episode_0016

Noon the next day.

As promised, I met Calix at the square. Calix wanted to talk privately, so we went into a corner alley.

After confirming that no one was around, Calix got straight to the point.

“Lend me some money.”

“What?”

When I frowned, Calix urgently explained the reason.

“You probably heard about the masked group.”

“I heard. I heard it was destroyed by the thieves guild?”

“That’s right. It was so crazy. It all went wrong because of that damn Harold or something.”

Calix gossiped about a man named Harold. As much as you went all in on the Masked Team, you must be resentful of the guy who ruined it. I listened for a while and then hung up.

“So, what happened because the masked group failed?”

“I met a Thieves Guild executive. Although he is a mid-level executive.”

You just made a new connection? Unless the woman named Roxy is crazy, she can’t just leave Calix, who is close to the leader of the Masked Group, alone.

“Did you try to sell the leader of the mask group?”

Calix grinned.

“…You are so consistent.”

“The masked group has to lose anyway. It’s not like I can rise again just because I’m loyal. In that case, isn’t it natural to stick to a hot spot?”

“Well… That’s right. So when you ask to borrow money, are you trying to use a bribe?”

“Hehehe… That’s right. You have 30 silver saved up. That money should be enough to get noticed by mid-level executives. Oh, do you want to go say hello to that guy too? The suggestion I made last time is still valid.”

“No need. I have no money.”

Calix crossed his arms and frowned.

“I have no money. Are you saying you just used up all 30 silver?”

“uh.”

“Don’t lie. That 30 silver is money you saved diligently over two years. There’s no way you could have used all that on your personality.”

“I said I spent all my money, but what about you?”

“You… Haa…”

Calix pursed his lips, then sighed and wiped his face. And he said it as if he was trying to persuade me.

“Han Yu-seong Listen carefully. The Thieves Guild we entered this time is different from the Masked Guild. We do business systematically, not in a haphazard way. It may be small right now, but it will grow big someday. Maybe it will grow like that dark club.”

“The thieves guild, the dark side, and I have no money. Get your money somewhere else. I’m going.”

When I turned around and tried to leave the alley, Calix grabbed my shoulder and persisted. I pushed away the hand holding my shoulder.

“Think again! Is this a chance to turn your life around?”

“I said I have no money.”

“Hey, you idiot! They’re different from thugs like the Masked Group. The boss there takes great care of his subordinates. If you go in later, you’ll be late!”

“Phew…”

Slowly, it went beyond being annoying and became irritating.

I grabbed Calix by the collar and roughly pushed him against the wall. When Calix hit the wall, he pressed his forearm against his neck, preventing him from escaping.

“Hey, you bastard. Did you leave money with me? Why do you keep saying shit when you say you don’t have money?”

“No, I mean…”

“And what? The Thieves Guild takes good care of their subordinates, so let’s go? What the fuck… no matter how well they take care of their subordinates, will they even be nice to the bastard who sold out the boss they served?”

“…”

Calix glared at me without saying a word. I put strength on the arm pressing down on his neck.

“Chuck…soo, breath…”

“Why are you making fun of me? Still don’t understand the situation? Come to your senses, bastard. The reason you were able to fool around like that was because the leader of the masked group protected you, not because you were a good person. If you don’t want to go somewhere and work as a guest, go with your eyes straight open.”

I released the arm that was pressing on my neck. Calix let out a squeak as he slid down and leaned against the wall.

I was about to kick it but stopped when I saw people walking this way. Although this was an alley, it was a plaza, so there were quite a few people coming and going.

“Don’t come visit me again. If you catch my eye one more time, you will be left behind.”

He came out of the alley with a light threat.

* * *

Three days passed.

Perhaps he understood my warning correctly, but Calix disappeared from my sight after that.

For three days, I visited bards and listened to the song of the warrior Sieghart. Although the lyrics of each bard were slightly different, there were some commonalities.

-500 years ago, when humans were persecuted by other races, the hero Sieghart appeared.

-Sieghart saved humans with his colleagues based on the overwhelming power he received from the goddess.

– Sieghart, who did not want to stain the continent with blood, tried to sign peace agreements with other races. However, he died due to the devil’s dastardly moves.

-Sieghart’s power was inherited by his wife, Esika, and revenge began.

