Chapter 17: Shit, That Freaked Out
‘Shit. I could throw gold into the air and still spend it slower than this.’
It was the first ti I realized how expensive my life truly was.
But my choice had already been made. You have to be alive for gold to an anything.
“Let’s draw up the contract.”
“Fine.”
The one small relief was knowing that woman wouldn’t just take my money and disappear without a word.
***
The magic contract Fenry gave imposed binding obligations on both parties. I carefully read through it, signed my na, and was shown to an annex building.
The room I was assigned to for the night was as extravagant as the interior of a palace.
Money really does wonders.
‘Though I’m flat broke now.’
I chose one of the rooms with a particularly soft-looking bed and threw myself onto it.
My eyes slowly began to close.
Fenry Chaser, the leader of the Black Rose.
Our conversation had been brief, but it felt like she’d drained all my energy.
‘At least I’ve established so sort of connection.’
I’d spent all my money, but it had earned the opportunity to et her.
Fenry wasn’t a villain or a hero—she was a strictly neutral character.
Good or evil, for her, depended solely on who paid the most. That’s why she took jobs from both sides, shifting her stance as necessary.
She might seem like a two-faced opportunist, but she operated according to her own principles.
In other words, as long as I had enough money, she could beco a valuable ally. Forming this connection now was a good investnt for the future.
‘Even though she felt like a total villain to .’
With that thought, I let my eyes close.
I must’ve dozed off for a bit. It was a short but sweet nap, yet I was instantly alert at the faintest sign of movent.
Was this an assassin’s instincts kicking in?
It wasn’t a bad ability to have, all things considered.
I got out of bed, cleared my head, and stepped into the large room with sofas, where the rcenaries had gathered and were chatting away.
Every one of them had a look of disappointnt plastered on their faces.
The reason the Blue Rose had beco such a famous attraction in Beneta had a lot to do with its fifth floor.
The fifth floor offered the chance to spend intimate, one-on-one ti with an elf. With 300 gold and so charm, you might even walk away with an elven wife.
Naturally, when the fifth floor first opened, n flocked to it like moths to a fla.
But plucking a beautiful flower is no easy task.
Winning over an elf’s heart wasn’t sothing just anyone could do.
Still, the reason n kept trying was because a few lucky patrons had actually succeeded in wooing an elf and marrying them.
The most famous of these was Dorneth, the dwarf who ruled this city. He was the one who cented the fifth floor of the Blue Rose as a renowned attraction.
There were also rcenaries among those success stories, which is why the fifth floor was considered a dream among their kind.
Judging by the atmosphere, though, it seed the rcenaries here had failed spectacularly.
Gavis tapped the edge of the sofa in frustration.
“If I’d had just a little more ti, I swear she would’ve fallen for . I saw it in her eyes. If I try again, I’m sure I can win her over….”
“You too, brother? I saw so potential as well. I’m planning to co back after this job is done.”
“And how will you afford it?”
“I can sell so equipnt. I’ve saved up a bit, too.”
“Hmm. If I pull together all the advance pay, I might just make it….”
‘Unbelievable.’
They ca here thinking they’d charm the elves, only to end up being the ones chard instead.
It almost seed like the Blue Rose trained the elves to be honey traps. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were n wandering aimlessly around Beneta, broke from blowing all their money on the fifth floor.
Why was this suddenly reminding of Gangwon Land, the infamous casino resort back in my world?
Honestly, I had no idea how far the absurdity of this crazy novel would stretch.
“Huh!”
“Oh, when did you wake up?”
“Just a mont ago.”
It seed they’d noticed napping earlier.
At any rate, these guys were now acting like they didn’t care about at all. Then again, since I wasn’t the real watcher they were expecting, and I’d blown 300 gold—several tis their fee—on this place, it made sense that they’d warm up to .
“Where’s Ben?”
“No idea. We saw him in the hallway on the fifth floor earlier, but we haven’t seen him since.”
“You didn’t co back with him?”
“He told us to go on ahead. Looked like he received a note from soone.”
“A note? How long has he been gone?”
“Quite a while.”
So Ben had been missing for so ti.
A note, huh?
Just as I was thinking it over, Ben walked through the door. His expression was heavy—or maybe tense was the better word.
He looked like soone who’d encountered an ogre on the fifth floor instead of an elf.
The mont Ben saw , he froze for a second before quickly approaching.
“Uh, where were you?”
“In my room.”
“No, I an… on the fifth floor….”
“I was in the room next to yours.”
“……”
“I could hear the laughter through the walls. Did things go well with your elf?”
“Kuheum.”
He must’ve been too busy flirting with his elf to notice where I was.
“Let’s just rest. The elf I t was exhausting to deal with.”
“Are we leaving tomorrow?”
“Yes. We’ll head out at dawn and leave Beneta for Nelitori Gorge.”
My answer made the rcenaries look disappointed, but Ben quickly moved on to his next question.
“How long are we staying in Nelitori?”
“Not long. I expect we’ll wrap things up in three days.”
“Did you pick up the jewel pouch?”
“No. I left it with the owner of the Blue Rose for safekeeping.”
“Safekeeping?”
“Yes. There’s no reason to carry a large sum of money into a dangerous place. I’ll pick it up on the way back.”
