Episode 5 - Straightforward Declaration of War 2

The footsteps stopped at a bar with an elegant signboard deep within Pink Rose Street.


Confirming the sign reading ‘Cheshire's Paw’, Kaftin tightened the slackening rope once more, choking the Captain of the Guard's breath.


“Guh!? Wh-what are you doing?!”
“Nothing much. Just annoying when you're flustered.”


As he opened the door and stepped inside, all eyes instantly turned to Kaftin and the Captain of the Guard.


“Hello.”
“Help me-! Anyone! Anyone, please tell the City Guard station this murderer is here...! Aaaargh-!!”


Taking advantage of the moment, Kaftin hooked his little finger around the broken arm of the Captain of the Guard, who was pleading for help, and gently twisted it at an odd angle to restrain him.


He walked up to the visibly tense bartender, leaned his arms on the table, and flashed a sly grin.


“This is the headquarters of the Information Guild ‘Cheshire Cat,’ right?”
“......”


The bartender slowly opened one eye, swiftly scanning his appearance and the guard captain's condition before replying,


“What do you mean? Another guest who heard some strange rumor and came in, I suppose.”
“Huh... Playing it that way, huh? Then let's do this.”


Kaftin immediately untied the ropes and flung the guard captain onto the floor.
He grabbed only the sack of money that had spilled out and slammed it onto the bar table.


“For this amount... Ah. Sorry about that. I don't drink alcohol myself. If you have any other drinks, I'd like to have one of those instead.”
“......! You've made quite a lot, haven't you?”


The bartender, who had been glancing at the precariously balanced sack on the table with just one eye, finally opened both eyes and gave a faint smile.


He had thought this customer was troublesome and planned to send him away, but things had changed.
No matter what kind of person he was, he couldn't refuse an offer of this much money.


“Huh... Looks like you've finally decided to play fair.”
“If you don't drink alcohol... How about something from our coffee selection? Since you've made the effort to visit, perhaps we could share some light conversation about current affairs...”
“Current affairs... I don't need to hear about such distant matters.”


Seeing him shake his head, the bartender silently set aside the glass he was polishing and began preparing coffee.


“I see... Is there anything specific you'd like to hear? Even though it may not seem like it, adventurers occasionally stop by, and I hear all sorts of stories. If I can be of any help...”
“I'm looking for someone. Several people, actually. Would that be alright?”


At the mention of searching for people, the bartender truly faltered for a split second.
Because the moment the man before him, Kaftin, said he was looking for people, a flicker of something unsettling seemed to flash in his eyes.


But he immediately regained his poker face and nodded.


“Of course. Within the scope of what I know...”
“Black Curse King Athunga, Phantom Fang Lord Bizeth, Veilslayer, Night Fist Lord Gabelth, and...”
“......!!”
“...Count Carloz. I'm looking for the whereabouts of these five. Do you know them?”


A heavy silence hung in the shop.
The names he mentioned were not the sort of light-hearted figures that a rogue like him should be mentioning.


The four colossal organizations currently dominating Pink Rose Street.
These were the rulers of those groups, and the one rumored to pull their strings from behind the scenes.


“You're looking for some rather famous individuals... What business brings you to seek them out?”
“I have a message to deliver to them, and debts to repay.”
“Huh... That's interesting. I could understand if it were just one of them, but a message and a debt to all of them...?”


A spark of interest flashed in the bartender's eyes.
His long-honed instinct as an information broker was reacting – this might be valuable intelligence.


“I can't tell you. I have to deliver it to them personally.”
“I see... I suppose that makes sense.”


After carefully placing the coffee in front of him, the bartender discreetly slipped a small piece of paper under the cup.


Kaftin pretended not to notice, took the cup, drank, and then casually covered the note with his other hand to retrieve it.


“Hey! Bartender-! It's the City Guard office! Get to the City Guard office immediately...!”
“Shut up.”


Just as things had quieted down a bit, he firmly pressed down on one of the man's ankles as he tried to crawl away, pinning him in place.


"Yeeek...! Let go of this! You bastard! You've already made enemies of the City Guard on this street, and now you're going after the Four Gang Lords too?! Are you completely insane!?“
”…….“
”Prepare yourself, I will get you…!”


The bartender recognized him as the familiar City Guard captain, but he had no desire to acknowledge that fact.


His appearance in such a terrible state was proof enough that the man before him possessed considerable power.


Not to provoke such a man with careless words was a quality worthy of being called street-smart in this neighborhood.


“...It doesn't matter. Your life is already ruined. From now on, I'll just watch and enjoy that.”
“Gah…!”
“But…if you get too much in the way, I might just have to dispose of you.”


He calmly finished his coffee, handed the bill to the bartender, then grabbed the Captain of the Guard by the hair and dragged him toward the restroom sign.


"Wait a minute…! Where are you taking me now?! Let me go now! You got me right where you wanted me!“
”That was the plan at first, but since you just made such a point of emphasizing you heard the conversation, I can't just let you go.“
”Hic…?!"


The dim-witted Captain of the Guard's expression froze in shock as he belatedly realized his attempt to threaten him had backfired, becoming an appeal to shut his own mouth.


“W-wait, hold on! Listen! Like you said…! My lower body is already completely ruined…right?! You don’t have to kill me here to shut me up…!”
“Ah, what a pity. If you’d just shut your stupid mouth, I could’ve enjoyed watching your miserable end for a long time…”


Sighing as if truly disappointed, Kaftin dragged him to none other than the squat toilet in the men's restroom.