-The death of the warrior further united humans, and many races perished or declined. Thus began the era of man.

This was it.

There was no special story in the song, a lot was omitted, and most importantly, there was no story about the devil.

It’s just a song to listen to with drinks.

“Ha…”

It’s not my sigh.

This is the sound Kara made as her shoulders slumped after finishing her work.

“Now only 41 Cooper…”

This is the money she saved over the past 11 days. The inn provided breakfast and lunch, and the cost of lodging was the same even though I saved money by sleeping at my house.

Kara was sad and asked when she would become an adventurer. However, as if he kept his word, he worked consistently and did not ask for help from Seris.

I found that a little strange. So, I originally planned to help them become self-sufficient for about two months and lend them money, but I shortened it to about one month.

“Wow, I’m tired…”

After getting used to it for three days, Kara felt at home in the cabin. She lay down on the floor.

“Cara, can I not eat something?”

“It’s okay. Rather than being hungry, I felt sleepy…”

Kara fell asleep just like that. Cerise glanced at me and asked.

“What about Yoosung? Would you like something to eat?”

“What are you going to make?”

“Potato soup.”

“finely.”

“Hing.”

I left behind a sad Seris and closed my eyes.

A few hours later, I woke up to the sound of a commotion outside my house.

* * *

“You’re going this way, right?”

A chubby man who was very drunk said. Calix quickly lowered his head.

“Yes, yes! This one is for sure.”

“There’s a good girl in a corner like this? You didn’t lie to me, did you?”

“How could I say something false in front of Alvis?”

“You never know. If I follow you, I might find a stranger trying to kill me.”

Calix was startled by Alvis’ joke and waved his hands.

“No! How could I…”

“Hehe, it’s just a joke, you idiot. There’s no way a bastard like you would have that kind of guts in the first place. Lead the way straight.”

Alvis punched Calix on the back of the head and walked away laughing. Calix glared at his back.

‘They say it’s debauchery, but it’s worse than the rumors. Well, as long as they hear that there is a good woman, they will follow her.’

The place that Calix is now guiding Alvis to is Yoo Seong’s cabin. After meeting Yu-seong in the square, he had others spy on Han Yu-seong and the people around him.

‘One of Han Yu-seong’s lovers was a pretty girl. That means the remaining one that keeps covering his face isn’t bad either.’

Calix planned to offer the two women to Alvis and gain his favor. I heard a rumor that the women who slept with Alvis didn’t turn out well, but that wasn’t Calix’s part-time job.

‘Han Yoo-seong…are you the one ignoring me? ‘Are you a pickpocketing thief?’

It was important to him that he could feed Yooseong and achieve success at the same time.

“Hey! Can’t you come quickly?!”

“Ah, yes! Here we go!”

Calix ran hurriedly.

* * *

“Hey. Come here.”

“Yes?”

“Do you fucking think there’s a woman here?”

Alvis laid Calix down and stepped on him. Because the cabin he saw was very shabby.

In common sense, it made no sense for a pretty woman to live in a place like this, especially in a slum. Even if there was, it would have been returned to the homeless a long time ago.

“You fucking bastard! Did I come all the way here just to fuck a whore? Huh?”

“Not a car or a prostitute! Han Yu-seong, there’s no way he’s dating a prostitute, right?!”

“Han Yu-seong? What is that guy doing?”

“This guy is using a bit of force here. A year ago, there were triplets who were doing well on this street. But Han Yu-seong killed those guys. Since then, no one has laid a hand on him.”

The triplets from the slums are Ban, Khan, and Jan.

The three were gangsters famous for their strong physical strength and cooperative attacks based on their strong brotherhood.

The triplets cleverly avoided the masked group’s territory and preyed on the poor. If they caught their eye, they were beaten or raped.

When the triplets’ viciousness reached its peak, Yooseong caught their eye. They took away the money Yoosung had saved.

A week later, the triplets went missing.

Two weeks later, the decomposed bodies of what were believed to be triplets were discovered in a sewer.

And the money that had been stolen was back in Yoosung’s hands.

“Of course, it doesn’t work for Alvis!”

Even though it was flattery, Calix truly thought that Alvis was stronger than Yoosung. Even if they are rotten, aren’t they still mid-level executives?

“Really? If it’s a girl who uses a little strength… it’ll be okay.”

