Episode 174 Pertinax Auction House (3)
These people unfold their wings with crow masks at their center. Their blood-red eyes flashed in the shadows of their hoods.
The House of Order, Auditore. They raided the Pertinax auction house.
One, Pertinax IX had known for a long time that the shadowy men had been poking around in the city of Godam lately. Rumors spread quickly in the underworld.
At first, he sent someone to get money from Auditore. The person returned with only a head and no body. It was a clear reply that there would be no conversation.
I knew they were a family of losers, but it was a rejection that was as sharp as a knife.
What if that happens? We should change course. Rather than losing sleep over anxiety, we should respond with the same violence. Pertinax IX decided to hire mercenaries.
However, a bunch of mediocre actors were no match for Auditore. Since he was spending money, he had to hire the right guys.
The 9th contacted the Villain Alliance. And the Alliance readily accepted the Auction House’s offer. They even gave away some of the villains who were doing well within the Alliance as mercenaries.
That easy acceptance was unexpected. I thought he would reject it at least a few times. But it was done in an instant. The union demanded a large sum of money, but the 9-year-old paid it without a word.
I heard later that the Villain Alliance was also having a hard time because of Auditore. It was because he was caught by Elder Claude.
Auditore doggedly pursued the Union, gradually eating away at its strength.
The Ventetta that went there to catch the traitor Choi Seol-ah was also annihilated. There was almost nothing to know about the truth. It was just torn to pieces? Judging from the body, it was the work of one guy.
So at this point when the foundation of the alliance was shaking, cooperation with the Pertinax Auction House was a sweet offer.
The front and back of the yard were already swept clean. I had to make money to make up for the loss.
There was mutual understanding. There was no reason for the wicked to refuse that one.
The auction house now has a strong supporter in the form of the union, and the union now has a goose that lays golden eggs in the form of the auction house.
And now, the opportunity has been created to confirm the solidarity between the two groups.
Kwakwang!
Dozens of villain mercenaries kicked down the door and rushed into the auction house.
The leader of the mercenaries, Can, looked around the auction house. He had received the radio transmission, so there was no need to explain the situation in detail.
“Oh, shit. You barged in while I was having a nice dinner. What the hell.”
Phew- Phew.
Can spat out phlegm and rubbed it with the sole of his shoe. He looked ahead with narrowed eyes.
A crow mask sitting leisurely in the middle of an auction house. The author must be Al’Tayr, the head of the Auditore clan.
I had heard rumors about him, but when I actually saw him, he was truly worthy of being called the strongest assassin. Even from a considerable distance away, the murderous intent he exuded was so strong that it made my throat burn.
‘This won’t end quietly.’
Can gave orders to his subordinates without showing it as much as possible.
“Everyone, move as you’ve prepared for this situation. We have the upper hand in numbers. But don’t let your guard down and focus on attacking the remaining barges. Those bastards’ ‘protection of the crow’ is particularly annoying.”
The men nodded. They prepared for battle by putting their index fingers and thumbs together.
“9-year-old gentleman, since we have discussed this with our superiors, we will do what we have to do. However, the lives of the participants are not our concern, so we will fight without caring. Do you understand?”
At Can’s words, the 9-year-old was lost in thought. If a bloodbath were to break out, the participants would definitely be involved.
Most of them will probably die. The probability that none of the guests will die is close to zero. So then… … .
Pertinax IX, who was pressing his eyes tightly, spoke in a dry tone.
“I hope that no one survives, whether a participant or a shadow.”
Suddenly the can burst into flames.
“I guess I was too harsh on you, 9-year-old. That’s right. If even one of you survives here, rumors will spread around the neighborhood that the Pertinax Auction House is joining hands with the Union. After killing everyone, they’ll just throw the blame at ‘Aditore’.”
“If you don’t say it indirectly… Yeah, that’s what it is.”
“As expected, you’re the one who has a place in the underworld. Yes, if you’re going to handle something, it’s right to do it cleanly so that no one gets hurt. I was originally thinking of getting paid extra, but I like your attitude. I’ll handle the participants as my own service.”
The can bared its teeth fiercely. The nine-year-old grinned back. Malice rose darkly between the two.
At that moment, Can was about to shout to his subordinates in a voice full of joy.
Sgung- thump.
The can’s temple hit the wooden stage floor. Gravity was acting from the side, as if he were lying sideways on a sofa.
…what is going on?
The confusion didn’t last long. The scene that came into his sight was a headless body spurting blood. Can realized that the body was his.
Can rolled his eyes, which were slowly relaxing. A girl looked down, wiping the blood off the blade. Her pupils were so empty that they looked like the eyes of a fish.
Only then did the back of my neck feel hot. The pain had come too late.
Can groaned inwardly, but the sound only lingered in his mouth.
The assassin girl muttered with her cloudy eyes that had become cloudy.
“Once I finish this… I can return to the Academy.”
Chloe gripped the hilt of the sword in her hands. She drove the blade into his head with all her might.
Pok. There was a sound of a pumpkin being stabbed, and soon Can’s vision went dark.
* * *
Starting with Chloe, the assassins placed their hands on the hilts of their swords. Then, they all simultaneously activated [Raven’s Protection].
Illumination- Auditore disappeared as if he had melted into the space. The next moment, the assassin’s sword struck the enemy from the blind spot of perception.
The situation was one-sided. Auditore pushed the enemy back with great momentum. The sounds of death erupted sporadically.
