Volume 2 Chapter 18 The Beginning Of The Battle
Accompanied by Frowdus, I arrived in front of Eujary's loan shark location.
"Uh, ugh, darn. It's over. It's all over...!"
"Hahaha, keep quiet and move forward."
"Ugh, ugh...!"
Despite trembling, the scammer Frowdus moved forward. He opened the door and headed towards the counter.
"Welcome... Hm, isn't it Frowdus? Did you bring another customer again?"
A rough-looking man replied. It wasn't Eujary as depicted in the portrait. I said nothing and just urged Frowdus on.
"N-no... I-I've come to borrow money."
"Is it this young man (botchan)? Alright, young man, if you're in trouble, I'll help you out. How much do you need?"
"N-no, it's... me."
"...Huh?"
Upon Frowdus's words, the rough man sitting at the counter furrowed his brows. Then, he compared the smiling me and the pale-faced Frowdus.
"...How much exactly do you want to borrow?"
"Um, um..."
Frowdus trembled and couldn't speak. Instead, I answered for him.
"It seems like it's five big gold coins."
"Big gold coins!? ..., ...Wait a minute."
"Will you lend it to me?"
"Don't be stupid! ...It's a large sum, so I need to confirm with someone higher up."
It seems like the other party is wary of me, wanting to avoid a situation where I could escape. It's understandable. He probably doesn't see me as the instigator who suddenly started a fight. In other words, he must think there's a real enemy behind me.
But, there is no such person. That misunderstanding is our weapon, as we lack overall strength. Just like how a cornered mouse might bite a cat, it's not something a normal person would think of.
As Frowdus continued to sweat nervously, the rough-looking man returned from the back.
"...Go up the side stairs. The boss (oya-san) wants to see you."
"Thank you."
I left with Frowdus standing in front and climbed the stairs, opening the door we were directed to. Inside was a room that seemed like a guest room, with a large table and a long sofa placed across it.
And at the back, there sat a mean-looking old man with glasses and a beard.
e must be Eujary, the loan shark, an executive of Nightfather. This time's key figure.
"Welcome, Frowdus. And... boy. Borrowing five big gold coins is quite a generous proposal. Please, have a seat there for now. Let's have a chat over some tea."
Despite his calm voice, his sharp gaze couldn't be hidden. He may not have a physique suited for combat, but his eyes showed he was well accustomed to conflicts.
I discreetly tapped Frowdus' back, urging him to follow, and took a seat. A beautiful woman placed tea in front of us. I checked the poison given by Toxy in my hand.
"Well, relax and have a drink."
Drinking the tea as instructed... pretending to sip, I laced it with poison. Then I returned it. The poison quickly dissolved into the tea.
"So, Frowdus. It's quite a generous offer of a large sum of money, but do you have a good business proposal? If so, I can offer more than just five big gold coins."
"Um, well, I, uh..."
Frowdus stumbled over his words. Eujary, the loan shark, turned his gaze towards me and said,
"Hmm... It seems like you're nervous. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Eujary. Let's just say I'm the manager of this loan shark shop. And who might you be?"
"I'm Wade, an adventurer."
"I see, your attire does suggest that. Nonetheless, you're quite young. Despite that, I admire your boldness in introducing yourself."
"I'm honored."
"..."
In response to my question, Eujary tilted his head. It was more suspicion than a question. He narrowed his eyes, staring at me with a look that was almost a glare.
"So, what purpose did you and your friend come to borrow money for?"
He spoke to me with a bit of consideration, using a slightly kinder tone. In other words, the question was also directed at me.
Seeing Frowdus' pale expression, I was convinced that it was already hopeless. Well, as long as he stayed in this place, it didn't matter what happened next. I decided to answer.
"Frowdus-san committed fraud against my friendd before. So, I came here to borrow that money back from him."
A cold sensation touched the back of my neck. It's a dagger. Behind me, the rough-looking man from earlier was pointing it at me.
"...From Frowdus' attitude, I had a feeling you weren't up to any good. However, boy, you're also in trouble. Who is your employer? If you confess honestly, I'll let you go as just a pawn."
Probably, I should cower here. Eujary has long considered me a worthless insect, lighting a cigar and starting to smoke.
---This is an annoying story. So I continued.
"There isn't any. I planned it."
"...Huh?"
Eujary's forehead twitched, glaring at me. It was a chilling gaze. Their eyes hold no emotion like ordering someone's death with just a command.
"Hey, boy. Were you told to say that by the client? Those words are enough to get your head chopped off. You must be a fool worthy of being an adventurer, but use your head a little more."
"Even so, it's the truth."
"...Tch. Oh well. Frowdus, I'll hear your story later. Let's dig into the background---"
"Boss, it's not that, actually."
