New boss
Dante, who was in the corner, ran faster than anyone else and stood in front of the man.
And then the three leaders came running late.
Dante called them three beetles, not the leaders.
The three bugs rushed forward in front of the man, and Dante took a step back.
It would have been better to stop those idiots first, because you never know what might happen.
Dante stared at Philip’s head lying there.
That Philip died…
Dante thought Philip was like a spider.
A spider that makes a dense web and then sits still on it.
Dante knew how tight and dense the web was, so he didn’t think Philip would fall out of it.
Even when the man opened the door and came in, that thought did not change.
Although the man was large enough to fill the door, his whole body was swollen with blood, and his eyes were sharp.
Dante was sure that Philip’s dense web would once again immobilize his opponent.
Perhaps the three bugs had similar thoughts and just watched with their arms folded.
But the giant man swung his sword lightly, and Philip’s head was instantly blown off.
Even though Philip had boasted about his web, saying things like ‘Count, First Class Steward, Abbot, and Imperial’, the man had not hesitated for a moment.
Dante glanced at the man.
By combining the clues carved into the man’s body, I was able to reconstruct the events that happened tonight.
That scarred face and colorful armor matched the description of the guy who had been to three casinos today.
It was the sword of the drunken knight who guarded the black front of his waist.
Also, the city happened to be turned upside down, so this place was empty.
Could that really be a coincidence?
Dante, who grew up eating rotten food picked up in back alleys, did not believe in coincidences.
‘Then why is the city in such chaos now···.’
Dante shuddered slightly at the conclusion he had reached by combining all of these.
Everything tonight was pointing to the man.
“Okay, first contestant. Tell us about yourself, your strengths, and what sets you apart from others.”
The man tore off Pilaf’s silk robe and wiped the blood off his body, saying:
“So… self-introduction? I am! A member of the Lone Wolf faction, the human crusher Karl! What I am good at is breaking heads! Intimidating!···.”
Dante gulped as he watched the human shredder knife, whose head was over a hundred, screaming like a newbie.
Dante squinted his eyes to try to figure out what the man wanted.
It wasn’t revenge, because I smiled at Philip.
Seeing him having a playful conversation with the leaders, it wasn’t even a small amount of justice.
Even after turning the city upside down, fighting knights, and blowing off Philip’s head, it was still unclear what the man wanted.
That was actually more scary.
Because it seemed like a natural disaster without a will.
“Okay, next is participant number 3.”
“I can kidnap any woman without leaving a single trace! If you want, big brother…”
Dante decided to think only about what was right in front of him.
“Then, lastly, participant number 4.”
“My name is Dante. I am in charge of the practical work of the Lone Wolf.”
Dante continued as the man nodded.
“As for the ‘count, first-class manager, and abbot’ that old Philippe mentioned earlier, they certainly wouldn’t care if the money they receive is the same as before.”
Dante swallowed dry saliva and continued.
“No, on the contrary, since Philip has been causing a series of problems recently, if you just give him money like usual, they will be happy. Also, since it is my job to give them bribes, I can make sure that no problems arise.”
The man’s eyebrows, which had not moved at all, rose slightly.
“This cowardly bastard!! If that’s the case, then I have something to say! If you want, I’ll break that Count’s head! I’ll break it! As long as I break his head···.”
“I have something to say, too! First-class manager! I’ll kidnap that bitch and bring her to you!”
“me too···!”
Perhaps sensing a sense of crisis, the three bugs raised their voices.
Dante noticed the man was watching him and stepped back, pulling out two hammers and holding them in both hands.
And he quietly approached behind the worms who were still busy boasting about their strange merits.
Even then, the man was still looking at Dante.
Without saying anything else, Dante was certain that this was the correct answer.
Dante swung his hammer at the heads in front of him. Bam! With a loud sound, one fell down, and the human crusher Carl, whose head was unusually thick, turned around, bleeding.
“You traitor bastard!”
The human shredder Carl cursed and pulled out the hammer from his waistband, while Bael, the torture expert next to him, grabbed Dante’s neck with a vicious hand.
Although he was in excruciating pain and couldn’t breathe, Dante faced the man.
The man smiled slightly and swung his sword, splitting the two large men in half in an instant.
