NABC Chapter 13.1
Chapter 13.1
“Guh...”
“Oh. You didn’t scream? If you were loud, I would have hit you more.”
That’s why he didn’t scream. He had actually seen a child beaten to death. The man grabbed the boy’s hair.
“You have no choice. Think about it. Do you want to die here, or will you bring them to us?”
The boy bit his lip but eventually murmured in resignation.
“...Okay.”
“Good. You’ve made the right choice.”
The man chuckled as he let go of his grip. The boy, who had been sprawled on the floor, clutched his aching stomach and managed to get up. There was no other option. Had he refused, he would have likely been killed. Seeing the boy grit his teeth, the man sneered in disdain.
‘Really, kids are so easy to handle.’@@@@
They were nothing less than a gold mine. Taking in orphans and giving them just enough discipline before teaching them to pickpocket. And then making money off of them. As for food, mixing in some garbage was sufficient, and since their minds weren’t fully developed, a bit of violence ensured they wouldn’t rebel. There was no sweeter deal than this.
Even if they got caught while pickpocketing, it wasn’t a problem. They were taught well enough to keep their mouths shut, so only the kids would die. They never got caught. Being orphans, the lords of the land didn’t bother much with them either.
Thanks to this, the man had made quite a fortune. He smirked, thinking it might be time to move on to a larger domain, gather more orphans, and make even more money. It was a humble but grand dream, he thought.
“Now, bring those kids over. Figure out the method on your own. Got it?”
“.......”
The boy nodded gloomily. Both paths ahead were cliffs; it was only a matter of falling sooner or later. Just as the boy was about to leave, someone knocked on the door.
Knock. Knock.
“Who is this?”
The man frowned and approached the door. All the kids were inside. Could it be a lost vagrant then? If so, he could just send them away or kill them.
He hid a knife in his clothes and opened the door.
“Wow, smells like drugs.”
“Low quality. You don’t use the good stuff, huh?”
The moment he heard the voice, the boy jolted as if struck by lightning. It was a voice he couldn’t forget, different from the murderous intent before, but unmistakable. The boy cautiously peeked outside. A girl in a robe smiled at him.
“.......”
Karos remained silent, just looking at the man. The man felt a chill down his spine but, realizing his companions were behind him, stepped forward confidently.
“If you just hand over the boy, we’ll leave without causing any trouble.”
“You’re spouting nonsense. Taking someone’s employee and then just walking into our place of business, thinking you can just leave like that?”
The scrawny man signaled, and two others blocked the door. The man smiled cruelly.
“It’s best you forget about leaving unharmed.”
The would-be adventurers had found their graves. The man could hardly contain his glee, as there was no need to trouble himself to call them over. Moreover, the two girls behind him were more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen.
Those girls were for him. He licked his lips, anticipating what was to come. Bathesia sighed.
“How long do I have to endure this?”
“Don’t endure at all! Guys! Attack...”
“Get rid of them.”
As Karos finished his sentence, a green slime that had been resting atop Soccu’s head charged. The slime quickly slithered across the floor and climbed onto the body of the man blocking the door. The man panicked, trying to shake it off, but the slime evaded his attempts and climbed onto his face, even entering his nose.
“Agh, ugh!”
As the slime, as big as a head, entered his nose, the man desperately tried to pull it off, but it was too late. He convulsed, his eyes rolling back as drool dripped from his mouth.
Eventually, the man collapsed. Silence ensued.
Gulping.
Then, the slime reemerged from the nose, covered in white mucus and bits, and charged towards Karos, who dodged, expressing disgust.
“This thing, trying to bring that filth onto me?”
“...Huh?”
The scrawny man mumbled, dazed.
Hyung_Otaku
I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!