Chapter 29: That Shapeshifter, Delayed

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Daan Vandervort was a carelessly-dressed merchant. He wore a thin, white shirt that was unbuttoned at the collar and no coat. His tricon hat was terribly battered and worn, yet he squished it unceremoniously under his arm as he reached out his hand to shake Yoka’s.

The maid met the man’s eyes for a moment, then lowered her eyes and bowed. ‘Vandervort-san is mistaken. I am only a maidservant. This is my young mistress, Lord Terazawa, bugyō of Nagasaki.’

The Dutch merchant retracted his hand and ran it through his wind-swept blonde hair instead. He smiled at Yoka. ’My apologies. I didn’t expect the bugyō of Nagasaki to be so young! You must be talented.’

Rin did not respond. ‘What do you know about the silent gun?’ she demanded directly. Since he was a shapeshifter, she was certain that he understood Japanese and was only pretending not to know.

Vandervort’s light-grey eyes glowed with amusement but he smiled awkwardly and turned to the interpreter to ask for help.

The leader of the Dutch convoy raised a hand to dismiss the interpreter and spoke to him in Dutch. The merchant smiled carelessly, said a few things back and then turned to Dr. Schamberger, the other man Lord Kampjan had called forward.

Dr. Schamberger was a quiet man in his forties with a black cloak over his shoulders. He nodded in response to something Vandervort said, then faced the young bugyō with a serious expression.

‘I have heard speculation about such a thing during my travels,’ he said in fluent Japanese, ‘but I have not come across someone who had succeeded in creating a silent gun yet.’

‘But it’s only a matter of time?’ she asked.

Vandervort said something that made Lord Kampjan laugh and pat him on the shoulder. Lord Kampjan repeated it in Japanese to the Imperial Commissioner, ‘If someone can imagine it, it most certainly can be done. Perhaps your people might succeed before we do. We’ll be asking you for a favour then!’

[Read the full story at novelconbini.com!]