Chapter 102

Chapter 102

The shopkeeper’s eyes fluttered uneasily. Even though he was just watching, he felt a chill run through his body like ice water.
“You bastard, in front of whom…!”
The sluggish gang member slipped his hand into his pocket. As he fumbled in his pocket, Ekidna’s red eyes squinted at him.
Their eye contact lasted less than a second. It was barely enough time to convey her intentions, but he understood immediately.
“Don’t interrupt.
Eventually, the man pulled his hand back in frustration.
He bites down on the upper torso that had been thrust at him, then stands behind Ekidna like a shadow, and the shopkeeper, who has been warned by him, scurries away.
And a dozen seconds.
“Hire me.”
It was Echidna who broke the silence.
“Do I, do we know what we’re doing?”
“I never would have guessed.”
“Did you hear something somewhere?”
“I’m not going to deny it, but you’re not going to hide it either, are you?”
Conversation. The empty store at lunchtime. Most of all, the atmosphere of the people themselves. Any idiot can tell at a glance that this is no ordinary woman.
Actually, Ekidna didn’t think it was a failure either. She was just a little surprised. That a curious stranger had shown up on her doorstep.
I didn’t realize it would be so bold.
“Okay, say yes.”
She crossed her slender legs.
“But isn’t that a little far-fetched? What are you looking at?”
“I don’t know. Face?”
“…….”
His sarcastic demeanor remained unchanged despite the inane jokes. But Kim captured every little reaction from Ekidna. The way her cheeks twitched for a moment.
He already knew his opponent’s temper.
“You’re out of your mind.”
A delicate hand, unbecoming of Banzar, gripped the fork.
Ding!
The utensil deformed with the sound of metal twisting.
From the top of the handle, the fork becomes thinner and longer. It resembles a spiral drill bit. In the blink of an eye, what was originally meant for eating becomes a weapon.
A sharp blade of hair touches Kim’s neck. It pressed against the cloth covering her skin. It looked like it was going to blow out at any moment.
“Uh, uh, uh, wait a minute.”
Kim gasped and pulled back.
He spreads his hands out, palms facing, as if to calm me down.
It’s a way of saying you’re not going to rebel.
Ekidna accepted.
to let go of the reins a little bit. It was a common sense decision, but it was also a fatal mistake.
There are some people in the world who don’t have common sense.
Chuck.
I wondered if his hand would change shape, but then a pistol appeared in his bare hand.
“This will equalize things a little bit.”
“You, where are you now…….”
“Eh, Ekidna!”
Kim warned as the gang member pulled out his gun again.
“Go ahead. I’m telling you right now, I’m not going to do anything about it. If she suffers even the slightest injury, it’s all your fault, and you’ll have to live with it, won’t you?”
Where you can see both of their actions at once. They don’t even blink.
The gang member was confident, even though he had never met them before. He was ready to shoot. Without hesitation.
In the unlikely event that Echidna is injured or killed.
Who is responsible…….
His conflict was painfully blatant.
“Ha, never mind. It’s useless.”
Sighing, Ekidna drops the deformed fork. She turned to face Kim with an annoyed glare. Even at gunpoint, she didn’t seem intimidated.
Kim was inwardly impressed. He was not a man to be intimidated.
“No, but I’ll shoot if I have to.
Ekidna is a character in the Event Story set in Banzar. As the head of a mafia organization called the Nuova Era.
At the end of the day, she’s supposed to die. She’s even killed in a fairly gruesome way… but she’s basically a dignified woman.
‘No matter how you package it, they’re still evil.’
I personally don’t hate it.
“Okay, I admit it, it was my mistake. I don’t know if it was a spell or a trick, but you could have assassinated me any number of ways, and it would have been easy.”
“If that was the plan, it wouldn’t have turned out like this.”
“Sounds like you could do it if you set your mind to it.”
Kim shrugged and lowered the gun. But he didn’t get rid of it. Even if he had some knowledge of his opponent, he still needed insurance.
“Anyway, about the job offer. You’ve made it sound like you want to work for me, so you’ve made it sound tempting. Is that the best way to summarize the situation?”
“Exactly.”
“You’ve got a lot of action. Didn’t you just get here today?”
