Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Even Information Brokers Have Their Grievances
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“Is this reliable information? That the execution is in about thirty-five days?”
“Probably.”
“……Probably?”
“Tch. Look, he’s a Class 3 criminal. If I’d dug any deeper, I wouldn’t be here… I’d be in the kingdom’s interrogation room.”
Zeke made a face like he’d been wronged as he pulled something out.
“Here, whether you knew this or not, executions aren’t usually carried out all at once.”
Sshk.
As if he’d come prepared, Zeke showed documents listing the execution dates of past death row inmates.
In fact, unless it was a mass public execution, there was usually a significant gap between each one.
“Hmm, I didn’t know that either.”
When playing DAT, he’d committed crimes a few times as test runs and been executed.
But those had mostly been public executions, and since his character got deleted right after, he didn’t know much about private ones.
“Kukuku. Really?”
Regin readily admitted it was info he hadn’t known.
Slightly pleased, Zeke continued his explanation.
“I don’t know the exact reason, but when it’s a private execution instead of a public one…”
“Yeah.”
“They don’t seem to just kill you outright. Rumor has it they use something the kingdom developed.”
“Is that certain?”
“…It’s just a guess.”
Regin nodded slowly, even though he’d asked pointlessly.
“Well, it makes sense. There are plenty of magic tools not available on the market. They could use those to keep interrogating right up to the end.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“If reusing them takes time, it explains the gaps between private executions.”
“Right, that’s my point. Anyway, the important thing is the kingdom usually executes them in order.”
“……Hmm.”
“There are three Class 3 criminals captured ahead of Ferma. Once their executions are done, his will come…”
“So that timing is thirty-five days from now.”
“Yeah.”
According to Zeke’s investigation, three criminals were already in custody ahead of him.
They’d been caught in the north and south respectively.
He’d gathered the info himself by visiting places where rumors of recent captures were circulating.
“There might be one more.”
“Huh?”
“Not detailed, but…”
“All the info so far hasn’t been that detailed. Go on anyway.”
“……You’re one picky bastard. Anyway, do you know much about the north?”
“Of course.”
“Then the famous criminal who went missing in the north—Al Kazan. Know him?”
“……Yeah.”
Al Kazan. A man known as a southern tycoon.
Regin hesitated in his answer because, story-wise, he wasn’t actually that important.
But he remembered the guy was connected to the big picture.
“The worst witch you were curious about, Ignia Olivia. He’s her adoptive father.”
“…….”
“Eight years ago, when she fled the kingdom, they started chasing Al Kazan too, and he vanished while fleeing north.”
“……”
“And just recently, he was found in that north, captured by the kingdom after eight years. That’s the rumor.”
“……For real?”
Zeke smirked, like he’d brought useful info again, and kept going.
“Live and learn? Back-alley info doesn’t escape Zeke.”
“…….”
“No matter how much protection you’ve got from the Delbach family, my intel network isn’t slacking behind.”
This felt like him angling for a recommendation to the Delbach family.
Regin chuckled at the obvious pitch and pulled something from his pocket.
“It’s a crystal orb. Even on the black market, it’d fetch two gold, and sold right, three or more.”
“Payment for the info?”
“Yeah. As promised.”
“Good.”
The moment Zeke reached out, drooling…
“But if you take this, we’ll forget about that earlier talk.”
“……What?”
“The Delbach family recommendation.”
“……You ruthless bastard!”
No help for it, even if Zeke glared like he’d been betrayed.
‘I get it from what Zeke said. It wasn’t important in the game… but right now, there’s too much crucial info for me.’
There was more info he needed now than he’d thought.
Al Kazan was a prime example.
Normally just a one-off mention, but…
If he was still alive, Regin had things to check out too.
“Grant me one request, and I’ll promise both the orb and the recommendation.”
Zeke muttered about him starting again. Regin chuckled and spoke.
“Find out if the head of the Klardin family in the north is still alive.”
“Klardin? Of course he is! If he died, the north would…”
“If it’s obvious, even better, right? Just a casual stroll up north?”
“Damn it. A crystal orb, and you want me to go north?”
“Come back, and I’ll add three gold.”
Regin tilted the orb forward slightly, and Zeke snatched it while replying.
“Don’t go backing out on your word, Regin Petrichio. I’m not one to just take it lying down.”
“Got it.”
“How long do I have?”
“Before Ferma’s execution goes through.”
“You heading into the Tower in the meantime?”
Thirty-five days.
An awkward timeframe.
In seven days, the Tower portal would open again, and spending a month inside would make it exactly thirty-seven.
‘Guess I’ll have to pop in and out for the next expedition too.’
Regin organized his thoughts and nodded.
“Yeah. I’ll go in, come out around the end of the month. See you then. I’ll call again.”
* * *
After finishing with Zeke, Regin took a carriage back to his lodging.
“Sir Preton says to talk again in three days.”
As he stepped down, one of Preton’s men delivered the message.
‘I do need to wrap things up with Preton too.’
Whether it was letter delivery like before or something else, Preton would have another request.
Regin sent the man off after saying he understood and entered his lodging.
