The Secret of Training
Once we'd finished talking, we moved to room 308, which Hans had prepared in advance. I still couldn't fathom why they'd booked an inn with a name like that, but picking a room well away from theirs—on the theory that taking the one next door might look suspicious—showed real sense.
Either way, we agreed to stay put and not set foot outside. From everything we'd seen on the way here, Luan was a lawless free-for-all with no such thing as public order.
If we go out and something happens, we'll be in trouble.
Wandering around with pretty girls like Aria and Lin was a surefire way to pick a fight, and that would mean drawing the Red Chain's eyes.
For now, lying low and waiting for our moment is the best play.
"Oppa, I'm hungry. Can we go downstairs and eat?"
Come to think of it, we'd talked with Hans's party for so long that it was already dinnertime. But I had absolutely no desire to eat whatever they served at the Shag Inn. Consume anything from a place like this and you'd catch an STD for sure.
I pulled a cup of instant ramen from my Subspace Bag.
"Wow! I haven't had cup ramen in forever!"
"What kind of food is cup ramen?"
Aria's eyes sparkled. I went downstairs, asked the innkeeper for boiling water, and poured it into the cups.
"Slurp! Mmph, it's spicy! But it's so good!"
Aria handled spicy food surprisingly well. As for Lin, well, she was Japanese, but like most kids her age these days, this level of Scoville didn't seem to faze her.
"Kerek… ke…"
The problem was Kiki. I gave him one bite and he stuck his tongue out, panting hard.
"Looks like it's still too spicy for a little kobold."
"You're out. Eat this instead."
I made him a fresh cup of jajang ramen.
"Kerek! Kerek!"
Luckily the sweet flavor agreed with him—he demolished four cups in a row.
"By the way, Lin, how do you know Hans?"
Ah, right. They did seem like they knew each other earlier.
"We ran a few missions together a while back. Me, well… as you know, not many people want to party up with me. But Uncle Hans always treated me well. Just like Uncle Garon!"
Lin said it with a smile.
"Anyway, Uncle Hans and his people would never mean us any harm. At least, that's what I think!"
Hearing Lin say that put me at ease. If Hans stabbed us in the back, we'd be in genuine danger.
We passed the time chatting about this and that, until six knocks sounded at the door and Hans appeared.
"We've secured an appointment for tomorrow."
According to Hans, Karvan had shown enormous interest at the mention of a kobold who could use mana.
"He wants to see it first thing tomorrow morning. He seemed practically desperate."
"Understood. We'll be ready at dawn."
After Hans left, we talked a little longer, then tried to turn in early to rest up for the next day.
But.
"Haaang!"
"Feels good, doesn't it? You fucking bitch!"
"Aaang~ Aaang~"
The moment night fell, the inn started living up to its name. Lewd, filthy sounds poured through the walls. Soundproofing was a fantasy in this dirt-cheap dump, and the noises came through in surround sound, raw and unmistakable.
"……"
I was going to lose my mind. I already had to sleep in the same room as a pair of gorgeous girls. With an atmosphere like this, every kind of thought in the world started crowding in.
"Nngh…"
Aria's face went scarlet, and she yanked the blanket all the way over her head.
Ah… mission or no mission, I want to do it too. With Aria… with Lin… with Manager Yuna…
I was right in the middle of those filthy thoughts when—
"Oppa."
"What?"
"You're thinking dirty thoughts, aren't you?"
Of course I fucking am.
"No?"
"Come on~ Oppa…"
"Ah, why do you keep talking to me?"
I was already losing it. Why did she keep opening her mouth?
"If it's too hard, just say so…"
If I say so…?
Then what happens?
What exactly is she offering to do?
No way. She wouldn't mean that, would she?
"Lin! What are you even saying!!"
"Ahaha! What? I was just going to offer you a glass of water. What were you two imagining~?"
"Nngh…"
Goddammit. Yeah, of course.
And so, with superhuman patience, I clenched my teeth and forced myself to sleep.
The next morning, Lin packed her gear and left first.
"I'll set up somewhere high with a clear view of the entrance. Signal me if anything happens. I'll see all of it!"
Once Lin was gone, Kiki climbed into the wooden cage Hans's party had prepared.
"Kiki, I know it's cramped. Just hang in there a little longer."
"Kerek!"
We draped a black cloth over the cage, and Aria and I finished getting ready to move out. Then Hans came over to me.
"Your cover identity will be 'Siwoo,' Mr. Minwoo. The name Minwoo would stand out far too much in this city, so I've already passed that along."
"Siwoo… got it."
What a shitty name.
I checked myself in the mirror one more time. Irezumi tattoos covering both arms, a black muscle-fit T-shirt that showed off every line of my physique, and a pair of jeans I'd ripped in advance. Anyone looking would see Siwoo the back-alley thug, through and through.
Hah… can I even pull this off?
