Chapter 162: Night in the Military State
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 162: Night in the Military State
As is true anywhere in the world, abandoned buildings are perfect gathering spots for outlaws. The unmanaged structure and the unaccepted person lean on each other, each fulfilling what the other lacks.
And so it was that in another neglected, abandoned building, a predator of the urban jungle was counting its spoils.
Number 2 grinned foolishly at the small glass bottle filled with golden powder.
“Khahaha. What a haul. Number 1, you did good.”
The bottle wasn’t large. It was a tiny vial, small enough that if you stuck your index finger in, it would hit the bottom before it went all the way in.
But precious things often prove their worth through their small size.
An object that required its own bottle for such a meager amount meant, conversely, that its contents were of the utmost importance.
“This is a spice. A Level 2 luxury good, at least. Depending on the type, it could even be Level 4. It’s something a Level 0 plebeian shouldn’t have, and couldn’t have. It’s better that we put it to more meaningful use.”
The one who had actually stolen it, Number 1, looked skeptical.
“It’s just powder. You sure it’s expensive?”
“You really didn’t know? Then why’d you steal it?”
“Just ‘cause. He was holding it so preciously, so I beat him up and took it.”
“Jeez. It’s a miracle a dumbass like you managed to swipe this without a hitch.”
“What’d you say, you bastard?”
Ignoring the incensed Number 1, Number 2 continued.
“I know because I’m from the ‘Market.’ It’s expensive, all right. We’ll have to check its exact value, but if we’re lucky, we might be able to buy an automaton carriage with this. A luxury item that you eat and just disappears into your body. In the Military State, this kind of thing sells for a fortune.”
“You called me a dumbass? You want to see how dumb the guy who gets his ass kicked by a dumbass is?”
“Damn it. Still picking a fight over what happened before.”
“That was just a second ago, you prick.”
Number 3, who had been quietly watching them bicker, suddenly spoke up.
“What’s the risk of being tracked?”
Number 1 boasted.
“None. I checked several times on the way here, and there was nothing.”
Still not reassured by Number 1’s words, Number 3 said seriously.
“Be careful anyway. They might have picked up our trail.”
“Come on. Who’s gonna track us just because some Level 0 citizen got roughed up a bit? Even if a Level 0 citizen reports it, they won’t even file a case. I’m telling you, we can rob them blind and never get caught.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. If it were the police, they’d just barge in openly. But if he has a backer, they’ll retaliate thoroughly.”
Number 1 waved his hand dismissively as if to say it was nonsense, but Number 3 didn’t let it go. Annoyed by his meticulous attitude, Number 1 clicked his tongue and muttered.
“There goes that paranoid bastard again.”
Normally, Number 3 would have shot back a retort, but for some reason, he remained silent today, lost in thought.
“There’s no way a Level 0 could get his hands on spices. Someone must have given it to him. He might have another backer.”
“So what if he has a backer? You think they can compare to Him?”
Number 1 cackled, and even Number 3 didn’t deny it.
The new wind blowing through these back alleys was a storm with the power to shake the old order to its core. A true darkness that would sweep away the filth. A shadow cast over the Military State.
With his power, perhaps even they, who lived in hiding under the State’s oppression, could finally breathe again.
Therefore, they couldn’t afford to be afraid of a mere Level 0 citizen’s backer.
It would be disrespectful to Him.
“The backers in these alleys are just the Dholes. Compared to Him—a powerhouse who scoffs at even the Generals, a man rumored to have escaped from Tantalus… they’re nothing but riffraff.”
Number 1 said with pride. His tone suggested that following the man was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to him, an honor he would never experience again.
Number 3 sighed and slowly got to his feet.
“…All right. If you’re done sorting things, I’m going to the bathroom for a minute.”
As Number 3 walked away, Number 1 shouted after him.
“Try to piss far away if you can! We can’t report to Him that you got arrested for public urination near the base!”
“Do I look like a moron who can’t even cut it off midway?”
“True. It’s more likely nothing comes out than you not being able to stop.”
