Ugly Merchant

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Once A Traitor Always A Traitor.



Going back from the slave market to the guild, the stench of the slums was too much every time they left the guild. "We can't keep living in such conditions, master. The chance of getting sick in this place is high compared to other places," Lysandra said.

Mina, who was happy about her husband, didn't care about anything else.

"Be patient, Lysandra. Everything will come in time."

 

Entering through the gates, they approached Tertius, who was chained to a pillar. "You look pathetic, Tertius," Breeze coldly said.

A bitter laugh escaped Tertius's cracked lips. "Hehehe, thanks to you." His voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper.

Jasper got closer to Tertius. "You could have asked for your freedom from the start. Why take the risky path?"

"Humph, do you think a master would care about a slave?"

"Stop right there. I'm not here to debate with you. At least you saw how I consider the people around me as my family. Ivar unconsciously told you two things: one, that I'm weak, and the other, that I'm gentle—ahem." He paused, clearing his throat. "Your evil mind didn't consider asking politely to free you, but you wanted to kill me and steal everything I worked hard for."

"Hahaha, then be gentle and spare me."

"Once a traitor, always a traitor," Jasper smirked. "And how do you reward a traitor? By killing them."

Jasper turned to Ivar and said, "Ivar, shut this traitor's mouth and gather all the gang members here."

 

After carefully shutting Tertius's mouth, Ivar ran around the slums. On his way, he found Franco and other members eating and drinking. "Oh, if it isn't Ivar. Come and join us. It's been a week without seeing you."

Ivar remembered that this kind of meeting was the reason he was nearly sold. "Don't ever tell me to join this kind of gathering, Franco. I nearly ruined my life because of this."

"Huh?" Franco and the others turned to look at each other in confusion.

"What's wrong, Ivar? Did something happen?" Franco questioned in confusion.

Ivar's sigh escaped like steam from a kettle. "A lot of things happened. It started by—"

As Ivar recounted the tale, Franco's face transformed from confusion to horror to disbelief. His hand moved unconsciously to slap his own cheek, the sound sharp and sudden in the still air. "Oh God! Tertius did that? How insane can he be to turn against a monster like the boss? Gladiators are truly insane."

The words seemed to hang in the air like smoke, and the other gang members nodded slowly, their faces grave. Even a fly got shocked at the audacity of Tertius.

"I can't agree more," Ivar said, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "Anyway, help me tell the others to gather at the guild's gate. I'm not sure what the master's punishment will be, but we need to witness it."

Like bees responding to a disturbance in their nest, Franco and his companions scattered throughout the slums. Their voices echoed off the narrow walls as they spread the word, creating a buzz of anticipation that seemed to electrify the very air.

One hour later, everyone gathered in front of the guild. They were in awe at how a strong gladiator like Tertius ended up in such a miserable state. Any thought of betrayal vanished from their minds.

Jasper left the front door with Breeze and Ivar at his side. This time, Jasper didn't leave with his hood on; he walked with his horrific face clear to the eyesight. Each one of them tensed their muscles witnessing such a creature. "Falcon! Come here." Everyone got nervous seeing Falcon moving toward the boss. A hum of whispers could be heard about what was going to happen to him.

"Folks of the slums, this man here—Falcon—was brave enough to face Tertius when he caught this traitor red-handed trying to scheme against me."

Some of the gang members were shocked at how reckless Falcon had become, while others felt jealous, knowing he would be rewarded for his actions. But then they remembered that anyone's achievement was everyone's achievement, and they quickly calmed down. Soon, they began cheering and praising Falcon's performance.

"Falcon will take Tertius's place as the guild's guard. He will get a gold coin for himself alone, and 5g for the gang members as a whole." Everyone got excited hearing the announcement. Jasper raised his hand to calm them down. "Facing me was a futile thing. Tertius was too arrogant, thinking that he could kill me and rule this place as a king."

Tertius turned to Jasper, his eyes narrowed in laughter. "Mmmm… ommamm mmmm… Mmmmmm. Mmm—(= It's all because Breeze was here, you weak chicken—)." His humming buzzed like a fly after Ivar mercilessly shut his mouth. Breeze, who stood beside him, ruthlessly and swiftly kicked his yet-to-heal jaw—splashing blood and rendering him unconscious.

The crowd had barely registered the movement. One moment, Breeze had been standing casually beside Jasper; the next, Tertius was unconscious and bleeding. Several people swallowed hard, their Adam's apples bobbing nervously as they realized they were in the presence of not one, but two deadly predators.

"Ahem," Jasper cleared his throat, the sound unnaturally loud in the stunned silence. "Falcon will execute this traitor. That's the punishment I've decided on."

