Chapter 174 – VIP
@@
A woman with a large scar extending from her collarbone to her side stepped over her threshold and into the building.
She was overall pretty, but her sharp, menacing aura and demeanor made her seem difficult to approach.
Queen of the Underworld, drug lord, human hunter, and head of the Empire’s largest criminal cartel.
This notoriety is much more famous than his real name, Carr McMurhon.
But she was rather proud of it.
For criminals, notoriety equals fame.
Indeed, at the end of her influence, she was able to become the most trusted partner of the ruler of Rome, despite her non-nobility.
Rome.
It is often called a slave city, but that is just a nickname.
Rome, too, had previously been nothing more than an ordinary city.
There is a saying that it was a beautiful city that produced a brilliant civilization during the ancient civilization period.
However, Rome today is a city that proudly adopted slavery and used it as a lucrative marketing strategy.
It was obviously a disgrace to the old city, whose name had been arbitrarily stolen.
It was not until 200 years ago that the Marquis Suleiman’s family received control of Rome from the emperor that Rome became the empire’s largest and virtually only slave seller.
The emperor basically does not intervene in whatever nobles who have been bestowed with interests do, as long as they are not treasonous.
As long as you paid your taxes and paid your loyalty to the empire, there would be no problem.
Whether people are bought and sold like goods or how much they are exploited.
So it was rather natural for Marquis Suleiman to reign as if he were a king in Rome.
Today is the day when precious guests gather at the nest of such a marquis.
Five people gathered.
Except for Carr, all of them were nobles.
A dark-haired man approached Kar as he entered a luxurious building.
Is Suleiman a new slave?
It was the first face I had ever seen.
‘He was handsome like an old man who judges his face. He said he would fill his slaves only with women…’
“Are you Carr McMurhon?”
“That’s right.”
“Come this way.”
Guided by a man, we walk down a long corridor.
A well-trained, muscular body.
He was a person who was able to take a walk by looking at his walking form.
A strong man who cannot be compared to back alley bullies and gangsters.
He looked like a warrior who had gone through all kinds of battles.
‘My eyes can’t be fooled.’
Karr called him.
“Hey.”
“Yes, what are you doing?”
The man turned around and replied with a polite smile.
Dark eyes peeped out between sharp eyes.
He’s handsome, but he never looks like a nobleman.
It felt wild like a beast.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t pretend. There’s no way that Suleiman man would have a male slave by his side. It doesn’t look like he’s even a bodyguard. Maybe he’s the heir?”
“…You can see it at a glance. You have the discerning eye of a leader of a large organization.”
“Ha, after swearing at his own children so much, he eventually sought a separate successor. That’s understandable.”
Suleiman’s children have met several times.
They inherited only their father’s greed and did not inherit their abilities.
Trash too uneasy to leave Rome to.
It’s enough if you give them the right amount of wealth and women to keep the family blood flowing.
“Yes, even at a glance you are much better than them.”
“Thank you for the compliment. I will learn hard as a person in charge of Rome in the future.”
“Then get used to my face. Because someday we’ll be partners.”
“Yes, of course. I thoroughly studied the people invited today. I will find out.”
The man politely bowed his head.
Is he the man who will one day manage Rome on behalf of Marquis Suleiman?
He seemed to have passed the exam and seemed to be a talented person with outstanding abilities.
Otherwise he wouldn’t have passed the hard old man’s test.
“Tell me if you need anything.”
“…Yes?”
“I’ll push you. Given the old man’s personality, aren’t you the only candidate for successor? You don’t know what you’ll do by keeping your mouth shut if you’re pushed out of the competition, right?”
“I know. But why are you doing me this favor?”
‘You sick. Why would I help you? I will make the same offer to other candidates. But I like the way you look, personally, I hope you win.’
“As you said, I think it’s the boss’s perspective. Would it be easy to understand if I said I saw potential in you?”
“This is a great honor. To be recognized by a tycoon who holds 20% of all slave acquisition routes.”
“Yes, yes. There is no human trafficking broker I have not touched. Usury is no different, and drugs are no different. If I set my mind to it, I can push it as well as any nobleman.”
‘Things that look normal on the outside tend to fall deeper into primordial desire. Alcohol, drugs, women, tell me what you want. I’ll marinate it completely.’
At Carr’s sweet suggestion, the man just grinned.
Even if your heart is beating at an unexpected proposal, is it because you are good at hiding your inner feelings that you do not reveal?
Even if he is competent, he is also a young man.
No, the more so-called elite, the darker desire lurks behind their clean faces.
No matter how much money it cost, he thought of roasting a future Roman official.
