Act Like a Boss, Mr. Swallow Chapter 39

[Translator Clara]

[Proofreader Demon God]

Devourer and Patrick had to circle the territory for about half a lap before they could arrive at this place, the back alley.

When they realized that there had been a theft, it was quite frustrating. Devourer, Patrick, neither of them had any cunning skills to find thieves.

Tracking peculiar scents or using magical ans to trace the whereabouts of objects were stories of a distant land for Devourer and Patrick. Originally, they were just ancient monster and Death Knight. They were monsters that knew nothing but hitting and smashing.

So they ran with their feet unsophisticatedly, until they found them.

Ive missed you guys like crazy.

After finishing his sentence, Patrick burst into laughter and took a step forward. The humans sitting in front of them moved backward as Patrick approached. The humans were on high alert as two vague beings suddenly appeared in front of them. It was a natural result since they had silently approached right in front of them.

Patrick enjoyed the gaze of those humans and slowly walked forward. As the place where the thieves were was the darkest part of the back alley, the humans backs were blocked by a wall. There was no way out.

Patrick, having pushed the humans inside to so extent, looked towards the ribs and black clothes.

All the items seem to be intact.

The worst-case scenario that Patrick had in mind didnt seem to have happened. If stolen goods had left the hands of the thieves and leaked outside of Hastin, he might have had to roam the entire continent playing hide and seek or live a life without ribs for the rest of his life.

Fortunately, contrary to such concerns, the clothes and ribs in front of Patrick seed to be unhard.

Patrick, who breathed a sigh of relief, turned his head and glanced at Devourer, checking for his reaction.

Earlier, he had said sothing like, Ah, we survived. Now, his expression seed like he might collapse at any mont from physical and ntal exhaustion.

Well, Renee gave this outfit.

Since Renee had returned not long ago, and causing another hole in her heart might lead to unknown consequences, Patrick added.

Besides, the boss even jumped around.

The ancient monster, renowned for serving Primordial Core for over a hundred years, jumped around with a stern expression. It was a sight that even Patrick, who had served Devourer for over a hundred years, had never seen before.

Anyway,

Sorry for the trouble.

Patrick, who spat out words to the residents of the back alley, loosened up. The sound of rustling from the plate mail sounded unusually loud. Whether that sound was perceived as a threat or not, tension spread among the humans.

Are you the leader?

Clad in full plate mail, Patrick, a knight with a tall and robust figure, looked down at the humans and asked. His gaze focused solely on the captain.

Instead of answering, the captain raised the corner of his mouth. It was a smirk.

Patrick, satisfied even with that response, also smiled. However, that smile couldnt be seen behind his helt.

Why do you think so?

Because you look like one.

When asked the question, the human didnt avoid eye contact. Not caring about anyones opinion ant there was no need to be cautious. It probably ant there was no one higher than oneself.

Besides, there were a few more reasons to be sure, but before that, the captain admitted in a low voice.

Id prefer if you called Captain instead of leader.

Its a waste of energy to argue about such similar anings. Besides, strictly speaking, wouldnt Leader be more accurate than the Captain? Calling soone the captain in a back alley discussion is too much.

You look like a knight, but instead of martial skills, you seem to have focused on training your tongue.

Oh, You, who swim at the bottom of morality, even have the qualifications to judge people?

Besides, I dont even have a tongue to train.

A blue glint shone within the helt.

Whether it was noticed or not, the captains lips twitched slightly.

How did you know and ca here?

It seems the item was desperately looking for its owner.

Once again, Patrick replied with a playful tone.

Seemingly dissatisfied with Patrick, who hadnt given a proper answer since earlier, the captain frowned.

The captain slowly stood up from his seat and brushed his knees. The humans lying down also got up one by one, following the captain.

Devourers yawn was heard at that mont.

Im tired. Lets finish this and rest quickly.

Patrick, who was about to turn his head to deliver his usual nagging, forcibly fixed his gaze on the captain.

Ill endure it just for today, boss. Youve been running around until just now.

It seems the private talk has beco too long. Back alley leader No, well, if you want, Ill call you Captain. Back Alley Captain, you picked the wrong items to steal.

It was fortunate that the culprits were the back alley poor. If such humans, who couldnt receive the protection of nobles, were suddenly discovered as cold corpses, it wouldnt attract much attention.

Moreover, in a situation where the village was in chaos and commoners were dying, would a few poor peoples deaths beco an issue?

In fact, it was surprising that these guys had survived until now.

As long as we clean up afterward, Everything will be fine.

However, its better to leave as few traces as possible in any case. It would be best for Devourer to devour everything at once.

Patrick turned his head towards Devourer. As Devourers gaze was unusually quick-witted only at tis like this, Devourer quickly declared before Patrick could open his mouth.

Ah, Im too tired to help with anything.

I didnt expect much, but isnt that too quick?

Well, thats true. Given that he followed, he should be thankful.

Seemingly disappointed by Devourers reaction, Patrick asked the humans in a more generous tone.

Do you have any intention of returning them nicely?

Several humans, taken aback by the sudden question, glared at Patrick with eyes full of hostility.

The captain, in turn, questioned back.

Is there any guarantee that you guys will just leave if we return them?

Um, now that you ntion it, it does sound like that.

Without any counter argunts, Patrick nodded. Of course, there was no intention to just let them go.

The situation is different now. Tanabella was left behind. It was certainly noticeable for sneaking around due to its large size. So, even if the surroundings beca a bit dirtier

Lets not complain about being unfair to each other, alright?

A playful tone filled with mischief echoed.

* * *

So, it turned out like this.

The captain murmured to himself secretly. And he thought,

This isnt just a bluff.

