< 85. Hell of Distrust (13) >
Bremenhaven.
In this German port city on the North Sea, bizarre events had been occurring one after another throughout the day. People were collapsing with urgent symptoms, many of them losing consciousness.
Fainting quietly would have been the lesser of evils. Instead, people who seemed fine would suddenly collapse with severe vomiting and diarrhea or show unexpected bleeding, leaving witnesses terrified.
All the victims were outsiders, and the local citizens were left fearing what was happening.
Whee-oo!
An ambulance, blaring a loud siren, arrived in front of the hotel where Min-jun was staying. The paramedics carried a middle-aged woman who was bleeding from every orifice and had fainted away, and then they disappeared.
And there was a man watching from afar. He was a half-elf.
'Another one down.'
He was both an agent and a convict.
Having followed the trail for 400,000 Talents, he had come this far, but his meticulous nature kept him observing from a distance rather than getting too close. This allowed him to avoid the fate of exposing his internal state. At least, so far.
'But continuing like this won't get us anywhere.'
It was still uncertain if there was indeed an alien's head here. Like other convicts, he was following the trail due to a suspicion that the Asif-666 might have some crucial information.
"Doesn't look promising, does it?"
Just as the uninvited voice spoke from behind, the half-elf immediately summoned a spirit.
Whoosh!
The spirit, a resident of the spirit realm which normally couldn't affect the material plane, intervened in the laws of physics in exchange for the summoner's mana. The air in the alley shimmered and danced transparently.
Normally, an elf would never reveal a spirit in front of an enemy, even if dead, and this tendency was somewhat present in half-elves as well.
But the man was a convict.
Without a hint of shame, he stared at the opponent and spoke.
"What is it?"
The summoned spirit took the form of a half-elf engulfed in flames. The resemblance to the spirit master was so striking that the uninvited guest sneered. It seemed like a product of narcissism or unfulfilled love for a twin.
But the man was a convict.
The uninvited guest speculated that the form of the spirit was a manifestation of erased memories and longing for self.
"I'm not looking for a fight."
The spirit master narrowed his eyes. Above the opponent's head floated the text 'Asif' and a long string of numbers. He likely saw a similar formation above his own head.
The uninvited guest, showing no intent of resistance, raised his hands and spoke.
"There's no point in causing more commotion here. How about joining forces with others in similar situations and talking it over?"
Was he trying to recruit allies? The spirit master hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
And at the place he followed to, there were more convicts gathered than expected.
'Still more than ten, huh?'
Although the number had decreased slightly due to those expelled by Min-jun, it would likely increase again. There were still those who had not yet entered Germany.
Moreover, convicts using this area as a base were currently stuck with other tasks due to the dragon's demands, but they would surely join once their tasks were completed.
"Welcome."
The agent sitting at the center spoke. The spirit master, observing the recognition number above his head, felt a sense of admiration.
'Asif-1,319,552'
A number in the millions.
That's quite a veteran by any measure, though not comparable to the monster in that hotel.
"It seems we've gathered everyone who meets the criteria. Except for the fools who got too close and were discovered."
The man, with a jaded yet fierce glint in his eyes, looked around at the gathered convicts.
One convict expressed curiosity.
"What criteria?"
"Those with the intelligence and tracking skills to reach this point and who have little to no favorable connection with 'Asif-666'. Specifically, those who have no reason to show any goodwill towards him."
Everyone nodded in agreement. The spirit master was no exception. He had never worked with Asif-666 and had only heard dreadful rumors.
At that moment, a troll with black skin growled.
"Goodwill?! Nonsense. If it weren't for the property destruction charge, that bastard would already be dead at my hands!"
No one paid much attention to the troll's words. The spirit master internally scoffed.
'If you had the skills to kill, you wouldn't have been defeated by him.'
The enmity between the troll and Asif-666 was notorious.
The troll had suffered under a curse for a whole week after hindering the activities of the convict with the shortest recognition number on Earth. The result was an indelible, deep scar etched into his mind. Losing a limb might have been recoverable, but the mental trauma was much harder to overcome.
'What was that curse again?'
