Chapter 48: Abduction (1)
"You're already done?"
"Yeah."
Behind a tavern.
A muscular man inspected some papers hastily glued together with adhesive. He was the owner of this tavern.
"Hmm... Was there a place like this? It seems new."
"Illegal distilleries pop up in back alleys like mushrooms after the rain."
"Hah... Thanks. I suppose we'll have to do business with them too."
"If you're thankful, I'd rather you show it with money instead of words."
Kent said, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. The tavern owner chuckled and pulled out a wad of cash from his chest.
Just as he was about to hand it over, the tavern owner hesitated, withdrawing the money and asked:
"How did you get this done so fast? Usually, when I place a request, it takes a few weeks at least."
"Is it a problem if it's done quickly?"
"It's not a problem, but I am curious."
"You’re asking for other people's business information quite easily. I'd prefer if you'd just hand over the money."
The tavern owner locked eyes with Kent for a moment, then handed the money over again.
"By any chance, could you do it again at the same speed?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"I'm asking just what it sounds like. As you know, our tavern sees all kinds of customers. It just so happens there's a customer who could use your talents."
"Who’s the client?"
"A Fixer."
"And the amount?"
"About forty pages, give or take."
"And the price?"
"Under the condition that you restore everything, three large bills. Normally, I'd charge a commission, but I'll skip that. You’ll have one week to finish it all. My client is in a bit of a hurry."
Kent showed interest at the generous offer.
However, instead of immediately accepting, he glanced at Oliver.
When Oliver nodded, Kent finally opened his mouth.
"...Alright. I’ll take it."
"Great. Hold on a second."
The tavern owner, as if he'd been waiting for this moment, brought out a large bundle of trash wrapped in a sack.
It was quite bulky, but Kent easily slung it over his shoulder.
The man gave a warning.
"I plan to tell my client not to worry. That means, if you fail, I fail, and that, in turn, affects my reputation. I’m warning you—don’t fail. My reputation is important to me."
"Make sure you have the money ready, and don’t start spouting nonsense like you did back in the day."
"When was that? You still remember?"
"It’s not about how long ago it was. The point is that it happened."
"You're as stubborn as ever... Get going."
With that, the tavern owner slammed the back door shut.
Oliver asked Kent.
"What happened back then?"
"Hmm? Oh... A long time ago, I got stiffed on payment while working here. Caused quite a commotion."
"Ah..."
"Well, it almost escalated into a big fight, but in the end, it got resolved. Now, there’s no more worry about unpaid debts."
"I see. Does that happen a lot? People not paying?"
"Yeah, it happens quite often. If they think they can get away with it... That’s why it's important not just to work but to make sure you get paid. How frustrating would it be to go through all the trouble and not see a single penny? You have to stay sharp so you don’t get cheated out of your cut."
"...Was it the same when you were a Fixer?"
"Huh? Yeah, pretty much. Depending on the situation, you could end up losing something even more important than money."
"Hmm..."
"Now, it's my turn to ask a question. You said you managed to escape thanks to that Holy Knight. What happened after that?"
To understand this conversation, we have to go back a few days.
The first time Oliver helped with paperwork, he had casually asked Mole about Kent and the former Beggar Boss, but Kent overheard him.
Kent called Oliver aside and questioned him about why he was asking.
Judging that he couldn’t avoid the question, Oliver decided to be honest and said he was just curious.
He explained that everyone seemed to know about Kent and the former Beggar Boss except him, which made him curious.
After silently staring at Oliver for a while, Kent had him continue working on the paperwork.
Oliver saw this as an opportunity and worked as fast and efficiently as he could, completing more documents than everyone else combined.
After witnessing that, Kent made a proposal.
‘If you keep helping me, I’ll answer your questions. But in return, you’ll have to answer mine.’
Thus, Oliver earned the right to formally ask Kent questions.
Of course, Oliver also had to answer Kent’s questions, but that wasn’t much of a problem.
He was able to get by with only slight alterations to the truth.
For example, he truthfully admitted to being captured after meeting Joseph at the mine but left out the part where he defeated Joseph.
He also mentioned only a few details about the strange ritual, saying that he was saved by a Holy Knight who came to capture the black magician. Again, he omitted key parts of the story.
With just a bit of omission, he had crafted an excellent lie.
"...I ran away. I hid in a truck parked by the road, and that’s how I ended up here."
"Hmm..."
Kent eyed Oliver with suspicion.
His emotions indicated that he didn’t fully believe Oliver’s story, but he didn’t press him on it either.
The exact reason, Oliver didn’t know.
Oliver could read emotions, but not thoughts.
One thing was certain: Kent found Oliver suspicious, but chose not to dig too deeply into it.
Why was that? Was it because Oliver was doing work that was profitable for him?
That alone didn’t seem to fully explain it.
There was another layer to it because Kent also showed a faint trace of sympathy toward Oliver.
Oliver was curious. Why did Kent harbor such emotions toward him?
He wanted to ask, but he didn’t.
The feelings were buried too deep, and even if he asked, he wouldn’t easily get an answer.