“This son of a…”
Apparently in a hurry, Number 3 left without another word. Number 1 and Number 2 snickered as they cracked open lukewarm beers.
A Level 1 luxury good, compressed beer.
It was strong from being compressed and sold lukewarm, making it undrinkable for most people without ice. But it was the only alcohol a commoner could get their hands on.
They had no choice. Until they seized control of the back alleys, they had no option but to wet their throats with this awful beer.
Number 2 muttered as he added water to his beer mug.
“You gotta give it to that bastard’s bladder. His bladder’s gotta be Level 0…”
“I’m telling you. Galen—I mean, Number 3—is gonna get hauled off for public urination before any of his other crimes.”
“That’d be a relief, actually. The Military Police would at least give him time to pull up his pants. If he gets ambushed like that, he won’t even be able to tell anyone what happened…”
Thump.
The two, who had been thoroughly bad-mouthing the absent man, snapped their mouths shut at the sound from the floor below. They held their breath for a moment and listened, but after that one noise, there was only silence.
Number 2 frowned and called out.
“Number 3, is that you? Don’t tell me you pissed right on the floor below us. I told you to go far away so it wouldn’t stink!”
There was no answer. Number 2 grumbled as he got up and walked to the edge of the derelict building.
The building’s walls were still incomplete. From the edge, where one misstep could send you plummeting five stories, Number 2 stuck his head out and peered down.
“What the. There’s no one downstairs. Was it just the wind?”
Seeing Number 2’s precarious position, Number 1 pointed it out worriedly.
“Hey, Milsen. Isn’t that dangerous? You look like you’re about to fall.”
“You coward. Did you catch Galen’s worrying habit? What’s so dangerous about this?”
“You’ve been drinking. What if you slip?”
“Sometimes I wonder how a chicken-shit bastard like you ended up in a group like this. If I’m such a loser that I’d get drunk off one beer, I deserve to fall and die. Nag, nag, nag, just like a damn mother…”
Ignoring a mother’s nagging, you say.
Toward the clueless Number 2, I offered my own sincere advice.
“You should listen to your mother’s nagging. It’s all advice that’s for your own good.”
“Huh?”
The moment Number 2 dumbly questioned me, I passed judgment on the unfilial son. The wire attached to my hook unspooled rapidly, wrapping around his neck.
Holding the other end of the wire, I muttered.
“The crime for ignoring a lecture: the umbilical cord sentence.”
“Gack!”
Immediately after, his body, choked by the wire, was dragged stumbling toward the edge. A panicked Number 1 lunged and grabbed Number 2’s legs.
Thanks to him, Number 2 was now being pulled from both ends, choking him even more effectively.
As Number 2 gagged, Number 1 shouted.
“Who’s there?!”
“A sad and hungry man who lost his dinner. I’ve come to avenge my unborn meal.”
While Number 1 was distracted far from the stairs, I calmly walked up.
Phew, the plan was a success.
I’m just an ordinary human who can’t fly, so it would have been a real pain if they were guarding the stairs. I’m grateful they cleared the way for me.
Number 1 belatedly noticed my arrival and demanded.
“You bastard! What did you do to Number 3?”
“The man with the small bladder is covering the wall he defiled with his own body. In my opinion, his mangled corpse looks filthier than whatever came out of his bladder… Ah, shit, just imagining it is pissing me off again. You’re getting a beating. Let me catch my breath first.”
Setting up on the fifth floor is worse than the actual crime. It took me forever to get up here. If you’re a human who lives with your feet on the ground, please, for the love of god, stick to the first floor.
“Who are you? Who sent you?”
“The world sent me. By the way, do people still just beat others up for no reason these days? Aren’t you afraid of the stern judgment of the Military State’s criminal code?”
As I strode forward, Number 1 glanced desperately at Number 2, who was still gagging and choking. If he let go, it looked like Number 2 would be strangled and fall five stories.
‘I have no choice. If I get attacked now, we’re both finished. It’s better to just let go. One of us has to survive!’
