111. Rustwood (2)
10 million shillings in total.
It was an amount that would be double the salaries of the employees here.
“If this is not enough, it will be no big deal.”
“no! no! Who said no!”
I paused my hand reaching over the table to retrieve the money.
“That’s what it means! Say it! You seem to be referring to the three Kilkera brothers. It’s not a quest I received, but if you read the records, they’ll all come out!”
With his tiny front paws, he shoved a bunch of bills into his bag.
He looked worried that he might change his mind.
He grunted his bulging bag into the cabinet with his name on it and stood in front of the exit door.
“Wait a minute! I will be here soon!”
It didn’t take long for him to come back.
In his hand was a small file iron and a disk.
“As I warn you, even looking at this may not give you the information you are looking for! I still can’t get my money back!”
“Know.”
10 million shillings. It’s not a small amount, but considering my total assets that are continuously growing in real time, it was not a burdensome amount.
Above all, he did not intend to save money on important things that would determine his future course.
He put his ear to the door, checked that no one was outside, and locked the door again.
Then he approached the table and inserted the disc into the side of the pad he was holding.
“Most orders are received through communication! So is this one! The policy is that if you receive an advance payment, the identity of the client or the contents of the request are irrelevant!”
wow.
A hologram was output on the pad along with a mechanical sound.
It was the figure of a man wearing a mask with his body covered with a hood.
He opened his mouth not long after communication was established.
“There are people who want to kill. The number is two.”
A conversation continued between the man and the commissioning office staff.
Two people who were expected to be assassinated were nominated, followed by detailed personal information and tour schedule.
“… Work is done as reliably and quietly as possible. The expenses are transferred to that account.”
A voice that can be called a beauty for a man.
While keeping in mind the possibility that the tone itself may have been tampered with, my head naturally came up with a few possible settings for characters.
The 4th Prince of the Imperial Family, Julius.
Mine Nocturne in the Capital Dungeon.
Davite, Professor of Amplification Elements at Matop.
a few other supporting actors.
Even if the tone is altered, there are some things that are inevitably revealed.
Minor elements like tremors, stress, and tone.
I imprinted all of them in my head.
“Confirmation was enough.”
Even the documents in the file were to the extent that the contents of the video were recorded by hand.
Request amount, date, expected deadline, etc.
“Yes? Are you really okay with this? If you ask for more details, I can’t give you anything, but really?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t ask for your money back.”
Baek Jin-woo. Just confirming its existence and obtaining a trivial clue was enough to be worth 10 million shillings.
When I went out of the break room and passed the hallway, I saw the scene of the commissioning office as busy as before.
thud!
Suddenly, I heard the sound of something hitting the side wall connected to the outside.
“Hah really. I see someone else fighting outside. Do not worry! This isn’t the first time this has happened, our building is… !”
I felt something flying outside again.
I grabbed Kunda’s neck and flew back.
thud!
The wall collapsed and one lion-headed beast flew in.
The guy, who had fallen among the rubble, was trembling.
It was easy to tell by looking at his eyes that it was not because of physical pain, but because of the fear of something.
“Uh, uh, the wall! wall! In that case, from our money again—!”
This weasel in my hand seemed to be thinking of money still in my head.
I let go of my hand and let him fall, then look at the huge hole in the wall.
“Someone said I could start a fight in my territory.”
A thick, heavy, wet muddy voice.
The voice coming through the hole resonated the building, and all the prisoners in the room showed signs of nervousness.
Not a small number seemed to know who the owner of the voice was.
“Boo, obviously you didn’t care until now… !”
As the Lion Beastman spoke in a voice trembling with fear, the other person spoke again from beyond the hole.
“I mean. I get angry when I see people like you with manes growing around their necks. It makes me think I want to kill him right now.”
However, the content was not an answer to the question of the lion beast.
A huge lower body, covered in brown hair, appeared through the hole.
Soon his knees were bent, and a huge head appeared with several horns sprouting from both sides.
‘Tirhorn.’
The prototype animal species is the elk.
Although it belongs to the deer family in classification, it is larger than other wild beasts, giving the impression that it is close to a carnivore.
Presumably, it was thought that when he got up, his height would exceed 5 meters.
‘Is it a mutation? The elk itself is originally huge, but it’s not that big.’
The guy stretched out his long arm through the hole and headed towards the lion beast.
“Who, who! Someone help!”
Both feet of the lion beast were broken.
In order not to get caught, I rubbed my back on the floor and somehow pulled my body back so that the street did not barely reach.
There was no one to help.
“Bring it.”
Rather, he was afraid that sparks would fall on him, and with a frightened expression, he clinged to the lion beast and pushed him forward.
“Hey, don’t do it! help me! Save me, please!”
