Chapter 202: A Useful Bastard
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 202: A Useful Bastard
This was one of the reasons I couldn’t get rid of Lee Wanyong. I thought of him as a man who was, in a different sense, without limits. Although he didn’t perform any direct physical labor, there wasn’t a single part of this settlement, from start to finish, that his hands hadn’t touched.
His ideas were present not only in the blacksmithy, the school, and the children’s training ground, but also in the basic tents and various other buildings.
‘A useful son of a bitch.’
That expression truly fit him perfectly. When I nodded, a smile bloomed on his face, as if he was thinking he’d done the right thing by stepping forward again.
It was frustrating, but I had no choice but to honestly admit it.
The man was competent. Especially now, with Ragia absent, he was single-handedly enduring an immense workload without a single complaint. He was probably not even sleeping properly. I figured Hakajin would have collapsed by now if not for him, so it was an undeniable fact that he did a great deal for the settlement. I looked at him and began to speak.
“You are not to kill them.”
“Y-Yes, I understand. Is there anything specific you desire?”
“Information. From beginning to end, from before they entered this place to after they arrived, I want you to send me every last detail about them. I’ll assign two people to you. You can add your personal opinions or footnotes when you organize it and bring it to me. And…”
I paused for a moment, then grabbed the shoulder of one of the men who looked like a human magician. As I pushed my magic into him with all my strength, the magician, who was staring at me with trembling eyes, soon began to bleed from his eyes and nose. There was a bit of resistance, but the difference in our specs was overwhelming, so it was a relatively easy task.
“Uweeeck!”
It was nothing major. I had simply shattered his magic circuit. When he had begged me to spare him, I had been able to identify the nature of the magic he’d resisted with, thanks to the elven princess.
‘Mental-type.’
It wasn’t unheard of on this continent, but what he had tried to use on me was clearly mental-type magic. I considered it quite dangerous, so I had completely destroyed his magic circuit. Seeing the bitter expressions on the other Japanese men’s faces, it seemed he was the last resort they had been counting on. I stroked my chin once before speaking again.
“And this one is to be managed with special care.”
“Of course. I… I, Lee Wanyong, have sworn my loyalty to the Blood Dagger Clan. You… you can trust me.”
For some reason, his voice didn’t inspire much confidence. But I figured I didn’t have to worry too much. He always acted in a way that would benefit him. It might be a different story if our clan’s power were to weaken later, but there was no way he would side with these men who couldn’t even move properly with their limbs cut off.
As long as we possessed overwhelming power, I believed he would always stick with us. Soon, Lee Wanyong began to lead the way with a rather triumphant expression. He was only guiding them to the underground prison under Gark’s direction, but the look on his face as he followed behind the Japanese was incredibly smug.
“Hey, you with the short hair! Move it, move it!”
Thanks to the Translation Bracelet, I heard it in Korean, but it was undoubtedly Japanese. As expected, when he spoke Japanese, a few of the Japanese prisoners flocked to him, likely thinking he was a fellow countryman.
“P-Please save us.”
“Aren’t… aren’t you Japanese, too?”
“Wh-Where are you from? H-How did you get here? A-Are there many Japanese people here?”
“Please save us. Please… I’ll do… I’ll do anything. Please… please put in a good word for us with those… those monsters.”
Pretending to be uninterested, I watched Lee Wanyong as he brutally kicked a woman and shouted. Knowing nothing about the language, I couldn’t judge his pronunciation, but it seemed to be more native than I’d expected. It was impressive, to be sure, that they mistook him for a Japanese person. It was a moment that made me increasingly curious about who he had been back on Earth.
“Who are you calling Japanese, you human bastards? My nationality is the Brother’s Land. And they are not monsters; they are honorable Green Skins.”
He kept glancing my way as he spoke, as if he was making sure I could hear him. He seemed quite desperate to be included among the Green Skins himself.
‘My nationality is the Brother’s Land.’
It was a memorable quote in its own right. If the other Green Skins had been able to understand him, they probably would have been quite moved.
“You bastards shouldn’t even think about dying peacefully. How dare you scar Lady Laveua’s precious body? I’ll make you regret it even in hell…”
He was still watching my reaction.
“However, that’s not to say there isn’t a way.”
As expected, this was the direction he was taking. It was a classic method, but of course, it was the most effective. Lee Wanyong was already quite accustomed to this kind of work, so I figured he knew their psychology better than anyone. An Orc swordsman standing next to him bared his teeth, and the prisoners looked around with terrified expressions. From a human’s perspective, this place was a paradise for monsters. It was only natural for their minds to go blank.
Eventually, a woman burst into tears and began to speak.
“P-Please save me. I’ll do anything.”
“That is not for me to decide.”
Seeing his sly smile, I felt an urge to punch him, but I decided to hold back. It was irritating for some reason, but one way or another, he always brought great benefits.
It was enough to make me consider actually accepting him as a member of the tribe, just as he wished.
“You have two days. It doesn’t have to be perfect.”
I spoke, and he nodded with a solemn expression. I would be spending the next day with Laveua, so I would have plenty of time to formulate a new plan starting the day after.
I decided to clear my mind of all the miscellaneous thoughts and slowly began to enter the tent.
*
The day I spent with Laveua and Mev was incredibly peaceful. In fact, I hadn’t felt like I’d truly rested since coming here, but yesterday, I felt like I had rested without a single thought in my head.
