Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Episode 009 (4)
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4.
Click.
A rusty bolt clicked shut over the darkened alley.
The door to the gambling den tucked away in a remote corner of the alley—more precisely, the front for an information guild—had been locked tight.
Not content with that, the sign hanging at the entrance had been flipped to [CLOSED].
With that, no word of what had transpired inside the gambling den would leak out for the time being.
'If I had my way, I'd burn the whole place down... but unfortunately, that's not an option.'
And rightly so. Even if it was deep in a dingy alley, this was still within the bounds of Sashanu City.
Starting a fire carelessly could see the flames spread beyond the gambling den and alley, engulfing the entire city—a risk that couldn't be ignored.
Of course, if he could properly wield one of the two powers of Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits, that would be a different story altogether... but for now.
Since that wasn't possible, he had no choice but to abandon the idea, regretful as it was.
Putting all those thoughts aside, Kuhn swiftly slipped out of the alley where he had been standing.
Tap, patter-patter.
After scaling the gambling den's outer wall with nimble movements, he leaped across the rooftops of the connected buildings snaking through the alleys.
The destination Kuhn hurried toward was none other than the heart of the city—the base of the massive clock tower where he had first agreed to meet the other trainees.
As he busily worked his feet toward it, Kuhn muttered inwardly.
'Might be a bit late.'
Lifting his head to the sky, he saw the moon had dipped much lower than expected.
It was definitely later than the agreed-upon time.
Dealing with various matters and extracting information through torture had inevitably caused some delay.
'Never thought I'd end up using the interrogation techniques I learned back in my hound days like this...'
Still, since he'd successfully obtained the information, that was enough, wasn't it?
'It was about a year and three months ago that we first started dealing with those guys.'
He had roughly grasped and memorized the ledger's details, so the timeframe the man mentioned was probably no lie.
'Bandit League.'
As expected, the backers behind the bandits dominating the Monglashe region were the Bandit League.
That explained why new bandit strongholds kept popping up despite steady subjugation efforts.
'The Bandit League was formed from bandits, river pirates, and sea raiders to begin with... tch.'
Their supply of bandits was practically limitless.
In that case—
For a brief moment, Kuhn's eyes sharpened as he gazed at the row of mountains stretching beyond the high city walls, continuing his train of thought.
'The problem is locating the bandit leader who's planned this operation and rallied them—the League's quasi-executive hiding out somewhere.'
From the intel tortured out of Jack, the man was known even among the Bandit League's quasi-executives as "Brown Bear Joden."
'Brown Bear Joden.'
Given how quickly he was responding to the situation, he probably wasn't far off.
Most likely, he was holed up somewhere he could receive reports and confirm developments at any moment.
'The highest probability is that he's hiding in one of the strongholds.'
His musing paused, and Kuhn's gaze settled calmly.
He hadn't pinned the exact spot, but he'd confirmed the number of nearby strongholds through Jack just moments ago.
'There are about two or three bandit strongholds around Sashanu City.'
Not a huge number.
But the issue was that wasn't all.
If the search area expanded from Sashanu vicinity to the entire Monglashe region, that count could double—no, triple or more.
...And even those strongholds were divided between ones affiliated with the Bandit League and independents.
'Complicated.'
The simplest solution would be to wipe them all out. But time and manpower made that unfeasible.
Plus, stirring up the hornet's nest might tip off "Brown Bear Joden," letting him slip away before detection.
'Of course, pulling off something this big in Jordic territory suggests he's not that clever...'
Still, better safe than sorry. Preventing such an outcome was wise.
'...If only I knew his exact position.'
Feeling a pang of regret and frustration at that, Kuhn clicked his tongue lightly as he pushed off the rooftop mid-stride, his expression sour.
'Tch.'
Who would've thought the guy descending into the sewer wasn't just an information guild errand boy, but a contact sent by Brown Bear Joden.
Even Kuhn hadn't anticipated it.
That's why he'd assumed he was merely a guild lackey and lopped off his head in one go...
'Never imagined things would get this tangled—tch.'
That regret lasted only a moment.
Feeling the crinkle of paper between his fingers, Kuhn curled the corner of his mouth faintly.
'Of course, that doesn't mean there are no ways around it.'
And rightly so—his hand now clutched another clue to resolving the issue.
'It might not pinpoint his location as quickly as wrenching it from the man himself...'
Flutter.
Between Kuhn's fingers, as he murmured, was a scrap of paper bearing an enigmatic drawing.
A convoluted tangle of long straight lines, like passages or corridors.
The drawing was none other than a kind of "map."
A secret one, detailing the sewer structure inside Sashanu City and its exits.
Word had it that information guild members had mapped it out by personally traversing the sewers.
This too had been wrested from One-Eyed Jack through torture.
"I see it."
