54 — Chapter 54

“Scouting is canceled. I’m going to kill that guy with my own hands.”

I made the declaration in our inn room.

Alice, sitting in a chair, didn’t show much of a reaction. She continued the conversation with her usual composure.

“That means disobeying Dorgu’s orders. He must be at the limit of his patience. Are you sure about this?”

“The situation has changed. Taking care of the Summoned person takes priority. If I miss this chance, I don’t know when I’ll get another shot at him,” I answered irritably.

If I proceeded with the scouting as ordered, Michael would become a comrade in the organization. That was absolutely out of the question. There was no way we could ever get along.

I had already decided that the Summoned must die. It was impossible for me to forget that and play nice. If I tried to kill him after he joined, there was a high probability that Dorgu would interfere. It would just create more unnecessary trouble and risk him escaping again.

If I was going to finish him, now was the best time, while there was little chance of interference. Besides, I didn’t have a feeling the scouting would succeed in the first place. Michael likely didn’t see me as an ally either. There was a strong possibility he’d attack the moment we crossed paths.

He had tried to finish me off back at the dwarven settlement. That would likely happen again. Scouting was the last thing on the table.

Furthermore, his abilities remained unknown. I still didn’t understand the mechanic behind how he vanished instantly with a gun pointed at him and ended up leaving me hanging by my neck. Considering he could do that much, it made sense that he’d become famous for his strength. As a Summoned, he possessed a high level and a special skill.

Koji, the first Summoned I killed, had the ability to reflect all attacks back with double the force. I myself have the ability to ensure the successful manufacture of bombs. There was no clear pattern to these skills, but their effects were undeniably immense. It was safe to assume Michael possessed an ability of a similar caliber.

“So you’re going to eliminate him without missing the best opportunity. That’s a very Jack-like way of thinking.”

“The fact remains that this could put me at odds with Dorgu, though. Do you object, Alice?”

Alice shook her head. She answered with a straightforward gaze.

“I am simply here to cooperate with you, Jack. No matter what choice you make, you won’t die.”

“That’s quite the vote of confidence. I appreciate the sentiment, but is there any basis for it?” I asked, skeptical.

I didn’t recall doing anything that warranted such a definitive statement. I liked to think of myself as stubborn and hard to kill, but I wasn’t immortal. At the end of the day, I was just a human being.

“…”

Alice fell silent for about ten seconds. She pondered while staring vacantly at the ceiling. Eventually, she looked back at me and offered a small smile.

“The strongest human is the one who survives. Isn’t that just the way of the world?”

Hearing Alice’s words, a blank expression formed on my face. She had caught me completely off guard, causing my brain to stall. When I finally came to my senses, I clutched my stomach and roared with laughter.

“Ha-ha! You really got me there. You’re absolutely right! I can’t even argue with that!”

I spread my arms wide. I was laughing so hard it was becoming difficult to breathe. I was practically in tears.

But I felt incredibly refreshed.

Alice’s answer was a truth I knew all too well. I never expected to be the one on the receiving end of that lecture, though. What a pleasant turn of events. I had assumed Alice was the type to be bad with words, but I had been dead wrong.

Once my laughter died down, I looked over at her.

“I’m a bottom-tier psycho killer, but it seems I’ve been blessed with a great partner.”

“Birds of a feather, I suppose. We’re both bottom-tier,” Alice replied with a faint, self-deprecating smile.

“Eek! Oh, Michael!”

“No. Master is talking to me.”

“Hey, hey, stop fighting! The golden rule is that we all get along! Right, Michael?”

Across my field of vision were a young man and three women. They were gathered around a table, seemingly having a grand old time. Occupying the center of the tavern, they were flirting so openly it was obvious to any onlooker.

“You three, don’t make such a scene. You’re bothering the people around us, aren’t you?”

The young man surrounded by the women—Michael—wore a troubled expression. He didn’t look like he actually minded, though. His face was slightly flushed, and his speech was a bit slurred. He appeared to be lightly intoxicated from the alcohol.

The other patrons in the tavern cast looks of jealousy toward them. However, no one complained directly. They only muttered curses under their breath. They knew that if they picked a fight, they’d be the ones who ended up hurting.

“…Enjoying the other world to the fullest, I see. Good for you, really,” I muttered, setting down my mug.

I watched them from a distance, snorting in derision. For the past few days, I had been monitoring Michael and his group. It was all to gather the information necessary for the kill. I followed them repeatedly, checking the shops they frequented within the city and mapping out their daily schedules. I even tracked down their residence and rented a room in an inn right across the street.

I also observed Michael as he engaged in duels with other people. To avoid standing out, I refrained from any conflict myself. I hadn’t killed anyone in this city yet. It was an exceptionally peaceful period of time for someone like me.

‘Well, those days are about to come to an end…’

I silently tilted my mug. As a result of my steady investigation, I had learned a few things. The biggest harvest among them concerned the women following him around.

They were all Adventurers. The red-haired girl in leather armor was a novice swordsman. The tall elf woman was a famous mage from another country. The silver-haired, dark-skinned woman was a former slave who worked as a hexer.

The three women had met Michael under different circumstances and joined his party. Apparently, there were various stories behind those encounters, but I didn’t need any of that specific information. If I killed Michael, these three would naturally become my enemies. I had to know what they were capable of beforehand. It wouldn’t do to have them interfere at a critical moment.

Therefore, alongside my surveillance of Michael, I grasped their abilities as well. After discussing it with Alice, we judged that they wouldn’t pose much of a hurdle. While they were certainly skilled, they weren’t on a level where they could compete with us.

If anything, considering they could be used as hostages, their presence was convenient for me. Michael cared for them from the bottom of his heart. There was no reason not to exploit that. You could call it a glaring weakness.

“Well then…”

Having emptied my mug, I stood up from my seat. I left the payment on the table and started walking toward the exit. As I did, I caught one last glimpse of Michael’s group.

They looked truly happy. It was a scene of pure peace; you might as well have scattered heart symbols all over it. I was sure that was how they spent every day. Michael probably thought I had died back at the dwarven settlement. And now, he was savoring his life in this other world.

How wonderful for him. He had settled his past and was moving forward.

But I was going to blow all of that to smithereens. My grudge had yet to be settled. I wouldn’t let him get away. I would have my revenge, no matter the means.

“—Just you wait. I’ll be sending you to hell soon enough.”

Muttering to myself where no one could hear, I whistled as I stepped out of the tavern.