Chapter 55 055

"At least you've got a good pair of eyes on you."

"It seems we have a rare, important guest. I've heard the rumors, but… are you really okay being in this kind of back alley?

"If you know, then don't talk nonsense, just bring me the guild master."

"I should, let me give you the proper greeting."

The bartender bowed his head.

"I'm Gabe, the guild master of the Thieves Guild."

"Which backup name is that? Third? Fourth?"

Seojin responded without a hint of surprise. Rather, it was the guild master who was slightly caught off guard by the question.

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

"I'm asking you about your real name. I don't want to make a deal with someone who is acting all enigmatic. Honor among thieves, you know."

Seojin had played Asgard before and expected that the bartender wouldn't just be an ordinary pawn in the first place. However, his title was now the only thing hovering above his head, rather than his name.

<Guild master of Erzebet Thieves Guild>

<???>

The guild master smiled.

"Is it really necessary to know each other's names when making a deal?"

"I'm Seojin, an adventurer."

"I'm the guild master of the Thieves Guild. What you want from me must be my authority as guild master."

"There's a fine line between a petty thief and a renowned master thief. It's knowing when you should go in or back off."

Seojin pushed a paper contract, which contained magic that took effect upon signing it, forward.

"I must share the risks of this plan with someone else."

"I want to hear the details first."

"It's simple."

Stanceshift: Petty Liar.

Effective: 10 Minutes.

"We'll rob the lord's mansion."

Seojin saw a message pop up as soon as he mentioned the Lord's mansion.

Strong rejection greatly reduces the skill's effectiveness.

The shaking eyes of the guild master soon calmed down.

"I see, you're not a customer. You're just a reckless lunatic."

'Looks like I can't persuade people to do something impossible… even if the stat difference is overwhelming.'

That was rather obvious. It wouldn't make sense if he could persuade people to kill themselves just because he had higher stats. Seojin kept his composure as he responded.

"Why do you think so?"

"Think about what you said. The lord's mansion? Only madmen would even dream of that."

"Hey, don't be such a small guy, dream big."

"Do not attempt to disguise your rashness as confidence."

Seojin smiled and shook his head

"You're right if this Amber pearl was all I have. I mean, nothing I did has an influence on the lord's mansion."

"Go on."

"What if I can control the commander of the vigilance committee as I please?"

The guild master raised his eyebrows in puzzlement.

"The Lord here doesn't possess an army, and we, the adventurers, take their roles via contracts."

"That's rather obvious. The next thing you're saying is that we can control the contracts, right?"

"Now I see how you became a guild master, you're quick."

"It's impossible."

"I'll give you until tomorrow, rob everything, just enough for the commander to save face. None of the adventurers will stop you."

The feeling of rejection disappears. Skill effectiveness restored to normal.

Target is wavering.

The message insinuated that the guild master had decided that there was nothing to lose.

"I hope I can hear your name tomorrow."

Seojin left the guild shortly after saying that to the guild master as if he had nothing to lose. The guild master watched his back disappear into the distance with his chin resting on his hands.

"Hmm, what should I do…"

He didn't think that Seojin was lying. He couldn't think of any reasons for Seojin to lie.

'Is it a trick to make me leave the guild…? No way. To arrest all my boys? No, h edoesn't have a reason to do that? Why would he even bother?'

It must be true that the adventurer had the commander of the vigilance committee under his thumb.

He was not above Seojin in status, so it made no sense that Seojin went as far as to reveal the Amber Pearl to get on his good side.

'That's terribly inefficient, which makes him even more suspicious. Also…'

Guessing Seojin's intentions was one thing, but the guild master had to think about the deal that Seojin proposed. He was a thief, stealing instead of honoring a deal was in his blood.

'My gut is telling me to make a deal with him… he got his hands on that pearl which means he's not an easy opponent. It's tricky… now what should I do…?'

The guild master came to a conclusion after pondering for a while.

"Boys, come out. We got some work to do."

* * *

"Those bloody thieving bastards! Why in the hell did they steal a burnt pot? Have nothing better to do?!"

"My pants! I need to wear them to that wedding!"

"Why, those damned rascals stole my love letter, not the money next to it?!"

The day Seojin stopped by the Thieves Guild, the whole of Erzebet was filled with the angry cries of NPCs. Petty thieves ran rampant that day, and petty was a rather accurate description. They never touched expensive items, only miscellaneous items that annoyed people.

"What the…?"

Rachael was speechless as she faced an endless rush of contracts. There had always been a bounty on the thieves before, but never to this intensity. However, what made her even more confused was the commander's attitude.

"Accept everything, but don't deliver them to the adventurers."

That meant the committee would only pretend to catch all the thieves. Shamir replied shortly as Rachael replied in confusion.

"Stop there. We just have to close our eyes and block our ears on this."

"…Yes, sir."

It wasn't that hard for Rachael, as it was not her first time. Shamir sent Rachael out and suddenly changed his expression.

