Chapter 66 – The Devil’s Whispers
The sun always rising. On the other side of it, there must be a shadow.
And that fact is no exception even in empires that use the sun as a symbol, and even in the middle of the system there is a hideout for those who live in darkness.
“Huh? Well done to you, you fucking goblin bastard!”
“Kie, Kieaek!”
Behind the huge commercial district. A back alley located on a poorly lit street.
In Yangji, it is a place where slave traders, which are difficult to operate, industries that require secrecy, or items related to witchcraft or black magic are secretly traded.
The reason why this place, which exudes a sense of criminality, exists in the middle of an island rather than a remote territory, was relatively simple.
Since ancient times, there has always been a steady demand from high-ranking people visiting this place.
Just because you are richer than others or have noble blood doesn’t mean you have exceptional morality.
Furthermore, wouldn’t even high-ranking people necessarily need at least a hole to breathe or a means to deal with rotten work?
In the middle of a dark street, a wealthy merchant clinging to a bespectacled goblin by the collar was also one of the main users of this back alley.
“You swindler! What are you going to do with my money?! They told me to trust and invest in the Unity Knights! Even though the dividend was small, they boasted that it would be safe! But the wrong guys won the championship?”
Getting into a fight in the back alley is a common thing.
Despite the commotion happening right in front of their eyes, passers-by smile and pass by as if it’s not a big deal. Or look at it with interesting eyes from a distance.
“Oh, no… No! It’s not my responsibility, it’s a variable…!”
Just like that, the tiny goblin, who was caught in the hands of the humans, was about to run out of breath.
“Excuse me for a moment. Could you move? I have to go inside.”
“What are you… Huh?!”
A man with a huge body one head taller than the stalwart man and a face full of scars, boasting a more menacing impression than anyone else, appeared and stopped them.
The young boy, dressed in fancy clothes, was so excited that he almost burst into tears.
“Keuheum. Excuse me. Come on in.”
As befits a merchant’s son, he must have been quick to notice. As soon as he saw the man’s appearance, he instantly calmed down his anger and became a gentle sheep and opened the way.
Then her man tapped her master on the shoulder and entered her building.
“Thank you. I’ll even do what I used to do.”
After her manly figure disappeared. Serious gazes began to gather around the bewildered young master and the bluish-faced goblin one by one.
And, a low voice escaped from one of them.
“The leader of the Black Lion Knights… Why the hell are you in a place like this?”
* * *
‘Somehow, he looks familiar, doesn’t he?’
The face of the man who was arguing with the goblins while blocking the entrance to the rendezvous continued to be stepped on.
Looking back on my memories sparsely, it seemed that he was very similar to the son of a wealthy merchant who was a classmate at the officer training school. His name was probably Milo.
Seeing that he was wearing a typical merchant’s costume, he might be his friend’s brother or relative.
Had she known it would be like this, she would have asked her whereabouts.
“Come this way. The guest who came first is waiting for you.”
“Well.”
Leaving behind my regretful heart, I followed the waitress and moved inside.
-Glitter!
The soft light leaking from the dark yet luxurious interior decoration stimulates the gaze.
On both sides of the long hallway, there were several closed rooms that ensured security and soundproofing, and the weak smell of food and alcohol leaked out, so it seemed that food and beverages were served separately.
At first glance, I had no idea what the hell I was doing.
Looking at it this way, it seemed to be some kind of membership-only restaurant that rented a place for secret meetings.
I don’t know who the boss is, but he rolled his head really well. Certainly, there must be demand from some nobles.
—Dreuk!
“This way. If you need anything, please ring the bell inside.”
“Thank you.”
But, it’s the first time I’ve been to a place like this.
My heart is beating so fast It feels like a secret society plotting a conspiracy, so it should be said that it secretly stimulates the emotions of a man.
The inside of the secret room was very luxurious.
The facility was a passing point even by my standards, who are quite picky about furniture, and expensive alcohol and food were spread all over the table.
And, a familiar middle-aged face greeted me inside.
“Welcome, Sir Wolfgang! You are looking for me first, what the hell is this? You were surprised to receive my letter.”
“Haha. Long time no see, Sir Randolph.”
It was Sir Randolph, the executive officer of the counterintelligence department, whom he had met after a long time since the County of Fersen incident.
He had something to talk to him about, so he contacted me asking to meet soon, and in less than half a day, he sent a reply stating not only the acceptance but also the time and place.
The reason why he chose such a place must be because he made his living by digging up various secrets and information.
Most of the time, Sir Randolph is bound to find me first, but this time, because I was in the position of finding him out of regret, I stepped into a back alley I had never been to before.