"Thinking about the hellish week I spent because of that bastard! I endured every day with gritted teeth in disgrace. It would have been better to die, but I survived through malice. To regain my freedom someday! And… to repay that slippery bastard who slipped away without punishment!"
The troll, trembling with rage, was interrupted by Asif-1,319,552, who extended his hand to stop him.
"Calm down and let me finish."
The suggestion was simple. The convicts gathered here should combine their efforts to strike against Asif-666.
"I don't know how much retirement money you all have left, but even if divided among us, 400,000 Talents is a substantial amount. Isn't it?"
One by one, they nodded in agreement.
"Asif-666 doesn't act on uncertain information. There's definitely 'that head' in this city. You all suspected that, right? So you'd think he'd have thoroughly searched this place like I did. But he hasn't found it, has he?"
Despite some discomfort and embarrassment, the convicts agreed.
"So the hardest part is leaving that monster to handle. While Asif-666 is searching for that charlatan named Johaim and retrieving the head, we all rush in and take him by surprise."
The troll shouted with an angry voice.
"I agree! Even if things go wrong and the 400,000 Talents are lost, I don't care! I'll never tolerate seeing that bastard succeed and walk away with a fortune!"
Except for the troll, who declared that he was aiming for Min-jun's misfortune rather than his own gain, the remaining convicts found the proposal appealing for their own reasons.
"There will be convicts arriving in Bremenhaven later, but they won't be included. Only those gathered here will proceed. The more people there are, the less each will get."
"I agree. But what's the plan? Just keep following Asif-666?"
"We'll continue to monitor. But we're also preparing an insurance policy."
"What kind?"
The convict continued the explanation.
"Since you've seen enough already, there's no need for photographs. Right now, Asif-666 has two companions."
A previously silent convict suddenly spoke up.
"Hey, what's this? Are you suggesting we stage a hostage situation or something?"
"Only as insurance."
A convict who kills another convict is punished by the committee for property destruction.
But what about a convict's companion?
Unless they kill someone important to the committee or commit mass murder, the committee wouldn't intervene. Therefore, threats using a non-convict companion were not likely to draw the committee's attention.
However.
"If that's the case, I'll opt out."
"You're afraid."
The convict who first mentioned the idea of a hostage situation shook his head.
He had never worked with Asif-666 but had heard such experiences from old colleagues and was quietly advised not to spread it around.
In the past, convicts from that dimension had once chased down and captured a criminal dragon. Although they managed to weaken it by pouring sulfuric acid on it during its molting phase, it was still no easy opponent.
Among the convicts who struggled, the one who stood out the most was Asif-666. He pursued the dragon with such ferocity and persistence that he was almost... like a vengeful spirit.
They even added, "It seemed like he wasn't hunting a dragon for the first time." Of course, it was meant metaphorically.
"That friend of mine said... it would be better to mess with a dragon's egg than to ever mess with Asif-666."
The man who had gathered everyone together chuckled.
"That's an exaggeration. If a single convict had abilities comparable to a dragon, why would they be stuck in a small, remote country in this far-flung dimension? The committee would have called them closer and put them to good use."
Despite his assurance, a few people began to voice their unease.
"Even if we succeed, how will we handle the grudge? He considers competing on a mission to be interference, so he throws curses around—what do you think he'll do if we outright stab him in the back and steal from him?"
"Besides, that guy acts like a rabid dog when someone messes with what's 'his'. This is a suicide mission."
"Hey, hold on. Then do you have any other plans? Since the moment we started competing over this mission, didn't we already prepare ourselves for making an enemy of Asif-666? And do you really think that monster can live peacefully on Earth after making so many convicts his enemies?"
"... That's true."
The convict who had initially said he would back out tried to dissuade them.
"Think about it carefully. Asif-666 is the only one among us who has ever completed a mission alongside dragons."
It was during the operation to wipe out the Oslo faction.
"That means he has that level of capability. Why else would an agent stationed in Korea be called all the way to Europe?"
The man at the center shook his head and said,
"There's an obvious reason for a convict to get involved in dragon business. The dragon who has Korea as its territory... what was its name? Jenkinson? Asif-666 owes that dragon a massive debt. So isn't he here to repay it with his labor?"
