CH 100

He thought that all the nobles on the border had already been caught, how painful it would be if he were suddenly stabbed from the back?

Lucion let out a small laugh.

He knew who it was.

Even if he didn’t, the blue string was telling him the direction.

[Do you have someone in mind?]

Bethel asked.

If Lucion wanted to move the assassin, didn’t that mean he knew where the enemy was?

“That’s right.”

[You must have a bad relationship with them.]

Russell said while looking in the direction Lucion was facing.

“Rather than a bad relationship, they’re probably closer to an untamed beast.”

Whenever the head of household changed, nobles on the border came to Cronia in person to pledge their allegiance.

Although they broke their pledge as a human being, calling them a bastard was a waste of time, so he thought it would be appropriate to call them a beast.

“Let’s keep going.”

Lucion urged Bethel.

His whole body was weak, and his finger that had been cut with the dagger was throbbing more and more, but it couldn’t be helped.

He had no choice but to endure it because it was for his organization.

* * *

“Give me some medicine. Oh, I’d like a bandage if you have one.”

Hume mentioned the supplies he needed one by one.

The assassins looked up at him and couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions.

It had been a while since they had a guest, so they were happy to welcome them, but what did these people mean by medicine and bandage?

It was so absurd, but there was quite a smell of blood on the masked man.

His left arm was injured, and his movement was somewhat unnatural.

The assassins glanced at their leader.

The leader sighed and nodded.

Now that they had come here, it was right to listen to them, at least.

[Hume. Have you ever treated someone before?]

At the way Hume looked at the medicines and bandages the assassins gave him as if he were seeing them for the first time, Bethel couldn’t help but ask.

Hume glanced at the assassin then soon shook his head slightly.

But he saw it in a book.

He was confident that he could follow along.

“It can’t be helped even if I don’t like it. The medicine and bandages used here are the best.”

The leader of the assassins said with a smile.

[First of all, they have good eyes.]

Hume shook his head unnoticeably, but it wasn’t missed.

Russell gave Bethel a slight thumbs-up.

Lucion sat on the sofa.

‘Looks like you really don’t have money.’

As soon as his buttocks, which had always sat on expensive things, touched the new-looking sofa, he reacted with rejection.

Lucion looked at the leader of the assassins after fixing his gaze on the pieces of paper that looked like talismans hanging all over the store.

From the moment he entered, the shape of the hand that seemed to choke him immediately caught his attention.

‘What the hell is that hand?’

At Lucion’s fixed gaze, Russell also turned his head and pointed to the leader’s neck.

[That’s a curse. There’s a bit of a strong curse on him, so I guess he killed or touched a warlock recently? If you leave it alone, his hands or feet will be destroyed.]

‘A curse.’

Lucion touched his finger for a moment.

First of all, he had to find out their skills rather than this curse.

“How strong are you?”

Lucion asked immediately.

This question was directed both to that man and Russell as well.

This was information he had heard through a banquet held by Tella and Central.

And since they were characters who didn’t appear in the novels he remembered, his expectations were quite high.

[Lucion, I think they’re strong enough? Bethel has a good eye.]

Russell was satisfied with the assassins from the first time he saw them.

“It won’t be a waste of money.”

The leader pointed proudly at himself.

His confidence was good.

“Great. So, do you hate being tied down somewhere?”

As if interviewing, Lucion asked the leader a question.

“I don’t know what kind of tying down you are talking about.”

The leader’s face was subtly distorted.

“That’s why…”

Bzzt.

Lucion stopped talking and felt the contact item vibrating inside the magic pouch.

“Wait a minute.”

Asking the leader for his understanding, Lucion went outside and picked the contact item.

‘What time is it now?’

It was almost 3 a.m. already.

“What is it?”

Lucion’s voice was naturally curt.

Following him, Russell whistled and pricked up his ears.

<Oh! Were you sleeping?>

Heroan, the leader of the Rats, spoke out without hesitation.

[Ah, what’s this. It’s just the Rat.]

He didn’t know what he was expecting, but at the fact that it was just Heroan, Russell frowned arrogantly.

“So, do you wake up at this hour?”

Lucion stared at Russell and asked.

<Hey, I’m working right now. It’s what Hamel-nim ordered.>

“You want to tear apart the documents you poured your whole life into with your own hands?”

Literally, Heroan’s entire collection of people’s weaknesses he had invested his life in was now in Lucion’s hands.

<I thought Hamel-nim was a person who doesn’t sleep. Warlocks sleep too, ahem, anyway, I’ll be careful next time.>

Lucion was stunned at the unsuitable groveling.

“What’s the matter?”

<First of all, can I start with my complaints?>

“Just say one thing.”

He was too busy to listen to several things.

<Only one thing? Can’t I a least get three things? I’m about to explode.>

“I’ll add one more good thing and listen to you.”

<…I understand.>

Heroan’s voice sank.

<We don’t stand out.>

“…?”

<Why should we wear the same soldier clothes? We don’t stand out in the organization because we can’t wear the clothes we have prepared.>

He didn’t know what kind of clothes they had prepared, but there was no reason to listen to this anymore.

“Any good news?”

<The land is perfect for digging underground tunnels. I love it.>

“So what’s the matter?”

<How far do I need to dig?>

“How far do you want to dig?”

<Until it covers them all. I’ve already figured out that all 5 of them are powerful just by the names Hamel gave me.>

“Then dig as much as you want. All I need is a weakness, and you should also satisfy your personal hobbies.”

<Thank you! Thank you!>

When the permission was granted, Heroan rejoined like a child who had received pocket money.