Before the horrifying toilet hole, Kaftin slowly raised the hand gripping his hair.
It was clearly to shove the Captain of the Guard headfirst into that hole.


“H-hey! Think about this one more time! We don't have to do this, right?! Don't you agree?! Killing me will make your crime worse! Serious crime! Serious! I may look like this, but I'm a young, promising Captain of the Guard who's only been in office a year and a half!?”


Despite the Captain of the Guard's desperate pleas, Kaftin snorted derisively and shoved the Captain of the Guard's face precisely into the hole, right above it.


With his pelvis completely shattered, the guard captain couldn't even put proper strength into his legs.
His only resistance was desperately bracing himself against the bathroom floor with his one unbroken arm.


“A serious crime… I don’t think it’ll matter much. I’ll soon turn my hundredth human into a meat patty. What’s the big deal now…?”


The hundredth.
When that terrifying number was casually mentioned by the young man who didn’t even look that old, the Captain of the Guard’s face turned as pale as it possibly could.


Where on earth had this bastard been, and what had he done to already claim a hundred lives at such a young age?
It was him who made the senior captain's words ring true once more: this street truly harbored some dangerous thing that only attracted the worst.


“Now, get inside. Hurry.”
“P-please! Just give me one chance! I won't tell anyone! I won't even care! Really! I swear!”
“Ah. That's odd. You're supposedly a young, promising Captain of the Guard. Is it really okay to just spout such irresponsible nonsense?”


Seizing the opportunity in Kaftin's retort, the Security Chief desperately flapped his lips.
His face was already pushed right up against the hole, and it was obvious that if he let his guard down even a little, his face would be the first thing smashed into the pile of shit below.


“Look! I'm already ruined! Because of the lower body you shattered, I can't even do field work anymore! I'll probably get demoted somewhere or dismissed, and I don't even know if I'll get my meager retirement pay! You're right! My life is completely ruined!”
“Hmm...”


As Kaftin made a sound of contemplation, the guard's face began to brighten, and he continued moving his lips.


“Why the hell would I be crazy enough to spill the beans about you for anyone's benefit?! Right?! I'd get nothing out of it! I'd be lucky if you didn't come after me to kill me!”
“You know me well. You might be talking nonsense, but... I really don't care about the means when it comes to things like that. In that case, I'll come find you. At your house.”
“Heh, heh heh heh...!”


A sense of power emanated from his low, murmuring voice.
By now, he’d already proven himself a madman who, once resolved to commit an act, would carry it out without hesitation.


“And if I do come to your house… first, I’ll check to see if you’re living well and in good health…”
“Eh… eh?”


Kaftin’s attitude, as if he’d suddenly started reciting some amusing story, made the Captain of the Guard genuinely feel his hair stand on end.


Even as he laid out words that were practically a preview of how he’d commit a crime, his voice carried a hint of excitement.


The bastard was enjoying himself.


“Yeah, once I’m sure you’re healthy, I’ll be relieved. What should I do next? If you guess the right answer, something good might happen.“
”Ah...?!"


This was his chance.
The Captain of the Guard frantically racked his brain, thinking that if he played his cards right, he might escape this situation.
What would he do next, after confirming his health?


If he thought simply, it would obviously be to beat him up again and make him suffer.


But.
The Captain of the Guard sensed the problem wasn't that simple.
This guy was a madman who'd think of stuff like shoving him headfirst into a shit pit to kill him.


There was no way such a bastard's brain structure fell within the realm of normal people.
A single fact that flashed through his mind at that moment made his throat burn.


“...No way...”
“The time limit is almost up. If you don't give me the answer soon, things will get difficult...?”
“…Wh-what are you going to do to my family?! What are you planning to do to them?!”
“Oh...”


With great effort, he turned his head to glance sideways at Kaftin.
Kaftin's expression was one of puzzlement, as if he hadn't expected him to guess correctly.


But soon, it shifted into an unnatural smile, as if he couldn't contain his delight.


“Heh...! Correct. How did you know? Few would even think that far.”
“...I just figured someone as insane as you would definitely think outside the box of a normal person...! More importantly, what are you planning to do to my family!?”


Kaftin silenced his desperate attempts to confirm what he intended to do to his family with a light kick to his broken arm.


“Guhhh...!”


Yet, even as he groaned, the Captain of the Guard gritted his teeth and raised his head again.


"I don't care about anything else...! But not my family! Absolutely not! Just shove me into a shit pit and be done with it! Now! 
“Surprising. Is that the attitude of a man who was begging for his life just moments ago?”


Seeing Kaftin's expression suddenly turn cold, the Captain of the Guard was once again convinced this bastard was the worst kind—the type who enjoyed watching others suffer and agonize.


“Of course... I'm part of this street too. I haven't been here long, but I've taken bribes many times and thrown innocent men in jail for favors!”
“Huh... You were surprisingly self-aware.”
“Yes! So even with a deranged murderer like you, I can make a deal if needed, and I can beg for my life!”


The Captain of the Guard, who had been spitting out his words while choking back sobs, finally roared, tears streaming down his face.


“But still... still! I live like this all for my family!”
“......”
“Even if it's dirty money! Thanks to that little bit of cash, my kids eat proper meals and go to the academy...!”


Overwhelmed by emotion, he wept, failing to notice.
That Kaftin's expression, gazing down at him, had grown utterly cold.


And the next moment,
his weeping face was forcefully shoved down through the hole below.


-To be continued-