Chapter 110
Chapter 110
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Casting a Tempting Bait (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A subtle air of refinement emanated from the man, mingled with an oddly overbearing attitude that gave off just that impression. Even after witnessing him slaughter the bandits in an instant.
She simply couldn’t comprehend how elegance and brutality could coexist in a single person.
“The carriage is wrecked, so it’ll take some time, but we have our main branch in the capital. If you would grace us with a visit, benefactor…”
“Enough.”
The man raised one hand dismissively. The gesture was utterly arrogant, like that of a high-ranking noble.
“This will do.”
What he picked up was the jewelry box the merchant group had been transporting.
“Th-that’s…”
The merchant leader’s words caught in his throat.
“It’s far too precious to our group…”
A lazy smile tugged at the man’s lips.
“More precious than your life?”
His voice was ice-cold and smooth.
“…”
The merchant leader swallowed dryly.
He had a gut feeling that one wrong move would send him tumbling off a cliff.
“…No! Take it! Please!”
“I don’t need your permission.”
“…Yes.”
The man vaulted onto his horse with effortless grace, moving as if he weighed nothing.
“Then.”
With that, the man and his horse kicked off the ground and sped away. The speed was tremendous, just like when he had first charged into the scene.
In an instant, he shrank to a black dot and vanished.
“M-Master…”
“Are you alright…?”
“Did he really take everything…?”
The group crept toward the merchant leader. They circled around to check his face and froze.
“Sniff.”
The merchant leader was choking back tears.
“It’s fine… Staying alive is what matters…”
The tears welling in his eyes sparkled under the moonlight.
❖ ❖ ❖
The ruined campsite of the Rato Bandits.
“Ugh.”
Ethan, an executive of the Mare Guild, crawled out of the hole in the bandit leader’s room floor.
Inside, he confirmed the rotting corpse of the leader and the thoroughly looted chests.
“Damn it.”
Ethan muttered a curse under his breath and headed outside. His subordinates were piling up the bodies neatly.
Surprisingly, some of the corpses had already turned to skeletons, as if they’d been dead for years.
“Damn it, damn it all.”
Ethan pressed his temples as he stared at the scene. The headaches that used to come occasionally were now far too frequent.
“…Damn it!”
Unable to hold back his frustration, he kicked out.
Crackle!
The already charred corpse crumbled into black ash and scattered. Ethan glared at the floating particles before turning away.
“It’s that guy.”
The one he’d heard about from Cadder Territory—the man who wielded a pitch-black sword. Only he could have left traces like this.
“To think it happened in just a few days. The rumors were true.”
His deals with the Rato Bandit leader had always been satisfying, so Ethan had frequented this group more than others.
No more, though.
“When the hell did he get to the capital?”
No wonder the birds he’d sent to Cadder Territory hadn’t reported back. While they were combing the western territory like rats, the guy had already slipped into the capital.
“Ha… And the first thing he does is hit our guild again?”
The bastard was relentlessly persistent. Ethan was dying to know which guild was backing him.
“Ethan, sir!”
A subordinate called out to him, holding a recently fallen bluebird. He untied the note from its leg and handed it over.
“A letter from another guild member.”
Ethan scowled deeply as he unfolded the note.
“…What the hell is this?”
Veins bulged on his forehead.
“Other bandit groups got hit too?”
The note said a significant number of bandit groups hired by the Mare Guild had been stripped clean like corn.
“Son of a bitch!”
Ethan tore the letter to shreds and threw it on the ground. A subordinate crouched down, furtively gathering the pieces.
“This is insane.”
Ethan ground his teeth, pressing his temples.
‘How am I supposed to report this to Master Rowell?’
The head of the Mare Guild, Rowell, overlooked a single mistake. But anyone who repeated it twice didn’t last long.
‘At this rate, I’m dead.’
He had to catch the guy before facing Rowell.
“Hya!”
Ethan mounted his horse and raced toward the location marked in the letter, his subordinates in tow.
A few hours later.
Ethan found the merchant group shivering in front of the wrecked carriage.
“Whoa! Is that…?!”
“The Mare Guild emblem!”
“We’re saved!”
“Thank the gods!”
They leapt for joy at the sight of Ethan’s group, as if greeting saviors.
“Rest easy, everyone.”
Ethan approached them with a gentle smile, hiding the fact that he was the one who’d commissioned the attack on their carriage. He listened to their story.
“…So the man who saved you had black hair and black eyes?”
The smile vanished from Ethan’s face.
“He had a pretty intimidating vibe, sure…”
“He was an incredible beauty!”
The women in the group squealed.
“He was scary, but handsome enough to make your eyes pop!”
“And that voice—divine!”
The merchant leader glared at them in disbelief.
“You idiots! You were ogling him at a time like that?!”
“What else were we supposed to look at? He was the only one there!”
“Are you all in your right minds?! Don’t you remember what he took?”
The merchant leader clutched the back of his neck, but they chattered on undeterred.
“The jewels were already stolen by the bandits anyway!”
“Without him, we’d all be dead!”
Even the quiet men chimed in slyly.
“Honestly, yeah. We almost got dragged off as slaves.”
“He took out all the mercenaries single-handedly.”
“Argh, what’s the point! He swept away all our goods!”