“Oh, it’s even better than it looks.”
The man who was muttering softly swung his sword at the man who was first hit in the head and knocked unconscious.
The man who made six out of three swung his sword around and wiped away the blood.
“Yeah, you said Dante?”
“···yes.”
Dante answered, forcing back his trembling voice.
“You are the finalist. From today on, you are the leader of the Lone Wolf, so work hard.”
“Thank you… I will work hard.”
Dante had to do his best not to stumble at the touch of the man’s hand on his shoulder.
“But didn’t that guy just talk about the royal family?”
“Oh, that’s just an exaggeration of the story of a knight from the Imperial family coming to the gambling house before. As far as I know, he has no connection to the Imperial family.”
Dante answered quickly without a moment’s hesitation.
“Well, what does that thug have to do with the royal family…”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Well, now that you’re the boss, do a good job.”
“yes!”
Even though I was sitting in the position of the leader of the lone wolves that I had dreamed of, I didn’t feel good. My neck felt cold, as if I was lying on the guillotine.
“Oh, could you please wrap up the heads, including the one above, and bring them over? I have a place to give them as a gift.”
“···yes.”
Dante was horrified at the man’s words that he would give him a human head as a gift, but he desperately held back so as not to show it.
Even Philip would lower his voice or furrow his eyebrows whenever he gave such an order, but the man was as calm as if he were just telling someone to bring him water.
That was more scary.
Because these things seem like nothing to the man.
Dante picked up an axe that had fallen to the ground and struck the necks of the fallen men. Crunch. An unpleasant sensation came over him and his hands tingled with the force of the blow, but he did not stop.
After harvesting four heads, Dante brought the box he had prepared to give to the Count and placed them one by one into it.
“Don’t just put it in. Put something in it so that it shakes.”
“yes!”
Dante, who didn’t know what was being said, answered and roughly guessed at the surrounding silk clothes and filled them into a box.
Since I said it was a gift, with trembling hands I arranged the four heads so that they were looking at the corners of the box, then crumpled up the silk clothes and put them in between them to secure them in place.
It seemed to be correct, as the man nodded his head in satisfaction.
“Please make the packaging look better.”
“yes!”
Dante couldn’t understand, but he didn’t ask twice.
I sprayed some perfume that I was going to send to the first-class manager just in case I smelled blood.
After confirming that the fragrance was still present even after covering the box, the box was wrapped in silk.
My hands were shaking so much from fear that the package kept slipping, so it took quite some time.
He carefully placed the package, which had been packed with more care than when he had sent it to the Count, next to him.
At that time, the man was wiping the blood on his sword with a piece of silk that had fallen on the ground.
“It’s all- over.”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work, Dante.”
“···yes.”
Dante swallowed hard.
“Then… what do we do now?”
I didn’t want to ask, but I had no choice but to since I didn’t know what the man wanted.
The man who was cleaning his sword raised his head and stared at Dante.
Dante gulped at those deep eyes.
“Do what you want.”
“···yes?”
At the words that came out of the man’s mouth, Dante forgot his fear and asked a question for the first time.
“Do it well.”
The man pronounced it with special emphasis on the ‘well’ part.
Dante didn’t understand, but nodded as if he did.
The man who had been smiling contentedly continued speaking as if he had just remembered something.
“Oh, and look after the third-class manager, Shone. And for the gatekeeper, Geruk, don’t look for a place like that, but find a position at a knitting guild or something.”
‘Geruk? Are you talking about the stupid Gerun?’
However, the commands were still incomprehensible, but they were more specific than before.
Third-class manager, Shone.
Anyway, it was a situation where I had to create my own string.
In the case of the gatekeeper Gern, you can just give him a knitting clan.
It wasn’t a difficult order.
“yes.”
“Yeah. I’m glad the new boss seems like he’ll do a really ‘good’ job. Right?”
“···yes.”
Dante continued to nod.
“Don’t bother me by making me come all the way here again.”
The man muttered, and just as he looked out the window behind him he saw a city on fire.
Dante nodded sincerely.
I couldn’t even imagine what this city would look like if that man came again.
Since Dante liked Karzan, a sense of mission welled up in his heart.
