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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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Chapter 157: Let's Have a Drink
There were two prisoners locked in the solitary cell. Their faces were already covered in bruises, likely from the blows Zizek had dealt them.
‘Let's see.’
I didn’t say a word. I didn’t even turn on the light. I simply stared at them in the darkness.
“……”
Perhaps because my actions were hard to read, the two men maintained an uneasy silence, their expressions betraying their discomfort.
‘Well, well.’
Their tightly shut lips conveyed a stubborn resolve. It was a rare sight among the usual riffraff of the underworld.
‘Even rotten, they're still mackerel.’
Most fifth rate organizations like Zizek’s gang were little more than a gathering of lowlifes.
‘There’s hardly any discipline, and restraint and order are almost nonexistent.’
They were not much better than a ragtag group of street thugs.
‘Compared to that, a fourth rate organization could at least be called a proper underworld group.’
And in any city, a third rate organization would typically consist of members with considerable skill and experience.
‘They couldn’t even be compared to some idle soldiers from a rural fief.’
Soldiers with a bit of training stood no chance against those seasoned in life-or-death combat.
‘Anyway.’
I confirmed that this Huten fellow had a decent grip on his subordinates.
‘But so what?’
Just think about how a man like Verdzig instilled such fear in Gemini and Evan with his stern and imposing demeanor.
Compared to that, Huten's so-called authority was laughable to me.
‘Even those two eventually came over to my side.’
I broke the long silence and spoke.
“Sorry, but I don’t need two mouths to get the confession I want.”
“……!”
“From now on, only the smarter, quicker one will get to see the sunrise tomorrow.”
I let my heavy mana flow, staring down at them.
Had I reached the fifth tier, just my killing intent alone could have made them wet themselves. Unfortunately, I wasn’t there yet.
“Let me ask just one thing. Do any of you have families?”
Neither of them answered.
“Oh? So, none, I take it?”
I interpreted their silence as a denial and continued.
“That’s too bad. I would’ve shown some mercy if either of you had children to support or parents to care for.”
“!”
The younger of the two showed a flicker of emotion. I didn’t miss it.
“Oh, you have a family, do you? And yet you stay silent. Is that fucking bastard above you that terrifying?”
Sensing his companion’s wavering, the scarred man who had kept his mouth shut finally spoke.
“Shut up, you bastard.”
I met his murderous gaze without flinching.
“You’re an open book. I bet your family either died or left you ages ago.”
“What did you just say?”
“How many people could bear to stay by your side? You’ve got the face of someone who’s done all kinds of filthy things, making others shed blood and tears.”
“What do you know about me?”
He growled.
“Oh, I know plenty.”
I smirked.
“You have nothing left to protect. Your heart’s gone numb from the weight of too many sins. Your eyes are as dead as a fish's.”
He sneered back.
“Sins? What sins?”
“There it is. Your brain’s so rotten, you don’t even know right from wrong.”
I clicked my tongue.
“You’ve probably discarded loyalty like an old shoe, living only for money and a night’s pleasure. You’ve aged into the exact face of someone who’s spent every day in a daze.”
I channeled mana into my bracelet, drawing my sword.
“People like you, whenever you open your mouths, lies pour out. If given a chance, you’d twist any situation to deceive others. That’s just the kind of twisted bastard you are.”
I had already decided how to deal with him.
“Even if you told the truth, I wouldn’t believe it. And if you keep that stubborn mouth shut, it’s too much trouble to break that idiotic pride of yours. No need for more chatter.”
“Hey, wait—”
Before he could finish, my arm slashed through the air.
Slash!
The headless body collapsed forward, blood spurting.
“Hiiik!”
The young man left behind shrieked at the sudden execution.
“Hey, lackey of the Visakino Brotherhood. You’re making a mistake.”
I pointed at him.
“This isn’t a trial or negotiation. If you keep that mouth shut, I won’t sweet-talk you or beat a confession out of you.”
Because—
“The fact that we suspect you’re one of Huten’s men is what matters. I don’t need to verify every detail or play into any leverage you think you have. Do you get what I’m saying?”
In an instant, I activated my stealth technique.
“!”
The man flinched, his eyes darting in the darkness, unable to find me.
“I’m holding a watch right now. I’ve already set a time in my mind.”
“W-what do you mean?”
For the first time, he spoke politely. His fear was clear.
“I’ll wait only until that time. If you’re still silent when it comes, you’ll end up just like that corpse.”
“!”
“That could be by morning, when I feel like pissing, or maybe just ten seconds from now. I won’t say.”
I explained.
“Even if you make the right choice, if you’re too late, it’ll be meaningless. So, you’d better act wisely.”
The man began to tremble, the stench of urine mixing with the smell of blood.
“Did you wet yourself? Disgusting.”
I clicked my tongue. Well, how often did he face this kind of threat in his life?
“I’ll start counting. Oh, aren’t you curious? Just how much time do you have left? It can’t be much, so hurry up and reflect on your memories. Once my blade swings again, those memories will be nothing but a lost dream.”
“I-I’ll talk!”
He cried out desperately.
“Oh. You’ll talk?”
The man who seemed ready to die without a word crumbled sooner than I expected.
“Lucky you. Congratulations. To be honest, I was thinking of killing you right after you spoke.”
“H-heuk.”
“Stop pissing yourself. Are you going to clean it up?”
“S-sorry.”
I swung my sword to flick off the blood and returned it to its bracelet form.
“I’ll send someone in. Answer their questions thoroughly. If you act uncooperative, you’ll see my face again.”
