Episode 92: Was That Today? (2)
Ghislaine definitely remembered the name Crank.
That was because Claude had cursed the guy who slit his own wrist whenever he drank.
But to think today would be that day!
“It’s an urgent situation, so guide me to Crank immediately. I’ll pay you handsomely.”
The employee shook his head with a troubled expression.
“I have work to do. Please find someone else to guide you…”
“Hey, noble sir. You look like you’re from out of town, but why are you looking for our leader?”
At that moment, a mocking voice from the side interrupted the employee.
Ghislaine slowly turned his head.
Three gangsters were sitting around the table, messing with things.
They were the same guys who had been cleaning up the area just a moment ago.
He approached the gangsters and said quietly.
“I need to see your leader right now.”
“Do you even know who you’re addressing before trying to meet the boss? You don’t even have an identification.”
“It’s urgent. I’ll pay you generously.”
“Well, if it’s that urgent… it seems you might want to pay the errand fee first. That’s how things work here.”
The guy sitting in the middle gestured in a circle with his finger.
Ghislaine pulled out a gold coin and tossed it down.
“Move quickly.”
A flicker of killing intent started to rise in his eyes, but the man seemed oblivious and raised his finger again.
“Geez, since you’ve started spending, why not spend a little more? Prices are a bit steep in this town.”
The other two sitting beside him chuckled in agreement.
Swoosh!
“Huh?”
In that moment, something zipped past, and the man’s wrist was instantly severed, falling onto the table.
“Ahhhhh!”
The man, unable to react, screamed and rolled around, covering the table in blood.
“You should pick the right time for jokes.”
Ghislaine said as he sheathed his sword.
Finally, the two guys beside him tried to jump up in shock, but the mercenaries were faster.
Bang!
Both were pinned by their necks, unable to stand and face-planted onto the table.
“Wh-what are you guys doing…?”
The man with the severed wrist turned pale and backed away hesitantly.
Ghislaine seized his neck.
Caught his neck.
“Guhk!”
“Where did Claude take him?”
“W-We dragged him to the butchery storage! It’s in the filthy outer area. It hasn’t been long since he was taken!”
Whoosh!
Ghislaine drove his sword deep into the man’s shoulder.
“Gahaak!”
“Guide me. If Claude’s wrist gets cut off because we’re late, you all die by my hand.”
Ghislaine yanked him by the neck and dragged him outside.
The trembling man pointed with his finger and they started walking in that direction.
Before long, the group entered an area that resembled a poor district more than anything else.
Unlike the bustling downtown filled with tourists, this place was packed with cheap taverns and thuggish-looking folks.
As they approached a notably large building, the man caught by Ghislaine screamed.
“Enemies! Enemies! Save me!”
In front of the building, a dozen or so thugs were gathered, lounging around.
As soon as they heard the man’s scream, they jumped up and grabbed their weapons.
It seemed they didn’t even think to check who their opponents were.
“Just take them out!”
As the gangsters charged, Ghislaine threw the man he was using as a guide to the ground.
“Gillian, subdue all of them. I’ll decide whether to kill or spare them based on what’s happening inside.”
“Understood. Good luck.”
With the mercenaries and gangsters clashing, Ghislaine quickly dashed into the building.
*
In the butchery storage, animal carcasses were hanging everywhere.
The distinct stench of beast and the smell of blood filled the air.
Crank, the gangster leader, was grinning as he shook his head from side to side.
His heart raced at the thought of swinging an axe again after a long time.
Before him was a man in his late twenties, tied to a chair.
He looked shabby and unkempt, but an intellectual aura radiated from his face.
He was the so-called ‘Gambler’s Dummy Sage,’ known around Austin. This was Claude, the one Ghislaine was looking for.
Despite being in a situation where he could be chopped up, Claude’s eyes were filled not with fear but exhaustion.
Claude opened his mouth. His bored, rasping voice echoed throughout the storage.
“Who sent you?”
“Who sent me? You got caught while playing with your hands. I’m just going to cut off your wrist the legal way.”
Claude scoffed as if it was ridiculous.
“I’ve never cheated. For someone who rules the back alleys, you’re pretty pathetic. Do you lack the guts to reveal the truth?”
“You little….”
Crank gritted his teeth.
It was better to just quickly finish the work and toss him aside, rather than get annoyed by further conversation.
“Hey, bring me the axe.”
A follower nearby approached with a hand axe.
Crank pointed to Claude’s wrist.
“Chop it off properly.”
“From where?”
“Where else… Never mind, give it to me.”
Crank snatched the axe from his follower and nodded.
“If you kneel and beg now, I might go easy on you and just take a finger.”
But Claude showed not the slightest hint of tension.
Instead, he glared at Crank in annoyance and retorted.
“If you’re going to do it, just do it quickly. It’s a pain to deal with scum like you.”
“It’s such a hassle to argue.”
“Yeah, if I slice you just once, you won’t be able to flap that mouth of yours anymore!”
Crank twitched his lips and raised his axe above his head.
— An enemy! An enemy! Save me!
At that moment, a loud noise echoed from outside.
Crank frowned and turned to the entrance of the storage room.
“What’s going on? Go out and check.”
The nearby followers lowered their heads and tried to step outside, but it wasn’t necessary.
