Chapter 52
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Schemes in the Rain
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Where did it all go wrong?
‘Why do these people like this sort of thing?’
Zenta wondered inwardly as he threw a piece of bread on the floor.
At first, he had simply dropped it, but as the crowd’s anticipation seemed to turn to disappointment, Zenta grew anxious.
It was the first time he had ever tasted the sweetness of others’ expectations, and he couldn’t bear to see them turn to disappointment.
When Zenta threw the bread, small cheers even erupted from the crowd.
Seeing this, his friends acted even more boisterously.
It had now escalated to the point of kicking tables.
‘Why isn’t that woman stopping us?’
Zenta craned his neck, puzzled by the sight of the waitress watching them with sparkling eyes.
Far from stopping them, the waitress brought them more beer and even pushed another table over for them, telling them to get comfortable.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but the table seemed to sway.
‘They want ruffians.’
Zenta exchanged a look with his two friends. A look of determination settled in their simple eyes, which didn't match their rugged appearances.
‘This is the castle where we’ll be settling down. We have to make a good impression, no matter what.’
For Zenta, who had been an errand boy at the Cute Rabbit, mimicking a ruffian was easier than he’d thought.
All he had to do was talk loudly as if he were strong and make exaggerated movements as if he were overflowing with energy, and he could be an excellent ruffian.
They already had the perfect appearance for it, so they were able to put on a great performance.
“Wooooh!”
The people around them were no longer hiding it, bursting into cheers.
The adulation was so sweet it was hard to stay sober.
Just how long had they been gleefully wrecking the place?
*Creeak—.*
The door opened with a sound so eerie that Zenta froze.
And in walked the heinous man from the checkpoint.
‘What’s that vile criminal doing here?’
*Hic!*
Zenta froze solid.
The man had only just walked in, but the hall fell silent in an instant. His massive presence seemed to press down on the entire room, as immense as his build.
“Hmm…”
The man slowly looked around the hall.
Following his gaze, Zenta also took in their surroundings.
Overturned tables and mangled pieces of bread on the floor.
Broken chairs…
‘Huh? We didn’t break any chairs.’
Zenta tilted his head in confusion.
Then, the man’s gaze landed on Zenta.
Zenta forcefully suppressed a hiccup as he met the man’s eyes, which were surprisingly pure for such a brutish face.
Finally, unable to withstand the pressure, Zenta looked away and noticed that the atmosphere had changed.
The onlookers were staring back and forth between him and the man with sparkling eyes. It was a look of desperate anticipation.
‘Ah. So that’s it.’
He had seen it before.
It was the same look he had seen during the execution of a notoriously vicious criminal in Karzan. Zenta, too, had watched the condemned man with the same sparkling eyes.
‘So this is why they cheered for the ruffians.’
Every execution needed a condemned man.
Finally understanding the situation, Zenta let out a small sigh.
A wave of injustice washed over him.
All they had wanted was to make a good impression on their new neighbors.
“Overtime, I see.”
At the man’s deep voice, Zenta quickly brought the mug of beer on the table to his lips.
Even with three of them, there was no way they could beat a man that big, clad head to toe in iron.
Hoping to at least lessen the pain, Zenta hastily chugged the remaining beer. Seeing this, his friends beside him followed suit.
Soon, having emptied their mugs, they rose gracefully from their seats.
Why did the back of a condemned man climbing the gallows come to mind?
And why did the man’s massive fist look like the cold, sharp blade of a guillotine?
***
‘What’s with these guys?’
I prodded the fallen men with my foot.
I had only nudged them lightly, but they collapsed with thin screams unbecoming of their size.
Thinking it might be an act, I hit each of them one more time, but there was no reaction. They were definitely out cold.
‘I’m sure they passed the personality test…’
It was baffling that guys who had passed my one-hundred-percent-accurate personality test were causing a ruckus in Hana’s tavern.
‘Was there a flaw? Is one hit not enough?’
I gathered the unconscious men in one spot while pondering how to improve my method. They were quite heavy, given their size.
“Ah, Aron! You worked hard!”
Hana, who had been cheering when the men knocked over a table she had subtly pushed and then broke, greeted me with a perfectly innocent expression, as if nothing had happened.
“What’s with them?”
“They don’t seem like bad people…”
Hana gestured toward the hall with her chin.
I turned my head and saw a few guys clearing their throats and getting up from their seats. When our eyes met, they froze, laughed awkwardly, and discreetly placed a silver coin each on their tables.
