The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 85



Only Krnovel

Episode 85

I ate rice.

I had forgotten that I had lived for so long without needing to eat, but people need to eat to survive.

Quilbian dipped the dry bread into the soup and took it out. He put the bread filled with pumpkin soup into his mouth and chewed it.

As I was clearing away the dishes and pouring coffee, someone knocked on the door.

“yes.”

As I opened the door and went out, the building manager was smiling. Her name was Pel. She was a woman in her sixties.

“Quil, did you sleep well?”

“Yes. I slept very well.”

“That’s fortunate. The last time I saw you, your eyes were swollen and it was sad to look at you.”

“There were a few minor issues, but they’re all resolved now. Have you had breakfast?”

“I came here for this anyway.”

Pel lifted the basket.

“It came from the management office. Here, take it.”

It was filled with delicious fruits.

“Something so precious.”

“Is fruit more precious than people? They say it’s good to eat it in the morning, so eat it. And don’t forget the regular meeting.”

“yes.”

“And would you mind telling the neighbor Wools about the regular meeting? I would tell them, but I think they’re avoiding me because of the rent issue.”

“Okay, I’ll let you know when I see you.”

Pel, who had been smiling happily, opened his wrinkled eyes. His eyes were scanning the inside of the house.

“Didn’t you hear anything?”

“Sound?”

“Yes, I thought I heard something.”

“Well, maybe there are rats?”

As Quilbian scratched his head and spoke, Pell shuddered and stepped back.

“Rats are disgusting. If you see one, catch it as soon as possible. It’s an old building, so there are too many rats.”

Pel clicked his tongue and then smiled brightly as he said goodbye.

After greeting Pel with a glance, I closed the door. I passed through the narrow living room and entered the bedroom.

He saw a mustache and a bulky figure tied tightly in front of the wardrobe. The two of them groaned and twisted their bodies, but became quiet as soon as Quilbian opened the door.

“You know what? Put your heart in here before you slit the pig’s throat.”

“Quilbian said, stroking the crown of his moustache. Moustache shook his head vigorously.

“Let’s cooperate. I’ll let you go after checking today. Wouldn’t it be better if we could end this without each other getting embarrassed? Or should I make you sleep for the rest of your life?”

I bent my knees and looked back and forth between the mustache and the bulk. They both shook their heads and looked down.

“I’ve been through this dozens of times. I mean, I’ve been through it so many times. So I can give you an estimate with just a few words. You and Kim.”

Quilbian pulled the gag out of his mustachioed mouth.

“I know I’m an easy prey to strip and eat. The owner of this body is really… … a retard.”

A person who was born into an ordinary family, received a proper education, found a proper job, and lived a proper life.

It was half a year ago that gambling entered my life, where the only stimulus was alcohol.

And half a year is enough time for a person who was living moderately to become inappropriate.

They lose all the money they have diligently saved, and under the illusion that it will all work out in one go, they end up resorting to loan sharks.

It was such a typical story.

“I know. It’s just a matter of eating and living. If I hadn’t come into this body, you would have taken my property without any problems, and you would have even sold my body as experimental material. Yes, I know it’s a sound business. I know it because I’ve experienced it, and I know it because I’ve done it.”

“There, there, there.”

He said with a trembling mustache.

“I think there’s some kind of misunderstanding, we just… … .”

“Even that statement is too obvious. I know this because I’ve lived in many worlds. Misunderstandings are not common. Most of them are intentional misunderstandings disguised as misunderstandings. You knew what would happen to me.”

“No, really not.”

“No, wait. You’ll find out when you go with Kim tonight. Until then, just be quiet.”

Quilbian put the gag he had released into Moustache’s mouth.

“When people are nervous, they have trouble pooping. If you need to pee, just poop. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the cleaning up.”

I said one more thing before closing the door.

“It would be best if you just stayed quiet. You can never solve it on your own. But if you try to solve it, it will leave a trace. If I come back and there are traces of you trying to escape, then I will take the easy way out. The easy way for me and for you.”

His mustache and size have become more tame.

Quilbian smiled and closed the door.

*

“How about the body?”

Kim approached me with a cigarette between her fingers.

“I’ve gotten a lot better. Sorry about yesterday. I asked you to come with me, but I wasn’t feeling well.”

“I saw you sweating profusely, how can I take you? And don’t worry, your seat is still valid today.”

“Thank goodness. This time, I’m going to really win big and clear my debt.”

Quillbian looked into Kim’s eyes and said. Kim’s lips twitched and then she burst into a hearty laugh.

“Yes! That’s the heart. For a man, that heart is everything. The determination to follow, the conviction! If you have that, it’s not gambling, it’s opportunity.”

A glance at the eyes, a hint of regret, and excitement that can’t be hidden.

This fucking kid.

There was no need to give an estimate. Quilbian shook his head.

Fraud isn’t something you get scammed by someone you don’t know. It’s something you get scammed by someone you know.

It was knowledge close to the truth that I had gained through wandering around.

I would drink water offered by a stranger, but I would be suspicious of water offered by a person I know with a smile.

Quilbian became that kind of person as he lived.

People don’t believe, but they certainly believe in the malice of others.

Of course, I also knew that there were exceptions.

That there are often foolish people like Twella, who give up what is theirs to save others.

But it was a question of proportions.

It is easier to believe in and defend against malice than to live on the backs of lofty favors.

“Friends! We’re going to ride in the golden carriage today.”

Even now, he’s talking about friendship and trying to stab me in the back with a knife. This bastard is like Drich.

“Yeah, I have to ride the golden carriage.”