‘Take care of it… so the man doesn’t come back again.’
Dante kept repeating to himself.
The man said Dante was the boss, but Dante knew.
That guy is holding his own leash.
Dante, who was quick-witted, knew very well.
***
“wake up.”
Shona opened her eyes half-asleep as her body shook.
“Eww!!”
When he opened his eyes, he was startled and screamed at the sight of the vicious demon’s face right in front of him.
Upon closer inspection, I saw that it wasn’t the devil, but Aaron.
“Oh, it was Aaron. I thought he was the devil.”
“What? You little brat.”
Aaron chuckled and lightly tapped the back of her head.
Then, Shawn yawned deeply and shook his hands and feet.
“The sun has already risen over there. Isn’t it time to go to work?”
“Eww! I’m late! This is a big problem!!”
At Aaron’s words, Shawne let out a long scream.
Somehow the world seemed much brighter than usual!
Shawn hurriedly got up from his seat.
It was only then that he realized he had been sleeping on the street.
My body feels sore for some reason!
But that wasn’t the point.
How much more angry will Fjord be if he gets caught being late!
At that moment, my body floated into the air.
When he turned his head towards him, Aaron was holding the back of his neck.
“I’m late! I’m late!”
Shoune shouted, flapping his feet that couldn’t reach.
“Take this.”
Aaron handed over a large box.
It was a luxurious-looking box, tightly bound with silk.
Shawn buried his nose in the box and sniffed at the fragrant scent wafting from it.
What is this?
Shawn shook the box curiously.
There was a rattling sound coming from an incredibly heavy box.
“Don’t open it here. Open it when you get to work.”
“why?!”
“just.”
Shawn nodded at Aaron’s plain answer.
Well, what can I do if the person who gave me the gift said so?
“Okay, then go.”
Aaron and the large man behind him waved.
‘But who is that person?’
First of all, because it was urgent, Shona lowered her head, hugged the box in her arms, and ran hard.
Then suddenly, I noticed that the city was different than usual.
‘Was there a raid at night?’
The city was a mess everywhere. There were more than a few people lying on the streets, bleeding profusely, and buildings that had collapsed and been charred were everywhere.
It was clear that something huge had happened.
‘Oh my God! I’m late on a day like this! I’m dead!’
It was clear that everyone was gathered together and having an emergency meeting, but I was never late, so I was late on a day like this. I was so upset that tears welled up in my eyes.
I ran so fast that I was out of breath and arrived at the city hall.
Shoney’s heart pounded when he saw that the hallway, usually bustling with people, was empty.
‘I’m dead. I’m really dead.’
Shoune quickly wiped away the tears flowing from his right eye.
It seemed as if the promotion that had been just a little bit open was completely closed and nailed down.
‘But it was still fun. With Aaron···.’
What did you do?
Shoune tilted his head at the jumbled memories.
Clearly, I did various refreshing and fun things, but I couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality.
‘···It must have been a dream. That’s ridiculous.’
Shawn went up the stairs with his mouth pouting.
Is this how a condemned man feels as he is put on the guillotine?
My pounding heart gave way and became calm.
First of all, once you open the door and go in, you get hit in the head first…
“Huh? Isn’t this a great citizen show?”
At that moment, the voice he hated the most called him. It was Fjord, a freckled, rotten, unlucky guy with protruding front teeth.
“You’re late, right? Well, since you’re a citizen, it probably doesn’t matter anyway. I had a hard time since dawn because I was about to get promoted… I’m really jealous.”
At the annoying voice of the guy who was slowly scratching, Shone clenched and unclenched his fist.
“Oh, our great citizen Shawne must have been late and didn’t hear the news?”
“What’s the news?”
“I’ve been nominated for promotion to second-grade manager next month.”
Padduk- Shoney couldn’t stand it anymore and ground his teeth.
At that, Fjord laughed mischievously.
It was ridiculous.
He was more honest than the guy, he was good at work, he got good grades, and he was sociable.
But that freckled Fjord is a candidate for a second-class promotion!
“So, practice in advance. I want my shoes to be shiny.”
Fjord’s anger turned to frustration as he clacked his shoes and groaned.
The limitations of one’s origin were unavoidable.