His mind made up, Number 1 squeezed his eyes shut and released his grip.
Number 2’s eyes widened in betrayal as he reached out a hand in vain, but it was too late. His body was pulled over the edge, teetered there for a heart-stopping moment, and then vanished with a soft thud.
I was impressed.
“Wow. You let go just like that. I thought you’d hold on a little longer.”
“You son of a bitch…! You killed Number 2!”
“No. You’re the one who let go.”
I don’t just kill people like this. Number 2 is probably flailing around in the wire net I set up on the floor below. As for his sense of betrayal toward you… well, he might be feeling it?
However, Number 1, unaware of this, was thoroughly enraged and pulled a sharp knife from his pocket.
“Are you alone?”
“I have been lonely lately.”
I replied, tipping my magician’s hat slightly. Number 1 gripped his knife tightly and scanned his surroundings for any other presence.
‘Just this one guy. He doesn’t look that strong. If he were, he would have just charged in from the start instead of ambushing us one by one.’
Number 1’s assessment was correct.
I’m an ordinary petty criminal. I’m cautious when there are two opponents and run when there are three. I’m a perfectly normal person who feels pain when stabbed with a knife.
Which is why I have to give it my all, even when dealing with riffraff like this.
‘He probably planned to ambush me while I was holding onto Number 2. But he was wrong. We’re prepared for this. Number 2 would understand.’
No, he didn’t. He seemed pretty resentful, actually.
Having settled things in his own mind, Number 1 glared at me with burning eyes.
“I’ll avenge Number 2 and Number 3, you bastard!”
Number 1 raised his knife and charged.
I don’t particularly enjoy head-on fights. It’s a problem if the opponent is strong, and it’s a problem if they’re weak. I’d rather he didn’t trip over his own feet and accidentally stab me.
So.
“Ta-da.”
I pulled out a hidden card.
The Six of Diamonds, a card with six rhombuses arranged in a circle.
‘A card? What’s he going to do with that?!’
On the surface, it was an ordinary card.
But its true identity was a piece of alchemic equipment I had spent my entire fortune on. A crystallization of my profligacy, made by spending one, sometimes even two, sheets of Alchemic Gold per card.
Via my bio-receptor, I initiated an alchemical transformation. In an instant, the card unraveled, revealing its true form.
A small revolver that fit perfectly in my palm.
Number 1’s eyes widened.
‘A-a gun?!’
Yep, a gun.
Thwip.
A silenced bullet struck him in the ankle. A large hole appeared.
It lacked the power to pass through, but a bullet fired at such close range was more than enough to stop a common thug.
“Guh!”
It was, at best, a gun. Humans don’t die instantly from a gunshot. If he had endured the pain and taken another step, if he had lunged at me then and there, Number 1 might have won.
But just as I was a petty criminal, Number 1 was an equally insignificant being.
Unable to bear the pain, Number 1 lost his balance and slid to the ground. I changed the revolver back into a card, drew my skewer, and sat on top of him.
Having easily subdued Number 1, I spoke leisurely.
“Friends. If you don’t wish to foster any more camaraderie with me, let’s start negotiating. At this point, I can let this go if you just hand over the spice.”
“Hah! Bullshit…!”
Number 1, pinned beneath me, hadn’t lost an ounce of his fighting spirit and struggled.
His vigorous thrashing almost made me lose my balance, so I had no choice but to stab him in the shoulder with the skewer.
“Gyaaaaaaaah!”
With something inside his body, Number 1 became much more compliant. Instead of struggling further, he gritted his teeth and yelled.
“Do you know who we are? We are the ‘Shadow’ of the Military State! If you kill me, He won’t let you get away with it!”
Him? Who’s Him? And what kind of organization is the Shadow? Why have all these weirdos moved into the back alleys where there’s nothing to eat while I was gone?
Well, that was outside my current interests.
What was important right now was something else.
“Whatever. Where’s the spice? It’s rather valuable, so I’d like it back.”
“Ha!”
Perhaps not fully grasping the situation, Number 1 put on a brave face even while pinned down.
