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The Otherworld Conquest Method of a Reincarnated Porter Chapter 150

Retribution 1

After making sure that Michelle is asleep, I leave the house. The moonlight illuminates the street, so even though there are no streetlights, I have no problem walking even if I don’t use light magic. Perhaps because of the poor security, there are hardly any people on the streets of the slums. I run into a poor-looking man from time to time, but the other party is also wary of me, so it doesn’t turn into a fight. As I walk, the early summer night breeze hits my cheeks, which feels pleasant. When I think that I’m about to engage in a battle to the death in a bit, my excitement goes up slightly.

The opponents are three people at the very least, including the collector. No, if their comrades are around, there might be more than ten of them. It’s not like killing them would make any difference, but I just couldn’t sit still. It would probably be a wise choice to leave town quietly, but if I don’t do anything, I’ll probably regret it later.

I head towards the main street. The collector will probably be around the area where I first met Michelle. That bastard, what should I do to that guy once I meet him? Would I be able to maintain my cool? Even if I kill that man, there are plenty of small-time crooks in this town. However, I want to at least find out the truth of the matter. For him to kill a child that had nothing to do with it.

「Hey handsome, do you want to have some fun with me?」

As I walk down the main street, a prostitute pops out from a small alley and calls out to me. She’s a prostitute, so she should know where that guy is.

「Do you know where the protection money collector guy is?」

「Tch, you’re that guy’s acquaintance, huh. Hmph, go look for him yourself.」

「If you tell me, I’ll give you one large silver coin.」

「Huh?! Really? You’re not kidding me, are you?」

「Really. Here, I’ll pay you in advance.」

They usually pay 80% of their earnings as protection money. Even for a prostitute with a relatively good financial situation, one large silver coin is a lot of money.

「If you’re looking for that man, turn left down this street…」

Having received the information, I go into the back alley. From time to time, other prostitutes call out to me too, so I ask them where the guy might be in exchange for money, and after a while I find him at the end of the street. It looks like he hasn’t noticed me yet. I pull my cloak over my head and approach him while concealing my presence. In this dark alley, he probably won’t notice me.

「Are you okay, big bro?」

「Damn it, that brat, he was more handful than I thought.」

「Ouch, I think I might have a cracked bone.」

Apparently, the two who fought against Cordis were injured. To be able to injure them despite the fact that he was outnumbered and was Jobless, as expected, Cordis must have had a talent for the sword. I’m sure he would have made a good adventurer in the future, and yet…

「Hey, did they not give you any potion?」

「Big bro, please stop asking for the impossible. You know well how stingy Boss is, don’t you?」

「Damn it, where the hell is all the money we earn going?」

「Come to think of it, there was someone who could use healing magic, right?」

「Alright, lead the way.」

The three walk deeper into the back alley. I follow them while concealing my presence.

This area is away from the main street, so there are no people around. Let’s do it, shall we? It doesn’t matter even if someone sees it. They probably won’t be able to see my face in this darkness, and even if they do find out, we’ll leave this town tomorrow.

Now then, let’s leave the collector alone and deal with the two who are likely combat personnel. I don’t mind beating them up half-dead, but let’s render them incapable of fighting first.

I take out my mithril alloy iron ball from my storage and channel my magical energy into it. It looks like they don’t notice. It seems they don’t have magical energy perception skill. My first targets are those two. One is the pugilist man I met the other day. The other is a man with a sword hanging from his waist. In such a narrow alley, fists might be more of a threat than a sword. It would be troublesome if he got close. I aim at the pugilist man and throw the iron ball from behind him.

「Guo…Gabaa!」

「Huh, big bro?!」

「What, what’s wrong?」

What a slow bunch. In the dark alley, they have no idea what happened to their friend who suddenly collapsed. Well, as they don’t have any enemy organizations and they can do whatever they want, they probably wouldn’t expect to be attacked from behind at night.

Instant step. I close in on the man with the sword at high speed.

「You bastard, who the hell are…Guha!」

He notices me approaching from behind, but the moment he draws his sword, I cut his arm. I follow up with a thrust into his stomach with my mithril sword, impaling him. It’s a fatal wound. If he has neither healing magic nor potions, he will probably die before long. Well, enjoy the agony until you die.

「Hiiii, you bastard, what are you doing, we’re Bar… Hiii.」

「If you say anything unnecessary, I’ll kill you. Answer my question.」

I put my sword to the collector’s neck and threaten him. He’s a coward, so most likely, he will no longer put up any resistance. His two dying comrades are groaning beside him.

「Ah, I, I get it. I’ll tell you anything. Please, don’t kill me.」

「Why did you kill Cordis?」

「Cordis?」

「Michelle’s little brother.」

「Ah, that guy. Huh? You bastard, you’re that guy from back then, aren’t you? Do you know who I am… Guha!」

I cut off the collector’s right wrist. It’s really tiring to deal with idiots. They forget their place so quickly.

