Episode 69. The Black Zone of the White City (2)
thud!
The child’s body, which had been pushed, floated and rolled toward the boundary line.
People enjoying a leisurely meal on the restaurant terrace froze for a moment. Some people covered their mouths at the horrific situation.
As luck would have it, the child’s right hand went inside the boundary line. Just up to the wrist.
But it didn’t matter how small the percentage of people who crossed the line was. The fact that they crossed the line was the only thing that mattered.
“Hey, shit. What the hell is that little brat messing around with. Thud!”
The criminal who had pushed the child in his way spat on the floor and quickly sought his own safety within the black zone.
He looks at the weak and filthy criminals gathering around him, draws his sword, and shouts at them to get out of the way.
“Mom, mom!”
The child cried and called for his mother, but it was no use. For some reason, his hand, which had crossed the line, would not move.
Now there is only one order left.
Ss …
The child’s body was dragged into the line with a piercing ringing in his ears. The child struggled, but there was no way to break the spell that was hanging over the black area.
“No! No!”
The child’s mother ran over and tried to grab the child’s feet, but the child’s entire body had already fallen into the black zone.
The mother’s screams and the child’s sobs echoed. The onlookers grimaced and put down their forks. They turned their heads away from the appetizingly horrible situation.
Incidents that occurred on the borderline were not uncommon. If you were unlucky, even people who were far from criminals could be pushed into the area.
When this happens, they are now designated as part of the black zone, and their freedom is only permitted within that zone.
“Hey, stay right there, stay still!”
When the child tried to approach the mother, the mother waved her hand urgently to stop him.
The child flinched for a moment.
A ripple like a haze appeared before his eyes. It was a magical barrier that prevented him from going back out, although he was able to enter the area without any problems. If he had tried to pass through, his body would have been reduced to ash in less than a second.
In addition, the eyes of the golem standing on the wall glowed red. The golem bent its upper body and looked down at the child. In its hand was a huge spear.
If the child puts out even one foot, the spear will pierce through him.
Phew, phew.
At the same time, magic dust was sprinkled over the child’s head. Kuze, who had been watching silently, sent a telegram.
-It’s a marking magic.
It is a magic engraved on the barrier to control those entering the black zone. The child tried to shake off the powder that had settled on him, but it was no use. Soon, a number similar to a serial number was engraved on the back of the child’s neck.
-40201… I didn’t know there were that many criminals hiding there. It’s surprising.
-No one knows how many of them are still alive.
Half? Maybe 10%?
That was something that really no one knew about.
-By the way, I think I need to stop Tina.
Then, Kuze got up from his chair. He picked up the cat that was clinging to the railing. Then, Tina’s aggressive voice poured out.
-Let go! Let go! Are you just going to watch? Rubin, Kuze!
-… … .
Tina, who was held by Kuze, struggled. The people inside the restaurant looked over at the cat who suddenly started to cry.
Rubin calmly got up from his seat, and Kuze, who followed him, paid for the food.
-Calm down, Tina.
Rubin’s voice was soft and steady. It wasn’t that Tina didn’t understand her feelings, but there was nothing she could do about it right now.
Even this absurd situation was itself an extra-legal authority devised by the Empire.
-The criminal bastards will gather around to target that kid!
– It’s not our problem. There’s nothing we can do about it. That kid is the one who needs to worry right now. The criminals you’re talking about aren’t the ones who matter.
-What does that mean?
Rubin and his party went down the stairs in silence and came out into the square.
The original purpose of this meal was to observe the exterior of the Black Zone, to determine the level and number of troops guarding the zone from above the barrier.
Now that we had that confirmed, it was time to head back to our accommodations.
-What do you mean?
Only Tina, who was held helplessly in Kuze’s arms, struggled. Rubin spoke to her in a voice.
“It’s snowing.”
The eyes of the people in the square were fixed on the sky. As the saying goes, it was snowing in the sky.
It was not the season for snow now, but dark clouds were floating across the sky, pouring down heavy snow.
“If it’s snowing, that means today is the lottery day.”
A weekly lottery day, when one member of the Black Zone is submitted to the Divine Judgment Bar, according to the ‘Criminal Extradition Agreement’.
Every time there was a draw, snow fell in the black zone. It was snow that fell only in the black zone. To be exact, it was a measure to make it snow only there. It was not a natural phenomenon, but magic. It was snowfall artificially created by high-ranking wizards under the direction of Mayor Philimond.
Snowfall falls even in midsummer. It snows once a week, and each time an unlucky criminal is sent to the execution grounds of the White City.
“That little kid who just came in might be unlucky to get drawn.”
Before leaving the square, Kuze pointed to it. The cat started to cry again as if a tragic thought had occurred to it, but Kuze held on tightly so there was nothing he could do.
A mother and child who still can’t leave the entrance. The two people can do nothing but look at each other and cry.
Rubin looked at them with cold eyes.
Snow was piled up thickly on the body of the sobbing child, but to the mother sitting across from him, it was just a tragic picture.
Rubin tried to look away.
“Let’s hurry. There’s not much time left for Tina’s transformation to be released.”
* * *
The next day, Rubin left the dorm with his bloodthirsty siblings in the morning.
I’ve been in and out of all the buildings in Philimond related to law more than ten times. From Imperial law to the Bloodthirsty Code, laws related to travel ships, and the lower laws of each kingdom.
