16. When I Stepped into the Back Alley Alongside Dina of the Red Evil Mercenaries
When I stepped into the back alley alongside Dina of the Red Evil Mercenaries, the first thing that hit me was, predictably, the wretched, filthy squalor. A stream of sewage flowed from who-knows-where, staining the ground in a vile mix of purple and pale green, with clumps of dark green moss sprouting here and there atop it.
"Ugh……."
"Are you alright, Yeonja?"
"Yeah, just caught me off guard for a sec."
My stomach churned a bit, naturally furrowing my brow. But it wasn't just the grimy alley or the acrid stench wafting through the air. Rat and cockroach corpses were a given, but there were these pitch-black birds—not crows—picking at them. The real issue was how brazenly they littered the place. I no longer flinched at killing or seeing bodies, but staring at all these rotting corpses with guts spilling out everywhere? It didn't sit right.
"Corpse pigeons……."
"You even know the names of birds, Yeonja."
"Eh, well…… I've read a ton since learning to read."
As I muttered, those were indeed corpse pigeons. They might pass for crows at a glance due to their jet-black feathers, but up close, they resembled pigeons strikingly. Scavengers that fed on animal and insect carcasses, they feared humans and preferred forests where food was plentiful over cities—nature's cleaners, like dung beetles or soil bacteria. So why were they swarming this alley? Simple: too many corpses to feast on.
And the bodies scattered around weren't just rats and roaches. Cats, stray dogs, and……
"……human corpses too."
Vagrants slumped dead everywhere, their innards exposed as corpse pigeons pecked away.
"Hm, it's a back alley, after all. Truth be told, the alleys in Redbin—that was the city's name, right, Yeonja?"
"Redbin."
"Aye, those were milder by comparison. Not pleasant, mind you…… but among city back alleys, some are like this. Nay, in the era I lived, such sights were commonplace."
"……Yeah."
I nodded bitterly at Dina's words and averted my gaze. No need to linger on the corpses, etching them into my mind. Staring at such brutality only scars the brain. Better to look away and forget—for my own peace.
There was even a child-sized corpse that vaguely reminded me of Theo, stirring a twinge of pity. But they were strangers, unrelated to me. Bet the kid's doing fine. It'd only been days since we parted, but I worried a little. Not attachment—just sympathy, I guess.
Dina tugged at my sleeve as I pondered. "Come, let us make haste, Yeonja."
"Yeah, got it. But where are we headed?"
Why duck into another filthy alley like this? Puzzled, I asked, and Dina replied.
"The Thieves' Guild."
"……Thieves' Guild?"
What the hell? I stared blankly at her, urging an explanation.
"Hm, a sort of information guild, you see. Have you truly never heard of it, Yeonja?"
"Nah, first time."
"Is that so? In my era, they were fairly common, yet scarce in these times, it seems. At any rate, we head there now. None rival them for gleaning intelligence."
"But Dina, how do you even know about it?"
"I spotted it while smashing Redbin's alleys to bits. A Thieves' Guild much like those of my time. Not identical, of course…… but similar enough. Even now, they serve as information brokers."
"I see……?"
"In any case, as I wrecked them, they spilled that every provincial capital in this Durumil Kingdom hosts a branch. So I granted them a merciful end for the tip."
"Yeah, merciful……."
Wait. Something uneasy flickered through me at her words. Merciful end? Didn't sound benevolent.
"Hey, Dina. So what happened to Redbin's Thieves' Guild branches?"
She waved dismissively with a laugh, as if I'd asked the obvious. "Smashed them flat, naturally. Wasn't that the commission? Better a quick death than lifelong crippling—I sent them off painlessly."
"……Uh, yeah."
Is that right?
The Thieves' Guild of the Durumil Kingdom. Piberts branch in Piberts, capital of Soboro County.
Branch chief Yam was swamped with paperwork from headquarters lately. It detailed the bizarre incident where Redbin's border-city branch—every last member—had been utterly annihilated mere days ago. Even the guild's back-alley underlings had their limbs hacked off, left crippled……
Naturally, alarms blared across nearby branches and estates, including this one in Soboro County.
"……Tch, what the hell is going on?"
He muttered in disbelief. Who in this kingdom would dare touch the Thieves' Guild?
They weren't mere thieves. In Durumil's underworld, their influence was immense—even continent-spanning assassin guilds bowed to them here. Redbin's branch, exposed first to foreign threats, boasted elite members: most silver-rank adventurer equivalents. Their chief? A former gold-rank adventurer, nearly platinum.
"Who the fuck pulled this insanity?"
The branch wiped in a day—no, an hour. And not by blades: all beaten to death by fists and feet. Unbelievable.
Killing with bare hands? Possible, sure. Tronen's royal guardians, the Fist Kings, wielded fists across generations. Empire's Heavenly Fists, beastman kings…… martial artists existed aplenty.
But such powerhouses faced restrictions. Stray abroad, and you'd draw national surveillance. One misstep could spark war. Why risk chaos for a Thieves' Guild branch?
"Aigoo, my head's splitting!"
What happened? Stress mounting, he fished a cigarette from his pack, lit it, and rubbed his throbbing temples. Then, commotion outside—subordinates in uproar.
-Gaaah…!
-S-save me…!
-Aaaahhh…!
Crashing, shattering sounds. These dumbfucks…… what now? Head already pounding from HQ's bullshit, Yam flung open the door, bellowing.
"Agh, you fucking idiots! My head's killing me already, so why the fuck are you making such a racket, you……!"
His roar cut short—"Ya?!"—at the sight outside.
A gruesome scene: subordinates clutching mouths, vomiting blood. Below them, teeth scattered in crimson pools. And at the center…… odd figures.
A petite girl, brimming with youthful health like a budding teen, and behind her a burly, muscled man arms crossed, watching leisurely like some noble.
"Dina, maybe ease up now……."
"Worry not! Yeonja, this is my specialty, you see! A few more licks, and we'll have our intel!"
"No, why is this your specialty?"
The tiny girl had one begging subordinate by the collar, whirling her fist in the air.
"Now, you! Your turn. Speak."
"U-uaagh…! W-what?!"
"Tch, you've seen what happened to the others? Out with it. How many have you tormented in your life?"
"I-I don't know…! For real…!"
"Don't know? Then like them, all your teeth shatter. Speak truth—I'll count one per victim!"
"U-uaaaah…!"
The man wailed, then screamed: "Five…! Five people!"
"Aye, five. But your kind halves the tally, so ten it is."
"Wha—?! No, I swear it's five…!"
"Silence. My whim."
Then why fucking ask?! The subordinate shot a wronged glare. Whatever. The girl smashed her tiny fist into his jaw—crack!—teeth tumbling like corn kernels. Exactly ten, as declared.
Watching, Yam muttered blankly despite himself.
"F-fuck…… what the hell is this?"