Watching the men debate amongst themselves, Jeanne quickly pieced together what had transpired. These fools had evidently made a grand promise to someone, only to realize that fulfilling it would be incredibly difficult under their current circumstances.
At a loss for how to proceed, they had mulled over the situation before ultimately deciding to pin all their hopes on Jeanne, praying she would step in to resolve the dilemma for them.
Ordinarily, Jeanne would have agreed to such a minor request without a second thought. However, she was now genuinely curious about what they had promised, and what they had received in return, to make them so incredibly invested in this matter.
Her smile slowly took on a mischievous, teasing edge. Looking at her, the men suddenly felt a cold shiver run down their spines, as if the legendary maiden was replaced by a mischievous demon.
"Boss... please don't look at us like that. We're actually getting a bit terrified." The men shrank back from their leader's widening grin, suddenly feeling that at this moment, their beloved boss was no longer their ally, and their comrades could no longer be trusted!
Every single one of them was currently scanning the group for a scapegoat to throw before her wrath, hoping to use the distraction to slip away and return only when the storm had fully blown over.
"Come on now. We still have plenty of time. Why don't you explain exactly what is going on here?" Jeanne watched them with a sweet smile, her voice carrying a blend of warmth and distinct danger.
"Uh, well, you see, it's like this, and then that happened, so..." One of them began flailing his arms, offering a disjointed explanation that left Jeanne completely baffled. Did he honestly expect her to decipher that chaotic mime act?
Under her steady, unimpressed gaze, they finally broke down and explained the situation clearly.
To put it simply, while they were scouting out the school grounds, they had lost their bearings. No matter how hard they searched, they couldn't locate the warehouse where the daily provisions were stored. In their desperation, they had lied to a few local infected students, claiming they were trying to steal food for their infected companions, and coaxed the youths into guiding them.
Before departing, they had casually promised to return and help the students if they ever ran into trouble. Now, however, the military police had suddenly cordoned off the entire school district due to recent developments. Lacking the strength to mount a proper rescue, the men were left scrambling for a solution.
The entire crowd looked at Jeanne as if she were their savior. Being stared at so intensely by a group of men significantly older than herself made Jeanne feel deeply uncomfortable, especially when she recalled their usual thick-skinned antics.
"Stop looking at me with those puppy-dog eyes! You lot only remember my existence when you're in a pinch, but when times are good, you don't give me a single thought... Fine, fine! Stop staring at me like that, I'll do it!"
As their pleading expressions threatened to turn into a full-blown display of glittering, tearful eyes, Jeanne could only begrudgingly relent. Refusing was simply out of the question; those intense stares were making her skin crawl.
Compared to enduring this display, she would rather go pick a fight with fifty of the Emperor's Blades. At least the latter, aside from their ominous speech, would never resort to such sickening tactics to get their way.
"Hooray! Long live the Boss!"
"We knew our kind-hearted leader would never abandon us!"
The crowd immediately erupted into celebration. Jeanne could only stare blankly at the cheering men, a strong urge to deliver a few swift kicks rising within her chest.
"I'm heading over to inspect the area now. The rest of you, get back to your duties! If anyone stirs up trouble while I'm gone, you'll answer to me when I return."
Jeanne turned and walked away. Once she was out of earshot, the men high-fived one another, thoroughly pleased that their plea had succeeded so effortlessly.
However, the noise of their celebration quickly drew the attention of the nearby military police. A squad of armed patrolmen rushed into the alleyway, brandishing their weapons as they barked out a harsh warning:
"What are you doing? What business do you have skulking around in a dark place like this! Hands where I can see them, and don't try any clever tricks, or my crossbow bolt won't hesitate to find its mark!"
The men instantly cursed their luck, but they quickly recalled the cover story they had prepared for just such an encounter.
They stepped out of the shadows with submissive expressions. Seeing that none of these men bore any visible Originium crystals on their bodies, the patrolman relaxed his posture slightly. With no obvious signs of the disease, they were likely uninfected citizens.
"What are you doing here? Trying to orchestrate some illicit business in a dark corner where the light doesn't shine? Speak up and give me a proper explanation, or else..."
The patrolman threatened them with an aggressive tone. However, noticing that this fierce-looking officer had no immediate intention of using physical force, the men quickly caught on to his temperament.
