Chapter 48

48. Kidnapping (1)

"Already done?"

"Yeah."

At the back of a bar.

A muscular man examined the documents that were haphazardly glued together. He was the owner of this bar.

"Hmm... Was there a place like this before? It seems to be a new one?"

"Back alleys are like mushrooms after the rain when it comes to illegal distilleries."

"Ha... Thanks. We should start dealing with these guys too."

"Thanks is not enough; I'd prefer to be paid in money."

Cant rubbed his thumb and index finger together as he spoke. The bar owner chuckled and took out a wad of money from his pocket.

Just as he was about to hand it over, the bar owner took the money back and asked,

"How did you do it so quickly? Usually, it takes a few weeks to complete a job, right?"

"Is it a problem if I did it quickly?"

"It's not a problem, but I'm curious."

"You're asking for business information too easily. I'd prefer to be paid first."

The bar owner met Cant's gaze for a moment before extending the money again.

"By any chance, can you do it again at the same speed?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. As you know, various customers come to our place. It just so happens that we have a customer who needs your skills."

"Who's the client?"

"A fixer."

"How many?"

"Hmm... About 40 pages?"

"What's the price?"

"Three large ones, assuming everything is restored. Normally, I'd charge a fee, but I won't this time. However, it must be done within a week. My customer is in a hurry."

Cant showed interest at the generous terms.

However, he didn't accept immediately and looked at Oliver.

When Oliver nodded, Cant finally spoke.

"...Alright. I'll take it."

"Great. Wait a moment."

The bar owner, as if waiting for this, brought a bag of trash.

It was quite bulky, but Cant easily picked it up.

The man warned,

"I'm going to tell my customer not to worry. That means if you fail, I fail, and that means my reputation will be damaged. I'm warning you, don't fail. I value my reputation."

"You should prepare the money well. Don't talk nonsense like you used to."

"When did that happen, and you still remember?"

"Time isn't important. What matters is that it happened."

"Ugh... You never back down, do you? Hurry up and go."

The bar owner said this and slammed the back door shut.

Oliver asked Cant,

"What happened?"

"Huh? Ah... I was taken for a ride here once when I worked here. So I caused a big commotion."

"Ah..."

"Thanks to that, a big fight almost broke out, but in the end, it was resolved well. I no longer get taken for a ride."

"Is that so? Do you often get taken for a ride?"

"Yeah, quite often. If they think you're easy to take advantage of... That's why it's important not only to do the job but also to avoid being taken for a ride. It's frustrating to work hard and not get paid, isn't it? So you need to be on your toes to protect your share."

"...Did you do that as a fixer too?"

"Huh? Yeah, sometimes. Depending on the situation, you might lose something more important than money."

"Hmm..."

"Alright, now it's my turn to ask. What happened after the paladin saved you from the crisis?"

To understand this conversation, we need to go back a few days.

When Oliver first helped with the paperwork, he pretended to ask about moles while inquiring about Cant and the former leader. This was discovered by Cant.

Cant called Oliver aside and asked why he was asking such questions.

Oliver, judging it as an unavoidable question, answered honestly that he was curious.

Everyone knew about Cant and the former leader, but he didn't, so he was very curious.

Cant looked at Oliver silently and then assigned him the task of matching documents.

Oliver saw this as an opportunity and used his best efforts to complete more documents faster than anyone else.

As soon as he saw this, Cant made a proposal.

'If you keep helping, I'll answer your questions. But you have to answer mine too.'

This way, Oliver gained the right to ask Cant questions formally.

Of course, Oliver also had to answer Cant's questions, but it wasn't a big problem.

He could get by with minor changes to the existing facts.

For example, he honestly said he was brought to the mine by Joseph but omitted that he defeated Joseph.

He only mentioned part of the truth about the strange ritual, saying he was saved by the paladin who came to capture the black mage.

By omitting some details, he created a good lie.

"I ran away. Then I hid in a truck parked on the road and came here."

"Hmm..."

Cant looked at Oliver with a hint of suspicion.

He didn't fully believe Oliver's story, but he didn't press the issue.

Oliver couldn't understand the exact reason.

He could read emotions but not thoughts.

What was clear was that Cant found Oliver suspicious but didn't delve into it deeply.

Why? Because Oliver was doing something profitable for him?

However, that didn't seem to be the only reason.

Cant showed a faint glimmer of sympathy towards Oliver.

Oliver was curious why Cant felt this way towards him.

He wanted to ask immediately but didn't.

He knew that deep emotions couldn't be easily expressed through questions.

