There Is No World For ■■
Chapter 153: The Path Leading To The Cold Hell (4)

* * *

Why was someone as high-ranking as a Count Palatine roaming the sewers?—Especially while wearing a fake face?

Yeomyeong narrowed his eyes as the Eastern Count Palatine drew closer.

“Ten gold coins per corpse. What do you say?”

This time, the Count Palatine was wearing a different face from when he had disguised himself as a bar owner. Dressed in a tattered robe and a worn staff in his hand, he resembled a stereotypical recluse Mage perfectly.

If not for the familiar voice, Yeomyeong wouldn’t have recognized him at all—that was how convincing his transformation was.

“Hmm… is thirty gold coins not enough, perhaps?”

The Count Palatine was now close enough to speak face-to-face.

Still inexperienced at disguising his voice, Yeomyeong chose to remain silent. After all, revealing his voice might alert the Count Palatine about his true identity.

Instead, he stepped back silently, allowing the Count Palatine to pass.

“…Quite the reserved fellow, aren’t you?”

Fortunately, partly due to the precision of the Blood Tears’ illusion and mostly because his attention was focused on the dead Shepherds, the Count Palatine failed to see through the illusion concealing Yeomyeong’s face.

And as soon as Yeomyeong stepped aside, the Count Palatine immediately scurried to the bodies like a cat finding its prey.

“Oh… Necromancy and Black Magic together…”

The Count Palatine marveled as he began inspecting the corpses of the Shepherds, turning them around.

Watching this, Yeomyeong crossed his arms and tapped the ground twice with his foot.

The blatant signal earned a sheepish grin from the Count Palatine, who reached into his pouch and tossed him a small leather pouch.

“Ah, forgive me. I’ve been getting forgetful with age.”

Catching the pouch, Yeomyeong opened it and found it brimming with gold coins—genuine imperial coins bearing the Emperor’s face.

“Thirty gold coins. Keep the change if you wish—I only need these bodies.”

With that, the Count Palatine turned his attention back to the Shepherds’ corpses.

After confirming the Count Palatine was preoccupied, Yeomyeong gestured to Neti, who was still concealed under the Invisibility Cloak.

The two then began to quietly slip away deeper into the sewer.

“The sword marks left on these bodies are extraordinary.”

However, the Count Palatine’s voice made Yeomyeong stop in his tracks. Still examining the corpses, the Count Palatine continued speaking.

“This city does not have many swordsmen of this caliber … Are you a foreigner drawn here by the rumors?”

“…”

Yeomyeong didn’t respond. Regardless if his silence was an affirmation or not, the Count Palatine kept talking.

“Well, your origins don’t matter—only your skill. Say… Have you ever considered becoming a mercenary?”

A mercenary? Yeomyeong recalled the Eastern Count Palatine’s previous plea to help restore order to the city. His brows furrowed slightly.

Was he asking for help to quell the chaos again?

Yet, the Eastern Count Palatine’s next words were far from what Yeomyeong was expecting.

“It’s a simple job, really. I just need you to kill one elf for me. What do you say? I’ll pay you handsomely.”

At those words, Yeomyeong could feel Neti beside him tense up in shock and instinctively covered her mouth.

A brief silence ensued.

Before the Count Palatine could turn around, Yeomyeong ushered Neti towards the far end of the sewer.

Fortunately, the Count Palatine didn’t pursue them. Instead, he called out to their retreating figures with a note of regret.

“I run a potion shop in the East called Ulyanov. Pay me a visit if you ever change your mind.”

* * *

“Weren’t that old man and the elf supposed to be allies?”

That was the first thing Neti asked after emerging from the sewer. Yeomyeong brushed off the filth stuck to his insoles and replied.

“…It’s not unusual for allies to stab each other in the back, especially in a city like this.”

“Well, that’s quite befitting for a commie.”

The two continued chatting like that as they headed to the inn.

Perhaps because of the number of people delving into the sewers, the city felt much quieter than usual.

Confirming that there was no one else around, Neti suddenly asked.

“…Brother-in-law, why did you come all by yourself? Where’s my sister?”

Yeomyeong answered nonchalantly.

“Seti looked exhausted, so I came alone after putting her to sleep. Finding you was something I could handle by myself.”

“Ah… Right, she’s been guarding you while you were in a trance and only taking short naps for the past week…”

The follow-up question, ‘Did you really do nothing while putting her to sleep?’ rose to her throat, but Neti swallowed it back.

Somehow, she had a feeling—an intuition—that something probably had happened.