The gigantic grip that grabbed the lion’s beast suddenly disappeared through the hole.
The knee was stretched again, the huge head disappeared, and soon the body of the lion’s beast, which remained only under the neck, fell down with the sound of chewing something.
ahduk. ahduk.
The sound repeated several times, and Tyrhorn disappeared with a dull sound of footsteps.
The prisoners who seemed to be subordinates removed the bodies, and the atmosphere of the requesting station was frozen for a while.
* * *
There were no high-rise buildings in Rustwood to contemplate the entire district.
Because of that, I was following Tyrhorn and his men at regular intervals.
‘Anyway, thanks to him appearing first, it saved me the trouble of finding it.’
Its size is so conspicuous that it wouldn’t have taken me long if I had gone looking for it.
– Report as soon as preparations are complete. Divide the staff as much as possible.
—I see, Tyrhorn-sama.
The guy received reports from newly appeared subordinates, and on the contrary, gave instructions.
With every step they took, there was the illusion of the ground trembled, and the residents of the street hid in the surrounding buildings for fear of being disturbed by the boy.
Seeing the residents like that, one of his subordinates chuckled and said:
—In the end, these guys are probably doing nothing more than mercenary things and screaming to death. Drunk on alcohol and drugs, or die of pity. It’s better than the trash that lives on the outskirts, though. Do you know what it means to raise money and prepare for the future?
—It’s not wrong, but you don’t have to say it out loud. They are customers who will become our loyal money stream soon.
Their steps reached a small hill.
As we climbed to the top of the towering buildings, a small basin appeared below.
‘That’s it.’
The color of the ground in the basin was much darker brown than in other places.
There was a hole in the middle that was not small, as if something had been pulled out.
Nearly 100 seedlings were planted around it, and about 30 wolf beasts stood guard.
– Stupid bastards. When was the water of life extracted? Those expensive seedlings.
-It’s nothing but throwing money into the air. To believe the legend that this place was once a great forest because there was only one tree of life.
life water.
A tree known for its ability to take root in any barren environment and improve the fertility of the surrounding soil.
Rarely found in unexplored remote or historical sites, the seeds and seedlings have been traded for astronomical prices.
It’s good enough to call it worth the price.
─But, I think the tenacity is great. Because when Leica a few years ago drained the water of life and ran away, I thought they would stop doing things like restoring the forest.
As if to please their boss, the surrounding subordinates chuckled.
—Strictly speaking, Laika was also one of the dreamers who believed that the forest could be restored. I don’t know what the conflict was with those guys. Anyway, it will be over in a few days. All the useless remnants of the past will be burned down, and a high palace will be built in its place. Old houses will be moved away and proper entertainment facilities will be built.
—Oh! I’m looking forward to it!
After exchanging a few more words, the guys headed down the hill.
They disappeared, and I got up on the spot and looked down at the basin and the city alternately.
‘I think you know.’
The reason for the decline in this area is simple.
Because the vast majority of beasts don’t know the concept of development and just live according to the given day every day.
This is why humans despise beasts.
Occasionally, some beasts have the intellect to build a zone up.
However, it is also a story of having the ability to recognize the inner meaning of human gaze and be angry.
‘Soo-in’s work is solved by Su-in.’
This is a phrase repeated by intelligent beasts.
Naturally, he rejects human help.
‘If there is an individual that can throw away such pride and join hands with humans.’
Obviously, he will be a unique presence in the area.
In the process, clashes with the forces opposing development will be inevitable.
I left the place, staring intently at the silver-haired wolf beast that stood out particularly in the basin.
* * *
late night.
I headed to Tirhorn’s residence.
widely. widely.
The only sound of footsteps echoing through the night air was mine.
There are not a lot of nocturnal beasts, so there must have been some people wandering around to some extent.
But now, everyone was reluctant to go out because of the tense atmosphere before the war.
‘It’s incredibly large.’
I thought as I looked at Tirhorn’s residence in the distance.
huge building.
A fence made of wood planks and barbed wire was built around it.
As we approached the entrance, one of the two jackal-headed beasts standing guard pointed a crude spear and said:
“What. It’s a face I haven’t seen nearby. Are you excited to die walking around at this hour?”
I said with a surprised face.
“Uh, uh, I thought it was strange that no one was walking on the street, but what’s going on?”
“Did you come back from outside because you don’t know what the mood is these days?”
“Yes. It took me a while to finish the quest in a foreign country. I’m back after half a year.”
The boy’s boundaries loosened a bit.
It was thought that the scent that he made himself and sprayed on his body played a role to some extent.
“I don’t think he’s a quick-witted friend, but I’ll be honest and tell you. A big war breaks out in a few days. It would be better to go somewhere and refrain from going out for a while.”
