Chapter 50
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Rackerd
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Rackerd
Sephiroth is the name of the most beautiful moth in this world.
While most moths have grotesque appearances, the Sephiroth is more gorgeous and captivating than any butterfly.
It is said that no one can forget the sight of a Sephiroth's wings, painted a brilliant blue and edged in black.
But no matter how beautiful it may seem, one must never approach a Sephiroth.
For its delicate wings release a potent toxin that induces powerful hallucinations.
The Sephiroth gorges on the living flesh of animals entranced by its poison before departing without a care.
And these madmen are no different.
The group of monsters calling themselves Sephiroth is just like the moth.
On the surface, the monsters of Sephiroth possess high status, captivating looks, and prestigious professions, but behind the scenes, they mock the world by committing atrocities too vile to mention.
Creator's Eye is activating.
Name: Beil Pabian
Traits: Killing Fiend, Pain Resistance Lv. 4, Concentration Lv. 3, Steel Skin Lv. 3, Monstrous Strength Lv. 4
Favorability: 0 (Neutral)
Current Mood: Wants to tear out my throat.
I had a feeling, and I was right.
His favorability toward me is neutral, yet his current mood is that he wants to rip out my throat. Hes completely and utterly insane.
And seeing him masquerading as a frail civil servant with those incredible combat traits, this man had to be Sephiroths Killing Fiend, Beil Pabian.
"Marquis. It is about time for the other nobles to arrive..."
"Ah, my apologies. I must have held you up for too long. Haha."
"Not at all. Yuren, it was a pleasure to meet you. I'll see you later."
"Yes. Take care."
I kept Creator's Eye active, but Beil's emotions remained unchanged. He was smiling on the outside, but I bet he was dying to see the blood of either the Marquis or myself.
"Are you close with Baron Pabian?"
I asked the Marquis, who seemed to be in high spirits as we exited the protective barrier designated as the warp passage.
"He's a good friend, one I connect with well. How should I put it... talking with him is comforting. A friend like that is rare among nobles. You'll understand once you talk with Beil yourself."
"I see."
The Marquis held him in such high regard that the smile never left his face.
What a bunch of trash.
This is the Sephiroth way. They present their captivating facades to draw people in, making them ripe for exploitation at any moment.
They named their alliance Sephiroth because they intend to exploit every human being other than themselves.
"Was Baron Pabian the one to inherit the Pabian title from the start?"
"His older brother went missing, I heard. Beil insisted on finding him to the very end, but with the previous baron's passing, he had no choice but to inherit the title."
In the original novel, his brother inherits the title. I was certain Beil had killed his brother for some reason.
"Then he must not have been working at the royal palace for very long?"
"That's right. Has it been two years now? He always had a reputation for being competent, so it seems he hit the ground running and adapted quickly upon arriving at the palace. He's widely renowned for being well-liked and highly skilled."
A chill ran down my spine.
I didn't know if only this man had changed or if the others had too, but if it was the latter, the events to come would be incredibly difficult.
"Yuren."
"Yes?"
The Marquis stopped walking and called my name as I was biting my lip, lost in a tangle of thoughts.
"I must prepare my report for His Majesty the King. Why don't you go out and have a look around?"
The Marquis patted my shoulder lightly with a gentle smile.
"Are you sure you don't need my help?"
"Hmph, help with what? There's no need for you to trouble yourself so soon. The entire capital is celebrating a festival right now, so go see the sights and explore. It's all good experience."
"Understood. Take care."
"Hehe, off you go."
After bidding the Marquis farewell, I headed to the room assigned to me. As expected of the royal palace, even a guest room was as large and extravagant as my own.
"Beil... Beil..."
I muttered the name of the shocking man I had met today as I sprawled out on the bed.
"What's the reason?"
A blood-crazed lunatic like him wouldn't have come to the palace for no reason. Sephiroth must have sent Beil here with a specific goal in mind.
