༺ School Tuition is More Expensive Than I Thought! (5) ༻
“I heard. It seems Naru was kidnapped?”
On a night when darkness had completely fallen.
In front of the entrance to a mountain range.
Salome gracefully descended from a high place.
Despite her massive movements, she was as graceful and discreet as a black cat.
And yet, as loud as a cat drenched in cold water.
“She keeps getting involved in incidents because you leave her unsupervised outside. Judas’ blood attracts evil, you should know that best. I’m not just saying this for the sake of saying it. Do you want to keep getting tangled up in such incidents in the future?”
“So are you suggesting that I keep her tied up at home, like your father did?”
“……”
Salome scowled at my words.
Her father, the 12th Judas, was overly protective.
He would always keep an eye on his daughter, making sure he knew everything she was doing.
Perhaps he was right about that.
After all, Judas’ blood does attract all kinds of evil.
Especially since it was closely connected to the Demiurge Nocturne of the deep shadows.
That’s probably why the 12th Judas never let Salome out of Kowloon Mountains, his own fortress.
Of course, that was only the surface reason.
I knew why that bastard kept Salome locked up like a bird in a cage.
However.
I would take that reason with me to the grave.
And the 12th Judas, who died by my hands, would also never be able to reveal it.
As I was contemplating these thoughts, Salome, disguised in an old robe, spoke.
“Judas, it’s been a while since we have teamed up. Let’s go with the usual deception plan. We’ll pretend to be wandering thieves. Got it?”
“Are you still trying to play the role of a teacher? Your education ended when I got hit from behind that day.”
“What’s with you? Are you still stuck on that? In the world of thieves, such things happen frequently. In fact, I saved your life. Don’t you get it?”
“You saved me by hitting me with a metal club and throwing me into a lion’s den?”
I narrowed my eyes and shot back.
Then, Salome, who was adjusting her sleeves, muttered under her hood in response.
“It was Conrad who hit you with the metal club, not me. And if you hadn’t entered the lion’s den, you would have been sacrificed and died immediately.”
In other words, it seemed that Salome had made me fight the lion to save me.
To some extent, her words were true.
Conrad was the one who hit me from behind.
Originally, I was destined to be sacrificed and die right away.
The 12th Judas, her father, would sacrifice any man who approached his daughter and use them as offerings.
“So, you think I should actually be thanking you for putting me into a lion’s den? Should we make peace?”
I asked.
Salome coughed to clear her voice then smirked.
“Make peace? No, even if you don’t know, I can’t forgive you. You killed my father. If it were Naru, would she make peace with the person who killed you?”
“……”
“No, she would never forgive that person for her entire life. No matter how much of a scumbag he may have been, because a father is still a father. And an enemy will always be an enemy.”
That’s right.
Salome looked at me with disdain.
Because I was the one who killed her father.
Although the 12th Judas was a villain who deserved to rot in hell after his death, it probably didn’t matter much to Salome.
Even though I may be broke and called a despicable villain, Naru loved me unconditionally; because I was her dad.
That’s how relationships between fathers and daughters went.
Salome and the 12th Judas were probably the same.
Nevertheless, the idea of making a truce was a common occurrence in the world of thieves, depending on the benefits, it wasn’t weird to temporarily ally oneself with an enemy.
Just that.
Salome hates me, and I hate Salome as well.
However, we could still do business together in certain situations.
“Then let’s go in. I already found the entrance hole.”
Swoosh—
Salome went first toward the hole in the ground.
Even though she hadn’t served in the military, her crawling motion was completely professional.
As for me, I didn’t need to crawl through a narrow hole. I could simply pass through the walls of the mountain like a ghost using my secret technique, “Wall Slither”.
I moved my body through the hole that Salome had already scouted.
Swoosh— Swoosh—
Well, it was a rare opportunity to see the dynamic buttocks movement of a woman crawling in front of me.
No matter how many times you look at her, Salome is very pretty.
Even if she was Judas’ daughter, she needed to have a beautiful appearance to be called the Princess of the Back Alley.
Like a demonic flower.
“Judas, I’ll tell you in advance, don’t look at my butt.”
“It’s already too late. You’re in front of me, and I’m behind you.”
“…I really hate you.”
“Hehe.”
* * *
When we emerged from the tunnel, our surroundings were completely illuminated.
Lanterns were scattered everywhere.
I could see a bustling scene of drunken people chatting loudly.
This was the hideout where hundreds of thieves resided.
It was so large that even calling it a village wouldn’t do it justice.
Salome sighed softly as she looked at the sight.
“There’s a tavern and a blacksmith. Everything is here. It’s no different from society. I guess that’s why they call it the Kowloon Mountains. There’s even a guild, you know? It’s quite impressive.”
“Even though it’s big, it can’t compare to the place where over ten thousand thieves used to gather. But considering the current state of thievery, it’s still quite a significant size.”
