Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Kidnapping (2)
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"S-sorry... Really, I'm sorry..."
Red Nose spoke, his usual cheerful attitude nowhere to be found.
It wasn't an act.
He was filled with guilt over Harmonica and remorse toward Cant.
Even though his own face was a total mess.
Perhaps sensing that sincerity, Cant maintained his composure despite his anger.
"Sorry can wait. Tell me what happened."
Red Nose clutched his swollen face and opened his mouth.
"Ugh... The enforcers showed up, so I took the usual back alley to escape."
"You mean the back alley only we know about?"
"Yeah... Hate to say it, but they seemed to know we were coming. Maybe—"
"—Don't say it if you're not sure. Anyway?"
"Sorry... Anyway, we were doing fine when some thug jumped out and smashed my face with a club or something."
Red Nose pointed to his badly swollen cheek as he spoke.
"After that... I don't remember much. Fists and kicks were flying at me from everywhere, so I was too busy getting hit. But—"
"—But?"
"While they were dragging Harmonica away, I remember the guy in the torn-brim bowler hat spitting in my face and stomping on my stomach."
A torn-brim bowler hat. Oliver recalled someone.
It was the beggar from the Mole Gang who got beaten by Cant not long ago.
Oliver wasn't the only one who thought of it—murmurs rose around him.
"Isn't that the Mole?"
"No way... With Cant here?"
"Maybe they planned it from the start."
"Nah... They got humiliated last time."
"So maybe they held a grudge?"
"Yeah, and word is they've got more guys now, making good money..."
The anxiety grew with every exchange, soon spreading into outright fear.
Before long, worry for the kidnapped Harmonica gave way to fear for their own safety.
Everyone except Cant.
"Everyone, calm down... Red Nose, how long ago was the kidnapping?"
"Ugh... Th-three, four hours?"
A time that was long if long, short if short.
Unlike the panicking beggars, Cant made a snap decision.
"Even if they took the kid, they couldn't have gone far in that time. Iron Fist, round up the boys. We're going to look now."
At that moment, one beggar spoke up.
"You're going to search for them?"
"Of course. It's one of our gang's kids."
"B-but if it's the Mole, shouldn't we go confront them instead?"
"If confronting them would fix it, they wouldn't have done it in the first place. We'll deal with that later—finding Harmonica comes first. If we don't find the kid, they'll just keep playing dumb... Damn bastards."
Cant looked furious.
He might appear calm on the surface, but he was deeply enraged by Harmonica's kidnapping.
Thanks to that, no one dared argue with him.
Except for one—Iron Fist.
"Hey, Cant... I don't think it's a good idea for everyone to go looking for Harmonica."
"...What?"
"Think about it. If we all leave, who's guarding this place?"
"......"
"Maybe it's overthinking, but they could raid us while we're gone."
With that, the faint anxiety turned into solid fear.
Everyone knew the Mole Gang was steadily expanding its power.
"U-um, Cant... Iron Fist's got a point..."
"Hey, calm down first..."
"Calm down? You all know the rumors. What happens to kids kidnapped by the Mole? Their bodies get ruined, sold into slavery somewhere... And you're saying we just sit here? We've been living off the money that kid brought in?"
"Sure, but..."
The others couldn't say more.
Even the oblivious Oliver could grasp their point.
They were more worried about their own safety than the kidnapped Harmonica.
Well, that was natural and understandable.
What baffled him was Cant's attitude—trying to save Harmonica and protect them all.
It was frustrating and incomprehensible... Yet, for some reason, Oliver felt something new in his eyes.
Similar to a holy knight, but different.
As Oliver observed, Iron Fist offered his opinion.
"Then how about this, Cant? Leave most of the kids here and just you and I go search?"
"What?"
"You can't just sit this out, right? So let's go just the two of us... Bringing a crowd isn't as good as a few who know what they're doing."
To Cant, torn by inner conflict, Iron Fist's suggestion was like rain in a drought. He accepted immediately.
The others felt uneasy about Cant leaving but knew better than to object.
Just as Cant and Iron Fist were about to depart, Oliver raised his hand.
"...What?"
"Um... Can I come too?"
"You?"
"Yeah. I won't be much help staying here anyway. If it's okay, I'd like to go with you."
"What the... You'll just get in the way. Leave him."
Iron Fist cut in. Oliver refuted him directly.
"If you take me, I'll definitely be useful."
