Chapter 62 62. Something Is Fishy.
[A/N: I am going to use some time skips here, so don't just bombard me with questions before reading the complete chapter, please!]
[Mayor's Mansion]
"Ugh!" When Logan woke up, he found himself on the bed, inside the Mayor's mansion.
Previously, Logan was found lying on the ground in the church with a sword in his hands.
Lisa, Anna, and Lara brought him to the Mayor's mansion.
They suspected that this must've happened because of his sexual overdrive. Although their reasoning was wrong, it saved Logan time from explaining anything.
After the bloody battle he had in some unknown crimson-black realm, he slept like a log for two days.
Considering a day he spent in that realm, he had lost a total of three days.
When he woke up, he realized multiple things changed.
First, the appearance of the sword was different from earlier.
Gazel's sword in his hands was different from its earlier blunt appearance also, the color of its blade was red and its length was increased by a noticeable amount.
The second and most important thing was his "negligence".
"Ha... I am dumb..." Only in the face of danger did he realize that he must not waste his second chance in only lustful activities.
Although he did not regret it, he thought that it was time for him, to get to work.
The reason? He was weak.
Even though he had strong skills and extraordinary abilities, he did not use them properly.
[God of War], [Maskman], [All Affinities], [Lust], and whatnot.
He was blessed with such a wonderful skill set that anyone would be envious of. Yet, he used such power only to seduce women and not for his growth.
[God of War] provided Logan with an unimaginable knowledge of a variety of weapons.
It also helped him to find out the weaknesses of the enemy.
Such a cheat ability wasn't used.
His movements while fighting, holding a sword, were still a lot sloppy.
When he fought so many beasts, which were not even worthy of his attention, and was on the brink of loss, only then he realized how complacent he had become.
"I must not waste any more time." Logan got up from the bed, took Gazel's sword, and went outside to practice.
He was determined to change his behavior. After all, in a few days, a certain guest was about to visit his place...
[Time left for the Investigator's arrival: 10 days]
...
Speaking of the devil...
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Creak-
Multiple adventurers and normal people were drinking and eating inside a tavern.
Following the suit, two figures sitting opposite to each other, on the corner table did the same.
"Hmmm... so that's how it is... Has the hen laid any eggs? (Code language: Has Alice made any move?)" A man, clad in black clothes, asked the fat man drinking in front of him.
"Gulp! The weather is not good for the hen to lay eggs. (Alice has not been outside her cabin for a while.)" Drinking his beer, the fat man answered.
"What about the pigs on your farm? Have they gotten fat? (What about the reports from the association? Any news?)" The man in black took the plate from the table and ate salted nuts while sipping his beer.
"Puwha! Those pigs are worthless! I don't think they can even gain weight anytime soon. (The others haven't found anything related to the association. Won't find anything soon either.)" He chugged another beer and waved his mug, to which a waiter came to serve him another beer.
"Looks like the farm won't be profitable anymore. We must change the business. (Looks like the association won't let us pry anymore, try changing the methods to get the reports.)" The man said while a slight frown on his face.
"Not possible, man. We've already changed many businesses. I don't have any money left, if I try anymore, we might get bankrupt. (The association is suspicious. We've already changed our methods to dig deeper, any more and they might get rid of us, at once.)" Even if he was drinking beer, his eyes remained deadly serious.
Sigh. The man in black sighed and took out a small bag full of silver coins.
Chunk!
"Money isn't the problem, just continue the business." The man in black threw the bag on the table and was about to leave.
However, the fat man put his mug down and said in a crisp and loud voice.
"Although you don't fear them, I do. In the drought, the first to die from hunger are workers and not the landlord. You might save yourself, but I don't wish to die... yet. (We are like rats, waiting to get killed anytime. You can save yourself from the association, but we cannot. I do not wish to antagonize the association)" After saying what he wanted to say, he took the pouch, paid the tavern owner, and left.
'Spineless bastards.' The man in black shook his head in disappointment and left while thinking about his upcoming encounter with a certain demon.