“Congratulations on winning the Knights Match! Well, if a monster like you doesn’t win, then who the hell will win? Let’s go! Let’s have a drink.”
“Keuuu! Thank you for congratulating me. But, do you really have to call a person a monster?”
The relationship with him, which began during the war, has been around for quite some time, and now it is a relationship that can almost be called a bad friend.
I was a bit reluctant to get close to him because of his inconsistent personality, but he was the only one who could give me appropriate advice for the problems surrounding me right now.
“How have you been? How come your momentum seems to be getting more and more ferocious day by day.”
“It seems like he’s getting more smirk with each passing day.”
After light chatting with each other and a few clinks of glasses, it’s time to get drunk to a certain extent by the standards of ordinary people.
Sir Randolph asked me a question, his eyes shining.
“Huh! Seeing that you, who are reluctant to me, contacted me first, there must be a purpose. What do you want?”
“That’s it, whoa…”
However, when I face him, for some reason, I am a little reluctant to tell him what I feel. Wouldn’t you be doing something stupid in front of a high-ranking official of an intelligence agency?
Of course, since I had a tight grip on his leash, there was no possibility that he would do anything with information about me. I couldn’t help but feel something uneasy about it.
Well, what to blame Blame it on my narrow human relationships.
Feeling stuffy, I poured an entire bottle of hard liquor into my stomach and then deliberately stayed still for a while without getting rid of my intoxication.
“Huh, Sir Wolfgang is taking so much time… Well, are you curious about the direction of public opinion surrounding you in the social world?
“It’s not that grand.”
Then, the appearance of Sir Randolph, who had a peculiar habit and began to disregard my intentions.
I finally confessed my purpose for calling him.
“If you want to have a smooth relationship with two women at the same time, what should you do?”
“What…?!”
The smirk of Sir Randolph, who squirmed indescribably as soon as he heard my story.
“Pu-sup… Puh-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
A terrible sense of shame comes from the laughter that immediately erupts.
“…Don’t laugh too much. I’m serious now.”
Shit. I was prepared for a reaction like that, but it can be annoying when I actually go through it.
I frowned in front of him, lost in thought.
I didn’t want to come see him like this, but I really couldn’t help it.
‘Master! How about sending and receiving letters every day from now on?’
‘Commander Wolfgang, I… It’s embarrassing, but I want to confirm your affection. Also, when will you sleep again… ‘
Lately, my blood has dried up thanks to lovers who have been craving my attention to the point where I can hardly handle it.
Obviously, both of them weren’t women with a personality that clung to that much. What the hell made them like that?
Even if I have more than one lover, I want to squeeze the past me who had a complacent thought that it would be okay to give love equally.
‘I never thought that dating would be this difficult.’
Almost all of my close friends died on the battlefield or lost contact with me, so my relationships can be said to be literally devastated.
At first, I thought about consulting with my more experienced subordinates, but they all seemed to have already guessed that Agnes and I had an unusual relationship.
It was clear that if I said such a thing in front of them, my reputation would sink to the bottom.
However, I couldn’t go to Master with my personal problems, so I couldn’t see a way to solve this problem by myself, so I was suffering.
In the end, he reached out to Lord Randolph, who was the most proficient in the field among his few acquaintances.
He boasts of a flamboyant and promiscuous pilgrimage to women, but he has a mysterious knack for organizing relationships without any noise, so he’s sure to be helpful in some way.
Haha! Come to think of it, our Sir Wolfgang is still young enough to be young. Yes, then he deserves to be worried! Come on, what should this older brother talk about?”
But, is this really correct?
I closed my eyes tightly and listened in silence to his long talk.
At first, it seemed like nothing more than pointless obscenity, but as I listened to it, there were a few remarks that made me nod my head.
It seemed that I could put it into practice right away, even tomorrow.
So, after acquiring some valuable advice from Sir Randolph, the self-proclaimed ‘tightrope walker’.
“Kuh, I didn’t expect to be able to have such a pleasant conversation with you. Then just wake up. Well, I’ll see you again in front of the treasury soon anyway.”
“Does Sir Randolph have access too?”
“You mean this? A position is a position. There are many opportunities to make contributions secretly. You can’t corrupt the authority you have, and the treasure house isn’t always open. Shouldn’t you go inside this time?”
“Well, the last time I went in, there wasn’t much more than I thought.”
“Isn’t it different each time you go in there? I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for this time.”
After a brief conversation about the imperial family’s treasury, which will be open to the public in a few days, I went home feeling quite satisfied.
Perhaps sooner or later he will be able to satisfy both women at the same time.
