Chapter 50

“It is not that I wish to condemn you harshly. However, you do not understand your own influence. I want you to have at least some semblance of awareness that you are an executive of this organization.”

“I have it. That’s why I’m putting in the effort.”

“…Hmph, fine. Regardless, watch yourself from now on.”

Dorgu, wearing a troubled expression, gave a light wave of his hand. It was the sign to leave—a gesture I had already grown accustomed to. I whistled as I exited the room. As I closed the door, I caught a glimpse of Dorgu in the distance. He was holding his head in his hands and letting out a heavy sigh. Irritation and exhaustion were plain on his face.

Leaning against the door, I muttered under my breath.

“Good grief, how stifling.”

It had been a month since I started working under Dorgu. I had been causing trouble frequently. Of course, it wasn’t intentional. The seeds of trouble simply tended to drift my way on their own.

It probably started with that incident where I blew up one of Dorgu’s subordinate organizations without permission. I had received insidious harassment from them for several days, so I made sure to retaliate tenfold. I used Lightning Spirit Stones for the bombs, and they were truly beautiful. The sight of hundreds of lightning bolts radiating out in a wild frenzy was a masterpiece of a view that one rarely gets to see.

The next issue was when I nearly beat an arrogant escort target to death, wasn’t it? Apparently, he was a powerful figure even within Eurea, but he took every opportunity to kick me or hurl foul insults my way. He must have mistaken me for a slave or something. Since I had no choice, I broke his limbs, stuffed him into a wooden crate, and delivered him to the designated location just like that. I haven’t heard a peep from him since, so I assume he realized his mistake.

Besides that, I’ve been systematically assassinating other executives who were aiming for my downfall. It seems they were jealous of me becoming an executive without working my way up from the bottom, so they engaged in various sabotage efforts. What a small-minded bunch. Don’t they have the backbone to rise up through their own strength instead of trying to kick others down? In any case, they were annoying, so I blew them all up one by one.

From my perspective, every one of these actions was justified. I thought such things would be acceptable in Eurea, where strength is everything, but I’ve been reprimanded by Dorgu time and time again. He’s been indirectly advising me to show some restraint. I thought he scouted me knowing full well I’d run wild like this, but apparently, I was wrong. Did he think I’d become docile if he gave me status and power? It’s quite a predicament.

I am a bomber to the core. I’m good at killing, but anything else is outside my field of expertise. Even if people expect me to act as part of an organization, I can’t meet those expectations. If I had any sense of cooperativeness, I wouldn’t have been a freelance mercenary in the first place. If he wants to stop the number of executives from decreasing, he should start by putting a stop to the harassment and backroom maneuvering. I think prioritizing that would be more effective than scolding me. After all, I’m just practicing self-defense.

This Black Wall City is a land ruled by Dorgu. Although it’s hailed as a major power, once you look under the hood, the internal squabbles of the organization are never-ending. Everyone wants to rise through the ranks and get even a little closer to the top. Because Dorgu keeps a watchful eye, it’s still peaceful compared to other cities, but essentially, it’s the same thing. As long as one belongs to an organization, getting caught up in power struggles might be unavoidable.

‘As I thought, I’m just not suited for organizational life.’

Back in my soldier days, I was viewed as a nuisance by certain people. There was more than one or two times I was disciplined for beating a colleague to a pulp. Being a mercenary is far more relaxing. Short-term contracts are possible, and you can be picky about the job content. The rewards were fair, too. Clients would hire me knowing exactly what kind of person I was, so there were never any major problems.

This time, I was lured in by the benefits, but I’ll leave Dorgu’s organization eventually. I have a feeling that if I stay too long, something disastrous will happen. Things are already like this, after all. Withdrawing when the time is right would be the healthiest choice for both parties.

As I walked through the castle while secretly making this resolution, a group of people from the same organization approached from ahead. It was a squad of beastmen carrying rifles.

I locked eyes with them as I observed their approach.

“That’s the guy…”

“Causing trouble again…”

“The shame of the organization…”

They whispered to each other at a volume clearly intended for me to hear.

Incredibly unpleasant people. And they were skilled at rubbing me the wrong way. I strode over and stood directly in their path.

“Yo. You’re talking about me, right? Let me in on it. I love being praised.”

“…Tch.”

The beastmen clicked their tongues and brushed past me, ignoring my presence. I reached for a bomb in my pocket but managed to restrain myself at the last second. I started walking again, clenching my jaw.

Killing them right here would be easy. However, the cleanup would be a pain. Besides, if I left mangled corpses inside the castle, I’d just get another lecture from Dorgu. I wanted to avoid causing an incident mere minutes after being scolded. At this rate, he might actually impose some kind of punishment. No matter how tolerant Dorgu might be, everything has its limits.

It seemed my reputation had spread throughout the organization. I was well-known enough that people felt the need to throw insults whenever we crossed paths. I’d prefer to get along, but human relationships are a difficult thing. It was probably wise not to engage with riff-raff like that.

“…Well, I’ve memorized your faces, at least.”

I watched the backs of the beastmen. When the opportunity presented itself, I’d kill them using an exceptionally cruel method. I’ve always been the vindictive type. I never forgive those who look down on me.

Suppressing the emotions boiling deep within my heart, I left Dorgu’s castle behind.

On the way back to the villa from the castle, I felt a strange presence and came to a halt. I was surrounded by multiple sources of murderous intent. Considering we were in a dim back alley, this was almost certainly not going to be a peaceful encounter.

I spread my arms and looked around.

“Come on out. Is this place full of nothing but chickens who can’t talk face-to-face?”

A faint whistling sound cut through the air. I reached out and caught the object flying from my blind spot. It was a knife. A purple slime had been smeared onto the blade. It was such a textbook example of poison that it was almost funny.

As I toyed with the knife, two figures dropped down in front of me. They were dressed in black mantles and masks. The masks were flat and featureless, each painted with a different pattern. Simply put, they were eerie. A slight glance behind me revealed another two masked figures standing there.

Four in total… no, there was someone hiding in the shadows of the building, so there were five. I tossed the knife aside and laughed.

“Nice masks. You look like killers from a B-grade horror movie.”

There was no reply. The masked figures maintained a heavy silence. They remained as motionless as a still photograph. Boring people.

I shrugged my shoulders and asked, “Did you remember to buy your coffins and plots? Better set a date for the funerals, too. I’ll make sure to attend.”

“Jack Aaron. You stain on the organization’s name. We have nothing to say to you. Simply die.”

One of the masked figures spoke, their voice dripping with loathing. It seemed they couldn’t withstand my provocation any longer. The poison-slicked knives peeking from their mantles glittered in the reflected sunlight.

In the next instant, the four masked figures pounced simultaneously. Was that a faint incantation I heard? They intended to finish me off for sure with a synchronized attack.

“Good grief. You’re beyond saving.”

Letting out a small sigh, I rested my hand on the grip of my handgun.