Chapter 75

Episode 75. If You’re Curious, Bring 5 Million Gold (2)

I realize it again, but there were too many fruits I couldn’t harvest in my past life.

Ruquer Mercenary Branch Chief, Cork, is one of them. A ripe, tempting fruit I saved to enjoy when I was in a bad mood.

In my past life, I went looking for him when I returned from Sephira, but he had already gone missing. It’s not like he would’ve hidden knowing I was coming back.

What’s more, it was strange that I couldn’t find him no matter how hard I looked.

Cork was someone who had something he was after in Ruquer. I don’t know what it was, but it was probably some kind of treasure. Ruquer has everything, after all.

Did he find the treasure?

No. If he had, he would’ve bragged about it first.

Our relationship wasn’t close enough for me to go looking for him when he disappeared without a trace.

Back then, I just thought, “What a shame,” and moved on.

But not now.

I came to the Mercenary Guild for business, and Cork was there. If it had been someone else, I would’ve gotten the Diamond Class badge through a deal.

But Cork happened to be the branch chief. This is killing three birds with one stone. I’ll get the Diamond Class badge, and I’ll also get the happiness that comes with revenge.

There are many types of happiness, but the kind that comes from revenge is truly rare.

Usually, I take revenge on the spot, so this long-awaited revenge on Cork is a first for me. That makes it even more special.

“Before we start, should I do that thing I used to do?”

There’s a habit I always had in Ruquer.

For this body, it’s something I did just four days ago, but for the current me, it’s something I haven’t done in decades.

It’s about time to do “that thing.”

But first, I need to get rid of the kid who’s been following me around.

The brat, Luke.

I brought him here to raise him, but it feels like I’ve become a mother bird. Can’t you show me some independence already?

“Luke. I’m going to give you a very important mission.”

At my words, the brat’s eyes sparkle. Knights are always like this when it comes to missions.

“Go around Ruquer and look for clues about the Red Comet. You’ll have to go alone. Can you do it?”

He’d do it even if I just told him to, but I ask if he can do it anyway. That way, he’ll protect his pride and say, “Of course.”

“You want me to act separately?”

Does this kid really see me as a mother bird, or was Ruquer more shocking than he thought?

“You want to act together?”

“…Acting separately might get us more information…”

He trails off, clearly not confident about wandering Ruquer alone.

That’s exactly why he needs to go alone. With such a soft soul, where would he even use it?

You need to toughen him up and sharpen him. That way, he’ll have a better chance of surviving on his own, and he’ll grow strong enough to become my hidden card later.

“Where should we meet if I find information?”

“Finding me is part of your job.”

“I’ll come back to the office where we arrived.”

“Do as you please. If you can.”

Luke doesn’t understand my words.

Does this kid think my office is some kind of inn where anyone can come and go? Do you know how much effort I put into building it?

Without my permission, no one can even recognize the office, and if they try to force their way in, the gatekeeper will stop them.

“I’ll be back.”

“Sure.”

After Luke left, I subtly gestured to the guys who had been hiding and watching.

“Assemble.”

At my word, they popped out from everywhere and gathered in front of me. They’re the mercenaries who sided with me in the guild.

As if they had already made a pact among themselves, one of them stepped forward to speak, but I cut him off.

“Stop. I know what you’re going to say. The debt is settled now. And I’ll handle catching the Red Comet on my own, so I don’t need your help.”

These guys followed me to confirm whether the debt they owed me had been cleared.

If there’s another reason, it’s probably because they’re curious if I’ll properly carry out the request. Either way, since they sided with me, they’ve already fallen out of Cork’s favor.

The mercenaries exchanged glances and were about to disperse.

“Where are you going? I’m not done yet. I have a request.”

I pulled out five bills from my pocket. They’re worth 1,000 gold each.

“It’s a 300 gold, 500 platinum request. You saw the kid who was with me, right? His name’s Luke, and he’s wandering around Ruquer right now.”

“You want us to escort the kid?”

“Don’t act so familiar, Jackson. Am I your friend?”

“S-sorry.”

“You guys are going to ambush him with the intent to kill. But increase the intensity gradually. Does anyone not understand what I’m saying?”

The mercenaries look confused.

Jackson steps forward again and asks.

“Wasn’t he your comrade? Why are you telling us to ambush him?”

“He’s a prospect I’m raising.”

“So you want us to be his sparring partners.”

Jackson’s expression twists. He’s a platinum rank, so his pride must be hurt.

Without his special ability, Luke’s skills are barely at gold rank as a mercenary. Plus, using a bow in this crowded street is a severe penalty.

“No need to hold back. Do it with the intent to kill.”

“That Luke kid must have some kind of trump card. If so, doesn’t that mean we’re also at risk of dying?”

“You’re lucky. Right now, Luke hesitates a lot. Even if you charge at him to kill him, he’ll probably just shoot you in the arm or leg and stop.”

Even if I left him alone, Ruquer is a harsh place.

But Luke has a cheat-level ability to “foresee” danger. You can’t make him tense with ordinary methods.

“Those who want to do it, take the money. Those who don’t, get lost.”

“There’s no penalty for refusing, right?”

“Why are you acting like this among people who know everything?”

I won’t beat them up on the spot for refusing my request.

Of course, if a situation arises where they’re involved with me later, it’ll influence whose side I take.

Isn’t that what relationships are about?

“I’ll do it.”

