Chapter 110. The Union’s Informant (2)
A quiet tension lingered in the air.
Bartol looked at the dishes and daggers floating above the empty air.
Head, neck, heart, arm, abdomen—nearly twenty targets, each one aimed at a different place.
What would happen if those flew in at once?
If anyone tried something foolish, this chamber would be dyed in blood immediately. Whose blood it would be was obvious.
‘Oldi might survive, but I’ll die.’
Bartol was an ordinary man.
He could not wield aura, he had not awakened to magic power, nor was he a devout priest who had been granted holy power.
The reason he became a power-holder of Asern was not strength but tenacity.
He had clung to every chance given, climbing upward with sheer obstinacy. Of course, he had subordinates of some skill, like Oldi, but none of them seemed capable of protecting Bartol’s body here and now.
Even if by luck they killed the mage, at the very least Bartol would be mortally wounded or dead. He had no intention of dying so vainly while eating dinner.
Bartol jerked his chin toward Oldi.
“Step outside for a moment.”
“……Yes.”
Oldi obeyed without resistance.
He too knew, if the situation kept flowing this way, Bartol would be in danger.
Once Oldi left, only Verden, Bartol, and Perne remained in the chamber.
Bartol drained his wine in one gulp.
Letting out a sigh filled with the heat of alcohol, he glared at Perne.
“What is your true purpose? You can’t really be thinking of taking on the Union.”
“And why not?”
Perne gave a sly smile.
Bartol wore a look of disbelief.
‘Is she insane?’
What could a mere informant do against the Union?
Yet, the Perne he knew was not the type to spout absurd nonsense. She was an informant, which meant she was calculating.
Which also meant she had something hidden.
Bartol glanced at Verden.
‘Is that mage really so strong?’
He had heard that they annihilated Bajes’s mercenary band… Setting that aside, he did indeed look extraordinary.
But in this world, men far more dangerous than Bartol crowded the streets. And the Union? A collective of merchant guilds and informants backed by nobles supporting the Third Prince.
There was no way one mage alone could find a way through.
“……What are you hiding, Perne?”
“To be frank, we’re looking for a noble house to align with.”
“Which one?”
“The Marquisate of Esperanza.”
Bartol stroked his chin.
After a brief moment of thought, he spoke.
“With a grand house like that, you could stand against them, but… how do you intend to join hands? Do you even have information worth that much?”
“That’s why we came to you.”
The Union didn’t only do legal business.
That was obvious. The nobles tied to them were far from clean. If one dug even a little deeper, surely a trail that would interest a marquisate would appear.
To do that, they needed an informant working under the Union.
“But with my current strength, it’s hard to find one. That’s why we need to seize the Union’s tail. You understand now, don’t you?”
“So that’s why you wanted me to join you.”
Bartol had dealings with the Union.
If Perne failed to pay back her debt, he had agreed to sell the right of claim to the Union. Thus, he had a contact link with them.
Perne knew that.
Bartol sank into deep thought.
Normally, he would have refused outright. But signs that the Union meant to stab him in the back had appeared.
He had three choices.
Stay neutral and be discarded with nothing.
Bet on the Union, get stabbed in the back, and die.
Or, take Perne’s hand and gamble on low odds.
Only one choice remained.
‘I suppose I’ll have to place a bet.’
The situation spoke, but so did his intuition.
Perne would not be this bold without a reason, and the root of it had to be that ash-haired mage.
Soon, Bartol finished his thoughts.
“Your terms?”
Perne took out a thick bundle of papers.
They were bearer bonds Verden had seized from the Blue Cloud Merchant Guild, half of them.
“This much should be enough to clear my remaining debt and still count as a down payment, don’t you think?”
Bartol’s lips twitched.
“You should’ve led with that.”
As he reached for them, Perne pulled the bonds back.
She tore away a third and handed them to Bartol.
“The rest will be yours once the job is done.”
“Don’t trust me, is that it?”
“In this world, how many people take the money and switch sides? Too many.”
“That’s true enough.”
Bartol accepted the bonds.
For now, he had no reason to betray them, so it didn’t matter. The amount Perne offered would easily exceed billions of Elks.
The settlement process would be complicated and take time, but he could wait with a smile.
“Then we’re in the same boat now. How do you want me to deliver the Union’s contact? Should I kidnap him and toss him into a tavern?”
“I’ll handle that myself.”
Verden spoke.
Interrogating the Union’s contact and extracting information would be the starting point. Such an important matter could not be left to another.
Perne shrugged.
“You heard him.”
“Well, fine. Then I’ll set up the meeting in four days. Be ready. I’ll make sure the opportunity is there.”
Crunch.
Bartol bit into short ribs.
They tasted excellent.
***
While Bartol made his preparations, Verden focused on training as usual.
To avoid being disturbed, he rented out the Adventurer Guild’s training hall for two full hours, honing his stamina and staff technique.
After that, he devoted the remaining time to magic power and spell practice.
The mental strength to spend more than half the day solely on his growth.
Verden was becoming sharper and stronger little by little, with each passing day. In time, when he reached the 5th tier, he would become far more powerful than before.
‘But my progress isn’t as fast as I thought.’
Naturally so.
Since arriving in the Kingdom of Estiria, he hadn’t faced any real stimulus.
The notorious mercenary, Bajes.
The wanted criminals he encountered on commissions.
The Union’s black mage.
They had skill, but none of them truly threatened Verden.
