The Mad Dog of the Dukes House - Chapter 69



Only Krnovel

Episode 69 20. Preliminary Investigation (3)

5.

A shabby bar located in an alley.

Creak.

As Caron opened the door and stepped inside, the creaking sound of old hinges echoed.

And soon.

“You said you made a killing!”

“Yeah, these days, being a mercenary isn’t enough! Next time, if you go with me… … .”

“Just ask me one big thing.”

A loud voice struck my ears.

This place is a place where all kinds of smells mix together, such as the smell of sweat, the smell of alcohol, etc., to create a foul odor.

Some people glanced at Caron as he entered the bar, but they soon ignored him and continued talking with their companions.

Caron let out a soft breath and entered the bar.

-I’ve already spoken to the broker in Leven. You can meet him at the Cold Night bar. But remember, he’s not part of Caligo. Should I call it a kind of partnership or a necessary evil? Anyway, if you see any signs of betrayal, you know? It’s your specialty, so I’ll trust you. I told him that there’s a customer who wants to buy slaves, so you should know that.

The innermost part of the bar.

There sat a middle-aged man with a black blindfold and impressive fangs, sipping strong rum.

The sparse hair added to the man’s fierce and clumsy impression.

Caron approached the man and spoke to him softly.

“Do you have any companions?”

Then the man answered in a calm voice.

“You have two eyes, but can’t you see well? Can’t you tell just by looking at them? You don’t have any companions.”

You can tell just by looking at it that it’s a bad way of speaking.

They say you can tell what kind of life a person has lived by the way they speak, and that was exactly what happened to this ugly man in front of me.

Caron chuckled, then pulled out a chair and sat down in front of the man.

Then the man said annoyedly.

“Do you happen to like idiots like me?”

“Cobbler.”

“Huh, how did you know my name?”

“You’re the only ugly guy here with one eye and bald head. If there was a contest to select the ugliest guy, you’d win first place. That’s what the person who sent me here said. Just go and find the ugliest guy. Ha, that’s exactly right.”

“Oh, you’re from Thebes. Then you should have talked earlier. I’m also quite friendly with my customers!”

The cobbler smiled broadly, showing his teeth, and his yellow teeth stood out.

“Yes, you came to see the slave market.”

“I was thinking of getting some slaves from Thebes, but I heard they don’t have slaves anymore.”

“Hehehe. Caligo. It’s the slaves who are making a fuss. Those who would do anything for money, and now they’re acting like good people. Anyway, welcome to the good place. Unlike those guys, we still do anything for money.”

we.

Those words grated on my nerves a little.

So Caron turned his head slightly and looked at the men filling the bar.

Even while talking to the cobbler, I felt the occasional glance.

In a normal bar, it would be normal to drink with your gear off, but these guys, who appeared to be mercenaries, were drinking with their weapons tucked into their waistbands.

“Were they all in the same group?”

“We can’t do our work alone, you know. Please understand.”

“I heard you’re a broker.”

“I’m also a slave trader! This is how everyone in this town does business. If you don’t like my slaves, don’t worry, I’ll arrange for you to find another slave trader.”

It’s as if the bar is completely surrounded.

It’s a situation in which an ordinary person might feel pressured.

But Caron raised his hand and called the bar owner.

Then the bar owner with a scar on his forehead approached with a grim expression.

“Do you need anything?”

“A glass of beer.”

“Just wait.”

After a while, the owner handed me a glass of lukewarm beer.

Caron took a sip of the beer and said with a frown on his face.

“What do you think lukewarm beer tastes like?”

Meanwhile, Cobbler looked up and down at Caron.

A typical mercenary outfit, with an iron mask covering more than half of the face.

However, judging from his voice and his pure white hands, he was clearly a young nobleman.

A noble young man looking for a slave?

‘It’s obvious.’

Anybody who comes to this prison-like southern border in search of slaves is a lunatic.

Having unusual sexual preferences, or harboring dark desires.

