shade (3)
Contrary to the words of starting a conversation, the silence continued for a long time.
As time passed, the bloody smell that spread and soaked the floor also passed through the tip of my nose.
At the end of that silence, I relaxedly lifted the teacup in front of me and said.
“It’s really fun to be a dark force. Because the word “illegal” is always followed by the modifier “necessary evil.”
“But it will not be an exaggerated modifier. It actually has utility, so isn’t that the word attached?”
“Well, I guess.”
There was no way smoke would come out of the chimney at any other time, and in fact, the shadow forces had a surprisingly close connection with life.
So it was a fun way. Because they had to hide in the dark more than anyone else, their efforts to devise means to come out into the light.
Besides, no matter how hard you try to eradicate them, they keep coming out like cockroaches, so if you are a politician, you can say that they are a troublesome existence regardless of the country.
so that.
“I’ll give you two options.”
“I will listen.”
“One is that the forces of the underworld are torn apart by the Argon Knights.”
No matter how dark they are called and exert their influence. As long as I knew the inside story and even the secret points, I couldn’t avoid it.
If it is the number of people who have been led now, it will spread in an instant and wipe out without leaving even the shape of the force.
There could be no trust in those who had come together for mutual benefit in the first place.
“I understand the prince’s opinion… … But would it be all right if I said ‘that’ here, alone?”
John Hedwig said in such a polite tone. It was a voice full of concerns about the subject he was talking about, as if he was really worried about his safety.
I laughed so hard at it that I raised my eyebrows.
“What would not be okay?”
“This is a place where hundreds of mercenaries are always waiting. And, there are already countless assassins and solvers waiting for you. This means that there are not a few hidden troops even if they look like this.”
“Yeah, so?”
I still don’t get the subject.
“What are you asking about?”
In an instant, an intense wave of energy emanated from his body.
It wasn’t like he was causing an aura or using the power of the pattern.
Literally momentum.
It is an artificial control of the energy flowing out unconsciously.
It soon made a dramatic difference.
I felt the air around me shiveringly cold, and the expression on the face of the guy behind the bandages twisted grotesquely.
It was the same even after recovering energy.
“Since the conversation we were having just the two of us was boring, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring someone over to lighten the mood.”
“I will decline. I have eyes to see.”
His grotesque voice sounded like he was laughing.
Humans are animals that can predict the future.
Just as you know that if your hand brushes against the blade, it will hurt you. Even a beast would not do something reckless even with a set outcome.
And he was a guy who knew how to think about the bare minimum.
“Then what is the second option?”
“It is to run the underworld as it is now.”
“It’s a better option than before.”
The guy who answers like a joke.
I knew from the beginning that he was a guy like this.
“Well, that will happen.”
I also responded with a playful smile.
But he must have already noticed.
Even if it sounds like a joke, it’s not an empty word.
He’s already… … It penetrated the heart of the conversation.
“To me, that suggestion sounds like moving the shadows to your liking.”
“That is correct.”
A treatment full of greed, that even the forces of the shadows would be seized with these hands.
That was the method Edward and I came up with.
‘A necessary evil. If it bothers my eyes, I’ll just put it on a leash and it’ll stop.’
If I can control it under the name of a hound, that force will give me unparalleled strength.
And it was very easy for me.
“I hope this is an offer you like.”
“Yes, since you have been merciful, you can’t help but like it.”
… … but.
“But there is a problem.”
The boy shook his head as he said that.
Then the eyes exposed between the bandages were seen in more detail. Her nerves were twitching, and her eyes looked like they were going to run bloody at any moment.
“… … What benefits can it give me?”
Eyes that gleam with desire.
the guy said
“Your Highness can clean us all right now. Yes, no matter how hard we try, we can’t stop it. but.”
I don’t know if that’s his original inclination, or if it’s because he just experienced death. It definitely deserved to be called madness.
“Your Highness, who is clever enough, already knows that you won’t be able to achieve that by getting rid of me. That’s probably why he tried to recognize me even while doing such troublesome things.”
“I don’t have any sense at all.”
“Yes, I can fulfill Your Highness’ will. Even more than what you want. so… … .”
How much can you give me?
What benefits can you give yourself? What can motivate you?
Even in the midst of one option and a set outcome, he bargained for his own value.
A bet with one’s own life.
I smiled and pulled the corners of my mouth at that attitude.
“… … It’s fun.”
This situation was so much fun for me. Perhaps, if it hadn’t been different from usual, he would have paid for his arrogance in the name of death.
However, if it knew the tendencies of Iza and John Hedwig, the words were different.
‘A request once received will never be abandoned.’
A man who always protects relationships involving money.
That was a man named John Hedwig who made the current underworld exist.
In his previous life, even though he died because of it, he did not back down until the end. He was the same until the moment when he was cut in half by my sword.
So, it was rather attractive.
It’s as if he’s offered to sell me his blind feelings of loyalty.
‘The more clearly a person has a purpose, the easier it is to control.’
And the loyalty that came out of it was more reliable than the petty longing that could betray at any time.
It’s like George, who had the direction of ‘family comfort’.
I said, untwisting my legs.
“The value of information is money. If it goes to the right person, it can generate enormous wealth.”
“That word… … .”
“From now on, I will provide you with business information.”
The bandage covering his face twitched. I felt more interest than before.
“What if it’s not worth that much?”
“There will always be value. Because that will come back to me as well.”
“hmm! okay.”
As if he remembered what I had done with the top of the kingdom like a guy who used to rule the world behind him, he nodded right away.
And that expression was implied in the words and seemed to understand the contents.
Even if he was able to get his hands on internal affairs, including the top of the kingdom, there were bound to be things that he couldn’t do in the end.
