Volume 10 Chapter 2 The Social Structure Of The Slums
I heard that and extended my hand for a handshake. As we shook hands, I introduced myself.
"I'm Wade. I'm interested in the slums, so I came to take a look around."
"A tour? Hahahahaha. Someone as strong as you, coming to the Assassin's Guild for a tour?"
I narrowed my eyes. No one has ever been able to tell my strength just by looking at me, not even the Demon Kings.
"You think I'm strong? I'm not even good at using sorcery."
"Don't be ridiculous. People who try to gauge strength by the smell of sorcery are second-rate. True strength shows in one's attitude. Those who don't back down in any situation are terrifying when it counts."
We have a kid like Rollo in our group who never backs down, but I don't think she's scary at all.
"You're like that, huh... You're young, so maybe you don't understand. But you seem to have confidence in your ability to kill me anytime. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but..."
Fen said that and slightly increased the pressure on my hand during the handshake. I responded with my body strengthened by the Anahata Chakra.
"..."
"..."
The air was filled with tension, and our breathing and consciousness began to shift into combat mode.
I tried to see through Fen's bottom line using the Ajna Chakra, but I stopped when I sensed the presence of Demon King of Deception, Hermes.
Still, I could tell. The flow of magical power, the robust physique, and... the scent of Domain Control.
This guy is a strong enemy. No doubt about it.
"Let's stop here."
Fen suddenly raised both hands, and I was taken aback. That's right, this is just a reconnaissance mission. It's too dangerous.
"Wade, do you enjoy killing?"
I chuckled at Fen's question.
"You're the one who looked at me like I was prey. You have the eyes of someone who's looking for a worthy opponent, not some weakling."
"Huh..."
"Hah..."
We laughed quietly together, and then slowly created some distance between us.
"Wade, you'll rise through the ranks of the Assassin's Guild in no time. I'm looking forward to working with you."
"Yeah, maybe. I don't know about work, but it seems like we have a connection, Fen."
At the very least, I'm supposed to do something to this guy that's worse than killing him. There's no mistake that we're connected.
"Well, see you. Enjoy the slums."
Fen said that and left with a swagger, finding Sandra along the way and muttering "Huh? Ah, I see, that kind of connection" before disappearing into the distance.
I watched him go and then returned to the table.
When I got back, the other 3, excluding Sandra, greeted me with exhausted faces.
"What's wrong, guys?"
I asked, and Renril replied with a face dripping with cold sweat.
"It's not 'what's wrong'... I didn't think we'd have a run-in with Don Fen in a place like this. My nerves are shot..."
"Master's really reckless~, huh? I was on edge just watching~..."
"...Wade-kun, if Wade-kun's happy, that's all that matters, but I think there are better times to have fun..."
Renril, Rollo, and Ice scolded me in turn, and I apologized with a wave of my hand, saying "Sorry, sorry. I got carried away." Then Sandra patted me on the shoulder and said.
"Wade, I'm on your side."
"Sorry, guys. I was wrong."
"Why?"
Sandra looked unconvinced by my apology.
"Also, I want to ask something. What's this 'splitting' thing I've been hearing about?"
Renril looked puzzled by my question.
"'Splitting'? What are you talking about?"
"I don't know, something about demons? I don't really get it either."
"Rollo, do you know?"
Rollo shook her head. "Nope, I don't know either~"
Renril and Rollo exchanged a confused glance. I guess "splitting" isn't a term that everyone knows, despite it being written in the job postings. If Fen asked me about it, it's probably not what I think it means.
I tilted my head, wondering what "splitting" really meant. If I read the job postings literally, it sounds like we're supposed to deliver a body part or something, but I have a feeling that's not what Fen meant.
"Hey, are you here to look for work again today?" "Hahahaha, everyone who comes here is looking for work, of course!"
Just then, more demons with an aura of strength started pouring into the assassination guild. I turned to Renril, curious about the sudden commotion.
"Are all of these demons part of the guild too?"
"Yes. Half of them are from Ede Wolf, and the other half are from other assassination clans and parties that are next in line. I even saw the master of the second-largest clan, 'Hounds'. They're all incredibly strong."
I was impressed by the depth of the guild's members, aside from Don Fen. There were other named demons too.
"Yeah, they all have a certain presence about them."
At the very least, they were all upper-tier silver demons. The strongest one, aside from Don Fen, was probably a mid-tier gold demon.
Still, half of them were from Ede Wolf's clan. They had a surprisingly large number of members.
"How many members does the assassination guild have in total?"
"Well, since it's a major guild in the slums, it's a pretty large number. I'd say around 2 thousand demons."
"So, half of that would be...?"
"Right, around a thousand demons, give or take."
"...That's a lot."
It was the same number as the village sl*ves we brought with us. No wonder Kyrie warned us about them. A thousand demons with this level of strength? Even the Demon King's army would have a hard time dealing with them.
If that's the case, I thought, it wouldn't be worth causing a big commotion here. If we're going to do something, we should do it thoroughly, like erasing the slums from the map.
Renril spoke up, "Well, now that we've seen the assassination guild and met Don Fen, that's 2 down. Last one is the trainer."
I scowled at Renril's words.
"Do we really have to meet them? I don't feel like it's that important."
"No, it's really important. Trainers are a technical profession in the slums, and even Don Fen can't treat them carelessly. At the very least, no demon in the guild can look down on a trainer."
"Seriously?"
