Chapter 106
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Unpredictable (1)
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It was a space that looked like a warehouse, not particularly large.
A woman with an eyepatch over one eye and tattoos covering her body wiped the blood from her grayish sword onto the floor and opened her mouth.
"This bastard doesn't know either."
The moment the woman shook the blood off her sword and spoke, the five bound men and women in front of her began trembling violently.
"Spa... spare me..."
It happened in an instant. The man's head and body separated before he could even finish begging for his life.
Splat—
Thud.
"Eek... eek... h-heuk..."
"I didn't say you could speak."
The moment the woman spoke, everyone held their breath so completely that even the sound of their breathing vanished. It was proof of just how intense the fear she inspired was.
For a while, not even the sound of breathing could be heard until the woman finally spoke again.
"Shin Tae-ya, tell me. What were you planning to do with the siphoned funds and drugs?"
"... B-Boss..."
"Ugh... I told you not to call me that. It sounds cheap, you punk."
"J-Just spare me this once! I-I must've been blinded by money! Just one chance..."
"Shut up, you bastard. I picked you up from the back alleys when you couldn't even act like a human, let you handle some cash, and this is how you repay me—fucking stabbing me in the back."
"P-Please..."
"Shut it and just spill where you hid the funds and drugs."
"Th-That..."
"Ugh, hey, cut off one of this bastard's arms."
The moment the woman finished speaking, one of the men standing beside her—the one holding an axe—stepped forward with a response.
"Yes, sis."
As the axe-wielding man approached him, the bound man frantically started talking.
"I'll talk! W-Wait, just a moment!"
"Too late. Fucking punk, you should've taken the chance when it was offered. You think I can't find the drugs and money without you?"
"No...! No...!"
Soon, a tearing sound of flesh was followed by the man's screams echoing through the room, but most of the people there remained utterly unfazed.
"Ugh, damn it... This is why you gotta pick your people carefully in business."
At the woman's icy words, the man right beside her bowed his head and spoke.
"...I'm sorry, Master."
The woman placed her hand on the shoulder of her subordinate who had apologized.
Her forearm looked so delicate compared to the man's—like it might shatter if touched—but he didn't dare resist.
"Yeah, you know what I'm saying, right? I told you to pick your people carefully. Right?"
"......."
"Let's do better, okay? People make mistakes, but repeating the same one... I can't overlook that. Got it?"
"...Yes, thank you, Master."
"Good, as long as you get it. Interrogate the rest of these bastards and squeeze out whatever you can, then disband."
"Yes!"
As the room began to clear, one of the men being dragged away suddenly screamed in fury.
Naturally, all eyes turned to him.
"Y-You devilish bitch! Born as the daughter of a famous yakuza even on Earth, with everything handed to you from birth...! And for that bit of money...! You dog! Kill me! Just kill me!"
Everyone froze mid-motion, as if they'd seen a ghost.
The sight of them all watching one person's reaction was beyond words.
"......"
"Y-You... fucking bitch...!"
"Bring him forward."
"Y-Yes...!"
Soon, the subordinates dragged the furious man before the woman. He hesitated for a moment, then continued trembling as he spoke.
"F-Fuck, you fucking bitch! Kill me! If you're gonna kill me, just do it—!"
"...Looks like we have a brave hero here. Perfect fit for Eras, huh?"
"Wh-What're you..."
The woman lowered her stance to meet his eyes, her gaze flashing sharply.
"Makes sense. You wouldn't know how to think for yourself, just drooling over others' achievements. If you were that jealous, why not use your own head to carve out a new path instead of stealing and running?"
The man was utterly overwhelmed by the woman's blood-splattered, menacing face.
Her features were enchantingly alluring—the kind that would torment men's hearts if the blood were cleaned off—but the man facing her felt only terror.
"Still, you've pissed me off, so you'll pay the price. You'll be begging for a quick death soon enough. Looking forward to it."
"W-Wait a second...!"
"Get the syringe."
"Uh... Boss, you really gonna use that?"
"Syringe."
"A-Ah, yes! Here..."
The moment the woman took the syringe, she jammed it straight into the bound man's neck.
"Hngh! Heuk! H-heuk...!"
The drug the woman injected heightened a creature's senses several times over.
It could amplify pleasure multifold, but it was equally perfect for inflicting agony.
"Flay him alive and dump him."
"...Yes!"
As the woman walked away from the scene, a man who appeared to be her close aide cautiously spoke up beside her.
"Um, Master. I have something to report."
"What."
"The drug distribution line in Baronia has been cut off."
"...Tell me more."
"Well... It seems they outsourced to a few clans within the neutral nation. One of those clans investigated the drugs, and the Red Ant Clan's master was captured and executed. The clan basically disintegrated... Probably hard to find a new route now."
"Ugh... Really? I figured it'd get busted eventually, but I didn't expect the neutral nation to act this fast."
"......"
"Well, I was planning to ditch that route after the Red Ant Clan's master changed anyway."
"Ah... Is that so? Any particular reason...?"
"The new clan master is a coward."
"...A coward?"