Far off—
Confirming the clock tower where they'd agreed to meet, Kuhn accelerated his form once more.
Whoosh!
.
.
'As expected.'
The closer he got to the city center, the more upscale the surrounding environment felt.
It wasn't just the roofing materials he vaulted over.
The towering clock tower, the park encircling it, and such.
Beneath that clock tower stood the three squad leaders, milling about idly.
—Swoosh!
Kuhn, who had covered the remaining distance at high speed, landed smoothly among them and spoke as if it were routine.
"A bit late."
At Kuhn's sudden appearance, Taylor Rosetta responded a beat slower.
"Not at all, Squad Leader. We just got here ourselves?"
Right after, the Silver siblings steadied their startled hearts from Kuhn's abrupt arrival and chimed in.
"Y-Yes."
"M-Me too."
—Grrrowl.
Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed from Lua Silver's stomach as she spoke. Unaware, her face flushed red.
"Ah...!!"
Lua didn't harbor any particular fondness for Kuhn as an exceptional swordsman or anything beyond, but she was still a girl just entering puberty.
Feeling embarrassed was only natural.
The instant the sound escaped, Lua Silver glanced sideways at Taylor and scuffed the ground with her military boot for no reason.
"...?"
'Have they been waiting here since skipping dinner?'
Feeling inwardly apologetic about that, Kuhn scanned the surroundings as he spoke.
"No other squad members in sight. You sent them back to the lodgings first?"
"Yes. We dispersed them to a few lodgings without drawing attention. Placed them close enough for quick contact."
Neatly handled. Kuhn nodded in approval.
"Good. Then let's move and talk. First..."
His gaze fell on Lua Silver, still blushing at the cheeks, and he concluded.
"Shall we start with some food?"
.
.
The spot Kuhn's group entered was a small diner not far from the park with the clock tower.
An unpretentious yet tidy establishment attached to the first floor of an inn.
Since it was quite late for meals, even in the city center, few eateries remained open.
Fortunately, the Silver siblings showed no dissatisfaction with Kuhn's choice.
They occasionally let slip the pride of nobility, but that was from years ago.
For better or worse, the siblings were survivors of Lion’s Den, skilled enough to rank highly.
Accustomed as they were to the Den's fare, the inn's clean, simple meals were like delicacies in themselves.
However—
...Gulp.
The Silver siblings' eyes sparkled with excitement at their first taste of alcohol—beer—but that was just a cute, minor reaction.
"Dig in for now."
No sooner had Kuhn spoken than the three trainees busily wielded forks and knives.
—Munch munch, nom nom.
The real discussion began after a simple spread of meats, salad, bread, and beer.
Confirming they were sufficiently filled, Kuhn spoke lowly.
"So these are the intel bits they gathered while circulating among the major caravans and negotiators."
"Yes. From caravan workers and the mercenaries traveling with them."
By now, plates of food on their table had been replaced by a few remaining beer mugs and neatly spread reports.
Intentionally scattered for easy scanning.
Mid-glance at the reports, Kuhn reached into his bosom and pulled out two maps.
"These maps...?"
One depicted villages, cities, mountains, and such.
The other showed tangled, winding lines like—
'Sewers?'
Indeed, one was a map of the Monglashe region, the other of Sashanu City's internal sewer system.
The former from mission departure, the latter seized from One-Eyed Jack.
"First..."
"...?"
Setting down the two maps, Kuhn spoke gravely.
"I should start by explaining what I found out."
.
.
With a brief sigh, Kuhn began recounting the events in Sashanu's dingy alley, at the information guild disguised as a gambling den.
.
.
Finally, when Kuhn's explanation wrapped up.
'...Incredible.'
Taylor Rosetta gazed at Kuhn seated across from him with eyes tinged in quiet admiration.
'Bandit League.'
The revelation that the Bandit League lurked behind this incident was shocking enough. But Kuhn's prediction was even more astonishing.
'He'd mentioned there might be another force behind it...'
Who could've guessed the Bandit League truly was that force?
Recalling that moment, Taylor unwittingly clicked his tongue in awe.
It was insight bordering on clairvoyance, seeing hundreds of kilometers from his seat.
Hard to imagine such foresight in a boy his age.
'...He looks about my age.'
How did he possess such perception?
As Taylor stared at Kuhn in wonder,
"...?"
Having finished recounting the guild events, Kuhn picked up a nearby pen.
Using a red one, he began sketching on the map per the gathered intel.
"For now, the presumed bandit stronghold locations are here, here, and here... and the sewer he used was this one—"
Three exits connected to that sewer.
'If it's a stronghold near those three exits...'
The other circles on the map seemed to vanish like magic. Not literally erased.
Just the illusion from his terrifying focus.
And soon—
Kuhn, looking down at it, smirked and spoke.
"Found you."