… Kkaaaaaaaaaah!
The assassin’s blade doggedly aimed at the villain’s hand. His fingers were cut off like corn stalks.
Before he could scream, another sword flew in the opposite direction and pierced his flesh.
The assassins slashed at the villains without any fuss, as if they were one. They peeled off the skin of their enemies as if they were tearing off a piece of wrapping paper.
The villain emptied a handful of the steaming contents. The assassin eventually decapitated him.
To the onlookers, it looked like a scene of slaughtering livestock. It wasn’t something that could be called a battle.
It was a necessary procedure, even if it was a bit drastic. The life force of a villain is much more tenacious than that of a human.
So, after boiling the life response of one of them, I had to move the target.
After the night of the purge, Auditore thoroughly analyzed and studied the methods of dealing with villains. Then, he applied them to actual battles. He achieved the result of minimizing damage while greatly reducing the Union’s power.
‘oh…….’
I was amazed. Villains transform into villains/villains without lifting a finger.
For me, who was always running wild on the front lines, it was not only uncomfortable, but also boring. The Auditore family’s power had increased by leaps and bounds.
Chloe’s growth was particularly remarkable. I don’t know what kind of training she received during the vacation, but her strength has improved greatly. The villain’s body was helplessly torn apart by her sword.
‘I’ll have to be more careful when Chloe returns to the Academy.’
… A short while later, the enemy was annihilated. Only traces of resistance were left as reddish stains on the auction house floor.
“Ma, mama, nonsense, ah, no… … !”
Pertinax IX’s face turned dead as a corpse. His knees hit the stage floor with a thud. He threw off his clown mask and vomited out his insides.
It was difficult to endure this tragedy that occurred in an instant with my mind clear.
While the clown was looking at my vomit, Kanggeomma approached with brisk strides.
Black hooded assassins escorted him as if he were their leader, like the leader of a flock of crows.
Kanggeomma crouched down in front of him. He stared at the head of the bastard who was shaking while his hands were on the floor.
“My lord, is there something you wish to find out from this person? Just give the order. Your shadow will use any means necessary to make you confess.”
At that time, Al’Tair politely spoke to Kanggeomma. Kanggeomma’s performance as the head of the household was not over yet.
Kang Geum-ma hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.
“I don’t want to get my hands dirty by doing that. There’s no point in finding out anything from this guy anyway, so just behead him.”
“Now, now, now, just a moment! Lord Auditore!”
The clown grabbed hold of his trouser leg with a look of desperation. Then he started pounding his forehead against his own vomit like a mortar.
“If it’s money, I’ll give you as much as you want! No, if it’s not enough, I’ll hand over the entire Pertinax Auction House. Of course, that includes all of the members’ personal information. So please… … !”
“I have all the members’ personal information?”
“… … ?”
The 9-year-old raised his gaze without realizing it. The crow mask showed the screen of his smartphone. It was indeed full of information about the members of Pertinax.
“Ah, ah, no.”
The 9th generation was more panicked than when the mercenaries were destroyed. How did the information that had been double- and triple-secured end up in the author’s hands?
Even Al’Tair was genuinely surprised that he didn’t know this. That was information that even Auditore’s intelligence could not obtain for a long time.
Kang Geum-ma quietly stood up after staring at the 9-year-old. He turned around and cast his gaze in the other direction.
A group of masks looking at the stage with tense faces. The corrupt and depraved ones are wearing masks and observing the situation.
You didn’t kill a single one. Well, just because they participated in the auction isn’t enough of a justification to kill them.
I chuckled. I was reminded again that the Auditore family was a family of order.
But I’m not like Auditore. I may not be able to kill those scumbags, but I can expose their faces.
When the blood clot was in full swing, I asked Ryozo to hack into the auction house network, because I suddenly remembered her words that she could help me remotely.
Ryozo grumbled that the security was unnecessarily thick. Then he quickly stole all the information and sent it to me.
‘Ryozo’s hacking skills are also improving day by day.’
I handed the smartphone over to Al’Tair and gave him instructions.
“The identities of those present. Announce to the press the details of today’s auction.”
“Oh, yes yes.”
Al’Tair nodded with a trembling face. I stood in front of the clown again. I looked down at him on the floor and opened my mouth.
“Pertinax IX, I know that you don’t just trade in demons and beasts. You also secretly buy and sell people.”
“… … !”
At my words, the 9-year-old looked like he was wondering how he knew that.
It wasn’t anything new to me, since the auction house episode of ‘Miracle Protection M’ was about digging into the inside story.
The 9-year-old muttered with his soul-empty eyes.
“Well, how much background check have you done… … up until that point.”
With this, all of this guy’s evil deeds have been exposed. If it had come to this point, he could have been executed outright without any leniency. It would have been refreshing.
“I will take care of the interest.”
Al’Tair himself raised his sword. The blade struck the neck without mercy. Whew. The clown’s head rolled off the platform.
Al’Tair clicked his tongue and wiped the blood from his blade. He should have tortured him and sent him away, but he held himself back because there were too many eyes watching him. Instead, it would be a good idea to kill all of his limbs.
The lord turned his head to the side. In this chaotic situation, Kanggeomma was releasing the baby dragon from its bonds.
“After dealing with the sinful life, save the sinless life… … .”
The lord was terrified. It had been decades since he had last seen such a thing.
