Chapter 24: Full Course (3)
“Was it you? Who dared to speak the name of Portville?”
“……?”
Harang made a bewildered expression.
Of course, I thought that if the person before me was a member of the Portville family, he might react to my words.
Because I thought I too would show interest if someone talked about me.
But it would stop at mere ‘interest’; I wouldn't react with hostility like this person.
It wasn’t like I was caught swearing; I literally just mentioned the ‘Portville Sword Family’.
‘Why is he acting like this?’
Was he originally an angry person?
It didn't seem like it.
Harang stared intently, observing the man from the Portville Sword Family.
A stiffly held neck.
Shoulders forced back as if they might break.
And eyes that seemed to look down on people.
It was a demeanor like the beggar boss looking at the beggars, and a similar atmosphere to the Iron Fist and Bloody Fist brothers when I first encountered them.
Only then did Harang realize.
This person too was not much different from the ‘thugs’, someone itching to pick a fight with others.
‘Is it just this person, or is the entire Portville family like this?’
Thinking that, Harang continued to watch the young man from the Portville Sword Family.
Not only him, but he also glanced at the two men approaching behind him, his demeanor confident enough to invite misunderstanding.
Sure enough, the young man in the front frowned.
He was offended by the fact that a mere commoner dared to meet the eyes of a swordsman from the great Portville family, and moreover, that he continued to hold his head high despite showing displeasure.
‘How dare this guy!’
It was utterly unbearable.
Just as he inhaled deeply, intending to scold Harang with a loud roar.
“My goodness, who is this! Aren’t you the elites of the great Portville Sword Family!”
Bloody Eddy.
The boss of the great Eddy Family stepped forward in front of the Portville swordsmen with a sycophantic smile.
Harang was startled.
It felt strange seeing him, who had only shown a hearty and dignified appearance until now, dealing with someone with such a low posture that could seem subservient at first glance.
However, he was the only one who thought that way.
Underboss Pale stepped slightly forward to block Harang's front and bowed his head deeply, just like Eddy.
“It is an honor to meet the elites of the great Portville Sword Family!”
“Hmm, hmm… Do you know us?”
Perhaps his mood eased due to their respectful demeanor?
The expressions of the three swordsmen softened relatively.
However, the young man in front was still watching Harang's side, seemingly contemplating how to react depending on the answer to his question.
Of course, Eddy, who had been through thick and thin, couldn't possibly not know this.
“Of course! Who among those settled in Marzen wouldn't know the Portville Sword Family!”
“Hmm, then this young man is……”
“Ah! My apologies! This fellow spoke the name of the Portville Sword Family too easily! I will educate him properly. This fellow lived only in the countryside and just came up to the city for the first time, so I think he spoke too lightly while I was just showing him the sights of the Inner District. I was merely talking about how great a history the Portville Sword Family boasts, what amazing swordsmen they have produced, and what a tremendous reputation they hold across the continent…… I think this fellow mentioned it inadvertently out of surprise from the story.”
“This is correct. Isn’t that right, Harang?”
“Uh… Roughly correct.”
Eddy and Pale’s lengthy excuses, and the look in their eyes that followed.
Harang couldn’t endure it and uttered an affirmative answer.
He didn’t know the exact circumstances, but he felt like he should.
And that judgment was correct.
The expressions of the Portville family swordsmen finally relaxed, and they patted Eddy’s shoulder with a grin.
“Haha, so that’s what it was. Well, that can happen. We were a bit sensitive.”
“What do you mean ‘we’? You were the only one being sensitive. It’s not like we’re royalty; we’re not beings others can’t even mention, right?”
“Is that so? Well, it’s true we’re nothing special besides handling a sword a bit well.”
“My goodness, not at all! Just handling a sword a bit well! If you say that, what becomes of ignorant folks like me……”
Eddy continued to flatter the young men for a long time afterward, and the serious Pale also did his best to help him, feigning a bright expression.
Harang just stood blankly, but he didn’t break the mood by saying anything unnecessary.
Thus, the people from the Portville family, having returned to an amicable atmosphere, casually looked around the forge before leaving with a swaggering attitude.
After confirming they were completely gone, a low curse flowed from Eddy’s mouth.
“Fuck.”
“You handled it well, Boss.”
