Chapter 29: Guests from the Guild (1)
“Ah, so tiring…… Why can’t I get used to this work?”
A groan escaped the mouth of the employee collecting laundry, just like any other day.
Of course, he couldn't rest.
He needed money to eventually run his own proper inn, and to earn money, he had to equip himself with even quicker movents and a kind smile.
‘That way, I can get a bonus from the owner, and maybe even tips from the guests…….’
Click
‘……A guest!’
Hearing the door sound from behind, the inn employee turned around with a smiling face.
He thought of a greeting suitable for the morning; it was a kindness shown knowing that the 1 Silver or 50 Copper he received whenever he was lucky would accumulate into a large sum.
However, upon confirming the identity of the guest who ca out of the room, he couldn't help but freeze on the spot.
A young man with black hair and black eyes.
It was because his eyes t those of the boss of the Eddy Family, no, the ‘Harang Family’, who had been called the ‘Slayer of Marzen’ for the past week.
“Th-th-there…… G-g-g-good morning……”
“Good morning.”
The inn employee offered a morning greeting with a trembling voice.
Harang did the sa.
He replied with an expressionless face, then strode down to the first-floor hall and greeted the inn owner as well.
“Good morning.”
“……Good morning!”
A voice that seed disciplined, beyond just startled.
At this, the boss of the Harang Family frowned.
Seeing that expression, the inn owner’s composure shattered, and without realizing it, he dropped the dishcloth he was holding and his teeth chattered.
“……”
“……”
About 3 seconds passed like that.
Harang, who had been looking at the inn owner, turned his head with a sigh.
And he imdiately went out of the inn.
Only then did the pot-bellied owner, whose tension finally eased, mutter with a look of soone who had narrowly escaped death.
“Phew! S-s-saved…….”
“Are you okay, sir?”
“I’m fine. I’m fine, but give so water.”
“H-here……”
Gulp gulp!
Puha-!
The owner, after drinking the lukewarm water, looked towards the inn door with an expression suggesting he finally felt alive, then continued speaking with a sigh.
“Phew! My lifespan is shortening, shortening. What does the man who unified Marzen’s back alleys lack that he keeps staying in such a shabby inn?”
“I know……”
“I know? Are you dissing my inn as unimpressive right now?”
“N-no! That’s not it, you’re right! I also don’t know why such a terrifying person keeps staying here.”
“That’s what I an.”
The two nodded simultaneously.
It was baffling.
At first, they just thought he was an eccentric.
It couldn't be helped; one couldn't consider a person who deliberately wore dirty clothes every morning to be normal.
There were even rumors that he deliberately pretended to be a beggar, so they had thought he was ntally strange.
However, all of that was part of a ticulous plan to swallow Marzen’s back alleys.
‘Collecting information about the back alleys through the beggars, and not stopping at swallowing the Eddy Gang by exploiting a weakness…… but imdiately subjugating the rival Travion side too!’
He was truly nothing short of a terrifying person.
Because of that, every ti the inn owner and employee encountered Harang, goosebumps rose all over their bodies.
His single sigh made their hearts drop, and his single frown made their hands and feet tremble uncontrollably.
This atmosphere wasn't limited to just the inn.
Perhaps thanks to the rapidly spreading rumors?
Eighty percent of the people making a living in Marzen had beco thoroughly aware of what happened between Eddy, Travion, and Harang, and naturally ca to know his all-black appearance as well.
Thanks to this, whenever Harang walked the streets, it felt as if a chilling coldness spread around him, as if ice water had been sprinkled nearby.
Naturally, Harang couldn't be unaware of this either.
‘Seriously, I told you I’m not a gangster…….’
Looking over the rchants avoiding him again today, Harang let out a deep sigh.
No, to be precise, he tried to sigh but held back.
People often freaked out whenever they saw him looking like his mood was uncomfortable.
However, from his perspective, he couldn't help but feel wronged.
He couldn't help but feel so, so wronged.
‘Of course, it’s true that I killed Travion, but that was unavoidable.’
It really was.
How could he leave alone soone who even sent an assassin to kill him?
Therefore, he had no choice but to take action to wrap things up, and the incident should have ended there.
It was just a private matter with no need for rumors to spread.
But the gangsters were the problem.
Not just the Travion Gang mbers, but also the Eddy Gang, and even Eddy, who used to call him ‘Harang Au’, were now taking the lead in calling him Boss, so the rumors couldn't help but spread.
‘Instead of diminishing, they’re actually twisting maliciously.’
Unwanted fa.
Unwanted notoriety, and the fear resulting from it!
As Harang quietly closed his eyes due to the pain caused by it, an unpleasant voice ca from afar.
“Boss Harang! Good morning!”
“Boss Harang! Good morning!”
It was none other than the Iron Fist, Bloody Fist brothers.
They approached with their chests puffed out, as if showing off their bulging muscles.
In the process, they even put on a performance of glaring at a few trembling rchants, making Harang even sadder.
Harang, saddened like that, opened his eyes with a deep sigh.
And said.
“I am not your Boss.”
“What do you an by that, Boss!”
“That’s right, Boss! If you are not the Boss, then who on earth is!”
“Because I am not a gangster. Things like intimidating others to extort money, I do not wish for such things.”
