Chapter 346 Side Story (1)
In the city, the festival was in full swing.
People were everywhere, sharing drinks and dancing to music.
But not everyone was united in enjoying the festivities.
In a narrow alley where few ventured, a crime was taking place.
“Damn it! What the hell! Why are you messing with me, you bastard!”
A man with his pants down hung around his legs. His completely wrecked prosthetic arm lay scattered around him.
He yelled profanities like a scream at the mysterious figure who had just cut off his hand.
“Who the hell do you think you are, interfering in someone else’s business like that—! Why the hell do you care!”
“Oh, my ears are ringing. Not everyone is just standing quietly, you know.”
The hooded figure, who had smashed both of the man’s prosthetic arms, spoke with a voice altered by magic, producing an eerie sound.
The figure pressed a dagger against the man’s throat.
“So, on such a fine day, why try to commit rape instead of just quietly drinking? I smelt your crime from a mile away and found you, didn’t I? Huh? Tigres, you randy bastard. Can’t break that dog habit, can you? Still doing the same crap since the Goddess Church days.”
Laban del Tigres.
A worshiper of the Goddess Church and criminal who had been imprisoned after losing both arms, caught by Liam four years ago.
He had a brief stint at the Academia once.
“Damn it… why are there so many people who recognize my face? It’s unbearable.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t have misbehaved so much… Anyway, what should I do with you?”
The hooded figure moved the dagger around, sizing him up.
With a full intent to kill radiating from him, it wouldn’t be easy for Tigres to resist.
“Should I just hand you over to the Peacekeeping Force and cash in on the bounty? Or should I extract your eyeballs and organs and sell them on the black market?”
“What? What kind of bullshit is that… Were you in the same line of work? Then you shouldn’t be acting like this, bastard! Don’t you know about the code?”
“Damn it… what to do now. What’s the going rate for organs these days, anyway? Should I have checked in with that guy beforehand?”
“Hold on… now that I think about it, you…. With that build and voice… even altered, I’ve heard it before… Gah!”
“Hey, shut your mouth. Can’t you see I’m thinking here?”
The hooded figure shoved the dagger’s hilt into Tigres’ mouth.
The glint of glossy eyes could be seen peeking out from under the hood. Realizing this, Tigres confirmed that the hooded figure had also noticed his identity and clicked his tongue.
He was sure. The figure under the hood clicked their tongue, realizing that their identity had been discovered.
“That guy… said it was a high-quality magic tool, but it was all a load of crap. How dare you sell me such garbage? Hey, we know each other, right? How about you show your face properly and greet me?”
The figure hiding their face pulled back their hood.
Golden hair, like ripe barley, peeked out along with pointy ears. A woman from the Ainhorn race, brandishing a dagger with a grin on her face.
She was someone who had been roaming the dark realm for the past few years.
“Heh, heh… yes.”
“What? Even if you have a sword jammed in your mouth, you should speak properly. It’s not ‘Heida,’ it’s ‘Frieda,’ you idiot.”
Thunk!
Frieda quickly drew her dagger and pressed it against Tigres’ temple. He collapsed, unable to even close his eyes.
*
On the outside, it looked like a normal house.
However, as you followed the guide down, you would realize that the interior was as deep and winding as an ant mound.
Frieda strolled along without waiting for the guide.
Before long, she arrived at a staff room.
Frieda manipulated her mana to write something quickly, then opened the door and entered.
“Welcome back. You’ve worked hard.”
“…Ultreman, you bastard. Did you really sell me that cheap junk for a high price?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve heard that you handed over the escaped Tigres to the Peacekeeping Force. Since I already provided location information, please give me the gold coins as per our contract ratio.”
“Hey, merchant. I’m letting you off this time since it’s our first meeting. Don’t think there’ll be a second time.”
Clang—
Frieda threw a bag of gold coins irritably.
Ultreman lightly caught it, checking the weight without looking inside.
“I’ve received it properly. This deepens our bond even further.”
“Bond, my ass. We’re just using each other.”
Frieda walked deeper and threw herself onto a sofa prepared for the staff to rest.
She pulled out a thick cigar from her pocket, created a small spark with her sharp nails, and took a deep puff, enjoying the thick smoke.
“Ahh… get me some liquor.”
“Is it alright if it’s the usual?”
“Why are you even asking something so obvious?”
“I’ll deduct the liquor cost from your next mission reward.”
“Got it, got it.”
The man with a top hat, Ultreman, quickly brought a whole tray with a set of liquor.
Noticing the different set from usual, Frieda raised an eyebrow.
“Why did you give me a glass? To use as an ashtray?”
“If you cultivate a bit of refinement, the chances of making mistakes during missions will decrease.”
“And?”
“It means I suggest you prepare in advance. Frieda, considering your current behavior, it’ll be hard to find even a fleck of refinement in you, so take note.”
“Talking about refinement, are we?”
Frieda snickered and with a pop! opened the bottle of liquor, taking a swig straight from the bottle.
She downed the liquor as if it were water, only placing the bottle on the table after a quarter of it had disappeared.
“Now that I think about it… you have quite a history with Tigres, don’t you?”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“It’s already been 9 years. Back when you were enrolled in the Academia, you were in the same research society as Tigres, weren’t you?”
“It’s about the transfer. Didn’t you belong to the same Research Society as the Tigres back in your Academia days?”
“Hmm… Huh…”
When Ultreman mentioned Arbol Frutal, Frieda’s expression crumpled.
