Translator: Wan ED/PR: Fan
You must have thought that all the nobles at the border were already caught, so how painful would it be to suddenly be hit in the back of the head?
Lucion chuckled.
He felt like he knew who it was.
Besides, wasn’t the blue thread telling him the direction?
[Do you have a guess as to who it is?]
Bethel asked.
If Lucion intended to move the assassins, didn’t that mean that he knew who the enemy was?
“I do.”
[I guess it’s an ordinary villain?]
Russell spoke, looking in the same direction Lucion looked.
“Rather than a villain, he is closer to a beast that doesn’t listen.”
Each time the family head changed, the nobles at the border would come to Cronia to prostrate themselves before them and pledge loyalty.
As a human, he abandoned the oath he made, and because he was called a dog and closer to a dog, Lucion thought it was adequate to say he was a beast.
“Let’s keep going.”
Lucion urged Bethel.
His whole body was weak and the knife cut on his finger gradually ached even more, but what could he do?
It was for his organization, so he had to endure.
***
“Please give us medicine. Ah, bandages too, if you have them.”
Hyum calmly asked for the necessary things.
The assassin couldn’t hide his flustered expression looking at her.
They were happy to receive them, thinking they had some guests at last, but suddenly ‘bandages and medicine’?
It was very absurd, but they could clearly smell the scent of blood from the masked man.
As if his left arm was hurt, he was moving it slightly awkwardly.
The assassin secretly looked at their leader.
The leader sighed softly and nodded.
As they came here, shouldn’t they hear them out?
[Hyum. Do you know how to treat people?]
Seeing Hyum’s gaze, who looked at the medicine and bandages handed by the assassins like she saw them for the first time in her life, Bethel couldn’t help but ask.
Hyum glanced at the assassins, and slightly shook her head.
But she saw it in books.
She was confident she could follow.
“Even if You don’t like it, we can’t help it. It’s the best bandages and medicine we have here.”
The leader of assassins spoke with a smile.
[First of all, good eyes.]
Hyum didn’t show the shaking of her head, yet he didn’t miss it?
Russell slightly gave Bethel a thumb-up.
Lucion sat on a sofa.
‘I guess they really have no money.’
He showed an adverse reaction the moment his butt, which was used to sitting on only expensive things, touched a sofa that seemed new.
Lucion surveyed the talisman-like pieces of paper hanging all around the place, and then looked at the leader of the assassins.
As soon as he entered, his eyes caught a shadow of a hand grabbing the man’s throat, as if trying to strangle him.
‘What the hell is that hand?’
When Lucion fixed his gaze on it, Russell turned his head in this direction and pointed at the leader’s neck.
[That’s a curse. Looks like quite a powerful one, so I guess he recently killed or messed with a warlock? If left alone, his hands or feet will be destroyed.]
‘A curse?’
Lucion fiddled with his fingers for a moment.
First, he needed to check their abilities rather than the curse.
“How strong?”
Lucion suddenly asked.
It was a question both to the man and to Russell.
This place was in the information Tella told him during the banquet held in the capital.
And because he was a person who didn’t appear in the novel he remembered, his expectations were pretty high.
[Good enough for you to like them? Bethel has good eyes.]
Russell was satisfied with the assassins from the moment he first saw them.
“You won’t regret Your money.”
The leader proudly pointed to himself.
Lucion really liked such confidence.
“Good. Then do you hate being tied down somewhere?”
The leader’s twisted slightly.
“This is…”
Ring ring.
Lucion stopped talking when he felt the communication device, which he put in his pocket instead of his magic pouch, activate.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Asking the leader for understanding, Lucion stepped outside and took out the communication item.
‘What time is it?’
It was already three hours until dawn.
“What?”
Lucion’s voice was naturally blunt.
Russell, who followed him, whistled and perked up his ears.
〈Ah! Were You sleeping?〉
The leader of the Ratmen, Heroan, spoke nonchalantly.
[Ah, what? The Ratman?]
Not knowing what he was expecting, Russell frowned at Heoran.
