Everyone Except Me Is Hiding Their Power Chapter 215 : Auction House (5)

Chapter 215: Auction House (5)

“Seeing you suddenly return, I wondered what it was all about….”

The information broker, who had been staring blankly in the direction where Artemia had disappeared, smacked his lips a few tis.

She had appeared out of nowhere, grilled him for information about the black market, and when he checked into it, it turned out to be sothing tangled up with the Holy Sun Church.

He muttered under his breath with a small sigh.

“Honestly, that woman… she’s the sa as ever, whether it’s the past or now.”

Artemia was a well-known figure among rcenaries in many ways.

There were quite a few won who jumped into rcenary work at a young—almost childish—age.

In this harsh world, how many people were there who didn’t end up gripping a sword out of sheer necessity just to survive?

But most of them failed to last long, t a miserable end, or quietly disappeared.

Cases where soone survived intact to the very end and succeeded—so-called rising to the ranks of top-tier rcenaries—were so rare that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were exceptional.

And yet Artemia went a step further, seizing the title of a top-tier rcenary before she even ca of age.

On top of her ability, she was also blessed with outstanding looks, so whether she liked it or not, she was always soone who drew attention.

Perhaps because of that,

back when Artemia was active in the field, there was no end to the ominous—or sotis trivial—rumors about her.

Stories circulated of so scoundrel young master from an influential noble family trying to pester her and make her his concubine, only to end up with broken arms and legs.

There were also frequent tales of rookie rcenaries who had foolishly shown off and acted cocky, only to vanish overnight without a trace.

But among them all, the most famous story was, of course, that she had refused an invitation from the imperial family.

And on top of that, she had declared her retirent as if to show it off, then entered the academy—of all things, as a maid. That story had been passed down among them as a legend in more ways than one.

At the ti, rumors even spread like wildfire among rcenaries that she had finally gone mad and developed a death wish.

However, as ti passed, stories about her gradually beca rarer.

Moreover, digging up the past of a retired colleague went against the unspoken rules of this line of work, so tales of Artemia slowly seed to fade into obscurity.

And yet now, without any warning at all, she had returned—and it was about the black market, no less, and sothing involving the Holy Sun Church.

“Hmph!”

The information broker roughly blew his nose and shoved the pouch of gold coins she had given him deep into his clothes.

‘This… doesn’t feel like it’s going to end well…….’

The information broker was soone who had owed Artemia a favor several tis in the past.

That was why he had tried again and again to dissuade her from this job.

It had all been born out of genuine concern.

If there was one saying that had beco an unspoken rule among information brokers and rcenaries alike, it was this: avoid getting involved with the imperial family or the Holy Sun Church if at all possible.

If you got entangled with them the wrong way, it wasn’t just that a single life wouldn’t be enough—you could end up dragging everyone around you into it as well.

But despite the man’s desperate attempts to stop her, Artemia had rely left behind the word “commission” and vanished without a trace.

“…….”

Wouldn’t it be better to shut down his business and flee far away, even now?

For a brief mont, the thought of selling the information about her return for a high price crossed his mind, but he quickly shook his head.

If he did sothing like that, there was no telling what kind of end he’d et later.

After all, everyone only had one life.

“…Well, even if she ends up dead now, I guess that’s just her fate.”

The information broker smacked his lips again.

Even so, forcing aside the lingering unease that refused to fade, he returned to his shop.

As he took down the ‘Out’ sign he had carelessly hung on the door and stepped inside, the familiar musty sll and the dim interior greeted him.

“…Whoa, you startled .”

Inside the shop, a custor he had never seen before was waiting.

A man with his mouth covered.

“…You a custor? Didn’t you see the sign out front?”

“…….”

“…Well, anyway, if I kept you waiting, I’m sorry about that. I stepped out to take a little break. Heh heh.”

The information broker deliberately let out a vulgar chuckle and pretended to adjust his waistband.

At the sa ti, his eyes swiftly scanned the other man.

He had thrown on shabby clothes, apparently thinking he could hide himself and disguise his identity that way, but the distinctive posture and aura ingrained in his body were not so easily concealed.

As soone known even in rcenary circles for having plenty of experience under his belt, the information broker had a keen eye, and at a glance he realized that the man was no ordinary individual.

‘Damn it, he ca straight here.’

The information broker cursed inwardly.

But on the outside, he put on a sly smile and asked,

“Ahem, but what brings you here so early in the day? Maybe you ca for a hair-of-the-dog drink?”

“…I’ll save the drinking for another ti.”

The man replied in a low voice, pulling several sketches from his clothes and spreading them out on the table.

The drawings depicted a blond young man he had never seen before, a platinum-blond woman, and a red-haired young man.

“Do you happen to know anything about these people?”

“Uh…… I’m not sure. I’m not very good at rembering faces, you see…….”

The information broker shrugged and played dumb.

Then he scratched his cheek with his finger, making a faint rasping sound.

“Besides, this is a tavern, not so detective agency for finding people who ran away from ho. I’d appreciate it if you ordered sothing before talking…… so, how about a nice, refreshing mug of beer?”