Honestly, the hosts of Gluttony had been stronger. Those monsters, wielding power beyond humans, had struck with blows that broke all expectation.
‘I don’t expect battles as fierce as with Rupel… but at least, I’d like an opponent worth being tense for.’
Thirst.
Someday, he knew a day like this would come, but it was too soon. In this Kingdom, far larger than any duchy, there were still many strong ones left.
The fact that he had not encountered them meant Verden had been moving too cautiously. Which was why, from now on, he had to act far more boldly.
The weight of life or death did not matter.
Countless powerful beings who reigned over the world. The precarious tightrope that stood on the boundary between life and death. All of that was, for Verden, experience itself.
So it had been his life until now, and only thus could he ascend.
Crossing the wall, stepping beyond humanity, reaching the realm of a transcendent.
That was Verden’s goal.
The deeper he fell into thought, the fiercer his training became.
Light flared, explosions boomed, violent tremors shook, and parts of the training hall collapsed. Of course, once his training ended, he restored it with <Terrain Manipulation>, so the guild suffered no losses.
‘Still, I didn’t think it would be this bad…….’
The guild master held his forehead.
The shock exceeded the training hall’s wards.
Each time the nearby guild building shook, the staff glared at the guild master, begging him to do something about the noise.
But it was already too late. In truth, he could not refuse.
He had been paid just for lending the training hall in the morning. Practically free money—what guild master could turn that away?
On top of that, the hall was cleaned spotless afterward… how could he now tell him to leave?
‘And who knows what would happen if I did.’
Judging from the impact, at least mid 4th tier. In guild terms, at least Platinum Rank.
If the mage lost his temper and went on a rampage, it would be unmanageable. He might be a man of character, but the guild master had met too many eccentric mages in his time.
He had seen more than enough who were different inside than out.
‘All I can do is wait for him to leave on his own.’
That was the best course.
Just then, Verden, having finished training, faced the guild master.
Verden gave a small bow.
“I’ll be back tomorrow.”
‘Please, don’t come…’
The guild master barely swallowed the words.
***
Before long, four days passed.
Bartol, straightening his attire in the mirror, stepped outside.
Cold air and bright skies.
Past the streets of Asern, he arrived at a shabby, tucked-away building.
Climbing the stairs, he threw the door open.
The stench of old dust. At the window, the Union’s contact was gazing down at the street.
Bartol slumped into a chair.
With a creak, the contact spoke.
“I hear you have something to say about Perne.”
“Playing ignorant, are we? Doesn’t the Union already suspect it? That Perne is rising again.”
“But of course.”
The contact turned his head toward Bartol.
“Asher, the 4th-tier lightning mage who single-handedly annihilated that maniac Bajes’s mercenary band. He tracked and captured wanted criminals in a single day, even joined a Mithril adventurer party, Manha, on a subjugation mission—we know all that too.”
“I thought Asern wasn’t under the Union’s influence, yet you seem to know plenty.”
“Rumors travel, whether inside the city or out.”
In any case—
“Because of that mage, the Union’s merchants are deeply displeased. Soon, they intend to deal with him directly. They’re already seeking suitable men in Gray.”
Bartol frowned.
“Deal with him? Not recruiting, as usual?”
“Of course, that would be best. A mage with a high attribute is extremely precious. If he joined the Union, nothing would be better. But… if he meant to, he wouldn’t have sided with the dying Perne. He seems to have a different purpose, and whatever it is, we judged even starting with a talk would be dangerous. If struck by lightning magic, the damage would be immense.”
“And what if everyone dies in the process?”
The contact chuckled.
“There are many methods—poison, ambush, you name it. Neutralizing a careless mage is child’s play for skilled men from Gray.”
“Ah, so you mean, capture him first, then offer him terms—live if he accepts, die if he refuses? A very Union-like way of handling things.”
Tsk. Bartol clicked his tongue.
The contact tapped the watch on his wrist.
“Now, you should tell me your business. Meeting this long isn’t wise.”
“I’ve only one thing to say. I want in on that job. If needed, I’ll tell you where this Asher eats, when he sleeps, what he does. Wouldn’t that make things easier?”
“You mean… you wish to fully join with the Union?”
“Why not? I’m just following the flow. Is that so wrong?”
The contact shook his head.
“Of course not. The merchants will be very pleased to hear this. The influence you, Bartol the loan shark, wield in Asern is not something to ignore.”
“Enough flattery. Give me the answer, and I’ll give you the mage’s location at once.”
“Oh? You can confirm it in real time?”
“You think I can’t manage that much? This is my turf. If you don’t believe me, should I tell you where he is right now?”
Bartol pointed at the contact with his finger.
“Behind you.”
“…What?”
Thud!
The swung staff smashed into the contact’s head.
A sudden blow, followed by his skull slamming against the wall.
His brain rattled hard, his body collapsed helplessly, twitched briefly, then his head drooped limply.
Verden revealed himself as invisibility faded.
Expressionless, he grabbed the unconscious man by the scruff.
“The cart?”
“It’s ready below.”
Dragging the contact, Verden descended the stairs.
Whether it was because he was used to this sort of thing, or simply because his nature was calm, he showed no hesitation in his actions.
Bartol watched his retreating figure.
A mage who bashed skulls with a staff.
‘Scary as hell.’
If he had refused Perne’s proposal, would he have ended up the same way?
Bartol wondered for a moment.
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