So, Oliver started with a relatively easy question to draw out Cant's voluntary response.

Cant asked again,

"I don't understand why you didn't ask the paladin for help and ran away on your own."

"Well... I was too scared of the black mage and the gangsters they killed."

"Ha... Looks like you got caught by a fanatical zealot. That's understandable."

"Zealot?"

"Yeah, there are rational paladins, but there are also many fanatics... Though, nowadays, it's the age of mages rather than gods."

The age of mages... An intriguing phrase.

"Do you know much about paladins, Mr. Cant?"

"Huh? No, I just saw and heard things by chance when I was a fixer. I don't know much."

"I see. Can you tell me what a paladin is?"

"Guardians of humanity, following the great god's will to protect the human world from evil..."

A cliché and boring answer. Cant's interest waned, but he continued.

"...At the same time, they are the private military of the Paternus Church and a powerful military group with global influence. But it's not wrong to call them guardians of humanity."

Guardians of humanity...

"What do you mean by guardians of humanity?"

"Why are you curious?"

"...I saw them fight. They mercilessly killed the gangsters and the black mage, and most people were proud of it. Why are they called guardians of humanity?"

"Paladins and their subordinates, the servants, have their flaws... But they do protect humanity. They stop the insane cultists from summoning demons."

"Summoning demons?"

"Yeah... It's more like a legend nowadays."

Summoning demons... Not only trading but summoning too.

This was information Oliver couldn't find in Joseph's library. He realized how ignorant he was.

This time, Cant asked,

"I understand why you came to Randa, but why did you end up in District X, and quite deep in it?"

"I just walked hurriedly and ended up there... I'm sorry for lying to you the first time we met. I know you don't like lies."

"Well... It's fine. You need to know how to lie to survive in a place like this."

"Thank you. Can I ask another question?"

"Oh, my. You really have a lot of questions."

"Ah, yes... I'm sorry."

"Ha... What do you want to know?"

"How did you end up here, Mr. Cant? You know a lot and are said to be an excellent fixer."

Cant's emotions fluctuated.

He touched a sensitive topic. After a long silence, he spoke.

"...If I must answer, I'd say it was bad luck."

"Bad luck?"

"Yeah, sudden misfortune brought me here. It's a common story."

Cant was telling the truth, but despite his calm exterior, deep sorrow shone through.

He had told the story, but only a small part of it.

Oliver wanted to know more.

"...Do you have more questions?"

"Ah, yes."

"More about me?"

"Yes."

"Really curious, aren't you? I'm not into men, you know?"

"Men...? I don't understand what you mean."

"Lucky for you. It's better not to know."

"..."

"..."

"I'm just curious."

"About what?"

"All the other colleagues trust you so much. You say it's not possible. I'm curious how you earn such trust."

"Ha! I guess I have a trustworthy personality. Isn't that great?"

"Yes, it's great. I've never seen anyone like that before."

"?"

"Without using violence or threats, people trust and follow you... That's why I'm curious."

Cant looked at Oliver with pity.

"...It's not that great. I just continued what the former leader did. I just maintain it."

"Maintaining it isn't easy, is it?"

Cant stopped walking and looked down at Oliver.

"You're a strange kid."

"Am I?"

"Yeah."

At that moment, another question rose to Oliver's chin.

It was about why Cant still took him along despite finding him strange.

Most people who found Oliver strange either used violence or kept their distance, but Cant showed no such signs.

Instead, he showed a desire to help, tinged with a bit of nostalgia and regret.

These emotions were so deep and hidden, like a gem buried underground, making Oliver even more curious.

Why did Cant help him without any purpose when they first met, and why did he still help him despite finding him suspicious?

Why did he choose to protect his fellow beggars instead of taking the easy way out?

While Oliver pondered these many questions, Cant spoke.

"By the way, can you finish this paper in a week? It looks like it's several months' worth."

Oliver looked at the bag of papers and said,

"Yes, I think it's possible."

"That's a relief. Winter is coming, and we need to earn money to avoid freezing to death."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, on really cold days, we have to rely on the poorhouse, but even there, money is essential. It's much harder to get charity in winter... What's that?"

Cant suddenly stopped talking and looked at the people milling around at the entrance of their shelter.

They were his fellow beggars, all showing signs of confusion.

Something was wrong.

"C-Cant...!"

The atmosphere was tense. Cant, without his usual playful tone, asked,

"What is it? What happened?"

"It's a big problem... Harmonica has been kidnapped."

"What?"

"Harmonica has been kidnapped! While trying to avoid a raid, he was attacked and taken away with Red Nose."