"They're here!"
The tiger would come if I spoke its name, but these people weren't going to be deterred. It seemed to be the Red Shemit Pirates that Ressa had mentioned. I turned my gaze to the side and looked at the tavern's wooden door. The door was about to shatter. Even the clasp that had been firmly attached began to creak.
"Miss, get up quickly!" Ressa hurriedly pulled me to my feet. Puzzled by her urgent-looking face, tense tone, and unexpected strength, I had no choice but to follow Ressa's lead.
"I'm going to close the business now, so it's okay. Stay in here, you should never come out."
"Yes, yes?"
"I will help you." Despite Dominic's firm words, Ressa shook her head quickly. "What are you doing, young friend! I have a plan, so hide inside quickly. If you go outside, they'll be really angry." Ressa violently pushed me and Dominic into the side room of the tavern at the same time, locking the door. We were hurriedly pushed inside without even knowing what was going on.
"Mel, what's going on?" I looked at Dominic, who was pushed but looked very puzzled. He grabbed my arm tightly and muttered in a low voice, "I think they're the Red Shemit Pirates."
"I'll check it out." Dominic looked around with a sharp gaze and easily unscrewed the doorknob. Ressa had put the lock on the side room, but it didn't work for Dominic. After a while, the door opened slightly with a small noise.
"Leave the door open for now. She said she has a plan, so let's see."
"Yes, if there's a problem, we'll fix it... No, I'll fix it myself."
"Yes." Dominic smiled with satisfaction at the fact that he had a chance to show off his skills.
"I think I should leave right away..."
"The owner of the tavern said she has a plan, so let's wait in here for now." I nodded. The backs of the two women, trembling in my field of vision, and the bang! I could see the tavern door opening with a loud noise.
"It's still dull." The gangsters rushed into the bar. I think there were about eight people in total. Their bodies were so huge that they were suffocating with their overwhelming presence. Among them, a muscular man with red hair who looked like the leader said, brandishing a stick around his shoulder, "Hey. You don't even pay the rent to do business, huh?"
"...I'm sorry." Ressa, who looked to be sixty years old with brown hair and sparse gray hair, shook her head and apologized.
'What, why is Ressa apologizing?' Seeing Ressa trembling and apologizing made me feel bad. Ressa didn't do anything wrong. 'Those thugs who ask you to pay the rent are wrong.' But why does Ressa have to keep her head down?
"Just in words?"
"..."
"Are you sorry for your words, huh?" The thugs who didn't know my thoughts screamed. "Why don't you kneel down and apologize to us?"
"Oh, then I'll give you a reduction of about one hundred thousand Becquerels." Each of them was giggling. I clenched my fists.
But until then, I had ironically believed it. Ressa had said earlier, "I have a plan." So I waited inside with bated breath. I was sure it was...
"Auntie, what are you doing?"
"...I'm sorry, so please stop now. I really don't have any money." Ressa lowered her eyes and fell to her knees.
"No..." 'How could those young thugs make someone who was like their mother kneel down?' I squeezed the doorknob. Maybe it was because of the hard work. The back of my hand was empty.
'Aren't you crazy?' Ressa told me not to come out. However, the ridiculous scene unfolding in front of me made me want to disobey her. The gangsters outside who didn't know what I thought became even more confident.
"What do you believe in doing business with guts in this good position, huh?"
Bang! At the same time, the man on the left hit the large floor with a wooden club on his shoulder.
'Isn't that crazy?' Surprised, I looked up at Dominic next to me. I stomped my feet from the inside, unable to do this or that. But unlike me, who was restless, Dominic had sharp eyes.
'Uh, Dominic. Your eyes are different from usual...' Until now, he had always felt like an insignificant younger brother, but now he had a sharp gaze as if he was going to cut with a knife.
"What should I do?"
"Huh?"
"I think you should step up now." The coldness dripped from Dominic's words. He had the voice of a boy knight who sacrificed himself for a cause. It was only then that Dominic really felt like a legendary hero.
"...Yes, let's go out now." I answered quietly and opened the door. However, the Red Cult Pirates seemed to have turned their backs on us and had not yet noticed our existence.
"Give me money quickly, when you say something nice."
Ressa didn't panic. She said with her eyes closed tightly, "I can't give you the remuneration. Now we can't even eat and die. I'm going to quit, everything."
At that moment, the guy with the tattoo on his face swung a stick and split the wooden table in half. Clang! The glass on the table rolled to the floor, and the two women covered their ears with a loud roar. The redhead grabbed Lily's hair and began to shake it slowly.
"Who's going to quit at will, huh? I have to give it to myself!"
...I can't stand it. I will punish those crazy bastards.
It was when I tried to stand up. Lily, who was looking at me, hardened with a puzzled face and mouthed something to me. 'It's inside. It's dangerous.' Was she still worried about me? I shook my head, and Lily shouted hurriedly, as if to stop their attention from being drawn to me. "Please leave! We don't want to be slaves anymore!"
SPLAT! And then came the sound of a harsh slap. When I saw the fresh red mark on her already bruised cheek, my mouth fell open. 'Those big, distracted people hit women?' 'This is the limit now. I can't stand it!'
There was no time to make eye contact with Dominic. I ran out like a bullet. The flowing dress was not for me, who was as angry as a bull now. 'Violence against vulnerable women.' I shouted with great anger coming from the depths of my heart, "Hey, you crazy bastards!"
Smack! I ran out quickly and slapped the captain in the back of the head.
"Ugh!" With a loud sound, the captain's face tilted forward. 'What is this, his head is like a stone?' My hands hurt more. The captain turned, his face distorted.
I shook my hands a few times, stopped on the spot, and solemnly declared: "Go back to your den. Then I'll consider letting you live."
For a while, I was confused when I saw myself running out like a fighting dog. The Red Cult Pirates, including the captain, surrounded me.
"Hahaha... You've lost your mind. Do you dare to hit me without understanding your place?"
"I'll make an example of you now, brother."
"Many have challenged our authority."
I was frantic listening to them, listening for Dominic's advice. 'Are you going to kill him right away?' Dominic delivered a powerful electric note.
I snorted. "Yes, I want to kill them all."
'Just calm down and take a deep breath.' Facing the pirates, I took a few breaths, as Dominic said. I was a little scared, but I was confident that the worst would be avoided because Dominic had signed a contract with my safety as a top priority.
'I'll give you my strength.' Dominic spoke in a low voice.
'Gives you strength?' As I tilted my head, I felt something inside my body. I felt so lively that my eyes sparkled. I felt like a very strong thug who could sell anyone.
Dominic sounded serious. 'Now you can see their movements very easily. Your skin must be as hard as steel. It won't hurt to get hit.'
Aha. You mean to help me out in this way? I stood with my arms folded in the crack of the door and nodded to Dominic, who looked at me sharply. Very perfect. Compliments.
"Where are you looking at, cheeky?" The captain strode up in front of me and grabbed my chin as if he were going to crush it. "If I want to, I can twist your neck."
How powerful was Dominic? I was sure this guy grabbed my chin, but I felt like a cat had hit me with a cotton bat. I grinned and pushed his hand away lightly. "Then you can twist it."
Thud!
"What?" I just pushed him lightly, but he was pushed back more than three steps. Even the beer bottle at his feet shattered to the floor with a violent clanging sound.
'We will start escorting the house now.' I rolled up the ragged lace around my wrists and grinned at them. "Yes. You guys are the Red Cult Pirates?"