Although the Blue Cat was a legendary and widely known travel ship, its ownership was not readily recognized because the ship’s owner was a tycoon.
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It was only thanks to a few words from the imperial noble Witherspoon that things were simplified to this extent. If Rubin, a third-class noble, had tried to handle it alone, it would have taken several days.
‘Still, your expression is getting brighter.’
Warak and Akoek, who had never been able to properly visit the cities they had stopped at while operating a cruise ship, were restricted to a radius of kilometers from the anchorage point of their ships due to their status as big-blooded people.
However, this time, since a legal proof procedure was required, I was able to visit various places in Philimond as an exception.
“Sister, sister, look at this!”
“Hey! Put that down.”
“Are you sure you’re not going to eat that?”
“Please don’t be so country. Bam!”
After coming to Philimond, the two giants who had been cowering at first gradually revealed their boisterous true selves.
“Thank you! Thank you! Your Majesty!”
Work progressed steadily throughout the morning and afternoon. As they walked through each building, the bloodthirsty siblings made sure to thank Rubin.
When the work was over, Rubin and the bloodthirsty siblings went into a cafe to rest and quench their thirst.
While each of them was drinking their drinks, Rubin looked at the left shoulders of the bloodthirsty siblings, which they had to reveal countless times today. There were their respective bloodthirsty serial numbers written on them: 71023 and 71024.
I turned my head again and looked in the direction of the black zone. There was an unfortunate child there who had been given the black zone resident serial number 40201 as of yesterday.
All of this was a bizarre system created by the Empire.
“Your Majesty, when do you plan to leave for Capotini?”
The gulp of the drink in the cup refreshed Rubin’s mind.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Is there any change to your travel plans?”
“Yeah. I guess I’ll have to stay here for a few more days.”
Rubin then quickly looked around. He pretended to take a sip of his drink, then turned his gaze and quickly checked the inside of the cafe.
The darkness was in a state of disguise, conscious of the assassins residing here. It was in line with the level of Rubin Roinen, known internally as the Assassin Sword.
However, the pure observation power that had been built up before the return was not revealed in the dark smoke. If the dark smoke was used, the observation power and the accompanying senses would be doubled, but for now, the original observation power alone was enough.
‘Just as I expected.’
Before entering the cafe where I am sitting now, I stopped by to look around a few shops and sculptures. That is how I chose places that could be considered strongholds within Philimond. Also, I kept my hair black to stand out.
So that the Assassin’s Blade can be seen by both the eyes of the vassals and the eyes of the imperial command.
As a result, Rubin realized that there were people watching him, hidden all over the place, both inside and outside the cafe, amidst the crowds.
‘It’s much more complicated than I thought.’
Perhaps among them there are objects that cannot be detected by pure observation, but can only be found by spreading darkness.
But it didn’t matter. I wouldn’t be attacked here.
‘Assassins from the Assassins’ Club and the Imperial Order… and even the mayor’s direct subordinates.’
They were all innocent people.
So far, Rubin has been deliberately creating ripples within Philimond, like throwing a stone into a calm pond.
By deliberately spreading out smoke and quickly withdrawing it while walking around the city, he drew the attention of his vassals who were scattered and secretly carrying out their missions.
A messy, spider-web-like situation where the identity of the person is mixed up. This was what Rubin intended. To highlight his presence by shaking up the information network intersecting within Philimond.
The more you highlight your presence.
‘He’ll contact you sooner.’
What Rubin was waiting for was a contact with Mayor Philimond. Meeting him face to face was the fundamental reason why he had to stay in Philimond longer.
“We’ll be fine for a few days, Your Majesty. We appreciate you taking care of our problem.”
I patted the smiling, cozy arm.
“Sorry. From today onwards, you’ll have to stay only on the Blue Cat.”
“We are more comfortable on the boat! We have already seen enough of Philimond today.”
After today, once the legal procedures were completed, the bloodthirsty siblings would have to follow the bloodthirsty principles again.
A law that states that no one may set foot on land after dark and that they must spend the night on their ships.
“We’ll get you safely to Capotini, so just let us know when you’re ready to go, sir!”
Warak playfully saluted.
After that, Rubin and the bloodthirsty siblings returned to their quarters. The bloodthirsty siblings, who were staying in the quarters across from them, packed their bags and returned to the Blue Cat anchored at Naru to wait. The Blue Cat’s legal issues had been resolved, so now all they had to do was wait.
Rubin waited. He read his book deep into the night. He was sure that the mayor’s henchman would come to visit him today.
And that confidence was not wrong.
Knock knock.
Around midnight, Kuze woke up to a knock on the guest room door.
-No, Kuze. I’ll go out.
-master?
-You came to find me.
-It’s dangerous to go alone.
-Don’t worry. The market’s servants came to get me. They’ll be looking for me anyway.
At the word “mayor,” Kuze swallowed hard. If he were a mayor… wouldn’t he be the ruler of this great city, someone who had been granted power directly by the emperor?
-… The market? Philimond’s?
While the position of mayor was not unique in the many great cities on the Empire’s mainland, that of Philimond was somewhat more special.
No, it was very special.
Especially for Rubin.
-Yes, the mayor. Before that, he was also the emperor’s uncle.
