abcnovels
Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Chapter 16
[Lucion.]
Lucion was walking towards the two when Russell stopped him.
[It’s so absurd. You can hire better guys with your family’s wealth.]
Russell could not understand Lucion’s intentions.
“I know.”
[You know?]
At Russell’s subsequent questions, Lucion looked smugly at Russell with a face full of confidence.
‘I can’t bring better ones.’
He wanted to say that, but he chose to swallow it.
The protagonist’s companions, who could be referred to as the so-called S-class, generally hated darkness.
As long as he was a warlock, it was risky for Lucion to carry out this task.
“How many chances do you think there will be another chance to tie up talented people who have an ordinary social status?”
[So, Lucion, why all of a sudden? Why do you need them?]
Russell couldn’t help questioning Lucion’s out-of-the-box behavior.
They could have easily found an excellent proper escort just by selling the name of Cronia that Lucion had.
[But you want to hire a robber?]
“It’s just my whim, so you don’t have to think too much.”
Lucion bought a mask from a nearby street vendor.
It was a mask with stars on it. It was rather sloppy but better than nothing.
“I better wear this than nothing, no?”
Lucion grinned before wearing the mask.
[You’re still afraid of people.]
Russell admired Lucion’s boldness, so he neither sarcastically nor asked any more questions.
Lucion approached the two people openly.
No matter how much they didn’t know, there was no way the two talented people couldn’t notice Lucion.
The tall man turned around first.
“Why did you…”
“Don’t you need money?”
Lucion made his voice deeper than his normal tone.
Although it was a clumsy disguise, it was better than using his real voice. It was because you would never think that it was Lucion Cronia due to the rumors about him.
“I have a lot of money.”
Lucion opened his mouth proudly.
* * *
“… Ha.”
The woman had already let out her 14th laugh.
The current situation was breathtaking.
Who knew Helon would say ‘I need money’ there?
In addition, they suddenly told Lucion about the inn where they were staying.
Perhaps Helon needed basic education not to talk to strangers.
“How much do you need?”
Lucion didn’t even touch Helon’s cheap tea. He could tell how poor quality it was just by smelling it.
‘It looks like they don’t really have any money.’
“It is quite necessary. Now our situation was…”
“Hey, Helon!”
As a result, the woman raised her voice.
“Are you crazy? Do you know him? Do you take it as a good thing when a passerby says he’s going to pay for it?”
“Calm down, Stra. It’s true that you need money.”
“No matter how much money you need… Ha.”
Stra sighed deeply and glared at Lucion.
It seemed shady to see him wearing a strange mask with stars, as well as a deep hoodie.
“Hey, you. How did you know we needed money and what we needed?”
Lucion pointed his ear at the fierce voice of Stra.
“I just heard it on the way.”
“Are you kidding me? No, okay, fine. You heard it because your ears are really sharp. But what’s your actual intention to lend us money? Do you know us?”
“Yeah.”
Lucion simply replied to what Stra said.
“What, what?”
“I know.”
[Fu ha ha!]
Russell laughed out loud at Lucion’s answer as he found it funny.
“You’re a mercenary, aren’t you?”
Lucion looked at Helon and asked.
“Yes, I’m doing it for fun.”
Helon replied.
“Well, stop being a mercenary and work for me.”
“Wait, wait a minute. I have yet to give you our answer.”
Helon got up hastily.
He swiftly left the room despite Stra’s hindrance.
“You. Who are you?”
Stra asked Lucion, glaring at him.
“What are you going to do if you know?”
“We need to know.”
“I thought you’re in a hurry, but you don’t seem desperate.”
Lucion got up from his seat on purpose. He wanted to appear as if he had run out of patience.
“You’re working as a mercenary, and you’re picking up dirty money and clean money, aren’t you? You’re responsible for this transaction that’s gone wrong.”
“Come on, hold on.”
Lucion’s sudden change in attitude genuinely embarrassed Stra.
It was they who would be in trouble if they missed this opportunity because they needed cash.
Honestly, the whole situation was strange, but there would be no chance like this.
Tak.
Then the door opened, and a man came in with Helon.
Ting!
Lucion was very glad to meet him, and the blue thread that tied him with that man appeared.
‘Is that man Kran Zell?’
“Nice to meet you. My name is Kran Zell.”
Kran lowered his head towards Lucion.
“Hello.”
Lucion, too, nodded lightly and immediately got down to business.
“I think you’ve heard the brief story from Mr. Helon.”
“Yes, I was told that you’d lend us money.”
Kran was smiling, but it was hard to know what was going on beneath that expression.
“Until a little while ago, yes, I intended to. But not anymore.”
Lucion looked straight at Stra.
She was startled by Lucion’s gaze, and she immediately smiled as if she was stunned.
“I’ve never seen anyone so brazen.”
Obviously, Lucion himself was in a strange situation.
Anyone who did not even know who he was would give money out of the blue, so who wouldn’t doubt it?
Stra’s attitude was right.
Nevertheless, Kran bowed to Lucion.
“I apologize for it.”
‘He looks very desperate.’
Lucion opened his mouth, wishing it wasn’t acting.
“Would you like to make a deal with me?”
“Of course.”
Kran did not hide his joy.
“Then can we talk alone?”
At Lucion’s suggestion that followed, Kran immediately gazed at Helon and Stra.
“Leader! Even if you’re the leader, this isn’t right. Do you know who he is and you actually allow him to make a deal with you?”
Stra frowned.
“Stra, you’re right. But is there a way to solve this situation?”
Stra bit her lips at Kran’s question.
[It’s not acting.]
Russell said, looking at Strath, who was speechless.
Lucion, too, was convinced it wasn’t acting until then.
“Stra, let’s go.”
