Chapter 112: Duncan (1)
"Excuse me, may I come in, miss?"
Oliver asked as he stood in front of a small tent.
A response came back.
"Yes, of course."
The moment he heard the answer, Oliver entered the tent.
The inside of the tent couldn’t be described as clean, not even out of politeness. Black mold was spread all over the place.
Anyone with a delicate upbringing would have been horrified by the sight.
However, Jane not only sat there calmly but also enjoyed eating a mixed porridge given by beggars.
"...Everyone here is surprisingly kind. They even offered me food because they thought I might be hungry."
"I see. Does the food suit your taste?"
"Yes, it’s quite decent. But this place... that man?"
"We usually call him the Boss."
"...I’ll just call him the Boss then. Anyway, are you acquainted with him?"
"Well, we’ve crossed paths. I didn’t expect to be helped in this way, though."
"Heh... Seems like you’ve spread kindness here and there?"
"Pardon?"
"Oh, it’s something I learned when I was younger. I was taught that to survive in the world, one should spread kindness around and never forget the kindness they’ve received."
"Did you learn that from the Sisterhood?"
"......."
Jane fell silent, showing a flicker of emotion. But shortly after, as if resigning herself, she spoke.
"Ah... I still have a long way to go. I spoke too much just because I was feeling a bit uneasy... How did you know I was raised by the Sisterhood?"
"I overheard it earlier."
"Did you?"
"Yes, surprisingly, people here know quite a lot."
"That’s really unexpected... or maybe it’s only natural. Anyone can become a beggar, though not everyone can become a king."
Jane laughed as if amused by her own cryptic words.
However, despite the laughter on her face, her emotions showed sadness and resignation.
"...May I say something, if it’s all right?"
"What is it?"
"Well... I’m sorry, but could you speak more freely?"
"Pardon?"
"Oh, it’s just that you seem so frustrated. From the moment we first met, you always seem to think before you speak, suppressing your true feelings... But you don’t have to do that with me."
"...What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly what I said. It seems like you're doing it to gain others' favor, but it doesn’t matter to me. Besides... there’s something I’d like to ask you. It could be somewhat important, so I’d appreciate an honest answer."
"......."
Jane didn’t respond. She merely closed her eyes, but it didn’t seem like her inner self had shut down.
Her emotions began to stir violently, like a boiling pot.
Frustration, irritation, anger, and anxiety clashed fiercely with emotions like hope and patience, to the point where it wouldn’t have been surprising if she exploded at any moment—
"-Shit!!!"
Suddenly, Jane shouted with all her might.
"...Shit! Damn it!! Fucking, this shitty...!"
To Oliver’s surprise, Jane stood up and unleashed a barrage of curses for a full three minutes. Oliver could do nothing but listen quietly.
The swearing was so intense and loud that he thought even the Pinkman on the surface might hear it. As Jane finished cursing, she gasped for breath, looking down at Oliver.
"...Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I feel fucking amazing. For the first time in my life... Now, what do you want to ask?"
Jane plopped down again, but unlike before, she spread her legs wide and sat cross-legged, clearly more comfortable in this position.
"...You mentioned seeking help from the Sisterhood?"
"Yes. It’s an organization for women."
Jane answered while eating the mixed porridge, stuffing it into her mouth.
"I heard that asking for their help might put you in a difficult situation. Is that true?"
Jane, chewing her food, swallowed and replied.
"That’s right. I’ll be honest since you’ve probably heard enough. It’s not the worst, but it’s pretty bad. You end up in significant debt to the Sisterhood, which means you’re tied to them, like having a leash around your neck."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. You can clear small debts, but anything beyond that is a lifelong burden. If I were to receive my father's inheritance without any help, I could repay the Sisterhood with a large investment. They wouldn’t ask for more than that."
"I see."
"But don’t get me wrong. It’s not because they’re kind. It’s because otherwise, people would rebel and betray them. It’s like an unspoken agreement. A balance where both sides are somewhat satisfied... But if I incur more debt here, the story changes."
"I don’t quite understand."
"Let’s call it a delicate pie game. It’s not something that can be explained clearly. But if I were to ask for help here, it wouldn’t just be a financial debt but also a debt of life. They’d use it to control me for the rest of my life."
A delicate pie game...