Looking at Laveua sleeping soundly beside me, I couldn’t help but keep smiling. It had caused the frustration levels of Baek Ahyeon and Jung Hayeon to build up recently, but this level of cuteness was irresistible. Still, I had to take care of them as well, so I thought it would be a good idea to make time for them at night from now on.
This was especially true for Baek Ahyeon, who was constantly looking for a chance to be sent out.
In any case, I slowly started to head outside. I figured one day of rest was enough. Laveua had been banned from various activities for a whole month, but I thought she could endure it if she spent time with Mev and Nicole.
As I stepped out of the tent, Lee Wanyong approached me as if he had been waiting. Jung Hayeon and Hakajin, whom I had contacted in advance, and finally Gark, also began to approach.
“The summary?”
“It might be a little lacking, but I believe they’ve spilled everything they know for now. To organize it in more detail… I think I’ll need a little more time. It takes a while to pull out memories buried deep in the subconscious…”
“Hmm…”
Contrary to his extremely anxious expression, the result was beyond imagination. No, it was magnificent. The documents, piled up like a castle in a slight exaggeration, showed just how much effort he had put into this task.
“You’ve worked hard. I’ll contact you first if there’s anything unusual, so you may rest.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
He was quite fired up.
“Ah… and.”
What he stealthily offered me was none other than a cup of tea. He had brought some not only for me, but for Jung Hayeon, Hakajin, and Gark as well.
“Thank you,” said Jung Hayeon.
“My thanks,” said Hakajin.
‘A perceptive bastard.’
He had prepared tea and snacks, perhaps worried we would be bored while reviewing the documents. A small smile appeared on my face as I watched him study my reaction. For now, the other two seemed to be nodding in satisfaction. Looking at them, I spoke nonchalantly.
“Thank you.”
“Y-Yes! Thank you, sir!”
It was likely the first time he had ever received thanks from me; joy spread across his face. Soon, Lee Wanyong began to slowly step aside, a grin plastered on his face, and I came out of the tent, found a suitable spot, and began to read the documents.
[Report on the Japanese Continent.]
[Chapter 1: Detailed Specs and Information on the Captured Individuals]
[Chapter 2: Characteristics and Political Situation of the Continent]
[Chapter 3: Regarding the Relationship with the Elves]
[Chapter 4: Regarding the Characteristics of the Continent’s Elves and the Powers that Rule the Continent]
[Chapter 5: Personal Views on the Current Continental Situation and the Elves]
[Chapter 6: Advantages and Disadvantages for the Great and Honorable Blood Dagger Clan]
Even a cursory glance was enough to see how ridiculously well-made it was. He’d had only one day. With this much volume, he would have run out of time even if he had just been transcribing what they said all day long. As I took a sip of the tea, a sweet aroma filled my mouth. It was so delicious it was baffling.
I slowly began to read, taking my time with each page. The emergence of a new continent was a sensitive topic. I didn’t know what level they were at, but there was a clear need to be extremely cautious. The plan was for me to read a document, then Hakajin, then Jung Hayeon, and finally Gark, to ensure we didn’t miss anything. Of course, Gark, who was still learning Korean, would need Jung Hayeon’s interpretation, but having this kind of experience would certainly not be a bad thing for him.
[Yamahara Noriko]
- 1st Class Archer from the large city of Renoville
- Class: Tracker
- Age: 27
- Three-sizes: 34-24-36
- From Japan: Kyoto
- Former Profession: Illustrator
- Armament: Sturdy Dragon Tendon Bow [Item Grade: Intermediate]
- Unique Ability: Appears to be detection-related
- Other: Claims to be a fairly influential archer in the large city. Appears to be very timid. Testimonies from those around her also confirm that she was very passive and reluctant during this expedition to capture elves. Arrived about 7 years ago… omitted
“Huh…”
I had no idea why he had included her three-sizes, but it was an incredibly thorough and fundamental report. I was starting to wonder what his secret was for extracting so much information in such a short time.
The reason he bothered to describe their unique abilities and former professions was likely to inform me whether these people would be useful in the future. Like the people currently working in production roles for the Blood Dagger Clan, they could be quite helpful.
It was astounding to see that he had not only organized information about them but also their potential future uses.
[Ichiba Tsurushi]
- 1st Class Archer from the large city of Renoville
- Class: High-Grade Wind Archer
- Age: 43
- From Japan: Osaka
- Former Profession: Sushi Restaurant Owner
- Other: The one who shot the arrow at Lady Laveua. He stated that he shot the arrow out of curiosity upon seeing Lady Laveua flying in the sky during the pursuit of the elves, but this contradicts the statements of his comrades… omitted… Currently undergoing harsh torture by Lady Baek Ahyeon.
As I continued to flip through, I came across someone with a rather simple profile. It seemed he had minimized the investigation on a man who was going to die no matter what. With no time to spare, he had prioritized efficiency.
It was pretty much the right call. I had no interest in that bastard anyway. However, as I read the various details related to him and reviewed the sequence of events, I felt the heat rise to my head once more. I couldn’t just storm into the interrogation room in the underground prison while reading a report, so I forced myself to keep concentrating. By the time the sun was nearly at its zenith, I had managed to read through all the reports at least once.