Chapter 7
Chapter 7
----------------------------------------------------------------- Translator: Ebonarch Chapter: 7 Chapter Title: My Servants (2) ----------------------------------------------------------------- "You have one task."
Jamie issued a command to Azad and Raiza, who had become perfect servants.
"Monitor the Zenith Church and gather information."
"Understood."
The two bowed politely toward their master. Due to their immature realm, they had shown irreverence toward their master, but by displaying their rank, the difference in status was perfectly imprinted. Passing by the two, Jamie whispered quietly.
"Act as you normally would."
"Understood."
As Jamie turned to head home, something else occurred to him, and he spoke to them again.
"Oh, and one more thing. Scout out someone from your organization who knows about the human trafficking and bring him to me. I'm planning to turn him into the informant."
Now that he had turned Azad and Raiza into undead, he needed another informant. No matter who it was, simply informing the count about the human trafficking case would naturally resolve the matter.
"Understood."
Jamie left them behind and vanished with Black. Once their master had disappeared, the two raised their heads. They glanced quietly at each other and let out a deep sigh.
"Let's go, Big Brother."
"Yeah. We have to carry out his orders."
The current reality was suffocating for the two men, but their master's command was absolute. They quickened their steps to fulfill the order. The first place they headed was their own organization. That's where the information would be.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Screeech- "You'll do fine."
Jamie smiled leisurely at Black's concern. The bonds of subjugation had been looser than expected, but he had tightened them firmly. As he regained his prime realm, those bonds would grow even tauter. 'The human trafficking will resolve naturally once the count is informed.' In the past, he wouldn't have cared about a major crime like human trafficking, but Hysis was land that would one day become his territory.
"I can't just sit idly by when it's the future land that will be mine."
It was best to nip noisy disturbances in the bud.
"We'll head back for today, and tomorrow... Ack!"
"Eek!"
The moment he exited the alley, something slammed into Jamie. His mind had been preoccupied elsewhere, so he hadn't noticed anyone approaching. Jamie frowned and looked at what he had collided with.
"A kid?"
"You're a kid too!"
The child who had bumped into Jamie scowled and shouted at being called a kid. How dare you call me a kid...! Even after seven years, he still hadn't fully adapted to this small body. Jamie grimaced as he stood up.
"Watch where you're going."
"You watch where you're going!"
The child yelled with an indignant face. He seemed to think he was being looked down on by a peer. Jamie eyed the kid with annoyance. Judging by his ragged appearance and wandering around late at night, it was easy to guess his circumstances. He felt no pity. Such emotions didn't exist within Jamie. Jamie turned his gaze away and resumed walking.
"That black-haired creep gives me the creeps." Grip- Jamie's head, which had been moving along fine, suddenly halted in mid-air.
"Ack!"
His forward momentum was brought to a stop.
"Wh-what the hell?"
The kid flinched at Jamie's strange noise. He had meant it as an insult, but seeing the other stop made him suddenly scared. Of course, the kid's snide remark wasn't why he had stopped. Jamie hadn't intended to stop in the first place. And his hair wasn't black. In the Hysis territory, emerald hair belonged exclusively to the masters of the Welton count family, so to avoid revealing his identity, Jamie had Black dye it black. What had forcibly stopped Jamie was none other than the owner of those black locks—Black. 'Black, you bastard! How dare you grab your master's hair!' No matter how much it insulted his own color, grabbing his master's hair like that—what kind of manners were those?! He'd give him a good scolding when they got back. Jamie glared at the kid with an irritated face.
"Kid. Watch your mouth. Unless you want a lesson."
His voice hadn't deepened yet, far from puberty, but the forceful tone instinctively cowed the child.
"S-sorry."
He apologized without thinking. Tsking his tongue, Jamie went on his way. For some reason, he glanced back. The kid was already running far away.
"Cheeky brat."
Jamie clicked his tongue lowly and headed to the mansion.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Returning to the count's mansion, Jamie detached Black and unleashed his fury.
"You bastard! Just because you're annoyed, you dare halt your master's steps?!" Kiiing... Black made a remorseful face, folding its wings inward like a child clasping hands after a scolding.
