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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Reunion Preparations - 3
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The tool shop owner was a middle-aged man.
He wore a gentle expression, but his bulging muscles and the scars on his shoulders suggested he'd done some rough work in his day.
In a soft voice, he asked,
"Have you selected everything?"
"Yes."
I placed some suitable herbs on the counter.
The owner bowed his head politely and said,
"That's 12 guild."
"Here you go."
"Thank you... Huh? Sir, you've given me too much."
I'd handed him 50 guild.
In a subtle tone, I replied,
"I'd like to get some information."
"For information, you should try commissioning the mercenary guild instead of a place like this. Shall I tell you where it is?"
"It's not that big a deal to hire specialists for."
"In that case."
He smoothly pocketed the coins.
I said,
"First off... Oh, right. What's your name?"
"Gray Palm."
"Nice name."
"Haha. Thank you. So, what would you like to know?"
I already knew.
*Gray Palm. Tell me the secret between Gray Palm and Neril Slaine.*
[Alright.]
Soon, a screen appeared.
[Used Eye of Omniscience.]
[Current Eye of Omniscience level is 1. Viewable secret rank is D-rank.]
[Selected condition: 'Secret between Gray Palm and Neril Slaine.']
[Corresponding secret rank is D-rank. Proceed with viewing?]
The first thing visible on the screen was Gray Palm.
Gray was cutting through the darkness alongside a group of burly thugs.
One of the thugs said,
"Hey, boss. This job's legit, right?"
"Yeah. It's info I got after a ton of hard work. Just trust me."
"That's what you've said ninety-five times already. One more and it'll be a hundred."
"Shut up, punk. This time it's for real."
"..."
"Don't let your guard down. Tonight, we're digging up the hidden tomb of that famous Enerica family."
The thugs grinned at their cocky leader's words.
Hold on. Enerica family?
Enerica... Where have I heard that before?
*Oh!*
[You scared me. What's up?]
*Nothing. It's nothing.*
I'd brushed it off to Trail, but it wasn't nothing.
Before my regression, the blood letters above Neril's head.
-Sinned against May Enerica and 287 others.
And now Enerica pops up again here.
*The Enerica family. They were certainly famous.*
[Yeah. They were the family of the hero who appeared in the advent of the third Demon King, the Demon King of Corruption.]
Four Demon Kings had descended on this continent in the past.
The Demon King of Destruction, the Demon King of Greed, the Demon King of Corruption, and the Demon King of Withering, in that order.
And in a few years, the fifth, Idria, the Demon King of Lies and Deceit, would descend.
Anyway, during the third Demon King of Corruption's advent, one of the heroes was the great sage Byond Enerica.
Like the other heroes, Byond had made immense contributions to defeating the Demon King of Corruption.
For that merit, they were granted a title and steadily produced capable mages, becoming a prestigious family.
But during the fourth Demon King of Withering's advent, they didn't achieve much, so their prestige waned, and about 200 years ago, they were wiped out in some incident.
*No way Neril wiped out the Enerica family? Since it said she sinned against May Enerica.*
It seemed a logical deduction, but my randomly triggered intuition was saying, 'Not certain yet.'
Well, that wasn't the important part right now anyway.
Meanwhile, the screen changed.
They climbed a mountain path, up and up, until they reached what looked like a few shabby mounds.
Disbelief crossed Gray's face.
One of the thugs said, as if he'd expected it,
"I knew it. Damn it."
"Wait. There must be some mistake..."
"No way you're saying that after seeing this crap with your own eyes? Even if they were wiped out, this was a great noble family's tomb. No country bumpkin would use graves this pathetic!"
"..."
"Wasted our time. I'm heading back."
That's when it happened.
"Who's there?"
Suddenly, a voice spoke—one that didn't belong to anyone present.
The man who appeared holding a torch looked to be nearly sixty.
Yet his back was straight, and his voice clear, giving him a remarkably upright appearance.
*And his clothes.*
[Yeah. Not the kind of outfit for wandering mountain paths. He's dressed very finely.]
*To be precise, it's formal attire. Maybe he's here to pay respects to the graves.*
Of course, Gray's gang didn't care about manners.
