Chapter 197 – The Homeless in the Back Alley
I saw filthy black filth, indistinguishable from liquid or solid, and an old man sitting unwillingly in such filth.
No matter how unwashed your hair is, it is messy and clings together, and you can clearly see the scalp between the hairs, and when you get close to it, you frown at the stench that stings your nose.
Normally, I wouldn’t come to such a filthy place, but I can’t help it because I have to find out what Johannes did after entering this alley.
I looked down at the old man, holding back the stench that stung his nose.
The old man looked at the street outside the alley with emotionless eyes and looked up at me as I approached.
Through the grime that was wrapped around his body, he could see the grungy nape of his neck.
“Senior, let’s ask a question.”
“…”
The old man looked up at me bluntly. If possible, I want to keep the conversation short, so let’s see business quickly.
“Hasn’t a black man with a thick belly come here last night and the night before?”
“… I saw it.”
The old man nodded his head in a hoarse voice that drained even the listener.
“What did the old man do here by any chance?”
“…”
The old man stared blankly at me and abruptly held out his hand.
Where did he sell his index finger, the hand without a single finger felt strange and disgusting.
But why did you reach out your hand to me?
I stared at my grungy palms between the creases of my wrists and realized what the old man was asking.
Taking out a 1 bronze coin from his bosom and handing it over, the old man put it into his bosom like a crab hiding his eyes, and pointed with his finger into the alley.
“I went inside.”
“… Are you going in?”
“More than that, I don’t know.”
“Oh shit…”
I even gave him money, and the answer that came out was like this. He wanted to shake off the corn, but he suppressed his anger.
One bronze is about 1,000 won in Korean currency, so let’s not get our hands dirty for just 1,000 won. I have to hit it, but it only smears dirt on me, so I’m the loser.
“Natalie, let’s go in, Roin.”
“Yes”, “Yes”
He clicked his tongue briefly and moved past the old man into a dirty alley.
“How does Roin look? Do you think there is something in this alley?”
“In this alley?”
“Huh.”
At my question, the old man touched his red lips with his index finger, deep in thought.
“I don’t think there is anything.”
It seemed as if the strength in his shoulders was drained from Roin’s sluggish reply.
Isn’t it a national rule that there is usually an assassin’s guild in an alley like this?
“Isn’t there such a thing as an assassin’s guild?”
“Assassin’s Guild? What is that funny guild?”
Roin tilts his head. What. You’re a ninja, but don’t you know the Assassin’s Guild? No, let’s think about twisting it here. He’s an assassin, but if he’s famous, would that be an assassin? No, but don’t you have to be famous to become a business?
Wouldn’t nobles use a lot of things like assassin guilds?
“Natalie, have you ever heard of an assassin’s guild? Aren’t nobles using that a lot?”
“Even though I am an aristocrat, I am not well acquainted with the world of aristocrats, like the treatment I received at home or at school… I don’t know, but I’ve never heard of that.”
Even Natalya, who had hoped, reacted like this. Unbelievable.
“Ha, but there is an assassination team in the black moon too. Aren’t dogs taught to specialize in assassination or something?”
“Even if it is an assassination team, they are just swordsmen who have learned to fight a little. It’s just a grandiose name to call an assassin.”
“That’s right. If there’s something heinous like a hitman or an assassin’s guild in the city, the ruling lord will immediately dispatch knights to deal with it right away?”
“…”
In the end, their opinions are negative about the existence of assassin guilds and hitmen. Even armed groups such as knights and mercenary guilds are negative about the existence of assassins, while there are unrealistic beings called wizards.
I went in for a while while listening to such a negative answer. In the messy back alleys, tangled like a spider’s web, homeless people could be seen at every corner. After wandering around looking at the homeless people, I looked at the homeless person who settled down in a good place. Unlike other homeless people, they are neatly dressed.
Even so, it doesn’t change that it’s a gigantic time.
“Senior, let’s ask something.”
“What… ?”
“Have you seen a dark-skinned man with a thick belly in this alley?”
“Ah… Saw it I’ve seen all the homeless people in this alley…”
“Do you know what that man was doing in this alley?”
“Hmm… ?”
At my question, the homeless man looked up at me with a questioning expression. I think you know something.
I took out 1 bronze from my bosom and showed it to the homeless.
“Tell me and I will give it to you.”
“… Certainly, no one would open their mouth for that much money.”
“Hoo…”
Are you negotiating? To this Hanseong? Do you dare to negotiate? He took out a 10 bronze fairy tale from his pocket and showed it to him.
