episode_0072

Feria doesn’t like back alleys that much.

The same goes for the back alley you are about to enter.

The entire city is at a festival, so the streets are filled with the smell of food and alcohol in the back alleys, as well as the smell of high-end perfume that women have been saving up to wear for the first time in a while, but for Peria, perfume is an unpleasant smell because it reminds her of the hallways of her home in the Demon Territory.

‘I guess this would be better.’

Still, except for the perfume, the rest of Feria smelled good.

The back alley she knows is a lawless area filled with the smell of medicine instead of food and blood instead of perfume.

The only warmth in the back alley is the warmth of the pebbles heated for torture.

So, when I go into a back alley, I always hold on to the cane sword that is on my hand and the dagger in my chest, and prepare for the robber who will jump out from around the corner at any time.

Fortunately, his status as a trickster guarantees him a certain level of status.

Feria walked towards the next bar with his arms around his shoulders, past the drinkers wandering the alley, and approached and spoke to the owner of a store who was guarding the empty store alone despite it being a festival.

“You there, the gatekeeper?”

Instead of looking around the street, the store owner reacted to Feria and looked at her clothes before answering.

“… Isn’t this Trickster Nari? What’s going on? Not enjoying the festival.”

“… Are you really a keeper? I don’t think so, but I feel a bit awkward.”

Peria was taken aback by the doorkeeper’s attitude, which was more polite than expected.

The guys he knew who lived in the back alleys of the empire usually appointed tough and tough guys as gatekeepers, but the gatekeeper in the back alleys of this new alley he was trying to enter was so polite that he couldn’t get used to it.

“Where didn’t you hear that? We are different from those in the empire created by barbarians. I don’t know what the back alleys of the empire are like, but the back alleys of the kingdom have their own order and culture. You better get used to it.”

“Then that’s it. What is the entrance fee?”

“There are no rules on festival days and admission is free.”

“It’s generous.”

Peria tried to proceed with the set order for entering the back alley as usual, but the man waved his hand as if he was annoyed.

When I looked closely, I noticed that the man had already drank heavily and the smell of alcohol was filling the store.

“And the boss said that if the trickster comes, just let him in. It’s a privilege. Well, it’s just this time, and the rules will apply again starting tomorrow, so it’s the same.”

“That should be it. And there’s a guy here who handles local information, right? I want to meet the bookshelf.”

“I am.”

“Was it you? Is it okay for someone with an important position to be outside like this?”

“I told you so. It’s a festival day. On a day like today, there will be a lot of people unintentionally flowing into the back alleys, and it is a good day for us to promote.”

“… I really can’t get used to it.”

Feria doesn’t understand the scenery of this back alley, which is so open.

It is not easy to get used to the back alleys of this place, which have shattered all prejudices regarding the appearance of the back alleys of the areas where one used to go.

A neat appearance like this would of course be welcomed, but the appearance of this place is so different from other places that it feels like a physiological repulsion, like wearing clothes that have been washed after being stained with someone else’s curse and blood.

This place was so foreign that Peria thought it would be better to wear the same rags as usual instead of such unpleasant clothes.

When it comes to entrances to back alleys, most of them are guarded by those who are foul-mouthed, try to take the entrance fee, and sometimes have no fingers because they can’t memorize all the rules they have set.

On the other hand, the bookshelf.

The bookshelf is a position that compiles information collected by guild members even in the back alleys and sets prices.

He is more cultured than anyone else in the back alley and is the most important person in terms of importance.

Showing up at the entrance like this without any escort is completely incomprehensible behavior.

The man in front of me seems to have noticed that, too, and the service informs me.

“We don’t want any corners. It’s not that I don’t want a lawless area like before, but the times have come where we can’t want that kind of thing.”

“What does that mean?”

“If you let heretics into the city, the church’s paladins will come and destroy them all, and the moment they bring in the medicine, the corps commander will pull out his sword and cut them all down. If you take a deep breath without any reason, wouldn’t there be flies in your mouth? For us, it’s better to live long and earn a decent amount of money. I make enough money just by selling things like children’s toys and importing alcohol from the empire.”

“It wouldn’t be very welcome for young people or those coming from outside, right?”

Even in the back alleys, the same organization does not always exist for 1,000,000 years.

There is also a possibility that organizations from other cities come from outside to absorb power.

If they can make money, they will create smuggling routes across the country and even cross ethnic borders to trade.

The man laughs off Peria’s question as if it were ridiculous.