He was none other than Robert, trying to plot some spies in the Demon Hunter Association.
But there were very few people who had the balls to go against the Association.
Robert was a cautious and up-to-date man.
He always kept track of his subjects. That is Alice, the royal academy, the association, his work, and others' work.
For him, work was before everything.
Even if he knew that he could fight in any adverse situation, he still opted to stop from time to time and collected information regarding Selva, and the association. His information network was a lot stronger than one could imagine.
[Time left for the Investigator's arrival: 9 days]
...
In this entire journey,
Although the mercenary group "Black Lotus" could keep traveling during the night, they still decided to rest from time to time.
They also tried to talk with Robert to build better relations, but to their disappointment, Robert did not speak much with the group until it was necessary, nor was he interested in any pleasurable services.
Whenever they halted, Robert would either visit particular inns or taverns.
The black lotus had an Idea of what he was doing, but they decided to not get involved with his businesses.
Just like that, their Journey toward Selva continued.
[Time left for the Investigator's arrival: 8 days]
Meanwhile, [in the Royal Academy.]
"So.... Um... Do you agree with what Kevin has proposed, Jin?" Thomas informed Jin about everything that had happened after he left for his house.
"Hmm..." Jin contemplated.
Although he wanted to straight up refuse Kevin's proposal, it was difficult for him to do so.
"Should we trust him?" Thomas asked cautiously as he knew about the tension between Jin and Kevin.
He did not want to lose his friend but at the same time, he needed Kevin's help.
...
Thomas and Jin were sitting on the couch.
Several minutes passed and Jin kept on thinking "something" which made Thomas impatient, so he kept shaking his feet and tapping on the floor.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Could you stop that for a minute, Thomas? I am thinking about every single possibility." Jin replied in an irritated tone.
"Huh? What do you mean by "every single possibility"?" Thomas blurted out without giving a thought.
"Ha... As impatient as ever... To put it short, Possibility of betrayal." Jin said while leaning back on the couch.
"B-betrayal?" Thomas knit his brows.
"From Kevin, of course." Jin rolled his eyes.
'Is this guy a muscle brain?' 𝐟𝚛e𝐞𝙬𝗲𝒃𝓷𝒐𝘃e𝒍.c𝑜m
Looking at Thomas' questioning gaze, Jin sighed, got up from the couch, and answered.
"Although I hate to admit it, that guy is a monster. He was not even awakened two years ago, but now? He is the strongest student in the second year!
"Not only does he have some absurd growth rate, but he also showed how ridiculously strong he is in this examination.
"Think about it carefully, if we do what he has asked for, what are the chances of him helping us back? And even if he helps us, won't it be easy for him to kill us without even knowing? I am his enemy after all?" Thomas was taken aback by Jin's words.
'Why didn't I think about this?' He was surprised by how fast Jin could think about multiple possibilities. 𝑓𝗿𝐞𝘦𝘄e𝘣n𝘰𝘷eƖ.c𝘰𝗺
"But that is not my biggest concern... There are two main questions." Jin pointed two fingers and said.
"First, why does he want to help you now, after this much time? Wouldn't it have been better the very next day after he heard your story?" He put his middle finger down and explained further.
"What benefit does he get from helping us? He did not do it at that time. This is-"
"This is why the possibility of betrayal" Thomas completed his sentence.
"Hmm-hm." Jin nodded and continued,
"The second, why would he even betray us? What is the gain of killing someone already weaker than him?" Jin rubbed his chin.
"The same question is why would he even bother to help someone he has been at odds with?"
"There are just too many doubts."
"The whole situation of Kevin helping us is too fishy."
Jin concluded while walking across the room.
He wasn't sure whether to trust Kevin or not.
"I think-" before Thomas could raise his opinion,
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
They heard someone knocking on their door.
"Who is it?" Jin asked while getting on guard.
"Someone who can answer your questions." The person behind the door answered.
And without waiting for their reply, he entered.
"Kevin" Both Jin and Thomas said at the same time.
...
[A/N: Do review the book! Let me know your view regarding the Sin and Virtue System!]