"Useful how... Hey, kid. I know you've got some talent, but this is different. Don't talk big if you can't back it up. Know your place while I'm being nice."
"Fine, come along."
Cant, who had been watching quietly, spoke up abruptly.
Iron Fist started to protest in surprise, but Cant ignored him.
"...What's one more? But this isn't a picnic. Get in the way, and you're done."
"Yes, I won't cause any trouble."
Cant nodded at Oliver's firm assurance, while Iron Fist scowled.
Cant said,
"Alright, let's go."
Oliver arrived at the back alley where Red Nose had been ambushed, together with Cant and Iron Fist.
They soon spotted bloodstains—it looked like the attack happened here.
The splattered blood spoke to the violence's intensity, and for a moment, Oliver felt puzzled.
These were people who kidnapped Harmonica and beat Red Nose without hesitation, yet they didn't kill him.
Judging by the beating, they didn't seem the type to hold back...
Oliver glanced at Iron Fist.
Wondering if this had something to do with his serpentine, twisted emotions.
"No real traces here, Cant. Find anything over there?"
"No... Wait—found Harmonica here."
Cant picked up the harmonica from a corner and said so.
He was briefly glad to find the trace but grew angry again upon realizing it was just that.
"But nothing else."
"Look at this."
Iron Fist pointed to a gap between buildings.
Dust and dirt filled it, along with footprints that seemed to have been there for a while.
"Looks like they were waiting here... This mark seems like a club resting on the ground... You think there's really a traitor in our beggar gang?"
Cant's emotions flickered subtly.
Shocked, yet somewhat as if he'd expected it.
"They planned it... Haa... Any other traces?"
"Sorry, nothing more. No drag marks or blood trails..."
"Hey, Cant..."
"What, Oliver?"
"If it's okay, can I see that harmonica?"
Cant gave Oliver a strange look at the odd question but handed it over.
Oliver took the harmonica and stepped back, pretending to search for traces.
In truth, he pulled out a test tube and extracted the lingering emotions.
Sensitive Nose
Enhanced sense of smell activated
Oliver cast the black magic on himself using the extracted emotions.
His sense of smell sharpened, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut against the overwhelming stench he'd never experienced so intensely before.
The familiar fishy rot, musty odors, feces, spoiled food, sweat, dust—all woven together, slamming into his head like a hammer.
He'd recalled the black magic Dominic once used,
and as the book described, disease-related black magic took a heavy toll on the body.
Oliver rubbed his throbbing nose and head as he sniffed the harmonica.
The child's strong scent clung to it.
Sniff—sniff—
Oliver sniffed like a dog.
The intense smells tormented his nose, but amid the tangled web of odors, he caught Harmonica's faint, fading trail.
Lucky. A bit longer, and it would have been gone.
"What are you doing?"
Cant asked, watching Oliver sniff at the air.
"Found it. Just follow me."
"What?"
"I found Harmonica's trail. Will you follow?"
Oliver bolted forward.
Partly to cut off Cant's questions, partly because the scent was fading fast.
Fortunately, Cant sensed something was up and followed silently as instructed.
Iron Fist chased after, panting.
"Wh-where are we going?"
"He says he found the trail."
"This kid?"
"Yeah, him."
"You believe that—"
"—We can argue later. Chase it. We don't have better options right now."
Cant cut off Iron Fist and limped after it.
Sniff—sniff—
Oliver, following the scent, suddenly stopped before a massive dumpster in the alley.
The huge bin was grotesquely filthy.
Rust everywhere on the surface, covered in sticky, reeking black slime—even beggars would hesitate to approach.
It felt deliberately made that way.
Oliver tried to open the lid.
Rusted shut, it wouldn't budge easily, but Cant, arriving behind, helped without asking.
Creeeak— The lid opened with a chilling metallic screech.
Inside was worse.
Foul stench and black, sticky slime coated everything.
"Whoa... This is bad."
Cant pinched his nose, revolted.
For Oliver, with his enhanced smell, it was torture.
Like a blow to the head—yet he climbed in.
Because amid the horrific stench, a thread of Harmonica's scent lingered.
Once inside, Oliver crouched and rummaged the bottom.
Plunging his hands into the squelching slime.
Iron Fist shouted urgently.
"What the hell are you—"
-Click!
Oliver yanked something hidden deep in the floor.
The dumpster bottom swung open, revealing a secret passage big enough for an adult man.
"...Looks like Harmonica's down there? And the other kids too."