Chapter 16. Rinne Rondvel (2)
The streets of the slum were dark, with old grime here and there, and the lighting poorly maintained.
Rinne glanced at the man who was following her.
The slit-eyed man exuded a lofty elegance without any unnecessary adornment.
Rinne knew it was just a mask to hide his true nature.
The man's name was Yulian Cryphart Frason.
He was a renegade who forsook the teachings of their teacher, Hayden Reich, to become a tool of the royal family.
Confirming that he was following her, Rinne clicked her tongue inwardly.
"Even after saying so much, you still don't get it?"
Moments ago.
Rinne had signaled to Yulian to go about their own business without causing a scene.
Yet, he was tailing her as if he hadn't heard a thing.
It was obvious that such a cunning person hadn't missed the signal.
"Aren't we under the same teacher? Please don't be so cold-hearted."
More words he didn't mean.
Rinne scoffed silently.
He was a man with a strong urge for self-expression.
He detested being followed like a shadow, labeled only as a "disciple of Hayden Reich".
At the same time, he had an insatiable desire to earn the highest title of Sword Saint.
So much so that when Hayden expelled Yulian, the word 'duel to the death' escaped his lips.
Yes, indeed.
He wanted to surpass the wall that is his teacher, 'Hayden Reich'. Even if it meant turning his teacher into an enemy.
Yet for him to talk about the master-disciple relationship now, how laughable.
"Stop following me."
Eventually, Rinne frowned and spoke.
"Miss Rinne, if you say so, that puts me in a difficult position too. This is a mission, after all."
A sinister smile appeared, sending a chill down Rinne's spine.
She couldn't grasp what lay behind that creepy smile.
I mustn't let it bother me.
Rinne pretended not to see it and read through the mission order once more.
'Investigate the signs of demons appearing in the slums.'
The location was Sector 034A.
A section of the slums; arriving there marked the beginning of the mission.
With brisk steps, Rinne treaded down the filthy roads of the slum.
Soon, a grimy sign came into view.
Currently located in 031A.
Just a bit further, and she would reach Sector 034A, the destination.
"Huh...?"
But the next sign read 011C.
By this sequence, 032A should have appeared.
Rinne was intensely bewildered.
A voice quickly came from behind.
"Didn't I tell you? Because of illegal construction, the signs here in the slum don't serve as proper guides."
Yulian's voice.
Though his tone was no different from usual, the current situation made it sound more irritating than ever.
"Don't interfere unnecessarily. And if you know so well, why don't you go ahead without following me?"
Snapping back at him, she tried to keep moving.
But the signs continued to veer further away from the destination, sector 034A.
"What the...!"
01A.
Back at the starting point, Rinne stomped her feet, visibly frustrated. And still, Yulian followed her from behind.
At this rate, she might not reach the destination by the end of the day.
With that thought, Rinne glanced at Yulian who was trailing her.
From his words, he seemed familiar with the area. Perhaps if she discreetly waited and followed him, she could reach the destination.
'No way.'
But doing that would mar her dignity as the only disciple of her master. Especially in front of a renegade like him, she could never afford to falter.
Yulian, he held exceptional talent, enough to be acknowledged by the Sword Saint, Hayden Reich.
As much as she hated to admit it, Rinne knew as well.
Just by his gait, she could tell.
Every step executed effortlessly, perfect breathing, exuding a menacing aura inherently emanating from one who walks the path of the sword.
Not something 'acquired,' but 'innate'.
'Even if it kills me.'
That's why Rinne, a disciple of the Sword Saint, was constantly compared to Yulian.
If it were him, he'd have done it.
If it were him, it'd be nothing out of the ordinary.
If it were him, if it were him.
Ever since she started walking the sword's path to exact revenge on the cult, the phrase 'if it were him' continuously pricked her pride like a bug.
'I'll do this on my own. Even if I fail the mission, I won't stoop to asking for help from you.'
Perhaps that 'Smiling Executioner' would be waiting.
To see her break her pride and reach out for his hand.
She thought, with Yulian, that could be possible.
He was a deeply twisted man, after all.
"Lost your way...?"
That's when a shabby-looking man, sprawled street-side, spoke to her.
With a ragged appearance and uncomfortable posture, he was undoubtedly someone lacking legal ability.
"I can't guide you there myself due to my condition, but once you pass that road and take the first alley to your left, there'll be a building with someone knowledgeable about the area. You can ask there."
"There's a guide in this neighborhood?"
"It's just that complicated around here."
With a limp, he barely supported himself while pointing the direction.
In this harsh world, no kindness comes without anticipating reward, no charity without cause.
Rinne knew not to easily trust the benevolence offered by a stranger.
Yet, her determination not to be looked down on by 'Yulian' pushed her onward.
"Thank you!"
With a bright smile, Rinne placed 100 Nar, the imperial currency, into the beggar's hand.
For a split second, desire flickered in the beggar's eyes, but Rinne didn't notice.