He still had a lot on his mind, but it wasn’t as tangled as a few hours ago.
‘Now I can calculate Ferma’s execution date, so I just need to decide how to move until then.’
As he’d hinted to Zeke, he’d probably enter the Tower once more.
If Ferma’s execution was imminent, he might’ve agonized over it, but since it wasn’t, he had to go up again first.
Finding the Saint’s Sword wasn’t done yet either.
And above all, he’d bailed midway and left a bunch of stuff behind.
‘I need to go get it. The Rafflesia issue isn’t fully resolved either.’
Plans involving Ferma could come after.
He couldn’t skip learning about black magic or what Ferma knew.
‘And while I’m out here now…’
He needed to sort out what he’d brought and what to take more thoroughly.
With Ferma’s plans settled, the rest started falling into place one by one.
Nothing had changed since dropping onto Skull Island at the start.
‘Calculate and organize what I can do. And what I must do.’
Regin, who’d stubbornly seen a game through to the end.
That experience and habit were shining now, stretching on endlessly.
* * *
“Regin!”
The next day, the place Regin headed was none other than the Spellcrafting Association.
As he approached the entrance, he ran into Klina coming out.
“Your expedition’s over?”
“Ended up that way. Used up all the scrolls.”
“……For real? All those?”
“Lots happened.”
Klina’s eyes filled with curiosity.
“Met another monster like the lycanthrope this time?”
“……You think lycanthropes pop up every time?”
“Oh, no?”
“Something similar, but… I’ll tell you when the time’s right.”
“Got it.”
Klina, curious but holding back to wait.
Truth was, Regin didn’t even know when he could talk about the rabbit hole.
Alice the investigation leader hadn’t strictly ordered silence, but better safe.
‘Can’t talk about Kaluan either.’
Unless Kaluan had become the Blood Slaughterer as planned.
For now, he was unknown to this world’s people.
Since they’d eliminated the problem before it arose, telling anyone felt pointless.
“Oh, Regin.”
“Yeah?”
“If you’re going in now, brace yourself.”
“……Why?”
Klina chuckled and glanced inside the association doors.
“The rumors spread like wildfire. That you made some insane scroll.”
“That got around?”
“Yeah. No one knows exactly what, but someone overheard Master Bowman talking, and it spread.”
“Ah.”
The reusable regeneration scroll.
Only a few in the Nemed school knew about it so far.
Maybe just his master Nuada on top of that.
‘We decided not to announce it. It’s not fully complete yet. And now wasn’t the time to draw attention.’
But word was out that he’d made something amazing.
“They’ll all swarm you asking what it is.”
“Probably.”
“If you’re not telling what you made, steel yourself. They’re all gearing up to coax it out of you.”
Regin chuckled and nodded.
Well, he knew spellcrafters could be intense.
Creak—
“……Regin!”
“Long time! How’d the expedition go?”
He opened the door, and as Klina predicted, association members rushed over with sparkling eyes.
Some held gifts.
‘……What’s that? An electric shock scroll?’
Some were even trying to cast spells.
Seeing a confession scroll next to it—one still under research—Regin shut the door without hesitation.
Bang!
“Not going in?”
“Klina was right. Need more mental prep.”
“Master Bowman’s waiting.”
“Let him wait one more day.”
“Haha, if it’s about the scroll, they’re just joking around with those. Don’t be too shocked.”
“You never know.”
Bringing the Flexis Cloak in his inventory had been a mistake.
He’d feel better visiting again wearing it.
* * *
“Kukuku. So you came here first?”
“Ended up that way.”
“I knew spellcrafters were eccentric, but they’ve got some aggressive sides too.”
Clang!
The clear ring of metal on metal.
This place resounding with metallic echoes was none other than dwarf Greg Bowman’s forge.
‘I planned to stop by the association or here anyway—one or the other.’
He’d agreed to meet Greg after coming out.
Needed to smelt the black mana stone, and plan the next expedition together.
“So only a few know about that scroll of yours?”
“Yeah. Haven’t announced it, so almost no one in the association knows.”
“Kukuku. Makes me feel good hearing that. I saw you fight up close and experienced that mysterious scroll firsthand.”
Greg kept talking as he hammered red-hot iron repeatedly.
“By the way, you’re not greedy for money?”
“Huh?”
“Announce that, and you’d make a fortune. Wondered why you haven’t, since it’s out there.”
“It’s incomplete still. Expeditions are priority now anyway.”
“Hmm.”
As long as he didn’t share the recipe, no worries about copying.
He knew from countless studies and plays it was like Korea’s patent laws.
‘Still, better safe.’
Might not matter in the game, but things could differ here.
Regin had confirmed that trading info with Zeke.
Just like Al Kazan, seen as a minor side character…
Had become a key to understanding Regin’s current situation.
‘Al Kazan himself that Zeke mentioned still isn’t a big deal.’
But inferring from his capture gave plenty to try.
“Both of you here.”
That was when.
A woman with a familiar voice opened the forge door and entered.
“……Ceria?”
Greg and Regin turned to her in surprise simultaneously.
“……You always dress like that?”
He hadn’t expected the assassin outfit swapped for a long dress, hair braided and all.