The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 37

34. Dushala

Kahlil exited the black market with a satisfied look on his face.

He put the heavy pouch back into his coat and nodded.

Clank-

He clenched and unclenched his fist several times, seemingly pleased with the gauntlet encasing his hand.

It was one of the items in one of the three boxes that Calypso had brought out at first.

He had criticized it as something you could only find in a B-grade dungeon, but in reality, it would be difficult to find something of this caliber even in the Imperial Palace’s treasure vault.

None of the most renowned blacksmiths on the continent would be able to create something like this.

‘It feels perfectly natural. It’s definitely a good item. The gnomes’ craftsmanship is as good as the dwarves’.’

As soon as he put it on, it automatically resized to fit his hand perfectly, as if it had been custom-made for him.

‘Well, blood is thicker than water, but still, telling me the location of the remaining veins is worth more than this. He should be the one who’s grateful.’

Even as he thought that, Kahlil hummed a light tune without realizing it.

‘A mithril gauntlet [a type of strong, lightweight metal]. There’s nothing particularly special about it, but it’s sturdy and has some magical defense. It’s suitable for use as a shield, too.’

Clang–!!

When Kahlil clenched his fist, sharp blades popped out from the back of the gauntlet.

‘It’s useful in an emergency.’

He flicked his hand again, and the blades that had popped out went back inside.

“Did you buy that?”

“Huh? Ah… something like that. It’s useful, right?”

Soo-ahn, who had been waiting at the entrance of the black market, looked at Kahlil’s gauntlet.

There was no need to tell him about the four hidden fangs inside the gauntlet.

He couldn’t even imagine it.

Few nobles would have the resources to buy two items at once from the black market.

“What are you planning to do now? Thanks to you, rumors about Kahlil-nim have spread all over Tatur,” Soo-ahn asked, sighing softly, unlike Kahlil, who was speaking proudly.

“Isn’t that fine? It’s going to come out eventually anyway. I hope the other two managers hear about me, too.”

“Ugh…”

Soo-ahn Hazar shook his head at Kahlil’s words.

“Dushala of the black market. I heard she’s one of the four managers, but unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet her. I thought she’d be in a place where her name is called, like the others.”

Kahlil said nonchalantly.

“She’s somewhere else. She’s a shady woman, but she doesn’t particularly like those kinds of places.”

“So you know where she is. Do you know about the other one, too?”

“That’s…”

Soo-ahn seemed a little flustered by his words.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m going to go check it out anyway.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll be here for a while. I have a reason for coming here.”

Kahlil hadn’t forgotten his goal when he left the mansion.

Two places on the continent where you can learn magic.

The Ivory Tower and the Anti-Hum Grand Library.

A foothold to find Nar Di Maugh’s lair, the only place besides those two controlled by the Magic Society.

“How’s Aidan? Is he still looking for his younger sibling?”

“Well, he hasn’t been seen since entering the city.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s good. It’ll be annoying if there’s a troublesome guy around.”

“Yes?”

Kahlil examined the gauntlet a few more times and said casually.

“Shall we go meet the manager we know first?”

In terms of time, it hasn’t even been 24 hours since he came to Tatur, and he’s already found three managers.

No one in history has ever done that.

“Are you talking about in the middle of the night?”

“She probably won’t be sleeping. She’ll be waiting for me with all her senses on edge.”

As if he knew her well.

Soo-ahn stared at Kahlil, speechless at his appearance.

“Strike while the iron is hot. If we have time, it would be nice to meet the other one, too.”

Kahlil left behind meaningful words with a strange smile.

* * *

“Kamma, that old man opened the black market door.”

“That’s right.”

A sharp voice echoed from the darkness.

The burly men standing in front of him stood stiffly, as if they were nervous about every word.

“He’s a slippery character.”

“Is it okay to leave him alone? This is a clear violation of the rules. We haven’t even recognized that kid as a manager.”