The officer had checked their identification papers earlier. Although he felt a slight sense of suspicion, the documents appeared entirely genuine on the surface.
Of course they did—the men had spent a considerable sum of money to procure high-quality forged papers! No officer could ever spot the flaws with the naked eye, and patrolmen on the streets didn't carry electronic scanners to verify every single passerby.
"Officer, sir, we're law-abiding citizens, we're just..." One of the men began looking around nervously, appearing deeply embarrassed about what he was about to say.
"Just what? Spit it out, or I'll drag the lot of you to the precinct!" the patrolman barked, though his stance softened slightly, assuming these nervous individuals were harmless.
"Actually... it's this..."
Whispering, the man slowly slid his hand inside his heavy coat. The surrounding patrolmen didn't immediately panic and aim their weapons, as this was still a relatively civil district of the city.
Besides, the pocket he was reaching into was far too small to conceal a weapon. The officer simply gripped his baton, waiting to see what sort of stunt this fellow was about to pull.
"Brother, want to buy some discs?" He pulled out a few shiny optical discs from his coat, offering the officer an awkward, sheepish grin.
If it weren't for the absolute necessity of maintaining their cover, he would never have stooped to this! It was incredibly humiliating!
The officer's expression softened completely, a look of sudden realization dawning on his face. He now understood exactly why these men had gathered in a pitch-black alleyway—they were dealing in illicit adult media!
"No, I don't! Can't you see I'm on duty? Move along, move along! And when you're peddling this sort of material, do it somewhere less conspicuous. If someone you know spots you, you'll be the laughingstock of the district..."
Satisfied that there was no real threat, the officer prepared to let them go.
But just as the men turned to leave, a voice rang out behind them.
"Wait a moment!"
Oh no, did we blow our cover?
"Ah, ha... Officer, is there something else?"
"What's the deal with that youth over there? I don't care about what you adults do, but why are you bringing a child along for this?"
Following the officer's pointing finger, the men looked over at a small figure standing about three to four feet tall, possessing remarkably youthful features.
"Officer, sir, I am a fully grown adult! I'm a Durin, I'm just naturally short! But back in my homeland, I'm considered quite tall!"
"...Get out of here! Beat it, the lot of you!" Realizing he had made an embarrassing assumption, the officer shooed them away in annoyance.
"Make sure you head straight home. Things have been tense in Chernobog lately, don't end up behind bars just for a few cheap thrills!" the officer called out, offering a final piece of advice to these supposedly lustful fools.
Only after they had walked a safe distance away did the men finally let out a collective sigh of relief, marveling at their luck in encountering a decent officer, and praising their comrade's brilliant acting skills.
"That was incredibly smooth. I had no idea our team had developed such a lucrative side business during our stay here!"
"Yeah, if I hadn't been quick on my feet, we would have been interrogated for much longer. Who knows what would have happened then... Uh, guys, why the long faces?"
The man who had been boasting suddenly noticed his companions huddling together like frightened quails, their heads tucked low in sheer terror.
"Go on, why did you stop speaking? I was eagerly waiting to hear more about your glorious exploits!"
Hearing that familiar voice, the boasting man's entire body froze. He turned his head with stiff, mechanical movements, only to find Jeanne standing right behind him, flanked by two infected middle-school students. She was staring at them with a completely blank expression.
"I must say, I never expected your lives here to be quite so colorful. If I hadn't returned so quickly, I probably would have missed this spectacular performance!"
Jeanne smiled pleasantly at the man holding the optical discs, who now looked as though he wanted nothing more than to swallow them whole to hide the evidence.
"Well, I won't tease you further. Under the circumstances, tricking the military police is a victory in itself. I have no intention of holding a tribunal over this. Here, these are the two infected students you wanted to rescue. Please sign for your delivery."
Jeanne's words washed over them like a gentle spring breeze, instantly reviving their spirits. They waved enthusiastically to the two young girls.
"However, I will be recording this little incident in your official files. I guarantee you will become quite famous throughout the ranks of Reunion, without a shadow of a doubt!"
With those final words, Jeanne plunged them right back into the depths of a freezing winter. The men looked at her with expressions of utter despair, looking as though they might throw themselves at her feet to beg for mercy.
"Please, no, Boss! If you do that, we're completely ruined!" they cried out in perfect, tragic unison.