“Then are you awake at this hour?”
Lucion stared at Russell, while asking.
〈Aye, I’m working right now. On the matter Hamel-nim order me to.〉
“Do you mean you want to get rid of more of the documents you put your life into with your own hands?”
Lucion was currently holding the collection of other people’s weaknesses Heroan put his life into.
〈I though that Hamel-nim was a sleepless Person. Even warlocks sleep, cough, anyway, I’ll certainly be careful next time.〉
Lucion was dumbfounded by that unexpected submissiveness from that guy.
“Business?”
〈Can I first make a complaint?〉
“Exactly one.”
He was too busy to hear about several things.
〈One only? Can’t it be three at least? I’m about to explode right now.〉
“I’ll hear one more good thing.”
〈… Understood.〉
Heroan’s voice sank.
〈We don’t stand out.〉
“…?”
〈Why do we have to wear exactly the same uniforms? Our organization doesn’t stand out because we can’t wear the clothes we painstakingly prepared.〉
He didn’t know what the hell were the clothes they prepared, but he didn’t have a reason to hear any more of it.
“Good thing?”
〈The ground is very good for digging underground tunnels. I’m completely satisfied.〉
“So the business?”
〈How far do we dig for information?〉
“How far do you want to dig?”
〈To the very bottom. We already figured out that all the five names Hamel-nim gave us are influential figures.〉
“Then dig as much as you want. I need information about weaknesses, you guys satisfy your personal hobbies.”
〈Thank You! Thank You!〉
Getting permission, Heroan was happy like a child who received pocket money.
〈But Hamel-nim.〉
“What again?”
〈Why isn’t Hamel-nim the organization’s leader?〉
After Miella, Heroan also threw a similar question.
‘Do I stand out so much?’
Lucion thought for a moment, then asked:
“Why?”
〈Ah, it’s not that Krone is bad. Different from Hamel-nim, cough, no, that’s not it. Anyway, he gives off a feeling of being a truly upright person. A category I personally dislike. When I see such people, I get all ticklish. What do I have to do?〉
“Adjust, I guess?”
〈Ugh, um, I’ll make sure to get along with Krone. Adjusting is my specialty.〉
Shouldn’t he be glad that they didn’t fight with the older organization members?
Lucion sighed softly.
〈Hamel-nim.〉
“What again?”
Heroan, who was just about to hang up, spoke up, whispering.
〈Can I investigate the organization members? The current members, and the ones coming in.〉
“Do it.”
Lucion wasn’t worried.
Why did he want to hire assassins?
It was to cut the necks of the bastards who betrayed the organization.
“But is this all possible with your numbers?”
There were currently a few people they had to investigate.
The Ratmen numbered from 40~50 members. The organization numbered 30 people.
It wasn’t the most advanced era, so they would have to move people.
〈That’s a trade secret. Then have a good nigh…〉
Click.
When Lucion cut off the contact first out of disgust and was about to enter the building, Russell spoke up.
[Shouldn’t you treat it? Should I call Hyum?]
“I’m fine. Can endure.”
Lucion shook his head. The wound almost stopped bleeding.
“Sorry for making You wait so long.”
The moment he entered inside, Lucion apologized to the assassins and looked at Hyum.
Hyum didn’t understand, so Russell said:
[Take out the money bag.]
“Ah.”
Hyum nodded, quickly understanding, and took the money bag out of his pocket.
The faces of the assassins shook at the jingling sound, but they fixed them straight away.
[Alright. That’s it.]
Russell was at last satisfied and nodded.
“But how did You know about us and come here?”
The assassins’ leader threw out a question he was curious about, while changing the atmosphere.
But Lucion didn’t want to reply to that question.
“Do You perhaps accept missions from people You select?”
“No. Of course not. We’re bastards who live and eat by killing people, so how can we nitpick?”
Because it was closer to the answer Lucion wanted, he added a bit more to the suggestion he wanted to make.
“We got interrupted a moment ago, because of me, but let me ask again. Do You hate being tied down to an organization?”
“Have You come to recruit us?”