BAM!
The door burst open as Ghislaine stormed into the storage room.
Quickly scanning the area, Ghislaine spotted Crank, pointed his finger, and said, “Move, and you die. Stay right there.”
One of the gangsters blocked Ghislaine’s path and shouted, “What do you think you’re doing barging in here? You punk!”
The gangster lunged forward with a dagger drawn.
But Ghislaine was not someone who would be taken down by such a clumsy attack.
Without a second thought, Ghislaine reached out and grabbed the dagger.
CRACK!
The dagger shattered into pieces as the gangster stared in disbelief.
“No way, that’s cheating! Who can break a knife with their bare hands?!”
“Looks like there’s someone here who can. Just get lost; it’s a hassle.”
BAM!
Ghislaine waved his hand as if chasing away bugs.
The gangster flew back and smashed into the wall.
His nose and teeth shattered completely.
Crank shouted urgently, “What are you doing, you idiots! Attack all at once!”
Dozens of gangsters inside the storage room charged simultaneously.
Ghislaine glared at them and reached out.
He didn’t plan to deal with them one by one; his mind was too urgent to waste time.
CLUNK!
Threads of mana bound the gangsters, stopping all their movement.
THUD!
“AHHHH!”
As Ghislaine clenched his fist, all the gangsters fell to the floor, their limbs twisted.
“W-What the heck!”
Crank stumbled back, pale as a ghost.
He had seen all sorts of horrors in his life, but this bizarre phenomenon was the first of its kind.
“I-Is he a mage?”
Watching the punches being thrown, he looked like a knight, but he’d never heard that a knight could do such strange things.
Claude, trying not to show his fear and forcing a stiff expression, widened his eyes.
He had seen many knights and mages while studying at the Academy, but none used such techniques.
Claude watched Ghislaine approach him in a daze and asked, “Did you come to save me?”
“Yeah.”
“Why? We don’t know each other.”
“Let’s say we’re going to get to know each other from now on.”
Claude frowned as if he’d seen a madman.
Ghislaine chuckled and freed Claude from the chair.
“I am Ghislaine Penris, a baron of the Ruthania Kingdom. Just call me Ghislaine.”
At that moment, a slow and dazed Crank chimed in, “W-What is a noble from another country doing here? No matter how noble, you can’t just do as you please.”
But even Crank himself doubted whether the baron would listen to him.
It wasn’t just commoners who enjoyed pleasures in Austin.
It was well-known that there was an unspoken agreement among the nobles not to cause a stir, lest they lose their playground.
It was a well-known fact that there was an unspoken agreement among the nobles not to cause a ruckus.
Yet this guy came barging in without a care in the world.
Did he think that saying something would make them back off?
Just as Crank had thought.
Ghislaine shrugged it off nonchalantly.
“I’m taking Claude with me.”
“T-That guy has been messing around. It’s the law around here to chop off his wrist for that kind of nonsense.”
“Don’t be foolish. Do you think I came here without knowing anything?”
How many times had he heard Claude lament about having his hands and feet unjustly cut off?
Crank peeked out at the wrecked door.
All of his subordinates were either knocked out or kneeling.
As he stood there clueless, Ghislaine approached and lightly grabbed his shoulder.
“I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll just head back. Since Claude’s wrist is still intact, I’ll let you keep your heads too. Doesn’t that seem like a fair trade?”
A snake-like gaze pierced into Crank’s eyes.
“A-Alright.”
Crank trembled and nodded vigorously.
Having seen plenty of blood to get here, he instinctively understood.
The guy in front of him was beyond anything he could handle.
“Quick on the uptake, aren’t you?”
Ghislaine smirked and pulled out a few gold coins from his pouch, placing them in Crank’s hand.
“It’s for your subordinates’ treatment. Use the rest to go drink.”
“……Thank you.”
Crank, filled with dread, slowly backed away.
Just as it seemed Ghislaine would walk past, he suddenly grabbed Crank by his collar and pulled him close.
“W-Why are you doing this again?”
Ghislaine whispered quietly into Crank’s ear, which had turned pale.
“Stop the spying. I’ll be leaving soon.”
With the deadly voice, Crank broke into a cold sweat and nodded in a daze.
Only then did Ghislaine let go of his collar, patting his shoulder with a satisfied smile.
“You’ve been working hard. Keep it up.”
“P-Please take care.”
Following Ghislaine, Claude glanced back at Crank.
This was the first time he had seen Crank look so scared.
Wasn’t he the toughest among the alley gangsters?
But he shook his head and rushed to follow Ghislaine closely.
Having just barely escaped losing his hands, he didn’t want to get involved in anything strange.
Taking in the cool outside air felt liberating.
Claude bowed his head to Ghislaine.
“Thank you for saving me. But… why did you go out of your way to help someone like me? I’m not worth the effort.”
At Claude’s self-deprecating remark, Ghislaine carefully studied his face.
Sunken eyes, a haggard and weak expression.
He looked like rotten wood.
It was clear he was a human who had given up on everything and lost the will to live.
Ghislaine recalled the day he first met Gillian. Back then, Gillian had had the exact same look.
Before Ghislaine could respond, Claude continued.
“Actually, it doesn’t matter what the reason is. Now that this has happened… can you buy me a drink?”
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