Chapter 275
Chapter 275
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.61 – Knights Fear Humans More Than Ghosts 2(4)
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...What the hell is this about?
Simon had access to a ton of information since becoming the Guild Union Leader, but it had been a while since he'd encountered something this mysterious.
"Hmm..."
These were pieces of information diligently gathered by his subordinates.
There was a wealth of high-quality intel that couldn't have been collected overnight, but for some reason, Simon couldn't stop fixating on these mysterious, trivial tales.
The reason Simon had become the youngest Guild Union Leader was his unparalleled ability to zero in on the core of information.
Thanks to that, he'd outmaneuvered more talented and stronger people to reach this position. And so, Simon never ignored his unique instincts.
On the contrary, he trusted them implicitly—and if they told him to dig deeper, he dug relentlessly.
"...I need to hear it straight from the source."
"Hear what, sir?"
"Live information is always on the ground. If I go out and hustle around, something'll click."
"Isn't that a bit too optimistic?"
"Even if it is, we've gotta try something."
"Sigh, got it. I'll prep to head out right away."
"Yeah, thanks."
"No problem—it's what I'm here for."
His secretary flashed a bright smile as she handed him his jacket, and Simon steeled himself to run until his shoes wore through.
If the clash of swords was a knight's battlefield...
'My battlefield is where information flows.'
-Thud!
"Battlefield, my ass..."
Unlike his bold start, Simon now slumped exhausted in the middle of an empty lot.
His shoes and pant hems were caked in dirt from all his running around, but he'd gleaned next to no useful info.
After a full seven hours on the move, he had basically nothing to show for it.
Then...
"You really come up empty, Simon?"
"Huh?"
"I know the Simon I know wouldn't quit after this. That's why I'm asking—you always uncover something."
"......"
"Simon?"
"Guess I picked a good secretary after all."
Simon figured he couldn't fool her eyes—not after all their time together.
"You know my style for gathering info is... unconventional, right?"
"Oh, that cult—er, puzzle theory of yours?"
"...Cult? Even when I explain it—!"
Puzzle-style information synthesis.
It was Simon's signature skill—not just a specialty, but the ability that had propelled him here, right alongside his instincts.
The method was simple.
For example, he'd memorize every trivial, insignificant, or random tidbit in an area.
Everything from why the neighbors were fighting to which guy was cheating on his wife.
Then...
"That's where I start piecing it together."
Those trifling memories fragmented in his mind, breaking down in various ways, and from them, he'd extract a single piece of intel.
"I even cracked a murder case that way once."
"...How the hell do you get a killer from couple's quarrels and affairs?"
"It's not about the fights or the cheating. It's reading the processes behind those events and their behavioral psychology. And while decoding that psych, you spot more little details, then combine and recombine those. Eventually, a solid 'puzzle piece' of intel emerges."
"......"
"Pretty straightforward, huh? But when I try teaching it, people just call me crazy. After all that effort—it's so unfair..."
"Unfair how?"
"?"
Simon might come off like a punching bag, but he was a bona fide genius.
That explained his absurd talents.
'In a way, this guy's incredible.'
His secretary marveled, sticking out her tongue in admiration.
But her awe was short-lived.
She was more curious about what he'd uncovered than his methods.
"Sigh, Simon. So, what big discovery did you make?"
"You didn't notice? You were with me the whole time."
"I'm not some freak like you."
"...I'm normal?"
"......"
"Whoa, whoa, don't get mad."
Simon cleared his throat and spilled what he'd found before she could blow up.
"Hmm, where to start..."
"......"
"Alright, bottom line: I didn't crack the ghost outbreak's cause. But I did nail down something else."
"What?"
"The location of Modred's bloodline's [secret annex]."
"!!?"
"Yeah, I managed that much."
"H-How...?"
Her eyes went wide.
It was shocking because no amount of prior investigation had revealed Modred's secret annex.
No one but Modred's direct bloodline knew its location.
That was why, even after Modred's family head and knights vanished, no one dared go looking.
Yet here was Simon boldly claiming he'd found it. How could she not be stunned?
Of course, she'd dismiss it from anyone else, but this man before her...
'It's Simon.'
She wasn't foolish enough to doubt the boss of the entire southern guilds.