Finally, Frowdus spoke up. Eujary demanded more clearly with rough words, "Oh? What's different? Speak more clearly."
Frowdus squeezed out his words.
"The words of this boy are indeed true."
"...Is that so?"
"That's right, it's true. These guys attacked me without any orders, restrained me, planned an attack on you, and are executing it like this."
After listening to Frowdus's explanation, Eujary looked at me in astonishment. I smiled back at him.
Eujary, still looking astonished, said,
"...Hey, kill him."
"Boy, you're underestimating me too much----"
"Your actions are too slow, you octopus."
We've been ready for a while now.
I grabbed the arm of the man trying to swing down his dagger, lightening it with [Weight Reduce]. Then, I lifted it up above his head with one hand, applied [Weight Increase], and threw him towards Eujary.
"Ugh!" "Gah!"
The two of them were easily sent flying. Presumably, Eujary is an ordinary person, and the guy I threw is equivalent to an iron rank or so.
While thinking, I take out a small scroll that seals Frain's fire magic.
"Ouch, hey! Someone! It's an enemy attack! Take down that kid!"
In response to Eujary's desperate call, rough-looking men start pouring in from the back door and the door we entered.
And so, I found myself surrounded from all sides. Oh no! This is definitely a tight spot!
"That brat...! He dares to disrespect Nightfather, I'll make him wish he was dead."
Eujary shouts. I couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hehe, hahaha! Oh man, this is bad. I didn't expect to get into this deep. I thought there would be a bit more irregularity."
"What!? What are you saying!"
I said.
"I'm telling you, I'll wipe you all out in less than a minute."
I dropped a small fireball from my scroll into the tea. The tea evaporates along with the poison in an instant. The evaporated poison spreads throughout the room.
"What are you doing now, you... Guh...!"
The men all stagger at once. I grin and put strength into my legs.
"Alright, let's go, Frowdus."
"Guh, wha... what's this?"
I pat Frowdus on the shoulder and make a request.
"Count to one minute for me."
I start moving.
I decided to start with the guys behind me. I turn around, grab the heads of two men, and collide with all my might using [Weight Reduce] followed by [Weight Increase]. They let out short screams as they sink.
"Ugh, damn you..."
"Too slow."
In slow motion, a man swung his weapon overhead, aiming for my body. I delivered a Weight Increase body blow that almost ruptured his internal organs. Then, using [Weight Reduce], I lightened the man and tripped him. The man somersaulted in the air.
Seizing the opportunity, I grabbed the man's leg.
"You're my weapon now."
Utilizing [Weight Reduce] followed by [Weight Increase] to ensure momentum and power, I used the man as a weapon to defeat three others. Since the man was not completely incapacitated, I jumped and stomped on his head, delivering a Weight Increase stamp. The man lost consciousness.
"Next!"
As more enemies approached, I threw the man I had used as a weapon, causing four of them to fall. I methodically attacked each one, mounting them and delivering vertical Weight Increase punches.
Four punches later, the weaklings had lost their hostility towards me.
"Only three left."
"I-I-I was bad! It's my bad, so please stop!"
"You! What do you think I hired you for!"
I approach the man who flinched at Eujary's angry shout.
"That's right. You gotta do your job properly. But hey, if you hate this job, I'll find you a new one."
"Uh, um, what's that about..."
I said with a smile to the man trembling and staring at me.
"Give a signal to my comrades for me, okay?"
I grabbed the man and threw him out the window. With [Weight Increase] activated, his body smashed through the window dramatically, thrown outside. This should be the signal for the start of the battle.
...Just to make sure he doesn't die, I'll cast [Weight Reduce] on him again. I have to be kind to those who surrender.
"Argh, damn it!" "I'll take you down with me!"
"Hey, don't say such rude things. I didn't come here today with the intention of killing anyone, you know?"
I lightened the enemy's sword with [Weight Reduce], caught the attacks with my gauntlet, and delivered punches one by one. Hitting their weak points, the men writhed in agony against me.
Gradually, the poison cleared. Ah, did the airtightness drop because of breaking the window? Well, it's fine. For now, the small fry have been taken care of.
"What... is this? Who... are you..."
Eujary, struggling to speak due to paralysis from the poison, glared at me. I chuckled in response.
"It's payment for the scammer. Didn't I say that from the beginning?"
"----Ugh! Hey! You bodyguards! It's impossible with just these weak people! Everyone come out and kill this guy!"
Eujary shouted. I laughed, feeling excited, and asked Frowdus.
"Hey, has a minute passed?"
"...Yes, it's just been a minute."
Objective achieved. Alright, I clenched my fist.
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