About two years ago.
After the collapse of the Kowloon Mountains and the destruction of the “Scum Throne”, the thieves wandered aimlessly without a central point.
Gathering together meant being affiliated with the “Shadow Council” located in the underground markets of each region.
Large thief groups didn’t easily come together, and if the number exceeded a hundred, they would be quickly suppressed.
It was because the thieves had lost their power in the world after the destruction of the Kowloon Mountains.
Swish—
Salome and I entered the nearby tavern first.
“Innkeeper, two glasses of beer, please.”
Salome received two glasses of beer from the rough-looking innkeeper and sat roughly in a corner.
The beer tasted refreshing and better than expected.
“Oh, there’s ice in it too. Who would have thought I’d be drinking beer like this here.”
As I marveled at this, the Mohawk-haired thief sitting next to me chuckled.
“You’re a newcomer, aren’t you? Of course, the beer tastes good. We’ve kidnapped the most famous beer artisans in Freesia and put them to work here.”
“Really? That’s impressive. How did you manage to bring them here? Aren’t the guards on high alert?”
“Guards? We’re practically a small kingdom now. Even the principality of Freesia can’t lift a finger against us. There’s no need for us to run away scared of the guards!”
It was a drunken rambling conversation.
Soon, someone nearby shouted, “That’s right!” or “Damn those guards!”.
It was a common occurrence in the tavern where thieves gathered.
A place where various pieces of information floated around like trash.
I quietly listened to what was being said there.
“But still, you know, we’re far from that. We’re still a long way from going back to the glorious days when thieves were respected. I’m a true descendant of the Kowloon Mountains in the Dark Forest. That place was a true paradise for thieves…”
“You said there were over ten thousand thieves gathered there? And there was a sparkling Scum Throne made from stolen treasures? And there was even a zoo where captured nobles were displayed?”
“Yeah. You’re goddamn right! The terrifying King of Thieves ruled over us. Neither the Empire’s guards nor any Kingdom’s knights could lay a finger on us! Ah, those were the days! For real!”
“We could kidnap freely. Steal freely. Kill freely! Just the mention of Judas’ name would make all those noble bastards tremble in fear! It’s all in the past now.”
The tavern was very noisy.
There was resentment in the air, directed towards me, the one who had destroyed the Scum throne.
Were they the thieves who clung to the infamous name of the previous Judas?
These scoundrels continued to spread mischief in my name, only adding to my notoriety.
Salome, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
“Well, why not challenge him? Just like how Judas challenged Herod, the 12th Judas, and stole his name. Instead of whining like a coward, why not steal and snatch whatever you want? Isn’t that the thief’s way? Conveniently, the current Judas is in the nearby town of Freesia. It’s a great opportunity.”
Salome’s voice was calm, but it stole everyone’s attention like a handkerchief doused in strong perfume.
To challenge Judas.
Inciting the villains to bother me, huh?
But the thieves who had been making a racket suddenly fell silent.
A stillness that didn’t belong in this lawless land settled in for a few seconds.
The man who had claimed to be from the Dark Forest’s Kowloon Mountains, a place of dark secrets, broke the silence.
“…I have seen the current Judas with my own eyes.”
His hand, holding a glass, trembled so violently that its contents spilled over.
“I was lucky enough to escape with my life that day. Even now, I sometimes have nightmares of that day. I can’t sleep without alcohol like this. It’s impossible to challenge him and steal his name. He’s a demon.”
His trembling appearance was quite pitiful.
Perhaps he was one of the survivors from back then.
Probably caught in the middle of it all.
Most of the big names who were present at that time were sent to Nocturne’s side.
And then.
Someone spoke.
“But if it’s Jack… He might be able to bring glory back to us. After all, he’s Herod’s brother! Incredibly cruel and incredibly strong!”
Herod.
That was the name of the previous King of Thieves.
Salome’s father.
Did he have a brother?
Jack?
I broke the silence and asked.
“If it’s Jack, are you referring to Jack the Ripper? The one who was ruling Freesia’s underground market 25 years ago?”
“Yeah! He handles daggers incredibly skillfully! His technique is impeccable. And it’s all thanks to that devilish man that we were able to create such a large-scale hideout in this world nowadays.”
Jack The Ripper.
He’s still alive, it seems.
The uneasiness of the government official who had a nymph as his wife was right on.
“But Jack is quite the madman himself. After barely surviving in the auction house 25 years ago, he became obsessed with fortune-telling and luck. He claims he survived because of his fortune-telling skills or something.”
“Don’t they say that whatever fortune-tellers predict always happens?”
“I heard he brought some brats today, some priestesses or something. Honestly, Jack isn’t exactly normal either.”
There was important information hidden in the thieves’ murmurs.
“Do you know where these brats he brought are?”
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