Chapter 50 Volume II - Chapter 16: Larry Karz
It was about ten minutes before I reached the destination of the train. And now, after those ten minutes, there was a lush green plain in front of me. I was outside the city.
"Do you see three different kinds of trees lined up in a perfect equilateral shape? The distance between the trees must be around four meters."
I spoke without looking back. My answer came only a few seconds later.
"There is one on our right front diagonal, about seven hundred meters ahead, sir."
"Hmm, then we're going. Get ready now."
"Understood."
A smile appeared on my face. I started walking nonchalantly in the direction I was told, and of course, the people behind me followed me without waiting.
The three people behind me were members of the six-man Joez Group that I had hired to protect Clara. When I offered them extra money and asked them to do my orders for the night, they readily agreed. I texted them the location I wanted them to come to and they arrived even before I did.
I was only able to do this because the other group that had been giving me a hard time in the first place had withdrawn the assassins who had been waiting around Clara for some 'unknown' reason, but I only called three of them to join me just in case. Considering that each of them had a general level of around A, they would be more than enough.
When we reached the tree line, I let out a deep sigh and, once we were in the middle of it, I pointed my finger at the ground just below me.
"There is a four-story metal door about three meters down. Can we reach it quietly?"
"Of course, please wait about five minutes."
One of the three men, who I knew to be an earth elementalist, stepped in front of us, bent down, and placed his hand on the ground. Just a few seconds later, the earth suddenly buckled and collapsed to the side, creating a three-meter-deep hole in the ground. This revealed the 'secret' passage I had told them about.
"Good, now let's quietly open this one too."
This time three of them approached the gray, four-story metal door at the bottom of the pit at the same time.
The rings on their hands flashed one after the other, and then suddenly weapons appeared in their hands.
Although it was the first time I had seen dimensional rings in this world, I was not impressed, because I had expected it. No matter how famous they are among the bodyguards, no one knows their value as well as I do.
The trio first cast a sound-blocking spell around them, then channeled mana into their weapons and stormed the door. I couldn't hold back a smile as the four-story door slowly opened with noises that only I could hear.
After about five minutes, they finally managed to open the four-story iron door with a hole big enough for us to walk through.
In normal role-playing games, the player usually does not go all the way back after entering a dungeon and slaying the boss. There will be a secret passage in the boss room and the player will use this secret passage to get out.
I'm using one of these passages right now, only from the opposite direction, so I can avoid unnecessary combat.
"Follow me from behind. Our job is quite simple anyway."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtI simply told them that they had to do, nothing too much. Just one to hold the door, one to hold our target in place, and the last one to cover me from behind.
When I finished explaining, they nodded in agreement. I let out a deep sigh and looked at the dark corridor behind the gate.
I had an inexplicable feeling. I was going to that bastard. I was no more than a hundred meters away from the bastard who had threatened me with my sister.
With each step I took down the dark and shapeless corridor, I felt excitement rising inside me. Each second that passed felt like a lifetime, but all of these intense feelings vanished when we arrived in front of an old and rusty door as if it didn't belong in this modern world. There was only one thought in my mind: go forward and do what you have to do.
"Open the door, make sure you block out any noise."
In the same way as last time, one of the guards approached the door and this time simply gave it a mana-laden kick.
The door was twisted and thrown about two meters away. Despite this, thanks to their magic, not a sound was made.
The room behind the door was twice the size of a normal living room. The only difference was that it was dimly lit and empty except for a table in front of us.
On the table were holographic screens that looked like science fiction movies. In front of these screens were an armchair and a well-built man with short brown hair sitting in this armchair with his back to us.
The man was completely focused on the screens in front of him. On the screens, camera footage of the 'secret' place we were in was playing.
Even though I couldn't see his face, I knew he was worried.
This wasn't even the headquarters of the organization in the first place. This was a place where they had taken refuge to temporarily hide from someone who was 'hunting' them.
This 'hunter' was probably in the footage on the cameras and that's exactly why the man on the couch was worried, but I was so excited that I walked toward him, not caring to make a sound anymore.
The sound of my footsteps echoed in the empty room, and then the man reflexively turned around and looked at me with eyes as brown as his hair.
"Who the hell are you? How did you get in here?!"
I didn't answer his question, instead, I kept walking toward him and spoke nonchalantly.
"Take your places as I told you."
Only seconds after I said this, one of my bodyguards appeared in front of the door at the front of the room. Another continued to stand behind me, and the last one suddenly stood right next to the man and put his hand on his shoulder.
