Chapter 105. Lawless City (6)
Aaron’s business place was situated in Haegum, staffed by beautiful waiters who did not flinch at the death of their master. To Khan, it appeared as if they had expected this outcome from the beginning.
“What’s with you guys?”
As Khan scowled at their odd demeanor, one of the waiters stepped forward, bowing. With wavy black hair, pale skin, lips red as if painted with blood, and thick eyelashes, they were the epitome of beauty in an era where makeup was hardly sophisticated.
‘If born on Earth, becoming an SNS star would have been a given.’
However, Khan realized his mistake upon hearing the waiter’s voice.
“My apologies for the inconvenience caused unwittingly on my part.”
It was a man?
Though the voice was androgynous, it was unmistakably male. On closer inspection, the skeleton under the clothes was too broad for a woman. And yet, the appearance and even the attire seemed more suitable for a woman.
“My name is Shey. I provide a place for women to stay and help them find jobs in this central area.”
“So, you’re a pimp then.”
“I merely offer a way to survive.”
“I’m not interested in such sophistry.”
Khan had no intention of entertaining the nonsense of this cross-dressed man any longer. Now that he had interfered, it wouldn’t matter if one more ruler of the central area was eliminated…
At a glance, without even a minimum of physical training, a mere flick of the finger would suffice to deal with such a physique. But what stopped Khan was the man’s startlingly calm demeanor.
“… What do you want?”
He clearly had business with Khan. And in a situation where death wouldn’t be surprising, he remained unshakably composed throughout. Furthermore, it was evident that all waiters at Aaron’s place were following his lead—a peculiar trait beyond his cross-dressing features that smelled fishy.
“Nothing much. I merely came to express my regret for Aaron’s impulsive actions and to personally offer my apologies.”
“You, what’s your rank?”
“Regrettably, I’m not in the same position as Aaron, who has become a corpse there. I don’t really hold any status.”
Not a resident of the central area?
Khan’s face twisted in doubt at the man’s words. How could he secretly infiltrate Aaron’s business with his minions and hide himself so naturally if he wasn’t a resident? Logically, his words should be deemed a lie. However, Khan somehow felt that everything she said was the truth.
‘Why?’
“Ha, you seem confused. I’m relieved to see you’re more human than I thought. Or should I say, that’s what I was hoping for?”
“What exactly do you want?”
Eventually, Khan gave up. He couldn’t figure out the man’s identity, his purpose for seeking him, or how he managed to create such a network of underlings without the rulers’ notice. The man, pleased with Khan’s honest reaction, let out a coquettish smile and said, “I merely wanted to see you again.”
“Again…? Have you seen me before?”
“Yes. Of course, you wouldn’t remember. That day, you were completely blinded by pure rage. Moreover, I wasn’t someone noteworthy enough for you to remember. But I saw you. I saw you on that day you became known as the nightmare of Bates.”
“That day…? No, don’t tell me….”
As Khan showed a sign of realization, the man smiled, a smile that sprang from pure joy.
“Back then, you were furious about our treatment – we were treated like toys, dolls, slaves by the residents. You destroyed every business and force under Aaron and Kell’s boss. That time, I was…”
Khan didn’t need to hear any more; he had long since remembered who he was. The one who dealt with the man exploiting many people with Aaron and Kell.
‘Please, spare me…!’
A boy wearing clothes clearly not his, awkward makeup on his face, trying to cover the distinct marks of being whipped all over his body with his hands. Brought in to satisfy the bizarre tastes of their boss –
“Ah. Could it be that look, you’re feeling guilty?”
“……”
“Right. Even though you dealt with that man and his followers, you left me and my friends to fend for ourselves when you left Bates. However, Aaron survived despite having his arms torn off, and Kell pretended to be dead only to swallow up the boss’s legacy.”
“……”
“But don’t be troubled. My current situation is my choice. And at least to me and my friends….”
As the boy from back then gestured with a smile, waiters with stunning faces respectfully showed their manners.
“You were not a nightmare, but a hope. Even those who took over this city, you made them realize that they are no different from us, just humans. You are a hero.”
“Um…?”
At the sudden praise, Khan asked with a reluctant tone.
“Did you really come here just to spout such nonsense?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The boy from that time still smiled brightly, earnestly confirming.
“Aaron hoped the residents would be sensitive to your presence, but things didn’t turn out as he thought. Everyone’s attention was on the auction house.”
“Are you talking about relics?”
“You knew. Yes, nobles and renowned figures from all over have gathered in the black market to obtain that treasure. Their number is surely increasing even now. For them, honest with their desires, when else would they get such an opportunity? They see it as a chance to further expand their own business, and they personally head to the black market. Foolishly so.”
Khan felt a strange discomfort looking at Shay’s bright smile. It’s hard to describe, but it feels somewhat tacky.
Moreover –
‘This is really suspicious…?’
His words and actions practically scream, ‘I have a backstory and ulterior motives.’ It doesn’t look like he’s trying to hide anything.