‘Those bastards are always here.’
I clicked my tongue and waved my hand.
At that, the men scurried outside.
Just before the door closed, I saw them exchanging satisfied looks. One of them, a man with a particularly large belly, was shadowboxing with sparkling eyes.
They clearly had too much time on their hands.
“Ah, you’ve arrived.”
Washing Machine, wearing an apron, bowed to me and then pointed a hand in my direction.
Instantly, the grime on my body was blasted onto the floor. Washing Machine then casually wiped it up with the mop in his hand.
He had been staying at Hana's while teaching Kanna, and he seemed to be enjoying life here. He had put on more weight and had better color than when I’d seen him in Karzan.
‘Well, considering how many gold coins are going to him.’
Quite a few gold coins had left my pouch for tuition fees, but I didn’t regret it much.
Thanks to Hana’s haggling, the price for hiring a mage was cheap, and it was a price I was willing to pay for human dignity in this filthy medieval world.
Refrigerator, who was behind Washing Machine, came forward to show me what she had learned today.
At Refrigerator’s gesture, the faces of the three unconscious men were instantly cleaned. They coughed up water, tears, and snot in the process, but that was a minor detail.
‘I guess I shouldn’t let her try it on me until it’s perfected.’
“Wow, you’re a genius. Amazing. The best.”
I patted Refrigerator’s head, offering awkward praise. Her lips twitched into a wide grin, and she was about to point her hand at me when I quickly grabbed it.
As the little brat kept trying to point her finger at me, Hana, who was sitting across from us, gently pulled her into an embrace.
“So, Aron, what do you think of these people?”
Hana asked, pointing at the three unconscious men.
“Why?”
“Aron.”
At my question, Hana suddenly straightened her posture, her expression turning serious as she leaned toward me.
‘I’ll never be able to wear a heart guard.’
As I was having such idle thoughts, Hana continued.
“I saw potential in Kanna’s ice beer.”
At Hana’s serious words, Kanna’s lips twitched into a huge grin.
“Potential?”
“Yes. At least in Casedic Castle, Kanna’s ice beer has no rival. So I’m thinking of expanding.”
“I see.”
I had no idea what more she could do in this tiny castle, but Hana’s large eyes were so earnest that I nodded.
After that, with Refrigerator sitting on her lap, Hana laid out her various plans at length.
She had clearly given it a lot of thought, and most of her ideas sounded plausible.
More than anything, it was obvious how much she cared for Kanna, so there was nothing for me to add.
Even if there were child protection laws, her treatment of Kanna would have been considered discretionary. In a world without such laws, it was undoubtedly the best treatment in the industry.
Besides, Kanna, who used to swindle rough men in dice games, wasn't likely to let herself be taken advantage of, nor did I think Hana would ever exploit her.
“So I’m thinking of changing the name. Is that okay?”
“What?”
It seemed the topic had changed while my mind was wandering. I made a vague “Hmm…” sound as if I had been listening.
“I’m thinking of changing it to ‘The Smiling Aron Rabbit.’ I’ll give you a share in exchange!”
Hana said with a serious face, emphasizing the word ‘share’ by moving her hand up and down.
‘I don’t think she knows what a share is.’
I was highly suspicious, but lending my name wasn’t a big deal, so I nodded.
‘She’s probably just trying to avoid trouble.’
Doing business under my name in Casedic Castle would certainly ward off any trouble.
Of course, it might also scare people away, but that was Hana’s problem to solve.
“The ‘share’ will be paid out once a week! How about it?!”
I was now certain Hana had no idea what a share was.
Having received my approval, Hana smiled brightly, then grabbed Refrigerator’s hand and swung it back and forth excitedly. After a few swings, Refrigerator pulled her hand away and disappeared inside.
After that, Hana rambled on for a while about ‘How to Become the Richest Merchant in the Eastern Empire with Kanna’s Ice Beer.’
Her plan was surprisingly detailed, and it almost made sense if you didn't listen too closely, so I just nodded along.
As I half-listened to Hana—who was as excited as a puppy with a new bone—and drank about five mugs of beer, the trio of men began to stir and regain consciousness.
“Eeeek—!”
The moment they came to and their eyes met mine, they shrieked in terror, letting out thin screams unbecoming of their large frames, as if they had seen a ghost.