In the end, no matter what he did, he was finished here and even if he dawdles, he will rise to the top.
‘Then I’ll just beat that guy up before he gets promoted… Yeah? What am I talking about…’
Shoune tilted his head as he watched his fist clench more and more than usual.
“But what is that box in your arms?”
Fjord asked, pointing to the box Aaron had given him with his pointed chin.
“Don’t pay attention.”
“Pfft… Or so it is. But is it okay for me to be like this? I’m just here to run an errand for the second-class people, but you’re late, right?”
“this···!!”
Then Shawn quickly ran into the conference room.
“···Yesterday, three organizations engaged in an all-out war. The exact damage has not been calculated, but fortunately, they did not touch the civilians, perhaps because they had set some rules among themselves. Unlike the other two organizations, the Lone Wolf side is currently uncontactable. He is not the type to sit still after what happened yesterday, so we need to find Philip as soon as possible···.”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Shawn quickly lowered his head and went inside.
The moment he finally saw the conference room, Shona barely managed to hold back a scream.
Everyone in the audience was gathered together.
Even first-class managers, who are rarely seen on a regular basis.
“Who is it?”
Sarshan, a first-class manager, said in an irritated voice.
“This is 3rd class manager Shone! I’m really sorry for being late!”
Shawn lowered his head again.
The sound of tongues clicking around him stabbed the back of Shawn’s head.
“What’s that box?”
Sarshan muttered softly, and everyone’s eyes were fixed on the large box in Shoune’s hand.
“Chi… I got this as a gift from a friend.”
Shoney answered with force and hid the box behind him.
It was a gift from a close friend.
It wasn’t something to show off to others.
“You don’t even have any sense.”
Everyone murmured in agreement with Sarshan’s words, and Shoune’s face grew hot.
“Go quickly and sit down!!”
A second-class manager who usually did not like Shone shouted at him.
Then Shawn hurriedly headed to the empty seat.
It was a day when I had no luck, and the seat happened to be right next to Fjord.
“You’re really stupid. Since your life as a manager is over anyway, why don’t you quit and do something more befitting your status? Like a stonemason, or a baker. There are plenty of options.”
The guy was really constantly nagging.
Today, my hands were particularly itchy at words that I would normally have passed over lightly.
‘···Why is it like this?’
Shawn tilted his head at his own change.
I don’t know why, but I felt like if I just put this fist in that guy’s face, the problem would be solved.
“How clueless do you have to be to disobey a first-class manager just for a small gift? If I were you, I would take off not only the box, but also my clothes. Did you get anything good in it?”
At that moment, the guy reached out and reached for the box.
‘This guy!!’
There is something that Shawn’s drunken father said every day. Loyalty is like life to a man. Even if you don’t have money, you should have loyalty.
Although he was the worst father who took the lead in his friends’ affairs even though his own children were starving, Shona still liked him.
Shawn inherited little from his father.
Hair between brown and orange.
Habit of sleeping after drinking alcohol.
And stories about loyalty.
Shoney quickly held out his fist containing his father’s legacy.
Bam! The first punch to someone’s face hurt more than I thought. Even though I was the one who hit him, tears welled up in my eyes. At that, Shoune grabbed my fist and let out an ‘Ah-‘ sound.
‘Ha! How is it! The taste of my fist! You’ll probably feel pain and your nose will bleed!’
Contrary to Shone’s expectations, Fjord was looking at Shone with wide eyes as if wondering what had just happened.
In the meantime, the guy’s hand pushed the box.
Fjord, who saw the tilted box heading towards the middle of the conference room, hurriedly grabbed the box’s strap.
However, since the thing I grabbed was a string, the string untied itself and the box opened.
Thud- Degurururur-.
‘huh?’
The box tipped over and its contents spilled out.
Silence fell on the conference room at the contents.
Four heads, their blood stuck to the silk, rolled around in the middle of the conference room. Roll, roll.
But that face was familiar.
The human shredder Carl, the virgin kidnapper Birn, the torture expert Bael, and the Lone Wolf cadres.
‘···That?’
Finally, the head on top rolled and stopped.
‘Philip?! Why are those in the box Aaron gave me?’