“It was a wake-up call to get hit in the back of the head as soon as I got here.”
“Backhanded?”
Forward the incident from a moment ago.
He even brings up Dustborn’s name. Shahid has some knowledge of Kim’s situation. As long as he’s alive, information is bound to leak out.
There was nothing that needed to be hidden. To the outside world, the Dustborn are an insignificant group of mercenaries. Their presence in Banzar is not particularly unusual.
“For this reason, I think we need a pack. It’s a nasty neighborhood.”
“Hmmm.”
Ekidna was convinced and shook his head.
If it offended her, it stayed. But it was also an offer that made her ears perk up.
The skill with which he handled Maulik. It’s a level between recklessness and guts, but it’s also courageous. Of course, he’s not the only one, but he’s not that rare in Timorta.
If this spoiled brat has any value.
“Can you show me that again?”
“Does this work?”
This time, a dagger popped out of his left hand. The transformation from a beam of light to a blade was instantaneous. It was a breathtaking sight.
The corner of Ekidna’s mouth lifted. Banzar was a place where the outcasts of society gathered. The three years she’d spent rotting here had been more concentrated than the twenty years she’d lived in her hometown.
‘I’ve met all sorts of monsters, but…….’
I had never seen a spell like this before. I couldn’t think of a better person to use as a hitman, and I felt like my luck had just rolled in my favor.
The words “I got it” came up to my throat.
“…….”
Our eyes met for the first time. Upon closer inspection, the color of his eyes was more black than brown. His nonchalant expression also seemed to be one of overconfidence.
But the eyes are not smiling.
I can’t figure out what he’s thinking. Ekidna has felt this way many times before.
Each of their futures was extreme. Either they would die, or they would fall into the gutter. Or they would succeed and carve out a place for themselves…….
Suddenly, I had a crazy idea. Maybe it’s a poisoned chalice. I can’t ignore the possibility that it’s not the “new stimulus” I was hoping for, but rather a redemption.
After some thought, Ekidna came up with a slightly different answer.
“I need to see your skills.”
“I think I’ve shown you what I’ve got to show you.”
“Even if the hardware is good, there’s a bunch of dumbasses out there with empty minds. This isn’t a school, and I can’t afford to teach them every single thing.”
“That’s tricky.”
“If you’re here to build a fence, you’re not coming in on the fringe. If you’re happy with your work, I’ll put you in a position of authority.”
She smirked.
“If you’re not confident, it’s okay to be honest.”
Zap?
That’s how it was interpreted.
Kim spat out a laugh. A blatant provocation. It scratched his pride, but it was also cool, and he had no reason not to accept it.
“What do I need to do?”
“Let’s see what’s going on, because I can’t create something that doesn’t exist.”
“Well, I’d like to get a place to stay, do you have any suggestions?”
“I have a hotel that I own, and I’ll let you stay there for free.”
“Oh. Until when?”
“Well, until you’re out of my sight?”
You’re not going to be forced to leave the country. You’ll be shot at random in the street or surrounded by a bunch of horny men.
The glowing face was even more eerie than the expressionless one from earlier. I was reminded of how rare a group of geniuses like the Celbrox Labs is.
But there was definitely a comfort level with being evil.
“Yes, the informant you mentioned, Shahid.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Don’t even think about looking for it. It’s a waste of time.”
Ekidna added nonchalantly, as if she were talking about tomorrow’s weather.
“I’ll give you a finger if you want.”
Shahid is the person with the most information on Kim at this point. There’s no way Ekidna will leave him alone. Even if it means getting to the bottom of what they just talked about.
If Kim becomes an ally, he’ll need to keep his mouth shut again to keep the organization’s secrets. No matter what happens, Shahid doesn’t have a bright future ahead of him.
“This is why you have to stay in line.
We saved you the trouble of looking for it.
* * *
Boom!
“Hehe……!”
Shahid swallowed hard and opened his eyes. Cold water soaked his hair and dripped down his face, and every muscle in his body contracted from the bone-chilling cold.
“Did you have a nice dream?”
A voice that’s both nonchalant and grave. He recognized the tone from somewhere. Shahid’s head snapped up, his whole body shaking.
Then he was able to witness.
