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"Boss!"
Another boy pushed open the entrance to the barracks and came in.
"What is it now?"
"There are two nobles in town who are gathering thugs to destroy our base! They seem to be paying them, and there are already more than ten people!"
The boss, who was sitting in a chair, slowly stood up.
"They're gathering thugs, you say?"
"Yes."
"Not knights or mercenaries, but thugs?"
"Yes."
"Are those thugs from the Predick family?"
"Yes, mostly."
The boss laughed loudly.
"Perfect, just perfect. Must be some backwater nobles, they're underestimating us way too much. We can get a good ransom out of this. Now, let's go and prepare to greet our guests."
The boss came out of the barracks.
Following the boss's instructions, many people were already gathered outside the barracks.
"Is everyone here? We have very important guests coming today."
"Yes!"
"Good. Let's prepare to greet our guests. Everyone, check your weapons."
"Yes!"
"Don't kill them. But it's okay to cut off an arm or a leg or two."
"Yes!"
While the pickpocket gang was fully prepared and waiting for their precious guests.
The sun began to pass over the mountain peaks.
"Why aren't these bastards here yet? Don't tell me they still can't find our location. Hey! Did you give them the right information?"
"Yes. I went there myself and told them the location."
"Then why aren't they here?"
"Maybe they're taking their time to gather more thugs?"
The boss's expression soured.
"Damn it... They shouldn't bring too many."
"Even if they bring a lot, aren't they mostly Predick's gang anyway?"
"Who doesn't know that! I'm saying that because if there are too many mouths to feed, our share will be smaller!"
"Ah... I see. You're so smart, Boss."
"You're the one who's stupid."
Just then.
The path leading to the base began to get noisy.
The boss gave a bitter smile.
"They're here. The moneybags."
Shouts and the sound of weapons clashing grew louder and louder.
Dozens of thugs stormed into the pickpocket gang's base.
In the center were noble brothers dressed in clothes that looked expensive.
Clang.
The older of the noble brothers, or so it seemed, drew his sword.
As reported, the handle was studded with cumbersome jewels.
You couldn't even swing the sword properly like that.
The pickpocket gang leader scoffed.
'Stupid nobles, as always.'
The older brother raised his sword high and shouted.
"Who stole my brother's wallet!"
The boss stepped forward.
His gaze was directed at one of the thugs, not the noble brothers.
"Predick. Long time no see."
One of the thugs, holding a large sword, replied.
"Long time no see, Derrick. Business must be good these days? Your face is glowing with oil."
"We get lucky every now and then with clients like these."
The thugs each added a word, laughing heartily.
The noble who drew the jewel-encrusted sword shouted.
"Wh-what is this! Do you all know each other?"
"As you can see."
The thugs' various weapons were aimed at the two noble youths.
"I'm sorry about this. We'll use the money we got as a reward to buy some drinks today, so don't feel too bad."
"Y-you bastards!"
The thug called Predick turned his head.
"Hey, Derrick. What are we going to do with these guys?"
"What else? Cripple them and then extort a ransom from their parents."
"Are you going to share with us too?"
"Weren't you all excited and came running because you knew?"
Predick laughed loudly.
"Of course."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
"Hey guys!"
At Predick's shout, the thugs stepped back and blocked the path in layers.
"We don't have to step in ourselves, right?"
"Of course not. Just block the way like that."
Meanwhile.
Davian whispered.
"That guy standing over there is the one, right?"
Mons also whispered.
"Yes, young master."
"Pretend to fight for a while, and you catch that spy bastard. I'll take care of the rest."
"Yes."
The pickpocket boss, Derrick, shouted.
"What are you two whispering about? Did you figure out the situation yet?"
At Derrick's gesture, dozens of pickpockets slowly closed the distance.
"Don't worry too much. I won't kill you. Kids! Attack!"
With Derrick's shout, the pickpocket gang began to rush at Davian and Mons.
Thwack!
A large man hit by Mons's kick rolled backward.
Slap!
The guy who swung an ax at Davian was slapped on the cheek, spun around on the spot, and collapsed.
Mons, who had put his sword back into its sheath, also began to beat up the pickpockets in earnest.
"Wh-what? They know how to fight?"
Predick, realizing that the situation was unusual, shouted.
"Let's attack too!"
The thugs who had been blocking the retreat also joined the fight, wielding large weapons.
Davian and Mons were surrounded by dozens of people in front and behind.
But nothing changed.
Slap!
Thwack!
Exactly one hit per person.
Those who were beaten just enough not to die fell to the ground and could not get up.
At that time.
Swoosh.
A sharp sword strike aimed at Mons's flank.
Mons quickly twisted his waist and grabbed the side of the sword with both palms.
"You came looking for me yourself."
"What?"
Thwack!
Mons's fist was hammered into the man's abdomen.
"Ugh!"
Mons grabbed the man by the hair and lifted him up, whispering.
"Come quietly if you don't want to die."
Slap!
Even in the meantime, the pickpockets and thugs who were slapped by Davian fell to the ground one by one.
That night.
"Amazing, isn't it? You deliberately brought the thugs and went to the pickpocket gang to catch this guy?"