I was surprised, and Sandra chimed in.
"Wade, this is true. I got into a fight with one once, and now I'm not allowed to take on guild jobs."
"Sandra, you're a troublemaker no matter where you go."
"My beloved husband is so cold. *pouts*."
Sandra is still expressionless, pretending to cry. I let out a wry smile and pat her on the head.
"Sorry about that. Renril, can you show us the way?"
"Yes, this way~."
We follow Renril and start walking.
Renril leads us to the back of the guild.
There's a facility that looks like a workshop. Unlike the assassins outside, the demons here are busy running around, looking quite skilled.
"Where's the training equipment for commercial sl*ves?! Ah, damn it, the deadline is approaching and the number of sl*ves to be trained is off! Are you idiots?!"
"It can't be helped! The idiots outside took too long to kidnap the sl*ves, and now we're under pressure to meet the deadline! We have to clean up the mess they made, so hurry up!"
"But it's impossible to train a hundred sl*ves in 3 days! We need the training equipment! Hey, this is heavy, can you help me carry it?"
This one and a few others are struggling to load heavy torture devices onto a cart, and the demons are dashing further into the back.
"This is the trainer."
"It's completely different from what I imagined."
I wish the trainer wouldn't use words like "deadline". It brings back dark memories from my past life and makes me feel sick.
But seriously, training a hundred sl*ves in 3 days is impossible. Physically, it's just not feasible. It's not just a matter of doing it with determination; it's just plain impossible.
As I'm thinking this, a trainer notices us and approaches.
"What do you want?! What's your business?! An request?! Ah! Sandra, you! I told you I wouldn't take any requests from you, so get lost!"
"Kyuuun..."
Sandra is making a sad cat-like sound. For now, I hide her behind my back.
"Uh, it's not a request, exactly... more like a visit?"
"A visit?! We don't accept visitors! Just leave! Can't you see we're busy?! We've been training non-stop for days without sleep!"
The trainer's eyes are bloodshot, and there are dark circles under them.
I take a closer look at the trainer.
He's a demon with a snake-like appearance, giving off a lazy and intimidating aura. He's wearing a bloody apron, and his long, scaly tail is swishing back and forth from his waist.
I let out a wry smile and tried to calm down, thinking that it's not good to provoke him too much since I couldn't win against him in a fight.
"Sorry about that. I'll apologize for Sandra too. My name is Wade. We might meet again someday, so it was nice meeting you."
As I said that, I handed him the leftover gold coins I had rolled up earlier. The trainer, who had been looking at his own hand, widened his eyes in surprise when he saw the gold coins.
"...! ...?"
"Uh, I introduced myself, so I'd like to know your name too."
"Ah, yeah! Sorry about that. I'm Mung. I'm the head trainer of the Assassination Guild. In other words, I'm the best trainer in this slum."
Mung said this with a mix of embarrassment and pride. I shook his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Mung."
"Ah, nice to meet you too, Wade-san. We're really busy here, but we'll listen to anything our well-paying customers say. We can make even the most stubborn ones obedient."
It's funny how he talks about training, but his words are so straightforward. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit.
"I don't know, but you're completely different from what I imagined. You're not as scary as I thought, and you seem like a real professional."
"Apparently, that's what personal trainers used to be like. At least, that's not what we do here. We prioritize quality and speed! There's nothing better than that."
His response is really funny, and it's even more amusing because he's a trainer.
"Speed, I get it, but what do you mean by quality?"
"If we push them too hard and break them, they'll just end up like those people sleeping on the streets. And if we're not careful, we might even kill them. The key is to break their spirit."
Mung laughs with a "kekeke." Just then, a voice calls out to him from behind.
"Mung-san, what are you doing?! We have a reservation for 100 commercial sl*ves, 50 s*x sl*ves, and 20 gladiator sl*ves! Get to work already!"
"Got it! Anyway, sorry! Wade-san, but I'll take my leave here. If you need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask!"
Mung shouted, "Alright, let's wrap it up Is everything ready?" "Yes, sir! This way, this way!" he said, rushing off with his subordinate.
I turned to Renril and asked,
"Is that the trainer?"
"Yes. Apparently, there's a high demand for them in the city, so they're always rushing around like that. They're always busy, so if you offend them, they'll refuse you like he did to Sandra-sama."
"Hmm, I see."
I couldn't help but be impressed by the hellish scene before me. It's amazing how something so terrible can take on a human-like form, just like Nilfheim.
As we walked and left the guild, we continued our conversation.
"I see, so this is the slum's true face that you wanted to show me."
"Yes, what did you think?"
"It's more fortified than I expected. Especially when it comes to dealing with a group of assassins numbering in the thousands."
In reality, our target is only Ede Wolf, but it's difficult to come up with a plan to deal with them individually. If we're going to do it, we'll have to take out the entire assassination guild.
The problem is, I haven't come up with a method yet. It looks like I'll need to think about it for a while. The others don't seem to have any good ideas either.
As I was thinking this, I noticed one person who was deep in thought.
"Ice?"
"...Wade-kun."
Ice looked at me with a serious expression, as if she had come up with a plan.
"I've been thinking about a strategy for a while now, and it might just work this time... Can I talk to you about it when we get back?"
"Of course, but what kind of strategy have you been thinking about?"
When I asked, Ice smiled softly.
"--The God-Killing Strategy... I was thinking it might be a good idea to use it here..."
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