"...You puzzle that out too?"
"Pretty much."
"Impressive, Simon."
"Nah."
"So, where is it?"
"The location? Well... uh, aren't we a little close?"
"...Oh, sorry."
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment for a moment.
Even if it was curiosity, being pressed this close felt a tad indecent.
"N-No, it's not that I hate it."
"Simon?"
"......"
"You..."
She figured he was a man, after all.
Even in this urgent situation, he was giving her such seductive eyes.
But she wasn't displeased. She liked him well enough, and he was undeniably attractive.
So if he was offering that heated gaze first, she had no reason to refuse.
"Come here."
"......"
"Hurry up."
"But..."
"A man's not supposed to be this shy. Be bold about it."
"A-Alright, then..."
Swoosh.
Simon slowly raised his arm.
His hand moved to cradle her head, and she welcomed it gladly, eyes fluttering shut.
Simon gazed at her wistfully.
Truly...!
Drip.
"...Sir Lee Han warned me. Said it reeks of rot. And yeah, you're stinking too."
"!!?"
"Die, you disgusting monster."
Simon draped a cloak he'd somehow pulled out over himself, and the very next instant, the flame scroll stuck to her head...
KABOOM-!
A deafening roar ignited it, unleashing a massive explosion.
Fwoosh!
A rare [Flame Scroll for Large Beasts] among flame scrolls—hard to come by.
Already packing devastating power, this one was an ultra-premium grade: coated in an alchemist's "explosive liquid" and compressed with mana equivalent to ten mages.
The military reserved it for a select few; normally, no amount of money could buy it.
But luckily, a knight Simon knew—a spellcaster slaver, apparently—had casually hooked him up with cryptic words like "roll up those slave mages and they whip 'em out."
Ideally, he'd never need it, but the situation forced his hand.
And the result...
"H-Holy shit, I almost d-died..."
Shivering, he gasped for breath.
Without the barrier-enchanted defense cloak from the knight, he'd have been incinerated in the blast.
Proof? The cloak had long since burned to ash.
Simon himself had been hurled ten meters by the force, tumbling painfully across the ground—no spot on him didn't ache.
But survival was what mattered.
He chugged a potion from his pocket to steady his pounding chest.
Then.
Crack.
"Reckless move, old man."
"Yeah."
"...C-Couldn't help it. Had to gamble when the chance opened up."
The twin beastkin siblings—who'd been secretly guarding him—eyed Simon with pity.
Getting that look from kids half his age stung, but unfortunately...
"The knight bro's gonna be pissed?"
"He said no dangerous stuff, right?"
Flinch!
...He was the one on the hook.
"C-Can you keep it secret?"
"With what?"
"No way~."
"......Now I get why Sir Lee Han says you two are total pains."
Simon grumbled, and the twins stuck out their tongues mockingly.
But even amid the banter, their eyes never left the inferno raging in the lot.
"Stinks."
"Yeah."
"Still alive?"
"Yup."
"...Tough bastard."
"I h-hate that thing."
"Me too..."
The twins furrowed their brows.
Not from the smell of burning flesh.
The reason was...
"Gross..."
"Rotten stench..."
A stench harsher than burning trash turned their stomachs.
What was it? More acrid and nauseating than corpse rot?
Shocking that a living human emitted such a vile odor—not a corpse.
...Well, duh.
Considering who—what—they were dealing with, it made sense.
Nothing normal about...
"—You filthy mutts, where do you get off saying my beautiful body stinks, huh?"
...that. You couldn't treat it like a human.
Fwoosh!
Flesh emerged from the flames.
Still ablaze, it regenerated relentlessly, finally restoring its head. The monster revealed its silhouette amid chilling killing intent—enough to make an adult's blood run cold and legs buckle.
But.
"It's all."
"Reeking from the personality up."
The twin siblings weren't ordinary humans; they faced the monster's aura unfazed.
Unlike them, though, Simon was frozen stiff.
'...Sir Lee Han was right.'
Hadn't he said it yesterday?
That people were scarier than ghosts.
It'd sounded like a joke then, but seeing this...
'People really are scarier than ghosts.'
To the point where even monsters looked cute by comparison.
......Not sure if you can even call a [Vampire] human, though.