“……One mug of beer.”

The man answered shortly.

While the information broker prepared the beer, the man began laying the drawings out one by one on the shelf.

“…….”

The information broker examined each drawing in silence.

There were faces he recognized, and faces he had never seen before.

Then, when his gaze reached the drawing of Artemia, it stopped—just for a mont, a very brief mont.

“So then, what exactly is your business, sir? This isn’t a matchmaking eting, yet you’ve laid out all these portraits.”

The information broker asked as he casually handed over the beer.

The man cleared away the other drawings and pushed only Artemia’s portrait forward.

“Stop playing dumb.”

A young voice.

From that voice, the information broker sensed faint irritation and disgust.

“You already knew that you’re known as an information broker in this line of work.”

“Heh heh, well now. You’ve been hearing all sorts of strange rumors, I see.”

“Where did this woman go?”

The information broker let out a deep sigh.

“……You’ve got the wrong man, sir.”

He said as he stared straight through the man.

“An information broker, in other words, is a middleman. We have an obligation to protect our colleagues’ information and secrets. This business runs entirely on trust, doesn’t it? I’m not about to sell a colleague’s information for no good reason—especially not to so bone-headed fellow whose affiliation I don’t even know.”

As he spoke, the information broker slowly reached a hand toward the hilt of a dagger hidden beneath the shelf.

“If you’ve understood enough, finish the beer I gave you and get lost. I won’t even charge you. Understood?”

“…….”

At that, the man said nothing and instead pulled out a heavy coin pouch from his clothes, tossing it onto the table.

Clink.

With a weighty sound, several gold coins rolled out of the pouch.

“Uh…….”

It looked several tis heavier than the one he had just received from Artemia.

The information broker glanced at the pouch for a mont, then broke into a grin and withdrew his hand from the dagger.

He imdiately stretched out both hands and gently stroked the coin pouch.

“Well now…… I suppose I can at least tell you where she was headed. That much won’t put a crack in my credibility.”

Pocketing the pouch, the information broker told him the direction Artemia had gone.

The man cast a suspicious look at him for a mont, then, in a contemptuous voice,

“As expected of rat bastards…….”

He muttered lowly and left his seat.

Watching him go, the information broker did nothing but grin.

“Co again next ti, sir!”

And the mont the man completely disappeared, the smile vanished from the information broker’s face as if it had never been there.

He imdiately began gathering his weapons and tools from the back of the shop, spewing curses as he did.

“Damn it all, I’m seriously screwed this ti. Getting dragged into this at my age……!”

Since he had given him the wrong direction, it should buy a little ti.

If so, he needed to warn Artemia as quickly as possible that soone was on her tail.

“…….”

And as the information broker hurried out of the building, soone who had been watching his back from afar quietly followed him, as if they had been waiting for this mont.

---

Using the information she had obtained from the information broker, Artemia began organizing her thoughts.

Black market goods were being sent to an abandoned orphanage, and a high-ranking figure from the Holy Sun Church was purchasing them.

“Hm.”

She lightly furrowed her brow.

The orphanage the information broker ntioned was a place closely connected to the incident involving cultists of the Evil God that had occurred in the underground sewer a few days ago.

‘An orphanage…….’

Forcing away the bad premonition, Artemia headed toward the orphanage.

Securing detailed information and evidence, then delivering them to Lian.

That was the condition for completing this commission, but…….

Instinctively, she had already realized that she would beco far more deeply involved in this matter than the commission alone required.

Before long, the orphanage she arrived at was little more than ruins.

Artemia cautiously stepped into the nearly destroyed interior.

The walls and floor were riddled with holes that looked like traces of a violent battle, and bloodstains that had yet to fade remained scattered everywhere.

There was even the lingering presence of demons.

“…….”

Yet Artemia paid no attention at all to those chilling traces, calmly scanning her surroundings instead.

Not long after, she discovered a cleverly concealed door in one section of the wall.

As she ran her hand along the wall, a click sounded, and the door opened.

“……Found it.”

Whispering that, Artemia stepped into the pitch-dark doorway without hesitation.

After descending stairs that seed to stretch on endlessly and passing through a narrow path, a vast interior space greeted her.

It was a workshop that looked long abandoned, with thick dust settled everywhere.

The mont she stepped inside, a dense stench of blood assaulted her nose.

“Hm.”

Inside the workshop, quite a number of people lay dead in horrific states.

Anything that looked like important docunts had already been taken, and there were even remains of bodies burned so badly their original forms were unrecognizable.

Everything looked as though a considerable amount of ti had already passed.

‘……Did soone from the Holy Sun Church co through here.’

Just as she was about to turn away with that thought—

she spotted a strange glass bottle gleaming in the darkness.

Inside the bottle, sothing like a human head was floating about.

“This is…….”

A low exclamation slipped from Artemia before she could stop herself.

That was because the face inside was one she knew all too well.

Inside the glass bottle was the head of Rahma, who had been reported missing long ago.