Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Lübeck Central Bank (2)
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Gianni, assuming it was just grumbling about the long wait, guided Kratos to the underground vault.
“Ah, yes! This way, please!”
An inscrutable expression. Moreover, the way he had met his eyes with a smirk when he first entered was incredibly grating.
It was a look that seemed to say, *I know everything*.
*I've done nothing wrong. There’s nothing to be wrong about. I just need to hand him over slowly. Slowly.*
Why should he feel intimidated just for guiding him?
“For a VIP, you’d think there’d be more than just stairs. How archaic. The level of service is quite low, for a central bank.”
“My apologies. We do have an elevator, but it happens to be under repair right now. I'm truly sorry. If you're tired, we can rest for a moment.”
Of course there was an elevator. It was a VIP vault, after all. There was even a backup elevator for breakdowns or repairs. But taking that would shorten the time too much.
“Let's rest for a moment. This bank doesn't even know how to respect its elders. Tsk.”
“Yes. Please have some cool water.”
“Hmph. If you had something like that, you should have offered it sooner!”
Every single word grated on his nerves, but he endured it, thinking he just needed to make this small sacrifice to stall for time.
At the very least, no problems could arise inside the bank. What happened outside wasn't the bank's business, but if an incident occurred inside and became public, the bank's credibility would be tarnished.
Besides, after going up and down these stairs, the old man would be even more exhausted after retrieving his items.
“Still, once we get down to the vault, moving around will be easy.”
“If you want to live up to the bank's name, you should make the path to the vault comfortable too. You should learn from the capital's banks. Especially for an old man with weak joints like me.”
Even within the vault area, Da Vinci's personal safe was in the deepest part of the basement. That was a real relief. It meant he wouldn't have to suffer such blatant disrespect on the way back.
“Haha. Of course. I will suggest it to the bank president immediately.”
After arriving underground, it was smooth sailing. There was a separate vehicle to travel from the main vault to the personal safes.
“It will take a little while to reach your safe. It's because you're one of the bank's earliest VIPs. Let's get moving.”
“This place is the same. Nothing's changed much.”
“It's the pride of our Lübeck Bank. Thanks to this, many people continue to use the Lübeck Central Bank.”
“That's what I'm saying. For a bank, trust and customer convenience are its lifeblood.”
He had stalled for about thirty minutes so far. By the time they reached the safe, retrieved the item, and he escorted him back out of the bank, the target of one hour seemed easily achievable.
***
What cute little rascals. Ever since becoming a member of the Heracles Clan and gaining stats, many things had become quite convenient.
My strength was one thing, but my hearing had also become sharper.
The moment I first heard their conversation, I thought.
*Ah, look at these scumbags. How should I deal with them? Should I clean this place out as Lupin?*
But it was better to keep the Da Vinci identity hidden until the very end. Of course, I had other identities besides this one, but still. Creating a new identity wasn't that easy.
“We've arrived. I will wait outside until you've finished your business.”
There were a total of three mana patterns. The first was the VIP authentication pattern, then the identity verification pattern, and finally, a pattern that could only open the vault door from right in front of it.
As he entered the pattern, the door, which hadn't been opened in a long time, revealed its interior with a metallic groan.
“Yoo-hoo—”
A mountain of gold. Just how much was this? Even after I became Chancellor and swept out most of the money I'd saved for emergencies, this much had piled up again.
This was enough money to be a great help in my immediate activities. Even if money is just one of the means to an end, the more, the better.
However, there was something here with perhaps even greater value than the gold. A small key in a box.
My purpose for coming here in the first place was to find this key.
The one and only key to the vault where Da Vinci's unreleased inventions lay dormant.
Of course, the vault itself was buried in a very secret place, not here. And inside that vault was one of his most important inventions, along with one he had created toward the end of his life.
The gold in the vault was absorbed into my inventory as if it were being sucked in. The inventory is truly the best. It's exhilarating. Imagine having to carry all that in sacks. Horrifying.
“A subspace… pocket?”
Seeing that shocked expression, it was worth deliberately letting him get a glimpse.
There aren't many people who can resist their greed after seeing such a sight. Especially not someone whose eyes are already clouded by avarice.
***
“Thank you! Please visit us again!”