“Leave him alone. It’s probably an attempt to win him over. It’s impossible to do it by force anyway. The only people who can actually fight him are the champions.”

The last of the four managers.

The Champion of the Arena.

The reason why Tatur, called the Free City, can maintain order in the midst of chaos is because of the Arena, along with the Port of Outlaws.

They were people who had fled the Empire, but they weren’t just slaves.

There were also mercenaries, mages, or hunters with unique backgrounds who had committed murder, forgery, arson, and other crimes.

‘The champion of the arena can become a manager of Tatur.’

This one condition alone attracted countless challengers, and people bet money on their respective fighters.

A win-win business that allows the energetic to vent their madness in one place and earn money.

Ironically, the participants in the arena, who were gathered as if sold for money, were called slave soldiers.

“But he’s…”

“I know. I’m wondering why he’s not moving, too.”

At that moment.

A tongue with sparkling jewels swept across red lips, and the people there instinctively felt a chill.

“So we have to do it our way. I don’t know if he’s a loach [a type of fish] or a dragon, but even a sparrow pecks with its beak to protect its nest, no matter who the opponent is.”

Dushala.

One of the four managers, she was the one who managed the black market, which could be called another core of Tatur.

‘He opened the black market door without my permission?’

Even though there was a rule that the door could be opened with the approval of two managers, that was just on the surface.

Port of Outlaws was Kyuran’s, the slums were Kamma’s, the arena was the Champion’s, and the black market was her territory.

The real rule was that each other’s territory should never be invaded.

The fact that the door was opened without her permission was perhaps the worst disgrace for her as a manager.

‘Judging by the fact that he knows about the existence of the black market, he’s not just a kid.’

Dushala’s eyes flashed.

‘The only thing that bothers me is that the kid went into Calypso’s shop. There’s nothing useful there.’

There was no way that someone who had killed Kyuran, visited Kamma, and opened the black market would choose a shop without any thought.

She doubted and doubted again.

She knew that this doubt was the reason why she had risen to become a manager here.

‘I’m different from those guys.’

“Investigate Calypso’s shop right now. And find out what he took.”

“Yes? But the rules say we can’t touch the black market shops…”

Her subordinate seemed a little flustered by her words, but he shut his mouth at her sharp gaze.

“Who made those rules? Even if an old man dies, nothing will happen here.”

“I understand.”

“And find the kid’s location. We’ll make the first move before Kamma does.”

“Yes.”

Clank-

It was then.

“There’s no need to find me.”

Light entered through the darkness.

“…!!!”

As if he already knew her thoughts.

The person who opened the solid iron door was none other than Kahlil.

He smiled lightly, as if reuniting with a welcome face.

But at his appearance, everyone there became wary and reached for the swords at their waists.

“Don’t do anything useless. It doesn’t seem like there’s anyone here who’s skilled enough to do anything to me. I don’t want to see unnecessary blood. I’m sure you don’t either, Dushala.”

Looking at Kahlil, who knew her name exactly, she said in a low voice.

“Sit down.”

Sizzle-

The sound of pouring tea was heard quietly.

At Dushala’s gesture, the subordinates in the room hurriedly left.

“…”

Kahlil stared at the steaming teacup and leaned back in his chair.

“Well, let’s hear why a famous person with so many rumors has come all the way here.”

She put her hand under the table and said as if nothing was wrong.

“I’ve come to make a deal.”

“A deal? Aren’t you being too confident? Listen, what else can someone who killed a manager and visited the black market get here? Isn’t that too greedy?”

At that moment.

Dushala’s eyes turned cold.

“There are things you can have and things you can’t in this world. Even in a free city, there are minimum rules.”

“Is that so?”

At that moment.

Kahlil drew Agnel at an invisible speed and threw it at the wall with all his might.

Thud—!!!

The blade trembled as if it couldn’t withstand the speed at which the dagger was embedded.

“…”

Drip, drip…

Blood flowed down the wall along the dagger.

