The imperial capital was bright and gorgeous, but that didn't mean that everyone benefited from its blessings.
The imperial capital's slum. The final destination for the people who had fallen into poverty and gathered there.
On the flip side of this bustling city, was this dark, sour-smelling slum full of dead-eyed vagrants and overflowing garbage, with the worst hygiene and security possible.
However, the fact that all the social misfits were gathered in one place was useful, so the country did not proactively try to resolve this issue. Well, even if they wanted to try, because they would need to waste a lot of money and blood to move everyone who lived in the slum out, the circumstances meant that they could not try anything carelessly as well.
In other words, the slum was essentially outside the rule of law. Because of that peculiarity, it wasn't just the poor who gathered there. Criminals who used it as a hideout did so as well.
It was a place where decent people would never step into.
「Noel, over here」
I turned back when my name was called and saw a man appear from the shadows. A thin smile appeared on the frivolous-looking young hoodlum's face.
I had come into the slums chasing this man.
「Loki」
I said the name of that man. By the way, the name Loki was just a pseudonym. His real name was apparently different, but there was no one who knew it.
「You didn't have to purposely enter a unclean place like this. We could have done our deal somewhere else, right? What will you do if the stink seeps into my clothes?」
Loki shrugged his shoulders at my obvious complaints.
「That's my bad. But I'm the one walking a dangerous tightrope every day. I didn't want to do the deal in a place where there could be eyes watching during the day. Isn't it the same for you?」
「Even so, choose a better place. Unlike you, I'm a person who lives on the front side of society. I don't need baseless rumors to start just because I went in and out of the slum」
「Ha, that's rich coming from someone who sold their allies as slaves」
「Shut up. The one with the obligation to be considerate is you. Am I wrong?」
「Yes, I got it. So stop making that scary face, boss」
It was questionable whether he really understood, but this guy was no fool either. He would probably pay attention to it next time. Being able to separate emotions from actions was the sign of a professional.
「Here you go, the fruits of my labor this time round. Take it」
Loki handed me a thick envelope. I checked its contents and there were several dozen pieces of paper with small words crammed onto them. The information written there was exactly what I had requested.
「Good work as usual. As expected from the best information broker in the imperial capital. You truly live up to your nickname of Faceless(Kaleidoscopic Changer). In front of you, who can infiltrate anywhere you wish, all secrets are stripped bare, I see」
Loki worked as an information broker. He was the number one and most shrewd operator in the imperial capital and as long as you paid the appropriate price, he was a powerful figure who could even tell you the number of wrinkles on the Emperor's anus. And his Job was the reason for how formidable he was as an information broker.
Mimic, a combat type Job that could copy the appearance of others.
Thanks to this Job, Loki could infiltrate anywhere. Also, since it was a very rare Job, even the Appraiser Guild hadn't completely grasped all of its abilities, so there were almost no countermeasures to prevent the intrusion of wherever he was aiming for.
In addition, he didn't get complacent because of his abilities and was careful to make sure that no one could grasp his true form by corresponding to his clients with an appearance specific to them whenever he dealt with them. This frivolous-looking hoodlum was also just one of his many personas. He could even change his age and gender freely.
This ability was very close to that of a Monster, and in fact, I believed that Loki must have the blood of a Shapeshifter(Demon Fox), a Monster that was able to change its appearance. In other words, he was likely a person with mixed blood. Because the owners of rare Jobs generally had special bloodlines, I was probably not wrong.
「Thank you for your flattery. But I want money more than I want praise. If you like, you can add a little bonus to my reward, you know? Didn't you make a lot of money from Gordo's bounty?」
So he had already heard that I had subjugated Gordo. Even though I already knew about it, he was really frighteningly well-informed. His outstanding information network was also why Loki was renowned as an extraordinary information broker.
「I'll pay you your reward. The appropriate amount, just like usual」
I took the money out from my purse and Loki accepted the reward.