…I’ll have to ask Unnie about it.

Instead, as if changing the subject, she began explaining the plans her sister had executed over the past week.

From scattering money among the drunkards so that rumors about a Soviet secret vault would spread, to how she ended up in the sewer—everything.

The explanation was lengthy, and Yeomyeong’s occasional questions about their progress made it even lengthier.

How long did they walk like that?

By the time she finished recounting the week’s events, the two had arrived at the fortress-like inn.

Armed guards were stationed at the inn’s windows and rooftop posts, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings. However, they were all Joseph’s subordinates.

Taking off her Invisibility Cloak, Neti asked.

“Brother-in-law, what should we do from now on? My sister said that all the preparations were complete.”

Yeomyeong didn’t respond immediately.

After watching Balagu shovel canned spam into his mouth near the inn’s entrance, he pulled out the Blood Tear Key from his pocket and said.

“Of course, we overturn the board as planned.”

* * *

There were more Mages living in Dreitherial than one might expect.

Of course, they weren’t proper Mages.

Misfits like Dagal, whose lowly bloodlines prevented them from joining established organizations.

Lunatics researching human experimentation or forbidden magic.

And even criminals who were evading capture.

These abnormal Mages were practically a cornerstone of the city.

And since they were so well-hidden throughout the city, even the Count Palatines chose to leave them be rather than try to find and expel them—so what more was needed to be said?

…Anyway, ‘Bendu’, to whom Balagu was presently guiding them, was also one of those Mages.

Known as Dreitherial’s best appraisal Mage, he was a figure renowned even before Balagu fled the city.

And the size of his pawnshop testified to his reputation.

A massive concrete warehouse with enough capacity to hold a hundred people with ease.

Looking up at the sign that read [Everything Pawnshop], Yeomyeong said to Balagu.

“…A pawnshop run by an appraisal Mage. Looks like we’ve come to the right place.”

“This is probably the most successful pawnshop in the city. Even the Count Palatines recognize the owner’s skill.”

With that, Balagu rapped loudly on the pawnshop door. A moment later, the large warehouse door cracked open, and a rough-looking man peeked out.

“What brings ye here? Loan? Somethin’ to sale?”

“Appraisal.”

“Appraisal? That’s gonna cost ye a bit… Ye got the money?”

This time, Yeomyeong was the one who answered the man’s question. He pulled out a pouch brimming with gold coins and shook it.

Jingle, jingle. The moment the man heard the sound of gold coins, he immediately cracked open the door.

“…Come in.”

The inside of the pawnshop was messier than expected. Display cases were cluttered with all sorts of items, and swords and pieces of clothing lay scattered all over the floor.

As the man walked briskly through the disarray, he spoke.

“Master Bendu is currently downstairs.”

Following him, Balagu and Yeomyeong crossed the warehouse, descended a staircase, and entered a small room in the basement.

Behind the door sat a plump, bald old man and judging by the mana he radiated, this was undoubtedly Bendu.

“Master Bendu, these customers are here for an appraisal.”

Their guide introduced them briefly. The bald old man scrutinized Yeomyeong and Balagu from head to toe before asking.

“You two here for an appraisal? It’s been a while since I’ve had customers coming for this. So, what do you want me to appraise?”

“An Arcane Relic.”

“…Pardon?”

The businesslike smile on the old man’s face froze the moment he heard Yeomyeong’s response.

“Listen here, young man. You must’ve picked up something from the sewer, but sorry to disappoint you—it’s nothing. Arcane Relics aren’t things you can find that easily.”

Weren’t there other customers who had come to him seeking Arcane Relic appraisals before? Waving his hand dismissively, Bendu spoke.

Instead of arguing, Yeomyeong quietly pulled out the Blood Tear Key from his pocket and handed it to him.

“I’m telling you, it’s nothing. Don’t waste your appraisal fee and just leave—”

But Bendu was unable to finish his sentence.

His expression changed as he looked down at the Blood Tear Key. The next moment, he snatched the key from Yeomyeong’s hand.

“This key… I can feel mana from it. Is it an enchanted magic tool?”

Saying that, he pulled out a monocle, placed it on his eye and began examining the Blood Tear Key immediately.

A brief silence filled the basement.

Just as the man who had guided Yeomyeong began to glance around anxiously, Bendu finally spoke.

“This… This is a real Arcane Relic. It’s my first time seeing the real deal in person.”

“…”

“Let’s see… Made from vampire bone and ash… Dyed with human blood… Yes, it seems like it was made during the Soviet era. Hey, where did you find this?”

