Chapter 14
Men who looked like low-quality drunks sat on crates by the entrance, drinking.
Though they all seemed unconnected to the fighting pit…
[Andre]
Low-level guard at Magdala’s illegal fighting pit. Pretending to drink alcohol but actually drinking water.
[Jules]
Low-level guard at Magdala’s illegal fighting pit. Pretending to drink alcohol but actually drinking water.
[Wooden Crate]
A crate made of wood. Swords are hidden inside.
“Those people are all guards. The ones over there too. Be careful, they’ve hidden weapons in the crates and trash bins.”
Exarch’s eyes widened. He whispered something quietly to his subordinates through something tucked in his chest.
‘Nice quick response.’
After finishing his instructions, Exarch turned to Baeksan.
“We’ll eliminate the guards one by one…”
“Before that.”
Baeksan cut off Exarch’s words and asked:
“How does Magdala usually escape?”
Exarch stared at Baeksan directly. He no longer mentioned her being a civilian.
“Usually they set up secret hideouts a bit away from their base. These secret passages are only shared with their closest subordinates.”
Baeksan fell into thought briefly.
‘Even in streets with bad security, people still live there. If they want to hide their hideout perfectly from those eyes, it can’t be too far.’
Probably like a hamster’s tunnel network.
Baeksan nodded and spread her arms.
“Carry me again. I need to look around more.”
“I thought we had no time.”
“Because we have no time, hurry.”
Exarch sighed and lifted Baeksan onto his arms.
“I’ve never carried anyone like this…”
“First times aren’t something to get hung up on.”
Exarch let out a small laugh.
They began searching the buildings around the fighting pit.
Though they discovered more underlings, Exarch dealt with them all at speeds invisible to the eye.
While progress was relatively smooth, Baeksan grew increasingly anxious.
‘This isn’t it. What I’m looking for…’
After about ten minutes of searching like this.
Finally, Baeksan found what she wanted. It was in front of a warehouse building.
Unlike other buildings, numerous information windows flooded her vision.
[Magdala’s Secret Hideout]
A hideout prepared by wanted criminal Magdala for escaping from the illegal fighting pit. Only five ‘executives’ know about it.
[Magdala’s Executives]
‘Fritz’, ‘Wayne’, ‘Ella’, ‘Lou’, ‘Marlo’.
[Fritz]
Executive of Magdala’s gang.
[Wayne]
Executive of Magdala’s gang. Slightly dissatisfied with Magdala’s profit distribution…
As she read the information windows, the corners of Baeksan’s mouth turned up.
[Quest Accepted]
It was time to prepare for the party.
* * *
Andre watched his surroundings while pretending to drink water from a liquor bottle, just like usual.
He was a city thug hired by Magdala, and he quite liked this job that paid well compared to the work involved.
He knew something cruel was happening ‘inside.’ He also knew the pay would be even better if he got involved in that work.
But he didn’t want to go that far.
Jules beside him was no different. The two childhood friends got along well and were satisfied with their status as neighborhood thugs.
As Andre and Jules were chatting while drinking water, it happened.
“Hey, Andre. Over there.”
Jules whispered while tapping Andre’s foot.
“What, ran out of alcohol?”
Andre pretended to tip his bottle while checking the opposite street in its reflection.
Someone in a robe was approaching them. Judging by height and build, it was a very thin woman.
‘Doesn’t seem to have weapons.’
Her face wasn’t visible due to the hood pulled down to her chin.
Andre clicked his tongue slightly.
‘Hope she’s pretty.’
Until then, he assumed the woman would simply pass by them.
But contrary to expectations, the woman approached Andre and Jules and spoke:
“Excuse me…”
A young voice.
Andre felt instantly sobered from the alcohol he hadn’t even drunk.
‘With a voice like that, she must be beautiful?’
Andre hid his twisted smile and stood up.
“Hic, yawn. What’s the matter?”
“Well… have you seen my friend?”
“Friend?”
“Her name is Lira Magnus, she has fluffy blue hair…”
“Now, hold on.”
Jules naturally cut in from the side.
“Isn’t it polite to show your face when talking to someone?”
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
She seemed like a woman who grew up ignorant of the world, not even properly objecting.
‘This might get interesting today?’
Just as Andre and Jules’s eyes gleamed, the woman threw back her robe.
Andre and Jules’s eyes bulged simultaneously.
Purple-blue hair braided and thrown behind her neck. Pink eyes glistening with tears.
‘She’s a beauty!’
Their mouths began to water.
“We had dinner plans today but she was kidnapped somewhere…”
The woman moved her small lips, completely unaware.
Andre quickly signaled to Jules with his eyes.
‘Did anyone get caught today?’
‘Don’t know, seems like it.’
‘They said they were short on people, must have been urgent?’
Anyway, they couldn’t let this gift that walked right into their hands slip away.
‘Maybe Magdala will give us a reward if we tie her up and bring her in?’
Though they’d never done this kind of thing themselves, they had seen Magdala’s underlings bringing in people for the fighting pit.
‘Since they urgently need to fill numbers, they might pay big!’
Jules seemed to have the same thought, the smile never leaving his face.
Once their eyes met in understanding, Andre was first to shake his head.
“Sigh… I’m telling you this because I feel sorry for you, miss, but this area has been very dangerous lately.”
“…! Really?”
“Come to think of it, I think I saw a blue-haired girl in Meteor District today…”
“Jules, really?”
“It must be Lira! Where did she go?”
The woman asked urgently.
Andre laughed wickedly inside.
‘Got her.’
Seeing Jules’s unusually innocent smile, he seemed to be thinking the same thing.
“Why don’t you come in and have some tea while we talk?”
“Yeah. It’s night. Meteor District could be dangerous. It’s fine for guys like us, but…”
And the woman smiled brightly too.
“Would that be alright?”
* * *
The infiltration was successful.
The thugs changed their attitude as soon as they entered the building.
‘Everything will be fine if you just listen nicely.’
As if.
‘Anyway, looks like Agnes was right about them being short on people.’
They didn’t search her body or tie her up. They seemed to think she was already a rat in their trap.
‘Fine by me.’
The entrance thugs really seemed to be just thugs. Given that they took Baeksan to the second floor.
Baeksan kept looking around while pretending to be frightened.
[Magdala’s Secret Passage]
[Magdala’s Secret Passage]
[Magdala’s Secret Passage]
.
.
.
It was almost dizzying.
‘How meticulous is this person?’
At the same time, she confirmed it was right to come in herself.
If Exarch had infiltrated, though he would have been far superior in force, Magdala would have quickly hidden their tail.
Soon the thugs reached a room on the second floor.
“Mr. Gilder! It’s us!”
Before the echo died away, the door flew open.
“What’s this? Why are you here when you should be guarding the entrance?”
Baeksan quickly scanned the new arrival.
[Rainer Gilder]
Middle executive of Magdala’s gang. Subordinate to executive Wayne. Has many ambitions. Dissatisfied about missing promotions.
Unlike the thugs, he was burly with a scar near his eye and was bald.
Andre bowed to him while speaking:
“We heard things weren’t good, so we tried to help out, and we were wondering if you could mention it to Magdala!”
Then he pushed forward Baeksan who had been hidden behind him.
Rainer Gilder’s eyes widened when he saw Baeksan, and he whistled.
Then he pulled Baeksan in and pushed her into the room.
“Ah…!”
Just pretending to be weak for show.
“So you found that and left the entrance…”
“B-but they definitely said they were short on people…”
While Rainer and the two thugs talked, Baeksan scanned the room.
