episode_0035

It didn’t take long for the balding man with tattoos all over his body to come to his senses.

“… Ugh.”

The bald man looked around, blinking his eyes and placing his hand on his forehead, as if he had a headache, and when he saw my face, his face turned pale, almost blue.

Hmm, even though I made you faint, it still hurts a little when you look at me like that… .

Shouldn’t we be thankful instead?

His lips stuck out in frustration.

Didn’t that bald guy run in first in the first place?

I stepped forward to defend myself just before I was attacked by the bald man’s blind attack.

‘Yeah, yeah, that’s right, it was self-defense.’

Besides, if I hadn’t knocked out the bald guy, the nameless guy would have definitely pulled out his wooden sword.

What would have happened if that had happened… .

As I was nodding my head, asking myself questions, the bald man opened his mouth in a voice that seemed to be squeezing out his trembling voice as much as possible.

“Are you trying to kill me… .”

What?

He blinked at the incomprehensible sound and pointed his finger alternately at the bald head and me.

“… Me? You? Why on earth?”

Why do you think that way in the first place?

It’s not like there’s anything specifically binding the guy’s body, nor is it surrounding him to prevent him from running away.

And if I had had such a mind, I would have done it a long time ago.

He frowned at the absurd guess and waved his hand.

“Tsk, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s not what you think.”

In a word, we can say that he was the only one who made the mistake and gave up.

The bald man who heard my words shouted with a fever, wondering where his pale face had gone.

He seems to be a man whose mind is truly wandering.

“You say that after making me like this?!”

The bald man pointed to the back of his neck with his finger.

Uhm, why did you suddenly yell… .

He pouts and grumbles slightly, then turns his gaze to the back of his neck where the bald head was pointing.

A large lump grew on the back of his bald neck, making him look like a two-headed ogre.

…was it a little too much?

But let me make a small excuse. Since this guy’s physical strength is so weak, it’s really hard to control his strength.

I felt a little sorry, but I shook my head and shook it off.

No matter how much I think about it, it’s not my fault.

Rather, if we are to judge right from wrong, it is the fault of the bald man who is overly weak.

He nodded.

I can’t keep calling you bald or your bastard, so should I at least ask you your name?

Don’t people often say that the beginning of a conversation is self-introduction?

Since he happened to have something to say, it seemed like a good topic to start the conversation with.

“Um, first of all, can you tell me your name?”

The bald man touched his forehead with a bewildered expression, as if he had been struck by a blast.

“Huh! Your name? You really don’t know who I am?!”

Feeling wronged by this, I frowned and opened my mouth in a slightly grumbling tone.

“Didn’t I tell you from the beginning? I came here to find out what they do there.”

“Yeah… That’s right. Ha, haha!”

Why are you laughing all of a sudden? Has this guy finally lost his mind?

As I looked at the bald man with tired eyes, the guy who had been laughing for a long time suddenly lowered his head.

“Ha… What on earth have I done… .”

I almost patted his shoulder without thinking because I felt like I needed to comfort him, but at that moment, Moo-myeong came into the room like a ghost.

“Master, is the bald guy awake?”

“… Bald?”

“Yes, as you can see, it’s very lively.”

Suddenly, I felt the bald man’s bewildered gaze, but it didn’t sting me at all.

Well, anyway.

Anonymous has arrived, now it’s time to start a real conversation.

He took out his wooden sword and smiled broadly.

The name of that bald guy who looks like an ogre is Carlson.

He currently works as a drug dealer in the slums, and he says he holds a fairly important position in the organization.

Anyway, the reason Carlson insists on doing his work in the slums is because the Empire tends to not pay attention to the slums, and since most of the people in the slums have no blood relations, they either sell the good-looking ones into slavery or recruit them into their organization.

When I asked him why he exploits people in the slums to make money, he said that although he holds an important position in his organization, he does not have much money to support himself, so he wants to live a little more comfortably.

As he was about to tell me his story, which I wasn’t even curious about, I thrust my wooden sword into him and cut him off.

“Then you are a bad person.”

It may be a hasty conclusion, but honestly, it’s not worth hearing any more.

Drugs, slavery, exploitation.

What kind of strange circumstances must there be to justify this?