"Yeah. That way, they'll issue a full call-up order. Then we don't have to go looking for them."
"That's true. I was worried about where to find them, but I didn't have to worry at all. You're smart."
While Sarah and Davian were talking.
Mons tied the spy tightly to a pillar.
"Young master, but why was this guy disguised as a pickpocket?"
Sarah answered instead.
"Don't you know? There's information that only circulates in the underworld."
"Ah, so that's why he was working as a pickpocket."
Davian approached the spy.
"Hey, you. You're going to have to do some work for us."
The spy, his face swollen and bruised, shouted with fierce eyes.
"Who are you people! Why are you doing this to me!"
"It doesn't matter who we are. Just do what you're told."
"Bullsh*t... Ugh!"
Mons's fist was hammered into the spy's chest.
"How dare you curse at my young master... I mean, my younger brother?"
Davian took out a piece of paper and held it in front of the spy's eyes.
"It's nothing much. Just call this guy out tomorrow. To the place we set."
The spy's pupils briefly dilated and then returned to normal when he saw the paper.
"You know who it is, right?"
"I don't know."
Thwack!
Mons's fist flew again.
"You won't talk straight?"
Davian spread his index finger and tapped the spy's shoulder.
"We know who you are. We know who this person is. Don't you know that we stormed the pickpocket gang's base just to catch you? This guy is a mid-level officer in the spy organization here in Kanzar City. You're one of the contact points in that organization."
"Bullsh*t!"
Thwack!
Mons's fist flew again.
"Calm down, brother. I don't think he'll listen if you just hit him."
Mons was startled and asked.
"Garrett! Don't tell me?"
"What else can I do? He won't cooperate even after getting beaten like this."
Davian went to the bag and took out a small wooden box.
Click.
Inside was a small insect.
Mons shouted.
"Why would you use this precious thing on this guy!"
"It's to avenge our parents. When else would we use it if not now?"
"Even so, one of the few remaining secrets of our family..."
Davian grabbed the spy's cheeks.
"Open your mouth."
"Mph!"
The spy struggled not to open his mouth.
Davian put a little force on his two fingers, and his mouth opened on its own.
Davian took the insect in his other hand, pushed it into the spy's mouth, and forcibly closed his mouth.
"Mph! Mph!"
"Swallow."
"Mph!"
Mons eventually drew his sword.
"You'll die now if you don't swallow."
Mons's blade touched the spy's neck.
"Mph!"
Swoosh.
Mons's sword dug into the spy's neck.
Red blood flowed down the blade.
The spy, who had closed his eyes tightly, finally swallowed the insect.
"Brother, untie him now."
Slash!
The ropes that had bound the spy were cut at once by Mons's sword.
It was a clean skill that left no trace on the wooden pillar where the ropes had been tied.
But the spy had no time to pay attention to that now.
"Wh-what the hell did you feed me!"
"Gu."
"Gu? What is that!"
"Our family's secret. The insect you swallowed will soon go to your heart and take root."
"What nonsense..."
"You should be feeling something by now?"
"......!"
"Do you feel something?"
The spy's eyes began to shake greatly.
"What is Gu! What did you do to me!"
"It's nothing much. I'll explain it to you."
Davian went to the bag again and brought a wooden box.
"The Gu you ate and this Gu are a pair."
Davian pressed the body of the insect in the wooden box with his finger.
"Ugh!"
The spy clutched his heart in agony.
"If I pop this insect and kill it, the insect in your body will pop and die too. But as it dies, it will also pop your heart. You're already feeling a stinging sensation, right?"
The spy knelt on the spot.
"Stop! Stop!"
The spy's eyes were already completely filled with fear.
Davian took his finger off the insect and closed the lid of the wooden box again.
"Don't worry too much. I won't ask you to do anything difficult. If you finish what I ask you to do, I'll take the Gu out of you."
"C-can you take it out again?"
"Of course. If you hold the Gu in this box in your mouth for 10 minutes, the Gu you ate will come out of your mouth again. They're a pair."
"Really?"
"That's right."
"......Just call out the person on that paper."
Davian nodded.
"G-good. I can't do anything more than that. If I do anything more, I'll die at the hands of the organization, not the Gu."
"We know."
After sending the spy back.
Sarah asked.
"Davian, but what is that Gu thing? Is there such a thing? Where did you get it?"
"There's no such thing."
"What?"
He had only imitated something he had seen in a martial arts novel.
"Then what is that insect?"
"I don't know either. I just picked it up in the forest."
"Then why was that guy so surprised?"
Davian moved his palm slightly.
Sarah's hair floated in the air and then settled down.
"I just pressed near his heart a little with telekinetic magic. If you really felt it, you would have noticed that the stimulus came from outside. But he's been dragged here and swallowed a ridiculous insect, so he wouldn't have been able to."
Sarah looked at Davian with a dumbfounded expression.
"Then that insect is now......?"
"It's probably already digested?"
"Wow... Davian, you've become a complete con artist?"
"I'm just doing it their way. I have to return what I received."
Mons asked.
"Are you really going to release that guy once this is over?"
Davian grinned.
"No. I'm going to have him call out one person at a time until he's caught cooperating with us and purged."
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