episode_0051
by fnovelpia“···Senior?”
Tuk-tuk. El approached with light steps and stood next to Revan.
“Why are you doing this in front of our junior?”
Subtly shining golden eyes glanced at Benny and Antonio one at a time.
Benny had been avoiding them more and more since the last incident. But suddenly, accompanied by a man, he stood in front of Revan. There was nothing to think favorably about.
“Ah! Nice to meet you! What is your relationship with Revan?”
Antonio, seeing El standing next to him, smiled brightly and asked. It was as if he had found what he was looking for.
“Isn’t it polite to introduce yourself first before asking about me?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I am Antonio Wetzlar. The head of the Wetzlar family carries an uncharacteristically heavy burden. Nice to meet you.”
After briefly introducing himself, Antonio extended his right hand toward El. Just like it was with Revan.
“······.”
However, L did not take the outstretched hand. It just stares with its eyes wide open, like a cat that is wary of something.
“My name is L. Because he is a commoner, he does not have a family name.”
“Is that so? How we met was fate. Even if it’s just a handshake…”
“Sorry. Because my hands sweat a lot.”
Revan heard those words and turned his head to look at El. Wow. El turned his hand back and pinched the back of Revan’s hand. Of course, it was an excuse to avoid shaking hands with Antonio.
“···Hmm. Is that so?”
“Yes. Yes.”
A moment of silence surrounded the four. Hmm. The silence was broken by El clearing her throat.
“I would like you to answer the previous question.”
“Questions?”
“Do you have something to do with our junior?”
“Hmm… Is there anything you need to do? In that case, I will make room for you-”
“No. Because it was a promise made between me and my junior. We do not want unscheduled additional people.”
“···This-”
chin. The moment Benny was about to say something to El, who had stopped talking, Antonio blocked him with his hand.
“I’m sorry. Personally, I have some business to do with Revan.”
“If it’s business?”
“I’m curious about the red ruby that Revan has.”
Sigh. El raised her head towards Revan’s face. Revan looked into those eyes and opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry, but Antonio’s business is already over.”
“Hmm? Why?”
“I have no intention of showing the necklace to Antonio. Not even thinking about selling it.”
widely. Revan took a step forward and looked at Antonio without averting his eyes.
“Well, I say so.”
chuck. El pulled Revan’s arm, who was standing still, and began to approach the front door. Benny and Antonio could only watch their backs as they walked away.
“Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“He is said to be the head of the Wetzlar family. If you get caught for no reason-”
“Well, if you are a noble, do you have to bow your head at all costs? I also have something called Baek-.”
L walked forward, grunting with his mouth sticking out. He seemed displeased with what happened earlier.
Looking at that face, Revan walked forward following El’s steps. Well, I couldn’t sell the necklace anyway, so there was only one response. I didn’t want to say harsh words toward L, who helped me, because it was going to happen anyway.
“Let’s go to the store we saw yesterday.”
“Yes. That’s nice.”
Just like that, L walked towards the store she had set her sights on the day before. Wondering what could be there.
***
In groups in the back world, there are rules that are used among them. As is usually the case with organizations whose very existence clashes with the law.
If I were to tell you all the little rules, it wouldn’t be enough to stay up all night. But the most important rules are divided into two.
1. The anonymity of the client is guaranteed.
2. There should be no such thing as coming in person and setting up a kettle.
The first was the alpha and omega of the back world. No one would be happy if the letter he wrote that said, ‘Please kill him, hihi’ was made public right now.
If the base is in danger of being robbed, the group must control the information at all costs. Even if it means setting the building on fire.
The second rule was weaker than the first, but it was still important.
If the nobles were to unite right away, eradicating the underworld could be accomplished in just a few months. The main income of the organizations is deposits from clients, and although there are a few strong people who act as shoulders in their own way, they are no match for those under the control of the empire’s nobles.
However, the reason why dark groups survived in the back alleys was because of the arrangements made by the so-called ‘higher-ups’.