Yeomyeong replied immediately.

“The sewer.”

“Oh… So the rumors weren’t completely false?”

Staring at the Blood Tear Key, Bendu suddenly made Yeomyeong an offer.

“This Arcane Relic—sell it to me. I’ll give you a good price.”

“Not interested.”

“A thousand… No, fifteen hundred gold coins.”

“I’ll say it again—I’m not selling. Besides, I’ve already used it once.”

“…”

Bendu’s expression began to twist at the mention of it being used already. But as he inspected the Arcane Relic again, his eyes widened.

“A reusable Arcane Relic…? Damn it, two thousand gold coins!”

“…”

“Three thousand! I’ll pay seventeen hundred upfront, and the rest after selling off the pawnshop inventory. How about it?”

Instead of answering, Yeomyeong placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

After all, actions spoke louder than a thousand words. Bendu’s face twisted once more.

“…I suppose I was being too greedy. My apologies.”

After briefly glancing back and forth between the key and Yeomyeong, Bendu sighed as if he had no choice, especially since Yeomyeong began exuding mana.

“The appraisal fee is five gold coins and the certificate is an additional ten.”

Noticing an issue with the price, Balagu, who had been listening silently from the side, flared up.

“Fifteen gold coins? That’s five times the going rate!”

“This isn’t just any item—it’s an Arcane Relic. This price is more than fair.”

“That’s ridiculo—”

Balagu was about to continue arguing, but Yeomyeong stopped him and pulled out the gold coins from his pouch.

“Fifteen gold coins. Check it. How long will the certificate take?”

“Three minutes… no, ten minutes tops. Wait outside for a bit.”

With their conversation concluded, Bendu called his subordinate over and gave him instructions while Yeomyeong took the Blood Tear Key and left the basement.

After just over ten minutes, the rough-looking man who had first opened the door for them handed Yeomyeong a rolled-up parchment.

“Have a safe trip.”

With a parting comment that sounded almost like mockery, Yeomyeong and Balagu exited the pawnshop.

And as soon as they left the panshop, the street vagrants began tailing the two men but neither of them paid any attention.

Or rather, they pretended not to notice.

Moments later, Balagu, trailing behind Yeomyeong a little, spoke up.

“…We have a tail. It’s not just one or two.”

Unlike the tense Balagu, Yeomyeong remained as composed as ever.

“I know.”

Seeing his attitude, Balagu realized that being a Superhuman, Yeomyeong must have noticed that long before him.

“…Did you expect this to happen?”

“Yeah, after all, I asked you to introduce me to a capable appraisal Mage, not an ethical one.”

Balagu responded with a resigned tone.

“That’s… fair enough.”

“Don’t feel guilty. I planned for this to happen when I asked for your guidance.”

“…”

And the next second, Yeomyeong suddenly drew his sword and swung it. Two arrows aimed at them were sliced cleanly in half.

?!

Before Balagu, with his jaw agape, could react, more arrows rained down.

This time, there were too many to deflect with a sword, so Yeomyeong grabbed Balagu by his belt and leaped backwards.

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

Dozens of arrows embedded themselves in the spot where the two had been standing just moments ago. Landing on the ground with Yeomyeong, Balagu was dumbfounded as he stared in the direction the arrows had come from.

The rough-looking man who had opened the door, Bendu, and even a group of unidentified thugs.

At the other end of the alley, dozens of crossbows were aimed at them, greed burning in their eyes like mana.

- *That’s him!*

They began advancing while aiming their crossbows. Some split off to the sides and disappeared into the alleys, likely to surround them.

Yeomyeong observed their movements for a moment before weaving a Telekinesis spell and asked Balagu.

“Balagu, what do you think about a rumor like this? An Ancient Relic was found in the sewers and the famous Mage and his gang were wiped out by the Ancient Relic’s user.”

“…”

Was that his plan all along? Balagu couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief. Then, realizing Yeomyeong had the strength to back it up, he laughed again.

“That’s quite the rumor, enough to set the entire city ablaze. And with so many witnesses… everyone will be talking about it for a while.”

Pleased with his response, Yeomyeong smirked as he completed the Telekinesis spell.

At that moment, the thugs pulled their triggers to fire their crossbows at the same time.

Thunk, thunk, thunk! Dozens of arrows tore through the air…

Only to freeze midair, trapped within Yeomyeong’s telekinesis.

“…A Mage?”

Muttering from the front of the group, Bendu stared in disbelief.

Yeomyeong responded by turning the arrows around and sent them hurtling back toward their owners.

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