So, Oliver chose to ask easier questions, hoping to draw Kent’s voluntary cooperation.
Kent asked again.
"I don’t get it. Why didn’t you ask the Holy Knight for help and just run away?"
"Uh... He was killing black magicians and gang members so violently... I was too scared."
"Ha... Sounds like you ran into a crazy zealot. I suppose that’s possible."
"A zealot?"
"Yeah, some Holy Knights are sensible, but there are quite a few fanatics among them... Well, these days, it's more an age of magic than of gods."
An age of magic over gods... It was an interesting concept.
"Do you know much about Holy Knights?"
"Hmm? Nah, just things I’ve seen and heard during my time as a Fixer. I wouldn’t say I know them well."
"I see. Could you tell me what a Holy Knight is?"
"They are the protectors of humanity, following the will of the great god to defend the mortal realm from evil..."
A typical, boring answer. Oliver's interest quickly faded, but Kent spoke again.
"...They’re also the private military force of the Pater Church, a powerful armed group with global influence. But calling them protectors of humanity isn’t entirely wrong."
Protectors of humanity...
"What do you mean by that?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"...I saw them fight. They slaughtered black magicians and gang members without hesitation, but most of them seemed proud of it. Why are they called protectors of humanity?"
"Holy Knights and their underlings, the Servants, are a bit deranged... But they do protect humanity. Whenever crazed cultists try to summon demons, it’s the Holy Knights who lead the charge to stop them."
"Summon demons?"
"Yeah... Though these days, it’s more of a legend."
Summoning demons... Not only making deals with them but summoning them as well.
Even Joseph’s library hadn’t contained information about that. Oliver realized just how much he didn’t know.
Kent then asked a question.
"It makes sense that you’d come to Landa, but how did you end up in X-District? And so deep inside?"
"I just got off in a hurry and kept walking until I ended up there... I’m sorry for lying when we first met. I know you don’t like lies."
"Well... It's fine. You need to know how to lie to survive in a place like this."
"Thank you. Could I ask another question?"
"Oh, for crying out loud. You really have a lot of questions, don’t you?"
"Uh, yes... I’m sorry."
"Sigh... What is it?"
"How did you end up here, Kent? You seem to know a lot, and I heard you were an excellent Fixer."
Kent’s emotions wavered for a moment.
Oliver had touched on a sensitive topic. After a long silence, Kent finally spoke.
"...If I had to answer, I’d say it was bad luck."
"Bad luck?"
"Yeah, misfortune hit me out of nowhere, and I ended up here. That’s all. It’s a common, unremarkable story."
Kent was telling the truth, but beneath his calm facade lay a deep sadness.
He had told the truth, but only a small part of it.
Oliver wanted to know everything.
"...You seem to have another question?"
"Uh, yes."
"Is it about me again?"
"Yes."
"I’m really curious. Why are you so interested in me? I’m not into men, you know."
"Into men...? I don’t really understand what you mean."
"Good. It’s better you don’t."
"..."
"..."
"I'm just curious."
"About what?"
"All your colleagues trust you completely. They say there’s no way Kent would betray them. I’m curious how you earned such trust."
"Ha! I guess I do have a trustworthy personality. Impressive, right?"
"Yes, very impressive. I’ve never seen anything like it."
"?"
"Trusting and following without threats or violence... It made me curious."
Kent looked at Oliver with a hint of pity.
"...It's nothing special. I’m just carrying on what my predecessor started. I’m merely maintaining it."
"Even so, maintaining that isn’t something just anyone can do, is it?"
Kent stopped in his tracks and looked down at Oliver.
"You really are a strange kid."
"Am I?"
At that moment, another question welled up inside Oliver.
It was the question of why Kent kept him around.
Most people who found Oliver strange either resorted to violence or kept their distance, but Kent didn’t show any signs of doing either.
Instead, he showed a desire to help. There was a faint mix of longing and regret.
These emotions were so deep and hidden that they were like buried gems, and that made Oliver even more curious.
Why had Kent helped him with no apparent reason when they first met? Why did he still help him now, even though he sensed something was off about him?
Why did he choose to protect his fellow beggars when there were easier paths?
While Oliver was mulling over these questions, Kent spoke.
"Anyway, do you think you can get all this paperwork done in a week? Judging by the amount, it looks like a few months' worth."
Oliver looked at the sack full of papers and replied.
"Yes, I think it’s possible."
"Good. That’s a relief. Winter’s coming soon, and I need to earn as much as I can to avoid freezing to death."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. When it’s really cold, I’ll have to rely on the church’s alms house, and even then, you need money. It’s harder to get handouts in the winter... But what’s that?"
Kent suddenly stopped mid-sentence, noticing the commotion at the entrance of their hideout.
It was their fellow beggars, and they were all displaying emotions of confusion and distress.
Something had clearly happened.
"K-Kent..."
The atmosphere was tense. Kent dropped his usual playful demeanor and asked:
"What is it? What happened?"
"It’s... It’s Harmonica... He’s been kidnapped."
"What?"
"Harmonica’s been kidnapped! He was ambushed while returning with Red Nose after dodging the authorities, and they took him!"