One thug spat on the ground and said,
"Mind your own business, old timer."
"No. Wait a moment."
"Boss? Why?"
"That old guy's dressed pretty sharp, ain't he?"
"So?"
"Think a guy that age could hike up here in those clothes easily?"
They huddled together, murmuring their deductions.
Meanwhile, the old man spoke up with an unpleasant expression.
"Get out of here. This is private property."
"Like hell. Is it your land?"
"No. It belongs to the one I serve."
"So it's not your land then?"
"Instead of quibbling, just leave..."
Then one thug cut the old man off.
He had a very sly demeanor.
"Hey. We've been thinking—you didn't come up from the base of the mountain, did you?"
"What?"
"Those clothes make it tough to get all the way up here. You must live somewhere around."
"..."
"From what you said earlier... You're the caretaker of this tomb? Gotta be paid well to guard a great noble's grave, right?"
I could guess what they were getting at.
The old man seemed to realize too and hurriedly backed away.
But it was too late.
"Gah...! Cough."
Gray had snuck behind him and stabbed a dagger into the old man's chest.
"Ugh. You bastards."
"Old man's got nine lives. Scram."
He twisted the dagger.
The old man gurgled blood and breathed his last.
Drip.
With that, the screen cut off.
I crossed my arms and tapped my finger.
That's when Trail spoke in a cautious tone.
[By the way, time in reality stops when using Eye of Omniscience. You can watch for hours, no worries.]
Sure enough, just as he said, Gray showed no awkwardness as he asked,
"Is something wrong? You said you had questions."
"You've gotten awfully polite in your old age."
"Pardon?"
"Where are your underlings? Mr. Grave Robber."
Gray's face hardened instantly.
Silence hung between us for a moment.
Swoosh.
Slowly, very slowly, he lowered his hand under the counter.
I knew all about it but casually turned and shut the tool shop door.
I flipped the sign to 'Closed.'
By the time I'd finished and turned back, Gray was gripping a dagger, fully ready for combat.
He asked,
"Who the hell are you?"
"Just a free mercenary."
"Hmph. Couldn't get hired anywhere, huh. That's what the no-good ones usually are."
"Or someone so skilled they don't need to tie themselves to one place."
"Haha! You saying you're the latter?"
"Don't laugh."
At my words, he stopped laughing as if by magic.
Soon, beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.
I'd deliberately released my full presence.
"Compared to you, bandits are cute."
"Wh-what?"
"First, drop that."
Crack.
I lunged like lightning and snapped his arm.
Gray yelped and dropped the dagger.
I could see his white bone piercing through his skin.
"Ugh. Grghhh."
Frothing at the mouth, Gray swung his remaining fist.
I leaned back to dodge, then tripped him with my leg.
Thud!
"Uwaa! Heuk!"
He writhed, trying to get up, but I was already pressing my foot on his back.
"Don't move. Before I snap your spine."
"Wh-why are you doing this to me? I haven't done anything..."
"No. You've done plenty."
Crack. Grind.
An unnatural sound came from his back.
I continued, giving him just enough pain to stay conscious.
"Let's go through them one by one. This is partly to recruit Neril, but I need to build my reputation too."
"Pl-please spare me. Please."
"Let's see. Who to start with."
I expanded the blood letters window above his head.
As always, the '~and others' vanished, replaced by a list of 90 names scrolling down.
Thud.
I sat down on his back.
"Let's check one by one until the Witch of Atrocities arrives."
For the next two days, Gray's tool shop stayed closed.
I was still lounging on his back, leisurely enjoying the Eye of Omniscience.
"Ugh. Heuk."
Gray clutched his broken arm, sweating profusely.
He couldn't speak properly because of the gag in his mouth.
*Now. Show me the next one. I want to see the secret between Gerek Fellis and this guy.*
[Ca-can't we take a little break?]
*True. I've been spamming Eye of Omniscience. Maybe a short rest.*
[Thanks.]
*Alright. Rest over. Let's start.*
[...]
And so, by the evening of the second day.