"The king? The royal family? The nobles? A treasure?"
There were too many things they could be after.
"And there's no way they're after that 'fake'."
The more I thought, the more my head ached, and no answers came. For now, everything was a mystery.
"Well, I was planning on going there anyway. I guess I just have one more thing to request."
I got up from the bed and walked out of the room. Arin and Peru were nowhere to be seen, likely off unpacking their things. Only the maid assigned to me stood outside the door.
"I'm going out for some fresh air. If anyone comes looking for me, tell them to go back and rest."
"As you wish."
Leaving word with the maid, I left my quarters and saw a vibrant garden. Young nobles were gathered in small groups, laughing and chatting merrily.
They glanced my way but didn't seem to recognize me, so I continued on and left the garden.
"Whew, what a hassle."
I had to go through four security checks just to leave the palace. It was a completely different world from the Marquis's estate, where there was only one check at the main gate.
"Hmm..."
The capital was already in the midst of the festival, and the streets were teeming with people. My extravagant attire stood out quite a bit, so I ducked into a secluded alley to change my clothes.
"Agnes."
Now what is it?
"Change my face."
You really are a man of many secrets.
Agnes grumbled as it attached itself to my face. It pulsed like kneaded clay, quickly enveloping my features and transforming me into someone else.
"Nice. I like it."
Of course. Look who did it.
I checked my face in a mirror. Just as I'd hoped, it was suitably common and perfectly ordinary.
"This is what I live for!"
Stepping out of the alley, I saw a young man in brown clothes enjoying the festival.
"Hello there."
"Hey!"
He seemed extroverted and well-traveled, so I approached him to ask for directions, but he replied informally.
"Can I ask you for directions?"
"Sure thing. This whole area is my turf."
He didn't mind me speaking casually back. Even though it was a festival, he seemed quite drunk for the middle of the day.
"Do you know a tavern called the Bluebird?"
"...The Bluebird? Of course, I know it. I'm a regular there."
The young man paused for a moment upon hearing the name but then raised his voice as if nothing was wrong. I didn't miss his reaction, though.
"Let's go! I'll show you the way."
He started walking ahead, regardless of my consent.
"You're a lucky one, my friend. That pub is tucked away in a corner, so most people don't know about it."
"Is that so?"
"Ask ten people, and all ten will tell you they've never heard of it. Hehe. Since I saved you some precious time, you ought to buy me a tasty drink."
"Alright."
The fellow, who introduced himself as Toms, started acting friendly. I played along with him while memorizing the route to the Bluebird.
"Here we are. This is the Bluebird. It looks shabby on the outside, but it's not bad inside. Let's go in."
Just as Toms said, the exterior of the Bluebird was so ragged that no one would enter unless they were specifically looking for it. The name "Bluebird" felt like a waste.
"Innkeeper! I'm here! And I brought a customer!"
"Hmph, a customer brought in by you? I can already guess what kind."
Opening the bark-like door, I found the inside was relatively tidy, just as Toms had mentioned.
Four of the ten tables were occupied; the rest were empty. Frankly, it was a miracle that a tavern like this had four tables filled at all.
"Hey, friend. Mind if I order a drink?"
"Go ahead."
Toms had already taken a seat at the counter and was ordering a drink from the innkeeper.
"Haha, thanks."
I sat down next to him, scanned my surroundings, and confirmed that this was the place I was looking for.
"Alright. And what will the sucker this idiot brought in be ordering?"
"Hey, innkeeper! Don't call my sponsor a sucker! Friend! The stout here is delicious. Hehe."
Toms chugged his stout refreshingly and giggled.
"Then one stout, and..."
Hearing my words trail off, the owner, who had been turning to get the beer, looked back at me.
"'The bluebird cannot fly. It only pecks at the food that falls to the ground.' Wasn't that it?"
"Pfft!"
Everyone in the tavern, who had just been laughing and talking amongst themselves, froze as if on cue. Toms, who had been drinking, spat out his beer.