For example, do you enjoy killing people?

How much garbage have you seen while selling slaves?

Some of the madmen were so crazy that even the slave traders themselves were left hanging their tongues.

‘Should I first make an estimate of how much money I can squeeze out?’

I was a little concerned that I was introduced to it through Caligo.

Caligo is a huge organization that rules over the shadows of Thebes.

The moment something goes wrong with this noble darling, it can lead to discord between the organizations.

But it would be okay to eat moderate amounts.

Cobbler, who had been collecting his thoughts, said with a smirk.

“What kind of product do you need? Just tell me, I’ll provide it all.”

“How many people do you have with you?”

“There are more than 150 people. Oh, if you’re having trouble deciding, should I show you the products first?”

“Oh, I’m not interested in humans.”

“Interspecies? I have a few interspecies as well. They’re the water people… … .”

“No elves? I came here to find elves.”

At those words, Cobbler’s expression hardened slightly.

The trade of slaves among different races, especially elven ones, is a highly confidential matter.

Where on earth did this little punk hear such news?

Cobbler decided to ignore it for now.

“Elf is not a commodity that can be easily obtained… … .”

That was when.

The little girl in front of me took something out of her bosom and placed it on the shabby table.

A card in black.

At first, I looked closely to see what it was.

But after a while, the cobbler was able to figure out what it was.

“Black, black card?”

A symbol of wealth that only the empire’s upper class can possess.

A truly fantastical being, one that I had vaguely heard about from a banker who helped with money laundering.

Having this card means one thing.

The thing is, the child in front of you is not an ordinary child from a noble family.

“Is this really a hard-to-find item?”

Cobbler gulped and shook his head at Aesong’s question.

“How could that be? It is true that it is difficult to obtain, but… …. If it is for the young master, it is possible.”

“Why are you suddenly using formal language?”

“How could I dare speak informally to you when you, the noble one, have come to visit me!”

‘Kali and these bastards, what kind of guy did you send?’

I don’t know for sure, but I’m sure he’s the son of a big shot.

This is because only influential families whose names alone are recognizable were issued this card.

or not.

‘In the worst case scenario, it could be the royal family… … .’

Or have royal blood.

In any case, it was highly likely that he had inherited a family lineage that was too great for a mere slave trader to handle.

But before that, there was something I absolutely had to check.

The cobbler carefully opened his mouth, rubbing his hands together.

“I… … Master. I’m not suspicious, but among my acquaintances, there’s a guy who works at a branch of the Imperial Bank… … .”

“Oh, you want to check it out? Okay. If you want to check it out, go ahead and check it out.”

“Thank you, thank you… … .”

“But be prepared. Okay? I’ll make sure you pay for bothering me.”

Caron said that and took a sip of beer.

I felt bad.

“Beer tastes fucking bad, really.”

“Something cool right now… … .”

“Shut up and check the authenticity of the card. It’s annoying.”

Not only did the beer taste bad, but it also made me think of the old days.

Charon glared at Cobbler, his teeth grinding.

6.

We brought in a guy who works at the Imperial Bank’s Leven branch to check, and it turned out that the black card was real.

I also wanted to ask who owned the black card, but even my friend said he didn’t know.

The Imperial Bank headquarters in the capital, only the president who rules the place knows about it?

In the first place, the black card is an item that cannot be counterfeited.

This is because dozens of factors work together to prevent counterfeiting.

anyway.

Cobbler’s attitude changed 180 degrees after confirming the authenticity of the black card.

“Hehe, Master. I will personally escort you! The place that handles elf slaves is the slave auction house. Since the slaves are expensive, they are sold in auction format. It is originally a members-only place! I, Cobbler, will be happy to guide you for your sake.”

The grease glistened on Cobbler’s face.

There was an unmistakable greed on the guy’s face.

“Is it okay for me to come in?”

“Oh my. Of course. Wouldn’t it be an honor for us if you, your Excellency, graced this occasion?”

