The Swindler and the False God - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

We didn’t make it out.

The boss grabbed Noan.

The knife was pressed to his throat.

“The key.”

His eyes were full of madness.

“Give it to me.”

I stood below the stage, my palms slick with sweat.

Xize stood beside me.

For the first time in my life, I hated a key this much.

If I gave it to him, the White Tower ledger would fall into the hands of the black market.

The evidence of fabricated miracles, bought and sold atonement money, and poor people being forced to make offerings would become a new bargaining chip.

If I didn’t, Noan would die.

I raised my hand.

Xize held me back.

“Miya.”

My voice trembled.

“Let go.”

“Look at his left hand.”

I froze.

Noan’s bound left hand was slowly working the knot loose.

His legs had been bad since he was little, but his hands were nimble.

I had taught him to pick locks before.

The boss didn’t know that.

He only knew I could lie.

He didn’t know my little brother could, too.

I took a deep breath and threw the key over.

The boss reached out to catch it on instinct.

In that instant, Noan stomped down hard on the top of his foot, bent low, and rolled off the stage.

Xize rushed forward and flicked the knife from the boss’s hand with one stroke of his sword.

I caught Noan and shoved him behind me.

The boss fell to the floor and still tried to grab the key.

I stepped on his hand first.

He screamed.

I bent down and picked up the key.

“You taught me this.”

I looked at him.

“Never trust a liar.”

Even as the boss was dragged away, he kept cursing me.

Cursing me for being ungrateful.

Cursing me to end up in hell sooner or later.

I didn’t answer.

Because Xize had already lit up the entire old theater.

It wasn’t a miracle.

It was mirrors and phosphorus powder he had planted in advance.

The people of the White Tower, the people of the black market, and the city guard had all shown their faces in this false miracle.

I looked at the light flaring across the walls and suddenly laughed.

“You learned my tricks?”

Xize walked to my side.

“Part of my compensation.”

“Lord Saint, you fell pretty fast.”

“Mm.”

He lowered his head and looked at me.

“I had a good teacher.”

Noan sniffled beside us.

“Sister, who is he?”

I looked at Xize.

His white robe was gone. His cross was gone. There was still a tiny wound at the corner of his lips where I’d bitten him.

He didn’t look like a Saint.

He looked like my accomplice.

I said, “A man who broke his vows.”

Xize corrected me.

“Willingly.”