It was not a waste at all if it was an investment for the future.
‘This is an opportunity to grow the organization even bigger. I’ve been having trouble with business lately, but I never thought an opportunity like this would come!’
I don’t know if he knows that Karr is smiling blackly from the bottom of his heart.
The man opened the door to the conference room still politely.
– Kik.
At that moment, Karr, who was talking confidently, stopped moving.
The color of her face turned pale.
“…Uh?”
“Why are you doing that? Please go in.”
“Oh, no… Wait. That’s strange! How did this…”
“Go in.”
The black-haired man grabbed Kar’s back and ordered.
The moment she thought his hand was glowing black, her eyes went down.
Scared to think she had lost consciousness for a moment, she opened her eyes.
‘…I go in.’
Karr stepped into the wide space inside her with her dazed gait.
This is a favorite place for Marquis Suleiman to hold meetings and banquets.
In addition to being luxurious, it was a place that aroused a sense of bizarre immorality with numerous bookshelves displaying all the slave documents of Rome like ornaments.
Decorating a conference room with scraps of paper that destroy someone’s life.
It was a trashy hobby even for the notorious criminal Karr.
This is a conference hall, but it is also a luxurious banquet hall.
At the center, at a round table covered with red silk, sits Marquis Suleiman and three guests.
Except for Marquis Suleiman, everyone was naked.
It was the reason why Kar was so startled a moment ago, but not now.
‘You must be tired these days. If you want to hang out with nobles, you have to learn your manners, even if it’s annoying. Invited guests shouldn’t wear clothes. It’s a sign of trust that you won’t hide anything. Why did you forget that?’
She took off her clothes with a quick glance.
A Kartell boss-like suit, sunglasses, and a waist nipper with a garter belt.
The scars from internal and external conflicts were clearly visible, but because of his well-built muscular body, the scars looked like decorations that accentuated his beauty.
Then Marquis Suleiman opened her mouth.
“Welcome, McMurhon.”
“It’s been a while, sir. I’m taking off my clothes right now, so don’t talk to me.”
“You still have a mouthful. You’re the only woman who calls me old man.”
“Okay. Where is Viscount Barrier? The old man and the man created this place. What are we going to do if the ringleader doesn’t come?”
“Ah, it’s okay. Viscount Barrier just sold you out. He won’t come here.”
“Really? It’s a relief that there’s nothing special. I thought the old man betrayed him in a shrewd way again.”
‘Is it just that they sold us out? Thank god. I mean, since I was organizing, I only had a lot of doubts. But why did Viscount Barrier sell us out? If I sold it to whom…?’
Karr shook her head.
The meeting is about to start soon, but you shouldn’t have these useless thoughts.
Several materials were immediately distributed.
Three slaves, two white-haired and silver-haired women, and a woman with dog ears, walked around handing over papers and the meeting began.
The first to speak was, of course, Suleiman.
“As you know, the people gathered this time are powerful people who have their own base outside the ecliptic. My partner, McMurhon, will all know.”
“Nobody knows the Queen of the Underworld.”
The owner of a pharmaceutical company that monopolized the pharmaceutical market used by the Imperial Army.
Viscount Castro, the only male among his guests, interrupted pretending to know.
“By the way, everyone is beautiful. Huhuhuhu…”
“…”
“Keep your eyes open. If you look at me that way again, I’ll pluck them out with my hands.”
“Oops…”
Castro looks over the three guests, including Carr.
They are only naked to keep their manners, and they are not particularly eye-catching to him.
When the two famous ladies silently frowned, Karr came forward and threatened them.
If he had not been Suleiman’s guest, he would have already gouged out his eyes.
“Be calm. Be polite, even the Viscount. This agenda is a very serious matter.”
“… You mean the treason of the Earl of Greypoint?”
“It’s successful, so you can’t call it treason. The former emperor has fallen. You can feel it too, don’t you?”
“Yes, if it had been before, she wouldn’t even have dared to feel bad for that woman. She wouldn’t even have noticed why she was the way she was. It’s such a terrifying force that she only noticed after her dominance was broken.”
“What kind of tactics did they use to defeat the emperor and his aides?”
Viscount Kiria, a noble lady who made a lot of money with space distortion magic items and even led thousands of soldiers, and Baron Isis, the godmother of the beast hunting business, also opened their mouths.
“That’s not the point. No matter how they defeated the Emperor, they must have suffered considerable damage as well.”
“I mean, isn’t this the only chance?”
“That’s right. The ones in the ecliptic are wrong. They said that they had succumbed to the terrifying voice they heard in their unconscious, and were scared. Only the four of us took action against Viscount Barrier’s lure.”