“Yeah, handled it well. Those arrogant little brats, if we fought for real, I could make them bloody within 20 exchanges……”
“But if a direct family member or the Family Head makes a move, won’t we be wiped out overnight?”
“That’s why I endured it. Phew, incomparably arrogant bastards.”
“Still, their core forces have the skills to match…… It’s not for nothing that they occupy a corner of Marzen’s Inner District.”
“Uh… First off, I’m sorry? But did I do something wrong?”
“……No. It’s not younger brother Harang’s fault. It’s the problem of those wet-behind-the-ears kids acting disrespectfully. Hooo……”
Harang apologized, and Eddy, taking a drag from his cigarette, waved his hand as if telling him not to worry about it.
Of course, Harang also didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
However, while already receiving various things, the thought that something big almost happened because of his actions made him feel sorry, regardless of right or wrong.
Why on earth did the people from the Portville Sword Family pick a fight with us?
And why did the usually confident Eddy and Pale adopt such a low posture?
‘I feel like I understand, yet I don’t quite get it.’
It seemed like a riddle that could only be solved with a bit more social experience.
That also meant he needed to be a bit more careful with his words and actions until he properly understood the outside world.
“I will be a bit more careful from now on.”
“Right, that’s enough.”
“Never mind the Outer District, but be a bit more careful when speaking in the Inner District. If you’re unsure, always speak softly.”
“Yep.”
“Alright, there shouldn’t be anyone else to worry about now. Let’s head into the forge.”
“Sounds good.”
Harang nodded.
Eddy patted his shoulder, then vigorously pushed open the forge door and entered, and one of the men hammering metal walked over to greet them.
“Welcome. What are you looking for?”
An apprentice with a bronze-skinned, muscular physique that inspired confidence just by looking at him.
Eddy nodded and opened his mouth.
“I’m looking for knuckles, this one here for daggers…… Younger brother Harang, what did you say you needed?”
“Ah, daggers for me too. Throwing daggers… And do you also handle leather belts for storing daggers?”
“Of course. Though not as much as metal, we are quite skilled at handling leather too. Please come this way!”
The forge apprentice guided the group with a confident smile.
As if proving that smile, numerous high-quality weapons unfolded before Eddy and Pale’s eyes.
The countless knuckles and daggers lined up by weight, size, and preference all looked significantly better in quality than the items found in the city outskirts.
Of course, the prices were bound to be considerable accordingly, but Eddy had no intention of saving money today.
His vigilance had heightened after being ambushed by the Travion Gang.
‘It won’t end here. Whether we go, or they come… a big war will break out soon.’
A fight where everything was truly on the line!
In such a situation, like the calm before the storm, it wasn't right to skimp on weapons that could become extra lives.
Eddy stared intently at the products.
Although the prices were high, they were ultimately ready-made items, not custom orders.
There was no way the boss of an organization couldn't afford this level of expenditure.
After about 5 minutes passed like that.
He held the knuckles he judged to be the best in his hand and showed a satisfied smile.
Kang! Kang!
“Hmm, good……”
The weight was appropriate, and the size fit his hand perfectly.
The clashing sound of the knuckles was so clear that it felt refreshing to his heart.
Swish, Swoosh-!
“Good, this is it.”
It was the same for Pale.
The dagger held in his hand sharply cut through the air.
The apprentice shivered at the ominous sound of displaced air.
He thought they weren't pushovers, but they seemed to have even more practical combat experience than expected.
Of course, there was also someone who didn’t seem like that.
‘This young man… Did he come along with his uncles?’
The apprentice looked at Harang.
Unlike Eddy and Pale, who exuded the aura of battle-hardened veterans, there was nothing particularly noticeable about this young man.
He looked just like any ordinary person picked off the street, and even the way he chose weapons didn’t seem very serious, making him an uninteresting figure.
However.
“I’ll take this set.”
“……!”
The moment he confirmed the item Harang touched for the first and last time, the apprentice couldn't help but be astonished.
The young man, who looked like a greenhorn, had precisely pointed out one of the few items that the forge owner, Willer, had been satisfied with.
“Boss Eddy, instead of that one, would you try wearing this one?”
“Boss Pale, you should try holding this one too.”
“……!”
“Oh……!”
