Chapter 66

There was a man named Kifkos.

He was the boss of a gang in the Sillemol Free Market, and I had to meet him.

The sideburns man, who was Kifkos's subordinate, readily offered to guide me to his boss after I casually threatened him.

“Mister, you know you have no loyalty, don't you?”

“Wouldn't sharing unexpected calamities be true loyalty? I want to be such a loyal person.”

“You have a talent for spouting nonsense in an original way.”

The sideburns man scratched his head. I said bluntly.

“Mister Sideburns, you have a glib tongue.”

“Yes? Yes……”

“What's your name?”

“Her……”

“Your real name, because I'll check it later.”

“It's Gloriosus.”

Gloriosus. I nodded my head.

“Do I look like an ordinary kid?”

“Of course not……”

The sideburns man, Gloriosus, shook his head.

Since I had swelled my body with Valziart, I looked about fifteen or sixteen at a glance and an ordinary fifteen or sixteen-year-old couldn't take down twenty thugs without even laying a hand on them.

“Then what if I have any foolish thoughts?”

“…You'll suffer a terrible fate, won't you?”

“You know it well. I can speak a little more comfortably, can't I?”

“Oh my, you should do as you please.”

“Guide me to Kifkos.”

“…Please follow me.”

The sideburns man took a step.

They walked.

Gloriosus was a talkative man.

Even while being threatened, it was hard for him to keep his lips sealed.

“…Sir, is this your first time in Sillemol?”

“It's my first time visiting in person.”

I didn't add, after my regression. At my answer, Gloriosus opened his mouth as if he had been waiting.

“I'm a native of this place, so would you like to hear a little about it as we go?”

“If you want to.”

“Sillemol was originally the name of an island. It was an island with no particular distinguishing features.”

It was too small for merchants to frequent, and too close to the mainland to be used as a fishing village's resting place.

Anyone who was good at swimming could easily reach the island unarmed.

“It's only been about 40 years since this small island rapidly grew into a large city in the southwest of the Empire, encompassing the nearby coastal area.”

46 years ago, Emperor Continua (who was not yet called the Great Emperor at this time), who had ended the war and ascended the throne, carried out a great purge.

Under the pretext of investigating the remaining crimes of the war, and with the hidden intention of weakening the noble factions.

Both reasons were overflowing with justification and necessity.

The Imperial Family's blade was aimed at those of noble birth, who were rarely subject to punishment.

One marquis, two counts and five viscounts were the representatives who ascended the execution ground, and countless families collapsed under the name of Cordis.

Even famous figures like the 8th Count Dvork or Viscount Mustas could not escape a miserable fate. It was the same no matter how ancient the family was.

“Arete Island was also blockaded at that time.”

“I know that much.”

“Well, it's quite famous, after all. Anyway, when Arete, which had the largest port in Hobel Bay, was blockaded, it was a huge commotion.”

I wasn't even born yet, though.

Gloriosus chattered on.

The merchants wanted a new trading hub to replace Arete, and Sillemol did not miss the opportunity.

They opened a free market, saying that everything could be bought and sold there without the Empire's knowledge, attracting people.

With all sorts of people gathering during the chaotic period, Sillemol grew to an unbelievable size.

However, it was literally, all sorts of people.

Those who disliked the sunlight also established themselves very deeply in various parts of Sillemol.

“Our boss is also one of those types. He tried to make a quick buck and leave, but he found that the regulations were looser than he thought, and there was a lot to exploit, so he settled down.”

“What kind of things were there to exploit?”

“It's a free market, isn't it? Since there are no regulations, it's all about creativity and guts.”

“Hmph.”

I snorted.

A free market, what a laughable story.

The thousand-year Empire was not so lenient.

It must have been that after Arete Island fell, they turned a blind eye to Sillemol, intending to gather and manage various shady characters there.

Perhaps they even directly intervened in Sillemol's rapid growth.

‘Whatever it is, it's a good thing for me.’

A place where goods that couldn't be openly bought and sold were exchanged nonchalantly.

A secluded place where imperial law was relaxed to its maximum extent, the Sillemol Free Market!

I also had something to gain here.

“If we cross the bridge, it's the free market.”

The current Sillemol was a large city that included the nearby coastal area.

The small island that originally bore the name Sillemol had now become entirely a free market.

I glanced at the bridge ahead.

“There are guards.”

“There are some. What should I say?”

“Just say you're a newcomer to your gang, won't you?”

“Yes. I'll roughly improvise the minor details.”

Gloriosus was obedient.

He remembered.

The time when I had gestured with my eyes and his wrist had suddenly snapped, the pain of it.

There was no guarantee that his neck wouldn't be next.

“Friend. How are you today?”

“Oh. Gloriosus!”

The guard smiled broadly in greeting.

He seemed to have quite a friendly relationship with Gloriosus.

“Going in? I thought you were always outside these days.”

“I have someone to introduce to the boss.”

“Introduce? That kid?”

I nodded slightly.

Putting in a bit of insolence, as I was acting as a fifteen-year-old.

The guard's brow furrowed.

“…You're ill-mannered. Are you a newcomer to your gang?”

“Yeah. His face is still that of a kid, but he's no ordinary one. I tried to extort a few coins from him, and bam! The kids all fell down.”

The sideburns man snickered and showed his wrist.

Look at this! My wrist also got hurt when I fell!

