## Chapter 334 – The Martial Artist Bastards
“It’s too late, you son of a bitch. You should have taken the chance when I gave it to you.”
“Please! Please, spare me! It was too much money; I couldn’t help it!!!”
“You tried to kill me the moment things went south, yet you’re whining like this? Just die, you bastard.”
“Th-that’s…!”
I will never forgive a spineless worm who tries to change his tune the moment the situation reverses after trying to kill someone. That guy mercilessly tore at my heart.
ㅡThere is no option for forgiveness.
We’re already covered in blood. That means we have no choice but to fight until one of us dies.
I won the fight, so the boss has to die.
For insulting my and Elise’s achievements and friendship. For desecrating that faith. For thievery. For driving Lina’s grandmother to her death. And finally, for rejecting my peaceful negotiation.
As punishment for all of that.
“From the moment you touched my money, you were all dead.”
“Please!”
Still, I need to get the money I’m owed, so let’s try to coax him gently.
“Well, if you take out all the money you have right now and make me feel especially happy, I might change my mind.”
“Of course! I’ll get it out right away!!”
The boss, flustered, stood up and pushed the desk.
“What are you trying to do?”
“I hid the safe under the desk!”
“Oh, really?”
I watched the boss with my sword in hand.
He pushed the desk and started tearing off the plywood. The drawers were fake, and there was a safe inside. Soon, what was inside was revealed.
“Here it is.”
It was less a safe and more just a slightly nicer-looking box. Of course, there’s no way guys like this would have a good safe.
“Open it.”
Still, it had a metal lock, so it didn’t seem like I could just open it.
“P-promise me just one thing… that you’ll spare me. Honestly, I think this is too much. I’m handing over all my assets to save my life right now. So please! Please spare me!”
“Just open it and talk, you fucking bastard. If you were going to try to kill someone, you should have gone all the way. What’s with all the begging?”
“I just want to live… And we had no choice!”
The bald guy, sweating profusely enough to soak his head, cried out. Of course, there’s no negotiating with terrorists.
“Why didn’t you have a choice? Does not having a choice mean you can steal people’s money and kill them? Then I guess I can only tell you that I don’t have a choice either.”
“That’s… That’s true, but… That’s…”
Actually, even guys like this have their reasons.
“Hey, Lina. Are you there?”
“…Yes.”
Turning around and calling Lina, she appeared from where she was hiding in the corner. Judging by the lack of strength in her tone, she seemed somewhat shocked by this terrible scene.
“Where’s Kisson?”
“…He’s trembling.”
He had his head buried between his knees and was shaking.
“Okay.”
Still, I’m curious about what they do with the protection money. If it’s something tempting, I might be willing to start an organization in the back alleys myself.
“Anyway, what do you mean you had no choice? What on earth makes you commit such heinous criminal acts??”
At my question, the boss, who was hugging the box, trembled and said,
“T-the truth is, we’re just a lower organization… There’s someone who collects money from us above!”
“What?!”
No way, the truth is revealed here!
How far does my money go?!
“Who is it!”
“That’s… I don’t know exactly. It’s a red-haired woman, and sh-she has been dominating the organizations in our slum and demanding protection money… So…”
“Red hair?”
Red hair.
Demanding protection money.
“What’s her name?”
“I don’t know that much. But that red-haired woman mercilessly beats the bosses and members of the organizations to death and demands protection money, so we had no choice but to pay on time…”
The boss said, rolling his eyes frequently as if terrified. About the red-haired woman who demands protection money.
“There was a boss who tried to take her down once, and the members of his organization were massacred just like now… She was a really scary woman! We can’t resist! If we don’t meet the deadline, she either kills us or cripples us… So we had no choice but to collect money desperately…!”
ㅡLisette.
The image of Lisette tearing apart thugs suddenly came to mind. She definitely said she was making pocket money with protection money.
I thought it was a very chivalrous thing to do, and I was wondering if I could make pocket money too if it was okay.
But.
Could it be…
Could it be that this organization was created for the purpose of paying protection money to Lisette? So they squeeze the powerless poor and children in the back alleys to get money?
If so.
If that’s the truth.
“We have our reasons… Brother. So please…!”
ㅡThat’s not chivalrous or anything.
It’s just a vicious thug.
Sucking the blood of criminals who are nothing more than social cancers is not a problem at all. No, beyond not being a problem, it’s an extremely chivalrous thing to do, close to justice, and always commendable.
Because they’re treated like half-monsters anyway.
However.
Innocent people and children.
And sucking my blood.
ㅡI can’t accept it.
Not chivalrous.
A demon, a heretic.
“Could it be that the red-haired woman… had slightly short hair and a scar on her face? And she carries claws.”
“Yes, yes! That’s right! She’s a very fierce-looking woman! Claws are right! She kills people with her bare hands, so I’ve imagined what would happen if she wore claws!”
When I described the characteristics of Lisette that came to mind, the boss answered with wide eyes.
“And she has really big breasts?”
“Of course!”
Lisette’s chest, which felt quite voluminous… All the characteristics match. That’s right. That’s it.
“And she’s really good at punching?”
“That’s right too!”
All this tragedy was a tragedy that happened to raise protection money for Lisette.
Stealing my money, Lina shedding tears.
This place becoming a sea of blood… All of this!
Is this the truth!
Lisette, you bitch! I can never forgive this in the name of the Saintly Chivalrous One! The anger that surged up again was directed at Lisette, not the slum.
It seemed we couldn’t live under the same sky.