In the heavy silence that had descended upon the conference room, Shawn recalled his memories of last night.
And then I realized that what I thought was a dream wasn’t a dream, but reality.
‘Oh, promotion? I’m a civilian, so it’s out of the question. Maybe if I just took that guy Philip’s head.’
I understood why Aaron called it a gift.
If it’s Philip and his three chief executives-.
Shawn felt strength forming in his shoulders.
His chin went up on its own and his expression became very serious.
Looking at Fjord, who was looking back and forth between himself and the gift, with his mouth wide open, as if he still didn’t understand the situation.
“My shoes are a little dirty.”
Shawn pushed in his shoes, which clearly showed traces of the night.
“···I found it. Philippe.”
First-class manager Sarshan muttered, and Shoune turned his head to meet her eyes.
The look in his eyes was like that of a dog that had just successfully brought home a bone, so Shawn couldn’t help but pout.
***
‘I’m tired.’
I wanted to lie down and sleep right away, but I still had work to do.
It was fortunate that Dante was a quick-witted guy.
The guy vowed to ‘sort it out’ and ‘send’ the ‘appropriate’ amount of gold.
I sniffed my nose to see if there was any body odor.
It was a strange smell, a mixture of blood, sweat, and gunpowder.
I headed to the ragtag wizard that Dante had told me about, who had amazing cleaning magic.
The place where the dwarf wizard was was a really small shop, and he was sitting alone inside.
As I entered, the guy let out a ‘Eek!’ sound in surprise. When I took out a gold coin from my bosom and showed it to him, the guy immediately bowed down as if he had seen a king.
To him, I said solemnly, like a king, ‘Show me your best,’ and he answered proudly, like a subject, ‘Yes, I understand!’
– Such arrogance···?
‘Stay still. It’s a waste of money.’
He suddenly silenced the screaming tenant and spread his arms.
“He said, ‘You did not bring even a single speck of dust with you when you were born…’”
The shabby wizard pointed his crooked staff at me while reciting strange spells.
Then, all sorts of things started to spray around me like wet towels in a dehydrator.
Red blood, waste residue, and natural salt from hardened sweat were all mixed together and tangled on the floor, giving off a strong stench.
‘It’s like being reborn.’
My eyes opened wide to the refreshing feeling that I couldn’t get from a normal shower or bath. Even the things attached to my armor came off at once.
“Huhhhh···.”
The guy was breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead, like a knight who had just fought the battle of his life against his enemy.
It seemed like he had used all his might to cast his magic.
I swallowed my saliva as I watched the guy tremble as if he would collapse on the floor at any moment.
‘If I let this kid be my mini fridge teacher…’
It was a coveted feature.
I took a quick look around the store. Despite the guy’s amazing magical skills, the store was shabby and unappealing.
Also, looking at the guy’s face and the way his bones were touching, it was clear that his business wasn’t going well.
Of course, those uncivilized medieval people would never spend money on washing.
“How much?”
“1··· No, it’s 20 silver.”
It was definitely expensive. They probably hired some noble or guy before their first night.
“Hey, you.”
“Yes… yes?!”
“Are you going on a business trip too?”
I took two gold coins out of my fat pocket and turned them between my fingers.
The guy swallowed hard and nodded as if in a trance.
“I have a little wizard I’m raising. Come teach him a few spells and I’ll give you some gold.”
“···Yes! If you want, I will teach you all my magic!”
I threw a gold coin and the guy who quickly caught it opened his eyes wide.
“When you are ready, come to Castle Cassidy and find Aaron.”
“Yes! I’ll just move my residence to Cassadic Castle!”
There was no need to do that, but I didn’t bother to stop him.
“Okay… Please wait a moment.”
When I tried to leave, the guy grabbed me.
The guy took a moment to catch his breath and pointed his staff at me while reciting a spell.
Then, an opaque aura appeared on the armor, which was scorched, scratched, and in disarray, and it began to flash.
The scratches were still there, but it shined beautifully as if it had been wiped clean overnight with an oily cloth.
“Ughhhhhh-.”
The guy who finished his magic fell forward as if he had used all his strength.
I took out another gold coin, put it in the guy’s mouth to prevent anyone from stealing it, and went outside.