At his consistently frivolous attitude, pity flickered in the guard's eyes.

“…Gloriosus, are you still on the streets? Just extorting money from kids?”

“Because the boss told me to.”

“Our gang isn't great, but you guys are really terrible. Hey, even if he made a mistake, how could you leave him on the streets……”

“Ah, why? I like it!”

The sideburns man raised his hand in an exaggerated manner.

The guard, without hiding his pity, patted his shoulder.

“Alright. Let's get a drink later. Some incredible moonshine came in from Maesh recently.”

“That's good news!”

“Bring the kid you brought over here.”

At Gloriosus's gesture, I moved.

My shoulders were broad, and my walk was swaggering.

Like a haughty adolescent boy.

The guard looked me up and down, and I feigned a fierce gaze.

“Your face is young, but you have a good build. How old are you.”

“Sixteen.”

“And your manners are presumptuous.”

The guard, who had been glaring, suddenly let out a soft laugh.

“That's why I like him. Come with Gloriosus. I'll let the kid drink liquor he couldn't even imagine!”

Khahahaha.

The guard gestured as if telling them to pass.

His attire was plausible, but his behavior was on the level of a neighborhood thug.

It wasn't strange, as they were truly a free market gang.

He was not an official guard sanctioned by the Empire, but a member of the vigilante group formed by the influential figures of the free market, who each picked a few from their own ranks.

They crossed the bridge.

From the seaside to the island.

From one side of the law to the other.

As I approached the place where deception and illegality ran rampant, I felt a sense of welcome.

After all, I was a secret-keeper to the core.

“There were a lot of people outside too, but there are even more here.”

“Because it's Sillemol.”

“There are also many goods.”

“That too, because it's Sillemol. Do you need anything?”

“I'll look myself, I'll look myself.”

We walked aimlessly.

There were many street stalls and many traveling merchants.

There were various goods, but about half were smuggled goods from the West for imperial merchants, and the other half were imperial smuggled goods good for selling to the West.

There was not a speck of patriotism or law-abiding spirit.

“It's much bigger than I thought.”

“It's layered vertically. Thirteen floors above, five floors below! The entire island is one giant multi-story shop.”

“Are all the main trade items smuggled goods?”

“Of course.”

“It's running well, Cordis!”

I was in a good mood.

Before my regression, I had come after everything had collapsed, so I never thought it would be this big.

To think that such a large black market was operating in an Empire that was anticipating its destruction, it was very welcome news.

“Where is Kifkos? Below, as expected?”

“Yes.”

“They said there were five floors underground, but perhaps he's on a hidden floor even deeper than that?”

“…You say this is your first time in Sillemol, but you know it well.”

Gloriosus led the way, and I followed.

He skillfully navigated between the street stalls and found a large staircase.

There were guards, but after asking a few questions, they easily made way.

Down the stairs, down.

The deeper they went, the bigger, more expensive, and bolder the goods became.

Meaning they were violating more laws more seriously, and it also meant it was more dangerous.

When they reached the fifth floor underground, even the air was different.

“It's hard to breathe.”

“It can't be helped with everyone smoking so heavily.”

On the fifth floor underground, it was hard to find a place where no one was sitting.

Everyone had a cigarette in their mouths and were cheerfully puffing out smoke.

Judging by the smell, they weren't legal items.

No, even the faces puffing them out seemed very far from legal.

The smoke from cigarettes and similar, of course more dangerous, items.

Women in thin, translucent clothes.

People with shackles on their wrists and ankles.

The traditional scourges of human society seem to persist even now.

Hmph.

I felt a slight pity, but it didn't last long.

Still, Sillemol was relatively decent.

It was just as lax as it could be, but it was still under the law.

Gloriosus led me deeper.

“Brother Kifkos is down here.”

I followed without replying.

He wasn't lying.

Going down one more floor, the number of people drastically decreased.

The ones coming and going were all fierce-looking gang members.

Everyone hurried to bow to Gloriosus.

“To the left from here……”

“If I go there and there are armed guards or something, my neck will be broken immediately.”

“…Actually, to the right.”

As expected, it doesn't work.

Gloriosus slumped his shoulders and walked.

He once again abandoned the thought of deceiving me and guided me.

“By the way, you seem to be quite close with Kifkos.”

“Yes, well. I've known him for a long time.”

“I thought you held a grudge against him for selling you out in an instant.”

“He didn't seem to have any intention of harming me.”

Gloriosus fiddled with his scarred jaw.

“He just threatened me and didn't kill anyone, and then he immediately mentioned the boss's name, so I thought he wanted to make a deal or something.”

“You're quick-witted. Why were you extorting money from kids outside?”

“I'm only quick-witted, I don't have any talent.”

The sideburns man waved his hand.

“And actually, I do hold a grudge.”

A splendid door.

In front of it were two armed men, seemingly guards.

But seeing Gloriosus, they immediately bowed.

Kifkos was clearly beyond.

“That damned boss! He told me to manage the kids on the streets after I got caught trying to make a little money. Do you think that makes sense?”

“Do you have a pretty high position in the gang?”

“If not the right-hand man, then at least a thumb.”

Gloriosus said proudly.

Tell Brother Kifkos that I have arrived.

Yes.

As soon as the words were conveyed, the thick door opened from the inside.

“Please enter. Brother Kifkos is this way.”

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