Helon went outside to comfort Stra.
After the two left, Lucion led the conversation first.
“I want you to keep this conversation to yourself.”
“I see what you mean.”
Kran nodded slowly.
“Before that, let me ask you one thing. Is this organization now all three people?”
“Yes, that’s all.”
‘Did they start with three people and grow into a force big enough for many countries to be wary of?’
Lucion liked Kran more and more.
“I need an organization. An organization that will grow with me.”
Kran showed an expression of displeasure at those words for a brief moment.
“Do you mean to buy us?”
“That’s right. I want people who will be my limbs.”
“Then I’ll…”
“But you will be the captain.”
“You want me to be a scarecrow?”
Kran’s face hardened at once.
“I’m glad you understand quickly.”
It was a pity that Lucion could not show his smile to Kran.
He continued with his fingers crossed.
“Basically, I’ll give you freedom. I can’t be in an organization often anyway, so I won’t interfere unless what you’re originally trying to do is seize the organization as your own. But you have to do what I tell you to do.”
“Is that the only condition?”
Kran replied after thinking.
What a strange condition.
There seemed to be freedom, but no freedom.
“There’s more.”
Lucion shook his head and said.
“Say it.”
“I’ll tell you the terms after you’ve given me permission.”
“It’s 100,000 Dells.”
Kran said in a louder voice.
[…100,000 dels?]
Russell was appalled.
It was not even a group who shared the same family name. So, why did a group of three people acquire such huge debt?
‘What… That’s a debt of 1 billion in korean won? His voice suddenly became louder, so I thought it would have been bigger than that.’
Lucion clicked his tongue at less debt than he thought.
“I’ll give you 100,000 Dells.”
It was a meager amount of money compared to what Lucion had.
[Lucion, do you have 100,000 dells? Then, why didn’t you spend money until now?]
Lucion burst into laughter when Russell was shocked.
Kran winced at the sound of the laughter.
It sounded ridiculous as if he was mocking.
‘He has that much money?’
He covered his face with a mask, but his voice and figure were that of a young man.
Kran soon swallowed dry saliva.
100,000 Dell was a fellow ransom, including himself.
The price to be free.
‘Is there anything to hesitate about?’
Kran smoothed the hard ring wrapped around his neck.
Working for money, he immediately lost his freedom under someone else, but this time it was different.
The boy needed an organization, and the condition of ‘growing together’ was attached to it.
There was hope that at least it would be better than now.
Kran opened his mouth heavily.
“I’ll allow it.”
[I think he’s an illegal slave and not a mercenary.]
Russell saw a black ring when Kran scratched his neck for a moment.
The black ring was a symbol of slavery.
—What is a slave?
Ratta asked, unable to bear her tickling mouth.
[Well, there is something like that. It’s not very good.]
Russell answered instead.
‘Then I guess it’s a ransom in debt.’
Lucion thought as he rummaged through his own pocket.
Tak.
Because it was a magic pocket that only he could take out, he took out several jewels he had put in there.
“It’s a contract. If not, you will be able to pay off 1/3 of the debt.”
Kran reached out, and Lucion pulled his hand back.
“But before that, there is something you need to write.”
“What is it?”
Unlike the first time, Kran looked impatient.
In fact, knowing that Lucion had money, he couldn’t help but be anxious.
“Aren’t you supposed to write an IOU that says you owe me 100,000 Dells?”
Debt is debt.
“Interest is 30% per month.”
This guy was, for sure, cunning.
“…!”
[What?]
At the ridiculous interest, Kran had his jaw dropped. And Russell folded his arms as he gazed at Lucion.
“When you betray me, you will pay 3 times the principal and 30% interest every month. If you fail to repay the money, the interest will increase by 10% every year. This is one condition. Isn’t it pretty cheap?”
When he said that it was cheap, Kran asked with a frown.
“Are you saying there are other conditions?”
“I never said there was none.”
Lucion took a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket and went out to fill out the terms of his contract, one by one.
“Come on, sign it.”
Lucion handed the pen and paper to Kran.
The contract targets included Kran himself, as well as Helon and Stra.
Kran had one question how could he confirm that he would not be betrayed? This strange person did it once and for all.
“Get the rest of the signatures. The conversation will continue after that.”
Lucion sent Kran.
Looking at Kran’s puzzled expression, he seemed to think that the current situation was very odd.
It was understandable.
Hell, there was nothing mixed about who, how, and how it could be verified.
Wouldn’t that be the only way to write a contract with stupid words and run away?
But those loopholes could have been closed by themselves.
“Teacher.”
Lucion called Russell.
Russell heard his voice, which seemed to carry some meaning behind it, and he shivered.
“How about now? Can we learn it now?”
The reason the warlock was treated like a virus was because the world itself worshiped light, but the fact that it deals with death also played a big part. To be precise, it was because of the nature of darkness itself, capable of interacting with the dead, rather than dealing with death.
[Yes. Now you can learn ghost control magic.]
Even Russell thought the environment was doable.
The ghosts near the old inn, unlike Cronia’s mansion, were all insignificant.
[ ‘Although not perfect for practice. And, its a pity that the order of the debuffs Lucion needs to learn first has changed.’]
Russell glanced at Lucion.
[‘Did you think and work until this point?’]
Russell hid his satisfaction inside.
The disciple, who used to live mindlessly, began to think and predict.
[‘I thought that if he last only 3 days of training, he can’t survive.’]
Russell came down to the ground and took Ratta from Lucion’s shadow. He then handed it over to Lucion.
—Huh?
The sudden situation stunned Ratta and remained frozen.
[Because it seems like it will take some time, shall we start?]
Russell jumped over the wall and caught a fresh ghost.