“Haha! Trickster. Listen to this as if you were talking about a country bumpkin who runs a bookshelf in this corner of the country.”

The man takes off the coat he had been covering for a while due to the chilly wind and points to his chest.

There were various types of badges on the chest.

Among them, there was a badge from an organization that Peria had seen in the empire.

“Not easy?”

“Yes. Did you really think we just sat still and watched what others thought and just took a breath? Nope. Several guys are coming in at this very moment. There are also agents sent from the great merchants, drug dealers from the east, and beast poachers. But it’s all gone. They lost the fight against us, sacrificed their pride, and disappeared without a grave.”

The man said that and came closer to Peria.

“So-”

“I’m telling you not to look down on our organization just because you’re a wanderer. You smell like milk.”

The polite voice instantly turned into a whine.

The blurry eyes that smelled of alcohol had suddenly changed into eyes that were comparable to those of a mercenary in a fighting stance.

The man threatened Peria once, then sat down again and watched her reaction.

This is for viewing purposes.

It was a preemptive measure before starting a transaction.

No matter how much of a trickster the man is, the man takes pride in his position as bookseller and in his organization.

He was a commoner who tried to imitate a magician, but unfortunately gave up halfway through due to lack of money.

So, he was proud of the leader of the back alley guild and the guild he had founded, knowing that he was brilliant and had no intention of backing down when dealing with the trickster.

But Peria

was laughing

“Yes. Only when you come out like that does it feel like talking to people. Do you like seeing him lively?”

Swish!

Sigh-

Peria said and threw a handful of something at him.

Objects fell on the table and the man hurriedly checked his chest when he saw the object Peria had thrown.

The badges that were attached to the vest he was wearing just moments ago were all gone.

“Uh, before I knew it…?”

“A man named Mr. Bookshelf uses his intelligence to attack the Trickster? Maybe it’s because I’m seeing it for the first time, but I’ll give you some advice.”

Peria said, putting her mouth close to his face in the same way the man did.

“When dealing with a trickster-”

“It would be better to take good care of even the uvula.”

Peria said that and got away from the man again. And in her hand, there was a small bag of gold coins that she had taken out from the man’s pocket.

“Can I take this for education expenses?”

“… Got it.”

When the man saw Peria’s smiling face, he had no choice but to give up the bag of gold coins, blaming his own fault for misidentifying the other person due to his drunkenness.

He again maintained his polite demeanor.

“Take your pockets. However, I would like you to promise me just one thing.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“It’s okay for us to get any information, so if anyone contacts Trickster to get information about our organization, we ask that you either remain silent or turn around and let us know.”

“Didn’t you guys say that promoting is more important now?”

“That said, things are actually going a little differently. There are people who keep trying to encroach on the lower level people. We are also keeping an eye on it.”

“What is your name? If I know enough, I will let you know through the service.”

“In that case… The name was mentioned as if it were an immortal organization.”

Peria pursed her lips tightly when she heard the name.

This is the name of the organization that he keeps running into by chance with his partner, Lee Rim, who is currently with him.

“Aren’t there some people who completely fall for things that have strange tattoos on their backs?”

“Do you know?”

‘This is confirmed.’

Peria began to become increasingly worried. In fact, Peria had sent letters to tricksters in the Empire about the Immortal Institute.

Normally, the answer from the place where all the information in the world is gathered should have detailed information about the organization in question, including the founder, members, and goals, but the only text that came back was information to be careful and keep an eye on.

“… I’ll just tell you that the members of their organization included adventurers, wizards, and demons. Is there a wizard who joined the security force a few days ago? That’s the gang member. Information ends here.”

But I couldn’t pretend not to know, so I avoided it by handing over all the information I had. Fortunately, that seemed to be enough for the man.

“Thank you so much. If so, we should be more careful. Please make sure to keep your promises.”

The man asks again.

“Yes. Since we have our own circumstances, I, as an outsider, should not interfere further, so I guess I should do it.”

“I’m glad you understand. So, is there any information you want?”

The man seemed to be in a good mood, so he removed all the liquor bottles and other items from the table and sat close to them, hugging each other.

“Yes. I’d like to know a few things about soul sickness and where to sell coins from the ancient dwarven kingdom. And a few small pieces of information…”

“!!!”

When Peria brings up the topic of mental illness, the man grabs Peria’s wrist and pushes her back, telling her to go inside the store.

“Uh, huh? Why is this happening all of a sudden?”

I put pressure on the hand that Peria held for the hidden dagger, but the man was glaring at me as if telling me not to say anything, so I closed my mouth.