"To dismiss it like that..."
The man tried to continue convincing them, but the group had already decided to go after Asif-666. In the end, he gave up and stepped back.
"Let me say again, I'm out."
After he disappeared, Asif-1,319,552 looked around at the other convicts and spoke.
"Judging by his past patterns, Asif-666 will likely move alone at the critical moment. When that happens, some of us will secure his companions while the rest follow Asif-666."
"There was one woman and one man, right?"
"Yes."
"What if Asif-666 teleports his companions away before we can make a move?"
Asif-1,319,552 let out a dry laugh, and at the same time, white flames flared up in his eyes.
"Even if he teleports, he'll leave a trace. Unless he's a dragon, no matter how cleanly he wipes the spirit realm, he can't escape my tracking!"
A low chuckle followed.
"If he's that sensitive about what's his, it means he values them that much. Let's see how he reacts when he goes berserk."
"The moment I go after Joachim, the agents outside will target you two."
Minjun spoke firmly to Cassie and Ha Eunseong. He had already explained that the convicts gathering around were agents dispatched from various countries.
"So Cassie, you should go into the sea for now."
"?!"
While Ha Eunseong looked puzzled, Cassie nodded with a determined expression.
"Then I'll go change my clothes first."
"Sure. Even if I protect you two with a strong barrier, it would only be like broadcasting to everyone where I've hidden you. Besides, more pests have gathered than I expected. They won't think to search the bottom of the sea."
The convicts were gathering faster than Minjun had anticipated. If they all worked together, even a barrier could be at risk.
"And take this with you."
Minjun handed Cassie a bracelet he had prepared. She examined it closely and then asked,
"A messaging spell?"
"Yeah. Since you're going into the sea, toss it into Kaliether's lair on your way."
"You said the house is empty, right?"
"Even if the owner's not there, the servants should still be around. Tell them it's a message from me. Make sure they see it when they return. I couldn't find where they are right now, so I can't contact them directly."
While Cassie went to change her clothes, Ha Eunseong asked curiously,
"Are you going to go to the sea with her?"
"No, I'll send her with teleportation. It's less than a kilometer to the harbor from here. Erasing traces from the spirit realm is no big deal."
"But didn't you say the dragon's lair around here is at the bottom of the sea?"
Kaliether had lairs all over Europe, but this was his main one, and unlike the others, it was located underwater. Ha Eunseong had overheard this from Cassie and Minjun's conversation.
"That's right."
"How will she get to a lair at the bottom of the sea? Is she that good with magic?"
"Cassie? Her magic skills are nothing special. That's how it is with multi-ability users. She can't exactly create a path through seawater."
"Then how?"
"How else? She'll swim there."
"To that depth?"
Finally, Minjun revealed the other ability Cassie possessed, aside from magic.
Ha Eunseong gasped in realization.
"Oh, a breed-shift!"
The ability to transform into another species.
In the media, this often appeared as cases like wolves or bears...
"She's a fish."
"... I see."
Ha Eunseong now understood why the artifact was made in the form of a bracelet.
Just as a person who transforms into a wolf can freely shift between a fully quadrupedal wolf form and a bipedal half-human, half-beast form, Cassie could likely transform into a half-human, half-fish form.
'Wait, half-human, half-fish?'
At that moment, Ha Eunseong's admiration for Cassie deepened even further.
'That's... basically a mermaid! No wonder. I thought she was too beautiful.'
Recalling the fantasy of the Little Mermaid he had seen on TV, Ha Eunseong felt his affection for Cassie surge.
"So that's why you gave her the bracelet? To make it easier for her to wear underwater."
"What are you talking about? That's not a bracelet, it's an anklet."
"Huh?"
"Think about it. If the upper body is human and the lower body is a fish, how would she breathe underwater? It has to be the other way around."
"..."
As Ha Eunseong pictured the form Minjun described, he felt his fantasy shatter once again.
"Enough chit-chat. You have a job to do too."
Ha Eunseong's expression hardened as he heard Minjun's next words. Minjun had no intention of teleporting him to safety.
"There are more followers than I expected. We need to thin them out."
< 85. Hell of Distrust (13) > End.