"So what's your name, boy?" Lady Marlene asked, smiling calmly at him.
"Henryk Zielczyk," the boy said, trying to remain calm, but his heart was pounding like never before, and he felt the demonkin woman hear him perfectly. "Madam, may I ask where these men took my boss?"
"We're taking him to prison, where he belongs for his crimes in my city."
"He's going straight to prison? What about a trial or something?" Henryk looked confused.
"Of course, I'll explain, boy. Your boss had numerous court dates. As you can probably guess, he didn't show up for any of them. So when I took over here, I put out a wanted poster for Mr. Philip. You can easily find one at the Adventurers' Guild."
"If he was wanted, why did you only arrest him now, and not yesterday when he was here?"
"They recognized him at the front desk and informed me. I figured since he was coming here anyway, we could detain him the next day. Of course, I told the guards to keep an eye on him so he didn't leave town."
Henryk closed his eyes, unable to believe that someone like Philip, with his past in this city, had been caught so easily. Maybe he thought he'd get away with his own business, as usual. In any case, that wasn't what Henry was interested in at the moment.
"Is there any way to bail my boss out?"
"Of course." Lady Marlene pulled an elegant parchment from under her desk. "You have to pay off his debts plus 10,000 silver tablets as compensation."
"And how much is this debt?" Henryk asked, immediately knowing he wouldn't like the answer.
"He owes 150,000 silver tablets."
If Henryk's jaw could have dropped to the floor, it probably would have done so right then.
With wide eyes, the boy reacted to the amount of Philip's debt. He buried his hands in his hands.
"Fuck."
Of course, there was the possibility of selling Philip's goods to save up for his bail, but he didn't have Marlene's permission to sell goods in the city, and he doubted he would get one now.
"If I got that money, where would I have to go?"
Just come here, and we'll handle all the paperwork." Marlene smiled at him with a hint of sympathy. "But I sincerely doubt you'll manage to get that much money. If I were to give you any advice, it would be to forget about that scoundrel, take his carriage, and leave. Is that all?"
"Yes." With a grim expression, Henryk rose from his chair and bowed politely. "Thank you for your time."
"You're welcome," Lady Marlene replied, watching the boy leave.
[Damn you, Philip!] Henryk thought, his face furious, a look that the mayor and her servant couldn't see. [There are two options: either I take a job in this town and collect Philip's bail, or I follow the advice of that woman with the appearance of a succubus and leave, but I doubt Irin will let me. Besides, I can't drive a carriage. Fine! I'm screwed!"
When Henryk left Tsuyoshi's office, he turned to his mistress, who had begun to put the documents away in her desk drawer.
"Marlene-sama, why are you letting this boy just leave? Shouldn't we detain him for questioning and confiscate the things from that merchant's carriage?"
"Why would we do that, Tsuyoshi? You saw that boy yourself. He was completely confused about why we arrested that merchant. That means he didn't know about his crimes."
"Forgive my boldness, Marlene-sama, but that boy seems just as much of a cheater and con man as his boss. Did you let him go because he and that merchant came here with a little girl?"
"Yes... I decided there was no point in leaving that little girl alone. Especially since that boy hadn't done anything wrong for which we could have arrested him."
"I understand. I apologize again for my boldness, Marlene-sama."
"Don't worry about it. I want you to be truly honest with me. What's the point of having a servant if you can't talk to him when you need it, right?"
"I understand." Tsuyoshi nodded at his mistress's words. "Now, if you'll excuse me... I'll be going. I still have dinner to prepare for you."
"Of course." Marlene let Tsuyoshi go. As her servant left, she remained lost in thought, looking out the window behind her, where Philip's carriage could be seen in the distance. "I just hope those kids don't do something stupid."
...
Walking back to the parking lot where Irin and the carriage with the goods were waiting, Henryk wondered what to do in this dire situation. He wasn't particularly attached to Philip. Of course, the merchant had provided him with food and water during the journey to the town of Wojtyn, but honestly, the boy saw no reason to simply take the carriage and leave.
[No. I can't do that.] He thought, shaking his head. [I can't drive a carriage. I bet I'd cause an accident on the street if I tried. Hmmm... maybe I can convince Irin to drive. She can definitely do it.]
"Wow, Henryk Zielczyk, that's a truly pathetic and stupid plan, even for you. I can't convince that kid to abandon what's probably the only family she has and go off with some guy she met two weeks ago."
Finally, he decided that today he would explain the whole situation to Irin, leaving out the detail that her uncle owed money to the brothel, and tomorrow he would think of something else.
When he reached the parking lot, he stopped dead in his tracks. Leaning in front of him, by Philip's merchant carriage, was Irin, horribly bruised. She had a black eye, and blood was streaming down her face. Without wasting any time, Henryk rushed to her side, making this day seem even worse with each passing moment.
"Please let this shitty day finally end."
[[Reference Art for Lady Marlene in comment]]