novelraw Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Ch.50 Heh… Time For Some Long-Overdue Healing
After dealing with the assassins, I took the two survivors to the City Guard and filed a report.
The next day, hearing Andrea had been arrested, I headed to the guard station.
Passing several iron-barred cells, I reached Andrea’s cage.
“W-what’s happening?! Mr. Hans! I’m innocent! I heard some local thugs targeted you and mentioned my name!”
Andrea trembled in fear.
His pathetic state made me snort.
“Hey, they’ve already confessed everything. You’re in deep trouble—attempted murder incitement carries a heavy sentence here.”
Law enforcement here was strict due to rampant crime.
According to the guards, refusal to settle would likely mean execution.
(Whether that’d happen in modern times, I couldn’t say—but here, it seemed plausible.)
“Grr… this is so unfair!”
“Unfair? Whatever. Let’s get to the point: how much for a settlement?”
Andrea’s eyes widened.
“You clearly targeted my money. You knew you’d have to pay if you failed, right?”
(Though he probably hadn’t—but now he’d either pay enough to satisfy me or face death. No other options.)
Andrea’s expression shifted.
“How much do you want?”
Hmm. Hans smiled wickedly.
“I saw you own a house inside the city walls—must be expensive.”
Property value here depended heavily on one thing: inside or outside the walls.
Houses within walls started at several hundred gold.
“How did you—?!”
“I checked your land registry before coming. From market rates, your place is quite valuable.”
I’d researched thoroughly to squeeze him dry.
Now, I watched him calmly, smiling.
“So… how much is your life worth? Don’t go too low—I’d feel bad for your self-esteem. You name the price.”
Andrea’s face twisted at my taunt—then calmed.
Ah, he remembered he was a merchant too.
Merchants occupied an ambiguous social tier: wealthy, yet not untouchable.
Thus, they always had to smile—to avoid making enemies.
“Fine. 150 gold. That’s my best offer.”
Angry but quick to calculate.
I’d estimated his total assets around 200 gold—so 150 gold was plenty to extract.
(Though this wouldn’t be the end.)
“Deal. I’ll even write a petition for leniency.”
And so, I settled with Andrea.
***
To secure the settlement, Andrea issued a massive promissory note: 150 gold.
A large sum—but manageable for him.
He’d secretly amassed bribes by sabotaging rivals and enemies over the years.
Thanks to this, his retirement would be… very difficult.
“Damn it. I need to sell my house fast. That bastard.”
After his release, Andrea headed to work—only to find an angry mob gathered outside the trading house.
“Where’s Andrea?! That son of a bitch!”
“He’s the one who snitched about my smuggling, right?!”
“That fucker stole my contract and ran!”
“Sir, the branch manager’s in jail!”
Employees tried calming them—but to no avail.
Andrea had betrayed everyone.
Their eyes met.
“It’s Andrea! Get him!”
“Kill him!”
Andrea spun and fled in panic.
“What the hell?! How did this happen?!”
***
Before reporting Andrea to the guards, I interrogated the two captured thugs (and two corpses).
Both looked like early twenties—youthful faces, rotten hearts.
I’d cast Silence Magic in the room, fearing eavesdroppers.
These were the men who’d tried to steal my money—I wouldn’t just take settlement and let them go.
“The branch manager… gave us tips or tasks that paid well…”
“Really? Be specific.”
They shook their heads frantically.
“If we talk… we’ll die.”
“Oh? Then die now.”
I tapped one’s cheek with Levi’s Dagger.
“Or… I won’t kill you. Just stab you until morning…”
Seeing my expression, they both spoke:
“We’ll talk!”
“We’ll tell everything!”
Hans chuckled.
“Of course you will. But wait—”
Using Silence Magic, I interrogated them separately…
—Clap clap.
“Wow, you’re surprisingly honest! Good, good.”
Hans even clapped in admiration.
(I’d worried they’d lie—so I cross-examined harshly. Maybe overkill? Just wasted double the time.)
“Now I just need to call the guards.”
Their faces paled.
“Bro! Please! Not that!”
“If I go to jail, I’m finished! Spare me!”
Two people were dead. If I buried them quietly, I might be blamed.
Reporting to guards and claiming self-defense was the only way—to ensure Andrea was punished.
“Why would I spare you? Sleep.”
I cast a sleep spell, then went to the City Guard.
I reported Andrea and shared the assassins’ confessions with several victims, handing over full interrogation records.
“Heh… you’re truly ruined.”
After collecting settlement from Andrea, I checked my map:
“Next city… five days away.”