<But Hamel-nim.>

“What is it again?”

<Why isn’t Hamel-nim the leader of the organization?>

Miella and Heroan raised similar questions.

‘Do I stand out like that?’

Lucion thought for a moment and asked.

“What about it?”

<Ah, I’m not saying that Kran is bad. Unlike Hamel-nim, cough, no. Anyway, I think he is the right person. My reluctance is just my personal feeling. Should I say my body tickles when I see things like this?>

“I guess you’re adjusting well.”

<That, um, I’ll try to get along with him Kran. Adapting is my specialty.>

Should he be relieved that he didn’t fight with the existing members of the organization?

Lucion let out a short sigh.

< Hamel-nim.>

“What else?”

Just as he was about to hang up, Heroan spoke in a whisper.

<Can I investigate all the members? Not only the current members of the organization but also those who will come in.>

“You can.”

Lucion wasn’t concerned.

Why did he want to recruit assassins?

It was to cut the necks of those who betrayed the organization.

“By the way, is it possible to cover all of them with your number of people?”

How many people did he need to investigate now?

The number of Rats was roughly 40 to 50 people. The number of members of the organization was about 30 people.

This was not the high-tech era and they needed to move people.

<It’s a trade secret. Well, I hope you have a good night…>

Thud.

Lucion was disgusted, so he cut off contact first, and Russell started talking to him as he was about to go back into the building.

[Why don’t you go get some treatment? Shall we call Hume?]

“It’s fine. I can endure it.”

Lucion shook his head. His wounds had almost stopped bleeding.

“I’m sorry, I’ve kept you waiting too long.”

As soon as Lucion entered the store, he apologized to the assassins and looked at Hume.

When Hume didn’t understand, Russell said.

[Take out the money bag]

“Ah.”

Hume nodded as if he understood, and pulled out the money bag from his pocket.

The assassins, whose faces turned distorted by the ka-ching sound, immediately straightened their faces.

[Yes, this is it.]

Russell nodded with satisfaction.

“By the way, how did you know about us?”

The leader of the assassins changed the mood by asking questions he had been curious about the whole time.

But Lucion didn’t want to answer that question.

“Are you picky about the missions you’re taking?”

“No, it’s not like that, we’re guys who made a living by killing people, so what’s there to argue about?”

It was closer to the answer Lucion wanted, so he brought out an offer.

“I was cut off earlier, but I’ll ask you again. Do you hate being part of an organization?”

“Are you here to recruit us?”

The leader of the assassins looked at Lucion with subtle eyes.

There was a mixture of doubt and curiosity.

“Half right.”

“What do you mean half right?”

“I’m not a philanthropist, what am I going to do with a group of incompetent assassins? So, I want you to answer me.”

“We’re picky.”

“I’m picky, too.”

Lucion responded leisurely and didn’t forget to tease them.

“Ah, you’d better not do anything presumptuous to scratch my pride. Aren’t you in a situation where you’ll regret it if you don’t accept me now?”

Lucion brought up words that sounded mocking to the assassins, but no one responded.

His words were true.

They set up an organization with hope, but now everyone was about to starve together.

Lucion spoke out again, looking at the faces of the hardened assassins.

“When you enter an organization, your main job is to deal with the organization’s traitors. Other than that, sometimes you can do what I tell you to do or do a mission that separates you from the organization.”

He sounded so arrogant as if he had already judged that the assassins would join.

On the way, there were people who breathed out death while watching Lucion, but Hume was also formidable.

Bang!

He lightly hit the table with his hand as if to warn them not to attack, and instead of splitting the table in half, the table was smashed.

Having seen it often, Lucion was calm, but the assassins who saw it for the first time widened their eyes almost at the same time.

“I will be in a position to give orders, but I will not be unilaterally tyrannical like Stepping Stone did to you. I will give you enough money to satisfy you. Of course, I also respect your freedom outside of your duties.”

Lucion continued his words, uncaring whether the assassins were surprised or not.

But strangely enough, his voice stuck in their ears.

“On the condition that you don’t betray me.”

In addition, the last words were strangely brutal.

It was thanks to Bethel raising the momentum at the right time.

“How about this? Isn’t it a pretty good offer?”

“All of sudden… Why are you making such an offer?”

The conditions themselves were unconventional.

Who would treat assassins like this?

No, apart from that, weren’t they treating themselves as people who live by taking someone’s life?

The behavior of the masked man who made an offer and asked for their opinions was already proving it.

“What are you so scared of?”

Lucion smirked.

Scared.

At that remark, the assassins’ leader hesitated.

In fact, as the man said, not only him but the others were also shaken by the unfamiliar proposal.

Who would make a ‘proposition’ to an assassin in the first place?

The words that came down to the assassins were only instructions to kill someone.

“Are you going to accept it or not?”

Lucion asked more emphatically.

If he had more time, he would talk more and appease them slowly, but he was in a hurry because he had to go home before dawn.

“Wait a minute. Can I ask my men’s opinions?”

The leader of the assassins didn’t handle this matters alone.

‘You guys must be on good terms.’

Lucion found a corner of his heart.

The leader of the assassins looked at his men, oblivious to Lucion.

They communicated with light actions instead of words.

The majority agreed.

The leader of the assassins delivered his words without hesitation.

“I will.”

“All right. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Lucion was satisfied with the quick answer.

“Give it to them.”

Lucion looked at Hume and nodded to the leader of the assassins.

Hume held out the money bag and as soon as they received it, the faces of the assassins hardened.

Who the hell is the murder target that the money bag is so thick?