Chapter 269 - 242: I am Shire Merlot

Chapter 269: Chapter 242: I am Shire Merlot

Shire still remembered a movie he’d seen, *Face/Off*. In it, Cage convinced his wife of his identity with a familiar gesture. Of course, the movie was now more famous for the countless memes of Cage’s crazed laugh, but that didn’t lessen the impression it had left on Shire.

A person could change their voice, their face, even their identity, but sometimes, the small gestures they made would betray their true self.

The gesture Mr. Salumu had just made caused Shire’s eyes to widen. Brushing the side of his face with the back of his left hand—that was a distinctive habit of Uncle Musa’s. He remembered the man saying that years of holding a Longsword had left his palms covered in calluses, so he’d gotten used to using the back of his hand instead.

Although Shire couldn’t be sure if others shared the same habit, considering all the "coincidences," he thought it was worth a shot.

Hearing the question from the heavily bundled figure across from him, Uncle Musa struggled to keep his expression neutral. ’How did he figure me out?’ he wondered, but he was already prepared with a response. "What did you just say, sir?"

Shire studied the man opposite him warily. He could see that the old gentleman had tensed up completely. If he made one wrong move, he might find a hand clamped around his throat the next second. He knew all too well what Uncle Musa was capable of.

"My apologies. I haven’t even introduced myself since you arrived," Shire said quickly. They had been sizing each other up from the very beginning, so much so that they’d forgotten to exchange names. Not that this was anything new for Shire.

Seeing Mr. Salumu’s furrowed brow, he thought for a moment before saying, "You can call me Shire."

The moment those words left his mouth, Shire felt the old gentleman’s entire aura undergo a seismic shift. The easygoing air of a merchant vanished, replaced by the tension of a beast about to pounce. The old man’s eyes were locked on him, like a predator that had found its prey.

"Who did you just say you were?" Uncle Musa asked, his teeth clenched. ’Something is very wrong here,’ he thought. ’First, this secretive meeting in the middle of the night, and now he uses Shire’s name. It must be a trap. Has Shire’s identity been exposed? Is he being held captive by the owner of this Alchemy Workshop?’

"Uncle Musa," Shire said, looking at the man’s imposing presence. He was almost certain of his identity now. This was the exact same aura he projected when he taught Shire Swordsmanship—back then, Musa could fell him in a single move. "I really am Shire Merlot."

CLANG! A loud noise came from behind as Mary slammed the door shut and drew the Hand Crossbow from her back. A Crossbow Arrow was already loaded, aimed squarely at Mr. Salumu.

Shire had discussed this with Mary beforehand. After their encounter with the Vampire Count Helberg, he’d felt a situation like this could be dangerous and had specifically equipped Mary with a Hand Crossbow. ’Unfortunately, it looks like that’s backfired on me now,’ he thought.

Musa completely ignored the commotion behind him. His instincts told him it would take little effort to deal with these two. The fact that they had laid such a clumsy, transparent trap only strengthened his conviction that young Master Shire was in trouble.

His expression was grim as he said, "Are you telling me you’re the wanted fugitive with that enormous bounty on his head?"

Shire let out a soft sigh. He stood up, pulled off his gloves to reveal two green-skinned hands, and then reached into an inner pocket. The heavy clothes were so restrictive that fumbling for the item was a bit awkward.

Musa’s pupils contracted at the sight of the skin color. A terrible thought struck him. ’This person... he’s not human?’

As Shire moved more, more of his green skin was exposed. Combined with his short stature, Musa became convinced he was talking to a goblin. ’The person behind an Alchemy Workshop, or rather, a merchant guild, is actually a goblin? And he can meet with me in a human town... what kind of Magic is this?’

Then, Shire extended a hand. In his palm lay a silver pendant. "You should recognize this, shouldn’t you, Uncle Musa?"

It was the Silver Necklace engraved with a torch emblem and holding a small portrait of Vivian. This gave Musa pause. He knew young Master Shire doted on his sister. Though the two often bickered, he never took this necklace off.

"Are you really...?" Musa asked, his voice faltering, completely unable to believe the situation.

"When I was ten," Shire began, trying to recall the details, "it was winter, too. I didn’t want to practice my Swordsmanship, so while you were in the outhouse, I locked the door from the outside with an iron chain. You were stuck in there for almost an hour until you finally kicked the door down. For that, Father had me hung upside down from the tower to freeze in the cold wind for nearly two hours."

Musa froze. The goblin’s words triggered a memory. That incident really had happened. When the Baron learned of it, he had punished Shire—who was hung upside down bare-bottomed. But to protect his Captain of the Guard’s dignity, very, very few people knew about it.

"You really are young Master Shire," Musa said, completely at a loss. He simply couldn’t accept that the handsome young man he remembered had turned into... this.

"It’s me, Uncle," Shire replied with a sigh. This was the first time he had seen a loved one since his transformation. He had imagined this moment countless times, wondering what the circumstances would be, but fate had forced an early reunion. He’d even considered waiting until he’d found a way to break the curse before seeing his family, so he could just say nonchalantly, "Oh, that? It was just an interesting little journey."

"How could you...?" Musa’s voice trembled. He slowly reached out his hands but stopped halfway, as if unable to accept the reality before him. Tears were already streaming down his old face.

Shire quickly shed the rest of his clothes, tossing the disguise aside. Uncle Musa had been by his side since he was a child; in his memory, the man was like a second father. He believed that anyone in the world might betray him, but never Uncle Musa.

"Just a small problem," he said, revealing his full appearance and forcing a casual smile. "It’s a bit of a hassle, but at least I’m still alive."

"Alive... being alive is good. It’s good that you’re alive," Uncle Musa stammered. His trembling hands reached out and rested on Shire’s shoulders.

The palms were warm and a little rough, but the touch was incredibly reassuring.