He turned to Ivar, his voice carrying clearly across the square despite speaking to only one person. "Oh, and don't forget to bring him inside, Ivar. I need to feast on this meaty gladiator. He looks delicious."

Fear settled over the slums like a heavy blanket, smothering any thoughts of rebellion or betrayal that might have lingered in the hearts of the desperate. The message was clear: approach the guild with malicious intent, and become dinner.

"If even a top-notch gladiator couldn't kill the boss—and ended up becoming dinner instead—what'll happen to us if we lose our minds one day?" some of them whispered, shivering.

"As you command, master."

 

After the execution, Ivar and Falcon entered, carrying the corpse in a shroud. "Take him to the back side of the guild and bury him stealthily at night."

Falcon asked hesitantly, "Master Jasper, can I check on Lina after this?"

"Be my guest. Just remember a few things, Falcon. I know you're not stupid enough to follow Tertius's path. Also, you know that I'm really not a monster. I can understand that you figured it out based on your attitude—you were too scared to even raise your eyes to see me. But everything is good if you keep quiet. You know that, right?"

"Yes, Boss!"

"Good. You will live at the lodge outside. It's quite spacious, and you can see Lina whenever you want. You're basically living with her."

"Thank you, Boss," Falcon said, smiling.

"Now, the most important thing: Don't have a second thought about the women here. Mina is Ivar's wife, and Lysandra's beauty is what led Tertius to his downfall. She is also the sister of Breeze—the gladiator king. I don't think I need to explain more."

"Gladiator king?" Falcon started sweating without realizing it. Shaking his head, he said, "Don't worry, Boss."

After carrying the corpse with Ivar, he went straight to see Lina.

"Falcon!" Lina's voice rang out like silver bells in the building. She emerged from the doorway happily, her small feet pattering against the floor as she ran to him. The sound of her laughter filled the space with warmth and life.

"My sweet little girl," Falcon said, lifting her into the air. She weighed almost nothing, and the scent of soap and innocence that clung to her was like a balm to his troubled soul. "Have you been behaving well here?"

"Mm!" Lina nodded enthusiastically, her dark hair bouncing in response to her happiness. "Look, Falcon, this is Mina, Lysandra, and Breeze! Mina is pretty and good at cooking. She always gives me delicious food." Her smile was radiant, completely different from what it used to be.

Mina emerged from what was presumably the kitchen, wiping flour-dusted hands on her apron. The scent of fresh bread and herbs followed her like a pleasant cloud, and her smile was warm enough to melt ice. "I truly thank you for taking care of her, Madam Mina."

"Oh my, it's my pleasure. Lina is adorable and well-behaved," Mina said, her hand rising to cover her smile in a gesture that was both modest and charming.

"This is Lysandra. She's stunning! I want to be as pretty as her when I grow up. She also teaches me how to read and write."

Falcon's breath caught in his throat as his eyes fell upon Lysandra. Her beauty was indeed breathtaking—the kind that could launch ships or topple kingdoms. For a moment, his mind went completely blank, and he understood with crystal clarity why Tertius had been driven to such desperate acts.

He forced himself to look away, focusing instead on a spot just over her shoulder. "I appreciate your effort, Lady Lysandra. I hope she isn't a burden."

"She's now my little sister, so her well-being is my concern," Lysandra said, her voice melodious and her smile too much for Falcon. The kindness in her eyes was genuine, making her beauty even more dangerous.

'I don't blame Tertius anymore,' Falcon thought, his hands clenching and unclenching nervously at his sides. 'He faced an impossible challenge for someone who hadn't seen a woman in ages.' Gulping, he added, 'I need to stay away from her, or her brother will kill me.'

"And this is Breeze… He's… handsome and charming, and Kyaa!" Lina covered her reddening face with both hands, peeking through her fingers like a shy bird.

'Why can't I see how handsome and charming he is, my little girl?' Falcon could only see a death flag—his mind replaying that lightning-fast kick that had rendered Tertius unconscious, blood streaming from his broken face like a crimson waterfall.

"I hope you take care of Lina, Mister Breeze," Falcon said, the words coming out stilted and formal, barely concealing his terror.

"Don't worry. As my sister said, she's our younger sister now. As her older brother, of course I'll take care of her," Breeze replied, his voice surprisingly gentle, at odds with the violence Falcon had witnessed earlier.

Jasper and Ivar joined them shortly after, and they asked Falcon to stay for the meal that Mina was preparing. The aroma of roasted meat and fresh vegetables filled the air, making Falcon's stomach growl with hunger he hadn't realized he'd been carrying.

As they were finishing their meal, savoring the last bites of Mina's excellent cooking, a voice called from outside. Falcon rose from the table, his chair scraping against the floor. "As the guard of the guild, I'll see who it is."