Above all, despite the fact that Khan simply dealt with those brazen attackers, the way they look at him and speak as if he’s the savior of their lives is unbearably awkward.
“… Well. I’ll take your thanks anyhow. But let’s go our separate ways now. I’m quite busy.”
Better to escape before getting entangled. Khan concluded his search for the suspected cash vault somewhere within the building.
“Looking for this?”
Thunk. Just then, individuals who seemed to be Shay’s subordinates disappeared somewhere and reappeared, carrying a safe. To anyone observing, it would clearly belong to Aaron….
“What. You think you’re going to ask me for a favor with that….”
“Please, take it.”
With the safe in his arms, Khan smiled warmly, thinking to himself, ‘I’ve made a huge mistake.’
How could I suspect such a good fellow? No way, huh.
***
“Ahem, is this really okay?”
“If it’s not, are you planning to run away?”
“No, of course not. A promise is a promise, haha….”
Eto swallowed hard, glancing at the woman who declared herself Khan’s daughter. Undoubtedly the attire of a mercenary previously, she now illuminated the glamorous ballroom, dressed not unlike a noble’s daughter.
‘Really, such a perfect disguise….’
Despite the strong first impression of being covered in troll’s blood, Maya’s beauty was so remarkable that she could easily be mistaken for a noble lady. Additionally, her physique, sculpted from a lifetime of training, drew attention even with her face hidden behind a mask.
Moreover, from her posture to the way she walked, even the minor details allowed Eto to understand. She was well-versed in the etiquette of nobility.
‘But his daughter.’
It would be another matter if she referred to herself as the daughter of a knight, but she introduced herself as the daughter of a barbarian.
“Hey, snap out of it. Now’s not the time to be daydreaming.”
“Ah, right.”
Eto apologized to Pavel with a displeased expression.
Considering his original task was to escort a merchant group, Pavel’s decision to follow him all the way here was quite extraordinary. The moment Eto unilaterally deviated from the assignment and stepped into danger, Pavel had every right to unilaterally terminate the contract.
But Pavel did not do so.
“Forgot our promise? You need to get out alive for me to become a silver badge.”
Maya Eldred, who introduced herself as a gold badge mercenary, guaranteed she would help him advance to silver badge rank.
Naturally, Pavel was skeptical at first, but after seeing the seal of Kal Elson imprinted on the gold badge, he accepted her offer without hesitation.
“If you don’t want to look like an idiot, just keep looking forward and walk. The lady over there is drawing all the attention anyway. Just avoid doing anything conspicuous.”
“Ah, got it.”
Gulp.
Realizing anew where he had ventured into, Eto craned his neck with a creaky motion. It was all about money, money, money.
“Just the amount spent on decorating this place could easily surpass the annual revenue of a decent-sized nation…”
From goods difficult to trade openly under the sun, to slave trade banned under the doctrine of the Pantheon Church, and even wicked artifacts imbued with demonic power. If it’s something that could be sold for money, everything was on sale here.
“The Bates Black Market… it was this massive?!”
Until now, Eto had only heard rumors about the Bates Black Market, its immense and lavish scale was beyond what he could have imagined. It was puzzling why the Pantheon Church would leave such an exposed place unchecked.
“They must know, surely.”
Thinking thus, Eto walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Maya into the deeper parts of the black market.
“Bear in mind, our only target is the artifact. We must not waste funds on anything else.”
“Ah, I’m aware. Though, I’m slightly doubtful whether the money we have is enough to win the bid…”
“There’s a plan in mind for that scenario as well, in his head.”
“His, you mean.”
“…”
Instead of answering, Maya simply nodded her head. It was a gesture to look forward.
“Gah.”
Eto gasped at the spectacle before him. Inside the Great Hall, which one would believe to be the work of a Dwarven architect, seats were filled to the brim with masked individuals.
This implied that all of them had the privilege to participate in the auction held in the black market, representatives from across the continent. Now, he found himself among them, prepared to bid for an item as if his life depended on it.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, yes…!”
While Eto was suddenly pulled along by Maya, various thoughts flew through his mind. Yet, he quickly snapped back to reality, recalling his role. He had to act according to the setup: Eto as one of the heirs of a major company, Maya his fiancée, and Pavel their escort. With this reminder, he involuntarily straightened his back.
“Er, excuse me for a moment.”
The hall was almost fully occupied. After squeezing through the crowd, Eto heaved a sigh of relief as he managed to find an empty seat. Just then, Maya placed a finger over his lips and whispered.
“It’s starting.”
True to her word, curtains that hid the auction stage were being drawn to both sides.
“Just in case…”
Then, lured by Maya’s voice beside him, Eto turned his head and with a dazed expression nodded at her continuing words.
“Never leave my side. It’s dangerous.”
That was when Eto should have realized. The way Maya warned him carried the tone of someone certain that something was bound to happen.