Gangs of Romania (13): Phew, Fuck. It's Over. Farming Time?
I spread the pillar of fire like a curtain and muttered in satisfaction. Phew, fuck. It's over. Is it farming time now?
There was no reason not to feel satisfied. The opponent was someone who would have been at least Mithril Class if he had gone all out. Winning so easily against a guy like that—why wouldn't I be happy?
Luck played a part, but I've been getting stronger steadily too.
Pleased with myself, I indulged in a bit of self-praise. Of course, while my brain was busy with that, my hands moved with cold efficiency.
Double-Hand Pumpkin
—Whirr!
I carved the Ansuz rune with my foot and activated the Perth rune using the rune stone I had brought along. At the same time, my other hand used Thurisaz to suppress Correntus’s body and mind while plugging in the line of flame. The whole process looked exactly like the legendary “Double-Hand Pumpkin” passed down in the martial history of the Central Plains.
—Shashashashashak!
With razor-sharp focus controlling every limb, I summoned the black mage’s soul in an instant and extracted his memories. The curtain of fire blocking Primor’s group from seeing had a strict time limit. Besides, we had caused this much commotion. There was no way others wouldn’t come running.
As always, if you don’t want to turn something into a big incident, post-processing has to be swift and precise.
I won’t be able to copy that many martial arts…
While duplicating the essence of the techniques embedded in his body, I clicked my tongue in regret. I was absorbing everything I could get my hands on, but techniques like Diamond Indestructible Body or muscle reinforcement had high training difficulty. Three or four was probably the limit. Even transferring one small video file to Google Drive takes a few minutes, doesn’t it? Expecting to move decades of experience in the blink of an eye was asking too much.
If I could sit beside the corpse and absorb it slowly like Correntus had, maybe it would be different—but I’m not crazy enough to sleep while hugging a dead body.
—Zing.
Good. Memory extraction complete.
Fortunately, there was no powerful protection like the one Yerna had placed on Correntus’s memories. If this bastard knew Tirsi’s whereabouts, finding it now would be easy.
I finished my tasks at lightning speed and stepped through the curtain of fire.
Primor was making her injured guards drink potions.
“...Yesugei-nim. What happened?”
“He’s definitely dead. I was worried he might have transferred his soul to another body, but that was an overthought. I’ll leave the corpse’s disposal to you. Burn it or offer it at your husband’s grave—do as you wish.”
At my words, Primor’s lips trembled as if emotions were surging up inside her.
“Really… thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, Yesugei-nim, we would have been satisfied with this empty false victory and brought the enemy back to the family.”
“...It is regrettable about Sir Henry’s death.”
“No. He was a model knight who stepped forward for the family’s sake of his own will. He would resent being killed by the enemy’s hand, but he would not have grieved his own death.”
—Clack.
After restoring the guards’ wounds and stamina a little, she knelt before me and placed her left hand—missing its ring finger—over her chest. Seeing the lord’s wife do so, the rest of the party followed suit. Larilura awkwardly sidled up beside me and stuck close.
“I thank you in the name of the Armaals family for helping us restore my husband’s honor. It is a modest gesture for repayment, but please continue to lend us your strength in the coming fight against the Anulus family.”
“Ah, no. There’s no need for that.”
I hid my panic and refused. My work under the name Yesugei was finished. Getting dragged into another mafia family war because of a few offhand lies I had spouted was too much.
It’s not like the city’s mafia will all die just because I go on a rampage.
Since coming to this other world, I had become harsh toward criminals. That was because the world I fell into carried the same lawlessness and danger as the American Wild West. In a kill-or-be-killed situation, you had to set morality aside to some degree. That was why I had become “criminals must die, man,” but I still understood that wiping out every villain in the city was impossible.
That was a job for lords or the church. If an individual rampaged beyond necessity, it would only bring about the collapse of the rule of law. The ones who would die then would be ordinary citizens.
Larilura’s circus troupe, which had its base in Lucregens, was a bit worrying, but I could simply recommend they move.
“The black mage I was chasing seems to have been that guy’s underling. Probably a variant of a jiangshi. The type was similar to the ones I fought in Mongolia.”
“Ah… So that’s how you saw through the black mage disguised as Henry?”
...Is that how it works?
“That’s right.”
I decided to brazen it out completely. Since the other side had kindly provided an excuse, refusing it would be even more foolish.
“I’ll skip the detailed explanation. At any rate, it seems my enemy wasn’t merely a mage from the evil cult but a villain of this world, so I’ll stop interfering in other countries’ internal affairs here.”
“Then at least let us give you some token of—”
“Enough. No need for any reward. More importantly, we should evacuate quickly before people arrive.”
