Chapter 37
Chapter 37
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Extermination Operation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
May had disappeared.
I wanted to go beat the crap out of those bastards right then and there, but they weren't idiots enough to stay put in the same spot. Even if I caught them, they'd just slither back out in no time.
"......"
As I sank into thought for a moment, the heavy atmosphere made the Dean sneak a glance at me.
This situation couldn't be solved just by me charging in and smashing everything in sight. I'd come to accept that much, at least.
So, I spoke the name of one person who popped into my head.
"What? Y-Yeah, she's around. She's staking her life here right now......"
The Dean looked utterly bewildered by the unexpected name but agreed to make contact anyway.
"She's probably in Elgrid anyway, so tell her to come within the hour."
"Alright, got it......"
I knew exactly where to head as I left the Dean's office.
The dormitory.
According to the Dean, even May's friends had no idea where she'd been taken.
They'd just gotten beaten and run away, so it wasn't surprising they didn't know.
I hadn't expected that much from them anyway.
But our dorm had someone who might know the new hideout of the Bellon Merchant Company and Zabalanco's whereabouts.
The dormitory rooftop.
Sen, the Extermination Squad girl with bleached white hair, sat on the railing, staring blankly at the sky.
She must have seen me coming up to the roof, but she didn't even glance over. Instead, she just asked based on the sound of the door opening.
"So, have you come to grips with Elgrid's reality?"
"You knew everything, huh?"
She must have foreseen this outcome from the moment I said I'd hand them over to the guards. That explained her ambiguous expression back then.
"Seems like the guard captain's got connections with them. I don't know the details, like how deep their ties run or how much money changes hands."
Sen seemed largely uninterested.
"I don't need to know that stuff anyway."
She turned her head slightly to look at me.
"Were they really tied to the dogfights?"
"......"
Sen was probing, assuming I'd already gotten intel from Zabalanco.
Yeah, she knew about the connection between Zabalanco and the dogfights, but I had no intention of spilling it right away. It was my biggest bargaining chip.
But as I kept silent, Sen smirked like it didn't matter.
"I'll make Zabalanco spill everything tonight anyway."
"Good luck with that."
Sure, Sen was strong, but I answered coldly. Having faced both her and Zabalanco myself, I knew exactly who was stronger.
"Hmph. No matter how tough the target, they're all the same when they're asleep. Assassination has no counters."
"......"
"You can't do anything about it now anyway, right? So just sit back and watch."
As she struck a pose declaring she wouldn't let me interfere, she spoke again.
"Sigh, this is all because of that girl May, huh?"
She hopped down from the railing, dusted off her butt, and let out a sigh.
"Tonight at 8 PM, a massive carriage will leave through the east gate. May's riding in it. Probably being sold off as some noble's secret slave. She's got a pretty decent look going for her, after all."
Sen added that it was the Flob family and all.
Since May was already out of Zabalanco's hands, she seemed willing to share that info freely.
"Don't overestimate your skills."
"Save it."
I left Sen behind on the rooftop as she ignored my advice and went back to staring blankly at the sky.
Tonight at 8 PM.
I hadn't pinpointed Zabalanco's hideout, but I'd gotten the most crucial intel, so I rushed straight back to the Dean's office.
There, a bespectacled woman waited anxiously with the Dean, gnawing on her fingernails.
*
Rumble rumble.
The Bellon Merchant Company carriage driver yawned widely as he drove through the darkened streets.
Normal merchants moved by daylight and camped or stayed in inns at night, but they were different.
Dealing in so much illegal merchandise meant nighttime travel was standard.
Sigh, can't even smoke or hold a girl.
The tobacco was so toxic it'd rot his skin right off the door, and the Flob family girl was headed to a noble who liked virgins, so he couldn't touch her.
"Tch, top-quality goods."
Short reddish-brown hair with a slight wave. From her tough face to everything else, she was totally his type—but untouchable, so he just smacked his lips.
At the east gate, the guards stood watch.
Normally, they'd tear through the carriage in inspection, but the guards and Bellon Merchant Company were tight-knit. Flashing affiliation papers was usually enough.
"Hm?"
But tonight felt off.
The guards weren't demanding their usual bribes. They stood rigidly at attention, faces tense.
"Alright, commencing inspection."
"Huh?"
He soon realized it was because of a tough-looking woman in glasses.
She looked a bit haggard, dark circles under her eyes.
But her back was straight, posture proud and unyielding.
The driver of May Flob's carriage panicked at the sight of these new inspectors replacing the usual guards and shouted.
"Wh-who are you people?! What gives you the right to rummage through my carriage?!"
The woman adjusted her glasses and glared at him.
