## Chapter 49 – The Black Wizard’s Request
I headed towards the place Karin had told me about, my staff strapped to my back.
Isvante was also a city surrounded by walls. There were four main gates, one in each direction, so they were used as landmarks. The area around the north gate was said to be where the less fortunate lived, and that’s where I was headed.
“Where the hell is it?”
You could call it a slum. After walking north for about an hour and a half, the scenery was noticeably different. There were shanty towns everywhere, and the gloomy atmosphere seemed like the perfect place for a black wizard to be active. It was exactly what you’d expect from a crime-ridden area.
She’d drawn a simple map, but honestly, it wasn’t much better than Eliza’s. I tried to remember her instructions as best as I could, recalling abstract directions like “turn at the nth alley.”
“So, I go in here, right?”
There was an old tower-like building that she’d mentioned as a landmark, so I entered the alley.
I considered asking the locals for directions, but I was hesitant to ask about a black wizard, and the residents’ menacing, drug-addled eyes weren’t reassuring either, so I decided against it.
I’d be screwed if I ran into some thugs in this alley.
“Hey, buddy, let’s just say you lend me some money. My mother’s really sick. If you give me the money before you get messed up, it’ll be good for me, good for you, and good for my mother.”
“Uh… I don’t have any!”
“Oh, come on, man.”
Sure enough, as soon as I entered the alley, I witnessed a scene of extortion. I pretended to pass by, secretly watching the scene out of the corner of my eye.
A shirtless, muscular man was holding a knife to a shota, threatening him. The shota… I mean, the boy, was clearly a rookie adventurer, and the knife-wielding man was a typical back-alley thug.
The boy looked at me with pleading eyes. But I had no obligation to help him, and experiencing the harshness of the world would be a good lesson for him, so I ignored him. I used to get robbed a lot when I was a scrubby F-rank. Back then, life was a constant struggle… but never mind that.
Let’s see, if I turn here, will the building be there?
“Ah…! Help me!”
“Huh?”
Oh, you little…
The boy asked me for help.
“Hey, what’s your deal? You never seen a guy borrowing money before? Stop staring and making me nervous, and just go on your way, okay? Your mother will worry if you get home late.”
When the boy called out to me, the knife-wielding thug also looked at me and spoke.
Wait, why is this bastard suddenly bringing up my mother? I instantly got pissed and shouted as politely and ravenously as possible while drawing my sword.
“What? Mother? Hey, you son of a bitch. Why is my mother suddenly popping up? I was just going to pass by, but this motherfucker had to start something?”
“Woah, woah. Calm down, man. I was wrong. I apologize. It was just a reflex. I’m really sorry. Please, just let it go.”
What kind of fucked up bastard has a reflex that makes him say something like that, you motherless piece of shit!
When I yelled at him with my sword drawn, he seemed to get scared and changed his attitude, apologizing. There’s no way he could beat someone like me, who has a proper sword, with just that knife.
In a fight, the one with the longer reach always has the advantage.
“Bullshit! Give me everything you have, you son of a bitch! I’m pissed!”
I quickly advanced three steps and put the tip of my sword against his Adam’s apple. The thug backed away, becoming one with the wall.
How dare this poor-looking bastard start a fight with a swordsman like me? I can’t forgive him unless I squeeze some money out of him now. But looking at this guy running around shirtless, it doesn’t look like he even has money to buy clothes…
“S-Save me! Man! I don’t have any money! That’s why I was trying to borrow it from this friend!”
“Then drop the knife and get lost!”
“This is my business capital! I can’t borrow money without this!”
You mean steal, you bastard. I couldn’t help but laugh at his ridiculous words. This guy has a talent for making people laugh.
“Suck my dick, you son of a bitch. Clang, clang, the sword’s going in.”
But the world of competition is ruthless. I pushed the tip of my sword further, making it touch his skin. If I put just a little more force, blood would flow. Instead of threatening him further, I laughed loudly again.
“I’ll give it to you! Please stop! Don’t do it! Please!”
“Good. You made the right choice. Drop the knife on the ground, and kick it over there.”
The thug obediently followed my instructions. He dropped the knife he was holding on the ground and kicked it to the opposite wall. I used the blade to guide him in the direction he should go.
“Good, good… now get lost.”
“…”
“Goodbye. Say hi to your mother for me.”
When I lowered my sword, he glared at the shota adventurer for a moment, then turned and ran away. I silently picked up the fallen knife. It’s a shame it doesn’t have a sheath, but it’s a trophy, so I’ll happily take it.
“Th-Thank you… thank you so much… I was really…”
Oh, right, this guy was here.
The boy adventurer seemed to think I had saved his life and expressed his gratitude.
Looking at him, I suddenly felt a surge of anger.