If you have a lot of money and a high status, friction naturally increases. Of course, the empire created a ‘law’ to resolve fights through words, but resolving everything in the world through dialogue was something that could only happen in a fairy tale book.
In the end, humans are tiny creatures and everything ends when they die. There are not many people who can confidently continue talking with a knife pointed at their head. It is not for nothing that violence is said to be the best means of communication.
Commoners usually hear and see fabricated rumors about organizations in the underworld and have the delusion that ‘if those guys put their minds to it, the nobles will too…’, but this is completely wrong.
Those rat-like bastards are closer to being the soles of nobles. A good tool to use to suppress someone of low status and who has nothing.
So, there has never been a high-ranking person who would go into a dark gutter, reveal their identity, and do something that would make other nobles uncomfortable. It is natural if common sense is in place.
“ugh, keuhuh···.”
“Hey? Are you alive?”
“Turn off- Please, stop-”
“You’re still very energetic. Soak it.”
Clap! Abid, a private soldier of the Wetzlar family, grabbed Calden’s head and hurled it into a bucket of water. Gurgling-gurgling- The desperate sound of the water desperately searching for air filled the room.
“Now- I’ll take it this time.”
“Heo Eok- Heo Eok-”
“How about it? Do you feel like taking out the ledger now?”
“Right away! I’ll take it out and give it to you right away! I’m really sorry.”
“It would have been nice if it had been like that from the beginning. I also brought a lot of money…’
Ding! Antonio flicked a coin with his thumb, looking down at the back of Calden’s head as he collapsed on the floor. It was a piece of fairy tale.
‘···This bastard.’
The name of this man who looks like a drowned rat is Kalden. He was the head of an organization whose symbol was a coiled black snake.
It was an organization that had a reputation in the behind-the-scenes world. Guaranteed anonymity and thorough work done. Even when his life is in danger, he never loses his loyalty. Thanks to this, many nobles used it favorably.
Antonio attacked that place alone with Abid. The area around the three, including Calden, who had collapsed, was full of corpses with their bodies torn apart.
Antonio, who was grinning at the sight, had a sword made of mana shining brilliantly. Antonio was a crazy person, but he was a talented person. In some ways, it could be said to be even worse.
“Mister, what’s wrong? You won. Isn’t it nice to see blood after a long time?”
“······.”
At the scene filled with fresh blood, Abid simply remained silent.
Right now, this ‘Black Snake’ was a group in the back world most used by the capital’s nobles. I invaded that place myself and stood in a position where I could view all the information. Of course, it’s not something that will attract positive attention. Among the nobles, the status of the Wetzler family would fall considerably.
He himself said that it was an inevitable brawl that led to the failure of negotiations. However, from Calden’s perspective, telling Antonio about other nobles’ requests was no different from death.
Calden bared his teeth at Antonio, who did not back down no matter how much he persuaded him. Their desire was to live one more day, even if it meant death. In the end, Abid, as a guard, also drew his sword. And the result was as seen.
“Sigh-”
Calden couldn’t pay for the night and turned on the faucet, rubbing away the tears that were flowing down with his sleeve and looking through the register. How long had passed? Calden brought out two scrolls and shouted.
“Car, I found it!”
Abid immediately took the scroll from Kalden’s hand. widely! With a single gesture, the string used to fasten it was undone and the scroll fluttered down.
Each of the two unfolded scrolls had a name written on it. Faust and Berthe. There were two names.
“Faustra. I guess you didn’t know either?”
“Yes, yes?!”
“No. It’s okay if you don’t know.”
Paralock. Scanning the unwrapped scroll with his eyes, Antonio began to read one by one the information Arrieta had requested so far.
“Hmm. Information about the Bismuth family and information about the Sword Saint. Pedro’s weakness? I don’t know why the academy president’s weakness is necessary.
Hmm… I guess I didn’t ask for requests as often as I thought? It’s surprising. But…”
Antonio slowly read the most recent request.