A beak that rotates without stopping.

Just then, a cobbler’s spit protruding from the protruding oral structure struck Charon’s iron mask.

And at that moment.

Ugh, ugh, ugh.

Caron raised his hand and slapped Cobbler across the face.

“Keeeeek!”

“You spit, you little bastard.”

He already has an ugly face and his nose is bleeding.

The men behind Cobbler were outraged by the sudden violence, but Cobbler quickly raised his hand to stop them.

“Hold still, you brats! You know what kind of person this is! Hehe, Master. I’ll be more careful.”

“Walk away, walk away.”

Who knows who’s behind this kid.

But one thing is for sure, there will be some unexpected giants.

What if something unpleasant happens?

Not only will you be kicked out of this place where you have worked so hard to build a foundation, but you will also have to spend the rest of your life in a relentless pursuit.

That’s why Cobbler endured this humiliation.

Humiliation is fleeting.

As long as I could take good care of this kid and get a decent amount of money out of him, it wouldn’t matter.

“I, your highness.”

“Your breath stinks so much, just get to the point.”

“… … The auction dealing with elves is being held this evening. How about going to my camp before then and checking out the other items?”

Caron frowned at Cobbler’s suggestion.

The attitude of viewing slaves as mere commodities continued to irritate me.

Is it because old memories keep coming to mind? I’m getting nervous.

I felt the urge to immediately pull out the guillotine and cut off his head.

But Caron suppressed the impulse.

Killing these scumbags can wait until after you’ve achieved your goal.

The important thing now is to get information.

Infiltrating these guys’ hideouts directly would also be useful for obtaining information.

“Is the camp far from here?”

Then the cobbler shook his head vigorously.

“No, it’s right in front of you. Hehe. Let’s go and have a cup of tea and I’ll give you a brief explanation of this slave auction. What do you think?”

“alcohol.”

“yes?”

“Alcohol instead of tea. Isn’t there a good alcoholic beverage other than beer that tastes like piss?”

“Water, of course.”

“Just go for now. Take a look around.”

I still don’t fully understand this city called Leven.

If we shake this ugly thing off, we’ll probably get something out of it.

As Caron stood up and was about to leave, Cobbler waved his hand and said:

“Ah! The camp is connected to this side, Your Majesty.”

Cobbler pointed to a door leading to the basement of the bar.

“I’ll take the lead. Follow me slowly!”

As he said that, Cobbler exchanged glances with his subordinates for a moment.

But as if nothing had happened, he walked down to the basement with an exaggerated laugh.

“Your Majesty! This way, this way!”

Caron slowly stepped into the basement, listening to Cobbler’s jokes, and placed his hand on the handle of the guillotine.

‘Any traces of magic?’

Then the guillotine answered.

-Just a warning spell. There’s no danger, Master.

‘If you see anything strange, tell me right away. I’ll kill them all.’

-How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t like the blood of those bastards? Don’t worry about me, master, because I’ll warn you if it seems dangerous.

While struggling with the guillotine, Charon was able to reach the basement.

On one wall of the basement, a large iron door was visible.

It was an iron gate that looked thick at first glance.

The cobbler said with a wicked smile.

“You can’t let the products run away, right?”

The iron gate was too thick to have been built simply for slaves.

“Guys, open the door!”

“Yes, sir!”

Before they could doubt it for a moment, the large men who had received Cobbler’s order opened the iron gate, and soon a wide underground passage was revealed.

‘It’s hard to call it an underground passage… … .’

Caron frowned.

Doesn’t it look like a bunker rather than an underground passage? From the iron gate to the underground passage that resembles a bunker.

What on earth are these guys?

There were more than a few things that made it suspicious that he was just a simple slave trader.

But Caron followed Cobbler quietly for a moment.

How long did it take to walk like that?

“What is this?”

When Charon finally arrived at the ‘camp’, he was faced with an unexpected situation.

There’s a mad dog living in the duke’s house