Jackson quickly declared.

Then the other mercenaries followed Jackson’s lead.

The reward isn’t small, and these guys are already out of Cork’s favor. The only way to survive is to get close to me.

Though, they’d only benefit if I became the branch chief. Otherwise, they’d have to hide and live in Ruquer.

I handed out 5,000 gold as an advance to the mercenaries. They divided it among themselves and scattered.

Luke and the mercenaries are all taken care of.

Now I can finally do “that thing.”

Ruquer, pretending to be a city, has a plaza. It’s quite different from a city plaza, but it’s still a very wide space with lots of people passing through.

“Hmm, it’s still a mess.”

The chaos and confusion I feel as soon as I arrive at the plaza give me a sense of stability.

On one side, there are people fighting to the death, beggars, pickpockets, and vendors. All sorts of people are here.

The funny thing is, the people of Ruquer here consider it basic etiquette to bump shoulders as they pass.

They never make way. They don’t care if the other person has a dagger stuck in their shoulder.

If someone’s in a particularly bad mood, they throw a punch, and a fight breaks out on the spot.

I walked toward the center of the chaos.

* * *

Amid the fists, curses, suspicion, and killing intent in the plaza, there was someone walking leisurely.

It was a strange sight.

While everyone bumped shoulders as they moved, no one blocked the man’s path. It was as if there was an invisible wall.

The man turned his steps toward the center of the brawl.

In the brutal fight where bones broke and flesh tore, strangely, no fists flew toward the man.

“I’ll borrow one.”

The man casually took a cigarette from the pocket of a thug who was fighting and put it in his mouth.

Then, a man was pushed toward the man’s back. The man who was fighting grabbed the pushed man by the collar and stopped him.

“Phew— It’s been decades since I last smoked. It’s strong.”

Keter coughed but continued smoking as he walked.

The place he arrived at was the center of the plaza.

As Keter arrived, a small circle formed.

“It’s already dusty after just a short absence.”

Swish, swish.

Keter casually brushed off the dust with his foot and looked up at the sky.

“What a great day for a nap.”

Keter lay down on the ground.

He rested his head on his left arm and covered his face with a towel he stole from Luke’s pocket.

And just like that, he fell asleep.

He didn’t budge at any of the noises around him. Countless people passed by, only brushing past Keter.

There was one person watching this scene.

It was one of the mercenaries who had followed Keter earlier but didn’t take Keter’s request.

His name was Hansen.

Unlike the other mercenaries, he had been secretly tailing Keter.

“Keter. You’re underestimating the Red Comet too much.”

Hansen touched his face.

There was a long scar running diagonally across his face. It was a scar from fighting a named monster, the Red Comet.

“If it weren’t for the Sword Demon, I would’ve died too.”

In the past, the Grand Duke led a subjugation force against the Red Comet, with Sword Demon Walt at the forefront.

Hansen was part of that force. He was a mercenary specialized in tracking.

The tracking team wasn’t just Hansen. All sorts of trackers spent three months searching for the Red Comet.

When they finally found the Red Comet…

It was small and cute. A fluffy white ball of fur. The Red Comet’s true form was a bat the size of a fist.

But it was a “monster.”

In the blink of an eye, the necks of the monster hunters who charged first spurted fountains of blood. No one even realized what had happened.

The white bat absorbed the blood and became even faster. Wherever its red afterimage passed, corpses were left behind.

The blood that should’ve flowed on the ground orbited the white bat, becoming both the strongest shield and spear, sweeping away everything. Buildings, people, everything was torn apart.

The blood blade came for Hansen too.

Hansen overcame his fear and swung his Aura Blade. It was a strike with all his might.

But the Aura Blade shattered against the mass of blood, and Hansen felt death approaching.

At the critical moment, Sword Demon Walt appeared.

He unleashed a sword dance as soon as he arrived, and Hansen barely survived. Instead of his face being split, a scar was left on his skin.

Hansen saw it clearly. Why Walt was called the Sword Demon. Every action, even his glances, became sword strikes that tore the Red Comet apart.

And the “Red Comet” that didn’t lose to such a Sword Demon…

There was no winner.

The Red Comet, having used up most of the blood it absorbed, fled.

Walt didn’t give chase. No, it’s more accurate to say he couldn’t. The fleeing Red Comet was three times faster than when it attacked.

“Keter. I know you’re strong. As a Solver, you don’t start what you can’t finish. But this time, you really shouldn’t take it easy.”

One of Ruquer’s twelve landmarks.

“The Pit of the Grim Reaper.”

It refers to the small circle that forms when Keter takes a nap in the plaza.

Anyone who approaches Keter while he’s napping becomes a cripple. The peace Keter is enjoying now is proof that anyone, without exception, becomes a cripple.

But Hansen approached Keter. Even if he became a cripple, he intended to say what he had to say.

That’s when it happened.

Hansen stopped in his tracks. He noticed a group approaching Keter before he could.

‘Who are they?’

They were familiar faces.

Mercenaries like himself.

But they were mercenaries who had sided with Cork.

‘No way?’

Most “no ways” turn out to be true. They were approaching Keter without hesitation, weapons in hand.

“Keter! It’s an ambush! Wake up!”

Hansen shouted with all his might, but his voice was drowned out by the noise of the plaza.

Keter didn’t seem to hear Hansen’s voice and remained lying down, while four mercenaries closed in on him from all sides, swinging their weapons.