Chapter 9
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: You're in Big Trouble Now
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"Is this the guy? The monster the boss was talking about?"
"Hey, you idiot. Even if it's true, don't say it to his face! Sorry about that. This one's a bit slow in the head..."
Henderson broke out in a cold sweat as he covered for his comrade's blunder, but Johann just smirked and waved it off.
"It's fine. It's fine. Not wrong, after all. Anyway, why don't you all introduce yourselves?"
Johann plopped down casually in Gellpin's seat and prompted them for introductions, making the executives' faces twitch uncomfortably.
But with Gellpin standing naturally behind Johann's back, none of them dared show it outwardly—they could only swallow their irritation.
"Ahem! I'll go first. I'm Henderson, the warrior boasting the Resistance's strongest raw power. You could say the Resistance's top assault unit is my Henderson Squad. Kahahaha!"
"For the strongest, you sure were whimpering like a baby last time I saw you."
Johann stood up, approached Henderson for a handshake, and teased him playfully.
"Th-that's because I never imagined that mercenary would be an Aura User..."
"Got it. Weakling. Next."
Henderson, who had stepped forward confidently to impress Johann only to get branded in a different way, slumped his shoulders and retreated.
Bix, standing beside him, wiped cold sweat from his brow and reluctantly stepped up.
"Ooh, nice to see you, Slave Number One. Been well?"
"Pfft!"
"Khkh..."
Henderson burst out laughing at "Slave Number One," while the others turned away, but couldn't hide their shaking shoulders.
Bix flushed red, his face a mix of genuine hurt and annoyance, and pleaded earnestly with Johann.
"Um... sorry, but could you at least call me by my name? Please."
"When you pull your weight properly. So, Number One, what's your specialty?"
"Haa... I handle the boss's protection and the hideout's defense."
"With those skills? You must've been bribing the lord to stay alive... begging him not to come raid us."
Crack.
As Johann jabbed in earnest, a vein pulsed faintly on Bix's forehead.
'Ugh! If I could just land one good punch!'
"That look says you'd love to land one good punch. Since we're on the topic, why not give it a shot?"
"N-no, of course not. Hahaha..."
And with that, Bix shook Johann's hand too.
Next up was the only woman among the four executives.
"I'm Garet. I handle all the Resistance's internal affairs."
"Quite the beauty. Thrilled to be working with a stunner like you. Looking forward to it, Garet."
Johann shook her hand as well, then turned his gaze to the last executive.
"I've heard a lot about you from the boss. Name's Walter. I mainly handle intelligence gathering and operations."
Walter was a muscular giant rivaling Henderson, but his calm demeanor—whether from his temperament or his role—gave him a strongly intellectual air.
"Intelligence and ops... important work. Let's get along."
"The boss's will is my will. Honored to serve."
Walter was the last to shake Johann's hand.
Gellpin watched the executives from behind Johann, steadying his flickering gaze with effort.
His mind drifted back to the night he first met Johann.
"You're saying there's a spy among the executives?"
"You think those guys prayed for divine luck and stumbled here? Meeting me was a top-secret matter discussed only in executive meetings, right? That means only you and the executives knew."
With Bix and Henderson sent outside, Johann brought up the spy in the shack alone with Gellpin.
"But...!"
"I get it—doubting comrades who've been through thick and thin isn't easy. Especially for a sentimental, rigid guy like you. I'm not telling you to believe. Let's just check."
"Check how...?"
In that moment, Gellpin's gaze snapped back to reality.
"Nice to meet you all. As you can see, I can't reveal my identity casually for certain reasons. But for convenience, call me 'Alpha'—makes things easier."
"Straight to the point: Alpha, what's your goal? Why do you want our organization?"
Johann curled his lip slightly at Garet's question.
"Good question. You backwater folks might not feel it, but the undercurrents in the continent right now are anything but normal. I'm gathering strength to prepare for what's coming. You're the starting point."
"Undercurrents? You saying war's breaking out in this peaceful era?"
"I guarantee it. Stake my neck on it."
