How a Reincarnated Warlock Lives – Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Examination (4)

‘Damn black mages.’

Poil’s hands, rummaging through the ledger, were laced with irritation.

“Sigh.”

This was already the third time this month that those bastards had failed to meet the deadline. Thinking about the entire duration of the transaction, he didn’t even want to count how many times it had happened.

If this was a normal business relationship where they were buying and selling legitimate goods, he would have ended the partnership long ago and even demanded a hefty compensation.

However, the people he was dealing with weren’t ordinary merchants, but black mages.

If he complained to the Merchant’s Guild or the governing noble family, what would come back wouldn’t be compensation, but rather, looks of a madman and a rope around his neck.

Besides, there were plenty of people who wanted to purchase cursed items, even if it wasn’t him. In any case, he was the one in a more vulnerable position.

“Damn black mages. May they lick the devil’s feet for the rest of their lives.”

Poil, who had been muttering to himself, flinched for a moment and looked down at the floor.

It was almost time for them to arrive. Speaking ill of others wasn’t a wise thing to do.

Especially when the other party was a black mage.

“Sigh.”

The reason he continued this dangerous job, which caused him one-sided stress due to frequent breaches of contract dates and the constant risk of being caught by the church and losing his head, was simple.

It was profitable.

Wherever humans lived, there was always sufficient demand for cursed items with various effects.

“I should quit this racket soon.”

Knock, knock.

Muttering the words he had been saying for years, words that Poil himself knew he wouldn’t act upon, he heard a knock and slammed the ledger shut.

A customer?

The only people who would visit this shabby building on the outskirts, without even a proper sign, were customers who had heard rumors and came looking for goods.

There was nothing much to worry about. He had already bribed the guards of this small city handsomely.

“Ah, come to think of it……”

It was time to bribe them again.

Poil’s face crumpled as he thought about the amount of this month’s bribe for the city guards.

Damn parasites.

Before Poil, who was cursing under his breath, could even get up, another knock came.

Knock, knock, knock!

Poil frowned at the much louder knocking. What’s with the hurry?

“Wait!”

Poil answered in a loud voice, hid the ledger in a secret compartment under the desk, and straightened his clothes.

A customer was still a customer.

However, before he could even take a step after getting up, another knock came, twice as forceful as before.

Bang, bang, bang!

The sound of pounding on the old wooden door, held by two small hinges, made Poil’s face contort in annoyance.

“Damn it, I said wait! Are you deaf!”

When he shouted with a curse, the outside became quiet.

Tsk, always making me speak harshly.

Poil snorted and slowly walked towards the door.

But unfortunately, he had made one mistake.

Crash!

“Huh?”

The customers standing in front of the door weren’t very patient.

Kaboom!

Much less so than Poil had thought.

“Wh, what!”

Kaaa-boom!

The old wooden door, hanging on two small hinges, was completely shattered, scattering wood fragments, dust, and pieces of metal in all directions.

‘A, an attack! But who?’

In the sudden chaos that was anything but ordinary, Poil hurriedly drew his weapon and racked his brain.

The guards he had bribed generously? The black mages who were angry about the bad things he muttered about them? The lazy lord from far away who wouldn’t even care about this small town in the corner of the world?

All were unrealistic guesses.

Then there was only one answer.

“Kneel before the radiance of God!”

“What the─”

The identities of the customers were, damn fanatics.

It was an ordinary visit. Considering that the other party was from the church, that is.

Poil cursed and hurriedly drew his sword. Unlike the others, with whom there was at least a slight possibility of conversation (disguised as bribery), the fanatics who only shouted the name of God were stubborn bastards who didn’t know the meaning of compromise.

Of course, not all of the numerous followers of the church were corrupt. But if they were, they wouldn’t have broken down the door like this.

“Die!”

Poil shouted and swung his sword. It was too late to run. If they were from the church, drawn by the scent, it was do or die.

Whoosh!

The sword he swung cut through the air sharply, flying towards the brazen intruders.

“Ugh!”

Poil tumbled to the floor without even a proper scream.

The floor and ceiling flipped in an instant, and his body wouldn’t move properly, as if at least one part was broken.

It was a blow that literally took his breath away.

“Hmm, too easy.”

In Poil’s dizzying vision, he saw three strangers who looked barely old enough to be adults.

A man holding a sword with a somewhat disappointed expression, a woman holding a mace that was disproportionate to her size, and a young man with a calm impression.

After quickly checking their attire, Poil hurriedly opened his mouth. It wasn’t the characteristic black clothes of Inquisitors who would never visit such a shabby place, nor the white robes of official priests.

Apprentice priests?

“I, I am a virtuous intermediary!”

He felt pain as he tried to get up but failed, probably because one of his legs was broken, but Poil didn’t give in and shouted desperately.

They seemed like young and inexperienced kids, so he thought he might be able to escape the crisis if he played his cards right.

The young man with dark blue hair said in a calm voice,

“I heard the world is a dangerous place, but these days virtuous intermediaries swing their swords at customers without warning.”

‘That’s because you bastards broke down the door!’

What kind of customer would break down the door of a store?

“No need for long talks! Let’s execute him here!”

Swish.