「Hehe, good doing business with you!」
「I'll contact you via owl mail again for the next job」
「Aye sir! --Even so, you're a person with refined tastes」
Looking at me unreservedly with curious eyes, Loki continued pleasantly.
「Trying to release that『Mass Murderer』, the Puppeteer Hugo Coppelius, and make him an ally. You're not right in the head after all」
「It's none of your business. If you don't want to lose your tongue, keep your mouth shut」
Loki raised both of his hands when I glared at him.
「Woah~ Scary. The grandson of Over Death sure is scary」
「Say whatever you want. Later then, I'm leaving now」
「Ah, just a minute」
As I turned to leave, Loki called out to me.
「There's a nasty drug that's circulating in the slum recently, so watch your back on your way out. I think it's okay during the day, but I'll point it out just in case」
「A nasty drug?」
「It's a new type of stimulant. It seems that it gives the best high, but it has the side effect of making the user go berserk」
「Woah, there are such dangerous things circulating? The Luciano Family isn't going to keep silent about this. Who's the idiot behind this?」
Loki's expression changed at my question.
「It seems to have been spread by the Gambino Family, which is an affiliate of the Luciano Family 」
†
†
There was a rare Job called Dual Job.
Normally, Jobs were separated into combat and production types and the traits from each side were unique to their own. The Skills that they could learn were clearly different, only Skills related to combat were available to the combat types, and only Skills related to production were available to the production types,
However, only Dual Job was the exception to this rule and it possessed the combined traits of combat and production types. And that was the kind of Job the Puppeteer was.
With the combat type Skills to strengthen and control puppets, combined with the production type Skills to create those puppets and their weapons, the Puppeteer was strong in handling all kinds of battle situations.
Even though its weakness was its very heavy consumption of magic power and was thus not suited for long battles, compared to the all-rounder combat type Jobs that lack its versatility, I could definitively say that the Dual Job of Puppeteer was the strongest all-rounder type Job.
If I was able to freely choose my Job, and I was able to put aside my emotional attachment to my esteemed Grandfather's Job of Warrior, then I would undoubtedly choose the Puppeteer Job.
In front of its magnificent worth, the bad reputation of being a mass murderer was nothing at all.
The Puppeteer, Hugo Coppelius. Also known as the『Leather Mask(Blood-Covered Taxidermist)』. The worst grotesque murderer in recent years who had shocked the imperial capital.
Hugo was now kept in a prison in the imperial capital and was awaiting execution. The Appraiser Guild was investigating Hugo's Job for academic research, so the sentence had not been executed immediately, but once the investigation was completed, there would be no reason to keep him alive. The time he had left was at most three months.
However, thanks to the information gathered by Loki, the preparations to release Hugo via back-door channels were steadily being put into place. If things went well, there were also plans to sway public opinion in order to clear his name as a mass murderer. And my plan was to welcome Hugo, who had been proclaimed as innocent, into Blue Beyond.
Of course, I wouldn't have done any of this if Hugo was a bona fide mass murderer. No matter how outstanding he was, releasing a uncontrollable monster was out of the question.
However, I was sure of it. Hugo was falsely accused. Someone had framed him for their sins. The pitiful Puppeteer had been imprisoned for a crime that he was innocent of.
In fact, the injustice itself was actually easy to prove. The problem was how to make the authoritarian Justice Department withdraw the sentence they had already rendered for Hugo. This was difficult and required a lot of preparation. If I made a mistake, disaster would befall me, so I had to proceed carefully.
Three months left. It would be up to my wits to see how much I could accomplish by then.
『Alma, I'm done with my errand. Where are you now?』
As I headed for the exit of the slum, I sent a communication via Link to Alma. Alma's angry reply rang out in my head.
『You're too slow! I'm at a restaurant called the Sated Cat! Come quickly!』
『Don't yell so angrily. I'll buy you lunch so forgive me』
『Eh, really!? Yes! All I can eat using other people's money!』
Alma's voice had brightened the instant I talked about treating her. What a materialistic woman.