I achieved the great feat of cutting off a noble’s words. If this were a game, I would have gotten an achievement and leveled up. Larilura’s ice-cold stare—the one that said You lied that confidently to me too, didn’t you?—hurt. Honestly, that was the biggest damage I took all day.
At my words, Primor seemed to snap back to her senses and stood up.
“Y-yes, that’s right. There isn’t even enough time to recover Henry’s remains and handle everything else. But I have definitely prepared a gift of gratitude, so please visit our family later even if it’s much further down the line.”
“I’ll think about it. For now, let’s hurry.”
I’d rather not see you again if possible.
Thinking that, I turned around, planning to finish cleanup quickly and bolt.
“──No. There is no need for that.”
Then I spotted a stranger walking down through the wide-open window.
He was a lunatic. Well, maybe it wasn’t nice to say that to someone I just met, but from my perspective that was the only way to describe him.
His looks were decent. His clothes were neat too, so if you ignored the massive cross on his back, he was a young man who could pass as handsome. His somewhat long bob and small face even gave him an androgynous air.
But what if that color was pure white from head to toe?
A man whose hair, clothes, and skin were all stark white was walking across a sea of blood and the corpses of mafia members who had become zombies. It felt like something out of a surrealist painting.
I am Signatio, Punitive Executor of the Janus Church.
He took out a holy symbol like it was an FBI badge. His eyes, murky as if clouded by cataracts, looked at us.
“I came after sensing the use of heretical mana… Could I hear an explanation of what happened here?”
—Gulp.
The mage swallowed hard, cold sweat running down his face. He must have instantly sensed the skill level of this sudden religious fanatic.
Executor. The term referred to the psycho pursuers ranked just below inquisitors in religious orders.
Mithril? Or… higher?
I couldn’t tell. He was a master fanatic that even someone with a completely clear conscience would hate to meet. To run into such a guy while hiding my identity in a space drenched in blood and filled with dark and negative mana—no matter how you looked at it, wasn’t my luck way too bad?
Wait, but fuck. The more I think about it, this doesn’t make any sense?
They left the black mage alone to enjoy his clever little mafia game in their own backyard, but the moment we kill him they show up like this? Just where the hell was our esteemed executor and what was he doing before we fought, that he only appears now?
“We are Primor of the Armaals family and her guards.”
Whether she felt the same frustration or simply didn’t want to make the foolish mistake of making excuses to a religious official, Primor removed her hood and presented her identification.
Signatio’s eyes moved as if verifying its authenticity.
“Armaals… I have heard the name. The noble currently shaking up the criminal underworld—isn’t that the Armaals family?”
“...And?”
Primor glared at his emotionless, insect-like eyes without yielding an inch.
“It is nothing serious. It seems the lord wishes to invite you all.”
“Listening to the affairs of the territory’s people may be a virtue for a religious person, but anything beyond that is overstepping your authority. As a noble of Romania, I merely made the black mage who harmed my husband pay the appropriate price.”
Their eyes clashed. I had no idea why a noble-versus-church confrontation was breaking out here, but could we please leave? Our junior looked like she was about to faint. Honestly, I felt a little like pissing myself too.
“Or are you, representing the Janus Church, intending to deny the laws of Romania that were established by past emperors?”
Primor spoke arrogantly, pulling her chin in.
At that, Signatio slowly shook his head.
“There is a slight misunderstanding. In truth, my head is already overwhelmed just trying to understand the doctrines. I have no desire to cause a political dispute with you, madam. The bishop would scold me.”
He yielded the compromise point more easily than expected. Maybe he truly had no interest in power struggles. If so, Signatio might have rushed here regardless of the church’s overall will. After all, at a scene where black magic was being used, he could stick his head in first and make excuses later.
But that wasn’t comforting. It only meant the man was a genuine religious fanatic. As everyone knows, religious fanatics become extremely violent toward anyone who deviates from their doctrine or personal standards. And in this world, “violence” means physical violence. Just look at how black the edges of that cross are. The term “heretic munchkin” was not someone else’s problem.
“So—the black mage who committed apostasy in a place where God’s house can be seen. Is it ‘this’ person?”
—Thud.
Signatio flipped over the corpse I had beaten with his foot. The fact that he didn’t care at all if his shoes or pants got dirty proved he was crazy. And the type who was more obsessed with performing religious duty than personal desire.
“Yes. If it is that person’s corpse, our family will take custody of it and use it to comfort the souls of the deceased.”
“You will…? Understood. Then the Janus Church will officially take charge of the funeral rites.”
“...The Janus Church?”
“Yes. This is one of the compromise solutions our order can offer.”
When Primor narrowed her eyes, Signatio spoke like flowing water.
“Our order cannot overlook suspicious activities, and you will also want a collaborator to help you leave this city safely.”
...............