“Light caution and information about a woman named El…”
Antonio recalled what happened earlier. A beautiful white commoner girl who confidently opened her mouth in front of her.
“It’s a coincidence. I heard you have something to do with your younger brother. Looks like your feet are pretty wide?”
My feet are wide. It was such an unfair thing to hear from El, whose only friend at the academy was Revan.
“My younger brother is okay… Then.”
Paralock. Antonio unfolded a scroll with the word ‘Bert’ written on it.
Of course, Antonio didn’t think it was a coincidence that Benny was waiting for him at the dock. Because Antonio is a bastard, not an asshole.
“Look at this? As expected, you guys sold me the information that I was headed to Geoff?”
“Ah, ah…”
In order to raise the status of the family’s jewelry, Berthe sought information on the identities of the three great nobles. And the black snake made sweet money by offering the information about Antonio’s location that he happened to get.
Information about nobles was quite expensive due to some risk, but at the same time, it was an actively traded item. For various reasons: love, enmity, weakness, etc.
However, Kalden was probably the first person to experience the person responsible for selling the information attacking him in front of him while emitting sword energy.
Kalden was shaking like a child who was kicked out on a snowy day. Antonio, who was giggling at the sight, was underneath the robe. When I looked at the most recent request, I narrowed my eyes.
“···Pressure on a woman named El and information on a man named Revan? What is it?”
Antonio lowered his head for a moment and fell into contemplation. And then I remembered the thought from earlier. ‘It would be great to have hostages.’
“Aha.”
match! Antonio stamped his feet and clapped his hands. At the sudden loud sound, Kalden’s body was lifted off the ground by about a span.
“Hey! You!”
“Yes, yes?!”
“Let’s do one thing with me. I was in need of a meat shield. I may have cut down a few people, but aren’t there still a few members of the organization that were dispatched out there?”
“Yes, yes! That’s right!”
“And we can also process requests from you guys at Hankyu. So come.”
shaking. Calden approached Antonio with cautious steps, as if he were walking on ice.
“You guys, including me and you, are meat shields. Let’s all break into Xeorp together. How about it?”
“···Yes? What is that-”
“Uh huh. You have to listen to what people say until the end. Anyway, you guys. There is a request for this girl named ‘El’. It seems to me that this girl named L and my target have a very special relationship.”
“Well, so…?”
“Speech is short. Well, I’ll skip it. My target is no ordinary guy. But it’s burdensome to mess up twice at the academy, isn’t it?”
It’s Geoff. Even attacking once is a risky thing to do. Kalden swallowed a curse in his mind, saying, ‘You crazy bastard…’ As I said before, I wanted to live a few more days than die now.”
“Yes, yes! Yes!”
“So, you guys step forward and take this girl named Elle hostage. After that, I somehow take over the hostages, sacrifice a few meat shields, and take Revan’s head. How about it?”
After finishing speaking, Antonio smiled and looked at Calden. Calden tapped the abacus in his head. It was a habit I developed while running an organization.
‘You sneak into Xeorp and kill a student. The probability of surviving is 10% at best.
However, the target, ‘El’, is a commoner who came to Seoul from the outskirts. The likelihood of persistent tracking will be small.
A man named Revan had a powerful ally named Professor Faust. However, when its power is compared to that of Wetzlar’s matriarch… there is no comparison.’
In the end, Kalden had to swallow his poison and nod. There was a tomorrow only if my neck was glued right now.
“Yes! We’re planning on doing this as quickly as possible, so get ready. mister? Put it in.”
Paralalalak! In the room where Calden had taken out the ledger, Avid shoved all kinds of scrolls with names written on them into his inventory. Kalden knew. I hope my head will fall off the moment those details are revealed.
In the end, there was only one hole for Calden and the black snake to survive. To please Antonio, he offers El and a man named Revan.
“···Hueup.”
Calden started writing a letter while covering up the nosebleeds that were gushing out from Antonio’s beating. It was a summons to all powerful members of the Black Snake.
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