Quillian responded with a laugh.

I was confident that I was the best at hiding my true feelings and smiling cowardly and naturally in the whole world.

It was no easy task to fool a man who was so absorbed in the thought of making money.

I followed Kim into the building. When I went down to the basement, there was a gambling table in full swing.

“Okay, we’re going inside.”

I followed Kim inside.

It was a quiet room. A woman dressed lightly came in, put down two glasses, and left.

“Drink. I’m living.”

Kim drank happily. Quilbian pulled the glass toward him and placed it in front of him.

“Aren’t you going to drink?”

“I’m going to drink it as a celebratory drink after I finish it.”

“That’s good too.”

The dealer is not there yet. It seems like it will take some time to prepare for the trick.

“Kim.”

“huh?”

“Have you heard any rumors that it rained black?”

“Black rain?”

It was Kim who was smiling slyly.

“I haven’t heard of it.”

“Really? Then, people dying from starvation, or indiscriminate killings without a culprit being caught… .”

Kim, who had been laughing without a word, made a flustered face.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“No, I was just curious. You’re a street kid. I’ve heard a lot of rumors.”

“I’ve been hearing stories here and there, but I’ve never heard of something so terrible happening. If something like that had happened, it would have been covered in the newspapers.”

“I guess so?”

Quillvian looked at the dark brown liquor in the glass.

Cheryl is definitely here too, her intuition whispered.

But I didn’t get the feeling that the monster was approaching like before.

It was strange. She was the crazy bitch who always approached me first in the gap.

Since you declared that you don’t want to be taken away by others, it would have been normal for you to come to your senses and come find me.

But it was quiet.

Where are you and what are you doing?

It was clear that not being able to return to reality had something to do with Cheryl.

If we find it and kill it, something might change.

“It’s a headache, really.”

“Why? Are you feeling unwell again?”

“No. I thought, how can life be this twisted? It’s a fucking fate. Even if I want to die, I can’t die when I want to.”

“Hey, why don’t you die? Good days will come.”

The door opened and the dealer came in.

It was a woman in a tight outfit. She placed a few decks of cards on the table and spoke.

“Would you like to check it? Or should we proceed right away?”

“Wouldn’t it be good to see each other at least once so that we can trust each other?”

Kim brought out a deck of cards and lined them up in a row, as if to show that these were no problem cards.

I pretended to look at the cards and checked Kim and the dealer’s eyes.

They were such pathetic bastards. It would be less funny to advertise that they were colluding.

Quillbian held up a card. It was a very common sign. You could tell what kind of card it was by the small design in the corner.

Quilbian sighed as he thought of another Quilbian who had been the master of his body, thinking that he had lost all his wealth to such a basic trick.

“It’s a sigh before it even starts. Don’t worry, Quill. You’re definitely going to have a big day today.”

“That’s right. It’s going to be big. So big that it won’t fit in your pocket.”

“That’s right!”

Quilbian pretended to be nervous and stood up with his glass in his hand. He walked towards the entrance, tilting his neck from side to side.

I let the faint nack that was on my body flow out the door. Even if I can’t use magic, I can at least check my surroundings.

There were no bodyguards waiting outside the door, perhaps because he had a reputation for being a pushover.

This means that you only need to take care of the dealers here and Kim.

An ordinary body.

Although it doesn’t have a monster-like body that bites and kills goblins, it has hands and feet that can move as it wishes.

This is enough.

He stood next to the dealer, shaking his glass. He put his glass down on the table and put his hand on the dealer’s shoulder.

“Touch a little.”

“There’s a saying that touching the dealer’s body brings good luck. Please pray that I don’t lose today.”

“Yeah, well. Good luck.”

He quickly wrapped his hand around the dealer’s neck with the hand on his shoulder and exerted strength in one breath.

The dealer’s body instantly sagged.

After knocking her out in one breath, I looked at Kim.

Kim looked at Quilbian with a face that showed she didn’t understand the situation, then quickly stood up and cursed.

He kicked Kim’s temple as she climbed onto the table and headed toward the entrance.

puck!

Kim slammed into the wall and fell over.

He ran over and stepped on Kim’s hand, pulling out the dagger hidden at his ankle. Kim, who was about to scream, shut her mouth tightly.

“How much of a fool am I that I don’t even get a proper inspection, huh?”

“Qui, quil.”

“Kim. When someone treats you well, you should repay them with kindness. Why are you trying to treat them well by calling them a retard and trying to do bad things to them? That’s useless. People shouldn’t do that.”

“There is some misunderstanding… … .”

“That misunderstanding.”

I slightly applied strength to the hand holding the knife. The knife touched the nape of my neck and went into my skin.

Kim shook her head, convulsing.

“Hey, don’t move. Human skin isn’t easy to cut. I know because I’ve done it many times. But if you move around on your own, you might get stuck. Do you understand?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Wolf and Jack. Are those names familiar? You can’t say you don’t know them.”

“I know. A loan shark.”

“You approached me through you? Pretending it was a coincidence.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“Okay. Now we can settle things.”

He put his hand on Kim’s shoulder.

“I’m going out and going home. If you stick with me, I can get out quietly.”

He said, placing the tip of the knife between his eyebrows.

“You can scream as soon as you get out. There will be security guards there to help you. But one thing is for sure, as soon as you do that, a hole will appear in your throat. If you don’t believe me, try it.”

“I believe it, I really believe it!”

Kim said urgently.

“Okay, buddy, shall we head back now? I have a few things to do, and I need you to help me.”

(Continued in next episode)