At first glance it looked like a logical negotiation of mutual concessions. But it seemed Signatio lacked skill in negotiation. Throwing out a plausible conclusion right away only makes the other party suspicious and evasive.
“You are suspicious. I understand. Then I will swear it.”
As if realizing the same thing, Signatio kissed the holy symbol and declared solemnly.
"Our church swears before God that we will always punish the wicked and respect the virtuous."
"Regardless of your circumstances, those who have done good naturally deserve appropriate reward."
“...Yes. Thank you for yielding.”
As Primor spoke, her female attendant whispered something in her ear. She was probably informing her about the troops gathered below. I had barely noticed them a moment ago myself. My concentration had dropped because I was busy with so many things, but they were skilled warriors who had evaded even my detection.
Fighting would be bad.
—Nod.
Primor arrogantly jerked her chin as if trying to hide her true personality.
“Then act according to the oath you swore to God. We will also respond in good faith and entrust you with the corpse. We will visit later, so let us meet again at that time.”
“Understood. However…”
Just as I was about to relax thinking things had gone well, Signatio suddenly looked at me.
Shit… my heart… this is bad for my heart…
“The person over there has a rather different appearance from the rest of your party. Are they also the madam’s guards?”
Fuck. I should have dressed more modestly instead of standing out.
I broke out in cold sweat at the sensation of being targeted by an opponent who seemed far stronger than me in a long while. If we fought, could I even run away? Skilled fighters were surrounding us downstairs too.
In my extreme nervousness I unconsciously tried to flood my mana with the royal seal, but Primor was a woman who understood loyalty.
“What an obvious question. Is there some problem?”
She even crossed her arms and sharply raised her eyes. With that stance she really looked like a young noblewoman with a terrible personality.
Signatio lowered his cataract-like eyes and bowed his head.
“No. My apologies. May the protection of Janus watch over you.”
—Whoosh!
With those words he jumped out the window again. Why jump out the window when there’s a perfectly good door? Was it a hint that he was an old monster who ignored fall damage and only took shortcuts?
“...Hoo. Talking with an executor is tiring.”
Having driven away the religious fanatic, Primor wiped the sweat from her cheek and smiled.
“I ended up doing all the talking myself. I hope it was not rude.”
“What rudeness? It was helpful.”
I waved my hand with a sigh and stomped on the floor, breaking it.
“Then we will take our leave here. Farewell.”
“...Yes. I will tell them that you may enter the family using the seal I gave to Yesugei-nim.”
She spoke as if reluctant to let me go. Maybe she had even considered recruiting this unidentified foreigner into the family.
“‘The day the fourth tulip blooms in the garden.’ If you say those words, you will be able to cross the threshold of the Armaals mansion.”
“I will remember. It would be nice if we can meet again.”
After speaking empty pleasantries, I hugged Larilura and headed down.
Perhaps because they had all fled after hearing the sounds of battle, there were no mafia members visible on the lower floors. Thanks to that, we could safely hide in a room and escape using Space Movement.
“Whew… That was scary~. My back is completely drenched in sweat!”
Larilura, who had released her transformation after taking off her robe, was soaked in sweat despite it being winter. I returned to Norde’s appearance and relaxed my shoulders.
“Yeah. Nothing in this world ever goes the way you want. It feels like we did a ton of stuff, but if I’m honest, all we really gained was one next destination.”
“Ahaha♡ Still, it’s a huge step forward! Senior, you worked hard~.”
“Of course. You worked hard too, Larilura.”
“Ehet~♡ As for me, I got some nice side income, you know?”
Larilura laughed while showing off the thimble she had looted from Correntus. In terms of side income I wasn’t far behind, but I would explain that later in a safe place.
Just from obtaining the fist and foot techniques alone, there was a lot to gain from that fight.
“Good. Shall we head back now? Once again, thanks for your hard work.”
Maybe it was because I felt satisfied thinking that.
I thumped my chest like some rich senior.
“I benefited a lot thanks to you. If there’s something you want to ask of me, I’ll grant one request properly. Is there anything you want to eat?”
“...Hmm~? Really?”
Larilura’s eyes sparkled. She wiped the sweat from my neck with a pink handkerchief and smiled mischievously.
“As expected, senior, you’re so brave~♡ You haven’t even paid back the debt you owed me from last time, yet here you are increasing it again with such generosity♡! How did you know I like that kind of thing!”
“Tsk. Don’t make me regret it just three seconds after saying it.”
What the fuck. Did I say something unnecessary?
When I frowned, Larilura giggled and poked my chest.
“Then, senior. Let’s go on a date soon.”
The junior who covered her face with a handkerchief soaked in someone else’s sweat smiled brightly, clearly delighted by my surprised reaction.
“Just the two of us. You and me.”