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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator:Bobt
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Locke’s Eyes, who had been lying on the bed, flashed open.
Soon rubbing his eyes and raising his upper body to check the clock, it was already late afternoon. A light somewhere between red and yellow, the glow of sunset, was flowing in through the window. It seemed that the weather in Midland was unusually good today.
Locke slowly walked to the bathroom sink and turned on the faucet. After splashing cold water on his face a few times, he came to his senses a bit. He soon stood holding the sink and looked in the mirror.
A black-haired man with water dripping from his hair was looking back at him.
His black eyes were unfathomable in their thoughts and depth. On his bare upper body, there were many scars, from faded old ones to large ones crookedly crossing his torso. They were the evidence of his life.
Locke, who had been looking at that man for a moment, said with a crooked sneer,
“Still alive today.”
As he spoke, the man’s mouth in the mirror also moved. Locke, who had been looking at that, soon turned his body. There’s a saying that you have to mope in moderation. If you overdo it, you might become embarrassed even by yourself later.
As he was picking up a rolling towel and roughly wiping off the moisture, the video phone rang. When he turned on the screen, Philip’s face appeared.
[What. Did you just wake up?]
“Yeah.”
[I told you to come to my office today.]
Locke threw the used towel into the corner of the room.
“Then I’ll go now.”
[Good. Come slowly.]
The screen turned off. Locke’s Figure getting up and moving was reflected slightly distorted on the black glass.
He roughly put on his clothes, inserted a gun into the holster on his side, and wore a stick slightly longer than his palm, commonly called an Auror Blade, on his belt. Like the gun holster, the Auror Blade also had a scabbard that could be inserted and removed. Finally, Locke, wearing a jacket with ample room, walked heavily and opened the front door.
Before going out, he suddenly looked back. A room that was bleak and barren like any man’s room. A space that would become even more desolate once he left.
After looking at that room for a moment, Locke closed the door and left.
* * *
The black body of the Black Night ran along the road, making a low engine sound.
The high sky was still bluish, and one side of the clouds’ faces was shining red, reflecting the sunset. However, thanks to the tall and dense forest of buildings, the city streets were already dim. As if the entire street was trapped in a deep basement, sunlight could not enter.
Instead, what filled the streets were neon signs blatantly flashing towards pedestrians and the pale glow of store incandescent lamps as if trying to drive away the darkness.
Those neon signs were reflected on the glass and hood of the Black night running on the road. The shapes changed chaotically at every moment, looking like an indescribable lump of light. But Locke’s Eyes were captivated by the people moving slowly below rather than the bright lights.
People walking towards some destination or just aimlessly. Groups that all looked similar under the shining light source above their heads, despite having vastly different appearances and sizes. The people of the city.
But Locke soon took his eyes off them. He had a place to go now.
The black muscle car that had been sliding along the main road soon turned into a slightly narrower alley. A slightly dirtier and more blatant street unfolded.
The Black night, which had been going down that alley for a while, soon stopped at the edge of the road. The rumbling engine turned off, and Locke walked out of the car.
After looking up at the seven-story building in front of him for a moment, Locke soon pulled his jacket to straighten it and moved his feet.
The building had no main entrance. To be precise, there was a place to enter, but it was hollowly open without any proper door. Going inside, stairs leading to the upper floors were visible. The floor, walls, and pillars were all unfinished, revealing the concrete material as it was.
Locke walked up those stairs with long strides. Arriving at the third-floor corridor, he soon stood in front of a steel door. A small wooden signboard was hanging next to the door. ‘Real estate, used car, and various transaction brokerages.’
Locke, who smiled at the sight of it, pressed a button next to the signboard. A ding vibration rang out, and a voice flowed from there.
[Who is it?]
“Locke.”
[Ah, you’re here. Come in.]
With a clanking sound, the closed steel door opened. Locke, who entered through the door, could see Philip’s office after passing a short corridor. Likewise, Philip, who saw Locke, greeted him.
“Welcome, Locke.”
The walls of Philip’s office were full of filing cabinets. In the middle was a large office desk, and in front of the desk were a low table and three or four plush sofas. It was the seat Philip used when receiving guests.
And on that sofa sat a human besides Philip.
It was a woman. Short black hair revealing the neckline and ears. A fitted black suit with a vest. A look of distinct black and white contrast thanks to her white skin and shirt.
The tip of her shoes, raised high as she sat with her legs crossed, shone. She was sitting buried in the sofa, looking at Locke with an interested gaze.
Locke’s Eyes, which had been looking at her for a moment, turned to Philip.
“The client?”
“Yeah. Come and sit.”
Locke sat on the sofa across from the woman. Their gazes met. Locke was expressionless, and the woman slowly stretched her lips into a faint smile.
Before Philip could introduce her, the woman’s mouth opened first.
“You must be Locke.”
“And you’re the client.”
“I’ve heard a lot of rumors.”
“Rumors?”
Her blue eyes seemed to flicker. Her sharp eyes and that gaze combined to create an intense atmosphere.
“There is a mercenary in Midland’s mercenary industry who is even presumed to be an Auror Master. Not affiliated with any corporation or government agency.”
Even with that intense gaze, Locke showed little reaction.
“Am I that Auror Master?”
“Aren’t you?”
Locke gently scratched his chin with his right thumb. Rough beard caught on it.
“Let’s talk about the job. I heard you need someone to exert strength for a short time.”
