In a place where a stench threatens to numb your nose.
Have you ever stood dead silent there for hours? Maybe even over ten hours?
Anyway.
As an experienced person, I can tell you—it’s not something a human should do.
Without light, I couldn’t tell how much time had passed, and I was slowly losing my mind.
Then I saw a faint light in the distance.
“It seems like a lot have come… When does this end?”
“It’s almost over now.”
“…!”
Ah, am I an idiot?
I should have ambushed them.
But the human voice and light were so welcoming that I answered without thinking.
Whatever, I don’t care.
I’d already been discovered, so I decided to go out boldly.
“Schlus… Hainkel…?”
“No need for formal introductions.”
The guy was staring at me with eyes as big as marbles.
Now, this is the decisive moment.
Of course, knocking him down would be easy.
He is among the low-ranking ones in the Intelligence Agency.
But the real problem starts after that.
I need to check whether he has the personal information of the agents, and if he does, whether it’s the original or a copy.
If he hid a copy somewhere, and the Imperial Police found it, it would be a disaster.
The only solution would be to torture him to make him spill everything.
I learned torture from dramas and movies.
Will it work?
Should I start by pulling out his nails?
Or should I slice his… down there first?
That was the kind of thought I was having.
“Are you the one who said you’d buy information? I honestly couldn’t imagine it!”
As he spoke, seemingly relieved to shed his hostility.
It seemed he didn’t know the identity of the client who would give him the data.
When I showed up on the escape route known only to him and the client, he naturally thought I was that client.
And I was more than happy to let him think so.
I wouldn’t have to torture him to squeeze out the information.
“You definitely brought the information.”
“Ah! Of course!”
Before I could even finish my question, he pulled out a thick stack of paper from his bag.
It was disgustingly thick. Just how many agents’ information could possibly be in there…
Imagining that it had fallen into the Empire’s hands sent a chill down my spine.
A true festival of blood must have taken place.
Then, I confirmed whether it was the original or not.
He assured me that there was no copy.
There was no way he would lie to the client who must have seemed like the sky itself; I could take that as 100% fact.
“Hand it over.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said hand it over now. The reward will be given once we get out of this stinking place.”
“Ah, yes! Understood!”
He bowed and hurried over, handing me the documents with both hands.
He put in so much effort not to laugh.
Even so, it was impossible to resist.
Handing his life over to someone who would soon beat him like a dog was just too funny.
No matter how hard I tried, my lips kept curling up.
Only then did he seem to realize something was off, and his face went pale.
“Thank you.”
“Wait, what are you doing—”
Amid his panicked voice, I cast a spell.
Ignition magic.
A spell that rapidly increases the temperature of objects to ignite them.
*Flicker—*
The thick stack of documents began to catch fire.
Maybe because they were well dried, the flames spread in an instant, consuming the paper.
As the thick pile of paper turned to a dark ash, I tossed it into the sewage.
With a *crunch*, the ash scattered and fell into the dark water.
The expression on his face while watching was quite a sight.
Did he even understand the situation properly?
Surely, he couldn’t think he was betrayed by the client.
“Do you want me to make it hurt? Or not hurt?”
“…!”
I cracked my knuckles and stepped forward.
That’s when he stumbled backward, falling on his butt.
The previous bravado was long gone.
You little brat, how boring.
You didn’t even try to fight back.
If you had, at least it would’ve been entertaining.
“Ah, please… not hurt…”
“Okay. Put your head here.”
It was time to knock him out.
But how do I knock him out without hurting him…?
I grabbed his face for a moment, pondering.
I’ve seen in movies where they twist someone’s neck and knock them out in an instant.
That shouldn’t hurt too much, right?
“Uh-oh?”
“Stay still, you brat.”
I held his chin tightly.
Would twisting it like this work?
But the way his face kept getting paler looked just like a dying man’s.
“Ughhh!”
I twisted pretty hard.
Just like in the movies.
Yet instead of falling limp, he started screaming his lungs out.
This isn’t right.
Panicked, I twisted his neck the other way again.
“Urk!”
Finally, he passed out with foam at his mouth.
It felt a bit odd, but the outcome was good, wasn’t it?
Now I just had to move him to the surface so the Intelligence Agency could pick him up.
“Ha. Useless bastards. It’s a pain to clean up after you all.”
“What does that mean?”
“…!”
At that moment, a bright light appeared from afar.
Walking towards the light, step by step, was…
Hertlocker.
Our wretched protagonist.
He had to show up just when everything was finished, right?
What an oblivious idiot.
“Schlus Hainkel. Hand him over.”
“…Hah.”
A black dagger manifested in Hertlocker’s hand.
It seemed he had completely misunderstood the situation.
Did he think I was trying to take the data after knocking out the betrayer?
“Take him.”
“Doesn’t he have that pile of papers with him?”
“…”
“I can see you’ve already taken it. Hand that over too.”
Look at him. He’s already jumping to conclusions without me saying a word.
Telling him the truth would only lead to him thinking I was lying and lunging at me.
Avoiding a confrontation was obviously not possible.