“Calm down! Look closely! He’s not a demon or a vicious criminal, just a mean-looking guard!”
The one who had gotten hit by me at the checkpoint was the first to compose himself and tried to calm the others, though his words were hardly reassuring.
“Everyone, come sit over here.”
Once the trio had calmed down, Hana had them sit at the next table and began to talk.
“So, the broken tables and chairs… and the tabs from the customers who ran off in shock… if we add it all up…”
Unlike when she talked to me, Hana’s voice was sharp and clear as she laid out the details one by one.
“So, this isn't a common opportunity… there’s this thing called a stake… and it’s in a format called a colerancha…”
Hana spouted a mix of impressive-sounding words she had picked up somewhere, making it sound as complicated as possible. The trio blinked and nodded along.
‘These guys are suckers.’
I had been about to step in as a shill, but the three were already completely captivated by Hana’s words.
When Hana explained the concepts of initial investment and risk, justifying why their wages would have to be low, they even gasped in admiration, “Ooh—!”
‘The three suckers.’
They were lucky to have met Hana. If they had run into someone malicious, they could have been dragged over the Girteun Mountains and forced onto a kraken-hunting ship by now.
Just then, Washing Machine brought me a piece of bread topped with stir-fried meat and vegetables.
I was feeling peckish, so I took a bite, and it was quite good. Good enough that I felt a little less bitter about the money I was spending on him.
As I was happily eating, Hana poked my arm with her finger.
“Aron? You’ve never made that face when you eat my cooking.”
Hana narrowed her eyes, glaring at me.
“Huh? Hana, your cooking is just so-so.”
“…What do you mean, so-so?”
Hana’s eyes went wide as she asked again.
I considered how to phrase my answer delicately before speaking.
“Hana’s cooking is a good bit below average.”
At that, Hana’s eyes narrowed.
“One silver!”
Hana pumped her fist up and down more vigorously than usual as she glared at me.
“Yeah, whatever.”
Watching her, I stuffed the rest of the bread into my mouth.
It was definitely much better than Hana’s meat-filled bread.
***
The rain, which had held off for a while, was now pouring down as if a hole had opened up in the sky.
Because of it, it was as dark as night, even though it was dawn.
I looked up at the sunless sky and let the cool rain hit me directly. The thick drops beat down on my body, and I felt as if the grime clinging to me was being washed away.
It wasn't a bad feeling.
The familiar stench of filth was masked by the smell of rain, and my sinuses cleared as if they’d been unblocked.
I cupped my hands to collect the rainwater, washed my face, and then slicked my wet hair back. The refreshing coolness snapped my slightly dazed mind back to full alertness.
“Jojang, it’s raining cats and dogs.”
Just then, Kel greeted me, twirling an umbrella.
He stood under an umbrella decorated with four roses, a bright smile on his face. That smile was quite irritating.
“Nice umbrella you’ve got there.”
I smiled back, holding out my hand.
“Hey, didn’t you take one last time? Where’d that one go…”
Kel’s eyes widened as he hid the umbrella behind his back.
“Gave it to the kids. I’ll just borrow it for a bit. Hand it over.”
“No, what do you mean ‘just for a bit’… You didn’t give back the last one either.”
“You told me to keep it. Hey, now. Your Jojang is getting wet.”
“You’re already soaked, so just take it. People from the Order say rain is a blessing from the gods and stand in it on purpose…”
“I’m an *honorary* monk. Honorary. I’m going to catch a cold. You’ll go to hell for this. You see that? The gates of hell are opening. See?”
“A man who could chew up a demon isn't going to catch a cold… Seriously…”
Kel grumbled as he handed over the umbrella.
The sight was so amusing that I deliberately laughed out loud, twirling the umbrella as obnoxiously as I could.
Rainwater collected on the tips of the umbrella scattered, bouncing off his breastplate.
Kel, now deprived of his umbrella, stood fully in the rain with his head hung low. Just as I was wondering if he was crying and my mouth began to itch with a retort…
“Actually… I anticipated this.”
Kel fumbled with something behind his back and unfolded it. It was a much larger umbrella, decorated with a single, massive rose.
The now-drenched Kel stood under his newly opened umbrella, chuckling, “Hoo hoo…”
It was a ridiculous sight, no different from a comedy sketch, but he seemed to think he had gotten one over on me, as his smile was quite deep.
