Chapter 114
In a dark void, the location unknown.
There, a flicker of orange light lit up, illuminating the room.
"Thank you all for gathering here... members of the underworld."
In the wavering orange light, a man solemnly opened his mouth.
He had a gentle-looking face, but his thread-thin eyes held a dangerous glint.
His name was Carmine Imari.
He was a bishop dispatched from the Holy Nation of Shinecross to the Kingdom of Saintcl.
Clael's recognition as a Saint had concluded, and Carmine was supposed to have returned to his country... but in truth, he had remained in the kingdom.
Carmine was in a dark, cramped room with no light source other than the small glow.
There were several other men and women in the room besides Carmine.
"The reason I've gathered you all, renowned figures of the underworld, is simple. I have a job to request of you."
"I'd love to hear what this job is right away... but why are those people here?"
Responding to Carmine's voice, one of the men or women in the room spoke up.
In the dim light, a rough face that looked like it belonged to a thug came into view.
"Calling us here along with our business rivals—what a joke. Don't tell me you expect us to team up and work together?"
"I'm not doing that either. If I have to work with them, I'm out."
In response to the thug's words, another woman said sarcastically.
"No matter how high the reward, I won't take a job I'm not into. I hate working with men I don't like. I really do."
"I'm the one who should be refusing. No way I'm getting on the same boat with a woman whose only skill is seducing men!"
A tense atmosphere filled the dark room.
Everyone gathered here was an outlaw—thieves, bandits, killers, assassins, gangsters.
Some had already been operating in the kingdom, while others had entered with Carmine's help.
Even though they were all criminals... or rather, because they were alike, they didn't fully trust each other. Suspicion and hostility swirled among them.
"Ten million gold coins."
But... with that single phrase from Carmine, the oppressive atmosphere in the room was blown away.
"The job this time is a kidnapping. I want you to abduct two people and bring them to a certain location. The reward is ten million gold coins."
"T-Ten million...?"
One of the outlaws gulped nervously.
Even those who had been loud earlier were now frozen in stunned silence.
The reward was extraordinary. It was a sum comparable to the national budget of a small country, so their reaction was understandable.
"Ah... please don't misunderstand. It's ten million per person. In other words, if you bring both of them, I'll pay twenty million."
""""............!""""
Once again, the outlaws froze in shock.
That meant the maximum reward was twenty million gold coins. It was such an unreal number.
"...Who exactly are we supposed to kidnap? Don't tell me it's the king?"
"Security would be lighter than the king's... I want you to bring me the woman known as the Saint at this country's shrine, and the man newly recognized as a Saint."
Carmine grinned.
That was the purpose behind Carmine gathering the outlaws.
He intended to kidnap Saint Reina and Saint Clael and take them back to the Holy Nation of Shinecross.
Their consent didn't matter.
As long as he brought them to the Holy Nation, there were plenty of ways to strip them of their will and brainwash them.
Even if the two were protected by Holy Spirits... Carmine had an idea of how to suppress even that.
"As an advance payment, I'll provide each of you with this... Even if you refuse the job, you don't have to return it. Consider it a souvenir."
""""............""""
A man in a butler's uniform standing beside Carmine handed out bundles to the outlaws.
When they checked the heavy bundles, they found them filled with gold coins, though the exact number was unclear.
At least a thousand coins... It was a fortune heavy enough to be troublesome to carry.
"I'll leave the method up to you. You may cooperate with one another, or fight it out. Once you've brought back either one of the targets, I'll give you a magic bag containing the reward."
"Who the hell are you...?"
"Please don't inquire about my background... That's also a condition for receiving the reward."
"............"
The outlaw who was about to ask a question swallowed his doubt.
After all, they were talking about an outrageous sum of ten million gold coins.
In fact... it made sense that he was hiding his identity.
Though Carmine stood before them without hiding his face, he actually possessed a magic item that interfered with recognition, making his face and expressions unseeable.
That magic item alone must have cost a fortune.
"...I'll do it. I'm in."
"Me too. I'll do it."
"...Understood."
One of the outlaws gripped the bundle and nodded.
The others followed, one after another, agreeing to the job.
"Well then... I look forward to working with you. I must leave this country for other business, but I'll leave this butler as your point of contact. If anything comes up, go through him."
Smiling in satisfaction, Carmine spread his arms.
"All is as the great goddess wills. May all light and glory be upon the land of god..."
With those final words, the gathering came to a close.
From that day on, the outlaws who received the souvenir gold coins began moving in the shadows.
Saint Reina Laurel.
Saint Clael Byrne.
Eyes clouded with dim desire, they began their covert pursuit of the forbidden fruit.