Chapter 17. Throw out some tasty bait. (2)
“How can you be so sure?”
“Trade secret.”
Ellise’s face distorted at the brief reply. It was something she wouldn’t understand even if I explained it to her anyway.
‘It’s because of the summer sword, cadenza.’
Cadenza has already descended on an island in Sud territory. A place where volcanic eruptions have occurred frequently in the past.
Until now, no one had noticed its presence due to the warm weather. The temperature in the southern part of the empire is naturally high.
‘But something strange will happen soon.’
Thanks to the burning of the cadenza, water temperatures along the southern coast remain abnormally high. As a result, the pearls and corals that live around them dry out and die.
‘There’s something wrong with Carlo and Cain’s finances.’
I planned to use that time to delve into the market controlled by the Ardante family.
‘How would you feel if the method you used was reversed?’
We may not know, but Carlo will have to visit the dentist again. I don’t know if I’ll have any molars left by then.
“…Okay, I understand. I’ll buy all the jewelry by then.”
Elise straightened her distorted face and spoke.
“Should we also find a craftsman? I think we’ll need it to process the gems.”
“That’s enough. I have someone in mind.”
“Oh, yes. I understand.”
As I looked at Elice writing something down on a document, I thought of someone who would be rushing to the capital right now.
‘Where have you come?’
I had a feeling that if I sent the letter as Elice instructed, it would arrive soon.
“What about the Gold Star Gun?”
“Oh, I prepared it here.”
Elice understood immediately and took out a bag from the drawer.
“Jack has been through a lot.”
“Is that kid’s name Jack?”
“Yes. I’m sure he’s still running around with Dexter.”
“You’re doing great.”
I took the sack and unfolded it. I counted the number of stones in it.
‘One, two, three… … twelve.’
When I looked up after counting them all, I saw Elice watching me with a tense face.
“……Are you missing something?”
“hmm…….”
I took a pause on purpose and let it out slowly.
“That’s pretty good. Good job.”
“Whew.”
Elise sighed loudly and rubbed her chest.
“I’m glad you’re satisfied.”
“It looks like you went through a lot of trouble.”
“Jack was more anxious than me. I was afraid the master might be displeased.”
“I found more than I expected.”
I took out a stone from the bag. I looked around, but I still couldn’t feel anything special.
“May I ask what that is?”
In response to the question Elise anxiously asked,
“It’s exactly what you think.”
I responded very lightly.
“yes?”
“You have a rough idea of what it is, right? That’s right.”
“Well, then this is….”
“Shh.”
He put his finger to his lips and smiled secretly. She stammered with a look on her face that made Elise not know what to do.
“Oh my god. That alone is a lot of money. A dozen….”
“Don’t beat the bill. I’m not selling it.”
“yes?”
I tied the sack well and put it in my arms.
“I found it for the purpose of using it.”
“Ah…but that is…”
“I know. It can’t be used in its current state. Of course, there is a way.”
Elise twitched her lips at the meaningful tone.
“Of course, that’s a trade secret, right?”
“I know.”
“I thought so.”
Elice grumbled softly and then asked.
“Shall we continue to search in the future?”
“As much as possible. And,”
He added while gently stroking his still stomach.
“This way, we will find out all the places where the merchant was attacked.”
“if……?”
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“okay.”
He got up from the chair and smiled brightly.
“Now that I know the purpose, I have to tell it all.”
❖ ❖ ❖
The outskirts of the Rubaret estate located near the capital.
“Sobbing…….”
“please…….”
“Help me…….”
People knelt on the dirt floor and sobbed quietly.
The carriage I rode in had long since broken down. All the chests loaded in the back were unpacked and thrown to the floor.
“Get rid of everything that can make money!”
Carson, the leader of the Topo bandits, shouted loudly. The other thieves moved quickly and loaded the luggage on the back of the horse they were riding.
A wry smile spread across Carson’s lips as he looked at that scene.
“Kkeukkuk. It’s easy, it’s easy.”
Thanks to the weapons and horses provided by an unknown man, stealing became much easier.
The merchant carrying the jewels hired fairly decent mercenaries. However, they could not withstand the offensive with weapons of a level comparable to that of the mercenaries and the overwhelming volume of weapons.
“How much is this?”
The golden future of the Topo Bandits was drawn before our eyes. The day to end this life of thieves is not far away.
“Boss! Everything is loaded!”
Upon hearing the thief’s report, Carson slowly turned around.
Trudging.
His steps passed the bodies of dead mercenaries.
They resisted fiercely until the end, but ended up losing their lives. The blood flowing from their bodies was staining the floor.
Carson stood in front of the captured hostages. A thief holding a sword approached him.
“What are these guys going to do?”
Carson carefully examined the faces of the hostages as if evaluating an object. The hostages avoided his gaze in fear.
“This guy, and that guy. And that guy too.”
He pointed at the men with his chin. Among them, there was a merchant who led this merchant.
“Put him in prison to be sold as a slave.”
“Oh, no!”
“Please save me!”
Screams erupted from the hostages. Carson chuckled and responded.
“Don’t worry too much. The women won’t be locked up.”
There was a dirty lust in the corner of his eyes.
“You should come to my room instead. Who will come first, huh?”
The women’s faces turned pale as they understood what he meant. The thief standing next to Carson gently rubbed his hands.
“Boss, hehe. You’re not going to have fun alone, are you?”