Ethan asked the merchant leader, who was pounding his chest as if about to burst.
“Do you know where that guy—that man—went?”
“No idea. He rode off on a black horse and vanished in a flash.”
The merchant leader sniffled as he finished.
“Please help us. We’ll reward you at our main branch in the capital.”
“Oh, of course.”
Ethan replied kindly, then beckoned to his subordinates a short distance away.
“Yes, Ethan, sir.”
He gave the order as they approached.
“Kill them all.”
The merchant group’s eyes widened.
“Pardon?”
“What do you—”
Their trembling voices were drowned out by screams.
“Gah!”
The merchant leader spewed blood from his chest and collapsed. The others fell one by one to the subordinates’ blades.
In an instant, the road was soaked in blood. A thoroughly grim sight.
Ethan turned away with a cold expression.
“Burn them so no traces remain.”
“Yes, sir.”
His eyes gleamed as he remounted his horse.
‘He took all the jewels.’
Finally, a lead on the bastard. Whichever guild he belonged to, Ethan wouldn’t let them off easy once he had him.
“Hya!”
Ethan kicked off toward the capital, Magiore.
❖ ❖ ❖
Whistling a cheerful tune, I walked along. My steps toward the Vendetta Guild’s tavern were light.
“Things are looking good.”
Everything was going according to plan.
Following the info from Elice, I’d diligently raided bandit groups and sold the jewels for profit. I’d kept the raw stones, though.
‘This is the first time I’ve held so much money.’
I recalled Elice murmuring in a trembling voice, hands clasped. She’d lived so hand-to-mouth that it must’ve hit her hard.
With that money, I’d bought more jewels and stored them in a new warehouse.
‘Good lord, buying a whole warehouse!’
Followed by Elice’s delighted shriek.
“When I put her to work later, she’ll flip.”
Giggling, I turned into the alley where the tavern was located.
“…”
My steps halted.
The smell of weapons, leather, and blood. Above all, chaotic footprints littered the alley.
“…No way.”
I expanded my Absolute Domain. No signs of life inside the tavern where there should’ve been plenty.
Wiping the smile from my face, I hurried to the building.
Bang!
I flung the door open as usual, but an unfamiliar scene greeted me.
“…Well, now.”
The tavern was a total wreck. Tables and chairs lay scattered, bottles and glasses shattered everywhere.
Traces of fierce resistance. A menacing atmosphere hung in the air.
Bloodstains marred the counter where William should’ve been.
“Hmm.”
Judging by the amount, the resistance hadn’t lasted long.
It meant a large group had invaded. William, Dexter, and Elice wouldn’t have been enough.
“As expected.”
Elice’s room door was open—just as I’d predicted. Or rather, half-smashed.
Stepping over the debris on the floor, I entered the room.
Elice’s room was ransacked. Drawers and chests stood wide open.
Clear signs someone had rummaged for something.
“They must’ve found the jewels.”
All the valuables here seemed taken. Even the documents Elice had painstakingly gathered.
“Tsk…”
Clicking my tongue, I approached the bookshelf behind Elice’s desk.
Tap tap.
I knocked on it and spoke to the inside.
“Come out, Jack.”
Arms crossed, I waited.
Rumble.
Soon, the shelf slid aside, and Jack crawled out from the secret space behind.
“M-Master…!”
Jack jumped up and rushed to me the moment he emerged. His face was deathly pale.
“Suddenly a bunch of people burst in and dragged everyone away!”
His tearful explanation followed.
“They kept asking about some black-haired, black-eyed man and what our connection was—grilling us relentlessly!”
I listened silently.
“Sis kept saying she had no idea, that she didn’t know the guy at all…”
“…”
“They wouldn’t listen and just hauled us off anyway.”
Jack wiped his tear-streaked cheeks.
“Uncle William and Dexter got hurt bad. They resisted to the end, but it was no use.”
Only then did I speak.
“Elice?”
Jack paused at my utter calm, then sniffled and answered.
“Sis got taken too, but she wasn’t hurt much. They roughed up Uncle William the worst.”
As expected—that’s how it usually goes.
William was publicly known as the tavern owner. I knew the truth, so I’d targeted Elice first, but they didn’t.
“Guess I’ll retract what I said about keeping the boss in a dump like this.”
I chuckled, recalling Dexter’s indignant reaction.
“Master?”
Jack looked utterly baffled.
“Why are you laughing?”
“At what?”
“What do you mean?! The guild members all got caught—aren’t you worried?”
Jack clenched his fists, pleading desperately.
“We don’t even know who they are or where they took brother and sis!”
“I know who. It’s the Mare Guild.”
“Th-the Mare Guild?”
Jack’s jaw dropped. Fear flashed in his eyes.
“Why would a huge guild like that come after us…?”
He started gnawing his nails.
“What do we do? Brother and sis aren’t as strong as you. If something happens…”
“Unnecessary worry.”
Jack gaped in disbelief, then shut his mouth.
“How can you be so…”
“They won’t kill them easily.”
Jack’s mouth snapped shut at the cold statement. He looked speechless.
“Besides, I knew this would happen.”
“Huh…?”
Jack struggled to move his stiffened lips.
“You… knew?”
“Yeah.”
I flashed him a bright smile.
“To catch a big fish, you need good bait.”