“Tsk. Do better in the future. That's how you improve. I'm only saying this because I'm worried about the bank. Don't take it as nagging.”
“Of course. The Lübeck Central Bank is always ready to listen to our customers' words.”
Well over an hour had passed since he entered the bank.
Gianni bowed his head a full ninety degrees to Kratos, who was leaving the bank with somewhat labored steps.
Then, raising his head, he quickly scanned the surroundings. He just needed someone the bank president had on standby to see this scene and identify the target.
“Damn old man. I hope you get robbed on your way and just drop dead.”
If Kratos had heard, he would have given Gianni a piece of his mind, but he was already so far away he looked no bigger than a thumbnail.
“Ah, right. The subspace. The subspace pocket.”
No matter how small its capacity, a subspace pocket was rare and expensive. Just by swiping that alone, wouldn't he get hundreds of thousands of gold?
In that case, he had to report to the bank president immediately.
As Gianni hurried up to his office, Kratos deliberately feigned exhaustion and walked slowly down the main street.
A group of outlaws was slowly following him.
“That's the guy, right?”
“Seeing that banker fellow bow to him, it's gotta be.”
“Damn, I wonder how rich this guy is for them to make such an urgent request. But walking around without a single guard, don't you think something's up?”
“The bank president said he's just a nobody old man. Definitely not a mage.”
It was a very easy but high-paying mission. Just grab an old man coming out of the bank and take his money.
“Huh? Where'd the old man go…?”
“Hey! Don't lose him. Absolutely not.”
“Ah, found him. He was hidden by the crowd for a moment.”
It wasn't a job that required ten people, but the bank president wanted a clean and certain outcome, so he mobilized this large group.
The old man, seemingly exhausted, walked a little and then rested, repeating this pattern as he gradually entered a deserted street.
For him to head into a deserted alley on his own like that. How considerate.
They wouldn't have to cause a commotion on the main street during these dangerous times.
“Now.”
The moment the old man entered the alley. At the command, the subordinates scattered to their positions. A very simple plan: block both ends of the alley while the rest robbed the old man.
“Heh. Is this a cliché? A variation on the classic bandit ambush? It's fun even when you know it's coming. Very.”
But the state of the robed old man was strange. He suddenly started snickering and muttering to himself.
“What's that all of a sudden? Has this old geezer lost his mind? Hey, we hear you've got some money.”
“I do. I do. More than enough, in fact. I'm overflowing with it.”
Kratos took a handful of gold coins from his inventory and then put them back.
“If you back off now, I will graciously spare your lives.”
At the gleam of the gold coins, an amount equal to several months' income, the outlaws' eyes changed. No, they went wild.
“Boss. Even if a handful or two of that goes missing, they won't know, right?”
Seeing is wanting. It's only natural to desire something once you've seen it in person.
Especially for those living day-to-day as outlaws, it was natural to be faithful to their instincts. That was why Kratos had deliberately shown them the gold.
“Ha. Look here, old man. Sorry, but it's nothing personal. Just think of it as your unlucky day.”
“Hey, young man, act like a gentleman. Haven't you ever heard that manners maketh man?”
Suddenly, the old man's voice changed to that of a young man.
His bent back straightened, changing their eye level.
“Do I still look like the old man you were chasing?”
Kratos caught the club swinging toward him, crushed it with his grip, and gave a bright smile.
“What kind of old man has that strength!”
“The bank president sent you, didn't he? Wow, this makes me afraid to deposit money in a bank.”
*Thwack—*
“Ugh—!”
With a single light punch, the man who had swung the club flew into the one blocking one end of the alley.
He grabbed the second man's wrist, twisted his arm the other way, and kicked him, sending him to be buried in a collapsed wall with another man.
He threw another one at the men marking the opposite side.
“Hey. Where were you supposed to meet the bank president?”
Three moves. In three moves, six men were gasping on the ground, and the remaining four fled in a hurry.
*Wow, they're fast. So fast. Usain Bolt could learn a thing or two.*
Kratos slapped the cheek of one of the outlaws writhing in pain and asked his question.
“The bank… president's villa.”
“How am I supposed to know where that is just by you saying 'the bank president's house'? You need to give me the location. The rendezvous method. Is this your first time doing this?”