Oliver nodded, pondering deeply. At the very least, Jane wasn’t lying.
"...Just out of curiosity, what would happen if you ignored the debt? If you didn’t repay the favor?"
"...Then, my disgrace would be exposed to the world."
"Your disgrace?"
"The Sisterhood has safety measures in place for situations like that... I can’t say more. I may be shameless, but I’m not completely without shame."
Oliver didn’t fully understand but chose not to press further.
He wasn’t that curious, and Jane was clearly troubled by it.
"...So, why are you asking about this?"
"I was wondering what if there’s a way to avoid receiving their help."
"...You’re joking, right?"
Jane asked, genuinely surprised, as if she couldn’t believe it.
"I’m sorry, but I’m not very good at joking. I’ve tried to learn, but it’s difficult."
"What do you mean?"
"There were three men playing poker at a bar. One was a Northerner, one was from the kingdom, and the last was a Randian. These three men—"
"-No, no. I’m asking if there’s a way to avoid seeking help from the Sisterhood. Is there someone else we could turn to for help? Someone with power?"
"No. I’d just go up to the surface and deal with the people after you myself."
"...Stop joking, or I’ll really get pissed."
"This time, I’m not joking... Just a moment."
Oliver pulled something out from inside his coat. It was a newspaper from several months ago.
"Would you like to take a look at this?"
"...Isn’t this the article we saw before the Northland mine crackdown?"
"Yes. You mentioned Duncan was from Pinkman, right?"
"Yeah..."
Jane furrowed her brow, seemingly starting to connect the dots.
"Take a look at this."
Oliver showed her a new article. The headline read: "Excessive Force Hearing!"
"...It’s about the hearing regarding the excessive force used in the mine crackdown. Well, they killed too many people, even a mother holding a child. So, what’s the point?"
Oliver read aloud.
"I don’t know much about it, but there’s talk that because of the hearing, several of the crackdown leaders might be fired."
"It’s just for show. They’ll probably remove them from the field and reassign them to office work, or they’ll have them take a few months off and rehire them later. It’s all just a formality."
"Still, wouldn’t that upset the employees?"
"Well... It might."
Indeed, especially for those with outstanding abilities, such a farce could be seen as humiliating, as Kent had said.
"Just out of curiosity, did Duncan quit Pinkman and immediately start working under Lady Edith?"
"No, I ran a private office for a while before that. It didn’t work out, and then my father... ah!"
Jane suddenly looked startled, as if she had realized something.
"A large number of Pinkman have become unemployed, so it seems Duncan is trying to fulfill his youthful dream."
Jane’s expression and emotions were nothing short of chaotic.
"...Isn’t that a bit much to infer from just that?"
"There’s a bar frequented by the Pinkman. It’s called the Pink Thigh Tavern. Recently, a few Pinkman were overheard talking about switching jobs. They mentioned working for a former Pinkman now employed by a speculator."
"......."
"They say the pay is better, and since they’ve got a noble backer, they can tap into that market."
"Ah, Lady Edith... I’ve seen her before."
Jane smirked slightly.
"How did you find this out?"
"I pieced it together from the newspaper, rumors, and conversations. Apparently, it's one of the main sources of income for the Beggar Faction."
"Huh... I knew Landa was an interesting place, but I didn’t realize it was this interesting."
"Is that so? Anyway, I think Duncan is trying to take you down and secure a deal of some sort, but they must be feeling the pressure too. If you’re safe, their entire plan collapses. That’s why there’s a high chance Duncan is already out there. If I deal with him, I can eliminate the threat entirely."
"...Wouldn’t that put you in danger?"
"This job is dangerous by nature. I knew that going in."
"But there’s no need for you to go that far, right?"
"Is there not? I was hired to protect you, so I figured I might as well do it in the best way possible... Besides, you’ve taught me quite a few things."
Jane hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"...I needed to make a good impression since I was being protected. I learned that from the Sisterhood."
"I understand. But I’ve received your help nonetheless. Besides..."
"...Besides what? What?"
"I like you. Because you’re beautiful."
Oliver was referring to her emotions, but at that moment, Jane’s face turned bright red, and she couldn’t say a word.
"...Did I say something wrong?"
...
"Over here! They ran this way."
"They’ve disappeared. Where could they—urk!"