ㅡThe revenge match that had been postponed.
Is it time to do it?
“D-do you happen to know her, Brother…?”
“Who’s your brother, you fucking bitch!”
Enraged, I slammed my fist into the boss’s head.
“Ghehk!!”
ㅡThump!
The boss’s head turned blue in an instant, and he frantically stroked his head and screamed again. “Kuaaaaaak! It hurts so much!!!” I raised my sword to relieve the pain.
“W-wait a minute, Brother! I told you we had no choice! We were just desperately collecting protection money because we didn’t want to die!”
“No, you motherfucking bastard. Then you should have worked diligently or washed your hands and left. Why are you so obsessed with paying protection money?”
Even if this bastard says this, he’s sitting in this position because he has all the benefits.
He must be in good financial shape to hire twenty or so members and a hitman like Mersin who has already been cut in half.
The boss is just a heinous criminal who is illegally extorting money under the pretext of Lisette.
“Th-that’s…”
“You were picking up a lot of crumbs too, weren’t you? You pigeon-like bastard.”
“That’s true…”
“How much do you have?”
“I-I have about twenty-five silver!”
“What?! That’s nowhere near 1 gold!!!”
“Hiiiik!!”
“Open it, quickly!”
“Yes!”
At my roar, the boss tore off the floor, took out the key, and calmly opened the box. Clang, that sound was heard, and finally, the inside of the opened box revealed coins shining with silver.
“This is all the money our organization has.”
“Hmm.”
ㅡSparkling.
Still, looking at this pile of shining silver coins, I suddenly started to feel joy. I had killed quite a few heinous serial killers, but still, this was a profitable deal.
“That’s right! And! Mersin! We hired that guy for a lot of money! He probably has more money on him!”
“Oh, really?”
Immediately, I searched Mersin’s severed body and found a wallet covered in blood. There were 3 silver coins inside.
And a sharp dagger.
Let’s take this as a trophy too.
“In the end, I only got 28 silver.”
“B-Brother. Does that mean you’ll spare me?”
“No.”
No mercy at all.
ㅡStab.
Immediately, I plunged the tip of the sword into his heart.
Because this guy was the main culprit who extorted my 5 silver from Kisson. Once you touch my money, there’s no option to spare you.
“Sh… it… Please, spare me…”
If I start forgiving things like this, I won’t be able to survive in this world.
In this world, where moral values are completely different from modern Earth, ruthlessness, cruelty, and desperate revenge are virtues.
The moment you show weakness even once, your soul will be taken.
“In your next life, please be born as a good beast.”
ㅡKuheok!
When I pulled out the sword, the boss’s body, which had vomited blood, collapsed like rotten wood. In the end, I killed all the people involved.
“Lisette…”
This all happened because of Lisette, that bitch.
I thought she was chivalrous, but she wasn’t.
What? Pocket money?
What a joke.
That bitch is a super-rich person. Judging from the overall story, Lisette seemed to have several more businesses like this.
Then how much is that a month?
Saying it was pocket money must have just been a humble way of saying it.
“Lisette. You’re dead by my hands.”
I resolved, and then I looked at Lina.
Lina was standing away from the pool of blood.
“B-Brother…”
“Where’s Kisson?”
I saw that Kisson was gone.
“That’s… He just ran away.”
“Okay. I see.”
He couldn’t have gone far.
“Anyway, Lina. Here, here’s 4 silver.”
I picked out four silver coins from the money I had taken and handed them to Lina.
“1 silver is my labor cost. I was originally going to charge 2 silver, but I gave you a special service.”
I can’t give her all 5 silver because that would be like working for free.
And finding money for free wouldn’t be good for her education either.
“And with this money, leave the slum now. Even if it costs more, live in a regular inn. Well, the discrimination will probably be worse. We have no choice but to be discriminated against because we have black hair. Especially if we’re weak and young.”
The slum is a place where crazy people live, so there’s not as much discrimination as you might think. It’s worse outside.
“But still.”
I’ve lived like that too.
“It’s better than here.”
Still, a place with hope is better than a place without it.
“…Brother.”
I handed the money to Lina, who listened to my advice. With trembling eyes, Lina looked at the silver coins and put them in her arms.
And then she says.
“Brother is really… a scary person.”
“What, this bitch? I found your money, and you’re slandering me?”
“N-no, no! That’s not what I mean, Brother! That’s not what I mean!”
When I teased her for a moment, Lina shouted hysterically.
“Just…”
And then she says hesitantly.
“Thank you, Brother.”
A proper thank you.
“Actually, I resented you at first. When I pickpocketed you back then.”
“…”
“Of course, it was all my fault from beginning to end… But I still resented you… But… After experiencing various things and coming out of the basement with Brother, I realized.”
It seems like she’s talking about when I was pickpocketed by Lina for the first time and received alimony.
At the time, I had my money stolen, and Lina brought people to try to kill me, so I couldn’t forgive her.
I just added 5 silver to the 5 silver I had stolen as a settlement, so I was satisfied, and I forgave her because Lina was a minor.
That’s all there is to the story.
“I don’t think there’s anyone as kind as Brother…”
“If I’m a kind person, then all the guys chopped up here are saints.”
I’m just a good person, not a kind person.
Kind people are people who truly live to serve others.
Like Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale, and Doctors Without Borders.
I may be called a saint, but that’s a result of my actions, not related to my personality.
“I just have principles.”
Maybe Lina has been abused so much that she feels like I’m a kind person just because I treat her normally.
