Volume 5 Chapter 23 The Flag Is Raised, But...
As the waiter brought over a bottle of liquor and glasses, Reed wasted no time in uncorking it and pouring himself a drink. It was obviously a high-end bottle, but Reed downed his glass in one gulp.
"Phewww, after a hard day's work, there's nothing like a good drink. It really warms you up from the inside out."
"I don't care about your work ethic. Please answer the question."
"Okay, okay, I got it."
With a sharp remark from Mikage, Reed poured himself another drink and held the glass in his hand. Through the swaying, translucent liquid, he looked us over.
"Right now, the power dynamics in this city are split into two factions. One is the guys trailing behind you, who've been causing trouble around town lately. And the other is the ones controlling this district."
Reed took a sip from his glass, moistening his lips slightly.
"The Jingin Family. They're the oldest mafia group in Eubarest. Basically, the underground scene in Eubarest was pretty much under their control. Sure, there are smaller gangs, but the Jingin Family was definitely the most powerful."
The term "mafia" is kind of like a merchant guild for the underworld. Of course, it's not exactly the same, and they deal with different things. Unlike the regular merchant guilds, the mafia handles both legal and illegal stuff. They get into violent situations and smuggling—and sometimes they even trade in human lives. Plus, they're super territorial and care a lot about their reputation. It's basically a bunch of social misfits who put a lot of value on respect and honor.
I knew about the mafia from what I'd read, and Kyunei had told me stories. But I never thought I'd end up getting involved with them like this.
"You might have already guessed, but this tavern is run by the Jingin Family and it's also their main base. Only groups under their umbrella or people approved by the family leadership are allowed in."
"So, the person we were about to meet earlier was..."
"Yeah, the boss of the Jingin Family."
Wow, we're meeting the head honcho of the city's underground scene, just like that? Lucky for us, it was during visitor hours. If we'd shown up without warning, it would've been a total disaster.
'I'm more worried you might do something crazy, partner.'
Dammit, just thinking about the last few hours made my chest tighten. I couldn't completely deny it.
Aina looked at the tavern's entrance and then at the stairs leading to the second floor, and asked Reed,
"Judging by how the staff reacted earlier, does that mean you've been approved by the Jingin Family boss, too?"
Mikage glanced at the entrance of the store and the staircase leading to the second floor. The gatekeeper and the men guarding the VIP room, despite their thoughts on Reed's attitude, didn't try to stop his actions.
"In my case, they think of me as client. I'm enjoying the drinks here, though."
Hey, Gram. What does 'client' mean?
'It's like being supported by someone influential in exchange for lending them your strength if they need it. It's a bit more intimate than being a hired guard.'
As I absorbed the knowledge from Gram, Mikage sighed inwardly.
"A second-rank mercenary being a 'client' is quite a prestigious status, isn't it? Wouldn't it be better to just become a bother here instead of being a mercenary?"
"Well, that's an attractive proposal. But I'm more of the type who wants to get what I want on my own. Being supported all the time doesn't suit me."
Reed laughed and took another swig of his drink. His words surprised me a little.
"Hey, someone’s coming down the stairs. Reed-kun, is that the boss?"
"Uh, no, that's not him."
At the sound of Kyunei's voice, Reed's eyes narrowed, though his cheerful expression didn’t change.
I looked up the stairs to see a group of men coming down.
Leading the group was—well, to put it simply, a fat pig. Saying he was "stocky" would be too generous. He wore several rings with massive gemstones, and his neck was decorated with gold and silver chains. Except, I couldn't even tell where his neck started and ended because his double chin seemed to merge with his body.
"What does he has to eat to end up looking like that?"
"Unfortunately, even among nobles, you sometimes find people like him."
Aina replied to my comment, a bit downcast. So that guy lives the same luxurious lifestyle as the nobles, huh? While I could be jealous of the wealth, I definitely wouldn't want his body type.
'Quit saying dumb things. Look behind that pig.'
I see, you called him a pig too—I thought to myself, adding an imaginary tsukkomi. I looked at the guy behind the fat one.
If the first guy was a blob of fat, then the second guy was the complete opposite—skin and bones. He wore a black suit that kind of looked like a tailcoat, his cheeks were hollow, and his eyes were big and googly. But those eyes were as sharp as a hawk's.
The skinny guy glanced in my direction for a split second, and our eyes met. He quickly lost interest and looked away, but a chill ran down my spine.
My mind flashed back to the time I fought that demon in the royal castle. It was the same feeling I had when I faced it.
'The guys in the back are barely better than small fry, but that guy with the googly eyes is on another level. If we're talking mercenaries, he'd definitely be at least 2nd rank.'
If Gram's giving him that much credit, he must be something special. And the way he put it, even Gram couldn't figure him out entirely.
――I don't want to mess with someone like that.
'Hey, don't raise a flag! You’ll jinx us!'
What do you mean, flag? What’s a flag...?
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)