I'd vividly learned the details of all 90 sins he'd committed.
Compiling them into documents would fill a whole book.
Trail spoke in a voice that sounded enlightened.
[Something's coming into view. Ah, a river. If I cross it, will I find peace?]
*Calm down and come back.*
[You're a demon.]
*No choice. For the greater happiness of the greatest number, as you say, I had to plan meticulously. If I were just recruiting Neril and bailing, I wouldn't need all this hassle.*
Trail seemed to regain his senses and spoke.
[You're more enthusiastic than me now.]
*Thanks.*
[But wouldn't it have been easier to just torture him for the info? Instead of using me like a tool.]
*Torture doesn't let you verify truth right away. No need to go that route when there's a surer way.*
Trail fell silent, convinced.
Anyway, I removed Gray's gag.
He was half-dead from the pain of his broken arm, rising fever, hunger, and thirst.
"Huuuh. Please spare me."
I uncapped my canteen and trickled a bit into his mouth.
"Get it together. You can't die yet."
"Gulp gulp. Yet?"
"Customers are coming soon. Is there a secret room in this shop?"
"...Th-there's a basement."
"Let's go."
I dragged him by the collar down the stairs.
Clatter.
I tossed him to the floor and casually asked,
"Where'd you hide the lord's treasure?"
"...!"
"Didn't really need to ask. It's here."
He had sinned against 'Frank de Levan and 89 others.'
The representative was Frank de Levan—the lord of Quelk Territory. The sin he most desperately wanted to hide.
I'd clearly seen through Eye of Omniscience him stashing the lord's treasure in this basement.
Rustle rustle.
Pushing aside the haphazardly piled farming tools revealed a small jewelry box underneath.
I picked it up lightly, shook it, and said,
"Looks valuable. Too good for the likes of you."
"Keuk."
His face twisted not from the broken arm but from skyrocketing blood pressure as he shouted,
"How the hell do you know?! Who the hell are you?!"
"Back to your old tone?"
"No! Who the hell are you?!"
"Rest for now. I've got something more urgent than dealing with this box."
Click clack.
Very familiar footsteps approached from outside the shop.
*She's here. Neril.*
I knocked Gray out with a chop to the neck.
Then I hurried upstairs to the sound of knocking.
"Excuse me. Are you not open?"
Definitely Neril's voice.
Was it odd that I felt glad amid all this?
"Yes. Come in."
I flipped the sign to 'Open' and unlocked the door.
A woman with dark blue hair cascading to her waist.
Her slightly upturned eyes and pursed lips gave a sharp impression, but even that couldn't hide her beauty.
The mole under her right eye was exactly as I remembered.
I smiled faintly and said,
"Are you a customer? The owner's stepped out for a bit."
"Do you work here?"
"Yes. Just for today. Just this shift."
"...?"
"Come on in."
Neril nodded and entered.
I returned to the counter and asked leisurely,
"Looking for something?"
Neril crossed her arms and stared at me.
"I'm looking for a person."
"..."
"Name's Gray Palm. Probably around 41 now. Bald guy with just some hair left under his chin."
"Sounds familiar."
"Has to be. He's the owner here."
Neril's tone shifted.
She continued in a chilling voice, like feeling winter chill in midsummer.
"You're not just some hire here, right? Not someone hired to watch the shop?"
"..."
"I took out all his other underlings, one by one. Over five years. They'd built decent lives across the continent."
"..."
"Guard captain, guild master, merchant branch head... No way news of guys like that dying doesn't spread. And if Gray hears it, he might hire a bodyguard."
She seemed to think Gray had hired me as protection.
"But does he have the money to hire someone of your caliber?"
"Do you know who I am?"
"No. But I can tell from your stance alone. You're no ordinary fighter."
The mood grew heavier bit by bit.
I straightened my back and changed my tone.
"You're mostly right, but correct this: I'm not hired by Gray."
"..."
"I'm the one who's been waiting for you."
"What?"
"Tea? I hear you love black tea. Crazy about it, even."
Neril's eyes wavered slightly.
"Nice to meet you. Neril Slaine, Witch of Atrocities."