"See? Even without your help, I can handle this mission."
"Miss Rinne, impressive indeed."
As Yulian shrugged, watching Rinne speak proudly.
Rinne almost grimaced but quickly concealed her expression as she spotted the landmark the old man had described.
***
The Adratan Empire harbored three major crime organizations.
Among them, one that operated mainly in the slums, unchecked by the royal family, was known as the 'Six Fingers'.
Including human trafficking, their activities spanned assassination, smuggling, theft, and gambling.
As a crime organization, anything that promised money drew these merciless individuals.
A member of the Six Fingers, byron, smirked inwardly at the sight of the two young lambs who had wandered into his workplace.
'Foolish souls.'
The slum, a place where the empire's authority seldom reached, had correspondingly low public security.
The disappearance of a person or two wasn't considered unusual, and some even went as far as blaming the victims for lacking self-defense.
Likewise, this perception applied to newcomers.
Anyone entering the maze-like slums was likely to lose their way, leading to quite a few disappearances. Most of these cases were, naturally, the doings of crime organizations.
'The man... somewhat acceptable, the woman...'
Eyeing the blonde woman, Rinne, Biden smiled inwardly.
A beauty of a caliber to make one think of the phrase 'a face that could topple a nation.'
The desire to touch that pale skin boiled within Biden.
"So, you're looking for directions?"
"Yes, I'm searching for Sector 034A."
"Well, well..."
Biden let out a brief sigh at Rinne's words. He then naturally pulled out three cups and poured coffee.
Of course, excluding his own, the cups were specially ordered.
Made to let the extract of sleep-inducing herb mix with hot water from below.
To dispel suspicion, Biden drank his coffee first. Immediately after, he continued speaking, giving no room for idle thoughts.
"Guiding you to 034A will cost you 300 Nar as a guide fee; do you have the money?"
Humans react sharply to selfless kindness but become slightly dull to offerings with explicit demands for compensation.
Because they can clearly see what the other wants.
In other words, they understand the other's intentions and feel reassured.
"300 Nar... understood."
Nodding, Rinne grasped the coffee cup.
Deriving her actions from thinking it merely a 'contract' where he required 'money' as compensation.
But Biden's aim wasn't 'money'.
It was she, 'Rinne' herself.
Watching Rinne bring the cup to her lips, Biden swallowed hard.
Bang──!
Then, as suddenly as shaking off a foolish notion, a hand snatched Rinne's cup and slammed it onto the table.
When Biden frowned at this interruption.
The slit-eyed man walked over slowly, grabbed the pitcher handle, and —
"Aaahhh!"
Threw it directly at Biden.
"What, what the hell, you son of a...!"
Biden spat curses furiously after being drenched by the boiling contents of a kettle.
His expression was so filled with animosity that reaching for the sword at his waist seemed plausible at any moment.
"You damn...!"
"Sir Yulian, what on earth are you doing?"
Hearing the name, Biden stiffened like a cadaver.
'Yulian? Did they just say Yulian?'
Sweat trickled down Biden's back.
The Smiling Executioner.
The royal family's hound, notorious for slashing both nobles and commoners alike without discrimination, a devilish figure.
Claiming ignorance of such infamy in the empire was sheer folly.
'No, but even so, could the man before my eyes be that executioner?'
Biden thought as much.
"The beverage seemed adulterated. I was just verifying."
With a coy laugh, Yulian shifted his gaze to the two cups before him.
"It doesn't seem like anything was added to the drink, but maybe the cups were tampered with."
"Wh-what do you mean...?"
"If you disagree, drink from the cups you served us."
The man solemnly offered the cup to Biden.
"Wha...?"
Hesitating, doubt began to shadow Rinne's eyes.
Swearing internally, Biden resolved to signal the henchmen stationed nearby. At that instant.
Jingling.
Yulian casually extracted coins from his wallet and placed them on the table.
"The navigation fee was assuredly 300 Nar, correct? Or should I..."
Jingling.
And it didn't end there.
Yulian placed coins once more.
The total amount on the table now stood at 1200 Nar.
"Factor in your 3 nearby escorts too?"
"...?!"
As serene as a moonlit lake, his tone conveyed many subtleties.
Without moving, he detected the hidden henchmen instantly. Moreover, realizing they were there, he entered this house effortlessly.
Surely signifying immense confidence in his skills.
'That, that means...'
The man before them might indeed be the sinister soul of terrible renown.
"What will you do?"
A soft but firm voice.
Then he realized.
The money before him wasn't mere 'guide fare'.
This was ferry fare.
It symbolized the 'lives' of the four present.
"What... what should I do?"
Biden conceded.
Survival necessitated compliance.
"The location of Sector 034A, information on recent events there."
Within the tender smile lay no charity.
Only an abyss.
An inescapable mire.
Biden trembled.
Praying passionately for this moment to end.
"And surrender yourself. Simple, right?"
Clacky's Corner:
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