"I could see in his eyes he was gonna bail soon. The previous Red Ant Clan master was perfect as a business partner. Shame."
"Ah... I see."
"What was it again? Some slave escaped and wiped them all out? Ridiculous when I heard it."
"...One slave?"
"Yeah, I thought it was bullshit at first, but it checked out. Ugh, what a world..."
"......"
"Anyway, who fucked up my business? I should at least remember the name."
"Ah... It was the Eternity Clan."
"...Eternity Clan? You mean the one I know, with Gwangnyeon as master in Baronia?"
"Yes, that's right, Master."
"Didn't that clan collapse? Didn't Guyen-jeong die or something?"
"Ah... They nearly did collapse. Everyone except the new recruits who joined quit the clan."
"...And?"
"Here's the crazy part. Shockingly, those remaining newbies went on an expedition and succeeded, contributed to rooting out the outlaw spies, showed skills beyond rookies, and even resolved the royal palace's commission this time, reviving the clan."
"Ugh..."
"Baronia's buzzing about it right now. Plus, they're allied with the Myth Clan."
"...Allied with the Myth Clan?"
The moment she heard "Myth Clan," the woman's eyes gleamed.
"Yes..."
"That's the clan run by that bitch Yun Yeon, right?"
"Yes, correct."
"...Interesting."
"...And while the Eternity Clan did handle the commission, the top contributor this time was apparently a male clan member named Lee Yun-seong."
"Lee Yun-seong? First time hearing that name."
"He's making waves in Baronia lately. From what I dug up, he's connected to all the big events: the outlaw spy hunt, the alliance with Myth Clan, this royal palace commission. Of course, the current clan master, Seo Yu-ju, is also famous for her insane strength despite being a newbie."
"...Really? So this Lee Yun-seong guy is deeply involved in this mess?"
"...Yes."
"Ugh... A clan that's been on fire lately... I'd like to meet them. I wanna see that bitch Yun Yeon's face too."
"......"
"Once I wrap things up here, business will be done anyway. Going to see the cute punk who messed with my operations doesn't sound bad. Especially since it's tied to Yun Yeon... Should be fun."
"....."
"Dig up everything you can on the Eternity Clan and this Lee Yun-seong guy."
"Yes."
The royal palace's subjugation operation had concluded. The result: success. The palace announced that all but one escapee had been eliminated.
Anywhere you went in the streets—enter a tavern, and conversations about it were everywhere.
"Hey, you hear? They raided those human experimentation psychos en masse from the palace and rounded 'em up."
"Bastards who deserved divine wrath. Heard they even bought slaves for experiments."
"Heaven's punishment. All thanks to the wise leaders of the neutral nation, right? Word is, Taios and the Eastern Alliance couldn't even speak up because of them."
"Lucky we're in the neutral nation. They got taken down before they could do more..."
"Yo, you didn't hear? Eternity Clan basically solved this one."
"Ah... That Eternity guy, what was his name? Lee Yun-seong?"
"Yeah, they say he was the real force behind the outlaw spy incident too."
"Man... Hasn't it only been about a year since he got here? That kind of impact in such a short time?"
That was the gist of conversations everywhere. Honestly, whenever talk turned to me, I wanted to hide from embarrassment.
A player who's only been in this world for about a year getting tangled in all sorts of events naturally sparked those rumors.
"Your clan's the talk of the town everywhere. Must be nice."
"...Lady Sharice is technically a clan member too."
"Sorry, but I feel zero belonging to this clan. I'm a native to begin with."
"Well... You'll get used to it in time."
"Ugh, whatever."
Wi Ho-yeon, who had been listening to my conversation with Sharice from beside me, spoke to her in a stern tone.
"Lady Sharice. Please refrain from speaking rudely to Lee Yun-seong. He is your direct superior."
"...Hmph, you've got quite the loyal subordinate."
Sharice, who disrupted group discipline, and Wi Ho-yeon, who upheld it strictly, seemed unlikely to ever get along.
'No middle ground between them. Why are they both so extreme?'
"We're making progress bit by bit, but aren't I giving you the freedom you wanted? No major incidents so far, so it's peaceful. Isn't this the life you wanted, Lady Sharice?"
"..... What I want is to build a family like everyone else and die as a mother and wife. Not this."
"Life doesn't always go exactly as planned. Sometimes you gotta compromise. Haven't I accommodated you a lot?"
Honestly, I was the one who put her in this situation by keeping her quiet without causing trouble... but this was already generous.
Because I could do whatever I wanted with her if I chose to.
I'm not saying I'm a saint, but if she'd fallen into the hands of real scum, it wouldn't have ended like this.
She would've suffered all sorts of horrors.
Slave magic doesn't even allow death for the enslaved.
"On that point... I am a little grateful. But..."
"What do you want me to do? There's nothing more I can give. Who knows, though. Shape up your attitude and keep contributing to the clan, and maybe I could grant you full freedom."
".... Pardon?"
Of course, that was a lie. My conscience pricked a bit, but I had no intention of ever letting her go.
'Am I crazy? Let go of this kind of firepower?'
Talent like this is meant to be used indefinitely.