“If you hand it over, I might let you go—”
“Shut up. Let’s finish this quickly. There’s no time.”
“…”
Hertlocker’s expression grew menacing.
He raised his dagger, assuming a position I recognized all too well.
Day of Magic. That was the stance he used to beat me up that day.
It was such a vivid memory; it felt like a trauma.
So the only way to erase that trauma was to overlay it with a good memory.
The moment he charged at me, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Ah?”
As his dagger grazed my side, the light vanished.
Pitch-black darkness engulfed everything, and Hertlocker’s foolish sigh echoed through.
In a perfect darkness where there wasn’t even a pinch of light, no one could secure their sight.
Unless they used mana to see.
‘What a foolish brat.’
Hertlocker seemed flustered, flailing his arms around to find me.
He had no clue where I was at all.
He kept trying to initiate ignition magic, but as soon as the spell was cast, it was intercepted by my superior computational power.
‘Selection and Concentration. Use 1 second in Agility.’
*Smack!*
“Ugh!”
I rapidly closed the distance and kicked him at the back of his head.
But perhaps sensing the danger instinctively?
Or was it simply reacting to the sound?
Hertlocker turned around with a monstrous reaction time, blocking my kick with his arm.
But it seemed like his arms were dangling uselessly now.
*Smack! Thud! Bam!*
“Guh! Huhk! Cough!”
I struck him from behind and backed off, striking then retreating again and again.
At this point, it was embarrassing to even call it a fight.
It was more like a one-sided beatdown.
Nothing more, nothing less.
My fists were starting to feel numb, and it became difficult to keep hitting him.
By this time, Hertlocker was barely standing, not a single part of him uninjured.
It was time for the final blow.
“You act as though you have multiple lives.”
“Who…”
“You, silly.”
*Thump!*
“Ugh!”
I delivered a solid punch right to his solar plexus.
Hertlocker flew backward, releasing an ugly scream before…
*Splash!*
“Ugh…”
He landed right in the sewage.
I didn’t plan to send him that far.
But hey, at least he got dunked.
“Phew! Ugh!”
“…”
He poked his head out of the water, his expression more furious than ever.
After this beating, he should’ve understood my intentions.
I quietly tiptoed back the way I had come.
…In truth, running away is what I was doing.
If he lunged at me from the sewage, wouldn’t I get splashed with that water too?
I couldn’t have that filthy water getting into the Imperial Palace, so I had no choice but to flee.
“Just tell me this before you go! Why do you keep sparing me instead of killing me?!”
Ignoring Hertlocker’s voice coming from behind, I dashed forward with all my might.
It wasn’t a question I could answer.
Before long, I saw light seeping in from the end of the corridor.
Once I stepped outside, the bright light welcomed me.
“What the hell…”
It was already morning.
And seeing the sun high up, it looked like it was close to noon.
“I’m screwed, seriously.”
I was going to be late for the Emperor’s summons.
This was beyond being disrespectful; it was sure to make me a total jerk.
I couldn’t help but let out yet another sigh.
—
“Sniff sniff. Ugh. What’s that smell?”
“…”
Eric scrunched up his face while pinching his nose.
In response, Hertlocker could only take a step back, lowering his head in defeat.
Even though he must have discarded his clothes and washed his body thoroughly.
It felt like a shit smell had clung to him.
‘Schlus Hainkel… you bastard…’
Just thinking about him made my teeth grind.
He should’ve just killed me.
What kind of nonsense is it to throw someone into sewage?
He must’ve seen me as a toy to relieve his stress.
“What do we do with this guy?”
“This guy?”
Hertlocker pointed at the man lying on the ground, wrapped in bandages.
The betrayer still lay there unconscious.
“Wake him up… um, I guess I should ask him about the data.”
The Intelligence Agency was still in an emergency.
They had captured the traitor, but they didn’t have the crucial data regarding the agents’ identities.
Maybe he had already handed it over to someone else.
Or perhaps Schlus had taken it.
Considering the latter was more likely, Hertlocker hunched up even more after getting thoroughly beaten by Schlus.
Regardless of who fought, the outcome would have been the same.
Eric shook his head, deciding not to hold Hertlocker responsible.
If Schlus could kill even Henderson, then he was essentially a walking catastrophe.
“Are you just going to ask him? Do you think he’ll answer nicely?”
“Hey, I won’t just ask. I’ll throw in some body language too, alright? That’s how it goes.”
“Ah…”
Hertlocker nodded, apparently understanding.
In other words, they were going to torture him.
Though Hertlocker had no experience with torture after being in the military and moving to the Intelligence Agency, Eric was basically a professional in that field.
I heard Eric had never failed to extract information before, and I was suddenly curious what kind of torture he would conduct.
“Let’s wake this guy up. Bring a bucket and fill it with water.”
“Yes.”
“Hey, seriously, doesn’t it smell like shit around here?”
“…”
As he went to fetch water, Hertlocker gritted his teeth, vowing to take revenge on Schlus.
He was determined to dump shit on him just as he had done to him.
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