Carlson smiled self-deprecatingly and raised his head, which had been bowed the whole time.

“So what, are you going to kill me? What do you want me to do?”

“Well, I don’t know what I want to do…”

I put the wooden sword back into my waistband.

Of course, hypocritical thoughts like, ‘Am I really qualified to judge his sins?’ came to mind, but my honest feelings were a little different.

If they are people like this, people who have committed such a sin that no one can forgive.

Would it be okay if I took their souls?

Couldn’t this be a stepping stone to achieving my goals?

Maybe using Carlson would be the easiest way to achieve my goal.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of self-loathing.

‘Was I such a dirty and selfish person?’

I don’t know.

I don’t know anything.

I’m just an old worm who’s wasted my life.

I am a coward.

I have never made a decision based on my own whim.

He turned his head slightly and looked at Moo-myeong, who must have been disappointed at the sight of his pitiful teacher.

But contrary to my expectations, Myeong-un still gave me his usual look.

Oh, yeah.

I can’t show my ugly side to an anonymous person who trusts me so much.

I bit my lip to collect myself, a bitter taste lingering in my mouth.

There is a saying that parents are the mirror of their children.

Well, I am a teacher, but isn’t there a saying that the military is one?

Anyway, my point is, if I send you the interest now, if you decide to use the interest for your own selfish purposes.

Anonymous will surely learn from watching me like that.

Things like, ‘If it’s for your own goal, you don’t need to care about someone else’s sacrifice.’

That can’t be possible.

Somehow, I felt my head clearing up, so I took out my wooden sword with a bitter smile.

…

“Master, I am ready.”

“Okay… Let’s go.”

I climbed up to the top of the tavern as planned with the anonymous, sat on the edge of the roof, and looked down with my head up in an arrogant manner.

As if Moo-myeong had been having a hard time, the people Moo-myeong and I had seen before were gathered there, looking up at me without knowing what was going on.

“Ahem, ahem.”

I cleared my throat slightly and said what I had prepared.

“From now on, I’m going to give you two choices.”

I held out my hand and made a V shape to express what I wanted to say.

“First.”

I folded one of my fingers that had been spread out.

“Living the rest of his life peacefully, eating dirty waste in a slum with no dreams or hopes in sight.”

The slum residents were focused on what I was saying, and the noise that had been audible until just now completely disappeared.

I really liked that, and smiled bitterly.

“Second”

Now the hand extended forward is fully clenched into a fist.

“It may be a little dangerous, but I live a life where I can dream, have hope, and eat clean food to my heart’s content, not filth.”

He put his outstretched arm on his knee and rested his chin on it.

“Decide.”

It would be a truly democratic way of doing things, which is out of place in this place, where a functioning empire exists, giving them the choice to decide by their own free will.

As I finished speaking, the people gathered here just looked at each other and didn’t say anything.

Hmm, this is a different reaction than I expected… .

After a long moment of silence, a young man with red hair raised his hand.

“What is it, have you decided?”

“Oh, no! That’s not it… .”

The young man’s eyes wandered here and there, then he nodded as if he was making a resolution.

“We, we! We’re all being held hostage by Carlson’s gang, so we can’t do anything… .”

Oh, I forgot to mention that.

For some reason, I felt a cold sweat running down the back of my neck, but I didn’t show it.

It’s not the right time for that now.

Because I am quick-witted, I have an excellent eye for reading the mood.

maybe.

“Anonymous!!!”

“Yes, Master.”

An anonymous person among the people jumped up onto the roof at my call.

“Bring that jerk.”

“Yes.”

The nameless man entered the tavern with a look on his face as if he was holding back laughter.

“Hey, wait a minute… .”

I opened my mouth quickly, wondering if they might leave.

Fortunately, everyone nodded with a relieved expression and stayed in their seats.

After a while, the nameless man came dragging something.

Of course, it was Carlson.

I accepted the Carlson that Anonymous handed me and threw it in front of the tavern, where people were gathered.

“I don’t hold a grudge against him, so I let him live… but I don’t know about you guys?”

He smiled bitterly.

“All the blood vessels that carry energy have been cut off, so do with the rest as you wish.”

People’s pupils, filled with resentment, all turned to one point.