Chapter 59

EP.59 Side Story - Encounter

"Hey, I've never seen your face before, have I?"

The rough-looking man kicked open the inn door and entered with a teasing look.

"Since when did this place become a playground for kids? Innkeeper?"

The man, with his completely bald head, mocked the boy standing in front of the entrance. The boy was a young male, about a head shorter than the man.

The innkeeper, who was about to show the boy to his room, looked flustered and tried to gauge the bald man's mood.

"That... That's not it."

"Are you drunk? Or do you have a problem with your eyes or head?"

The atmosphere turned cold, and sweat trickled down the innkeeper's face.

"...Hey, kid. What did you say?"

"Is there something wrong with your ears now?"

"This brat...!"

Just as another thug was about to step forward, the bald man blocked him.

"Since he's just a kid, let's give him one chance. If you don't want to die, pay the toll."

"But I already paid the inn, didn't I?"

The innkeeper, with trembling hands, held the money bag the boy had paid, fearing it might be taken away.

"H... Hahaha! What a joke. Did you even know whose territory this is?"

"You're just a homeless bum, a Decal or a Double Knife."

"...What did you say?"

Seeing their leader insulted, the entire group's expressions twisted.

"You heard it, didn't you? Did you shave your head and your brain along with it?"

Some of the thugs tried to suppress their laughter, but to the boy, it was a truly wicked provocation.

"Kill him...!!"

Leonardo picked up a teacup from the innkeeper's table.

Splat!

"Aaaah!!"

The hot tea splashed onto the bald man's face. The tea was just boiled, so it caused a burn and made it impossible for him to open his eyes.

"Boss?!"

Clang

Leon, being frugal, even threw the empty cup at another thug.

"Kaaaah!!"

The cup fragments embedded evenly in the thug's face, causing pain far worse than the burn from the tea.

"Move! That kid is mine...!"

Thud

This time, he stabbed the thug who rushed at him with a sword. Being smaller than an adult, the boy had an advantage in surprise attacks.

"He's just a kid!! Why are you...!"

Swish, Thud

The boy picked up the club the stabbed thug had dropped, added some spin, and threw it at the thug who was shouting.

"Kraaah!!"

The club, with iron studs embedded to increase its power and aggression, caved in the thug's face and crushed his skull.

"Uaaaah!!"

As the boy was about to stab the injured thug, the remaining thugs, shocked by the sudden turn of events, screamed.

"Shut up."

What he threw was a dagger, a hunting dagger he had kept in his pocket.

Thud, and the thug who was screaming fell.

"...You...! What the hell...!"

Perhaps recovering from the burn, the bald thug rubbed his sore eyes and glared at the boy.

"Finally, you admit it, boss? You look terrible. Decal."

The boy smiled calmly at the murderous intent and turned to the back.

"B... Boss?!"

The bald man quickly turned his head.

Thud

A sword pierced his chest. While turning his head, the boy had stabbed him.

"Idiot."

While tearing through the thug's chest with his sword, the boy said, not knowing that a thug could die so easily.

"...A... Ah... That's..."

The innkeeper looked at the violent and bloody scene with a flustered expression.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to make such a mess."

"...You... What the hell...! Do you know what you've done?!"

Regaining his composure, the innkeeper shouted in a flustered voice. The Decal gang, who controlled this area, were ruthless thieves who would kill anyone associated with the person who killed their member.

"I did it because you asked me to. I came here to do this, didn't I?"

"What nonsense?! I...! Such a thing...!!"

The boy calmly rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a metal plate attached to a chain.

"A few days ago, you requested the extermination of a gang at the mercenary guild, didn't you? I heard you were the one who made the request."

The mercenary badge had the rank, name, and a special seal clearly engraved.

"...T... Then, you should have told me in advance..."

"If I had told you in advance, you would have complained, 'Why did a kid come?' and wouldn't have said, 'We've been waiting for a mercenary like you.'"

The boy, while pushing the dead Decal's subordinate with his foot, said.

"Well, as you saw, they were quite competent, so it's not too late to complain."

The name engraved on the mercenary badge was as follows.

【Leonardo】

***

"...So, the Decal gang came here about half a year ago, and the guard has been silent, saying they would handle it?"

"...That's right. They say they are looking for support or methods, but..."

"Probably won't help even after a year."

Leonardo cut off the conversation, certain of his words.

"Y... Yes?"

"These inns and other shops are all in the back alleys. Honestly, the guard, who only cares about their performance, won't help, and there will be no loss."

The guard's necessity was only for the residents of this town who were recognized as proper citizens.