The leader of the assassins looked at Lucion with a strange gaze.
A mix of doubt and curiosity.
“Half right.”
“Half?”
“I’m not doing charity, so what’ll I do if I bring useless assassins? So I hope You will answer my question.”
“We’re picky.”
“I’m picky too.”
While freely going back and forth, Lucion didn’t forget to play his tongue.
“Ah, I hope you won’t do anything impudent to try to scratch my pride. If you lose me right now, won’t you very much regret it?”
Lucion spoke with a jeer towards the assassins, but no one snapped back.
It was a fact.
They created an organization with hope, but now they were all starving.
Lucion looked at the hardened faces of the assassins, and spoke again.
“When You enter the organization, Your main mission will be dealing with the organization’s traitors. Besides this, You will sometimes do missions ordered by me or given by the organization.”
Talking like the assassins already decided to join, he looked extremely arrogant.
Some people spewed murderous intent when looking at Lucion, but Hyum was not taking it.
Bang!
She lightly struck the table with her hand, as if to tell not to thoughtlessly lunge at them, and it broke into pieces instead of in half.
Lucion, who saw this often, was calm, but the eyes of assassins, who saw it for the first time, almost all turned wide at the same time.
“You will be in the position where You take orders, but there will not be one-sided tyranny like what the stepping stones did to You. There will be enough money to be satisfied. And of course, we will respect Your freedom outside of the missions.”
Lucion continued to firmly speak, not caring whether the assassins were surprised or not.
But his voice strangely resonated in their ears.
“The condition is that You don’t betray me.”
In addition, the last words were even strangely murderous.
It was thanks to Bethel showing her energy at the perfect timing.
“So how about this much? Isn’t it a pretty good deal?”
“What… what is the reason You are suddenly making such a suggestion?”
The condition itself was shocking.
Who would treat assassins like this?
No, putting that aside, wasn’t he treating them, who lived by taking the lives of others, as human beings?
The actions of the masked man, who made the offer and asked for their opinion, were already proving that.
“Why are You so scared?”
Lucion smirked.
Scared?
The assassins’ leader hesitated at those words.
In fact, it wasn’t only him, but also the others who were shaken by the unfamiliar offer as the man said.
From the beginning, were assassins people to make ‘offers’ to?
The only words assassins heard were commands to kill someone.
“Will you take it or not?”
Lucion asked a bit more strongly.
He would slowly appease them while talking more, if he had a bit more time, but he had to return home before morning dawns, so he was in a hurry.
“One moment please. Can I ask for the opinions of my subordinates?”
The assassin leader didn’t deal with this matter alone.
‘Here looks pretty good.’
Lucion found a corner he liked.
The assassin leader didn’t follow Lucion, but rather looked at his subordinates.
Instead of talking, they shared their opinions with small actions.
The majority agreed.
The assassin leader didn’t hesitate and conveyed it.
“We will.”
“Good. Then I’ll leave You with a mission.”
Lucion was satisfied with a quick response.
“Give it.”
Lucion looked at Hyum, and pointed with his chin towards the assassin leader.
The moment they received the money bag from Hyum, the assassins’ expression stiffened.
Who the hell was the target to kill for such a heavy money bag?
*~*~*
Translator’s thank you note: As expected, giving people money is the best… by the way 100 chapters!
(Oh. Ooh, I didn’t write this note before sending it to edits. Alright, let’s see how many typos I can fit in here.)
Hello~ Are you having fun reading? I hope you do. This translator isn’t really a target audience for this novel, so they’re fumbling and looking around with utter confusion, while trying to drive to our destination — all this while trying to figure out if that waymark we just passed had a misspelling or not.
Therefore, I’m all more appreciative of you following on this bumpy and meandering ride. I appreciate both the quiet reading, and the comments and all other interactions. To know I’m putting in this effort and time to make someone out there happy is the greatest reward of all.
Thank you.
(Please give some well deserved thanks to Fan. She is playing the worst type of telephone game, where two players stutter quite a lot, and she has to figure out what the hell anything of this means.)
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