LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 8: The Weakest and the Most Evil Seeker
Where there is light, there are always shadows.
The imperial capital, that was at the height of prosperity, was no exception. If anything, a stronger shadow was prevalent. Namely, the existence of illegal organizations – Yakuza.
Among them, the largest Yakuza organization in the imperial capital was the Luciano Family. It had affiliates in other countries, and while it did engage in shady activities like prostitution, drugs, gambling, blackmail and murder, it had great influence in normal society as well.
Because it had a connection with the royal family, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was the shadow ruler of the imperial capital.
The one who served that Luciano Family as one of the assistants to the sub-leader, as well as the Don of an affiliated Family, the Bargini Family, was Finocchio Bargini.
Publicly, his business was the trading of slaves and the running of brothels. He had a monopoly on slave trading in the imperial capital, so if anyone talked about a slave merchant in the imperial capital, they were referring to Finocchio.
Because of that, there was no one in the imperial capital who didn’t know who he was.
Refined and vulgar. Cheerful and cruel. Magnanimous and cunning. Pacifist and a bona fide sadist.
The way of life as a drag queen was a part of it, but he was called the Mad Pierrot because his life was composed of extreme dual-natures.
「Ara~ Noel! Nice to see you again~!」
While making wriggling motions with both hands, Finocchio walked up with an in-toed gait. Behind him were two tough-looking bodyguards.
「You’re late. I thought you’ll be here earlier」
「Boo! Don’t say such disagreeable stuff! Despite how it looks, I’ve already come as fast as I can! Even though I’ve already come flying because it’s none other than Noel who called!」
Finocchio puffed up his cheeks and twisted and turned while saying that. The person in question probably thought that such gestures were cute, but all I could see was an eel flopping around on dry land.
I had known this drag queen for about half a year. We got acquainted when I was doing a small side job. Since then, we’ve had a relationship where we made use of each other.
The other people who didn’t know this had expressions that seemed like they had been bewitched.
「So, I want to start talking business right away, but~~~I assume you’ve already gotten permission from the two of them?」
「Yeah, no problem. I'm selling these two, Lloyd and Tania, as slaves」
At my answer, shocked voices could be heard from everyone.
「Noel, don’t tell me…… that errand you said you had to run, back before we left…」
I nodded at Walter, who had an expression like he couldn’t believe what was happening.
「It’s just as you suspect. I had expected Lloyd and Tania to not have the money. In order to get the money back, I joined hands with Finocchio. We had already narrowed down their location, so I promised to hand the two of them over once he met up with us」
The reason why I had sent Walter ahead back then, was so I could arrange this deal.
I hadn’t expected that Finocchio would come himself though, but I suppose he felt he couldn’t leave the buying of Blue Beyond members to his underlings, and had enthusiastically came in person to handle the deal.
「Stop with the bad jokes!」
Lloyd shouted in tears.
「Why do we have no choice but to become slaves!」
「That’s right! There’s no way we’ll accept that!」
Tania shouted in agreement, but her voice was trembling with fear.
「You don’t want to be slaves?」
At my question, both of them lashed out at me instantly.
「Obviously!」
「Of course we don’t!」
「Then, there’s no choice but to hand the two of you to the military police. Like I said before, the punishment for embezzlement is 10 years of forced labor. Do you know the survival rate of the prisoners who aren’t fed decently and are forced to work in the mines under harsh conditions? Only 2 percent」
Lloyd and Tania’s expressions twisted in fear when they heard that number.
「Rather than a harsh life like that, I think that you’ll be better off being a slave who might be bought by a kind master. The both of you are young and good looking. Whatever happens, you should be treated with care」
The two of them were left speechless, which I took as silent consent. They had an overwhelmingly bigger chance of staying alive as slaves. From the start, there was no other choice for them.
「And there you have it. Finocchio, find good masters for them」
「Leave it to me~! Then, I’ll start inspecting the goods, alright!?」
Finocchio felt up every nook and cranny of their bodies, which froze up like frogs in front of a snake during his inspection.
In contrast to Tania’s inspection, which had finished quickly, Lloyd’s inspection seemed to drag on for a long time, but I purposely let it pass without saying anything.
The average price of a slave in the imperial capital was around five million Fil. Considering Lloyd and Tania’s value, I estimated that the price of both of them combined should be at least 30 million Fil.
Of course, that was the price that Finocchio sold them to his customers. The customary cut that I would receive should be one-third, which would be 10 million Fil.
In that case, we would cover our share of 8.4 million Fil that had been embezzled, and even come out slightly ahead after paying the unshaven man the one million Fil reward.
However, considering the costs that we would have to bear until the holes in the party were filled, it wasn’t a positive outcome overall. If possible, I would like to get a better price than expected.
