Chapter9. Using other people’s things as if they were your own (3)
‘Huh?’
Jack was momentarily taken aback. The Jerry he knew was not a great man who gave in to this level of intimidation.
The anecdote about Jerry killing the boss who exploited him when he was young was famous.
His temper is so rough that even those who are on the wrong side of this alley say, ‘That rat is so dirty that I won’t touch it.’ He even stuck out his tongue.
however.
“……Tsk.”
Jerry was suddenly frozen like a rat caught in a trap.
“Kuh, keuhuh…!”
He shook his fists and let out a rough breath. He seemed to be resisting something unknown.
But it was no use. The strength drained from the twitching corners of my eyes, and the corners of my clenched mouth slowly fell apart.
dump.
Finally, Jerry fell to his knees. As if she was tired of her strength, she hit the ground and her whole body trembled.
“Uh, uh….”
He bowed his head down in complete surrender. And he never moved again.
It seemed as if he had been completely subdued by something invisible.
‘what… … what?’
Jack couldn’t understand this situation at all.
The man only said one word, but Jerry was acting as if he had been stabbed.
‘Did you throw a weapon while I wasn’t looking?’
With that thought in mind, I stood up a little,
“-!”
Jack froze in place.
‘My, my smell.’
An unidentifiable foul smell that came from the man earlier.
The smell suddenly became stronger. It became darker than before, and it became so bad that it was stinging my nose.
It was as if the smell was emanating from the man’s entire body.
“Ouch.”
Jack stopped covering his nose and mouth.
Now I know. The identity of the smell that came from the man.
It was a smell like a tree that had rotted down to its base, an animal body infested with flies and maggots, or a corpse that had lost its skin and all that was left was its bones.
The smell of death.
“kid.”
The person who filled this alley with the smell of death gestured toward Jack.
“Follow me.”
“…….”
If I run away now, will I survive?
Jack quickly guessed the possibilities. And within a few seconds, a conclusion was reached.
‘There is no tag.’
The man completely overpowered two adult men with minimal movement. That meant he was many times better than Tom and Jerry.
So, the odds of Jack running away from him were close to zero.
Jack answered in a low voice.
“……yes.”
The man turned around and started trudging away.
Jack walked after him without making a sound. It seemed as if I was following the Shinigami towards hell, and my whole body immediately became cold.
Fortunately, the man entered another alley and stopped. And then he started staring at Jack.
“…….”
Jack’s head turned toward the ground. He couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with him.
‘I want to run away.’
But my legs didn’t move. I was afraid of the cruelty of maiming a person without the slightest hesitation.
Above all, he followed the man accurately from his many sources without losing sight of himself.
It was no coincidence that the man appeared in this alley.
‘How on earth?’
Jack bit his lip. He didn’t do that because he felt like his liver teeth would crack.
I wasn’t fooled by the faint smell of coins. I should have thought it was flytrap honey.
‘… … Wait, maybe?’
Jack instantly felt goosebumps all over his body.
[Who carries so many fairy tales?]
There were so many fairy tales that they were suspicious.
And the moment our bodies collided, his attitude was so calm.
‘no way… … Knowingly and on purpose?’
Jack was smart and quick-witted. That ability allowed him to have more money than other boys and ensured his survival.
So I could tell.
That the flytrap was not accidentally lying on the road, but that it was targeting me with its mouth wide open.
“……!”
Jack’s face turned blue.
Got it wrong. I was in big trouble. But why? There are a lot of kids like me on the streets?
Unanswered questions continued one after another.
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Although I didn’t get a clear answer to any of them, I instinctively knew what to do next.
Step by step.
The moment a man takes a step towards me,
“sorry!”
I took out the sack from my pocket and held it with both hands.
“I was wrong! I committed a mortal sin!”
He fell to his knees and hit his head on the floor.
The reason my arms were shaking wasn’t just because the bag full of coins was heavy. Jack was actually shaking.
“I didn’t even touch the coin! Please forgive me!”
The fear of not knowing what purpose the man in front of me has. He was afraid that a small and fragile child like himself could be erased from this world as if they never existed.
Above all else, the chilling smell of death emanating from him.
“really?”
The man’s voice poured down on the top of Jack’s head. It was a tone as sweet as honey, but with a secret that made you not know what was hidden inside.
“You really didn’t touch it? Are you counting it right now?”
No, you know the number of coins?
Somehow, I thought that this man might be able to do it. At the same time, Jack realized the attitude he had to take.
“Yes, no, I actually touched it! But I only felt what was inside!”
I had to be polite and humble, telling only the truth. That way I could live.
“But I really didn’t take out a single one. You can count them right now!”
“You’re an honest kid.”
The man chuckled and picked up the sack. As the weight moved away, the heavy fear weighing on Jack’s chest eased a little.
“Whew….”
Jack sighed involuntarily.
“however,”
The next moment, the man’s question flew like a knife and was aimed at Jack’s neck.
“Why did you block your nose earlier?”
No, did you just see that?
