This chapter is brought to you by anubisscans. More updates on our website.
Support us by reading at anubisscans.com.
102
“You want to buy that?”
An empty restaurant near the northern wall of Ifrit.
The owner standing at the entrance pointed at a run-down shack in the corner with a baffled expression.
The adventurer who had appeared out of nowhere had indicated he wished to purchase the building.
“Yes. You’re the building’s owner, correct?”
“…Well, yes.”
[Merchant Bollibo]
The man before him looked to be no more than a simple restaurant owner.
But his true nature was that of one of Ifrit’s major capitalists.
Likely few people knew this.
-Who are you.
-Was there someone like this?
-Who even comes to a place like this;
-Even the pervert Avantgarde skips corners like this.
[Avantgarde has donated 10,000 won.]
[Viewers? A shame, but I’ve been here a few times! I never managed to have much of a conversation with Bollibo, but looking at the number of properties he owned, I was already speculating that there was some kind of financial backing behind him. Of course, what exactly Black Dragon-nim knows is something I want to see firsthand right beside him——]
Click—
Hanbit moved his finger and cut off the donation message that was going on at length.
It felt like it would have continued for at least a minute.
-Lol.
-TMI cut.
-He really is a maniac.
「Black Dragon」
「I’ll show you something interesting in a bit. For now, please focus there. From here on, keeping watch outside the village is the most important thing.」
Having received ten thousand won after all, Hanbit sent a consoling message to Avantgarde.
A reply came back quickly.
「Avantgarde」
「Oh! Then I’ll wait with anticipation! In truth I have quite a deep attachment to Ifrit, and I was never satisfied with the known story progression! The development that seemed to end in such a stifled way……」
Click—
Hanbit closed the message window and turned his eyes back to Bollibo.
The man, who had been studying Hanbit for a moment, stroked his chin and asked.
“Haven’t seen your face before — are you an adventurer?”
“Yes. An adventurer visiting Ifrit for the first time.”
“That makes it stranger still. What do you need that worn-out shack for?”
Bollibo narrowed his eyes slightly and pointed at the shack.
As he said, the building’s condition was so terrible it looked ready to collapse at any moment.
It was comparable to the ruins seen in the restricted area.
“I’m an outsider, so I need somewhere quiet to stay. Would it be possible to purchase it?”
“Hmm.”
Bollibo studied Hanbit from head to toe once more.
Eyes moving far more slowly than before.
It was his habit of probing how much wealth a person might have.
“Let me say this upfront — just because the building’s in that state doesn’t mean I’ll hand it over cheap. In Ifrit, what costs the most in the end is the land.”
“Of course. Ah, but I heard a rumor.”
“A rumor?”
The sudden change of topic made Bollibo ask back with a puzzled look.
Watching that reaction, Hanbit gave a slight smile and said:
“I heard there’s someone who sells illegal luxury goods outside the city. That the money piled up over years is something beyond imagination.”
“…What?”
The truth of the rumor that had come out of nowhere made Bollibo’s expression flicker for just an instant.
But only for a moment.
“All sorts of rumors make their rounds.”
Having consciously regained composure, he spoke as though it were of no consequence.
“Is this not something you’re familiar with?”
“How many rumors circulate within a city? No need to keep track of every baseless one.”
“Is that so?”
Bollibo waving it off as beneath his notice.
A man who had lived his entire life as a slippery operator — but Hanbit knew him far too well.
Including how much money he had made from the illegal luxury goods.
“Luxury goods produced in Ifrit. In pursuit of perfection, many results fail to pass the standard. It is the mayor’s directive to incinerate all of them.”
“…An outsider who knows everything. What of it?”
“If items that were not incinerated were to leak outside, problems would arise. And if they were to carry the label ‘Ifrit’… what do you think would happen?”
“…….”
Bollibo fell silent at the story told unhurriedly.
A man of sharp instincts — he already understood.