He stepped out and found Wolf standing in the shadows beyond the guild's entrance. The man looked haggard, as if he'd traveled hard and fast to get here.

"Wolf?" Falcon called out, recognizing the man who had been notably absent from the execution. "I couldn't recognize your voice just now. You look so miserable. Where have you been? Something big happened today."

"What I'm about to tell you is even bigger. Lead the way."

"You're asking to see the boss?"

Wolf nodded grimly, his face pale in the moonlight. "Tell him it's urgent. More urgent than anything that's happened here today."

After receiving Jasper's permission, Wolf was escorted inside.

 

After drinking a cool cup of water, Wolf sank into a chair.

"Boss, the others told you about Eldermere's embassy making a sudden visit, right?"

"Yes, they did. And so far, that's the only useful intel I've received."

"Well… our network's still green, but we're improving every day. Anyway—" He leaned forward. "—I've got our first big lead. Two, actually."

"Oh-ho, enlighten me."

"First thing first: I've got eyes on a knight from a barony family—the greedy type. He inherited nothing but 5,000 silver coins right before the market crashed. Typical youngest son whose inheritance is usually meaningless. When the news broke, he picked a fight with his brother and got his teeth kicked in for it."

"How'd you dig this up?"

Wolf smirked. "Don't know him personally, but I've got a maid in his brother's mansion feeding me scraps. Took days of waiting—dawn to dusk—but I finally met him today. I offered him a job with us. He refused, obviously." He flicked a gold coin in his palm. "Then I showed him the gold coin you gave me in our first meeting. He thought we were too poor for his caliber—which we really are, but you, boss, had the gold to sway him. So I told him our boss could shower him in gold if he worked as our informant."

"Did you promise him a large amount of money?"

"Well… hehehe, you could say that."

 

Sigh!

 

"How much did you promise him?"

"Before anything else, let me explain, boss. He said he could tell us what happened in the royal bedroom, so I promised him between 10 and 30 gold coins each time he brought us good information."

"That cheap?!" Jasper stood up in disbelief.

"Cheap? Since when is that much gold considered cheap, boss?"

"How could you get him to accept such a low price for valuable information?"

"You see, he only has 5,000 silver, so I told him he'd earn between 1,000 and 3,000 silver each time he brought us good intel. He immediately accepted—you know the word 'thousand' has a bigger impact than 'ten.' Even if he changes his mind later, he can't back out. I already signed a contract with him."

"Ha ha ha! I have to commend your bravery—signing a contract without my knowledge and spending my money as you please. But your deal was too good to pass up. You've got a merchant's instinct."

"Heh heh, thanks for the compliment, boss."

"So? What's the second piece of information you got?"

"Oh yeah, that's the real deal, boss. He gave me major intel. He said the Eldermere embassy's sudden visit was meant to spread propaganda. All the kingdoms fell into chaos after the gold exchange rate rose. According to him, the kings are about to announce a huge discovery."

"Did he give you the details?"

"Yes, boss. I was just getting to that. He said monster cores—the hearts of monsters—can grant immense strength to anyone who consumes them. But it's still risky; the survival rate after consumption is only 40%. They suspect the barbarians' strength might be tied to this."

Shockingly, Jasper and Ivar immediately turned to Breeze, who was already shocked.

Breeze grew furious. "A 40% survival rate? Curse them! Are we (gladiators) just lab rats to them?"

Wolf was confused—it was his first time seeing Breeze. "Boss, can I ask who this person is?"

Jasper, who was calming Breeze, replied, "Falcon will explain once you step outside."

 

Meanwhile, Ivar clenched his fist and muttered under his breath, "So… it wasn't that I was weak."

"Was that all, Wolf?" Jasper asked.

"He also mentioned they're recruiting hunters for monster expeditions. Anyone can try their luck, and even those who don't consume the cores will be paid handsomely."

"Was this information free, or did you promise something in return?"

"He said it'll be public knowledge by tomorrow, so charging for it would've been unreasonable."

"Alright, you're excused. Oh—almost forgot." Jasper tossed him two gold coins. "This is for your effort. The intel itself is practically useless since it's going public soon. Add this to the 5 gold I already gave the others, and spend it wisely."

"5 gold?! How?!" Wolf blurted out in disbelief.

"Falcon will fill you in. And don't forget—keep in touch with that knight without revealing this guild's true role. Understood?"

"Yes, boss."

"You may go."

As Breeze escorted Wolf out, Ivar seized the moment to question Jasper. "Master, why reward them in gold? You're being too generous."

Jasper smiled. "Don't worry, Ivar. I know exactly what I'm doing—this serves a purpose."

 

Sigh!

 

"That aside, we need to adapt fast, Ivar, the world is going to change into something more chaotic."

"Yeah I can see that happening."


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