“This guy! Tsk, even cold water has ups and downs.”
“Oh, it goes without saying. We’ll decide on a turn among ourselves.”
Carson rested his chin on his hand and looked at the women’s faces closely. Among the dogs, his eyes were drawn to one particularly pretty girl.
“-!”
The girl who made eye contact with Carson took a step back.
“I don’t like it….”
“To that bitch.”
“Yes! Boss!”
The thief saluted and then walked towards the girl.
“Don’t! Please!”
“Shut up and follow me!”
The girl’s arm was grabbed by the thief’s strong hand.
“Hehehehe.”
“iced coffee…….”
Other hostages around me swallowed back tears. The ending planned for them was too harsh.
It was then.
“hmm?”
Carson, who was looking at the girl with a happy face, raised his head.
“What is that?”
It was because something black was caught at the end of his vision.
“Huh? What’s so fast?”
The thief who grabbed the girl and was struggling with her,
“Hey, hey. Look at that.”
“Can you see it too?”
The bandits who were pulling out the hostages from the side also saw it.
Doo doo doo doo!
Something pitch-black was getting closer at a speed that was imperceptible to the eye.
“What, what what what what!”
“Everyone get ready!”
“It’s coming this way!”
After a moment of confusion, the thieves soon formed their ranks. It was thanks to our experience together for a long time.
They soon realized that what was approaching them was a man riding a black horse.
But the moment I realized it,
bang!
The horse passed them by at breakneck speed.
“Bah, what just happened?”
“Something hit me…”
The thieves looked around in puzzlement and soon found it.
“Heeeeeek!”
The thief died with his facial bones completely caved in.
“Aaaah!”
The girl who was being held by the thief screamed. She hurriedly backed away and ended up landing on her butt.
Meanwhile, the horse that came back galloped towards the thieves.
“What are you all doing!”
“Stop it!”
“Stop it!”
The dizzying sounds disperse,
Phew!
A thief’s body was impaled by a sword and soared into the sky. The man riding on his horse stabbed him with his sword at the same speed he was running at.
“Ugh….”
The thief made the sound of a balloon being deflated and then died.
Thump, thump.
The man tapped his sword on the floor as if he were removing a piece of meat from a skewer. The piece of meat and the thief’s body that had been impaled there spilled out onto the floor.
“…….”
There was an eerie silence among the bandits. They could not understand this situation in which two people died in an instant.
That misunderstanding continued. Because they all died before they could understand anything.
“Sigh….”
The hostages held each other and held their breath.
“Aaaah!”
Every time the black-haired man moved, a corpse appeared one by one.
“Kahahahah!”
His movements were so fast that my eyes could not follow them. The moment he heard the scream, he turned around and saw only the thief’s body falling apart.
“Save me… Ugh!”
The man didn’t say a single word. He simply carried out the killing mechanically, as if he were doing the job he had to do.
While the sight was awe-inspiring, it also brought irrational fear to humans. It was similar to the sensation one feels when encountering a non-human being.
“Whoa, what do you want!”
All the bandits died, and in the end, the only one left was leader Carson.
“Jewels? Hostages? Anything, just say the word!”
Carson struggled to raise his voice while clutching his weapon.
But he too could feel it instinctively. Before I knew it, the Shinigami’s blade was touching my uvula.
“…….”
The man tilted his head slightly. A dark, captivating smile spread across his lips.
wickedness!
His sword flew towards Carson in a smooth path. For a moment, Carson thought he heard a thudding sound in his ears.
It was the sound of my head hitting the ground. At that moment, Carson’s thoughts stopped.
“…….”
The hostages stared blankly at the scene with their mouths covered.
“I lived, I lived.”
When someone mutters inadvertently,
“Did you survive?”
“You bought it, right?”
The hostages looked at each other and whispered quietly.
This was because I was too scared of the man who wiped out the thieves to just be happy. He somehow gave off a more dangerous feeling than a righteous one.
“Purring.”
The black horses circling by his side were also one of the reasons for that feeling. The sparkling golden eyes were beautiful but foreign.
“Yeah, yeah. Good job.”
The man treated the horse, which was much taller than me, like a puppy. As I stroked the back of his neck, his horse purred lowly as if he was in a good mood.
“Uh… what should I do? Are we going to be okay?”
“Killing those thieves doesn’t mean you’re going to help us, right?”
“Try saying something!”
In the end, the owner of the top, who had been pushed on his back, stood up hesitantly.
The man was standing there with his sword holstered. The calm eyes no longer looked like they were going to kill anyone.
gulp.
Sang Sang-ju swallowed his saliva and slowly approached the man.
“Thank you. Thank you so much. Thanks to you, I survived.”
“…….”
“Are you, by any chance, a member of the Knights Templar? Or a mercenary group?”
Instead of answering, the man just looked at him blankly. The owner of the top was even more careful not to go against his wishes.
“You don’t want to reveal your identity. I understand. How should I repay this favor…?”
He thought the man would soon throw up his hands and show humility.
Not to say anything, or something like that. He just did what he had to do.
but.
“Is that the end?”
“……yes?”
The merchant had no choice but to ask back dumbly.
“You saved my life, but is that the end?”
The man’s tone of voice was sour, but his tone was so charming that it was easy to hear.
“Oh, no.”
Sang Sang-ju felt cold sweat running down his forehead.
‘Why do you feel like you’re dealing with nobles?’
fantasy,