“They’re like cowards. Even if they say it as an excuse, everyone laughs.”
“You are outside the ecliptic, but you have more than a certain amount of military power. So, now, all the people in the empire who have a reverse mind and can put it into action have gathered. Like a loach that has entered a trap.”
Twisted? A loach in a pot?
The analogy is strange, but old people always do it.
Carr didn’t think too hard.
“By the way, I got a strange piece of information. As you know, I’m holding tight to the supply of the Imperial Army.”
“Tell me the main point.”
“…This seems to have earned hatred. I see. It is said that the Earl of Greypoint, who claimed to be the new emperor, dispatched certain people. The purpose is unknown.”
“In this situation? No matter what the purpose is, we can’t stand by.”
“Who are they?”
He checked the paper Viscount Castro handed out as his data and said.
“A man with black hair and a woman with white and silver hair. They say it’s definitely a dark-haired woman with animal ears. It’s easy to recognize because it’s distinctive, right?”
“If that’s the case, leave it to me.”
Carr came out.
“Finding people for work is my specialty. Not only the information network, but even me, I never forget a face I’ve seen once. There’s even such detailed information, so I’ll never miss anything.”
“You look like a woman who is also called a manhunter, Miss McMurhon.”
Castro grinned and drank the tea.
It was followed by a female slave with puppy ears.
Time passed and the meeting gradually came to an end.
They finally spoke the most important part.
“As expected, we have to step out.”
“I can’t even imagine what kind of chaos the people will be engulfed in when the dynasty changes.”
“We have sworn allegiance to the former emperor. Even if we run away, we cannot serve the two lords. Of course, since the former emperor passed away, we will have to obey his will.”
‘Heh, pretending or dropping it. Aristocrats.’
In some ways, Karr, a criminal, may be more honest than them.
She snorted her snort quietly.
The nobles’ masks are already like a second skin.
No one will be able to peel it off.
Then the voice of the man who guided Karr interrupted.
“It’s annoying, so tell me what you really mean.”
“Just as they defeated the Emperor, we should be able to defeat the Earl of Greypoint. The chaotic times are also opportunities for advancement. We too can usurp the throne.”
“After there are nobles, there are people. We have to cause a war as much as possible to lower the prestige of the new emperor. The people can be sufficiently controlled by the media even later.”
“The mind-controlling power gives me goosebumps. I can’t believe you were so loyal to something so obscure.”
“The Earl of Greypoint is just a twenty-year-old woman with some abilities.
At the man’s command, the three guests poured out their hearts.
In that respect, Carr had no intention of hiding the purpose of organization expansion and money, so he had nothing to say.
As she was listening to the nobles in silence, her dark-haired man muttered.
“I’ve heard enough of this. Wolf, can you lend me your gun?”
“Gladly.”
“Because men are annoying to brainwash.”
Gun?
Karr heard something scratching his instincts.
As she watched the silver-haired maid pull a large-caliber revolver from under her skirt, she pondered what was strange about it.
At that moment, the man who took his pistol put the barrel of his gun to Viscount Castro’s head and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger.
-Bang!
“…”
Viscount Castro, who was hit by a defenseless headshot, died instantly.
The chair he was sitting on fell backwards and fell to the floor.
Red blood spurted out and covered the air.
A few drops must have splashed on the two naked ladies as well, but they showed no reaction.
He doesn’t pay any attention to the sudden death of the person he was talking to.
Rather, Karr’s side was shaken.
‘…Something is strange. I’m not sure what it is.’
“Take the body and get out.”
The man drove Marquis Suleiman away with a gesture and moved to the seat of honor at the round table.
The highest-ranking man here obeyed the order.
He dragged the corpse around like a porter and moved to a corner of the room to stop him.
“Viscount Castro was punished for treason conspiracy. Did you know that treason is the death penalty without asking questions?”
“Of course. Treason is a great sin that destroys the three tribes.”
Baron Isis replied in an emotionless voice.
I felt a strong sense of incongruity.
‘What’s strange? What’s so strange…?!’
“But you’re nobles, and your appearance is fine. If you kill them all, it will be troublesome to deal with, so I decided to commute your sentence.”
“Ugh, the head…”
Trying to think about it made his head ache.
But you still have to think.
The sharp intuition trained by being in a criminal organization and reaching the boss was shouting like that.
Carr’s teeth trembled from a headache, but she grabbed his head and tried to find out the identity of the sense of incongruity.
Putting her in front of her, the black-haired man said.
“Your sentence is commuted from the death penalty to six years of deprivation of personality.”
