Chapter 016
Ran had returned from Rel. Not far from their agreed eting place, Dante was waiting for him.
"What? You summoned all the branch managers?"
"That's right. Heh, you should've seen their faces. Honestly, those old geezers..."
Dante boasted about what had happened yesterday. He could hardly contain his sly laughter.
In contrast, Ran was left speechless. He thought it was a clear mistake on Zilla's part. With this, one of the Revolutionaries' advantages would be lost.
"Unlike the military, your Revolutionaries' only unique weapon was the covert and flexible organizational structure. I don't see why you had to do this."
"The general branch manager plans to devote everything to this operation. We need to steel our resolutions together."
"Are the other branch managers trustworthy?"
"They might be incompetent, but without trust, the Revolutionaries are dead."
"They already are."
"? That's just biting your own tongue. I won't say any more."
Ran also refrained from retorting. Operationally, there was no risk of his identity being exposed. It was solely the Revolutionaries' problem.
"Regal is one of the highest priority targets among the Revolutionaries marked by the Special Unit. He's not soone to be underestimated."
"This ti you're wrong. That man has just survived long. I could tell at a glance—he doesn't have the courage to step forward anymore, just postures and observes from the back. Even the general branch manager looked imnsely disappointed."
As they got close to their destination, the two n slowed their horses.
"Did you finish your business in Rel well?"
"Well, yes."
Dante had, at so point, started asking private questions more often. Ran was unfamiliar with the feeling called camaraderie.
Trying to mingle with others is a fundantal human trait.
'If I'd stayed in Quersa, I would've never known this.'
Ran realized he was immature. Like ripples on a still lake, even minor events left a significant impact on him. He'd had many such experiences lately.
The process of opening up to the Revolutionaries, who were once enemies; the twisted affections of one-ard Jack and the executioner, Walter; the desires that moved them.
He recalled what Iscarang had said—that the outside world was a whole different place. He hadn't been wrong.
"This way."
Ran, leading the way, pointed to a barren field. Dante looked around, bewildered.
"Here? What? There's nothing here?"
It was a desolate open land. Only a few withered old trees stood sparsely on the cracked, dried ground. A cold wind from the north swept between the bare branches.
Fwing—
An arrow flew by and stuck in a nearby tree. Dante was startled out of his wits, unable to tell where it had co from.
Ran casually pulled out the arrow. A strip of red cloth was tied to the end of the shaft.
"Hey, explain what's going on. What is this situation?"
Ran untied the knot, checked the ssage, then burned it.
"Looks like the Revolutionaries have never dealt with black marketeers?"
"Black marketeers? Why would we need them?"
Ran shook his head.
They moved again and arrived at a ruined village.
"Th-this place...?"
"There was so heavy urban fighting here. It's all wreckage."
The place swept by war was devastating. The palisade encircling the village was reduced to a skeleton, and the ground and the walls of the buildings were deeply scarred or damaged from whatever fighting had happened. Broken weapons and armor littered the area, making Dante's legs tremble just looking at it.
"Ugh, dreadful. Are those what they call traces of elental magic?"
"Who knows. Could've been a high-level monster."
Dante couldn't close his gaping mouth. During the civil war, he had holed up in a solitary cell, pouring himself into dark magic research. When he finally ca out, this was the state of the world.
"Urgh. I can almost still sll blood."
"Dante. Why are you even doing this Revolutionaries thing?"
"We're not close enough yet for that kind of talk."
Ran ignored him and continued walking.
They stopped at an abandoned tavern. The door, crudely hung at the center with square planks, creaked as it swung in the wind.
Creak—
The wooden floorboards groaned loudly under their boots. The air felt chilly.
"Marl!"
Ran's voice echoed throughout the room.
Soon, there was movent from behind the bar.
"The Marl you're looking for, right here!"
A man waved his hand and approached with a comical gait. He was as tall as Ran.
Dante gave Marl a once-over, from top to bottom. The man wore formal attire, obviously stylish even at a glance. The rings on his fingers and the brooch on his chest sparkled brightly.
"The rchandise?"
"I brought it, of course. Hoo-hoo, surely you know who I am."
"Let's check first."
"Ah, ah, one mont."
Marl stopped Ran as he tried to pass. He parted his lips hesitantly.
"Custor, I did my very best. You have to know that."
"What's this? That's not like you."
"Ah, don't even start. You heard the rumors, right? The eastern front is chaos these days, chaos. The imperial army is launching a full offensive, you know?"
"The point, please."
"?? I only managed to procure about half the amount you ordered."
Marl flinched as Ran raised his hand to scratch his head. Having forced out the difficult news, Marl now began talking faster.
"Now, listen well! You can't get oil in bulk anywhere these days! Not just oil—if you try to move even a bundle of scrap tal, everyone is so wary they can't think straight. You're in the Special Unit, you must know."
As the tide clearly shifted, even the weapon dealers who had quietly supported the rebels flipped fully to the imperial army's side. In regions close to the front, trading was out of the question; even transporting supplies was tricky. One could not afford to get on the bad side of the imperial army.
Inside the tavern's old storeroom, oak barrels were stacked neatly. As the cloth covering was pulled away, the pungent sll of oil filled their noses.
Dante muttered.
"Oil? Is this why you told to bring gold coins?"
"Well, yes, but we can't pay full price for all of it."
Marl clutched his head.
"Aww, custor, don't do this! I know you're a top-tier client, but even for you, honestly, you know how things are!"