Depending on the price, the actions that I could take in future would change greatly, but let’s see what happens…
「Yup! I knew it, but they both have good bodies! Sturdy and with no deformities. They’ll live long. But Lloyd is a little injured」
「It happened when we were capturing him. It was beyond my control」
「Beyond your control? They look like wounds he suffered without resistance to me, but…… Well, it doesn’t matter. About the price, what do you think about this?」
Finocchio took out an abacus, an oriental calculator from his pocket.
There were many small balls pierced through and arranged inside a wooden frame, and by moving them, they could be used as a substitute for calculating. I had one too because it was a useful tool.
「……What’s going on?」
I frowned at the figure shown on the abacus.
「Six million Fil? Why is the price so low?」
It was a price far below my expectations. We wouldn’t recover our damages with this.
「So sorry~ But there’s a reason for this, although the official announcement hasn’t been made yet, the Church of the Holy Cross will issue an austerity order soon. In short, they are saying that if there is any surplus money, donate it to the church, and since the nobles and wealthy people can’t go against the church, they have to refrain from splurging on luxuries」
The Church of the Holy Cross was a religious organization that worshiped the god of creation, Emeth. Among the many religious orders in the Empire, it boasted the largest number of followers, and numerous Emperors and lords had been believers of this religion.
Incurring their wrath was the equivalent of betraying your ancestors and denying yourself, so no believer could oppose them, especially with the royal family, that respected formality and tradition, leading the way.
In some ways, it was an organization that was scarier than the Yakuza.
「If they bought expensive slaves during such a period, who knows what the church is going to say about them later, right? That’s why my customers have been saying, I’m under austerity~ so my wallet is empty~, and cutting down on their purchases. But if I can’t sell the slaves, I’ll have to keep paying their food costs, so regrettably, I’ve had to temporarily reduce the selling price by quite a lot」
「And the repercussion from that is why the transaction prices are abnormally cheap?」
「That’s right~ Well, your timing was bad. When the duration of the order is over, the prices should return to normal, but there’s nothing I can do for now」
I don’t think that Finocchio is lying to me. Even if he had wanted to lie, no one would lie about something that could be seen through immediately after. Which means that what Finocchio said is the undeniable truth. Austerity order… seems like my research is still lacking.
「I understand. We’re in the same predicament after all」
「I’m really thankful that you’re so understanding~ I love Noel! Mwah!」
「That’s why I’ll settle for the price of 10 million Fil」
「Thank you, thank you. If you are willing to settle for 10 million Fil, then we can immediately…… Eh!? 10 million Fil!? Why did the price jump up by 4 million Fil!?」
To Finocchio, whose eyes had popped out in surprise, I continued matter-of-factly.
「And now, the price just went up to 12 million Fil」
「Huh~~~~!? Just what are you talking about–—」
「13 million Fil」
「Wa, waitwaitwait!」
「14 million Fil」
「Hey, Noel!」
「It’s 15 million Fil, after all」
「Hey you, shitty brat, look here! For how long are you going to pull this nonsense!? Are you messing with me? Huh!? If you want to become pig food so much, I can mince you up right here, right now!!」
Finocchio was so angry that the clownish mask he usually put on had slipped and showed the violent nature of a wild beast hidden underneath. This was probably the limit. I approached Finocchio and whispered.
「If you buy them for 15 million Fil, I’ll make it look like you bought them for 30 million Fil」
「……You intend to raise the value of your product by faking your selling price?」
As expected, he understood what I was getting at quickly. Finocchio, who had become calm again in an instant, smiled at me.
Normally, the value of goods in the market was determined by the interaction between supply and demand. But sometimes, prices could reversely determine the value of things. In other words, the higher the price, the rarer it would be thought as, and thus the willingness to purchase it would also increase.
For the slave merchant, Finocchio, to have bought them at 30 million Fil, despite the austerity order, the value of these slaves must be tremendous. If the purchase price was 30 million Fil, then the sale price would become 90 million Fil. In reality, Lloyd and Tania were valuable enough to justify even these jacked up prices.
「Certainly, if an austerity order was issued, most of the rich will try to curb extra spending. But humans are beings that, the more they endure, the more they can’t resist what they want, right? That’s why, when a rare and expensive product appears, there will be those that will want to buy it even if they have to strain themselves to do so. That’s why the correct answer is to raise the price of a product that’s likely to sell, instead of making it cheaper」
「I’ll speak frankly. If Noel makes sure our stories match, I’m more than happy to work together with you. If the purchase price is 30 million Fil, the rarity will increase like you said. But, it’s not going to end well for us if the truth gets out, you know?」
「That level of risk is nothing to you, right? Or are there any problems?」
When I asked him back, Finocchio put a hand to his forehead and looked up at the sky.