That wasn't all.
The items Eddy and Pale thought were most suitable and best for themselves.
Harang picked out items even one grade better than those, the very ones Willer had said, ‘It’s a waste to sell these to those without discerning eyes, sell them only to those who choose these items themselves!’
Seeing Harang pick out only those items, the apprentice couldn't help but feel a strange sensation.
What on earth?
What kind of person was he, to be able to pick out only the best items with a better eye than himself, who had handled iron his whole life?
Curious, he hesitated for a moment, then, as if having made up his mind, asked a question.
If he had ever worked as a blacksmith before.
And a moment later.
“No.”
“Then……”
“Until a few days ago, I was a beggar, and now I’m living as unemployed and an idler.”
“……”
The apprentice, hearing only completely unexpected answers, could only watch the backs of the three customers leaving the forge with satisfied expressions.
* * *
“Keeuh, ugh…… Round 3, let’s go for round 3……!”
“Boss, you’re drunk.”
“What? I’m not drunk! This bastard, what do you take Bloody Eddy for…… Do I look like such a pushover to you?”
“Will he be okay?”
Harang asked.
Actually, he had been worried since the drinking party.
Eddy was a bit strange today.
When I told him, intending to order drinks, ‘I heard from mercenaries that whiskey is the best alcohol, and whiskey less than 21 years old isn't even whiskey,’ he was speechless for a long time.
Also, the way he drank each glass, saying it was delicious, so delicious, while shedding tears as if something sad had happened, was completely incomprehensible.
‘And the whiskey didn’t taste good. What’s the appeal of drinking it……’
When I honestly expressed this thought, saying I preferred milk, his sudden scream of ‘Uwaaaaah!’ was also an action absolutely incomprehensible by Harang’s common sense.
Anyway, Eddy, who drank even more after that, was dead drunk and practically unconscious.
“……Everyone’s like this when they get drunk.”
“I see.”
“Right.”
“Why did he drink so much?”
“Because he felt like drinking.”
“Why did he feel like drinking?”
“……You really don’t know?”
“Pardon?”
“……”
“What is it?”
“Nothing, forget it.”
“……”
“……”
Pale supported Eddy.
Harang walked alongside him.
The two walked the streets like that for a long time.
It took quite some time to get from the Inner District to their base in the Outer District, and since the two weren't close, there wasn't much to talk about, leading to a continuous awkward silence.
Fortunately, perhaps?
Harang broke the ice first.
However, the topic was extremely bad.
“Mr. Pale, you don’t seem to like me very much.”
“……Why do you think that?”
“It just seems that way. Actually, I’m curious, what is it about me that you don’t like?”
“……A personality that asks outright like this is better than hiding true feelings like a snake.”
“Does that mean my guess is correct?”
“Yes, I dislike you.”
Underboss Pale nodded and spoke.
From his position, it was inevitable; Harang was nothing more than a rolling stone that had come in.
Despite that, he was instantly receiving treatment similar to an organization executive using his connection with Mr. Carter as an excuse, so from the perspective of the second-in-command, it was natural to be wary.
Although it was true that Harang had shown corresponding skills, Pale didn't believe even 80% of that.
‘He killed Quentin alone? Impossible. He must have gotten lucky ambushing Quentin after he was injured fighting Ruben, who’s currently unconscious, or some other executive.’
It must be so.
Otherwise, there was no way a dazed-looking guy like this could have taken down that Quentin, Pale thought.
Just then, Harang stopped walking abruptly.
‘What is he doing now?’
Seeing this, Pale’s brow furrowed deeply.
Was it because he already had a negative impression? Strangely, every single thing he did was grating.
It was like that during the day too.
Recklessly mentioning the Portville family without fear, and thoughtlessly prompting the order of the most expensive liquor in the shop.
He kept performing unpredictable actions, almost as if doing it intentionally.
However, Harang didn't care whether Pale viewed him unfavorably or not.
More accurately, he had no time to worry about such things right now.
Swish
Step step step
Harang turned around.
Passing Pale and Eddy, he headed somewhere with quick steps.
Somewhere there stood a middle-aged man with an ordinary, no, slightly sly-looking impression, wearing a blank expression.
To him.
“Perhaps.”
Harang asked.
“Are you an assassin?”