Chapter 6

Dean's gloomy voice echoed—

"It's m-me!"

Ruman Pola nodded repeatedly, his voice trembling slightly.

Because, at this moment, he was sitting on the ground and had clearly seen his dead guards; not just the one who went to report, but also the one guarding the door, both now slumped in the corridor with their chests motionless, clearly indicating they were dead.

Without his henchmen, Ruman Pola was like a little lamb, devoid of the authority he had in the restaurant. He stammered, "S-Sir, is there anything you need? If it's money, it's in the chest by the bed, there are two hundred gold ponts inside!"

At this moment, Ruman Pola was very clear about his situation and almost without hesitation, he mentioned the 'most valuable' thing—since the other person could silently kill two guards, they could just as easily do the same to him. Facing such a desperate man, his noble title and personal honor were useless; only gold ponts could ensure his survival.

Ruman Pola, as the head of the Pola family's underground business, was well aware of this.

Thus, although his words were slightly stammered, his pronunciation was exceptionally clear, especially when he mentioned 'two hundred gold ponts'—if it were a common thief, the mention of such a large sum would certainly divert their attention. However, unfortunately, the nobleman was facing Dean, who was there to take his life.

As for asking for other things?

In his previous life, to eliminate the deputy leader, Dean had thoroughly investigated the Pola family, including the secrets of each important family member.

Therefore, he needed the Pola family's blood even more—

Thud!

The sword blade crossed the throat, and the hand pressing firmly on the mouth silenced the nobleman's cry before it could even begin.

Only after the other person stopped convulsing and Dean stabbed him in the heart again, did he throw the body onto the bed and began to search the surroundings. He quickly found something even more valuable than the chest by the bed—a bag inside a sleeping robe in the wardrobe.

Even through the bag, Dean could tell it was a bag of gems. Subsequent checks confirmed Dean's guess—indeed, as the head of a family's underground business, even for a medium or small family, Ruman wouldn't carry much gold ponts, let alone the Pola family, which was not small.

Compared to the heavy gold ponts, unmarked gems were much more valuable—convenient and safe. After all, there were people who would act on the sight of wealth, even in Emerald City, let alone outside it.

Why did Dean know this?

In his original life, he had been the one to act on the sight of wealth countless times.

And this time, even with other targets, it seemed no different—after carefully estimating the value of the gems, Dean was satisfied and tucked the bag of gems into his inner lining. He knew he would need a lot of gold ponts in the days to come.

Although Lanie had given him all her jewelry, it was far from enough for what Dean needed to do—moreover, unless necessary, Dean had no intention of using those pieces; because, based on his past experience, he was sure that was all of Lanie's jewelry.

Therefore, for Dean, it was not just a bag of jewelry.

The meaning behind it brought a hint of warmth to Dean's cold, sharp heart.

Dean stood up, moved the bodies of Doker and the other guard who had come to report into the room, and placed them by the bed. After a thorough check to ensure there were no flaws visible from the corridor, he slowly left the room.

However, Dean did not leave; instead, he hid in the shadows opposite the inn—thanks to the deceased nobleman, who had booked the entire inn, he didn't have to worry about being distracted by extra people; he only needed to be cautious of the night patrol in Horn Town.

As the restaurant waiter had warned—Captain Mark was a truly dedicated man!

Unfortunately... his abilities were not great!

Seeing the loose and full of blind spots patrol, Dean put down his last worry—originally, he thought he would need to spend some effort here; even if he had known this earlier, he wouldn't have needed to leave the deceased nobleman's room and could have waited quietly.

However, Dean did not regret it.

After all, being cautious was not something to regret!

Because, at certain inconspicuous times, such caution could save your life—Dean, who had personal experience, kept this habit in mind.

After waiting for a long time, when the patrol had already conducted their third round, two figures appeared on the distant street—using the shadows cast by the lamplight and buildings, they slowly approached the inn. Although their movements were not very experienced, they were clearly not novices.

Avoiding Captain Mark's patrol was more than enough for them.

Similarly, Dean following them was not difficult—Dean, with his rich experience, found it easy to deal with two half-trained rookies.

Even at a distance of less than two yards, the bandit did not notice anyone behind him.

Yes, they were bandits—even without the memories in his mind, Dean could recognize them from their behavior and attire.

In fact, it was because of these two bandits that an incident occurred that shook the upper echelons of Emerald City—the younger brother of the Pola family's head, Lord Ruman Pola, was murdered in his home, and his belongings were stolen; the culprit was pursued and captured by the deputy leader of the Central Knights, Bokko Pola.

Of course, that was just the surface.

In secret, the deputy leader of the Central Knights, Bokko Pola, gained much more than that—not only did he find the smuggling route in the north of the Emerald Kingdom, which made the Pola family rise to the top in just a year, but he also had his father remove the 'second' from his title, becoming the Minister of Finance, forcing the Havill family, where Lanie came from, to form an alliance through marriage to gain such a promising ally.

And this was the cause of Lanie's death.

Therefore, even without considering future plans, just for Lanie, Dean was determined to obtain the northern smuggling route that made the Pola family rise.

Moreover, Dean desperately needed that gold ponts-infused smuggling route!

This resolve made Dean's longsword even faster and more concealed—approaching silently, Dean covered the mouth of the bandit in front of him, slit his throat, and then brought the raised sword handle down hard, knocking out the other bandit who had just entered Ruman's room and was just starting to notice something.

Then, he threw the dead bandit by Ruman's bed, picked up the chest full of gold ponts and the unconscious bandit, and retreated again.

Although he had an extra chest and a person, Dean's steps remained light, and the innkeeper, who was sound asleep behind the bar, did not notice at all—after all, for the inn, having such a big shot book the entire place meant more than just the gold ponts; it also meant a peaceful night.

Because, he didn't have to worry about midnight check-ins or unreasonable requests, or even dealing with the big shot—his attendants and guards were more than capable; in short, it was like a holiday, and he was as happy as if he had received a gift.

However, this time, it wouldn't be so easy for the innkeeper. Once Ruman Pola's identity was exposed, the vindictive deputy leader of the Central Knights would surely take him to task for his failure.

But Dean had no intention of helping him—helping him would expose his own hiding and waiting for the right moment, and Dean chose the latter.

After all, their relationship was not that close, was it?

As for whether the innkeeper was a good person and shouldn't suffer such injustice?

Dean could swear that none of the three innkeepers in Horn Town were good people, and countless merchants could testify to this.

Of course, Dean didn't need to.

...

PS: New book release! During the new book period, I face various difficulties, so I need all kinds of support—collections, clicks, recommendations—none of them can be missing!