"What ar-"
The man could not finish his sentence because of the enormous pressure on his shoulders, he knelt down.
It is clear from his face that he doesn't understand what has happened, that he is shocked and angry. Some mana is even seeping out of his body, trying to break free of the guard's grasp but failing.
"Don't touc-"
"Shut the fuck up."
My cold voice cut through his words as if they were nothing and the man froze in place after looking at my face. His eyes fully focused on my face, he remembered.
"You... Aiden Tenebra?"
A smile appeared on my face when I saw his expression.
"That's right, Larry Karz."
The man stiffened and then looked behind me. When he saw the gap in the wall, his eyes widened.
"Secret pass-"
"Stop talking like an idiot."
I took a dimensional button out of my pocket and used it without thinking.
My low-level sword appeared in my hand. I kept my eyes on Larry, who, even though he was an A grade guy, couldn't do anything now because my bodyguard had his weapon to his neck. He couldn't try a suicide attack on top of that because another bodyguard was standing right behind me with all his focus on me.
"I know more than you know, Larry."
Even though I was excited, I said the words with great calm, as if I had everything in the palm of my hand.
That should have been enough to break Larry's confidence.
"I know who you are, what you are, and who gives you orders. I literally know everything."
I smiled slightly and put my sword on his shoulder.
I, who's not even an E in general level, pointed my sword at an A grade person like it was nothing. I feel absolutely wonderful.
Larry opened his mouth, he was going to say something, but before he could speak I silenced him by putting my finger to my lips.
"Shh... You're not allowed to talk, Larry. The moment you do, I'll pack you in with those three who will do anything for money."
After what I said, Larry focused on the floor for a moment. His hair fell in front of his face so I couldn't see his expression, but then, when he raised his head again, he looked at me with such determination that I frowned.
This bastard...
"If you had wanted to test me in the first place, I would have gladly complied."
I'm not lying, because if it had been that way, I would have been more comfortable with the future.
Larry's expression changed again after what I said, he looked puzzled again.
"Do you know what the only mistake you made was?"
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmI glanced briefly at the bodyguard before acting as I had planned, so that he understood that he had to be particularly focused, and slowly, deliberately coldly, I leaned down to Larry's ear.
"That you decided to use my sister."
I quickly twirled the sword in my hand, and then a scream of pain echoed through the large room.
Larry looked down at his fallen arm and gritted his teeth.
I watched the scene without even feeling sick, I didn't care. The more I thought about his threat to me, the angrier I became.
"I'll tell you what happens now."
I kicked Larry's fallen arm hard and put my sword on his other shoulder.
"I'm going to hunt you down, and then whoever you're taking orders from, and everyone above that, one by one, no matter how long it takes."
This has been my goal since the first day I came into this world. I do nothing but provoke him but...
I looked at the expression on Larry's face, his earlier surprise had disappeared again, he looked expressionless again, and it was making me incredibly angry.
I brought my sword down hard and a scream echoed through the room again. Both of Larry's arms were now gone, the floor was covered in his blood.
Still, I wanted more, much more.
My hatred for this person who threatened to take away the only family I had, combined with his senseless calm, was beyond comprehension.
I looked at Larry's pathetic body, his eyes had the look of someone who had already accepted his situation. I, on the other hand, could only click my tongue.
This man... why did he give up so fast?
The Larry I know is a man who would even pretend to be a dog for his goals. So why is he being submissive now? Why is there a difference between who he is now and who he was in the game?
Anyway... he's going to die soon.
I turned my gaze back to Larry, his neck looking very inviting and the sword in my hand trembling. I knew what I had to do, I knew, but...
I... I guess I'm still not ready for this.
I smiled bitterly.
No matter what I do, I am still me. Even if I'm trying to be ruthless, I still don't have the mentality to kill a human being right now. Even though he's not even human... He's just human.
But… I will. In the future, next time, I'll have this mindset and won't hesitate, I promise myself. For now... I don't want to occupy my mind with that.
"Get it done."
In the end, those were the only words that came out of my mouth. Even if I'm not going to kill him with my own hands, I'm not going to let him live either. Technically, I'm still the one who killed him, but... It's better for me for now, at least until I'm fully accustomed to this world.
I turned my back to Larry, and waited. After a few seconds... I heard the sound of something falling to the ground.
It's over... All I have to do now is turn around and leave.
Without looking at Larry's body, I turned toward the dark space in the wall. What happened here was enough to send a message to everyone.