Chapter 79

Seeing the kid being dragged away, I quietly followed those bastards into the back alley. They entered through the back door of a shabby building, and judging by the guard stationed there, it must be their hideout. I could just barge in and wreck them, but… using magic to kill them or taking them head-on would definitely cause a commotion. So, there’s only one way.

I kicked a half-broken orc barrel nearby. The sound wouldn’t reach inside the building, but it was loud enough for the guard to hear. Naturally, he came to check the source of the noise.

“Peek-a-boo, kid.”

If this were a Western movie, I’d have said, “Surprise, motherf***er!”

I covered his mouth with my left hand. I could strangle him or snap his neck, but that would take too much time or risk him making noise.

Since I’m not a fan of gambling, I chose the most reliable and quickest method. I focused energy into my right thumb, tensed the muscle, and pierced his throat. At first, he resisted violently, but after a few stabs, he quieted down and collapsed on his own.

“Don’t do this kind of work in your next life.”

I entered the building, but the kids were nowhere to be seen—only an abandoned warehouse. I don’t like this kind of development… Since there’s no second floor, there must be a basement. Magic exists for moments like this.

“Spirit of Water, flow toward the path I seek.”

I flicked the moisture gathered at my fingertips, and the droplets began flowing in one direction. Following them, I found a rotten wooden box. Lifting it revealed a trapdoor. Clever trick.

The trapdoor opened to reveal moss-covered gray stairs, and I descended. What greeted me was a sewage system. The stench assaulted my senses, but what was more surprising were the lanterns hanging on the walls. Since lanterns don’t last long, someone must be maintaining them regularly… Damn, these bastards must have been here for a while. That means the number of kidnapped kids is probably significant.

Old memories kept surfacing, making me feel sick.

Then, the group that had just taken the kids was walking toward me. Were they planning to finish their business and bring in more kids?

They saw me and silently drew their weapons. I was genuinely curious about what was going on in their heads. Unless they had noodles for brains, they wouldn’t think of using long weapons like swords or axes in such a narrow space. Short weapons like knives are better here; using long ones is suicidal. And I granted their wish.

“Lightning, crawl like a snake.”

Of course, I only granted three of them their suicidal wish; the fourth one was spared. Seeing his comrades turned into crispy fried chicken, he lost all will to fight.

I stepped toward him and stomped the ground—the same stomp I used when kidnapping the pickpocket kid earlier. The floor shook violently, probably unstable. I decided it was best to avoid large-scale magic here.

“Hey, you f***ing bastard.”

“Hiiiiii…”

The guy made an incomprehensible noise and wet his pants. Seems like he never learned proper toilet training.

“Where are the kidnapped kids?”

“I… I don’t know! Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you!”

“What, loyalty? Not bad.”

Occasionally, there are idiots like this who don’t know their place. Of course, I knew exactly how to deal with such idiots.

“Take off your clothes.”

“Huh?”

“If you don’t want to be searched, take off your shirt.”

It’s not like I’m interested in a man’s body. If a man tried to seduce me naked, I’d rip out his intestines and kill him.

The guy hesitated in fear, so I tore his shirt open with a knife.

He thought I was going to assault him and started crying. Even if I were interested in men, I wouldn’t be interested in a bandit-looking guy like him. I made a shallow cut on his back, just deep enough to peel the skin, and drew a square, leaving one side incomplete.

Then, I grabbed the dangling skin and yanked it.

“Gyaaaaah!”

This is what Middle Eastern terrorists call the “shirt removal” torture.

“Shut up and guide me. If you make noise or don’t guide me, I’ll pull this up. Got it?”

“Yes! Yes! I’ll guide you! Just spare my life!”

Personally, I hate trash like this even more. At least those who endure torture until the end deserve some respect. But these guys spill everything after a little pain.

I followed him deeper into the sewage system. After walking through the maze-like tunnels, I saw a massive door that didn’t belong in a sewer. Was this meant to be a refuge in emergencies? Given the complex structure and the presence of such a room, it seemed likely.

Opening the door, I was hit by the stench of blood. The scene was too horrifying to describe. Kids were crying in cages so small they could barely fit a dog, and those who resisted were being beaten mercilessly in the corner.

“Damn it…”

Then, I saw the face of one of the kids being beaten—it was the pickpocket kid. The beaten kid soon collapsed. Unwanted memories of the “facility” from my past resurfaced.

The guys beating the kids didn’t pay much attention to me, probably thinking I was with the guy I brought. The guy I brought cautiously spoke up.

“I… brought him, so can I…”

“Lightning, crawl on the ground.”

I fried him with magic. Damn it…

As soon as I fried him, the two beating the kids realized I was an intruder and charged at me. A thick iron club swung toward my head. If I used magic and they dodged, the kids would get hurt.

So, I didn’t use it.

Instead, my fingertips pierced their necks. The disgusting, sticky, and warm sensation of blood. And as I pulled my hand out, the feeling of blood splattering on my face.

It always felt like crap.

They died instantly, and I rushed to the kid who had been beaten to death. As expected, it was too late—the kid had already stopped breathing.

“Damn it… damn it…”

It became hard to breathe. The sight of the kids’ corpses in front of me. This is why, even when I was active, I never took jobs that involved killing children. It just makes me feel dirty. Especially if I had even the slightest connection to them.

My body heated up, and my chest started pounding. Something I had barely suppressed was about to burst. But at that moment, my friend’s voice echoed in my head.

[Sigh… You’re being an idiot again.]

That voice again. It always comes when I see corpses like this.

[Come on~ We made a promise, right? To always stay cheerful and bright.]

Ah… right. I had completely forgotten. I was supposed to be cheerful, bright, and lively. I was supposed to bury my true self and become someone like you. Not someone who frowns and spouts negativity.

Confucianism, Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, games, anime, The Sorrows of Young Werther, Shakespeare, Bruce Lee, The Merchant of Venice, Shylock, Hitler, Neo-Nazis, Allied Forces, web novels, shrimp burgers, gallery moderators, Kim Il-sung, NTR, internet broadcasts, King Sejong, Judas Iscariot, the Three Great Sages, Yi Sun-sin, Churchill, Joan of Arc, incompetent dogs, Death God, Charles Darwin, The Bird That Drinks Tears, Iron Man, England, the Manchurian plains…

I recalled all the words that kid had playfully thrown at me and stuffed them into my mind. And with them, I suppressed my true self.

I felt a bit refreshed. I closed the poor pickpocket kid’s eyes.

“Requiescat in Pace.”

I returned the knife to the kid. It’s common sense for a Confucian to return borrowed items.

“I’ll kill all the bastards who caused your death.”

I don’t usually take free jobs, but this time was different. Like Muteba Gizen-senpai, sometimes you have to take jobs for free.

And I told the kids trapped there, “Wait a little longer. I’ll come back to save you.”