In the dark of night, amidst the maze-like back alleys, Oliver had begun a game of cat and mouse with several Pinkman the moment he reached the surface.
Oliver was winning, and it wasn’t all that difficult.
As night fell, the only ones left on the streets were vagrants or the Pinkman pursuing Jane, so his movements were less restricted.
Even though the enemy outnumbered him, Oliver found it easy to track their positions thanks to his vision.
All he had to do was dash through the maze-like alleys, launching a few attacks, then retreat. If necessary, he could disappear using Eraser Exit or Shade Cloak, rendering himself invisible to sight and sound.
Whenever the Pinkman lost sight of him, he would strike again.
"Over here—! Guh!"
"There he is!"
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The Pinkman were adapting quickly. As soon as one of them was hit, they immediately took cover and returned fire.
The gunfire lit up the night, and Oliver defended himself with Black Shield as he continued to flee.
"Keep chasing him! Don’t let him escape!"
'Good. I still have plenty left.'
Oliver glanced at the emotions he carried with him, a gift from Kent. In case anything happened to him, Kent had given Oliver the emotions so Jane could be delivered safely to the Sisterhood.
With that, Oliver could replenish his own emotional energy.
When Oliver had asked how Kent had obtained them, Kent simply replied that he had once been a fixer himself. Clearly, he was a man of many talents.
[Shade Cloak]
Oliver conjured a thin, dark cloak and concealed himself in the deepest shadows of the night.
Then, he infused his minions with Hate Bullets and released them toward the Pinkman, who were approaching from both sides.
The Pinkman were easy to spot from a distance, each carrying a lantern, but Oliver's minions stealthily approached from their blind spots and began firing Hate Bullets.
Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!
With each shot, a Pinkman fell.
However, unlike ordinary gang members, the Pinkman reacted immediately. The reinforcements that had been following behind spotted the minions and shot them down.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat! Boom!
The minions let out a final shriek as they were destroyed.
During that time, Oliver was preparing for his next attack. Just then...
"There he is!"
Two Pinkman wearing goggles pointed at Oliver and shouted.
The goggles they wore were imbued with some magical power, likely equipped with tracking capabilities.
Without hesitation, the Pinkman opened fire, and Oliver quickly deployed Black Shield on both sides.
Ratatatata! Bang! Bang! Bang! Ratatatata!
The hail of bullets struck the shield. Individually, the shots weren’t very powerful, but with so many of them, it became quite a threat. Moving was getting increasingly difficult.
"Everyone, get out of the way!"
A Pinkman carrying a peculiar-looking gun pushed his comrades aside and stepped forward.
The weapon resembled a shotgun, but there was a key difference. A vial filled with a glowing substance was attached to the loading mechanism, and inside, magical energy swirled.
Though Oliver didn’t know the details, his instincts told him it was dangerous.
"Burn."
The Pinkman fired the gun, and the glowing substance from the vial swirled into the weapon before shooting out as a massive fireball, engulfing not only Oliver but the entire area around him.
It was a well-executed strategy.
First, they pinned him down with regular gunfire, then finished him off with heavy artillery.
Believing it was over, the Pinkman ceased their fire.
But then, Oliver shattered his Black Marble and Black Shield in an explosive burst, using the force to disperse the flames. He followed up by sending Shadow Tentacles in every direction, launching a wide-area attack on the Pinkman.
Although the attack was simply shadow tendrils slashing and stabbing at the enemies...
The result was impressive, as more than a dozen Pinkman were downed in an instant.
Though the expenditure of emotional energy was not insignificant, the number of enemies he defeated made it a very efficient strike. With this, even Duncan, should he appear, would be within his grasp.
It was then that something came at him, moving at terrifying speed, using the wall as a foothold to launch an attack.
It was Duncan.
Crash!
A uniquely shaped rod, infused with magical power, swung towards Oliver and struck him hard.
The impact sent Oliver flying sideways, but fortunately, he had deployed three layers of Black Shield in time to avoid serious injury. Even so, two of the shields were completely destroyed.
As expected, Duncan was at least as strong as the druid Scott... if not stronger. Duncan radiated a tremendous amount of magical energy as he spoke.
"Impressive skills."
"Thank you. I’ve been paying more attention to my shield ever since my fight with Mr. Scott."
Oliver replied, cloaking himself and his quarterstaff in Black Suit.