Chapter 10

Ah.

I turned my head toward the entrance of the pub and asked.

"Is that so?"

It was a direction where no one was standing.

Just as the bartender's eyes filled with doubt, the previously quiet door was pushed open, and a figure appeared that had not been there before.

The person who entered silently like a shadow was dressed in a long robe from head to toe.

"What is the 'Buried Lett'?"

He was the butler assassin, living a new life as a butler.

Judging from the robe he wore, it seemed to be made by modifying unused blackout curtains.

Considering his professional expertise, it was a very plausible guess.

The butler assassin kindly answered my question.

"It's an information guild that grew rapidly before and after the Mage War. They are large, dangerous, and ruthless, not hesitating to use any means to achieve their goals."

His unwavering voice contained no hint of falsehood. I nodded.

This was the role I had hoped and demanded of him.

Before rushing to the pub, I had gone to see the butler assassin.

True to his former assassin's instincts, he immediately recognized my presence and came out the back door to ask about my business.

"Isn't today the agreed date? What's the matter?"

"I'm trying to find a way to survive."

"And?"

"Let's find it together."

The concise and proactive invitation made the butler assassin look suspicious.

"Why should I?"

"I need to find it too, just like you."

"Find what?"

"A way to survive."

To gain his cooperation, I had to show my cards first.

I explained to him that I needed to gather information to find the necessary items and briefly outlined my plan.

The expressionless man began to be intrigued by the word 'information.'

It was natural.

To shake off the pursuit of the assassination guild, he needed to have Midwinter at his fingertips.

By gradually taking control of the city, starting with the merchant guild that dominated this area, it would benefit both of us.

"It's not a bad proposal. ...Alright. However, it would be better to modify the plan regarding the merchant guild you mentioned."

"How?"

"From what I hear, they are unusually well-organized and expanding rapidly for a bunch of hoodlums. In such cases, there is usually a backer. Acting rashly could backfire."

The butler assassin demanded to investigate the merchant guild's backer before taking action, reasoning that it might be wise not to act depending on the background.

However, my thoughts were slightly different.

The reason was simple.

If the current merchant guild continues to exist, the old man selling potatoes would have to disappear from the alley.

'Good thing I promised to help him pull out if the backer is suspicious.'

But I didn't expect that a large guild would be involved.

"Buried Lett? I've never heard of it."

"It's an underground guild. Ordinary people wouldn't know about it."

"Ordinary people?"

Yes, I am now an ordinary person.

The butler assassin, who had said this himself, seemed to think something was seriously wrong and slightly frowned.

"Of course, there are exceptions. The Buried Lett has nests in various places of the 13 countries that were part of the former Mage Union, centered around the Pen Rota Empire. The guild master is unknown, not even by name, and they don't do anything that could be traced."

As the butler assassin explained, he cast a suspicious glance at the bartender.

"But there's no way they would team up with such lowlifes."

The bartender frantically searched inside the cabinet drawer. Soon, a golden circular coin popped out from the drawer.

"No! We are indeed a guild under the protection of the Buried Lett! Here, look at this guild coin."

A guild coin is essentially a certificate proving a cooperative or affiliated relationship with a specific guild.

After thoroughly examining the coin, the butler assassin nodded solemnly.

"It's real."

"So it's true! You are all making a mistake. This man seems to know very well the fear of the Buried Lett..."

I snatched the guild coin from the bartender, who was becoming more and more smug.

"Real? Then it's mine from now on."

The bartender gritted his teeth.

"Are you fearless, or are you out of your mind? Didn't you hear me? If the Buried Lett learns that we were attacked..."

"That would only happen if you talk too much."

I tapped the bartender's lips with the guild coin, warning him.

"Be smart, bartender. Don't you know the saying, 'Cousins are far, but neighbors are close'? If you don't know that, how about 'The law is far, but the fist is close'? The law of the Buried Lett is far, but my fist is close. Remember, your life is in my hands."

The pub fell silent as if doused with cold water.

During this time, the butler assassin, who had been thinking hard, spoke with his usual solemn expression.

"Dealing with the Buried Lett is too dangerous. The saying that they will repay any offense tenfold is not an exaggeration. Information guilds expand through trust and money. Even a small and insignificant branch is still a branch, so it's better not to provoke them."

It seemed he was planning to back out of today's affair. Considering that the opponent was a large underground guild, his attitude was understandable.

"More dangerous than your master?"

But I need the butler assassin.

As the saying goes, 'The one who has tasted meat eats well,' and he was the perfect person to lead the new merchant guild.

Information and assassination are inseparable.

Assassins often perform theft and information gathering as their next or equally important tasks after assassination.

"They are different. Your master is an individual, while the Buried Lett is like a small country, lacking only a physical form."

"It's fine as long as we don't get caught. We just need to move without them knowing."

I threw a small glass bottle I had taken from my pocket to him.

"This is..."

"The 'Merciful Bite' I took from you. It's the most dangerous pill in the world, sending you to your grave with just one bite."

"I didn't think you would keep it."

"It's hard to come by. I can't just throw it away. Of course, it's the most precious thing."

I tapped his earlobe and said.

"But the most precious thing to you is the magical item for making a vow, right?"

The butler assassin had a magical item for making a vow that he had failed to use on me. Using this item, I could force them to keep quiet.

The butler assassin's expression became even more serious, realizing my intention.

Meanwhile, I made eye contact with each of the merchant guild's officers.

"Eliminate any troublesome individuals with the 'Merciful Bite.' If you can't trust them, just kill them all. The thieves might alert the Buried Lett, but what else will they clean up besides the dead bodies?"

If you want to inform your superiors, go ahead. But if you do, you will die too.

Completely, in one go.

The bartender, who had been revived by the Buried Lett's protection, suddenly turned pale, seemingly understanding my intentions.

"...You can talk so much?"

"I just learned it today."

I calmly waited for the butler assassin's decision. Fortunately, his hesitation was not long.

"Alright. From now on, I'll take care of this. But there are conditions."

"Go on."

"I will act according to my methods. I will only accept your interference if it makes sense to me. Do you agree?"

Even better. It means less trouble for me.

I answered by throwing the Buried Lett's guild coin to him.

"Let's start the first mission to commemorate the formation of the new merchant guild."

"Mission? ...You mean the item you said you need?"

I nodded in response.

"We need to find Dian Ket's legacy, hidden in Midwinter."

"Speaking of Dian Ket's legacy, which has become a city legend, do you mean the eyeball?"

"Yes."

For a moment, the butler assassin's eyes changed. If I wasn't mistaken, he seemed to be in a brief state of contemplation.

Thinking he might know something, I approached and whispered.

"Why?"

He, who had been staring at the floor, finally met my eyes and answered.

"It might be a coincidence, but if my guess is correct, your master might also be looking for that item."