There exists an atmosphere that can be discerned by each persons actions, voice, deanor, etc. From that perspective, the knight in front of himyes, from the beginning, he exuded confidence.

This side was by no ans a small force. Being nonchalant in the midst of such a crowd ant having confidence in ones abilities.

Why would soone confident in their abilities let things slide so gracefully? Of course, on this side as well, they couldnt just return the items without any conditions.

He extended his right hand. Several comrades responded to the signal and slowly approached the knight. So who concealed weapons discreetly surrounded the shabbily dressed man standing next to the knight in a natural way.

I need to be cautious.

Lets think about how they found their way here.

Even if Rosalina, who was not familiar with this lifestyle, left traces unskillfully, it would be impossible to follow those traces on a dark night. But did they search all of Hastin?

It would have been impossible. Because Hastin is by no ans a small land. Unless those two were monsters, it would have taken too short a ti to wander around and find them.

Dark magic, perhaps.

Yes?

The knight replied with a questioning look, but other than this thod, there was no other interpretation.

Recalling the conversation between the knight and the shabbily dressed man, the man spoke informally to the knight. The knight used polite language with the man. Externally, it ant that their positions were opposite.

The title of a knight was equivalent to a sub-viscount. Although the number of knights had rapidly increased due to the popularity of dungeon exploration, and their status had drastically declined, a knight was still a higher existence than commoners. That the knight used polite language

Then, could it be that the man had a higher status than a sub-viscount?

That cant be.

It was absurd for a noble to walk around in such shabby clothes. Then, if it wasnt their status, sothing else distinguished their hierarchy. If so, the shabbily dressed man must be stronger than the knight.

Theres no way.

It was inconceivable for a noble to wear such humble clothes. So, sothing other than status must be distinguishing their hierarchy. If thats the case, the shabbily dressed man must be stronger than the knight.

In this situation, only one conclusion could be drawn. The man was a necromancer. Moreover, a necromancer stronger than the knight. The captain clenched the rib bone in his hand.

You guys live in the darkness, dont you?

Indeed, caves are dark.

What is this rib bone for? So kind of magic?

Its just mine.

Are you saying you gave away bones from your body?

No, its just mine.

The man behind him remained expressionless and did not answer. Only the knight responded one by one. It was all aningless words that couldnt be understood.

Isnt it too obvious that youre trying to buy ti?

The knight asked. Flicking his fingers, he taunted them to co at him. He was enjoying his leisure since he was blocking their only exit. Of course, the captain had no intention of quietly enduring it.

Although he was currently the leader of the poor in this quiet village, he had once gained notoriety even in the slaughterhouse where dozens died at a ti. It wouldnt be too difficult for the captain, who had gained a notorious reputation, to suppress a single knight.

Rosalina, Tott.

Rosalina, who had been in a state of confusion, lifted her head. The girl was trembling, maybe due to guilt over her actions.

Tott remained relatively calm and composed. He had already overco countless crises, so there was no reason for him to be flustered.

Those who cant control their bodies properly take priority.

The captain couldnt elaborate further. Rosalinas reaction was ambiguous, but Tott seed to understand as he nodded.

Only now did the relieved captain glanced at the knight in front of him. The escape routes were wide-ranging. While it might seem like the path was completely blocked, there were many hidden escape routes, as you never knew when soone might co barging in.

First, prepare for the worst and evacuate the vulnerable. Of course, this was just a thod to minimize damage in the worst-case scenario.

They are undoubtedly strong, but

Even though they may be strong, theyre not invincible. There is a good chance for us to win as well. They probably underestimate us due to their arrogance. Each of those gaps in their confidence is a vulnerability, a variable.

If we aim well, we can definitely win.

The captain addressed the knight.

This rib bone, it must be precious.

Yes, its my own, after all.

Is it as precious as your body?

No, its just a rib bone.

The conversation was filled with cryptic words. Deciding that further conversation to buy ti was impossible, the captain chuckled lightly.

The rib bone floated into the air just as the knight briefly diverted his gaze, catching a glimpse of the captains smile.

Ah.

The knight, Patrick, uttered a brief voice and imdiately leaped.

The captain shouted, Tott!

The resounding voice broke the silence of the night.

Upon hearing that voice, Tott also shouted towards the residents of the alley.

Those who were sick and weak quickly moved towards Totts hidden escape route. It was a thod to minimize damage in the worst-case scenario.

At the sa ti, soone close to the knight, with a brick-made hamr, swung towards Patricks waist.

The goal was Patricks waist.

Patrick, who had caught the rib bone with agility, imdiately turned his body.

It was already a late situation. The man with the hamr, with a maniacal smile, confronted Patrick.

Klang!

The sound of a tal plate striking filled the narrow alley.

anwhile, an individual rushed towards Devourer, aiming a dagger at his side.

However, behind all these actions, there were no screams or cries that should have followed.

The dagger couldnt even pierce the skin.

Whether it was coated with protective magic or the armor itself, there wasnt a scratch.

What whats happening?

The man was bewildered, and Patrick laughed.

Well, how to handle this is the problem Theres a way to kill them all, but then the ground would get too dirty. How about knocking them all down first and then thinking about it?

Are you suggesting we spare all of them?

Im not saying to spare them. It ans dealing with them collectively.

I dont know. Im too tired, and Im not sure if I can control my strength.

Well, thats sothing stressful.

Whether he didnt properly grasp the situation or not, the resident from the alley who attacked Patrick just stared with a vacant expression.

Patrick grabbed his arm and lifted him into the air. It was as effortless as throwing a pebble.

Just make an effort.

Patrick slamd the man into the ground.

[Translator Clara]

[Proofreader Demon God]

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