Chapter 41
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Booze Run and Shadows
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After taking a day to rest at the mercenary guild office, the Alize Mercenary Corps had returned to their usual selves.
"Let go!"
"You let go first! I'm gonna really blow it up!"
The twins Eric and Eddie were locked in a dogfight, each grabbing the other's crotch.
Whoosh.
Meanwhile, Cloyang ignored them completely, honing his body by throwing daggers nearby.
And Ruyan...
"Why me again?"
"Newbies have to learn everything, right? Even after a job's done, you need maintenance."
He'd been dragged out by Alize and was once again wandering the streets of Trvente Village.
"Can't you handle it alone?"
"We've got broken gear to repair, food to buy right now—there's so much to do."
Alize rattled off a long list of tasks, but to Ruyan's ears, it all just boiled down to "too much baggage."
"Then let's start with water."
Ruyan tried to grab Alize as she breezed past a beverage stall, but she'd already tuned him out.
She was muttering under her breath, "Water magic is so damn convenient," so maybe not completely.
"Oh, right! We got the quest payout, so time to settle up."
Alize suddenly clapped her hands and stopped. Without a care, she rummaged around her chest and pulled out a fat pouch.
"Minus the 60 silver for expedition prep, that's 40 silver per head."
She counted out 20 silver coins from the pouch and handed them to Ruyan.
"The math's off. Didn't you just say 40 silver?"
"Yeah. But we've got some unfinished business between us."
She meant the fee for helping him skip the gate inspection in Trvente Village.
"Hah! You really planned to charge me those 20 silver?"
"Even family keeps the books straight."
Ruyan was speechless at her brazenness and just stared blankly at her.
Innocent yet shameless, hiding some unknowable side beneath it all.
This woman is really...
Ruyan had thought he'd gotten used to her, but Alize's uniqueness kept evolving.
Impossible to get accustomed to.
As Ruyan fiddled silently with the 20 silver, Alize opened the pouch again.
She pulled out another 20 and thrust them forward.
"You said you'd pay your debt. What's this mean?"
"Round that corner up ahead—there's a tavern with killer booze."
"And?"
Ruyan kept staring, so Alize grabbed his hand and shoved the coins into it.
"Everyone worked hard, so let's get properly smashed tonight. Buy 10 bottles."
To top it off, booze errands!
Alize was surely the first to ever send the Divine Bow on a booze run.
If the people of the Central Plains saw this, they'd probably faint from shock.
As Ruyan failed to hide his bewilderment, Alize stuck out her tongue and spun away.
"I've got business—gonna detour somewhere. Head back to the office first."
She vanished like a fleeing thief before he could respond.
Even after she was gone, Ruyan blinked in stunned silence before letting out a wry chuckle.
Hah, what a riot.
Alize didn't see him as an object of fear or reverence. Just a person—a normal comrade.
It was a thoroughly unfamiliar experience for Ruyan, but not an unpleasant one.
Good booze, huh...
The last time Ruyan drank was the wine shared with Gers, ages ago.
And even that hadn't suited his taste.
Maybe it was time for a proper drink.
Why not.
Ruyan rounded the alley as instructed and entered a very old tavern.
Ding-a-ling.
The bell on the door jingled as he entered, but no one paid him any mind.
Not even the clerk, who wiped glasses with a bored expression.
Quiet—I like it.
Still daytime, so the place was empty.
Or maybe it never got crowded.
"Here for booze."
Ruyan strode up to the clerk and ordered flatly.
The clerk slid over a menu without even looking up.
Ruyan glanced at it, and his eyes flickered briefly.
Quite the selection.
Over ten types listed.
No way to know which was Alize's "killer" pick.
After scanning it, Ruyan shook his head and turned to the clerk.
"Sent by Alize."
Alize was famous in Trvente Village—even the gate guards knew her.
If she was a regular, the clerk might know her taste.
But something odd happened.
At her name, the clerk's eyes lit up as he turned to Ruyan.
"What can I do for you?"
Not only did he speak for the first time, but his attitude turned polite.
Sensing the shift, Ruyan swallowed a smirk inwardly.
An info joint, huh.
The Central Plains had places like this.
Info sects operated out of inns or brothels.
Haomen was a prime example.
