Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: A Strange Person Follows (1)
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If only this happy life could last forever.
Every night before falling asleep, I wished for it as if praying to someone.
But perhaps human greed knows no bounds.
Faster than I ever expected, reality dragged me toward a cruel fate.
“Hmm? Excuse me. This cash card has insufficient funds.”
“...!”
It had been about a month since I first met Greg.
Was it because I had succumbed to my desires and lived a life of debauchery?
The money I thought would be more than enough for two months had hit rock bottom in an instant.
If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn't have done something as foolish as eating a steak sandwich for every meal!
Dejected by the owner's troubled voice, I had no choice but to return the chocolate cornet I had picked up.
“Ahem... Miss? You’re a regular, so one chocolate cornet is…”
“...!!”
An angel like this in the underworld!
Thanks to the owner’s warm kindness, I was reunited with the chocolate cornet I had just parted with.
*It looks delicious.*
The chocolate cornet was warm.
Even through the cloth covering me, I could smell the rich, buttery aroma.
If I were to tear it open, alluring chocolate would reveal itself, steaming gently.
Just imagining taking a bite right now…
I could already feel a tingle at the crown of my head.
I carefully cradled the chocolate cornet, gave the owner a nod, and left the shop with a happy skip in my step.
*Huh? The sign’s a little crooked.*
As I walked out, giddy with excitement, the shop’s exterior, which looked like it had been battered by the winds of time, caught my eye.
The sign was tilted to one side, making the name difficult to read.
Weeds sprouted from the ground, poking out messily here and there.
This would probably scare away potential customers.
Feeling a pang of pity, I checked to make sure no one was around, then lightly drew upon my psychokinesis, a skill that had become as natural as breathing.
*Creeeak…*
The sign was tilted because one side had rusted from exposure to wind and rain.
So, I pulled at the unseen metal on the inside of the sign, as if tearing it away, to balance both sides.
Then, pushing the sign up from below, the massive thing, which had to weigh dozens of kilograms, instantly returned to its original position.
For the rest, I used my psychokinesis to twirl the weeds out of the ground and tossed them into a nearby drain.
In just a few seconds, the shop’s exterior was back to normal.
*I got a chocolate cornet for free, so this should be fine.*
After making sure the straightened sign was sturdy and holding up well, I turned without a second thought and headed into a dark alley.
*Crunch.*
The perfectly baked chocolate cornet yielded softly to my teeth, and moist chocolate oozed out, seeping into the bread.
This shop really does make good bread.
The exquisite harmony of the bread and chocolate naturally brought a smile to my face.
*I should probably start earning some money. Come to think of it, I’ve been slacking off lately.*
During my first month in the back alleys, I used to rob at least one person a day.
Once I had some leeway, I lost the reason and the will to do so.
But now, I had a clear reason and will to steal money.
It was time to resume extorting valuables from bad people.
In other words, it was time for the grand reopening of Operation: Rob the Robbers.
***
Operation: Rob the Robbers Mk2.
This new operation differed from Mk1, which I ran when I first arrived in the underworld, in several ways.
The biggest change was that I no longer flicked people on the forehead with psychokinesis.
At first, I’d just aimed for the forehead out of the fixed notion that’s where you flick someone.
But on second thought, the forehead was too conspicuous a target.
If all the not-so-innocent victims I produced were walking around with dark bruises on their foreheads, it would be no different from me confessing, “I did it.”
Therefore, the psychokinetic flick in Operation: Rob the Robbers Mk2 targeted the crown of the head.
If I concentrated, my psychokinesis could even strike through a helmet.
The goal was to confuse the victims by aiming for a spot that was hard to see under their hair.
The second change was that I now remained completely hidden during the act.
My current appearance was like a Halloween ghost, wrapped in a large cloth taller than myself.
It was much better than showing my face and body, which is why I was doing it, but if I kept showing up at the scenes of my "robberies," it could become a hassle to even walk around town normally.
So, I adapted the technique I used to keep the cloth from fluttering when I jumped off rooftops.
I created a technique to blur my form by rapidly and subtly rotating the air around me.
From a distance, it would probably look like a camera feed suffering from interference, a faint, white something scurrying about.
Of course, it wasn't a huge drain, but since it required continuous use of psychokinesis, it did demand a fair bit of concentration.
However, the time it took to complete a robbery was three minutes at most.
It wasn't an hour, just three minutes, so it wasn't that much of a burden.