I had been to the Sated Cat before. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was good. I would probably reach it in 5 minutes at the pace I was walking.
Even so, I hadn't noticed it when I entered the slum, but when I looked around, it appeared that it was true that dangerous drugs were circulating.
Blood stains were everywhere, and people's teeth and nails were scattered all over the ground. If I believed what Loki said, then this was the work of the junkies who became violent because of the drug. It was still daytime, so I didn't come across any of them, but it would undoubtedly be a dangerous area with crazed people roaming around at night.
It would be a serious matter if those junkies didn't stay in the slum, but spilled out and went on a rampage outside. In fact, the way Loki phrased it seemed to imply that it was already circulating everywhere.
The one behind it was said to be the Gambino Family but what were the Luciano Family doing, letting their affiliate Family run wild like this?
Well, it had nothing to do with me. There was always a self-cleansing effect in the dark side of society. It would eventually be solved by those who were in the appropriate positions.
The exit of the slum came into view. The hustle and bustle of the downtown area was getting closer. Along the way, something curious caught my eye.
「That's--」
At first glance, it was just a dirty male drifter. But the atmosphere around him was different from the others. When I took a closer look, I realized that he had facial features that I hadn't seen much of in the imperial capital.
「An Oriental......」
Excluding criminals, most of the people living here were migrants who had become unable to work because of damaged minds or bodies. Even among them, the existence of Orientals was rare. Although there was trade with them, the number of them who had settled in the imperial capital was very limited.
He was around the same age as me and had disheveled black hair that was crawling with lice and faded black eyes. Moreover, he was sitting down while tightly gripping a long stick, perhaps because he had a bad leg.
How pitiful, I thought. I wouldn't have been able to stand a life of just waiting for my death in a foreign country. On top of that, he was still young. He must have had his hopes and dreams.
But this was definitely not unrelated to me. That could easily have happened to me too. It would be one thing if that happened after I had succeeded as a Seeker, but if I was forced to quit due to injuries without sufficient money or status, I would likely become unable to get back on my feet in no time.
Clink, a clear metallic sound rang out.
The large silver coin that I dropped on a whim rolled in front of the Oriental. It was a mere 10,000 Fil. It likely wouldn't change anything, but it could at least fill his belly up with warm food.
「Hey, wait up, Miss」
I was stopped by an unexpected yell. It appeared to have been uttered by that Oriental. When I looked back, the Oriental stood up shakily and walked up to me.
Huh? Miss? Did this guy say Miss?
「You dropped your money. Here」
I was lost for words as he proffered the large silver coin to me.
「What are you zoning out for? It's your money, isn't it? A large silver coin is a lot of money. Keep it properly so that you won't drop it again」
「No......」
「Also, this isn't the kind of place a pretty Miss like you should be. I don't know why you came, but you should get out as fast as you can」
A pretty Miss, he said.
I can't see my own face because I don't have a mirror, but I'm probably making an expression that's impossible to describe.
「Wh, what's with that scary face? Does your stomach hurt or something?」
「......First of all, I'm going to state this clearly. I'm a man, not a woman」
「Eh, man!? I, I'm really sorry about that......」
「And I no longer need that money. I don't want to put money that has been touched by a dirty drifter like you back into my purse」
「Wha, what did you say!?」
「That's why, do what you want with that」
As I turned to go, I felt the presence of the Oriental draw close.
「Hey, wait!」
The moment his hand was about to be placed on my shoulder, I threw a spinning back kick at the Oriental.
「Gaaha!」
The kick was a direct hit and it blew the Oriental away, leaving his breathing ragged as he held his stomach in pain.
What a sturdy guy. I had held back, but he didn't even fall when I had intended to knock him unconscious with that kick.
「Don't touch me. Know your place」
「......haa, haa......, you, sure did it now」
The Oriental twisted his face in anger and held the stick in a stance at his hips.
Could it be, he intends to fight me?