As I was walking around giving bonuses and telling them to be friends in the future, the sun was high in the sky.
It was the time I had promised Orange.
I went into the ‘Choked Pig’ place that Shoney had told me about, but it was noisy because there were quite a lot of people there.
He gave the employee a gold coin and said, “You’re being noisy.” The employee then picked up a stick, yelled at the customers, and chased them away.
The waiter pushed away all the surrounding tables and guided us to the largest seat in the center.
I told the orange-haired beauty to come and show me around, then laid down on the chair.
As the noise died down and silence took over, my eyelids grew heavy.
As the tension eased, the fatigue from last night came rushing back to me.
I closed my eyes, holding the sword hilt and pulling it out slightly.
***
‘···Why did I have to come on that day?’
Nova muttered a curse as she untied her hair.
Aside from the fatigue, last night’s chaos actually had a positive effect.
The chaos last night was clearly Karzan’s weak point, and Nova was not a fool to miss such an obvious weakness. Rather, she was more like a biting viper.
Nova nitpicked about the safety of the contract and Karzan’s management, and rewrote the contract they had discussed the day before from scratch, filling it with terms much more favorable to Cassidy.
After finishing the war with the pen and shaking hands with my opponent who had a sad face, the sun was at its end.
Nova, who had not eaten a single meal until then, finally felt hungry and remembered something he had forgotten.
‘Ah! Aaron.’
It was long past the lunch we had promised.
Aaron was already gone, but Nova hurriedly packed her bags and headed to the meeting place.
‘What? There aren’t any customers.’
Isn’t this it?
Nova tilted her head and went in.
“Wow!! Come this way.”
For some reason, I followed the employee who was smiling brightly at me inside.
All the other tables in the store had been pushed to the side, and in the center of them all sat a particularly large table with a familiar suit of armor.
Aaron was sleeping soundly. He was sleeping so deeply that he didn’t wake up even when Nova sat across from him and snored loudly.
It was my first time seeing Aaron’s defenseless face, so I felt strange.
Beneath the scars covering his face and his confident smile, a youthful demeanor and gentleness were revealed.
He had a serious face – that of a decent man – because he kept his mouth shut and didn’t babble like usual.
Nova, who had been staring at Aaron’s face for a while with an inexplicable feeling, lowered his gaze in surprise when Aaron shouted, “Big!”
‘What am I doing?’
Nova shook her head at her somehow hot face and took out the contract she had brought.
I’m just so busy with work that hasn’t been done yet that I don’t have time to eat.
Nova muttered softly and slowly looked over the contract, ignoring the stabbing hunger.
I did my best to keep my gaze focused forward, just in case I missed something.
In the quiet restaurant, the only sounds were snoring and the clatter of pens.
Then suddenly a thought occurred to me.
‘···What did you do last night to sleep so soundly?’
Nova glared at Aaron again, his eyes sharp as ever.
***
“What are those kids doing?”
‘The pig that died from choking’ employee Huna muttered in disbelief.
“Shh! I can hear you outside.”
Huna barely managed to hold back her scream at the president’s words.
It was not a bad day.
A man I had never seen before came into the restaurant and exchanged words with the owner, who then kicked out the other customers at double the price.
And the big guy didn’t know that this was an inn, so he didn’t ask him to do anything and just slept, so he had nothing to do.
It was a lucky day that I would never have had again, as I only had to turn away the guests who came, instead of running around until my feet were sweaty.
However, the man did not wake up even though business hours were over.
Huna held on with the hope that the woman the man was waiting for would come and eat it.
Then, the orange-haired beauty that the big guy had mentioned appeared and made people cheer with joy.
The woman sat down across from the man and thought that this was the end.
But the woman did not wake the man, but took out a bundle of papers and read them.
When Hoonaga, who couldn’t stand it any longer, was about to leave.
“I’ll give you five more silver coins today. So everyone keep your mouths shut.”
Everyone smiled brightly at the bundle of silver coins the manager took out.
“Would you like me to bring you a cup of warm tea?”
Hoona asked, tying up her half-off apron.
The president looked at Huna with a sour expression, but Huna smiled even brighter.
As it turned out, they were kind customers who would never come back again.