In fact, considering I was reducing future worries with this small expenditure, it seemed like a decent trade-off.
Anyway, those were the main patch notes for Operation: Rob the Robbers Mk2.
There were also minor things, like using bottled water and psychokinesis to wash the cloth a bit so it didn't smell musty, or buying a cheap goblin mask from a souvenir shop just in case, or wearing light sandals so I didn't have to walk around barefoot anymore.
But those were trivial details.
In any case, the newly revamped Operation: Rob the Robbers had been sailing smoothly for the past month.
Nighthaven’s underworld was always full of troublemakers.
And no one really complained if I emptied their pockets.
At this rate, it seemed I could probably endure until the original story's major events concluded without getting entangled, just as I wanted.
*Once the criminal organizations are wiped out, I’ll start a new life. A soft bed, a warm blanket, and steak sandwiches for all three meals!*
*Smack!*
“Gack!”
“Agh!”
A psychokinetic flick struck the crown of a scoundrel who was about to assault a woman in a back alley.
He must have been a chameleon beastkin; his tongue, which hung down to his chest, was quite disgusting.
I nudged the man who had fallen forward with my foot to flip him over and, after a quick rummage through his clothes, easily found his wallet.
Well, the contents were just so-so.
Enough money to afford about two meals today.
*No steak sandwich, I guess. I’ll have to make do with a chocolate cornet today.*
Still, while it couldn't beat a steak sandwich, a chocolate cornet wasn't so bad either.
Reasonably satisfied with today's haul, I tossed the wallet aside.
I didn't know what it was made of, but its sticky texture was unpleasant.
Alright, time to go.
Just as I stuffed the cash into my pocket and was about to leave, a delicate female voice suddenly called out from behind me.
I whipped my head around to see the woman who had been on the verge of being attacked.
“Ah, uh… H-Hey…!”
“…?”
“Th-Thank you!”
*She shouldn’t be able to see me clearly, though?*
Slightly bewildered by the out-of-the-blue thanks, I tilted my head in confusion.
Ah, I see.
From her perspective, it might look like I saved her.
That wasn't my intention, but if that’s what she wanted to think, she could think whatever she wanted.
Without replying to the woman, I left the alley.
And once I was out of sight, I used my psychokinesis to leap up to a rooftop.
*Time to go get something to eat.*
Well… maybe because it was a pretty lady who said it, but I didn't feel bad about it.
Should I try harder to find bad guys tomorrow?
Without realizing it, I found myself humming a little tune.
…Ahem, nobody heard that, right?
***
Lately, a strange rumor had been circulating in Nighthaven's underworld.
People were said to be losing consciousness in the back alleys for unknown reasons and having all their belongings stolen.
Some claimed illegal drugs were the cause.
But about half of the victims hadn't ingested anything suspicious.
Some said it was the work of an artifact containing a stun spell.
However, none of the alleged victims had heard an incantation.
Some suggested it was the work of a corporate shadow assassin.
But they couldn't explain why such a formidable being would only knock people out and take their things.
Then, someone noticed a common thread among those claiming to be victims.
Right before they lost consciousness, they had all been in the middle of robbing someone or committing a sexual offense.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
No matter how much the underworld operated on the law of the jungle, where the strong take all, preying on the weak to fill your belly made you nothing more than third-rate trash.
In particular, those who were found to have messed with individuals under a syndicate’s protection were taught a harsh lesson, losing a wrist or an ankle as an example.
The fervor surrounding the incidents died down with the general consensus that the victims had gotten what they deserved.
Thus, the residents of the underworld paid less attention to the severity of the culprit's actions and more to the mystery of their identity, which no one had been able to uncover in the month since they first appeared.
Not drugs, not an artifact, not an assassin, but something else entirely.
Wasn't it like a ghost that didn't belong to this world?
So, the residents, unable to get a grasp on the perpetrator's methods, gave them the name "Ghost."
And they became purely curious about who it could be.
“Ho, a Ghost, you say. Hey, can you tell me a bit more about that?”
“Wh-Wha? Who are you?”
“My name is Victor. I work as a Fixer, a humble one at that. The story you were just telling sounded quite interesting. If you tell me the details, I’ll make it worth your while.”
Between the clearly divided worlds of Nighthaven's surface and its underbelly, there operated a bounty-hunting specialist, the Fixer, Victor.
A mage killer, renowned for once having brought down even a flying warship.
His eyes sparkled like a young boy's as he took an interest in this new prey.