It’d be a problem if he asked to see the pouch, though.
I’d already handed every last coin over to Nella—including the spare change.
In other words, I was completely broke.
“Is there a problem?”
“No… Nothing. Get so rest.”
His reaction felt off.
He was watching carefully, observing my every move—sothing he normally didn’t do.
It was as if he was finally coming to his senses.
After a while, Ben said he had sothing to take care of and left the room, leaving in the hands of the rcenaries.
I told Gavis I was going to rest and returned to my room.
Pulling the curtains aside, I peeked out the window. All I could see was a dark alley.
‘Is he staying here at the Blue Rose too?’
Ben’s actions were becoming too obvious. I had a good idea of who he’d gone to see.
The real watcher.
If that guy had summoned Ben, it would explain Ben’s sudden change in behavior.
Ben must not have known about the real watcher until now.
Why did the watcher call for Ben all of a sudden?
Because of what happened at the warehouse?
That was likely.
He must’ve realized I knew about his presence and was using Ben to confirm it.
But why ask about the jewel pouch?
Could it be that they’d ordered Ben to recover the 20,000 gold?
Damn it, Kal, you sneaky bastard.
There was nothing I could do at the mont.
Might as well sleep.
It seed I’d grown bolder since entering this novel world.
I flopped onto the bed, ready to sleep. It was the first ti I’d had a comfortable bed to rest in.
All the fatigue I’d accumulated since arriving in this world hit at once, and the rcenaries’ chatter felt like a lullaby.
I drifted off to sleep.
***
In the early morning hours, when the annex was silent and everyone was fast asleep, soone slowly opened the door to my room.
The face that peeked in—
It was Ben.
“…….”
He scanned the room for a long ti before quietly closing the door again.
Monts later, I shifted under the blankets, pretending to toss and turn as I carefully set the scroll aside.
The two-star lightning magic scroll I’d acquired through my deal with Fenry.
Lying on my back, I exhaled softly toward the ceiling.
“Shit, that freaked out.”
Assassin’s instincts—
They were proving more useful than I thought.
***
The next day, we boarded a carriage and set off for Nelitori Gorge.
At the heart of Blyer’s inner fortress, a tower stretched toward the sky.
Responding to Kal’s summons, Lyon Martrein ascended the spiral steps of the tower. Raindrops splashed through the gaps in the windows, and Lyon wiped the water from his face with a grimace. It was an unusually rainy day.
“My lord.”
“Co in.”
Kal stood by the topmost window, holding a crimson goblet, his gaze fixed on the rain-soaked lands of Blyer below.
“Have all the n for the mines been gathered?”
“We’re loading every male over the age of twelve onto the carriages, regardless of status. However, the heavy rain may cause delays.”
“We can’t control the weather.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind.”
Kal drained his goblet and continued watching as endless lines of carriages trailed behind the castle gates like ants.
They were conscript wagons, dragging n off to the mines.
Beside them, hundreds—no, thousands—of won clung to their loved ones in tears, pleading desperately. Soldiers rcilessly shoved them aside with the shafts of their spears, leaving them to roll in the mud. Kal watched it all with cold indifference.
“What about Lochter Felice?”
“We’ve thrown him into the deepest, most dangerous part of the mines, along with the knight captain’s faction. They won’t last more than a few months.”
“Assign one knight and one shaman to watch over Lochter at all tis. You’ll oversee this personally.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“The internal purge should be complete soon.”
A month from now, the new warehouse would start filling up with gold.
After that, the next step was collecting ancient artifacts.
Though buried under dust now, those artifacts would one day earn legendary status. A few key ones were already on my radar.
Owning ancient artifacts ant increasing the territory’s military power. The plan was to gather as many as possible.
“Once the artifact-ard knights are ready, we’ll prepare for war—and hunt for the heir’s sacred relics.”
The next six months were critical—this was the foundation of the conquest plan. That’s why he was a major concern. From the very start, he was a potential threat capable of disrupting everything.
Kal looked up at the gloomy sky, thinking of him when the shaman Rengua approached.
“The watcher sent word through the crystal.”
“Kevlin?”
Kevlin was a newly promoted four-star knight in Kal’s personal guard. He was sharp and composed, making him the perfect spy.
“Speak.”
“The target spent the night at the Blue Rose in Beneta and is now heading toward Nelitori Gorge.”
“The Blue Rose? Any suspicious activity?”
“None, my lord.”
Kal nodded slightly as he listened to the report.
The fact that the assassin stayed at the Blue Rose raised a hint of suspicion, but since nothing unusual had been found, Kal concluded that it was unlikely for a rookie assassin to know about the Black Rose.
It seed the man had simply wasted his money on pleasures and moved on.
‘Just a puppet?’
If the fool Ben had been keeping watch, there must’ve been plenty of chances to escape. The fact that the target hadn’t tried anything suggested he truly knew nothing or had no hidden agenda—for now.
“Keep an eye on him, and bring him in once the job is done.”
“Yes, my lord.”
There was no need to concern himself with a re puppet.
Kal dismissed the matter from his mind.
“Have you located the shaman Donecolint?”
Recruiting the shaman with the ability known as Siren’s Scream was of utmost importance.
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