At this, Iron Fist Kennedy showed a reaction as if he couldn't understand.
“It’s the sa for us, though?”
“What?”
“Extorting money by intimidating others? That’s sothing only the dirty Travion Gang does. We rely protect rchants from suffering unfortunate incidents from ruffians, under mutual agreent, and receive a small protection fee in return…… Uh, what was next?”
“Seems like you’ve pretty much morized it all?”
“Uh, anyway, that’s right! Mutual agreent, small protection fee! We are not gangsters, we are providing a service!”
“……Did Mr. Pale tell you to say that?”
“Huk, how did you know……”
“As expected of the Boss!”
Harang shook his head slowly.
He thought they were using many difficult words unlike the Iron Fists, and sure enough, it was a morized script.
They probably didn't even properly know what they were doing.
‘But…… Is Iron Fist’s statent completely wrong?’
Harang recalled the events of the past few days.
While roaming the night streets of Marzen as usual, he had witnessed countless tis custors harassing rchants.
The number was too large for the guards to handle one by one, and it was the gangsters who resolved these issues.
‘Does that an…… As these people say, the gangsters might actually be helpful to Marzen?’
Harang closed his eyes again.
And he racked his brain hard.
But no conclusion ca.
He understood intellectually that these people weren't entirely bad, but it felt like his heart couldn't accept it.
It was then.
Another voice, breaking Harang’s thoughts, was heard.
“Boss Harang!”
“……Glen, have you beco a gangster too?”
“Huh? Uh…… Not a gangster, but it’s true I beca a mber of the Harang Family……”
“Who let you join?”
“……Boss Eddy?”
“Boss Eddy, no, Mr., no…… Haa.”
Harang put his hand on his forehead.
The titles weren't sorted out.
Of course, that wasn't the important thing right now.
He looked at Glen and asked.
“Alright, there’s no such thing as the Harang Family, but…… I get it for now. Your clothes are neat too, and your face is clean. You look better than before.”
“Thank you!”
“But why did you call ?”
“Ah! Right! Uh, Boss Eddy and Boss Pale sent on an errand to bring Boss Harang……”
“Those two? Why?”
Harang made a puzzled expression.
It was only natural.
After making the Travion Gang kneel, if the two needed to find him, they would co directly instead of sending soone.
Whether that was the right course of action or not, the fact that Glen ca instead like this implied that sothing significant had happened.
‘Of course, that significant thing isn’t my business, though…….’
Harang smacked his lips with a 😒.
They had beco an awkward relationship, but it wasn't like they had beco bad terms.
Above all, curiosity pulled him.
As he nodded, Glen offered to lead the way.
“Farewell, Boss!”
“Farewell, Boss!”
Harang, casually waving his hand at the 90-degree bows of the Fist brothers, called Glen.
“Glen.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“You can just call Brother.”
“How dare I, rank 42……”
“……You, got a rank too?”
“Yep! Thanks to my acquaintance with Boss Harang……”
“Enough, call Brother from now on. If anyone says anything, I’ll take care of……”
Harang, who was about to say ‘take care of them’, shook his head vigorously.
This was bad.
He had instantly acted according to a gangster's mindset.
‘I need to be careful about this.’
Nodding, he continued speaking again.
“……Anyway, Boss is burdenso, so call Brother. Got it?”
“Ye-yes. Uh, Harang…… Brother?”
“Good. So……”
The story the Fist brothers had told him flowed from Harang’s mouth.
It wasn't a long story.
That they weren't gangsters but just service providers, so they weren't bad people.
Glen nodded, and Harang, watching him, threw a question.
What did he think about this?
After thinking for a mont, Glen, the forr beggar and current rank 42 of the Harang Family, answered like this.
“If I had to say, I think it’s closer to being right.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Honestly, no matter how you wrap it, they are gangsters…… But still, the Harang, no, the Eddy Family is decent. They didn’t charge much for protection compared to the Travion side…… Actually, gangsters are the kind of folks you inevitably find in any neighborhood, right?”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Because the guards don’t do their job…… That’s why paying protection money is the sa no matter where or what business you run, so if you have to pay anyway, paying it to relatively conscientious gangsters like Boss Eddy…… I think it’s better, but honestly, I’m not sure.”
“Hmm…….”
“Ah, we’re here. It seems like they’re having so kind of eting in the main room. With people from another city…… They told not to co in, so I’ll be doing other work.”
Those were his last words.
Glen, bowing politely, disappeared to run an errand for another gangster, and Harang, left alone in front of Eddy's hideout, frowned.
Sothing felt unsettling.
Even knowing that Glen's words, like the Iron Fist's, weren't wrong.
Even thinking that the kid's neat appearance looked good, strangely, he didn't feel good.
He didn't want to agree with their words.
Entering the main room Eddy ntioned in that state, he saw Eddy and Pale, and two n with cold impressions staring at him.
“Ah.”
He could imdiately tell their identities.
“So these are gangsters too.”
“What did you say?”
“What did you just say?”
“Boss! Th-these people are from the Jeten Swordsmanship Guild……!”
“……!”
Four figures showing distinctly different reactions.
Regardless, Harang casually sat down in the seat of honor and said with a smiling face.
“Nice to et you. I am Harang.”
“……”
“……”
“What is your business? Gangster sirs?”
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