Alvis grinned and tried to open the door. But the door rattled and did not open.

“What is it? They blocked it off by saying it was a house.”

“I will open it. Please wait a moment.”

Calix took out a thin stick and spread it between the cracks in the door. Then he moved around and unlatched the bolt.

“Now, let’s go in.”

Alvis opened the door and looked inside. And then it hardened.

“Why are you doing that?”

Calix moved his head behind Alvis and looked around, wondering why he was doing that.

“Who… who are you..?”

The woman in the cabin was already awake due to the commotion outside. Beauties with brown and blue-silver hair, respectively. Calix’s gaze was especially focused on the blue-silver-haired beauty.

“Crazy…”

I was out of breath.

It was only when my body sent a signal to supply oxygen that I finally regained my breathing.

My heart is beating wildly. It was a shabby cabin, but when she sat there, it felt like a pure white palace.

“Hmm…”

Alvis laughed slightly. Only then did Calix come to his senses.

‘shit! It was a mistake to bring Alvis!!’

He regretted involving Alvis. The brown-haired woman I checked earlier was pretty, but the blue-silver haired woman was on a different level.

‘A beauty of that level is only for someone like Alvis!’

A woman with blue and silver hair was worth offering to some nobleman. When the nobles see her, they will be happy to reward Calix. Maybe give him a gold coin.

‘How do I get this bastard off me?’

Alvis may be a debaucher, but he didn’t become a mid-level executive out of thin air. There was a power to match that, and it was not something that someone like Calix could surpass.

‘Yes, if we fight together with that guy Han Yu-seong, something might be possible.’

And then, taking advantage of Yooseong’s exhaustion, he sticks a dagger into his neck. Then everything is solved. Calix smiled wickedly.

“Who are you!”

The blue-haired woman shouted, hiding the brown-haired woman behind her. Alvis slowly approached them with a disgusting smile.

“Oh, don’t come! Don’t come!”

Ceris threw the wood from the bonfire. Alvis easily dodged it, but she didn’t throw it expecting to get hit in the first place.

“Yuseong! Yoosung, wake up! Mr. Yoosung!”

She was half asleep and crawled to Yoosung, dragging a half-asleep Kara with her. The only thing that came to her mind right now was that she had to go to Yoosung. There was no calculation or plot.

But no matter how much he shook, Yoosung showed no sign of waking up.

“Mr. Yoosung…?”

‘Why isn’t it happening? I can’t wake up if it’s this loud…? no way…’

Are you trying to pretend not to know?

Are you afraid of harming yourself?

Ceris stopped shaking her hand at the shooting star. If you think about it, there was no reason for Yooseong to take risks for them.

Even though Yoosung helped them a lot, in the end, he and them are strangers.

Seris felt stupid for trying to rely on Yoosung. She tried to run while holding Kara’s hand, who was still unconscious.

However, Alvis was already right in front of them. Seris froze when she saw his scary face and large size.

Alvis grabbed Seris’ hair and lifted her face.

“K… It’s so damn pretty when you see it up close.”

“Lee, let go of this..!”

“It will be the best fucking house.”

“…Yes? Fuck…what..?”

For a moment, Seris wondered if she had heard wrong. But Alvis corrected me clearly, as if I hadn’t heard anything wrong.

“Fucking house. You are quite a thing. Even if I enjoy it for a long time…no, my whole life, I won’t get tired of it.”

Alvis maintained a disgusting smile and licked his thick lips with his tongue. And then he looked at Seris as if he was criticizing her.

“Ah… ah…”

Cerise’s hair turned white at that stern gaze and the malice of a human being that she felt for the first time. The body I was trying to get up collapsed on the floor, and my limbs were shaking and couldn’t function properly.

“Now… let’s have fun?”

Alvis’ hand came towards Seris. I had to cut it out. But my body didn’t listen.

The 10 years I spent as the head of a household in the countryside were now of no use. Now she was just a 22-year-old country girl trembling with fear.

‘Ah… who… who…’

Cerys hoped someone would help. But I knew. That there was no one to help her.

Alvis’ hand reached out. She couldn’t overcome her fear and closed her eyes.

When Alvis made a disgusted face and tried to catch Seris, Yoosung swung his right arm.

The dagger made an arc and pierced Alvis’ shoulder.