“Thankful, my ass, you son of a bitch! I fought because of you!”
“Huh? Yes?”
I shouted, enraged.
He might have thought he was asking for help, but from my perspective, it was like I suddenly got screwed over. He was trying to pass his problem onto me. If a big fight had broken out because of this and I had gotten hurt, would this bastard have come to help me?
He would have just run away!
“Give me everything you have!”
“Aaaaaah!!!”
This was legitimate extortion. He started the fight, so I responded and took everything he had. And he dragged me into his mess, so I’m taking everything as payment for resolving it.
You could say it’s a fair otherworld business transaction.
The boy burst into tears, and my wallet got thicker. I got a whopping 12 coppers for free. The boy disappeared in a similar state to the thug from before.
“Hehehe.”
Feeling good, I hummed Mr. Seol Woon-do’s compass and headed towards my destination. Should I go to Jongno or Myeongdong? I would go to Cheongnyangni.
“Is this it?”
The old sign read [Leongreen] in barely legible letters. Leongreen. According to Karin, that was the black wizard’s name.
“…”
The eerie building seemed as old as the worn-out sign. It looked somewhat wizard-like, but that only made it seem even more ominous because it didn’t match the surrounding scenery.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a wanted black wizard inside. But since Karin introduced me, I hoped nothing bad would happen and cautiously opened the door.
“Ah, hello…”
A musty smell and dark interior greeted me. Where’s the owner? Even the sunlight barely entered, so I couldn’t tell if they were open for business or not.
There were skulls, monster hands, and crystal balls on display on the shelves. This is fucking scary. What is this place?
“Oh… is someone there?”
A woman’s voice came from inside. Could it be the black wizard’s voice? Karin had called her “that bitch,” so she was definitely a woman. Does that mean she’s a witch?
Then, a purple light turned on, illuminating the surroundings.
“Oh.”
A pale girl in a gothic dress stood where the voice had come from.
Girl? I guess you could call her a girl, she looked like a girl because she was short, but it felt a little strange to call her a girl. An adult? That was also ambiguous. I couldn’t guess her age. She had a sharp impression like a mysterious woman, but at the same time, she had a girlish appearance.
Her hair was a brilliant silver, as if it had been made by melting silver. Not the silver of old age, but a true silver color. An unreal color. And her eyes below were like rubies, shining completely red for some reason.
Silver hair and red eyes.
A black wizard.
And a strange beauty.
—A witch.
Suddenly feeling an indescribable chill and fear, I turned around.
“Ah, I came to the wrong place. Have a good day.”
“Little boy?”
I tried to open the door. But for some reason, it wouldn’t open. Growing desperate, I put my strength into it and strongly grabbed and turned the doorknob, but the door remained unmoving. I became anxious.
Oh fuck what is this please save me.
“Little boy? You suddenly come in and now you’re trying to leave? Come on, turn around and look at me.”
A beautiful voice rang out behind me as I sweated. I swallowed involuntarily. The ominous delusion that whatever was behind me might not be human took hold of me.
I slowly turned my head.
“…Little boy? Do I look like a little boy to you?”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-five… no, twenty-four.”
“You are a little boy. So, what’s the matter?”
What nonsense…
I think you’re the little boy, not me…
I couldn’t say that, and I turned my body completely towards her, on guard. The still girlish figure stood there. Something about that beautiful doll was very ominous.
Huh?
Are her ears pointed?
Through her hair, I could see long, pointed ears like an elf’s.
I’m going to faint, really.
“Oh? That staff.”
“Ah.”
I snapped out of it at the word staff.
That’s right. I came to sell the staff to this black wizard on Karin’s recommendation. There was no reason to be scared at all. I came to make a deal, not to fight. But why am I still trembling?
“I can feel a pleasant magic power. Don’t tell me you came to sell it?”
Karin had definitely said she felt an unpleasant magic power. There must be some difference between the two people who perceived the same magic power differently. The difference between a normal person and an abnormal person? No, if I had to choose, Karin also belongs to the abnormal category. What is it, then?
“Y-Yes, that’s right. D-Do you happen to know someone named Karin Vestart? She introduced this black magic shop… so I came here to sell this.”
Overcome with fear, I first sold Karin’s name. Since they knew each other, I figured she wouldn’t do anything rash if she heard her name.
“Karin…? Ah, there was such a child. Anyway, sit here.”
“Ah, yes.”
She came out from behind the counter and pulled out a chair for me, so I hesitated and sat down. I felt like my body was stiffening. I put the staff on the desk.
“So, you came to sell this staff to me.”
She sat across from me.
“Y-Yes, that’s right. When I tried to sell it elsewhere, they tried to lowball me. I thought it would be better to sell it to a place with professional knowledge… so I came to stand before you, Witch-nim.”