Jack answered, feeling a chill in his stomach.
“Well, it smells weird.”
“What smell?”
“Something from me….”
Jack, who was trying to answer incoherently, suddenly realized the danger of this situation.
“Oh, that doesn’t mean you smell unpleasant. You smell very luxurious.”
“You said it stinks?”
“Oh no, that’s not it.”
Jack, who had suddenly dug his own grave, was sweating.
“I’m sorry. I just have a more sensitive nose than others. That’s why I sensed something unique about you.”
“What does it smell like?”
“It was a bit damp and had a creepy smell. Even after I said it, it still felt that way.”
For a moment, Jack felt like the man’s eyes were shining inside the hood. But it seemed like it was an illusion, and it quickly disappeared.
“No, I’m not saying that you smell like wet laundry, I mean-”
“wake up.”
“Yes, yep.”
Jack stood up from his awkward position.
The man just stared at Jack blankly. He doesn’t say anything.
“uh…….”
Jack didn’t know what to do, so he just rubbed his hands. He was so nervous, scared, and anxious that he felt like he was going to die.
I’ve been rolling on these dirty streets for years, but I’ve never met anyone who puts more pressure on me than this man.
When I stood in front of the man, my cheeks kept getting numb and I broke into a cold sweat. Even though the man didn’t do anything.
“…….”
The man just continued to look at him in silence. Jack, who couldn’t bear it anymore, pulled out all the strength he had from breastfeeding and asked carefully.
“Can I… can I go now?”
“Do you think I can go?”
“……No. I don’t think so.”
Jack lowered his tail quickly like a well-trained dog. Then he lay down on the floor and showed his belly.
“Is there anything you want me to do? Just order anything, I’ll be there.”
The man laughed out loud as if he knew that would happen.
“Good idea.”
He took a step towards Jack.
“I’d like you to give me directions.”
“Where……?”
“Black market.”
“ah.”
Jack opened his eyes wide and let out an exclamation. The man crossed his arms and muttered awkwardly.
“The roads in the capital must be very complicated. It must be difficult without guidance.”
“I know if it’s there.”
Jack spoke confidently and nodded. He could see why this customer had asked me for guidance.
Black market.
A place that is nowhere and everywhere. It is not open on fixed days like a 5-day market, but opens secretly only when the sellers want it.
It was impossible to visit the black market alone on the streets of the capital city, which were as tangled as a complicated spider web.
“Leave it to me. I’m confident.”
“Okay, take the lead.”
Jack secretly sighed at the man’s answer.
‘Is this okay?’
After the directions were over, I was afraid that I would be safe. But now, she had no choice but to please the man.
“This way.”
Jack went ahead and made his way down the road. He walked through the tangle of alleys, leaping over his sewers.
It could have been a very difficult path for a man who was a first-time traveler.
‘Oh, am I walking too fast? If you’re behind… … .’
Jack looked back, thinking he was going to miss it.
“What are you doing? I’m not going.”
And then I realized that the distance between myself and the man had not decreased at all.
“Oh, no.”
Actually, I just had some expectations. A situation where a man gets lost and loses track of himself.
‘As expected, there is no way.’
Regardless of Jack’s wishes, the two soon arrived at the entrance of the black market smoothly(?).
“Now you can go through this gap.”
The place Jack pointed to was a narrow alley.
“Ah, here it is.”
Surprisingly, the man agreed right away without any hesitation. He traced the wall next to the alley with his hand.
“I heard there are signs around the openings like this. It’s true.”
His finger was pointing precisely at the mark drawn on the corner of the wall.
“Uh, did you know?”
“Yes. But I don’t know how to get here. Thanks to you, I came here comfortably.”
There was a hint of satisfaction in the man’s voice.
‘Now!’
I had to quickly disappear while the man was satisfied. Jack quickly turned around.
“Then I’ll just leave….”
“for a moment.”
Well then.
Jack stopped in his tracks, sighing.
“Do you have anything to say?”
“I have an errand to run.”
Jack’s hands came together politely at lightning speed.
“What kind of errand is this?”
“Do you know the Bent Tavern on Fifth Street?”
“I don’t know now, but I think I will soon.”
“It’s nice to be honest.”
The man grinned and said.
“There is only one woman there. Go up to her and call her sister.”
“Sister?”
“Uh, sister.”
The man kept laughing as if it was fun just imagining it.
“Then I’ll ask who sent it.”
“Then then….”
“Just be honest. How you met me.”
Jack’s face turned white.
“If you say that, I…”
“Nothing like that you worry about will happen. And just give me this paper. Do you understand?”
There was a folded piece of paper between the man’s fingers.
Although the words were completely unintelligible, Jack faithfully followed his words.
“I call the only woman my sister, tell her how I met Nauri, and give her a piece of paper. Is that right?”
“Exactly. You have a good memory.”
The man’s hand tapped Jack’s shoulder.
“If you do that, I’ll forget about today.”
At that moment, Jack thought.
‘Will it just jump out?’
fantasy,