The woman looked at Locke with a strange gaze. As if staring at him like that would reveal the truth. But soon she smiled brightly and continued.
“Good. It’s nothing much. You just need to go to the place I tell you and pick up a few items.”
“If it’s really nothing much, you could go yourself.”
The woman shook her head.
“I want to avoid exposure if possible. I’m a magician.”
“I guess you don’t like meeting people.”
“If they were ordinary people, I wouldn’t mind. But the ones who have the items this time are much dirtier than ordinary folks.”
Locke tilted his head.
“What kind of items are they?”
“Artificial gland serum and hormone manipulation drugs. And a few data chips. Of course, they’re all illegal.”
It was illegal to the point of being a textbook. Being a mercenary inevitably meant walking the line between law and crime, and Locke also occasionally traded such items. Illegal clinics sometimes directly request to obtain such items. Sometimes even large hospitals in the city center do.
“I’ve already paid for the items. All you have to do is go there, say my name, and bring the items back.”
“Is that something that requires a mercenary?”
The woman shrugged slightly.
“You never know how things might turn out, right? I need someone who can secure my items even if the situation takes a bad turn.”
“You’re talking as if the situation will definitely take a turn.”
“Hmm. Yes, it does seem like it.”
Her smile deepened. A charming smile, but at the same time, a dangerous-looking one.
“That’s why I’m hiring you for a high price.”
Locke looked at that smile for a moment and asked,
“Your name?”
“Melissa.”
* * *
“Will you take it?”
As soon as Melissa left the office, Philip asked bluntly. Locke nodded. Putting aside what had happened between that magician and the criminals, it was a simple job for Locke.
Go to the designated place and cleanly receive the items, or do a sword dance and secure extra income.
“You said you’ve known her for a long time.”
When Locke asked like that, Philip frowned.
“It’s not her. Originally, the person I knew was supposed to come today… But this morning, I got a call saying that a woman would come instead. It seems like my friend dumped the job on her. Or maybe that woman was looking for you from the beginning.”
Locke took a sip of the coffee Philip had poured earlier and said,
“Is there a rumor about me in the city?”
“Of course there is. Most people consider it a Midland urban legend though. Like it has been for the past five years.”
Philip also picked up his coffee cup.
“But there are people who end up finding you, like in this case. Maybe it’s time for you to move up to bigger waters.”
Locke let out a dry laugh.
“A guy who makes a living by swinging a sword can’t be in big waters.”
“…True. If you really wanted to play in big waters, you could have just joined a corporate security team. Anyway, I’ll let that woman know you’ll take the job.”
Philip said that, then closed his mouth and stared blankly into the air for a moment. He was contacting Melissa through the video phone.
Locke, who didn’t even have a socket, let alone implants, had to directly turn on the video phone, see the face, and talk, but within Midland, most people communicated like this. Thanks to the development of telephone lines, cyberspace, and magic spells. There were even rumors that some corporations were researching technology to communicate across the sea. Of course, due to the increasingly unfathomable nature of cyberspace the deeper one went, it seemed they weren’t making much progress.
After a while, Philip, who had finished the call, blinked his eyes.
“Hmm. The transaction location and time have been sent to your vehicle terminal. I also sent the woman’s address, so go directly there after receiving the items.”
Locke, who had been sitting deep in the sofa, got up as soon as the business was done. And without any particular greeting, he heavily moved his steps out of Philip’s office.
Philip said, looking at his back.
“Be careful. Don’t forget to get your pay from me after the job is done.”
Locke waved his hand roughly without looking back to substitute for an answer.
* * *
Locke, who arrived at the address Philip had sent, paused for a moment.
He saw stairs leading underground and young people scattered here and there in the surrounding alleys. In fact, they were more than just young, they were kids. Locke’s Eyes went past those guys to the stairs. Judging from the thumping vibrations, there must be a club below those stairs.
Locke, who had stopped for a moment to look around, let out a small sigh and headed for the stairs. A guy who was smoking and flirting with some girl noticed Locke’s Presence and raised his head. He frowned and blocked Locke’s Way. Three or four beefy guys followed behind him.
The thug-looking guy took a deep drag on the cigarette in his mouth, then opened his mouth, puffing out smoke.
“Hey, mister. You’re going to enter looking like that?”
“Is there a problem?”
When Locke calmly replied, the guy looked Locke up and down. His head swayed greatly up and down because Locke was taller than him.
“…Are you a detective or something, mister?”
“No.”
“Then you came to pick up girls looking like that?”
“Nothing wrong with that.”
A dumbfounded smile appeared on the guy’s face.
“Hehe. Quite a confident gentleman. Well, I guess you need that much confidence to score with girls and all-”
“There should be a guy named Foreman down there.”
“…Huh?”
The punk’s eyes met Locke’s. At that moment, the punk’s body froze. It was because of a faint glint deep in Locke’s Black eyes. A chilling sensation as if a cold blade was touching the back of his neck.
Locke said,
“Do you know the name Melissa?”
The punk, who had been frozen for a moment, came to his senses at the name Melissa.
“Ah, yes. Well… I heard about it in advance… Are you that person?”
“I came instead. Take me to Foreman.”
The punk nodded, saying he understood, and led the way down the stairs. Even so, he glanced back at Locke and tilted his head as if he didn’t know why he had frozen earlier. And yet, he couldn’t even think about how his own attitude had become polite.
Locke lightly dusted his jacket and followed the punk down the basement stairs. The thumping noise of the club grew louder and louder.
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