「It hurts, my hand, my hand…」

「The next time you say something unnecessary, I’ll chop off your left wrist. Got it?」

「Ah, ah.」

The collector nods his head frantically. He’s finally obedient. Now then.

「So, why did you kill Cordis?」

「Y, you’ve got it wrong. We didn’t mean to kill him. When the three of us visited Michelle’s house, he was there, and he told us not to lay a hand on his elder sister, and then…」

「And then?」

「He charged at us with a wooden sword, and then big bro and the other guy fought him, but he was stronger than we thought… Say, please, at this rate, I’m going to die. Let me stop the bleeding, I beg you.」

It seems like he knows he’s on the brink of death. He probably thinks he’ll be killed if he tells me everything. If he did, perhaps the one who could talk would no longer be able to.

Let’s use healing magic on the collector’s right wrist and stop the bleeding. For now, I should focus on extracting information.

「See, the bleeding has stopped. You didn’t lay a hand on Cordis, did you? In that case if you tell me everything, I’ll spare your life. So, what happened?」

「Y, you’re not lying, right? Ah, then that kid attacked big bro with a wooden sword, and big and the other guy fought back, but that kid started using instant step and body strengthening, and perhaps swordsmanship skill too, so they couldn’t hold back.」

I see, as I thought, it seems Cordis had a talent for combat. His skills might have blossomed as he fought desperately in order to protect Michelle.

「No matter how many times big bro hit him, he kept coming at us, so… they went at it until the very end. Hey, please be understanding. We really didn’t mean to kill him. We work to pay money to the higher-ups, you see. Killing some kid won’t earn us a single penny. Killing him left nothing but a bad aftertaste in our mouth, so….」

There doesn’t seem to be any contradiction in what he’s saying. What should I do? Should I kill these three and satisfy myself? Or…

「Hey, where is your leader right now?」

「Huh, Boss is at the headquarters office most of the time, but… Oi, don’t tell me, you’d better not get any weird ideas. Perish the thought, alright?」

The Bartalis family will probably be raided by the Knights and slaughtered anyway, but if I can, I want to get rid of them. Let’s raid their headquarters now. If it looks like it will work, I’ll kill all of them, including the boss. If it looks difficult, I’ll just make my escape at the right moment. For the time being, I have to take a look at the actual site. Besides, I don’t have enough information.

「How many guards are there at the headquarters?」

「Hey, like I told you, you should perish… Hiii.」

I press my sword against his neck and make him bleed a little. I can kill him now, but let’s make him spill all the information he has.

「If you don’t answer my question, I’ll kill you. So, how many guards are there?」

「U, usually, there are two or three guards on the external stairs on the ground floor. And then, two guards in front of the iron door in front of the headquarters on the third floor.」

「External stairs? I heard there’s a tavern on the first floor, though?」

「Yeah, you can also get there from the internal stairs in the tavern, but when you go to the office, you usually go from the external stairs.」

「Why are there only that many guards?」

「Well, there’s no one in this town who would attack the boss, so the number of guards is kept to the minimum, and most of the gang members stay in the tavern or guardroom, and are only called out and mobilized when they’re needed.」

「Then, are there any skilled guys?」

「Err, there are a few guys who are around the same level as big bro.」

Around the same level as these guys who are lying on the ground next to me right now, groaning and unable to die, huh. I think I’ll manage somehow.

「But the boss has one very skilled bodyguard.」

「Hoh~, what kind of guy is he?」

「I don’t know much about him, but I heard he’s a former silver rank adventurer and a master swordsman.」

That guy sounds troublesome. However, there’s only one strong opponent, huh. If I can catch him off guard, I should be able to kill him. Besides, my proficiency level in swordsmanship is 6. Combined with my body strengthening, I should be able to fight him on equal terms. He probably won’t leave the boss’s side, so if things get dangerous, I think I will be able to run away.

After thinking about it for a while, I decided to let the collector live for a while. He might still be useful. I cut off the heads of the two men, who are on the verge of death and crawling on the ground. Just to be safe. After all, if they survive and go around spreading words that I’m a murderer, it’ll be troublesome. I can’t afford to let them live.

「Hii~, y, you killed them. That’s…」

「Shut up, a yakuza shouldn’t be scared of something like murder. Now, take me to the headquarters. No need to worry, I have no intention of killing you, after all. Ah, if you try to run away, I’ll definitely kill you. I’ll cut off your limbs and kill you. I’ll find you and kill you no matter what. Now, get going.」

「Y, yes.」

With the collector guy in the lead, I head to the headquarters of the Bartalis family. Now then, God only knows what may happen. Depending on how things go, I’ll beat a retreat straight away. If it looks like I will work, I’ll kill them all with these two hands of mine.