"If you do it again, you're done for!" Squeak! Black saluted with its wings, promising never to do it again. Who knew where it learned such things. Jamie chuckled and flopped onto the bed. He had used more energy than expected today. Especially creating Azad and Raiza had drained his mental strength considerably. To deal with the family tomorrow, he needed to sleep deeply now. 'Things will be busy for a while.' Had he ever been this busy since reincarnating? His days had been spent entirely in the mansion. The only outings were occasional trips to the city with his mother Sears. A child's body had limited capabilities. But now enemies had appeared. The ones he hated most in the world.
"Zenith."
The face of that bastard smiling brightly at him in the moment of his sealing flashed in his mind. Even after tens of thousands of years, the memory remained vivid. His small fist clenched involuntarily. That bastard's followers had set up base here.
"I'll drive you out."
His eyes flashed purple, then returned to normal.
Jans, you're alive?"
Azad, called Jans, fixed the man before him with piercing eyes and asked again.
"Where's the boss?"
"Hanni said he'd kill you himself... How are you alive?"
"Pep. No more warnings. Where's the boss?"
Pep swallowed dryly at Azad's warning. He didn't know what had happened, but it seemed Hanni had been taken out. Hanni was a mad mage with top-tier combat prowess even in Rival. 'No way Jans, this guy, killed him?' Hanni? A guy who didn't even know how to handle mana, killing that explosive lunatic?
"Pep!"
"A-alright, I'll tell you."
The atmosphere was off. Pep was one of Rival's executives with unmatched instincts. Dragging it out further would mean a dagger—or worse—in his throat. Moreover. 'No sounds from the organization members.' There had been quite a few organization members here. They weren't directly under the boss, but they were involved in this job. They couldn't miss Jans returning, so it should be bustling by now. But the cold silence meant they had likely been dealt with.
"For now... I don't know where the boss went either."
"Pep!"
"It's true! He hasn't been seen since yesterday."
"Is that the truth?"
At that moment, Raiza stepped out from the shadows. Pep's throat bobbed.
"Brother Philip."
"Is it the truth?"
"Y-yes. Ask the others; they'll say the same."
"This is getting annoying."
Azad shot Raiza an irritated look. The reason they returned to the organization was simple. To get revenge on the boss who tried to assassinate them? No. Rival was Hysis's largest crime syndicate, with eyes on every major and minor event in the city. The master's order was to monitor the Zenith Church and gather information. They figured the Rival boss would know something.
"Where do you think the boss might be?"
Raiza leaned down to meet Pep's eyes. Pep found his gaze terrifying. He had a bad feeling one slip would cost him his head.
"Ch-check our taverns in the area. He might be at one of them?"
Rival's boss, Alpehman, was a notorious drunkard. And he loved women. If he hadn't been seen since yesterday, he was probably passed out drunk somewhere. It was a reasonable suggestion, so the two turned quietly. Pep sighed in relief. The moment he thought he'd somehow saved his neck— Thwack-! Azad, who had turned, struck his neck. Pep lost consciousness without even a gurgle.
"The master said to bring anyone, so this guy will do."
"Cheeky bastard."
"Anyway, I can't control this overflowing power."
Azad laughed as he flexed his hand repeatedly. Other than becoming undead, there were no special changes. Right. He had become undead. And so, an absurd power surged through his entire body. Azad knew exactly what that power was. This was brute strength. Simple, overwhelming brute strength. Unlike his human days, ridiculous power coursed through him. He felt like he could lift a massive boulder.
"Same here. Feels like I've become superhuman."
A body reconstructed by black magic. Raiza marveled anew at the might of black magic. It was nothing compared to their master, but more than enough to take down the thirty Rival members here.
"Right now, it feels like I could do anything."
"Enough. The master's orders are absolute."
"Y-yeah. What about this guy? Tie him up and dump him in the woods?"
"Not a bad idea, but to be safe, lock him in my warehouse."
"Your warehouse is one of the toughest in Hysis, Big Brother. Haha!"
As Azad laughed heartily, Raiza shook his head with a wry smile, as if he couldn't stop him. After they left, a small door opened, and someone stepped out. It was a boy with a bruised face—the very kid who had bumped into Jamie. He had been late and beaten thoroughly here, knocked out until now.
"Whoa. What the hell happened?"
He gulped at the sight of Rival's dead members. In the corner, he spotted the guy who had beaten him senseless. It gave him a slight sense of satisfaction.
"Thought I'd get hit again, but looks like I'm lucky."
He had failed yesterday's quota and expected another beating, but for now, he was safe.
"Better bolt."
Staying longer risked another member coming and really teaching him a lesson. The boy Riki slipped out of the hideout unnoticed.