That Hanbit had approached him knowing his hidden dealings.
“As you say, defective goods bearing Ifrit’s name carry considerable risk. The overall standing in the market where luxury goods are traded would fall.”
“Indeed, you know it well. You also know how dangerous that is, don’t you? And what would happen if the mayor were to find out.”
“…Certainly, if such a thing were to happen, that would be truly catastrophic.”
Bollibo’s calm answer came with cold eyes.
He turned his body toward the shop entrance and glanced back.
“Shall you come in for now? It seems we have things to discuss.”
“Certainly.”
Hanbit gave an immediate nod and followed behind him.
“Take a seat.”
Bollibo took his place first at the central table.
But Hanbit walked a few more paces forward.
“It is an ordinary shop. There should be nothing worth looking at.”
“You’ve already figured it out, so let’s not go in circles.”
“A young adventurer with far too little caution. An outsider with that kind of attitude won’t be able to stay in Ifrit for long…….”
“Here — shall I break this open?”
“What?”
Beside the fourth table.
Hanbit stopped his feet and asked the question casually.
Bollibo’s eyes, having recognized that position, were shaking visibly.
“Th, there’s no reason to go there… no, break it open? What kind of absurd——are you going to act on speculation and commit a crime on top of it!”
Emotions visibly unraveling despite his effort to maintain composure.
Hanbit smiled and extended his hand toward the floor.
“A crime?”
“Of course! For an outsider — a prison sentence followed by immediate expulsion! Step back before I report you to the guards this instant!”
“Go ahead and report me. Fire Burst.”
Boom—!
A fireball that ignited with the incantation.
The shattered wooden boards flew off in every direction.
-What in the. Lol.
-That’s Black Dragon for you.
-Spontaneity GOAT.
-Art is explosion.
The loud sound of the explosion was of no concern.
This shop was completely set apart from the commercial district and residences.
“This madman——!”
Bollibo, having completely lost his composure, came rushing over in a panic.
But Hanbit had already lightly descended through the hole in the floor.
“Quite a lot in here.”
A heap of boxes lining the spacious underground space.
What was revealed in the open area was entirely luxury goods.
Sculptures, jewelry, glass crafts and decorative pieces — the variety was too extensive to enumerate.
Even the indecent items tucked into the farthest corner.
“You’ve gone and done it now!”
Bollibo’s shout rang through the settling dust from the hole above.
At that moment.
Whoosh—!
A sharp sound of cutting air followed.
Shhk—
Hanbit calmly stepped one pace to the side.
At the same time, a person dropped in beside him.
Crack—!
A man with a fierce expression landing with one knee down.
The sword he held was buried in the wooden floorboard beneath him.
“You dodged that?”
The man who had failed an attack that should not have failed widened his eyes.
He was one of Bollibo’s mercenaries.
“You useless fool! Deal with him quickly!”
Bollibo shrieked in rising fury.
Only then snapping back to his senses, the man moved to rise.
But.
Whomp—!
A foot was already flying into his field of vision.
Smack—!
Hanbit’s kick delivered with full force landed precisely in the man’s face.
The man, who had not even managed to steady his stance, was knocked unconscious from the impact on the spot.
“……?”
The mercenary collapsed on the floor.
The whole thing had happened in the blink of an eye, and Bollibo could not even string words together.
“You should have hired better quality mercenaries. Weren’t you being too frugal?”
“Urgh…….”
He slumped down beside the hole, trembling and grinding his teeth.
Considering the dangers of such an illegal operation, no amount of caution would be out of place.
That is, if one had not been living cooped up in peaceful Ifrit.
“So — how about it? I’d like to do a deal.”
“Don’t make me laugh! You think blackmail from some adventurer who wandered in from outside is going to work on me? You’ve come to completely the wrong person——!”
Suddenly, Bollibo’s voice, which had been shrieking non-stop, stopped.