"Marl, you're the one who couldn't fill the order first."
"Oh, co on, like I told you, custor. These days, if you want to move goods past the front, you better supply hefty compensation. Seriously, what's with you? It's not like we're new to this."
Ran thumbed back at Dante.
"It's not . It's this guy's deal. First transaction, half price. Right?"
Marl, dumbfounded, looked Dante up and down, then snorted. He sighed, licked his lips, put his hands on his hips, put them down, over and again. His oversized earrings swayed wildly.
"Honestly, you're too much. And I bet I'll never see this Revolutionary again after today."
Dante suddenly felt a chill. Marl already knew Ran was with the Special Unit. Even without introductions, he imdiately realized Dante was a Revolutionary.
Dante shot an uneasy glance at Ran, just as Marl muttered irritably.
"Ah, don't fret now. You see all sorts in this business. Playing both sides with the imperial army and the Liberation Army is standard here."
Dante put down the crate he carried. Marl glanced inside, then snapped the lid shut.
And that was the end of the oil deal.
"Marl, isn't there one more left?"
"Ha, haha... Oh, yes. Of course."
Marl absentmindedly fiddled with his rings and forced a laugh. He brought out a large leather-wrapped chest from the corner. While not massive, when upright it reached up to the chins of Ran and Marl.
Marl opened the chest. Dante was shocked again.
"A crossbow? That's enormous for a crossbow."
The crossbow was the main weapon of the 2nd general branch. Dante didn't even know how to fire one, but he was well aware of its uses and power.
Marl waggled his finger; his ring and white teeth flashed.
"Custor, this is no ordinary crossbow. It's a special, improved model once called the Liberation Army's ultimate weapon—'the imperial army's nightmare'."
Marl tried to hold up the crossbow, but nearly dropped it, coughing awkwardly. As might be expected from its size, it was incredibly heavy—a weapon not just anyone could handle.
Without hesitation, Ran lifted it one-handed and fiddled with the bowstring. Just with a gentle pull, it stretched taut with a whir.
"That's not normal draw strength."
"You can't find sothing like this easily. They say if you shoot from the easternmost tip of the continent, it'll reach Gerinhild Castle on the western end."
Marl glanced sideways at Ran, muttering.
"But what's the occasion? You don't usually carry weapons around."
Ran silently put the crossbow back.
Marl acted unconcerned, turning his head aside. His eyes t Dante's and he grinned widely.
"Custor, I'm just a broker now, but soday I'll be a tycoon—Marl, at your service."
Marl extended his hand to Dante. As if nothing had happened, he was a completely different person from the one brazenly ignoring him monts before.
Dante, caught off guard, shook Marl's hand. Even Dante, who usually never shrank back, found himself overwheld by Marl's shalessness.
"I can sell you everything—except what doesn't exist, of course."
Then he quickly explained how to find him again.
Ran, preparing to leave, said quietly,
"Marl. Don't sell this guy anything. That's a warning."
Marl ignored him with one ear, glancing slyly at Dante and smiling faintly.
"Us demons have to look out for each other, don't we?"
It was the rchant's smile.
* * *
The Special Unit was already in an uproar over the Brinhill Church incident. Ergency etings, led personally by the Special Unit Commander, had been going on for days.
The etings led nowhere except for the Special Unit Commander's constant raging. None of the Class 1 clergy who'd returned to headquarters could testify to what had actually happened. To make matters worse, before even arriving at Brinhill, they had been ambushed by rebel stragglers and suffered huge losses, making the Special Unit Commander clutch at his neck in frustration.
'Damn it, Martin, you idiot!'
1st Division leader Johan's position as the next Special Unit Commander, not to ntion his current one, was now in dire peril. Not only had the operation failed, but his clandestine connections with a rchant guild had co to light. Martin, whom he could have pinned the bla on, had been killed by the Revolutionaries. There was no escape.
"Commander! We've found the body of chief priest Martin Sergio from 1st Division!"
A Special Unit mber burst into the conference room and hurriedly handed a piece of parchnt to the Special Unit Commander.
The Special Unit Commander's face twisted.
"? Dante, 13th branch manager of Astana Revolutionaries."
He rembered that na well. The one who had assassinated High Priest Boras.
As the Special Unit Commander angrily crumpled the parchnt, 3rd division leader Bern suppressed a secret smile.
'We won.'
Even if the Special Unit as a whole had failed, 3rd division had accomplished its mission perfectly. In this situation, 3rd division's achievents stood out all the more.
Inquisitor Ran had fulfilled his assignnts within the scope of his responsibility, and even at Lucerne, where there had been no specific instructions, he'd kept his head and minimized damages.
'He even handled Executioner Walter's unpredictable behavior.'
It was common for inquisitors to use their privileges to cause trouble, but if they got into an accident with a noble during tis like this, cleanup would be nearly impossible.
Bern heaved a sigh of relief. Ran had perford beyond expectations.
"Bern! Summon the inquisitor!"
"Yes, commander."
Bern went to Ran, who was waiting outside the entrance. He patted Ran on the shoulder and whispered,
"Ran. I always knew you'd show your ttle soday."
"That's too kind."
"Let's go higher together. What do you say?"
The two exchanged low chuckles.
As Ran entered the eting room and gave the Special Unit salute, he glanced at the person seated at the head of the table.
'Special Unit Commander.'
He was the next target for elimination.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】
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