The somewhat enthusiastic man drew his sword and raised it, saying,

Poil’s face turned pale, but the girl with the mace stopped him and said,

“Valent, wait. Even if this place is marked on the map, we can’t just execute him without due process. We need to find evidence of heresy first─”

While the two were discussing, the young man who first spoke to Poil looked at him with deep, unreadable eyes.

Gulp.

Under his gaze, which seemed to pierce through his heart, Poil unknowingly swallowed dry.

Swish.

The next moment, the young man slowly raised his hand, and in it was the secret ledger Poil had been writing in until just a moment ago.

“Huh?”

How did he find it so quickly? He had clearly hidden it in the compartment under the desk.

While the bewildered Poil blinked, the young man opened the ledger and slowly began to read.

“Two sacks of carrots from Mount Kehern, a sack of old wheat, three bottles of red wine……”

A perfectly normal list, with nothing seemingly wrong.

Of course, it was a code word for various items provided by the black mages, but they wouldn’t know that.

“L, look at that!”

Perhaps thanks to the double security measures he had prepared, always doubting whether he should do this or not, Poil regained some confidence and shouted loudly.

“……”

The other two, who received the ledger from the young man, began to examine the thick book, but there would be nothing else they could find out.

‘If I play my cards right, I might be able to avoid getting caught……!’

While Poil was clutching his broken leg and indulging in happy delusions.

Creak.

An ominous sound came from behind.

“……?”

Startled by the sudden noise, all three turned their gazes backward.

“Ah.”

There, the secret entrance leading to the basement was wide open, staring back at them.

“There’s a faint vibration of evil energy.”

Looking at the young man who was smiling wickedly like a demon, Poil muttered in despair,

“I’m fucked.”

Poil wanted to slap himself for cursing the black mages just a moment ago.

Because right here, in front of his eyes, was someone even more wicked.

🔹🔹🔹

Rumble.

With a clunky sound, the secret passage leading to the basement revealed itself.

“As expected, magnificent! Right, it couldn’t have ended so easily!”

Valent exclaimed in admiration. I shrugged at his words.

It couldn’t even be jokingly called well-hidden. At least by my standards, it was so poorly concealed that it was almost insulting to expect it to go unnoticed.

“A faint aftertaste of Demonic Energy…… I’m certain.”

Daena frowned, looking down the dark passage. This was definitive proof, unlike ridiculous excuses or pieces of a ledger.

Enough for immediate execution.

“But before that.”

I stepped onto the creaking stairs and gestured to Valent. We would question the man’s guilt after investigating the basement and finding out everything we needed to know.

Creak.

Daena, who effortlessly lifted her heavy mace, and Valent, who lightly restrained the man with the broken leg and forced him to stand, followed behind me.

The passage was longer than expected, and traces of Demonic Energy lingered here and there.

Apart from the torches that were hung at intervals and flickering dimly to illuminate the darkness, there was nothing particularly unusual.

I easily grasped the situation. Rather than something else being hidden in this place itself.

‘It’s a simple passage. The question is, who used it?’

When I asked the intermediary, who had revealed his name as Poil, about the purpose of the passage, he rolled his eyes and stammered.

“Th, that is……”

So he wasn’t going to tell us easily. A rather cute act of defiance.

Swish.

Daena, catching my gaze, raised her mace, and Poil’s face turned white.

“Eek!”

“……”

Watching him closely, I noticed that he had been glancing nervously towards the end of the passage.

“Who are you waiting for?”

“……!”

His expression hardened. Valent, hearing my words, narrowed his eyes and looked towards the end of the passage.

It was broad daylight outside, but down here underground, it was rather dark, and the faint torches didn’t allow us to see the other side clearly.

Daena muttered cautiously,

“It’s highly likely he has an accomplice.”

“He said he was an intermediary. Does he use this passage to leave the city and meet them to receive the goods?”

“No, it could be the other way around.”

I trailed off, staring towards the end of the passage.

Valent, understanding what I left unsaid, frowned and said,

“It’s broad daylight outside. Are you saying that black mages are daring to enter the city center in broad daylight?”

“Well.”

I shrugged and stopped walking. My gaze remained fixed forward.

Of course, the possibility was low. Theoretically, that is.

But I had lived a long life and had already experienced countless times.

That things people often dismissed as unlikely happened quite frequently.

Whoosh!

With a harsh sound, the torches that dimly lit the passage were extinguished all at once. At the same time, I felt Demonic Energy from the front.

“……!”

The passage was instantly engulfed in darkness. Valent and Daena also seemed to sense the ominous energy coming from the other side, and they raised their weapons with tense expressions.

Flash!

Light bloomed from Daena’s hand, illuminating the darkness. And then, slowly coming into view, something was moving on the other side.

It was a group of figures slowly approaching us.

“Filthy heretics……!”

Valent, sensing the dark energy emanating from them, gritted his teeth and raised his sword.

The man at the forefront of the group, shrouded in a robe, looked at us with amusement and said,

“Lay down your weapons quietly, young believers.”

Click.

At the same time, the sound of a crossbow being loaded came from somewhere.

In the dark and narrow passage, figures emerged from the darkness, easily numbering over twenty at a glance.

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