His gaze had landed on Hanbit’s finger — specifically, the gold bracelet hanging there.
“H, how do you have that?”
“Got it from the mayor. If you don’t believe me, shall we go see her together? We can talk about what’s down here too.”
Hanbit spun the bracelet around his finger and asked as though teasing him.
Even at that provocative attitude, Bollibo could not manage a proper response.
He was simply picturing his entire future crumbling to nothing.
Because the movements that had subdued his mercenary and that distinctive gold bracelet were not fabrications.
Thump—!
Hanbit leaped upward and returned to the first floor.
Standing before Bollibo, he patted him on the shoulder and said:
“That’s why I seem like the bad guy here. I told you, I came to do a deal.”
“But…….”
-So now, who’s the villain?
-Black Dragon just lives up to his name.
-Ahem, self-defense.
-If you throw the first punch, be ready to take one back.
The relationship of dominant and subordinate had been thoroughly established.
The viewers were delighted again — but this was quite a significant event.
Bollibo was going to become a very useful financial resource.
To begin with, his business was not even a crime when viewed from outside Ifrit.
“I have no intention of disrupting your business, and no intention of reporting you to the mayor. I could even help expand your business.”
“…Is that true?”
“Of course. This is a deal.”
A situation where having a piece carved off in a one-sided extortion would not be unusual.
If the word ‘deal’ was genuinely true, he had to somehow work the conversation to his advantage.
Even in shock, Bollibo was a veteran businessman who tenaciously sought an opening.
He raised his head and looked at Hanbit.
“What would I need to do?”
“What I need right away is the shack. And the workers you have.”
“Workers?”
“You hired quite a few of the workers who were cast out by the mayor, didn’t you? Stop other work and gather the hands for me. Ah, hire all the dwarves too. I’ll tell you the various items needed as we go.”
“……?”
Bollibo’s face stiffened at the rush of demands.
After hesitating for a moment, he asked cautiously.
“Did you just say to hire all the dwarves? Me? Personally?”
“I can’t do it as an outsider. The dwarves will work hard too, so you don’t need to worry.”
“But that would draw too much attention. That’s far too dangerous!”
Money was not a significant issue for Bollibo.
Even if a large expenditure arose as the cost of keeping someone’s mouth shut, he had been prepared to bear it.
But hiring the dwarves was something he had not anticipated at all.
Bringing in all of them, whose standing had been driven to the ground, was certain to draw the world’s eyes.
“Why? Worried the mayor might take an interest?”
“Of course! A perfectly ordinary restaurant owner hiring dwarves would naturally invite suspicion!”
“That’s still better than me going to report it directly, isn’t it? Or shall we go see her right now?”
“No, wait——!”
As Hanbit moved to turn away, Bollibo rushed to block his path in a panic.
Watching that flustered face, Hanbit patted him on the shoulder and said:
“Just think of it as an investment. The thing you’re worried about won’t happen.”
“…Is that true?”
“I’m the one driving this anyway. And since it’s for Ifrit’s sake, no one will be able to object.”
“For Ifrit’s sake?”
“To the extent that every person in the city has their life on the line. If that’s hard to believe, wait a little. I’ll show you what it is.”
“…….”
Bollibo fell silent at the words delivered with conviction.
Eyes fixed in place as though trying to read Hanbit’s true intent.
But there was no reason whatsoever for the adventurer before him to tell a lie like that.
After all, there was no way visible to refuse the demands through blackmail alone.
“Phew.”
Bollibo lowered his gaze and exhaled.
A different choice that had never existed from the start.
Given how things had turned out, it was better to provide help outright and aim for future gain.
On top of everything, if danger were to come to Ifrit, his livelihood as well as his life would clearly be ruined.
“Understood. I’ll accept the proposal.”
Bollibo raised his head and spoke once his thoughts had settled.
Immediately after, an alert rang in Hanbit’s ears.
Ding—
[Main Quest #4 has been completed.]
