I’m Quitting Everything and Selling Cola

Chapter 111

Chapter 111. ……Did We Get Her? (1)

There was a distinctive smell where the high-voltage current had swept through.

This was because the discharge sparks decomposed oxygen molecules into ozone and nitrogen oxides. Jurgen calmly tucked the Palette into his chest.

"Ugh……."

Bell, caught in the electric shock, had lost consciousness and was writhing on the ground. Bell's skin, which had turned black as if dipped in ink, had also returned to its normal complexion with only minor burns.

He approached without letting his guard down. Pressing his fingertip beneath her nose, he felt a faint breath.

"Is she dead?"

"Didn't kill her."

Aiden, who had been secretly clinging to his back in preparation for any contingency, stepped forward. Between his fingers sat a sharp throwing dagger.

Just as Bell had suspected, Jurgen had seen through her identity from the very first meeting. Because his memories of 'Mel' had been far too full of inconsistencies.

For someone who was supposedly an adventurer companion of four years, Hanbin had been the Minister of Internal Affairs during that time.

Recalling the rumours that Bell was connected to a Dark Mage, Jurgen had little difficulty linking 'Mel'—an acquaintance he had no memory of—to Bell. He had lured her out to the Demon Realm alone under the pretext of the Pioneering Venture. A simple trap.

The result, as one could see, was a success. With no witnesses, he had captured Bell.

"Even so……. She's ridiculously strong, that young lady."

Aiden clicked his tongue. It had been a very brief engagement, but Aiden had a sharp eye honed by abundant real combat experience.

To think someone he had said 'Shall I take care of her?' about would be this formidably powerful.

"If things had gone slightly differently, I'd have been the one who kicked the bucket."

Even as he clicked his tongue, Aiden looked at Jurgen, who had subdued such a dangerous individual with such ease.

In Aiden's estimation, this was someone who had even made peak-era Hanbin of the Secret Burial Unit struggle. He had known Hanbin changed professions to Alchemist and even claimed the title of the Kingdom's greatest Alchemist, but…… To think he was at this level.

"Just how much stronger have you gotten, Boss?"

"More than you're imagining."

"Honestly, I thought it was just a promotional bluster……."

He had already been a monster before, and now he had become a monster standing at an unfathomable height that couldn't be reached even looking up. As always, he was glad not to have made an enemy of him.

"Anyway……."

Aiden kept only a single dagger in hand and stowed the rest away inside his cloak as if by magic.

"Shall I dispose of her?"

By all convention, a Dark Mage must be dealt with the moment they're caught. Since the majority of them don't die quietly even when they do die, killing them while unconscious is the best approach.

"……Shouldn't we assess the situation first? Go ahead and restrain her."

Aiden's eyes went wide.

"Wait, Boss, are you really my Boss?"

"Why are you so surprised?"

"Because the Boss I knew used to smash in the heads of Dark Mages the moment he laid eyes on them……?"

"There's not yet definitive proof she's a Dark Mage."

"Even so, you used to smash their heads in first and ask questions later……?"

That was true, but—

A great deal of time had passed. Jurgen was different from back then too. Having lived through every manner of hardship, he had gained the composure to think more calmly and deeply.

"Well, if that's what the Boss says, then that's that."

It was a bit puzzling how one could lack definitive proof of someone being a Dark Mage when they were openly using Black Magic, but…… Aiden decided not to think too deeply about it.

The Boss would handle it. Aiden had retired anyway, and had no intention of getting more deeply entangled. For now, he injected a special drug that completely blocked magic power use, and bound Bell's wrists with thick alloy handcuffs.

"For now, let's keep her somewhere safe. We interrogate her the moment she wakes."

He had already identified a Reward Room for contingencies. It was a place no one visited because nothing but useless reeds grew there, so it would serve adequately as a safe house.

.

.

.

Thud.

Having tossed the bound Bell onto a collapsed heap of reeds, Jurgen and Aiden had a simple bite to eat. Bacon sandwiches and strawberry milk.

"Ahh, it's been a while. A sandwich packed by the Boss."

Aiden took a big bite of his sandwich, and his eyes went wide.

"Wait, this tastes even better than before? What's this inside?"

"I added a chicken patty."

"Ah, that trendy thing everyone's talking about?"

"I packed plenty, so eat to your heart's content."

There was no way it wouldn't taste good. It wasn't just any sandwich—it was a chicken sandwich stuffed generously with boneless chicken. Aiden polished off the sandwich clean and even licked the dressing seasoning off his fingers.

"Now that I've eaten well, it's time to work."

Bell was a Dark Mage. Ordinary Dark Mages typically shrug off even severe torture. Many were accustomed to pain, and their view of death was simply different to begin with.

A different method was needed to extract information from them.

"Good thing I kept one stocked."

Aiden produced a syringe from inside his jacket. It was a powerful truth serum.

"Haven't used it in a while, so I'm not sure of the dosage. How much should I put in?"

"Give it here, I'll do it."

Jurgen took the truth serum from Aiden and injected it into Bell's body. Since it had its own awakening effect, Bell's shoulders soon began to stir.

"Hh, haah……."

Just as she seemed to be regaining consciousness, and then only for a moment—

"Wh, what? What's happening?"

Bell's eyes began to roll back. Foam dripped from inside her mouth; she convulsed, and black magic power began surging in reverse.

One of a Dark Mage's signature techniques. The precursor to self-destruction.

"Move!"

"Yes, sir!"

The two didn't look back as they vacated the spot.

—Boom!

An explosion erupted that engulfed the entire vast field of reeds.

A moment later.

Jurgen doused the blazing reed field with water via Alchemy. Aiden scratched his dishevelled hair vigorously and walked toward the epicentre.