The man looked around for a while to see if anyone was there, and only after going outside and closing all the doors did he speak.

“… Trickster. Please listen and understand that this is a statement that can be used not only here but anywhere.”

“… Okay.”

Peria also tensed at the man’s serious face.

“We don’t know much about soul disease. But-”

“But?”

“-Never try to obtain information from an open source anywhere. Especially in this place where the Gaia Church and legions are spread out.”

“… Why?”

“To be honest, the information itself can be obtained through wizards. For most wizards, information on making soul bottles is widely available. There may be restrictions on them, but there are ways to find out about them. But that’s probably not the information Trickster is looking for.”

“Yes. The things I’m trying to find out are the origin of Soul Disease, its founder, detailed rules, etc.”

Peria was simply trying to obtain the information that Lee Rim was seeking.

No matter how strictly protected information is, most of it can be obtained by moving it yourself, and even if it is not possible, people who want to make connections with them will come and distribute information on their own.

“I’ll say it again because you thought so. Both I and our organization want to build a good relationship with Trickster during his stay here. Never, ever try to get information. If you want to get it, go to the city of alchemists and never speak of it again in the territory of the Kingdom Alliance. If you speak up-”

“If you take it out?”

“Disappears without a sound. Really. Nowhere in the Empire can the news of your walk, your footprints, or even the breath you took disappear.”

Peria swallowed. When you go to an empire, you have to follow imperial law, and when you go to a kingdom, you have to follow kingdom law.

However, tricksters are relatively free from such rules.

Tricksters are those who walk a tightrope and playfully bounce around on a tightrope called a law that most people cannot touch.

Because what they do is so valuable, everyone turns a blind eye to maintaining their relationship with the trickster.

This bookshelf knows this too, so he knows that he treats him very politely.

However, I was nervous because I knew that for him to say such a thing to himself, a trickster, would mean something equally scary and serious.

“Okay. Then I guess I’ll just have to let go of that.”

“Well thought out.”

Peria knew there was nothing she could do, so she bought some information she wanted to get out next and was about to go back.

“… Do you raise rats?”

“Yes? Can you raise it?”

The bookshelf looked in the direction Peria pointed.

A sewer rat was looking out from under the bookshelf, where the moonlight shone through a small hole in the ceiling.

When he saw the rat, he frowned and stood up.

‘Did they come in again?’

“Oops, it looks like he sneaked in. I will clean it up right away.”

I like my bookshelf to be neat, so I take good measures to prevent rats and bugs from entering, but for some reason, I’ve been seeing rats every now and then, and I’ve been in a bad mood.

These days, the number of rats with red eyes has increased not only in his neighborhood but also in the back alleys. Neither he nor the other members of the gang like it, but what can they do?

They were too quick to catch them and there was some overlap with their appearance, so everyone just left them alone.

Swish!

Snap!

However, instead of just trying to chase the rat away from the bookshelf, Peria killed the rat with a dagger.

The moment I turned around, annoyed that the bookseller had polluted my living space, I saw Peria’s face. Peria was smiling.

“How much will you give me?”

This means that if you want to know what you just did on purpose, pay money.

“… Phew. Is it big?”

“Quite. I guess I should get 50 gold.”

The bookshelf looked at Peria’s expression as if trying to read her intentions, but the other person was a trickster.

Even though I was scribbling down documents in the background, it wasn’t enough to read the other person’s poker face.

“I will pay next time I stop by. Someone stole all the gold coins out of his bag.”

“Then write me a certificate. I’ll tell you in the meantime.”

In the end, the bookshelf gave up, took out a pen, and started filling out documents. Peria spoke as she was about to finish writing the document.

“Starting today, it would be best to catch and kill all animals with red eyes.”

“All?”

“Yes. entire. Every single one.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a ministry job.”

The man wiped the tip of his pen against the paper, then stopped.

“Speaking of ministry…”

“The wizard is giving commands to the animals and controlling them. I don’t know who it is, but the information won’t be released right away. Looking at it, it’s a disposable familiar, but it dies the moment information is extracted and has to be recreated.”

“I was being watched?”

“That’s right. Anyway, if you have connections with a wizard, try to mobilize them, or if you have a magic tool, use it to resonate with them and capture them as much as possible. It’s most likely that you’re getting information from that immortal organization you mentioned.”

After saying that, Peria took the certificate, read it from beginning to end, and walked out with a satisfied expression on her face.

Soon, only the bookshelf remained in that place.