"Haini Rozaleth, royal inspector. Tonight's a spot-check by the Elgrid guards, and we're overseeing."
"Wh-what?"
What the hell was this?!
Spot-check? Now?!
The driver glared daggers at the guards, but they just bowed their heads, unwilling to stick their necks out for him.
"Inspector! There's a female student bound inside!"
At the young man's voice, Haini’s eyes gleamed as she shot them a look.
"Well, well. Looks like I've hooked a big one."
Haini's eyes flashed coldly.
*
After grilling them in interrogation for the driver's affiliation, Bellon Merchant Company's current location, and nailing down their ties to the guards, Haini left no room for doubt.
"So, is that it now?"
She shook her head as she shed the soldier uniform she'd worn to pose as one of her men.
"No way. This is just the beginning."
"I had my doubts, but everything in that carriage really was dangerous...... And not just items."
Haini glanced at the shivering May and sighed.
This wasn't some official guard spot-check.
Her "knights" were just me and May's crew in disguise.
In truth, Haini had simply wielded her authority personally with her credentials.
The reason behind Haini's snarling glares and crossed arms at the guards and driver was simple.
She was currently framed as a suspect in Penil Leiros's death.
The Leiros family was hounding her relentlessly, so she'd stayed in Elgrid—instead of returning to the palace—to clear her name and investigate.
That's why I'd gone to the Dean's office and made her an offer she couldn't refuse.
The true culprit behind Penil Leiros's murder.
It was a card only I could play, knowing the dogfights had killed and dumped him. Haini bit hard.
For her, it was a win-win: busting the guards' corruption and the Bellon Merchant Company drug peddlers.
This time, I'll make sure they never crawl out again.
Yeah, you've been throwing money at that flimsy guard power and doing whatever you pleased, huh?
Sorry, but power trumps power.
You filthy crows, flapping around arrogantly up high—time to come crashing down.
*
"......"
In a dark room, a section of the wooden ceiling suddenly gave way, and a girl with flowing white hair descended amid the shadows.
Black cloth masking her mouth, a dagger at her waist.
She glanced around, spotted the snoring man, locked the door, and set up an artifact to block any noise from leaking out.
From her drop through the ceiling to now, pacing the room.
Not a single breath escaped her—she seemed like a ghost. But her eyes coldly stared down the man.
First, force the drug down his throat.
Extermination Squad torture drug: it made your guts boil and melt in agony.
Without the antidote, the pain persisted until death. Anyone would spill everything.
"Alright then......"
As she moved to bind him first, Sen's wrist was seized by the burly man's hand.
"Some little brat sneaks in and starts acting cocky, huh."
Zabalanco—one-eyed, left arm in a cast from Daniel breaking it—grinned wickedly at Sen.
She yanked free, leaped back, and drew her dagger into both hands.
"You were awake?"
She hadn't thought he'd detect her stealth, but Zabalanco tapped his nose.
"Sea dogs like me are sensitive to smells. You can even predict the day's weather from scents at sea."
"......!"
News to her, but it didn't change much.
The door was locked.
No sound would escape.
If things got too rowdy and shook the floor, the people below might get suspicious.
But not enough to worry.
Her foe was one-eyed and couldn't use his left arm.
His cutlass wasn't even bedside—carelessly left by the fireplace. No issue.
I can definitely win.
Extermination Squad members avoided open combat unless it was the absolute last resort or victory was assured.
And Sen charged forward with that certainty.
Thwack!
"Think you can take me down just 'cause I got beat by that kid a few times? Treating me like a pushover."
As Sen lunged, Zabalanco's right hand snatched her throat, hoisting her kicking into the air.
The sudden shock made her drop her dagger.
She twisted desperately, but the man didn't budge an inch—like forged steel.
"Hilarious. You academy brats think you can take down a former executive of the Pirate Lord's crew?"
Pirate Lord's executive?!
Zabalanco was part of the Pirate Lord's crew?
Her mind rejected it as absurd, but her body acknowledged his strength.
This man was strong.
Insanely so.
Especially if he was a Pirate Lord executive—one of only ten elites among elites.
She, at best, was a promising Extermination Squad rookie.
Not even full member status. Just a kid.
Even with one hand and one eye—exposing blind spots—she wasn't his match.
How could the Squad not know this and send me anyway?
As her struggles weakened and consciousness faded, Sen wondered why the Squad had withheld this info.
"Assault!"
"A ambush! Respond!"
"It's Aios Academy students!"
Chaos erupted from downstairs.
Who?
Only one Aios student knew she was here.
Daniel McClain come to help?
"Sen! Where are you?"
Daniel's childhood friend, Ares's voice echoed from below.