"Rather, looking at the guard's condition here, it wouldn't be strange if they were taking bribes from the Decal gang. I would do the same if I were in their position."

"Such... a collusion between the guard and the gang..."

Leon was silent for a moment, then spoke with a serious expression.

"...Collusion? What's that? Don't use difficult words. Don't talk so complicatedly to a kid."

At those words, the innkeeper realized the age of the mercenary in front of him.

"Then..."

"Are there more Decal gang members besides the ones I just killed?"

"Yes, they are probably collecting protection money now. Decal is at the hideout..."

"Then I should go there."

Leon dusted off his pants and stood up.

"Y... Yes?"

"Killing the leader is the easiest. So, going to the hideout is the fastest."

"...But, can you go so suddenly?!"

"Surprise attacks are always sudden. I have a rough idea of the location."

He showed the map and key he had taken from the dead body's pocket. The faint lines drawn on the map with a pen gave a rough idea of the gang's level.

"Besides, these idiots don't seem very smart."

"...B... But... then..."

"I'll take this as the advance payment."

Leon calmly picked up the money bag he had paid for the inn.

"...That was supposed to be..."

"The inn fee and the advance payment are separate. I'll pay what I need to pay and take what I need to take. I know the code of conduct, even if I'm young."

Saying that, Leonardo opened the inn door.

"By the way, prepare a proper meal. There's nothing more miserable than working hard and eating a bowl of porridge."

Although his words had a strange twist, Leonardo left before anyone could argue.

Time passed, and the sky turned to a red dusk, but Leonardo did not return.

The innkeeper, who had been tense, eventually started to clean the blood-stained inn interior with a calm demeanor.

'...Could he have died...?'

Just as he thought that, the door opened.

Thud...

The face of a person with a little blood trickling down, the slightly swollen face of Decal, appeared.

"...D... Decal...!?"

"It's me. Fortunately, my face seems to be okay."

The one who entered was the young mercenary, holding Decal's head.

His arms were swollen, as if he had a rash, indicating serious injuries.

"...T... That's..."

The innkeeper looked at the head of the gang leader, to whom he had been paying protection money for half a year, with a flabbergasted expression.

"That's Decal's head. I killed him as requested."

"...Alone... Decal..."

"I was lucky. There were only Decal and his close subordinates, and I didn't confront them head-on."

Leonardo calmly explained how he had taken down the leader of the gang.

First, he walked to a nearby forest where there was a beehive. He picked some herbs and flowers and rubbed them all over his body.

"That way, the bees won't sting as much. It seems they dislike the smell."

Then, he tore the beehive and wrapped it in cloth. He would inevitably get stung, but the herbs on his body reduced the pain and swelling.

"Then, I threw the beehive at where Decal was. No matter how good a fighter, without insecticide, they can't handle hundreds of bees."

The rest was simple. Chased and stung by the bees, Decal rushed out of the door, and Leonardo beheaded him.

Then, he killed the subordinates with traps prepared at each exit or by tying their ankles and killing them.

That concluded the mission.

"...I... Is that so...?"

The innkeeper's tone had changed to an extremely respectful one. The young mercenary's skills and strategy were so outstanding and proficient that they made adults and other mercenaries look pitiful.

"That's right. I brought the head for confirmation. It's more certain than just saying I killed him, right?"

That was true, but placing the head on the table was too creepy.

"Then, prepare a meal and a room. I'll be back in a bit."

"...Y... You're going out again?"

"Of course. I need to advertise that I killed this guy."

"...Y... Yes?!"

The innkeeper, surprised by the young boy's calm declaration of a crazy act, started to try to stop him.

"D... Dangerous!! If you do that, the remaining gang members...!!"

"I'm doing it for the remaining gang members to see."

"Y... Yes?"

"I want everyone in the town to see. That way, there will be less theft in this town."

Decal was the big boss controlling the back alleys of this town, and as Leonardo had initially guessed, he had a collusion relationship with the guard.

"But if a kid kills Decal and walks around the town with his head, what will happen?"

"...Are you warning other thieves?"

"That too, and it will make other people feel safer. They'll think, 'Decal wasn't that great after all.'"

Through this action, the status of the Decal gang would hit rock bottom, and it would also set a good example for the guard and the thugs.

People could then focus on their livelihoods with peace of mind. Of course, not while Leonardo was walking around with the head.

"...But... if the remaining gang members seek revenge..."

"It's fine. I left all the valuable things at the hideout. If they're proper thieves, they'll try to get those things before seeking revenge."

It would be even better if they fought