「I don't like fighting but I'm not nice enough to stay quiet after being made a fool of. I'm sorry, but I'm going to give you a bit of a bad experience」
The Oriental's battle-ready state looked unexpectedly good. I had thought that he had a bad leg, but that didn't seem to be the case. There was none of the awkwardness or nervousness of an amateur, and his form was very polished.
Is he a down-and-out mercenary? At the very least, he isn't a mere drifter. His weapon is just a stick, but if he connected solidly, it doesn't look like it'll end with just pain.
Interesting. Truly interesting. I might as well take this chance to see what he can do.
「If you want to apologize, now is the time」
「Who's going to apologize, idiot」
「I see. In that case......」
The Oriental bent deeply at his waist.
「......drop dead right here」
In an instant, the Oriental closed the ten-step distance between us to zero with one step.
Fast!
The distance between us was too close and there was no time for countermeasures. The stick was swung in a sharp horizontal arc. My bones would definitely break if I took a direct hit.
But I could dodge it.
「What!?」
The Oriental must have thought that he would bring me down with that blow.
Just before I was going to be hit, I bent myself backwards as hard as I could. The stick passed right in front of the tip of my nose. I had dodged successfully but my posture was broken. I had no room to right my upper body. So I used the momentum from bending backwards to go into a back-flip.
While I was at it, I extended a kick at the Oriental's jaw.
「Ugh!?」
A kick aimed at the jaw, an attack that would sever his consciousness with one hit.
Amazingly, the Oriental evaded it just by turning away his face.
Once I landed the back-flip, I took another step back to create more distance between us. The Oriental didn't pursue and kept his distance warily.
The Oriental used his finger to wipe the blood off his cheek, where my kick had split open the skin.
「What terrifying acrobatics. Are you a Ninja?」
「Ninja?」
Ninja...... Ah, that Ninja!
If I remembered correctly, Ninja was a Job in the Scout-series that only existed on an island nation in the Far East, which was even further east than the Orient.
Which meant that that was where this man hailed from.
「I'm not a Ninja. I'm a Talker」
「A Talker? You? ......Well, it doesn't matter. I've understood clearly that you're strong. That's great. But then, I'm going to start using 『Skill(Technique)』from now on」
The aura surrounding the Oriental changed dramatically. The killing intent he was directing at me was similar to what I felt when facing a strong Beast.
This obvious difference from before meant that he hadn't been using his true strength earlier.
「Hahaha, you're the best. I'll apologize for my rudeness. I've become interested in you. So I'm going to get serious too」
I drew my knife from the sheath on my thigh and held it in a backhand grip.
「If you don't want to be killed, show me all you've got」
「Hah, that's my line!」
My heart swelled with expectation. This Oriental was strong. If anything, he was comparable to the legend's successor, Alma. To think that I would really make a lucky find on the side of the road.
If this Oriental was as strong as I imagined, then at that time--
「......hisssss」
When the Oriental breathed out like a snake, the pressure increased further.
He's coming!
It happened the instant I braced myself for his attack. A shrill voice, which sounded just like a young child's, suddenly rang out.
「Kouga! You cur, what are you doing!?」
What had appeared, as if by rolling, was a plump and portly middle-aged Halfling man.
Kouga speaks in a strong dialect. You may have heard of Kansai-ben or the Kansai dialect before but Kouga uses Hiroshima-ben, which is less common and I had to go to forums where even Japanese people were asking what on earth the phrases meant... Anyway, main point besides ranting is to let you know that I had no idea how to express Kouga’s dialect in English so I just translated it into normal English.
Noel in full tsundere mode though. Plus mistaken as a girl. d(^_^o)
And yeah long time since my last shoutout, but Ilyr, you were right again about Noel being a tsundere. （╹◡╹）
This arc is quickly kicking into gear isn’t it? Already a couple of new, interesting characters, a cool fight and a fair bit of plot points already. Pretty hilarious that what looked like a throwaway line about a miraculous encounter in the previous chapter actually came true. Can anyone already guess what is arc is about?
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