Inverse System - Chapter 177

As Rein began climbing up the ladder, thousands of thoughts were running through his head, all of them about the whereabouts to where this ladder would lead them. He looked back down at Yusuke for a brief moment, who didn’t notice due to the dark, then continued up the ladder, slightly hesitating.

When he reached the top, he held his hand out to the hatch above them, pressing it against the handle as he was about to open it. He took a deep, calming breath, then regained composure in his complexion before opening it.

As the secret entrance creaked open, inches of light invaded the tunnel gradually as the two under Rein squinted their eyes. Rein quietly emerged from the hole, followed shortly by Chuzea, who was followed by Yusuke.

As Rein looked around his surroundings, he suddenly had a jolt of nostalgia hit him, gazing upon scenery that he once knew, though he mostly forgot it now. The familiar feeling coming over him was from suppressed memories before his father died, when he and his sister used to live in this very mansion.

The room they emerged into was a small, cramped storage room, filled to the brim with toys and gadgets, which Rein used to spend most of his time playing with.

However, he found it strange that this room still existed within the house. He thought for sure that his aunt would’ve gotten rid of it. Before he thought about it too much, he put it at the back of his mind and regained his focus on the task at hand.

“How do you know about this passageway?” Rein suddenly turned his head to Yusuke, asking him directly.

“It’s convenient, isn’t it? I use it whenever I want to get into Kanirah,” he spoke as he gently closed the hatch behind him, making sure not to make a sound. “Y’see, I’m also a wanted man in this city,” he revealed, which somehow didn’t surprise Rein.

Rein sighed a deep breath, then took a peek out the small, barely visible window behind the mountain of clutter. Since the room was near the front entrance of the home, he was able to see two soldiers guarding the door, though they didn’t look very fond of their positions.

“Now what? Do you have a plan, Mr. Yusuke?” Chuzea posed as Rein redrew his attention from the window.

“He, of course I do. Follow me,” he stealthily motioned as he tiptoed to the door leading out to the main hall of the mansion.

Rein and Chuzea followed him carefully as he put his hand on the doorknob, carefully turning it. However, for some inexplicable reason, he suddenly threw out all sense of stealth, and opened the door normally, walking out into the main hall without a care in the world.

Rein jumped forward and grabbed Yusuke, pulling him back into the room and closing the door.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked in a serious tone, making Yusuke laugh lightly.

“Wow, relax kid. Just trust me, will ya? I told you, I’ve been through this hundreds of times already,” he pushed Rein’s hand away, which was grabbing onto his collar tightly, while Chuzea stood there, watching the two in confusion.

Rein relented, choosing to let Yusuke do his thing. He resumed his march to the main hall, this time followed by the two Rangers, one which was enamored by the glory of the scenery.

Chuzea had never seen such lavish design in all her life. The walkway of the hall was made of an exquisite gold material, which shimmered and reflected light in an enchanting glow. The vast, tall and wide ambiance dwarfed the three standing in it, which was especially accented by the girthy pillar towers lined across the sides of the room, extending from the ground to the ceiling.

Three jewelry-filled chandeliers were dotted parallel to the golden walkway. Though they weren’t currently illuminated, the light invading from the gargantuan lancet windows refracted from the jewels, causing an array of colors and shades of light to be dotted around the vast hallway.

Another feeling of familiarity washed over Rein as he looked around the unchanged hall, it being exactly as he remembered it when he was a child. Yusuke didn’t take any time looking at the scenery. As he said, he’d seen it a hundred times by now.

As Rein, who once again had to regain focus, noticed Yusuke heading to the front door, which was made of high-quality Zir wood, he once again ran up to him and began walking beside him.

“You’re not planning to exit from the front door, are you?” Rein posed, to which Yusuke sounded a confused response.

“Hm? Course I am. Where else would we leave from?”

As he said that, he grabbed the handle of the front door and pulled it open, letting in the sound of birds and crickets invade the echoing room, which was previously only echoing their footsteps.

The two guards turned around with raised eyebrows, then looked at Yusuke and Rein, their weapons at the ready.

“Hey there guys! You know the drill by now, yeah?” Yusuke walked out with his hands up.

“Oh, it’s just Yusuke again,” one of them said in relief, lowering their guards.

“Yeah, we know the drill,” the guard held his hand out expectantly to Yusuke, who looked at the guard with a blank expression. “Well? Hurry it up,” the guard motioned his hand in a hasty matter, indicating for Yusuke to give him something, which Rein discerned to be hush money.

“Ha… Good one buddy,” Yusuke tried joking his way out of the situation, however the guard was not amused.

Rein noticed sweat dripping down Yusuke’s face, then slowly turn to face him with a pleading expression.

“Rein, can you handle this?” He semi-confidently asked.

“Stop bullshitting me, I know you have money. How’d you pay for that beer yesterday?” Rein retorted, to which Yusuke laughed in guilt, scratching the back of his red, spiky hair.

“Kasia actually covered all of it. I don’t have a single dol on me,” he laughed, which was heard by the guards, who looked just about ready to report them for trespassing.

Finally, Rein sighed and took out some of the Dol he had converted earlier in the month.

“How much?”