"…Then I'll finish preparing."

"Hurry up."

Seojin walked out from the corner. Shamir was gathering proof and evidence related to Count Erzebet before Rachael entered the office. There was a considerable amount as they were in cahoots.

Well, it needed to be tweaked a little so it would turn Shamir into a victim of coercion, but still, it was a powerful weapon nonetheless. Shamir engrossed himself in his work as Seojin sat next to him with his legs crossed, thinking about Ironblood.

'Just you wait, I've still got a bullet in my chamber.'

He didn't care if they bothered him, he could put up with the disturbance. What Seojin could never accept was his hard-earned rewards being robbed.

"I've finished."

"Good job, now wait. You'll have to keep your head down if things go south."

The commander had fulfilled his usage. The key was the Thieves Guild and how thoroughly they could ransack the manor.

'I need to focus more on how much money went to Ironblood instead of the palace. Ultimately, loyalty is all about money.'

The Royals of Valaran weren't that clean either. There were precedents of noble titles being traded for money, so it was obvious what would make them the most furious.

Seojin went to the Thieves Guild and looked around leisurely.

"Mister Seojin! I thought you'd never come."

"What a thief-like thing to say. So, how should I take this?"

Dozens of thieves surrounded Seojin the moment he stepped in, wielding weapons and wearing fierce looks.

"As you can see…"

Stanceshift: Childish Threat

Effective: 10 Minutes

"As I can see?"

The thieves flinched as the sudden presence pressed them. The guild master, however, didn't even budge.

"I thought it was a bummer that we had to make a fair and square deal, so I wanted to show you our old-school ways. Forgive us, will you?"

"Not twice."

"Of course, let me introduce myself officially. I'm Kartna, the guild master of the Thieves Guild."

<Guild master of Erzebet Thieves Guild>

<Kartna>

Judging by the sentence above his head, he was revealing his real name.

"Shall we discuss the details now? I think we need time to get to know each other."

"It's good that you're quick." Seojin smiled back.

First of all, they had to reveal what they both wanted, as well as what they had to do in order to achieve it.

* * *

"Do we stand to gain anything from changing the Lord?"

"Sure."

"Do you perhaps have a way to choose who the next Lord will be …?"

"No way, but we can give them a hint by showing them how we kicked the former lord's ass out."

"No real lord would be scared of mere thieves, they can raise their own army or change the whole contract system."

"If the new lord becomes hostile, then yes. It won't matter as long as you don't try to blatantly take over control."

"But…"

Guild master Kartna looked puzzled. He thought that this adventurer wanted a fair and just world. Although it was ironic that he tried to make join hands with thieves in the process, he could understand if Seojin was considering them as a necessary evil.

However, it turned out that Seojin was not that kind of character.

"Form a new corrupt relationship. Lower your heads and join hands. Go around stealing within the acceptable boundaries and don't forget to give him some money each month."

"…What?"

"While at it, collect information. You know, secrets that can blow the Lord's head off at any time."

"So, you weren't a just adventurer, were you?"

"Not many adventurers are."

"Do you think that the King would take a thief's appeal seriously?"

"He'll take mine seriously, and I can do as such for a proper reward."

Seojin was planning to make it so that the Thieves Guild could control Erzebet from behind the scenes. That'd be the reward for him, and just in time, the stars were aligned for him.

"Jeriel from the Alchemy Guild and Trail from the Street of Fire, along with the commander, are the connections I can introduce to you. The Church of Luna are the only ones that could be problematic, but they are weakened now. Are you going to pull out at this point? And you call yourself a thief?"

"No way, I just pretended to hesitate, thinking that maybe you'd give me something more. Geez, even as a thief… I'd be rather shameless if I ask for more than this."

"What do you want?"

Kartna smiled with his eyes. "Something I've wanted for a long time."

He was talking about Amber Pearl, the relic from the Church of Luna. Seojin shook his head, of course.

"That won't be possible."

"I'll give up then, and I'll tell you why I wanted it if you promise that you'll lend us a hand to kick the lord out, for the first time at no price."

Kartna's attitude changed in a flash, it was clear that he had been planning to do this from the start.

"I thought it would be impossible to get it from you in the first place."

"I'll take the deal."

"Good… the thing you're holding, sir adventurer."

Kartna swept over the wooden table with his index finger. His disappointment was real as he had waited to get his hand on the thing for a long time.

'There's nothing I can do. For a thief, greed is the shortcut to death.'

Kartna shook off his lingering feelings and finally elaborated.

"'It's not something like a mere Amber Pearl."

"It's not?"

"It's an ore called Adamantine. Harder than anything else in the world… don't you know what that is?"

"I know what it is, I just don't know why you made such a big d…"

Seojin stumbled at his own word and stared into Kartna's eyes.

"Adamantine, this?"

"…Yes."

Adamantine was just a common mineral in Asgard, just like Orichalcum. But this was Midgard, the realm of men.