“Your stealth proficiency is pretty good. But is the card you’re relying on really just one person? Kamma would have been better. You could have bought yourself another minute.”

Kahlil broke the teacup on the table in front of her eyes.

Plop, plop, plop…

The tea water that had been dripping one drop at a time soaked Dushala’s thigh from the table and flowed down to the floor.

“…”

Dushala stared at the tablecloth that was gradually spreading and getting wet.

“An assassin and poisoned tea. That’s too classic.”

Gulp-

She was wrong.

It wasn’t him who was careless, it was her.

At his casual words, she swallowed hard without realizing it.

“This is an interesting place. You, who are from the Eastern Country on the opposite side of the continent, Kyuran, who was an imperial noble, Kamma, who is an immigrant, and Soo-ahn, who is a mixed-blood. It’s like there’s no one with the same bloodline, as if someone planned it.”

Instantly.

Confusion appeared in Dushala’s eyes.

‘How does he know that…’

She had never mentioned her origin since coming to the continent.

Eastern Country.

As Kahlil said, it was a small island nation on the opposite side of the continent, maintained by a one-person hereditary system.

There was a special organization there called the owners of the island.

‘Judging by your expression, you seem surprised. Actually, I don’t really care where you’re from. I heard about it from Aidan later. That you’re a runaway from the Eastern Country.’

People from the Eastern Country are educated from birth in an organization called Amyeon.

Those who graduate from there carry out special missions all over the continent as assassins.

The education is so terribly painful that it is known that more than half of the population of the Eastern Country dies in the process, which is why the population is maintained.

“…”

“I’m not satisfied with the treasures of the black market.”

Kahlil said in a sharp voice to her.

“I want to obtain this place.”

But unlike Kamma, Dushala scoffed at his threat.

“You? Do you think the people living in Tatur are just obedient commoners? Do you think you can handle them all by yourself? At best, it’s just personal power. Can you use that to grab the reins of a rampant city?”

At that moment.

Kahlil lightly lifted Dushala’s chin.

“It’s not me who’s handling it. It’s you guys who are handling it. I just need to handle 4 people, no, now just 3 people.”

She, one of the three remaining managers, frowned as she looked at Kahlil.

“You… you crazy bastard!!”

“You should know. That you can’t run the city like this forever. First the arena, and now the black market. Isn’t that right? You ran away from the Empire and the nobles, but eventually you have no choice but to bring them back in.”

“…”

Dushala’s face hardened at Kahlil’s words.

“While controlling the increasing number of immigrants, you use the infamy of the Port of Outlaws to avoid the eyes of the Empire and the principalities. It’s not a place where people can live. You have to risk your life to get in. And so on…”

He put Kyuran’s token on the table and said.

“A guy who bets on people’s lives deserves to die, but well… that was a necessary thing in its own way. It was probably the best thing that came out of your heads.”

He nodded slowly.

“And putting Kamma in place isn’t the best, but it’s a decent second choice. Not bad. His behavior is useless, but he has been constantly gathering people from the slums to challenge the arena. You can also turn the madness in the city in that direction.”

Kahlil’s hand slowly went up from Dushala’s chin and brushed past her cheek.

At that moment.

She flinched without realizing it.

“Even with a maker called the Slave King. You simultaneously coordinate the infamy and reputation of Kyuran and Soo-ahn Hazar, and maintain the lifeline while avoiding the eyes of the nobles through the black market. Anyone can see that it’s a plan that came out of your head. Isn’t that right?”

Everything in the city was accurately seen through.

“So…?”

Her face hardened at his words.

“Are you okay with this?”

“…What?”

Kahlil said, emphasizing each word as if it were piercing her ear.

“There must be a reason why you ran away from the Eastern Country.”

Dushala felt a chill down her neck.

She had never revealed her identity since stepping on the continent.

Not even to her confidants.

It was unbelievable that a kid she had never seen before knew her origin, even after seeing it with her own eyes.

But more than that shock.