“How is it?”
“Heng… No one will open their mouth unless you give me about 1 gold.”
“1 gold?”
It’s ridiculous. 1 gold is worth about 10 million won.
Fucking 1 gold to find out what Johannes did when he walked into this alley? There is a level of playfulness.
“Tsk, I’m annoyed… Mr. Hack…”
Beat it up and force it to spit out information?
Eh, if you disregard my favor and ask for money, then I’m going to become a gangster too!
I took a step closer with the thought of giving it a shot, but the old man put a hand on my shoulder and stopped me.
“Hanseong-ah. Let’s step back for now.”
“Huh?”
The old man’s voice was somewhat hardened, so the sight that had been focused on the homeless man in front of him opened wide.
All the homeless people in the alley were watching me. Ten people? Fifty people?
I was momentarily stunned.
These guys are all life partners who rot together in this alley. If one person took damage, and all of these guys rushed for revenge, if 50 people rushed in, even Natalia’s skeleton couldn’t stop them from penetrating into the void.
“Okay… Let’s step back for now.”
“If you want information, bring at least 1 gold. Otherwise no one will answer.”
The homeless person threw the words behind my back as I left the alley.
Thinking over his words, I came out to the main street. I took a deep breath as I felt like I would live after leaving the alleyway that reeked of the rotten stench.
“Whoa… Ha… What the hell did Johannes do to tell me that I have to bring 1 gold?”
“One thing is certain.”
“Like what?”
“You are certain that Mr. Johannes did something suspicious in the alley, right?”
“Um…”
That’s right. However, the possibility that the homeless man lied cannot be ruled out.
“Miss Ha… Can’t we take advantage of when we’re alone and beat up?”
“That sounds like it would be difficult, but that’s their home. Unless something special happens, it seems to be nailed to the spot.”
“Tsk… Then it would be impossible to pay 1 gold and kill it after hearing the information and take it back. Is the harvest just information that Johannes did something in the alley?”
Aside from verifying whether or not the information Phillips handed over was true, there was no other reap.
As a result of the collapse, I returned to the black moon with Germi and Thermia lightly with both hands.
Germi, who was sitting at her desk looking at documents, greeted us with a gentle wagging of his tail.
“Detective, have you had any harvest?”
“No, the homeless said they wouldn’t tell me what Johannes did unless they gave me about 1 gold.”
“Huh? What is that?”
Germi sneered at my answer as if it were absurd.
“It sure seems like something has been done. I was pissed off because the homeless bastard looked like he was poisoning me, so I tried to hit him, but the other homeless people were staring at me. I got goosebumps and came out right away.”
“Good job. Originally, the scariest thing in this world is people who have nothing to lose. The unity of the homeless bastards there is unnecessarily good. They’re the ones who don’t even touch the organization.”
“Okay… ?”
“Huh. Besides, I don’t have anything, and it’s a waste of manpower to devote my heart to it, so I tend to ignore it.”
“Hmm…”
If what Germi said was true, if he had beaten the homeless guy there earlier, he would have been beaten by other homeless people.
It was good to hear what Roin said and get out.
As expected, if you listen carefully to my women, you can make rice cakes while sleeping.
“I think Johannes might have met an assassins guild or something in that back alley and asked Hergel to be assassinated.”
“What? Assassin’s Guild? What else is that?”
Germi stopped what she was doing and stared at me.
“Uh? No, isn’t it worth it?”
“With such a dangerous organization, the lord of the city aside, we won’t let go. I’ve never heard of anything like an assassin’s guild, even from Hergel.”
“That, yes… ?”
If even Hergel, the head of the back alleys of this city, said so, it seems that there really is no such thing as an assassin’s guild.
“It was the same when Hergel handed over his seat to me and educated me, but the back alleys of this city are dominated by our Black Moon, except for Harlem, where the homeless live.”
“Harlem doesn’t deserve money, and they are unnecessarily good at teaming up, so if you mess with them, you lose money, so the organization is ignoring them, right?”
“Huh. That’s right.”
This is so… The more I go, the more I wonder what Johannes did in Harlem. While stroking his chin and thinking about it, Roin opened his mouth.
“It’s Hanseong. After all, it’s just that I infiltrate Johannes’s house…”
“No matter how many times I ask, no. It’s dangerous.”
“Um…”
“Don’t worry. No matter what he did in the back alley, in the end Johannes’ actions are in the palm of my hand.”