“The spice? Heh. It’s in my stomach. Go ahead, cut my belly open and take it!”
A lie. He had hidden the spice in his inner pocket.
I could have just searched his clothes and taken it, but I was curious about the source of his baseless bravado, so I asked.
“You shouldn’t say things like that so carelessly, friend. What will you do if I actually cut your belly open?”
“Ha! Go ahead and try! You think you have the guts?”
His bold words were surprisingly sincere, which made me fall silent.
During my silence, Number 1 spoke triumphantly.
“What, you scared? We’re all prepared to die. You think we’d be robbing people in the Military State without that kind of resolve?”
He had a point.
Getting caught for robbery in the Military State meant a minimum of fifteen years of hard labor. Depending on the number of people attacked or the severity of the crime, it could even lead to a summary conviction.
If they washed their hands of it now and went into hiding, they might have a chance to live…
“If it’s our fate to work until we die anyway, then we’d rather live gloriously and go out with a bang! For the sake of Him, who will grant our wish, we are prepared to die, and prepared to kill!”
I understood. As a mind reader, I understood his desires and ambitions.
‘I’m a lowlife in this country with no dreams or hope. The only one who can change this fate is Him! He will overturn the Military State and rule the underworld! Then, as His follower, I can change my life too…!’
The Military State. In this nation where the state had taken everything, there were no dreams, no hope, no romance, no luxury. There was only the slow erosion of the self in a repetitive daily life.
The future presented by a completely controlled nation was so fixed and gray that anyone with a romantic soul would simply wither and die.
But.
“My friend, you shouldn’t talk about being prepared to die so lightly. Especially not in front of me.”
Since no living person has ever died, they can’t know if their resolve to die is true or false.
Even if they are sincere in the moment, countless people struggle pathetically right before death.
But those who claim to be prepared to die often wield that resolve like a weapon to kill others. As if they can atone for their sins with their own death.
Without ever proving their ability to pay that price, they just keep creating more sins.
So, when I meet someone who says they’re prepared to die, if their belief in their own resolve is at least genuine…
I have no choice but to test it, do I?
I spoke in a relaxed tone.
“Actually, that spice has a nickname: sprinkled gold dust. It’s made by drying only the pistils of a flower found occasionally on the southeastern coast. It’s a top-grade spice, they say a handful of it can buy a plot of land. As an edible luxury, it would probably sell for an incredible price in the Military State.”
“Haha! Too bad for you! Something so amazing is about to become my shit!”
‘He seemed unusual…! Good, if I can trick him, or even if he takes it from me, I can report it to Him! It will help His great cause…!’
“But ta-da. The spice was right here.”
I dangled the bottle, filled with shimmering golden powder, in front of his eyes. For a moment, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
‘I definitely put it in my inner pocket. How did he know?’
“I’m a magician, you see. I can take things out of a box without even touching it. Though in this case, the box was your gut.”
Of course, I had just read his mind and pickpocketed him, but I spoke as if I had really pulled it from his stomach.
“Did you know? The flower that this spice comes from is a poisonous plant that can kill you if you eat it wrong. The pistil has the least amount of toxins and the most unique fragrance, but this spice, made by drying and compressing it… if you eat too much, it becomes a deadly poison.”
‘What? Poison…?’
“Of course, more people have probably died trying to get their hands on this spice. That’s why it’s always been compared to a person’s life.”
So his claim of having eaten all the spice had to be a lie…
Though not anymore.
“As you said, I have neither the resolve to die nor the resolve to kill. I suppose someone without such resolve doesn’t deserve to possess a spice as precious as a human life.”
I sighed, then grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head up. I inserted a rolled-up card into the gap of his slightly open mouth.
His mouth couldn’t close. While Number 1 was panicking, I held the spice bottle with two fingers. The confusion in Number 1’s eyes slowly turned to terror.
“Sorry for taking it out without asking. I’ll put it back for you.”
It’s fine. The glass bottle is sturdy.
If you’re lucky, you just might survive.