“I-I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything.”
I patted his round head.
“You should’ve done that from the start.”
***
“So, what did you do to him? He was bawling his eyes out and cooperating fully.”
Not long after, Zizek returned to the office where I was waiting.
“There are ways. Did you clean up the body?”
“Yes.”
“Then report. What did he say?”
“Just as expected. He admitted he was sent by Huten. They suspected your sudden change in behavior and organizational expansion and wanted to see if someone was pulling the strings behind you.”
"Really?"
I crossed my arms, lost in thought.
"Why would he suddenly get suspicious?"
"After I met with the Black Night Society's leader, it seems Huten went there too."
"And?"
"He heard about the confrontation between Vincent and me and felt something was off."
I rubbed the goosebumps on my arm.
"Wow, his instincts are sharp as hell."
"That's what I’m saying. He’s always been annoyingly perceptive."
"That explains why he's in charge of surveillance. We shouldn't underestimate him."
It seemed he wasn’t just another brutal and tenacious thug. He had that sharp instinct typical of the underworld.
'Just because he was intoxicated by the smell of blood doesn't mean he's a mindless sword demon.'
"Did you hear if he tried to pull anything with Young master Somerset?"
"He said he's just a low-level grunt and wouldn't know about that."
I clicked my tongue.
"Maybe the dead guy knew something?"
"Possibly."
"Damn."
A bit disappointing, but not worth dwelling on. It’s not like he would have talked anyway.
"Alright, Zizek."
"Yes."
"Isn't it possible the Black Night Society is monitoring us beyond just Huten?"
"Uh…"
Zizek blinked, caught off guard, then let out a curse.
"Shit. Yeah, that bastard would definitely do that."
"Sounds like there’s a story there."
"One of the reasons I went independent was because that asshole pissed me off."
"Then we really need to stay on guard."
I gave him a command.
"Can you hire an assassin organization for a job?"
"Huh? I’ve never done that before, but…"
Zizek nodded.
"As long as you pay them, they'll take any job. We're not complete strangers either."
"What about secrecy?"
"They’ll keep it, more or less."
"Skill level?"
"Not amazing."
"Yeah, figured as much."
I nodded.
"Then pay them to find out if anyone besides Huten is keeping an eye on us."
Since assassination and surveillance often overlapped, most assassin groups would take on this kind of request. It was even safer this way, so why not?
"Do you really think it’s necessary?"
"Probably. If Huten's as shifty as you say, he’s bound to be playing both sides."
"Understood."
Zizek answered with a serious expression.
"But, boss."
"Hm?"
"What was your original reason for calling me?"
"Oh."
I’d completely forgotten. I ended up interrogating him, but I did have another reason.
"It’s nothing big. Young master Allenvert wanted me to tell you—"
"Yes?"
"He received the letter, and he’s very grateful. He said you did an incredible job."
"Oh! Really? I'm honored."
Why's this guy suddenly so polite? It felt weird, considering he usually spoke to me in a completely different tone.
"As a reward, he plans to gift you equipment crafted by the best craftsman in the duchy."
"What? Seriously?"
Zizek's grin stretched from ear to ear.
"He's always been generous and firm with rewards and punishments."
"Wow, really. That’s an incredibly valuable gift…"
"He also asked me to pass along that he’s looking forward to your continued contributions."
"I’ll serve him with all my loyalty."
Yeah, you better, you punk.
"And in that spirit, he’d like to hear more details about the day you met the survivors of Eisenach."
"Ah."
Zizek nodded with a slightly regretful look.
"Understood. I’ll tell him everything."
"He also laid out some future directions. There are things you’ll need to do if you want to level up."
"Is that Young master Allenvert's idea too?"
"Well, I may have given him a bit of advice."
"Ah, I see. Looks like the boss is more trusted than I thought."
"Something like that."
I shrugged.
"Actually, I’ve got a question too."
"Go ahead."
"The masked person who showed up last time—who are they? They seemed way stronger than you, boss."
He noticed, huh? I smirked and replied.
"Yeah, you’re right. Even I can't beat them, so don’t mess around."
"...Really?"
"Yep. Not yet. I plan to catch up soon, though."
"Huh, I see."
Who was Rudgarda?
She was a seasoned warrior and soldier beyond the sixth tier, a veteran with the wild instincts and senses of mountain people.
Even if we fought to the death, I’d probably lose an arm or an eye at the very least, just to barely scrape by with my life.
I took immense pride in my talent and past experiences, but I wasn’t foolish enough to be reckless.
"Why do you look like that?"
"…It’s nothing."
"Did you fight her?"
"Not exactly a fight. I might've just mouthed off."
"Well, aren't you something? Wow."
I clapped my hands in mock applause.
"You were this close to getting your head ripped off. What’s wrong with your personality?"
"…"
Zizek let out a deep sigh, as if he'd aged ten years.
"Anyway, play nice with her next time."
"Yes."
"We’ve got too much to talk about, so let's move on."
I mimicked tipping a drink and grinned.
"How about it? Want to grab a drink and chat?"
"I was hoping to share a drink with you, boss."
"Yeah?"
"Nothing brings men closer than sharing a drink."
"Listen to you, sounding like a real boozehound."
"Heh heh."
Zizek asked with a pleased look.
"Are you good with alcohol, boss?"
I pointed to my rugged face and shot back.
"Do I look like someone who can’t hold their liquor?"
"...True. You look like you can drink anyone under the table."
What kind of compliment is that? "Look like you can drink a lot," my ass.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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