I opened my eyes in surprise and nodded slowly in shock.
When I hesitated and showed no sign of going, he said.
“What, aren’t you going?”
“Yeah, I’m addicted. If I don’t play a card even for a day, I feel anxious and anxious… . All other gambling establishments either do not open at all or close early… . I heard a rumor that you are playing cards here at dawn… .”
I glanced at the small post office building inside the fence.
From the place where the lights were turned on, the sound of words was leaking out.
“Where did you get that rumor… . Come back when you say nice things, come on.”
He growled, showing his fangs.
Without hesitation, I pulled out a bottle of wine and a bundle of high-value bills from my pocket.
“How could it not be? You can pay the entrance fee if necessary. We have enough military funds to spend inside.”
an insignificant amount.
Drinks were also of high quality that you can’t easily find in these places.
The two boys’ eyes fluttered for a moment.
‘I did.’
The prisoners are faithful to their desires.
Therefore, it is much easier than humans to elicit the desired behavior.
The subsequent persuasion was formal.
One of the guards led me to the post office building.
“A guest has arrived. You seem to like cards, so take good care of them.”
The guard glanced at the beasts who were playing cards inside.
I want you to shake it off.
Such a signal passed between them in an instant.
“Five! good! The more people there are, the more fun the game is.”
I naturally joined the group and started playing cards.
When I lost money while acting in moderation, the boundaries between the guys were loosened and the atmosphere became softer.
“It’s not going well. I’m a little thirsty, can I have a drink? Let’s eat together.”
When I took out the bottle and showed it, the guys looked at each other.
“I drink a little while working… .”
“Hey, hey, that liquor brand… . Tirhon-sama, once you fall asleep, you never wake up.”
“It is not. Those cowardly wolves will never come in first.”
There was a brief conflict, but the outcome was decided.
We drank together, and everyone except me got moderately drunk.
I kept losing money, and the smiles on their faces never stopped.
“Ah, I heard about it while walking around the casino in the afternoon. There will be new entertainment facilities in the district.”
“Oh, did you hear me? Well, it’s a story everyone knows. Tirhorn-sama is going to receive a large investment. Only if you push those wolves away.”
What followed did not deviate from what was expected.
However, it was possible to turn the existing assumptions into certainty.
“I’m going to go to the bathroom for a while.”
“Yes, yes. I want you to go.”
When the atmosphere was ripe, I got up and went out of the post.
“restroom? It’s over there in the back.”
Guards pointed to the back of Tirhorn’s residence building.
I nodded and pretended to go to the bathroom, then used my blinker to enter the room inside the living room window.
The size of the room was huge.
However, the size of Tyrhorn was not enough to comfortably move in and out.
Rather than a building made exclusively for him, it seemed that an existing building with a spacious interior was being used.
‘In the words of the prisoners of Socho, Tirhorn said it was a building used alone.’
I took out the wiretapping devices I had prepared and installed them out of sight in the room.
Then he quickly ran around the other rooms and repeated the same operation.
‘Laika’s men will arrive tomorrow at the latest to contact Tyrhorn.’
Eliminating Leica’s subordinates in advance is meaningless.
As long as Tyrhorn is alive, we will continue to send people to recruit him.
Elimination of candidates for executive officers altogether.
That was the fundamental solution.
As I was passing the hallway on the second floor, I looked into the window toward the inside of the building.
In the center of the building, the floors were integrated.
‘This is his bedroom.’
A huge silhouette was visible in the darkness.
The place that was supposed to be the part of the stomach was going up and down slowly.
It wasn’t impossible to get rid of him now.
However, several variables had to be considered.
Chances are he won’t die all at once.
It is said that the level of force is not normal if it is enough to confront Silver Fang.
We also had to keep in mind to get rid of him and get out of Rustwood safely.
‘There is a possibility that there is no need to deal with him.’
Possibility of rejecting an offer for an executive position.
The probability of the guy identified by rumors was not high, but it wasn’t an impossible situation.
Once the conversation was overheard, it was not too late to make a judgment after that.
In addition to this, the installation of wiretapping devices was completed in other buildings in the area where tangential lines could be made.
It would also be used to read the movements of the group led by him when fighting later.
‘This would have been enough.’
I installed the last tap on the window sill towards his bedroom.
As I was about to turn around and get out of the building, I stopped the foot I had just lifted off by a strange sensation enveloping my whole body.
Then he slowly turned his head towards the bedroom.
Instantly, the eyes appeared in the moonlight.
Tirhorn’s gleaming eyes were directed at me.
‘Were you awake?’
It was one of several situations that I had drawn in advance in my head, so I wasn’t embarrassed.
It was just calmly raising mana.