Several figures surrounded him, including a woman leaning against a crate, looking up at him. Her ruby-colored eyes are both beautiful and sinister.
The name came to me quickly. He was unrecognizable.
“Eh, Ekidna.”
“Every dog and cow knows me, and that’s not a good feeling. It’s funny how the human mind works, because if you don’t know, you’re going to get your ego hurt again.”
In the end, the problem was that the city had become too small.
Ekidna has been in Timorta for about three years now, and for all intents and purposes, her name and face are household words.
Ding, ding, ding!
Shahid twisted his shoulders and squirmed. But he didn’t move an inch. The rope held him tightly to the chair. The more he struggled, the tighter the rope seemed to tighten.
Shahid’s eyes rolled back in his head. A room stacked high with wooden crates. A warehouse somewhere. He didn’t know how he’d gotten here.
There is no connection between the last memory and the current situation.
I was trying to get out of the city when I heard Mauliq was dead. I got in the car, blacked out… and woke up here. It was just him.
But for my situation, it was probably a good thing.
It’s nothing new. Life in Banjar was a series of absurdities. It didn’t matter whether I could convince myself or not.
“What did I… do? I didn’t do anything that would get you in trouble….”
“A veteran is a veteran is a veteran, and he’s quick on the uptake.”
Ekidna smirked in satisfaction.
“Let me ask you a few questions.”
Gulp.
Shahid hands over the muzzle and the interrogation begins.
“About the stranger you sold to Maulik. What’s his name?”
“Ka, I know you as Karazam.”
He did not know Kim’s real name. All he had been instructed by Morea was to provide guidance and fake an identity. He knows nothing of the details.
However, “I don’t know” is a dead giveaway. If necessary, make up a plausible lie to get out of the situation.
It’s common knowledge among the informed.
“I don’t think that’s your real name, but okay, where are you affiliated?”
“…a research company called Cellbrossix Labs.”
“Not Dustborn? I’ve never heard of it.”
“That is, if it is not an organization operating in Banjar….”
Ekidna gestured to his men. They shook their heads in unison. Shahid hastened to add an explanation.
“It’s a lab that does research primarily on spells, but I’ve heard they also sell equipment to control spell output. If you ask around, you might be able to find out.”
“So, what’s your relationship with that rap?”
“Sometimes I get work from a guy named Morea who’s in the lab.”
“Morea?”
“I’ve never met him in person, as he’s a cross-country connection of mine, but he’s a well-paying client, and I’ve asked him to guide me to Karajam again….”
Ekidna’s eyes widened as she listened. Then she realized.
“Ahhhhh. And you stabbed him in the back? You’re great, too.”
“…….”
“So you’re saying you don’t know anything about Karazam himself?”
I wasn’t expecting it.
If I’d at least known his spell, I wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in now. Either I should have paid attention to Maulik properly, or I shouldn’t have betrayed him in the first place.
Shahid failed. Greed had gotten the better of Chapter.
“Gee, give me a chance!”
“Huh?”
“I’ll dig through Morea. Ha, I can do that. Give me a week, no, three days, and I’ll get something done.”
“You’re running up the checkbook.”
Echidna crossed her legs.
“But you know what, there’s a little problem with keeping you alive.”
“Yes?”
“Karazam might be one of us. If he does, I’ll be using the man who stabbed my man in the back to get at my man.”
He rested his chin in his palms, elbows on his thighs. A weak laugh escapes her lips.
“I look undignified.”
“Phew, dignity…….”
Shahid was dumbfounded. In his head, of course, he knew. That they don’t need a good reason to kill people.
But maybe he thought it was somebody else’s problem, that he wasn’t like the other assholes, that he could survive by being smart.
It was a stupid idea.
“Dignity is important. It gives talented people a reason to follow me, which makes me strive to improve, which makes the organization grow. It’s a virtuous cycle, if you will.”
Click, click, click.
She stood up and brushed the dust off her ass.
“Stick it in a drum.”
“Eh, Ekidna, please, just one chance… Ouch!”
The sound of low-heeled shoes echoed. Natural light seeped into the darkened room, then was shut out again. Ekidna turned her head and glanced at the enclosed warehouse she had just exited.
“Hmm. It’s a little far, but the soundproofing is good.”
No noise was leaking outside.