Garet shot Gellpin an incredulous look.
"You don't buy this too, do you, boss?"
Gellpin replied calmly.
"Whether I buy his predictions or not, as long as our interests align, I'm joining hands with him for now."
"Interests?"
Propping his chin on the armrest, Johann answered Garet.
"I want you all to get much stronger than you are now. No—you must. But training, facilities, and manpower growth all have limits here. And you want out of this hole for a proper life. Only one way."
"You mean... take down Viscount Domos?"
Henderson yelped in shock. Not just him—everyone except Gellpin reacted as if hearing it for the first time.
But the real bombshell was yet to come.
"I don't like wasting time on doable things. Viscount Domos is the issue? I'll handle it tonight. Infiltration and assassination happen to be my specialties."
That night.
Johann and Gellpin shared drinks alone in his office.
"You really think he'll move?"
"That's why I put on the show. You think facing over 300 knights and soldiers is easy for me?"
'Looked pretty damn easy...'
"None of the executives are clueless about my threat now. If I announce plans to assassinate the viscount tonight, the guilty one will panic and slip. Keeping eyes on them tight?"
"Yes. Reliable guys on watch. But what if he notices and stays put?"
"Plan B. We'll get the spy's name from the viscount himself."
Either way, no loss.
As night deepened, two agents surveilling the hideout perimeter under Gellpin's orders spotted something odd.
"Huh? What's that? A pigeon?"
"Mountain pigeons flying at this hour?"
Despite the wrong time for activity, moonlight breaking through clouds revealed the flyer.
Twang.
One agent, skilled with a bow, nocked an arrow and shot. The pigeon plummeted.
Chasing it, they found a tube tied to its leg.
"This is..."
"Report to the boss, quick."
They rushed the pigeon to Gellpin.
"Boss, this..."
Gellpin read the message inside and clutched his forehead in anguish.
Johann asked.
"Got your answer?"
Gellpin nodded grimly and bellowed at his men.
"Arrest Walter now!"
'Damn it!'
Walter realized the trap the moment the messenger pigeon took off and he was hunted. He'd suspected it from the start.
But he couldn't stay put.
'If Alpha succeeds, my name comes from the viscount. If he fails, the viscount blames me. Dead either way!'
A no-win scenario.
He'd hoped clouds would hide him, but hadn't foreseen them parting just as the pigeon flew.
'Even the gods abandoned me? No, it's not my fault. Alpha... where'd that monster come from?!'
Walter grabbed his emergency cash and valuable intel, heading to the bookshelf.
He'd already spotted Gellpin's watchers. But staying inside was fine.
Click. Rumble...
Pulling a book halfway triggered a mechanism; the shelf slid aside, revealing a secret passage.
'No choice. Start over in another territory. This money's enough for me alone!'
He reset the shelf from inside, lit a torch, and crawled into the narrow tunnel.
It was so tight he had to inch along on elbows and knees.
Blood trickled from scraped knees, but for survival, it was worth it.
"Nngh...!"
After the long, cramped crawl, he shoved aside a small overhead rock. Moonlight shone through.
Emerging, Walter scanned around.
Thankfully, no one seemed to notice—clear stream sounds nearby, and Johann's face...
"Crawled all the way from the room? Decent distance for that bulk. Must've been rough."
"H-heek!"
Thud.
"H-how...!"
Walter fell on his ass, pointing at Johann like he'd seen a ghost, trembling.
The passage was built secretly by bribing a blacksmith during construction—even he was killed after.
No one should know, least of all Johann.
"Wondering why I'm here? You're dying anyway, so I'll tell you. Look at your hand."
'Hand?'
His dirt-smeared hand looked normal.
"Wait, that handshake earlier...?!"
Johann just smiled with his eyes.
That instant.
"Walter!!"
Gellpin's roar, echoing like the valley crumbling, filled Walter with terror.
Resistance comrades, executives, and furious Gellpin surrounded him...
Totally trapped and shaking, Walter got a grin from Johann.
"What're you gonna do? You're in big trouble now."