*This punk. Like an amateur.*
*Now, for the finishing touch.*
“Aigoo—! An old man is dying! Help, an old man is dying!”
*Have to create an alibi, don't I?*
***
People with dirty secrets always prepare an escape route. For example, a bribery ledger, a recording, or something of that sort.
*If you don't help me, I'll spread this. If a problem arises, I'll release this.*
In that sense, the probability of this guy being the same was 99% by my prediction. A solid 99%.
A high wall, as if to forbid any intrusion. On top of that, I could sense the aura of a magical alarm.
From its appearance alone, it was a villa that reeked of corruption.
“Here on an errand.”
“He's waiting inside. Just you try talking like that in front of the master.”
“Ha, what a thing. Getting an earful from a mere gatekeeper.”
When he disguised himself with the face of what appeared to be the outlaws' leader, the mercenary guarding the gate opened it as if it were a familiar sight.
Just how deeply were they in bed together to react so naturally?
The house itself was very ordinary. Not luxurious like a nobleman's residence, nor with many floors—just a plain, two-story house.
Believing that couldn't possibly be all there was to it, I spread my Spiritual Power thinly and surveyed the surroundings.
And my Spiritual Power detected a cavern underground. *See? I told you it was 99%.*
“Hmm. But are these three guards all there are?”
“What are you talking about? Why is a delivery guy asking that?”
“Oh, is that so? Then good night.”
I quickly struck the napes of all three. Well, there might be some damage to their bones, but they weren't dead, so it was fine.
I focused on the edge of my senses. Besides the three mercenaries I had definitely knocked out, I couldn't feel any other human presence in the house.
I wonder how secret this place is for it to have so few people.
After laying the mercenaries neatly against the wall, I went up the stairs and into the house, where the bank president, his eyes gleaming with greed, greeted Kratos while fidgeting in his seat.
“The goods?”
“Well, now. Who shows the goods before getting paid?”
As he spoke, he casually took out the pouch he'd taken from the thugs.
“It's not like we've only been doing business for a day or two. But your way of speaking is strange today…”
The bank president stopped just as he was about to take the payment from his coat, thinking *it couldn't be*, and met his eyes.
“You didn't touch the money in that pouch, did you?”
“Come on. Let's be honest, this isn't your money anyway, is it?”
With a sweep of his cloak, his face changed to that of Arsène Lupin.
“Who… who are you!”
“They call me Arsène Lupin. I paid you a personal visit because you seem to be plotting something interesting.”
“The terrorist of Libria…!”
Arsène Lupin! The bank president felt cold sweat soaking his back. Just how had they handled things for a terrorist to show up here?
“A terrorist, you say. How sad. By the way, you should probably tighten your security. This is just too lax.”
“How… dare you! Do you know who I am!”
“I know full well who you are. The president of the Lübeck Central Bank. And from the looks of it, a man with quite a few skeletons in his closet.”
Kratos covered the bank president's mouth, grinned, and stomped his foot hard.
“Doesn't that mean I have more than enough reason to pay a visit?”
*KUNG—!*
With one stomp, the house shook and the floor cracked.
*KABOOM—!*
He stomped once more, and the stone shattered, opening a hole. Kratos fell through it, taking the bank president with him.
*Thud—*
The depth must be considerable; the feeling of falling was heavy.
“How dare a terrorist bastard! The Empire…! Gack—!”
The bank president couldn't finish his sentence before losing consciousness to Kratos's punch.
“You talk too much.”
Grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, he used the dim light filtering down from the ceiling as a guide to survey the items inside the cavern.
This place is quite interesting. Putting aside the piles of money, a giant safe particularly caught my eye. It was locked, though.
That wasn't a problem at all. I had the bank president right here. And even if I didn't, I could just rip the door off with my strength.
*Easy, right?*
After sweeping up everything in the room, he shoved the bank president's face against the cavern's only safe, and the door opened.
Inside the safe, in a place of utter darkness save for the light from the ceiling, was a dark-colored egg emitting a dim glow.
The moment I saw that egg, my gaze was drawn to it, and the feeling was incredibly strange. In response, my Spiritual Power, usually calm, began to churn like waves.
As I approached and lifted the egg, my Spiritual Power gathered at my fingertips and seeped endlessly into it.
“What is this…?”