“Unlike other umbrellas with ordinary wooden frames, this one is made from the wood of an ancient tree… See! It’s fine even if you shake it like this… like this…”
Kel boasted with a smug grin, shaking the umbrella in his hand. Each time he shook it, the collected rainwater streamed down the sides.
“That one looks better. Let’s trade.”
I held out my hand again.
“Ah, seriously—!”
Kel, who clearly hadn’t anticipated this, scrunched up his face and yelled.
***
*Pat-pat-patter—.*
Razvet bit her lip in irritation, annoyed by the sound of the heavy raindrops.
Razvet didn’t particularly dislike the rain.
In fact, in some ways, she even liked it.
However, there was a condition.
Razvet only liked the rain when she was indoors, where not a single drop could touch her, watching it fall outside.
Technically, Razvet was indoors, but strangely, she was getting wet.
‘When you have two holes in the wall, it comes in from both sides.’
Razvet muttered a curse as she wiped the rainwater from her face with a nearby cloth.
Though she hadn’t confirmed his identity yet, Razvet was leaning heavily toward the “Aron is a former building demolition expert” theory that one of the residents had mentioned.
‘How did he make such big holes without making a sound?’
Razvet stared at the holes with a troubled expression.
Then she checked the magic pouch in her hand.
‘Edan…’
Contacting Edan was simple.
Edan’s ‘Blade That Pierces the Enemy’s Neck’ mercenary group had branches all over the continent. There was one in Pliton Castle, not far from here, so a message sent there would surely get a reply.
‘But why did he tell me to call him to Karzan, not Casedic Castle?’
She couldn't fathom the man's intentions.
‘And why hasn't a reply come back yet?’
Several days had passed since she had sent him a bundle of wanted posters.
The man loved to show off his information-gathering skills, so a reply should have arrived within a day…
‘Is that bastard having second thoughts?’
What if he had figured it out first and made a move…
*Whoooosh—.*
At that moment, a strong gust of wind blew rain through the hole in front of her, drenching Razvet completely.
Razvet closed her eyes and took a deep breath to control her rising anger.
It was then.
*Chirp-chirp—.*
A soaking-wet white pigeon returned.
Razvet quickly took the pigeon and untied the small cylinder from its leg.
Inside the cylinder were the wanted posters, and on top of them were the names of the clients and information about the individuals on the posters.
Not needing the others, Razvet only checked Aron’s poster.
‘…Why does he have so many nicknames?’
It wasn’t unheard of for people to have more than three nicknames, but Aron’s poster listed over ten.
‘Sand-Spitting Ruffian, Sand-Eating Ruffian… Another ruffian? All this talk of sand must mean he’s from the western part of the Empire.’
They were all nicknames she had never heard of.
Since Razvet had only ever operated in the eastern part of the Empire, she wouldn’t know anyone from the west unless they were a major figure on the level of Edan, the “former king.”
‘This is useless.’
Razvet’s fine brow furrowed in deep disappointment.
Her plan had been to uncover his identity, sell all the information to whoever was looking for him, and then flee…
‘First, I’ll grab what I can.’
Having made her decision, Razvet took out a potion, fed it to the pigeon, and placed a magically treated envelope into the cylinder on its leg.
Then, she took out a small yellow container and a black one from her pocket and let the pigeon smell them.
The pigeon flew back outside.
The rain was heavy, but she wasn’t worried.
This pigeon was worth every coin she paid for it.
Just then, she heard a *whoo-whoo* sound from behind.
Thinking that man had come again, Razvet reached into her chest to grab her hidden weapon.
She turned around casually, but instead of the man, a doofus was vigorously shaking out his soaking wet hair.
Her tension dissipated, replaced by irritation.
“You! Why do you keep using that instead of the door!”
“Huh? It’s just more convenient… Whoa! Razvet! I’m not mentally prepared! You’re beautiful, Razvet, but your personality is shit…”
“What?”
For a moment, Razvet couldn't believe her ears.
Then, noticing his gaze fixed on her chest, she pulled out the weapon hidden in her right breast.
“You’re too aggressive… stimulating!”
She pointed it at the man, who was still spouting nonsense, and pulled the trigger.
*Thwack—.*
The embedded magic shot out and hit him square in the stomach.
“Aaaargh—.”
Watching him clutch his stomach and hop around, she felt a decade’s worth of frustration melt away.
Although it was a magical tool that could only be used three times and had cost a fortune, it was well worth it.
