have been completely taken in by her innocent act.

He shook his head, dismissing his momentary amusement. “What brings you to the sixth block?” he asked.

Shirley straightened up instantly. “I… I heard it offers a great view!”

Duncan scrutinized her. “I’ve been meaning to ask—you’re putting on this well-behaved act, aren’t you?”

“I’m not acting!” Shirley insisted, standing even more upright. “I’ve always been well-behaved!”

Suppressing the urge to comment on her less-than-convincing performance, Duncan shifted his gaze to the distant streets. “Eleven years ago, a factory in this area suffered a leak. Rumor has it that cultists were responsible for it,” he said, adopting a casual tone that belied the gravity of the topic.

Shirley looked puzzled. “Why bring that up now?”

“Let’s drop the pretense,” Duncan said, casting a sidelong glance to gauge her reaction. “You were inquiring about that very incident when you met those cultists. According to official records, this is where it happened.”

For a moment, Shirley looked stunned. Then, gathering herself, she hurried to catch up with Duncan as he began to walk. “So, you’re also looking into the incident from eleven years ago?”

It seemed her trust in Duncan had increased slightly, now that they were apparently aligned in their objectives—and, perhaps just as importantly, once she had reassured herself that he had no immediate plans to eat her. With a sense of newfound courage, she quickened her pace, her short legs working to keep up with Duncan’s longer strides.

“Indeed, I have a certain interest in the matter,” Duncan confirmed, pausing a few steps later. He pivoted to face Shirley, a glint of curiosity in his eyes. “It seems you make a habit of dodging bus fares, don’t you?”

Shirley’s jaw dropped in sheer astonishment, leaving her momentarily speechless. “I—”

Duncan saw her flustered reaction and shook his head disapprovingly. “Evading fares is dishonest behavior, you know.”

Shirley felt a surge of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. She’d been scolded before—by Dog, her dark hound, by the local neighbors who fancied themselves community guardians, and even once or twice by the patrolling city sheriff. But never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d get a lecture on ethics and public transport from someone she saw as almost a demonic god. She was left wondering, “When did enigmatic beings, who I assumed lived in the shadows and operated by their own rules, start caring about mundane things like bus fares?”

It felt as if the boundaries between the supernatural and the utterly ordinary had been absurdly blurred, leaving her almost wanting to laugh and cry at the same time.

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