"Wow, she was determined. That was self-destruction, right?"

"It seems there was some kind of trigger."

To the two of them, seasoned through every ordeal imaginable, this wasn't incomprehensibly absurd.

"So she really was a Dark Mage. It's a shame we couldn't extract any information, but then again, when is anything ever easy?"

Aiden's reaction was the same.

"……."

However, from Jurgen's perspective, this was quite a troublesome development.

For starters…… His bargaining chip had vanished.

Had he captured Bell alive, he would have held an overwhelming advantage in negotiations with Clarisse.

Of course, the thought of bringing Rosemore to complete ruin was never his intention.

After all, wasn't Penelope a Rosemore too? He couldn't put a speed bump in front of the flourishing Y&P Trading Company.

However, he could have used this as leverage to extract several concessions from Clarisse. But Bell had gone out in a blaze, leaving behind neither evidence nor information.

Given the circumstances, Clarisse would have gone to the capital having instructed Bell to keep Y&P Trading Company in check. And at that point, her trusted aide Bell had simply vanished……

It had only served to heighten Clarisse's guard instead.

"Hmm……."

"……Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Would you do a bit more work with me?"

"No! You said you'd let me go once this was done!"

"Come now……."

Jurgen draped a friendly arm around Aiden's shoulders. Aiden struggled, but couldn't budge an inch.

***

Y&P Trading Company executive meeting.

Those in attendance were Serena and Penelope.

Brigitte was excluded since she couldn't keep up with this type of conversation. Baron Keystone and Branch Manager Belheim were each absent due to personal circumstances.

But even those who couldn't attend had probably pieced together the general situation.

With Bell's disappearance, the 'magic of inserting false memories' had also run its course, and everyone had begun to question the existence of someone called 'Mel.'

Jurgen explained the finer details of the matter.

"And so, she had been approaching us disguised as Mel."

Before Jurgen even finished speaking, Serena slapped her knee and shot to her feet.

"I knew it! I genuinely had a ba~d feeling, didn't I? I thought something was off from the very beginning!"

"And yet you were eating together with her quite happily, weren't you?"

"No, seriously! Something really was off, I'm telling you? I had a gut feeling!"

"Alright, alright, I hear you."

Setting aside Serena growing indignant at the lukewarm response, Penelope had been detecting a great sense of incongruity in the exchange.

"But doesn't something seem a little strange?"

"What do you mean?"

"You and Mel went to the Demon Realm together for the Pioneering Venture, and then you realised she was a Dark Mage, and on top of that you defeated her and came back."

Penelope had encountered those Dark Mage types herself. They were even more dangerous than rumours suggested.

That her sister's right hand, Bell, was a Dark Mage was shocking enough, but the thing she was most puzzled about right now was this.

"How?"

"I was going to introduce you anyway. Come in."

As if waiting for the cue, Jurgen snapped his fingers, and Aiden walked in.

Instead of his usual layabout fashion, he was in a neat suit. It clearly didn't fit his body well, as he kept scrunching up his nose,

"He'll be handling security for Y&P Trading Company going forward…… This is Dominic."

"Good day to you, Dominic here. I enjoy drinking, smoking, and gambling."

Seemingly displeased, Aiden had been half-heartedly going through the motions, but when Jurgen fixed him with a steady look, he hastily added more.

"Military background, adventurer by trade. 6th Rank Knight. I came along because the Boss said he'd feed me something delicious. Pleased to be working with you."

"As you can see, I sensed this sort of thing might eventually come up, so I prepared in advance."

"Sensed this sort of thing might come up?"

"That's right……."

Penelope's eyes narrowed. Her expression had the word 'suspicion' written all over it, but……

She soon seemed to let go of that suspicion and gave a nod.

"Well done. I'm glad you're safe. So what becomes of the Pioneering Venture?"

"We'll discuss that further at a later time."

"I personally think it's a bit premature."

Jurgen quietly let out a sigh of relief, careful not to show it.

Fortunately, it seemed they had managed to get through this one too.

So what came next…… It was time to work out countermeasures against Clarisse's interference.

***

After Jurgen and Dominic had left. Penelope was curled up on the sofa, her brow deeply furrowed.

"Hey, Serena."

"Yes?"

"Isn't something a bit strange?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Jurgen."

This wasn't the first time Penelope had felt suspicious about Jurgen's true identity.

But up until now, she had accepted things broadly enough. He seemed reluctant to reveal it himself, and prying would be rude.

Taking together details like his body covered in scars that were painful just to look at, and his remark about previously having been a civil servant, she had broadly concluded he was probably military.

Branch Manager Belheim was also of commoner origins. Exceptional individuals existed regardless of status.

But…… Was it too far-fetched to feel that his was not merely the capability of a genius, but something built on layers of seasoned experience above that?

This incident alone was evidence enough.

Despite having fallen under Black Magic together, he'd picked up on the inconsistency amid all of that and arranged for a guard in advance, hadn't he? She was even beginning to suspect that raising the subject of the Pioneering Venture in the first place might have been a trap set to draw Bell in.

"He's just too perfect……."

As Penelope sank into thought, Serena rolled her eyes around and around.

Serena knew to some extent.

That Jurgen was a capable individual who had subdued a Dark Mage with ease. This incident had probably been handled in much the same way.

But Jurgen's true identity was a secret between the two of them. She was a little curious why Senior Jurgen was going to the trouble of concealing his identity from Penelope, but……

With Penelope seemingly deep in suspicion right now, if Serena clumsily tried to lay down a smokescreen, this was exactly the kind of moment where it would backfire badly.

"……."

Serena quietly held her breath.