"Do you remember what that person looked like?"
"No, sir, we didn't see his face."
Ellison exhaled a stream of smoke, his brows knitting together.
Was it a coincidence… or were these two being used?
But who would dare target those boys and girls?
True, they'd been expelled from the Academy, but who knew what kind of knowledge they might still possess?
The incident with the Korick Gang back then had been a lesson written in blood.
A single desperate boy had cursed them with a vicious spell, and in the end, nearly every last member of the Korick Gang died miserably.
That alone might not have mattered so much…
The real problem was that the boy's curse had drawn the attention of the Hossens Academy!
In the end, the few surviving transcendentals of the gang were executed by the Academy, including even one apprentice wizard!
From that day forward, every gang in Emeraldwood City adopted a rule:
When you become a full-fledged member, you're warned
Never drive those expelled youths into a corner.
Not just because they might possess strange powers…
But because of the Hossens Academy itself!
The Academy was in the sky over Emeraldwood City; even the three most powerful gangs were nothing before it, let alone the smaller ones.
Who would dare take a risk that might provoke them?
Unfortunately, people's hearts are fickle.
No matter how harsh a lesson, time dulls the memory.
It had been ten years since the Korick incident.
The rule still existed, but its force had weakened.
Otherwise, Ellison wouldn't have dared raise his price with Ant.
Still, he wouldn't go as far as Bartoli and Kiddie robbing and extorting those kids; it was out of the question.
Pulling his mind back, Ellison took the cigarette from his lips and said,
"My questions are done.
"Now, if you hand over all the money you've got on you quickly
I might consider sparing your miserable lives."
"No problem, sir," Bartoli replied without hesitation.
A few minutes later, a small mound of gold and silver lay piled on the wooden table.
Ellison took a deep breath, feeling a stir of excitement.
Thirty-five gold dragons and eighty-nine silver wolves!
Son of a bitch, these two were hiding deep!
And those expelled kids… they were even richer than he'd thought.
He'd heard rumors they had some money, but this?
They were practically walking fat sheep!
Even as a mid-level gang enforcer, this was already a year's worth of income for him!
Greed gleamed in Ellison's eyes as he scooped up the coins, laughing to himself, though his smile faltered slightly when he thought of his two subordinates.
Shame I have to split it with them…
Pocketing the money, he stood and glanced at the tense Bartoli and Kiddie.
"Relax. Since you were honest, I'll spare your lives.
"But remember this, there's some money you have no right to touch.
"Stick to your petty thieving, you third-rate punks."
His two men snickered as they followed him out the door.
Bang!
"Damn it!"
As soon as they were gone, Bartoli slammed his palm on the table.
His hand was red, his eyes bloodshot.
Again and again, he pounded the table, his face twisted with rage.
Bang Bang Bang
Only after a long while did he stop, panting, and turn to Kiddie.
"I don't want to be some third-rate punk anymore! What about you, Kiddie?!"
"…Neither do I, boss, but we"
"Listen, Kiddie! I wasn't thinking before, but with the money we've made,
We can use it to get stronger!"
Bartoli stood, shoved the sofa aside, and pulled three dark magic stones from a hidden compartment beneath.
"I've heard there are markets in the Stonehouse District where they sell transcendent knowledge.
"We can trade this money for power!
"When we have power, all the humiliation will be washed away… I'll kill them.
I'll kill Ellison!"
Kiddie's eyes lit up, and he shouted,
"And that kid, the one named Lynn!"
"It's all his fault, boss, all his fault! I'll kill him!"
"That's right, him first, and that damned old hag with him!" Bartoli roared excitedly.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught something.
He turned his head and froze.
At some point, a familiar figure had appeared inside the wooden house.
Lynn stepped out from the shadows, long sword in hand, his face calm and unreadable.
...
A few minutes later, Bartoli and Kiddie, their faces bruised and swollen, were tightly bound with hemp rope, lying face down in front of the sofa, rags stuffed in their mouths.
Lynn paced slowly in front of them, toying with the three lesser magic stones he had taken from Bartoli's hand, a faint smile curling his lips.
Three lesser magic stones were almost as many as what he'd gotten from his last lucky haul. A pleasant surprise indeed.
Stopping, he crouched down, pressing his fingertip lightly against the wound on Bartoli's left cheek. His voice was quiet:
"I ask, you answer. Understand?"
Bartoli didn't respond. Lynn's finger pressed down a little harder, boring into the wound like a drill.
"Mmph!"
A surge of agony made Bartoli groan, sweat beading and streaming down his forehead. Whatever anger he'd been holding onto was quickly smothered by the pain. He began nodding over and over, like an insect banging its head in submission.
"Good.
"First, tell me exactly why Ellison came looking for you just now." Lynn pulled the rags from their mouths, his tone calm but firm.
"Remember, I want you to repeat word-for-word everything that was said. Don't leave out a single sentence."
White Spring Street
"Here are five gold dragons each. Your share."
Ellison, standing by the roadside, handed the coins to the two men beside him, then waved them off.
"All right, I've got other business. You head back.
"And remember, keep this to yourselves. Not even Claw Gang brothers can hear about it. Otherwise… you might not get to keep that money in your hands."
"Yes, sir!" The two nodded happily and turned away.
Ellison smiled, heading toward the Nightingale Pavilion.
It had been a very profitable day to celebrate.
But a few steps later, he slowed to a halt.
A mild-looking young man stepped out from a side alley, smiling.
"Good afternoon, Master Ellison."
Seventeen or eighteen years old, with an unremarkable face, wearing a gray hood.
If Lynn had been here, he would have recognized him instantly
It was that "helpful" senior Dor.
...
Inside the wooden house
"…So, sir, Ellison came after us simply because he wanted our money.
"This world's like that if you have money but no strength, everyone will want to take a bite out of you."
Bartoli was panting as he continued,
"That's all we know, sir. We've told you everything, and we've given you all the money."
Lynn rose to his feet, brows furrowing.
Ellison…
A faint unease crept into his mind.
Like Bartoli said, if you're not strong enough, anyone will try to tear something from you.
And Ellison wasn't some small-time thug; he was a full member of the Claw Gang, not at all on the same level as these two.
"Sir, we've told you everything. Please, let us go," Bartoli and Kiddie pleaded beside him.
Lynn's gaze returned to them in silence.
Outside, the sunlight was already turning gold, and it was nearly dusk.
It's getting late. I can't waste more time.
In the dim wooden house, the bound men begged for their lives.
Lynn picked up the rags from beside him and stuffed them back into their mouths.
Realizing what was coming, terror flooded their eyes. They thrashed and struggled, muffled cries leaking out in despair.
Lynn straightened up but turned away, walking toward the door.
Tap, tap, tap
His footsteps faded into the distance.
Bartoli and Kiddie glanced at each other, a breath of relief escaping them.
Pfft
The next moment, two barely audible swishes sliced through the air.
A flash of crimson blossomed, and the house fell silent.
Standing beside their bodies, Lynn shifted his foot slightly to avoid the spreading pool of red, exhaling softly.
After a quiet pause, he wiped his longsword clean on their clothes, then quickly removed any obvious traces.
Without a sound, he slipped away into the darkening evening.
When he returned to the shanties, Mrs. Carter was waiting anxiously outside.
Something occurred to him, and he glanced around
…No sign of Ellison. Lynn let out a quiet breath of relief, then suddenly froze.
Down a nearby alley, three long-absent figures were slowly walking toward him.
Giggs and his two companions… had come back!