Ruyan had just wanted booze, but the clerk's change piqued his interest.
What did this world's underbelly look like? And what had Alize been up to here?
"There was a problem with the previous purchase."
Ruyan probed vaguely, and the clerk's face stiffened.
Poor poker face—definitely a low-level guy.
"Our tavern's stock is renowned in the north. No issues with..."
As the clerk stammered defensively, Ruyan glared with mock severity.
"You know I'm not talking about the booze."
The clerk's face relaxed at the jab.
Not relief—panic. Damage control mode.
Amateur.
Ruyan, experienced with Haomen informants, saw right through the clumsy ploy.
"Saying that now is unfair. You didn't call for staff earlier."
Did the clerk even grasp the slip?
Spilling secrets like that in the shadows? A fatal mistake.
On the flip side, Alize's name alone had rattled him.
Business, huh. This place?
Alize was probably meeting her own contact in some back alley right now.
"Don't play dumb. I'm talking about last time's goods, not today's."
Ruyan pressed, and the clerk fell silent, pondering gravely.
"Need to check. One moment."
Avoiding Ruyan's gaze, the clerk slipped into the storeroom.
The dim room held neatly stacked parchments.
"Alize, Alize..."
Muttering her name, he plucked one out.
-Gawain, 23 years old. Black Lion enlistee, 5th year. On mission in Hatchling Village.
A rough but accurate sketch of Gawain lay below the text.
But that wasn't all.
Flipping the page revealed a short note.
-Deceased. Presumed by client.
"What? Problem, my ass. Clean finish."
No issues in the file.
Head tilted, the clerk refiled it and exited.
But back at the counter, Ruyan was gone.
-Will drop by often.
All that remained was a note pinned under a few silvers.
The bumbling clerk finally grinned and pocketed the coins.
"New regular."
By the time Alize returned from her errand, the office was deep into a boozy bash.
"What? Started without me?"
Alize yelped sharply, but the glassy stares ignored her.
"Whooo're yoooou?"
Eric slurred thickly.
The whole corps was way drunker than usual.
"Huh? These guys don't fold at this level."
Alize tilted her head and waded into the fray.
She spotted a blood-red bottle that screamed bad vibes.
The stench alone was dizzying.
Fierce rotgut!
"This isn't what I meant."
"Suits my taste."
Everyone else slumped half-dead, but Ruyan sat ramrod straight, sipping elegantly.
Like it was tea, not poison.
"Tough palate."
Alize shrugged and plopped down before him.
She chugged straight from the bottle.
"Gah! Burns from throat to ass. Where'd you get this crap?"
Crude words from such a pretty face.
Ruyan eyed her curiously, then drained his glass gracefully.
"You're late."
"Job dragged longer than expected."
"Eric says you go solo after every quest."
"Curious one, huh. Girls have secrets too."
Were those secrets really "girl" stuff? Ruyan just chuckled and refilled.
After rounds, Alize puffed her cheeks and slammed the bottle down.
"Boring. Drinking with a rock. I'm out."
She hoisted the passed-out Cloyang and stomped to her room.
An hour later, a woman in a black leather jacket vaulted the window and melted into the night.
Ruyan paused mid-refill, shook his head, and set the bottle aside.
"Out of booze."
Eight Black Lions on northern mission: dead.
Make it nine with Gawain, the first kill.
No wonder Cage's rage pierced the heavens.
"Summon the elites garrisoned in the capital."
"Vice Captain, that'll leave gaps in the capital's duties."
A knight voiced careful concern.
They were the empire's shadow guardians. Emotional moves could cost dearly.
But Cage wouldn't budge.
"The Black Lions have been challenged. What could be graver?"
Mission failure hurt, but total wipeout? Historic disaster.
"Vice Captain, apologies, but reinforcements need the Captain's approval."
"Forget it. Captain's busy elsewhere—I'll report later. All responsibility's mine."
Cage's resolve was iron.
This failure was lethal. Even as vice captain, he'd face heat.
To mitigate, hunt the culprit.
And he'd been personally played.
Pride demanded pursuit.
Rat bastard! I'll find you and tear you limb from limb.
That night, with Rodolph absent, the vice captain issued unilateral orders from Black Lion HQ.
Over 20 shadows slipped from the capital, heading north in secrecy.