It was in exchange for the freedom that the position of the first prince gives.
So I am impossible for me… … And in the name of the royal family, he intended to entrust them with impossible tasks.
A number of businesses that cross between illegal and legal.
And it’s not just about making money.
“All right. A deal is made.”
While I closed my eyes for a moment and organized my thoughts, the guy stood up from his seat and immediately gently bowed his back.
He had accepted a request in the name of loyalty.
The corners of my lips went up in satisfaction.
… … Not bad.
The hound that had previously bared its teeth finally obeyed.
It was more satisfying to know how tenacious he was and how sharp his teeth were.
‘It would be good for you to feel it once.’
Originally, good things are meant to be shared, so I’ll let you taste enough.
I stroked my chin and fell into thought.
Besides that, there were endless ways to use him.
For example, entrusting work to the power of the shadows and subsidizing it with the power of the royal family.
I could already know whether it was successful or not through my memories before returning, so there is literally nothing to hold me back from.
then… … .
“Give me the first order.”
“Please tell me.”
“From now on, organize the forces of the underworld that I am talking about.”
A low laugh echoed through the bandages.
“What can I do?”
“It would be enough to kill all the administrators so that there are no regrets left.”
The underworld was clearly a den of criminals.
Right now, the information guilds and assassination guilds they run were like that, and the black dealers guild was the same.
In particular, some of them are as rotten as they are rotten. If we don’t cut out the cause of corruption, everyone will rot.
“Yes, I will do as headquarters.”
The boy accepted the order without even asking.
Besides, I went one step further and put what I wanted right away.
“Can we organize the black dealer guild?”
“It’s good that the story is fast.”
A place that is more sensitive to money than any other guild in the shadows.
They often lined up nobles to make money.
From noble mtl dot com.
‘Like the general manager of an auction house supported by Asus.’
Asus auction items piled up in George’s private room. I smiled as I recalled it.
They were useless, only interfering with the plan. It was enough to put people who fit my taste there.
“I will organize the dark merchant guild as soon as possible.”
“good.”
Chak-!
Something slipped on the desk facing me.
Eventually, ‘it’, which had flown to the guy’s close range, stopped right in front of him.
… … It was a crystal ball.
“Let’s make contact through it. Communication will be one-way.”
“It’s a call crystal ball. It was made so that it could not grasp the communication signal.”
“After that, we will send people from this side. It is the same when there is a business.”
“I look forward to it.”
I got up from my seat and made eye contact with him.
the royal family and the shadows. It was the moment when an unbelievable relationship between the two forces that could never be established was created.
* * *
Kesed, a merchant belonging to the Black Merchants Guild.
He was a guild executive and at the same time the general manager who managed the auction house held by the guild.
However, even he had never met the head of the underworld.
Rather, it was only natural that the number of people who saw that face could be counted on two hands.
But today, he was on the move after receiving an invitation from such a leader.
‘The opportunity has finally come.’
A tinge of joy passed over Kessed’s face.
Seeing his face was, simply put, no different from saying that he would use himself as an executive.
Even now, even though I was fully satisfied with the benefits I got from this position, I was given the opportunity to leave the river and go to the wider sea.
‘It wasn’t a bad job, but it wasn’t safe.’
His face hardened in an instant.
When the 4th Prince’s agent came from the Commonwealth Empire, he was so nervous that he thought it wouldn’t be strange if he died soon.
Fortunately, I was able to cover up the incident, but the shock at that time was so great that I couldn’t get my hands on the work for a while.
However, that was also a farewell when he went up to the guild’s executive position.
You will be able to benefit even more than you do now with just the soybean water that falls on you.
“hehehe.”
Cassed caressed his monocle and let out a fishy laugh.
Yes, as long as you cross this door… … .
And finally, the moment he so desired came.
clap-
“Welcome.”
A bizarre voice and appearance.
Cesed flinched, but thanks to having heard the words in advance, he did not show his face.
However, it’s just surprising that there really was a head of the underworld in a place like this.
‘As rumor has it, the main base was in the west.’
Even a mercenary guild! Do you have a jaw to find?
The mere sharing of these secrets made me feel excited, as if I had discovered the secrets of the world.
Cassed’s lips lifted as if they were torn.
But at that moment, his head turned when he felt a presence behind him.
clap-
“uh?”
The door closed in an instant. And five or six men blocked the door.
As it was the main base, it was natural for them to guard the door, but this was a different matter.
Those who appeared now… … Because they were assassins wearing all black costumes.
“… … Um, how did this happen?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just have something to check.”
“… … .”
Despite Kesed’s doubts, the assassins did not move.
To be precise, it was waiting for the next order to be given.
“… … hmm. You are the leader of the black dealers guild.”
And it was both a conviction and a command.
The assassins approached holding daggers they had pulled out from somewhere, and only then did Kessed notice that things were going strangely.
But it was probably already too late.
“Seriously, an explanation… … Kut!”
Quadang-!
Kessed’s feet, which had been sneaking back, were twisted by the flash of life.
He fell ridiculously to his seat, but managed to get himself back up with astonishing speed.
But above that, a grotesque and cold voice descended.
“There was one last thing I wanted to tell you.”
“Oh, it’s the last time… … .”
“I don’t know what that means, but they said you were number four.”
… … fourth?
hooked!
“Gagging—!”
Cassed chewed on the word, feeling the dagger piercing his body.
But it didn’t make any sense. It was because he died shortly thereafter.
“I will sort it out.”
“hmm.”
Squeak-
The assassins dragged the dead black trader’s body out.
And even then, the eyes hidden in the bandages were chasing the dark merchant’s face.
It was a very interesting look.