I was an orphan, but I'd lived an honest, wholesome life. I could say with confidence that I'd never once acted like a thug, or even thought like one. And now I suddenly had to play one…
I looked back at Aria. She was wearing dolphin shorts and a tank top, which left quite a bit of skin on display, and she looked—well. Extremely sexy.
"Aria, I need to tell you something beforehand."
"Yes?"
"I might overdo it a little for the sake of a perfect performance. Groping you. Acting rough."
"It's alright. It's acting, after all. Hehe…"
Aria ducked her head with a shy little smile and nodded.
Alright. Time to move.
"H-huh… w-who is that guy?"
"Shh! Don't make eye contact. He looks insane."
"Hrak! Ptooey!"
I hawked up a glob of spit and swaggered down the street, and the crowd parted like the Red Sea. A far cry from how we'd looked when we'd first arrived in Luan yesterday.
"Look at those tattoos… they're hideous."
"I've never in my life seen a guy who looks that rotten. Even his face screams garbage."
"Is that woman a slave? Tsk tsk. She's pretty—what a shame. To get caught by a guy like that…"
"The fuck you lookin' at, you pieces of shit? You wanna die?"
"Eek!"
"Run!"
I'd call that a roaring success. My half-assed performance was actually working. These people were way too gullible.
With my arm slung around Aria's shoulders, we arrived in front of the Red Chain's headquarters: a four-story stone building. A hulking doorman stood at the entrance with his arms crossed. The moment he saw me, he flinched, tensed up, and stepped into my path.
"Hold it. Who are you?"
I pulled Aria in tight against my side and looked up at him.
"Who am I? You talkin' down to me right now? Huh?"
"Y-you little punk… i-identify yourself! Not just anyone walks in here!"
"Hah… I'm Siwoo. That good enough? Then open the damn door while I'm still asking nice."
"Siwoo… ah. The client here to sell merchandise. And that thing behind you—is that…?"
"Yeah."
The doorman lifted the black cloth, peeked inside, and nodded. Then his gaze slid to Aria at my side, and something in it turned ugly.
"Wait. The agreed party was Siwoo alone, not counting the merchandise. What's the woman?"
What?
Hadn't they already been told about Aria? Then again, thinking about it, announcing ahead of time that you'd be bringing your sex slave along was a little weird.
I snorted, dropped the hand that had been around her shoulder, and grabbed her breast.
"Hah!"
Aria sucked in a startled breath. I kneaded. A perfect handful, soft in all the right ways…
"She's my sex slave. Got a problem with that?"
The doorman looked back and forth between Aria and me, eyes full of suspicion.
"A sex slave? She looks like a noble's daughter. Way too refined."
That was when it happened. The second I touched her chest, it felt so good that a trickle of Primordial Power leaked from my fingertips.
Crackle…
"Ah—nngh♡"
"…?!"
In the same instant, I slapped her ass. Hard. With Primordial Power in it, of course.
Smack—!
"Hyaang♡"
Aria's legs gave out and she dropped to her knees. At this point, the only way forward was to commit to the "performance." I'd warned her I might get a little rough, so she'd understand, right? It wasn't like I had any ulterior motives. Obviously.
"Get up, you slave bitch. Who said you could sit?"
I grabbed her by the back of the neck and hauled her to her feet. And then I dragged my tongue up her neck and across her face.
"Nnh… nngh… hnn♡ M-Master…♡"
"Hah!"
The doorman's eyes went round.
"T-to think he'd break in a noble-looking lady that thoroughly…"
He stared at me with something like awe.
"What's the secret? How the hell did you…?"
Then his gaze stopped at my pants. Down there, I was already so hard it felt like I might burst. The outline of it stood out huge against the fabric. The doorman swallowed.
"I-I see… yeah… I get it now… That's impressive."
He stepped aside with a look of genuine respect.
"Go in… He's waiting on the fourth floor."
"Heh heh heh. Yeah, good work~"
I laughed like a thug and walked into the headquarters.
Smack—!
"Ahn♡"
I kept slapping her ass and groping her chest the whole way, of course. And we started climbing toward the fourth floor.
"Haaang♡ Nngh-aah♡"
I tormented Aria all the way up. Not because I wanted to. Absolutely not. This was purely buildup for a perfect performance. Just so we wouldn't look suspicious. Never mind that we didn't run into a single person on the stairs. Anyway.
When we reached the fourth floor, a woman who looked like a secretary was waiting in front of a large door at the end of the hall.
"Mr. Siwoo, you've arrived. Lord Karvan is waiting. Please, go in."
The secretary opened the door. Inside a lavishly decorated office, a man sat behind an enormous desk. Neatly slicked-back hair. A sharp, piercing face.
"Welcome. Mr. Siwoo. I've been waiting for you."
He stood, smiled brightly, and came toward me.
At last, I was face to face with Karvan.
Click.
The secretary stepped in with us, and the moment the door shut—
CRACKLE!!! CRACKLE!!!!
I drew up my Primordial Power and lunged at him. I summoned my sword in a flash—
SLASH—!
And took his head.
A perfect infiltration. A swift finish.
That's what I thought.