"H-Hey, I knew from the start you were looking for the 'guild,' but you're supposed to say a password like that quietly..."
Toms, who had just sprayed beer everywhere, stared at me with a look of disbelief. Ahead, the owner also wore a bewildered expression.
"Doesn't matter. Everyone in here right now is a member of your guild."
If the atmosphere before was one of surprise, it now turned as frigid as the arctic.
Shnk.
Thud.
The men drinking at the other tables all stood up and began to surround me. Toms, beside me, looked back and forth between me and the men, not knowing what to do. The owner just stared silently into my eyes.
I leisurely swung my legs, a smile playing on my lips.
Click.
In the tense, hair-trigger situation, a small door next to the counter opened, and a man with an eyepatch over his left eye appeared.
"The guest... is to be escorted."
"Hmph..."
At the middle-aged man's words, the men who looked ready to pounce on me all returned to their tables.
"Gasp, you, you... who in the world..."
Toms let out a sigh of relief and looked at me with trembling eyes.
"The drinks are on me. Enjoy, friend."
"Ah..."
I gave the dazed Toms a smile and followed the middle-aged man through the door.
The room we entered looked like a liquor storage cellar. When the man placed his hand on a faint crack in the floor, a staircase leading down appeared.
"Please, go down."
I nodded and slowly descended the stairs. I could feel people hiding, so I extended my senses and pinpointed the locations of five individuals concealed in the darkness.
I deliberately glanced at each of their hiding spots, and I could feel every one of them flinch in surprise.
"Heh."
Teasing the hidden men, I continued down the stairs until I reached a small room with luminous orbs embedded in the ceiling.
"Welcome."
At a round table in the center of the room, a captivating, red-haired beauty with her chin propped on her hand was smiling with an expression like she had just woken from a nap.
"Welcome to Rackerd."
Rackerd is an information guild that buys and sells intelligence.
Their specialty is supplementing, analyzing, and judging the information sent by their countless guild members spread across the world to secure reliable intelligence, which they then sell to clients.
"I'm here to buy information."
I said, plopping down on the chair opposite the woman.
"What kind of information are you looking for?"
As the woman lifted her head from her hand, the movement caused a cloth to slip off a round object on the table.
"Oh, dear."
"Squeak!"
The round object covered by the cloth was a small cage with fine iron bars. Inside was a little mouse.
The mouse's eyes glittered like polished black beans, and its fur was a harmonious blend of white and brown. Its plump, curled tail made it look less like a mouse and more like a cute squirrel.
"Fufu, it's not quite as cute as it looks. Nobles have such peculiar tastes, anyway."
She said this as she moved to cover the cage with the cloth again.
"May I take a look for a moment?"
"Well, if you think you can handle it."
She pushed the cage with the mouse toward me, her expression a clear challenge.
"Really?"
My eyes were currently active, so I knew exactly what kind of mouse this was and what she meant by "handle it."
Seeing her provocation, I barely managed to hold back a laugh.
"Squeak!"
I inserted my pinky finger through the fine, dense bars of the cage. The mouse, which had been sitting still in the middle, lunged in an instant and bared its teeth at my finger.
"That's dangerous!"
She must not have thought I would actually put my finger inside, as she cried out the moment the mouse was about to bite me.
You have been poisoned by Blind Mouse.
Trait: Poison Immunity removes the pain and symptoms of the Blind Mouse's poison.
"It's fine. I can handle it."
Hearing my words, the woman's eyes widened to twice their previous size. I enjoyed her reaction as I used Poison Absorption on the mouse still biting me.
Poison Absorption is absorbing the Blind Mouse's poison from the target.
Poison Absorption assists the circulation of Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi.
Proficiency in Poison Absorption has increased.
Attainment of Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi has increased.
Ghostly Blinding Powder has been unlocked.
I can handle it, so if you're offering, I'll gladly take it.