Chapter 9. Violet Fox (1)

‘What just happened?’

Everyone in the bar had the same thought.

Even though they had seen what happened with their own eyes, their minds couldn’t fully comprehend it.

Taiwu, unable to contain his anger, had fired a gun in a fit of rage, and Ossian had swung his sword.

That was all that had happened.

Yet, Ossian didn’t fall, bleeding. Instead, the bullet had split in half and embedded itself in the bar’s wall.

‘That, that guy. Did he really block the bullet with his sword?’

It was more accurate to say he had sliced it rather than blocked it.

In fact, from a third party’s perspective, whether he blocked or cut it made little difference.

Both were equally impossible.

At the same time, they realized that the rumor about Ossian from the previous day was not exaggerated.

If he could chase away a gang of forty with just a sword, then slicing a bullet was certainly possible.

Taiwu, who had never imagined that Ossian would slice the bullet he fired, was still frozen in place.

“It’s, it’s impossible… Even for a mutant with enhanced physical abilities, this is impossible.”

“I just sliced it.”

“Just? Just, you say?”

“Yes. More importantly, you… you fired a gun.”

Ossian’s cold voice finally brought Taiwu back to his senses, allowing him to look around.

All the onlookers in the first-floor bar were staring at him.

Taiwu knew what the emotions in those gazes meant.

He glared at the mercenaries as if he could kill them with his eyes. How dare they, when they couldn’t even meet his gaze properly!

However, the mercenaries did not avoid Taiwu’s gaze this time.

An injured lion could not intimidate hyenas.

Especially not someone who had violated the bar’s rules.

Ossian knew this, which was why he pointed out Taiwu’s actions.

And it gave him a justifiable reason to draw his sword.

“D-don’t come any closer!”

As Ossian slowly approached, Taiwu, pale as a sheet, shouted.

His pronunciation had improved, but his legs were trembling like aspen leaves.

Taiwu realized that Ossian was going to kill him. He also knew that no one would stop Ossian, and that this was a legitimate execution.

In the face of the fear of death, Taiwu, in a last desperate attempt, aimed his gun at Ossian again.

The moment his finger was about to pull the trigger, Ossian vanished like a candle being blown out.

Where did he go?

Just as Taiwu’s eyes darted around to find Ossian, Ossian suddenly appeared right in front of him.

Before Taiwu could even open his mouth to shout, Ossian’s sword pierced his chest.

“Gah!”

Taiwu gasped in pain. The last thing he saw was not Ossian, who was killing him, but Jake, his partner.

Jake, unable to meet Taiwu’s pleading eyes, turned his head away.

Seeing this, Taiwu’s face contorted with despair, and he finally bowed his head.

Ossian pulled his sword out of Taiwu’s chest.

With one swing, the blood on the blade dripped onto the wooden floor.

Ossian looked around at everyone who was staring at him and spoke.

“As you know, this guy violated the rules of this place by drawing and firing a gun. So I made him pay the appropriate price. I don’t think anyone has any complaints about that.”

No one contradicted Ossian’s words.

Instead, some nodded in satisfaction, as if Taiwu had died well.

With the situation roughly settled, Ossian looked at Jake again.

“Do you still need more proof?”

“...No, I don’t.”

“Then I’d like you to leave here quickly. I don’t want to see the blood of a dishonorable man again.”

Though the words were openly insulting, Jake couldn’t get angry.

He picked up Taiwu’s body and quickly left the bar.

Ossian watched Jake’s retreating back for a moment before returning to his seat.

“Then, let’s continue our conversation.”

Isabella and Osborn, who had been scrutinizing him, now had unhidden greed in their eyes.

Now that they knew the rumor about slicing bullets was true, they were even more interested.

However, their greed made them more cautious.

Ossian had killed Taiwu, Jake’s problem solver.

Hiring Ossian meant gaining a powerful asset but also making an enemy of Jake.

Jake himself was not a terrifying person.

He was skilled but had an overly high ego and a bad temper. He had only cunning, nothing more.

What was more frightening was the large organization behind Jake.

Given the unpredictable actions of that organization, Ossian was a very risky asset to have.

Ossian was aware of the complex emotions in the gazes directed at him.

“It seems the contract is already decided with someone.”

Ossian’s gaze turned to Ronan.

Ronan Roland.

This man’s attitude had not changed even when Ossian killed Taiwu.

“Are you really okay with me?”

“Weren’t you waiting for this from last night?”

“Yes... that’s true.”

Ronan nodded instead of arguing.

Despite the various incidents, they had not shaken his resolve.

“I promise to offer the best treatment in the industry.”

Ossian and Ronan shook hands.

Though it was only a preliminary agreement, it seemed unlikely that this deal would fall through.

“Then, shall we go to our office right away?”

“Office?”

“Yes. It’s a bit far from here, but since you’ll be coming here often, it’s not a bad idea to see it in advance.”

“Alright.”

Ossian nodded and stood up.

As Ronan was about to follow, a voice stopped him.

“Congratulations, Ronan. You’ve hired a very capable person.”