Just then, a gust of wind came from behind, and this time her back got soaked.
‘Why did he have to make holes on both sides…’
Razvet’s hands trembled with annoyance. She aimed at the whimpering doofus, who was now spasming on the ground with a little ‘gwak,’ and pulled the trigger again.
*Thwack—.*
“Aaaaaargh!”
Two of the three shots were gone, but this time too, it was well worth it.
‘But what does this nickname mean… *The one who ruined a kingdom*?’
Razvet tilted her head, recalling the one nickname that had particularly caught her eye.
By then, the doofus had stopped his frantic spasms and was panting heavily.
‘This bastard is surprisingly tough.’
Razvet quickly pulled the trigger one more time.
“Gyaaaaaaah!!”
Two gold coins, gone.
But it was worth it.
***
‘To come all the way to this backwater.’
‘The Kid’ Dune stared at the massive castle wall in the distance and scratched his head.
“Casedic Castle recently became famous for the rumor that its lord, Baron Pulpuchu, learned to fly, and for the stunning beauty of his daughter, known as the Flower of the East.”
‘Nightmare-Eater’ Darbun chattered on, his white jawbone clacking, though no one had asked.
‘Nightmare-Eater, my ass… More like Never-Stops-Talking.’
That guy had been chattering nonstop beside him the entire way to this remote place, and his ears were about to bleed.
Why did a creature who spoke telepathically need to move its jaw and make that clacking sound every time it talked…
“Hmm? Ah, from your expression, Dune, you must be curious. Curious why the Society doesn’t send everyone at once, but in waves like this.”
‘I’m not curious, you bastard.’
Still, he was a superior, so Dune schooled his expression and nodded.
“Well… since you’re of rank now, Dune, I suppose you should know. Huge clandestine organizations like ours are given guidelines by the Empire. I mean, it’s absurd to think we survived the invincible Empire that swallowed most of the continent, right? I don't know why, but as long as we follow the guidelines, the Empire turns a blind eye, more or less. Like the relationship between common city thugs and the guards. Of course, this is a fact known only to us executive-level members. It would be chaos if the grunts knew, wouldn’t it?”
Darbun continued to clack away for a long time after that.
“And it’s not like we have only one thing to worry about, is it? The black mages and the demon-possessed have a rebellious streak and won’t listen… and that Knight Hunter! If you’re an executive, you should have some sense of responsibility, but just because he caught one knight, he won’t move until he’s devoured the entire corpse! I heard he’s even planning to smoke it! Ha! Those who feel hunger are so foolish… Ah, I wasn’t talking about you, Dune! You’re a sensible demon-possessed!”
Darbun said, wagging a white index finger bone. Dune forced his face, which kept trying to grimace, to remain smooth and nodded.
“Anyway, it’s about efficiency! Efficiency! Nothing ruins the Society more than investing excessive manpower into anything…”
*Clack, clack, clack.*
Dune seriously considered it.
Instead of ‘The Kid,’ wouldn’t a nickname like ‘The One Who Smashed the Chatterbox Skull’ or ‘The Insubordinate’ be better?
“Alright everyone, wipe off the rainwater before your bones rot! When will we, the Breathless, get to gather like this again? Let’s all pull together and show them the terror of the Breathless! Let’s shatter the prejudice that we, the Breathless, are slowed by a little rain! Now, on the count of three, clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack! That’s us!”
Now the ‘clack’ was coming from a whole group, and Dune’s hand went to the hilt of the sword at his waist.
*Clack!*
Staring at the hazy form of Casedic Castle through the thick rain, Dune considered it very, very seriously.
*Clack, clack, clack!*
Yes, ‘The One Who Smashed All the Chatterbox Skulls’ seemed like the best nickname.
“We, the Breathless! Will not be defeated by mere rain! Our bones do not rot! We are the Breathless!!”
The skeletons vibrated as if in resonance.
Dune forced the sword, which had been drawn about an inch, back into its sheath and reread the paper Darbun had given him.
‘One Inquisitor, one Abbot, one Knight, a total of 43 soldiers. Outer Wall Guard, 36. One ruffian Guard Jojang? Is this a joke? Why is a Guard Jojang listed separately?’
That chatterbox skeleton was definitely playing a prank.
Dune irritably scratched a line through the ‘Guard Jojang’ part with his fingernail.
Honestly, the Breathless were never serious about anything, which was why they and Dune just didn’t get along.