She exhaled a cloud of smoke and said, “Why bring that up and ruin my buzz?”
“You’ve moved past the Tigres, haven’t you? Was there really no affection left at all for a former comrade?”
“Affection? What affection? I hardly even saw their face, so when would I have had a chance to develop feelings? Huh… But why are you suddenly bringing this up?”
“I just thought of it.”
“Bullshit. Do you really throw topics out without a reason? Spill it, what do you want to say? I’ll take it as a snack.”
Frieda kicked her chair in front of her.
“Looks like my years of partnership have taught you well about me.”
Ultreman smiled and sat down.
He pulled out a large bundle from inside his dimensionally enchanted jacket. Judging by the sound as it hit the table, it must be a considerable amount of gold coins.
“What’s this? Looks like a hefty sum.”
“It’s a consolation payment sent to you by the VVIP.”
“What kind of random nonsense is that? Who’s this VVIP, and why would they send me consolation money…”
Suddenly, Frieda had a thought.
She rubbed out her cigar on the table, and as the ash was crushed, a tiny ember died out weakly.
When Frieda closed her mouth, Ultreman opened his again.
“I reported your survival to that person.”
“…Why would you do something so pointless?”
“Getting a bundle of gold coins can’t really be called pointless.”
“Ultreman, I asked you a question.”
Frieda’s gaze sharpened with intent to kill.
To the assassin who had secretly killed many, Ultreman responded without flinching.
“I’m just a merchant who sells anything. Whether it’s human corpses or drugs, as long as I get paid, my job is to sell.”
“I’m not asking because I don’t know that… Hah… Forget it. Arguing with you just gives me a headache.”
Frieda calmed her temper and leaned her upper body against the sofa. Then she started to light a new cigar.
“Ah, should I believe this, or not?”
“Do you think I’m that untrustworthy?”
“Of course I do, you scamming bastard. If I’m alive and you tell them, it’ll get exposed that you’ve been lying to that esteemed client for eight years. Why would you even bring it up? Especially when all the other Altifes have been wiped out; the fact that you’re alive at all is a miracle.”
“That’s certainly a convincing argument. Eight years ago, if I got caught for secretly saving you because I saw your potential in the Courthouse, I’d be in quite the predicament. I traded all the information for the operation of the Terrarium and to guarantee my life.”
“So that’s it.”
“But they’ve never demanded your information from me, so I haven’t violated any contracts. Also, as you can see, I have this hefty bundle of gold coins in front of me, which seems to be quite the profit, no?”
“…You really have a long tongue.”
Frieda pondered for a moment, exhaling smoke as she asked, “…So, what did you mumble to manage to bring back this money?”
“Did you manage to squeeze the money out of them because they were babbling?”
“I conveyed that ‘Frieda is alive and hell-bent on killing you.’”
“Well, that’s just great. Using something that happened ages ago. It’s been ages since those emotions died out… But I doubt that person would just hand over money after hearing such a thing, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“They wouldn’t have only said that. What else did they spill out?”
“I just conveyed that message, nothing more.”
“What?”
Frieda was momentarily dumbfounded. She soon chuckled awkwardly, thinking that couldn’t possibly be the case, while Ultreman showed no suitable reaction.
“Really, they handed over such a fortune just for hearing that?”
“To be precise, the VVIP handed me a bag of gold coins right after hearing about your ‘survival.’ Frieda, they asked me to give it to you.”
“…To me?”
“Yes, to you.”
“…….”
As Frieda’s expression froze, Ultreman continued pouring her a drink from the cup he brought.
“Furthermore, they said to convey this along with the coins.”
Ultreman poured a full glass of alcohol and then presented the cup in place of the VVIP’s mouth.
“They said, ‘Never forgive any of my words or actions toward you.’”
“…….”
Frieda gazed at the strong liquor that resembled her hair color.
The drink swayed in the cup, and the reflection of Frieda bore a face that looked like she could either curse or cry.
“…This apology is pathetic.”
Frieda held the drink that Ultreman had given her, shoved it into her mouth in one go, and grimaced with a shout, “Gah…!”
“Hey, Ultreman. I’m feeling miserable enough today; I might as well drink heavily all night.”
“If we’re going to drink, isn’t it better to do it outside during this festival rather than here?”
“What do people like us have to do outside? This dark, dreary place is just perfect.”
“‘We’… are you implying I won’t drink—”
“I’ll pay for it, so just have a drink. Here, take it, take it.”
“…….”
Frieda poured more alcohol into her empty cup and pushed it toward Ultreman.
Ultreman hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a handkerchief from his jacket pocket to wipe the rim of the cup.
Seeing this, Frieda burst into laughter.
“Ha! You sure are tidy.”
“Didn’t you know? I’m an Altife who values cleanliness.”
“Oh really? Then I have to see the cleanliness-loving Altife throw up on the floor tonight.”
“…I can’t hang around for long, I have matters to attend to.”
“Got it, got it. Now, let’s cheers. You know the first drink’s gotta be a shot, right?”
“…….”
Caught up in Frieda’s enthusiasm, Ultreman raised his glass.
He took off his top hat and placed it on the chair next to him.
“I shall prove that Altife is the evolved form of humanity right here.”
“Pfft! Wow, I’ve never seen you say something like that. You’re not backing down, huh? Great! Tonight’s the final battle between humanity and Altife!”
Cheers echoed out.
In this Terrarium, not only outside but also in this corner of the room, a little festival of their own was unfolding.