Ronan, who was about to leave, paused and gave a light nod to Isabella, who was looking at him with a subtle gaze.

“Oh, it was just luck.”

“Luck? Even if it’s luck, in this industry, that’s also a skill. Anyway, congratulations again, and be careful.”

Isabella’s caution was about Jake.

With Taiwu dead and humiliated in front of many people, Jake would surely try to target Ossian later.

And the same went for Ronan, who had hired Ossian.

“Be careful. Jake is a devious man like a snake. He smiles on the outside, but few people are as twisted as he is inside.”

“I know.”

“I’m glad you know. At least, I value you highly in this industry. You always smile, but it’s suspicious that we can’t see what you’re thinking.”

“Me? If you say that, it hurts.”

Isabella snorted in disbelief.

“Hurt? Stop making a fuss over nothing.”

“...”

It’s true.

Ronan couldn’t understand why people didn’t take his words at face value.

They were wary when he smiled and didn’t believe him when he said he was struggling.

Is the world too harsh?

Ronan took off his hat, pressed it to his chest, and bowed slightly.

“I appreciate your concern, but from now on, this is a path that Ossian and I must take together. I will take your advice to heart.”

“...Alright. Do your best.”

“Hehe, I hope we see each other often, Ronan.”

“Yes. Goodbye, Osborn.”

After exchanging light pleasantries with the industry people, Ronan put his hat back on and walked out of the bar.

Outside, Ossian was waiting with his arms crossed.

“Did you wait long? I’m sorry. I thought it was necessary to exchange greetings.”

“I can wait for as long as it takes to exchange pleasantries.”

“That’s a relief. Oh, by the way, do you mind if we stop somewhere before going to the office?”

“It’s fine, but where do you want to go?”

“A clothing store.”

“A clothing store? Why there?”

Ossian, who really didn’t know, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Ronan silently looked at Ossian’s armor.

Ossian looked down at his armor and realized belatedly.

“Oh.”

He had forgotten how comfortable the armor was.

*

Jingle.

Ossian, who had come out of the clothing store, looked at his new outfit with a subtle expression.

Brown leather pants for easy movement, a white shirt, a simple vest, and a frock coat.

Compared to the armor, it was better, but for Ossian, adapting to this outfit was equally difficult.

On the other hand, Ronan, after giving Ossian a once-over, nodded in satisfaction.

“Hmm. You definitely look more alive in new clothes.”

Ossian, who had always looked like a noble prince in armor, now looked even more striking.

The shop owner and staff had made a fuss over him, and even now, passersby on the street glanced at him.

“The shop will send the armor separately, so let’s go to the office.”

“...Alright.”

Ossian felt a sense of emptiness without his armor.

He found it amusing that he had even thought about it, and a self-deprecating smile crossed his face.

How long had he been in this world to already miss his armor?

Still, it was a good thing. At least his longsword was still at his waist.

The two went to a nearby platform and boarded a tram.

It was a tram that ran through the 30s district, and Ossian, sitting inside, casually looked around.

‘This is really a different world.’

He had already sensed it from the gangs, gunfights, and architectural styles, but the presence of trams made it feel like a fully modernized world.

Even now, steam-powered cars were passing by, and he could see the figures of Ains, not humans.

The tram eventually stopped at a station, and Ossian and Ronan got off and started walking.

They arrived at a store with a sign on a street where people were walking around.

“This is our problem-solving office, [Violet Fox]. Let’s go in.”

He had expected something special from a problem-solving office, but it didn’t look much different from other buildings on the street.

Following Ronan inside, the bell on the door jingled.

“Wow.”

The interior of the building was cleaner than expected.

Wooden tables and chairs, a sofa on one side, and framed pictures on the walls.

Brass pipes were installed on the ceiling and walls, and the soft light from the ceiling illuminated the interior.

A phonograph on the wooden table played classical music softly.

On one wall was a long display case, filled with various bottles of liquor.

“Was this place a bar too?”

“It’s a side business. Since the work of a problem solver is diverse, we often run restaurants or bars to gather information from customers.”

Ronan immediately led Ossian to the office on the second floor.

Sitting on the sofa, Ronan handed him a contract.

“Here’s the contract. Please read it, and if there are any conditions you find lacking or unsatisfactory, let me know.”

Ossian, who received the contract from Ronan, quickly skimmed through it.

He didn’t know the standards of this industry, but objectively, it wasn’t bad.

In fact, by modern standards, it was an incredibly good deal.

“Oh, and I need to list Ossian’s specialties. Can you tell me what you’re good at? It’s necessary for future commissions.”

Ossian, looking up from the contract, said:

“My specialty is swordsmanship. Remember that.”

“Ah, so you mean you handle swords?”

“Yes. Didn’t you see it?”

“You did. Ah, by the way, can I ask what you did before this? If it’s inconvenient, we can leave it blank.”

“There’s no need. I was a wandering knight before this.”

“...”

Ronan, who was about to say something, nodded as if understanding.

“Indeed. That’s the concept you’re going for.”