Riding my horse, I headed to recover the conceptual artifact.
No issues now—but trouble might flare later. Better leave fast.
I could sell the promissory note in another city anyway.
I silently wished Andrea well.
Goodbye, my friend.
***
A luxury passenger liner bound for the New Continent.
Ornately decorated, it embodied the pinnacle of New Continent’s magical engineering: smooth ride even in rough seas, gourmet chefs, lavish interiors, entertainment—circus shows, musical performances.
A black-haired beauty aboard this ship—so grand even minor nobles rarely dared board—was in a foul mood.
Her cold eyes and ruby-red irises were mesmerizing; passersby couldn’t help but stare.
Yet as she gazed at the ocean from the elegant deck, her melancholic eyes narrowed—and she muttered:
“Hans, was it? That bastard. When I catch him, I’ll tear his limbs off alive.”
She cursed.
“Ugh! Seriously! How did he know the location of the divine power?! May that bastard rot in hell!”
And she was good at it.
Understandably so—
Selena had spent years deciphering the Prophecy Scroll for her organization, treating it as a sacred mission from the Formless God.
And just as she miraculously found the key to decoding it…
Every site she visited had already been looted by a man named Hans.
No wonder she was furious.
“Seriously! He’s dead!”
She punched the air twice.
“I’ll twist his neck like this and kill him.”
Even if Hans held two divine artifacts, Selena wasn’t afraid.
Her gift—Mysterious Power—surpassed unknown abilities.
Arriving at the port, she sensed an ominous atmosphere.
Like a city at war.
‘Whatever. War or not, I’m here for the divine power.’
“Huu… I won’t let this go.”
Normally, she’d await orders—but consumed by rage, she’d crossed to the New Continent before authorization.
Alex and Ian tried stopping her—but she’d used her abilities to evade them.
‘Didn’t expect such strong opposition. They must’ve been shocked I vanished without a word.’
She’d left a letter for Cardinal Davinus, her boss—so no major issues.
“But should I seek the Trident of the Sea God first?”
Trident of the Sea God in the north was closer.
“Please don’t tell me he took that too…”
If he’d beaten her again, she’d skin him alive—slice by slice.
***
Leah arrived in Richmond City.
No soldier here dared challenge the ‘mad sorceress who freed slaves’.
After all, this city supported the slave liberation movement.
She’d come to join her old friends in their war—and relieve stress.
—Peep…
Gently stroking Pipi’s head as the phoenix chirped anxiously, Leah headed to City Hall.
She didn’t know where Scarlet’s group was—but City Hall would have answers.
‘They’re the commanders; they’ll know.’
Soldiers rushed about; citizens wore tense expressions.
The scene felt oddly familiar.
‘Nostalgic.’
Her first time on a battlefield—terrifying day by day.
Perhaps that’s why, when the Demon King fell and war ended, she’d felt truly happy.
Dreaming of forgetting that dreadful war and living peacefully with her beloved master, she’d smiled naturally—genuinely happy.
But that dream ended.
Her foolish master died, buried in snow.
‘Why did he have to save that Hatchling…? Wait—what happened to Aria?’
Dragons probably expelled her.
‘Whatever…’
Leah didn’t even feel kindly toward Aria.
Because of that insignificant Hatchling, her master was dead.
“Huh?”
Her eyes met a familiar voice—and a petite woman with platinum hair.
“Long time no see, Cecilia?”
Having guarded each other’s backs for so long…
Leah felt a mix of warmth and sorrow over her master’s death.
Cecilia pointed at her, shocked.
‘So happy to see me she’s stunned?’
Leah thought—but Cecilia’s next words stunned her:
“What?! You damn she-cat!”
‘She-cat?!’
***
My journey to find Trident of the Sea God.
“Boring, sore butt… hate traveling. Haa…”
Alone on horseback, I grumbled.
With Leah, I’d maintained a dignified masterly facade—but truthfully, I hated travel.
Long hours on horseback meant a sore rear and boredom.
On ships, you chat with people—but horseback travel was lonely, meeting others only once every few days.
I unfolded my map.
I should seek Trident of the Sea God…
“But how can I miss the New Continent Wine Festival?”
Wine tasting has become my new hobby here—a small joy easing my dull, content-poor life.
No one would steal the staff if I arrived a day or two late.
For some relaxation, I headed to Icevine—only three days away. Minimal time lost, plus some healing.
Leaving Leah behind left me at ease.
(Of course, trouble if caught—but she thinks I’m dead.)
“Heh… time for some long-overdue healing.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a day like this.
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