「Gah~…… I’ve thought for a while now that you must be weird in the head, but you’re crazy after all. Even if you search the entire imperial capital, you have to be the only one who dares to squeeze money out of me. What do you think, want to join my Family? I’ll welcome you in as an executive」
「I’ll pass. My chosen profession is Seeker. And, what’s your answer?」
「Yes, yes, I know, I know. ……I’ll buy them for 15 million Fil! I think you know, but it’s only just this once! Boo! Stupid idiot!」
Negotiations completed. It went well because Finocchio was a person who could identify profit and loss expertly. With this, I could cover the costs until the party could be reformed.
「Are you serious…… That Mad Pierrot, lost in negotiations……」
The unshaven man muttered in shock. Hearing his voice, Finocchio pointed at the unshaven man.
「That dirty, unshaven old man over there!」
「Hiii! W, w, w, what can I do for yo, you?」
「If you ever speak of today’s events, not just you, your family, your lover and your friends, they’ll all~ be fed alive to pigs! You got it?」
「I got it! I’ll never tell anyone!」
「The rest too! Got it?」
「Y, yes! We got it!」
「Good! Ah, Noel. Here’s the advance of one million Fil that we agreed on. I’ll transfer the rest to your account in the bank by tomorrow」
I threw the leather bag that Finocchio had handed me towards the unshaven man.
「The reward I promised」
「O, okay」
I had gotten back what was stolen and had paid what I owed. There was no longer any reason for me to stay here. It was time to return to the imperial capital and reconsider future plans.
「Walter, we’re going back」
「W, wait, Noel!」
Tania, who I thought had already given up, shouted earnestly.
「A, are you really going to sell us off? Please, save me…… we’re allies, right?」
「I don’t consider people who gamble with other people’s money as allies」
「I’m very sorry! I thought I would be forgiven! But please give me another chance, I’ll pay it back as many times as you want! I beg you!」
「Impossible. I can’t believe you. Bye bye」
Someone who had betrayed me before, could betray me many times more. Leaving someone I couldn’t trust beside me was more harm than good. Seeing that I had forsaken her, Tania changed her target to Walter.
「Walter, I beg you! Save me!」
「……There’s nothing I can do」
When Walter diverted his eyes awkwardly, Tania screamed in a shrill voice that we had never heard before.
「Don’t joke with me! You, you love me right!? Then save me! To be useless at such a critical time, are you a virgin prick!? Is your head only filled with goblin snot!? Die! Go to hell! You incompetent, piece of shit, muscle tumbling doll! Even a dying old dog is more useful than you!」
So that’s the true form of the holy maiden. How terrible.
With Tania’s curses spewing continuously like a dam that had broken, Walter’s gaze dropped as he continued to bear the abuse. Lloyd looked dazed, like his mind wasn’t there.
Is this hell?
「Finocchio, hurry up and take them away. I’ve had enough of this」
「Oh, I’m enjoying it though? Isn’t it a splendid show?」
Finocchio shrugged his shoulders when I stared daggers at him.
「Okay, okay, I understand. Then, let’s go, my puppies」
At Finocchio’s signal, his tough-looking bodyguards carried Lloyd and Tania onto their shoulders and put them into the carriage. All the while, Tania’s extensive vocabulary of swears and curses didn’t stop.
「Noel, see you again~! Bye bye~! Mmmwah!」
I twisted to dodge the kiss that Finocchio had thrown as he left. I heaved a great sigh as I watched Finocchio’s carriage speed back to the imperial capital.
「Haaa~, I’m so tired…… Walter, this time for sure, let’s go back」
「……Yeah」
In that moment, I didn’t miss out on the malicious remarks that had slipped out of the unshaven man’s mouth.
「Someone like you, the weakest Buffer, don’t get all conceited just because you’re acquainted with the Yakuza……」
That was a pretty poor insult. I wished he would learn a thing or two from Tania.
「That’s right, I’m the weakest Buffer who can’t fight without my allies. But even someone like me can earn money, so shouldn’t you guys, who have proper Jobs, work harder?」
As I goaded them with a beaming smile on my face, the unshaven man and his allies gnashed their teeth in frustration. This kind of sarcasm was the most effective in bringing down those with inflated prides.
「And so, gentlemen, I bid you good luck」
Towards my retreating back, the unshaven man threw out a few words of spite.
「Shit! Demon who sold his allies into slavery!」
I wondered what he would say, but he came with『Demon』.
For Seekers, who hunted Beasts(Demons), calling a person a Demon, signified that the person was the most abominable existence.
The weakest and the most evil, that’s perfect.
「In that case, using that label, I’ll become the strongest in the world」
Oh wow, that Tania rant… ∑(ﾟДﾟ)
I also wonder sometimes, even though they are called Yakuza, why do they have Italian sounding names?
And with that, it seems like everything is settled… or is it? One more chapter, sorta like an epilogue, to finish up and wrap up loose ends before the next arc begins. Please look forward to it, many small but (maybe) important details are in it. (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)