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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Despair.
Fear.
Chaos.
Grief.
Anxiety.
Overwhelmed by a torrent of negative emotions, Zikmel’s body screamed, but his mind raced, seeking the best way to defuse the situation.
“Do you even know who this is?! You screwed up big time!”
Seeing Ben’s bruised and battered face, Zikmel understood.
With a yell born of self-preservation, he launched himself into the air, landing a spectacular flying kick on Ben.
Thwack!
“Uwaaagh! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Both Ben, struck by the all-out flying kick, and Zikmel, who’d launched it, tumbled to the floor.
The desk was a mess, trampled underfoot as Zikmel had charged across it without a second thought.
Yet, he felt no regret.
In fact, Zikmel was confident he could argue that it was the ideal choice, protecting both himself and his subordinate in this situation.
But that wasn’t nearly enough.
Unable to even think about getting up, Zikmel slammed his head on the floor and shouted,
“It’s been an honor, Eldmia Egga-nim!!”
“Right? You recognize me, don’t you?”
Zikmel thought such a dramatic reaction would give Eldmia pause, but the embodiment of terror before him remained completely unfazed.
What kind of life had this man led?
Inwardly, Zikmel was stunned, but Eldmia’s pondering, “I’ve definitely seen you, but where?” sent chills down his spine.
He couldn’t hide.
Even letting Eldmia recall the memory first was dangerous.
Zikmel’s honed instincts, developed over years as an information broker, screamed at him.
He’d already had his legs broken once; surely there wouldn’t be any lingering resentment.
Silence would be misinterpreted as an attempt to evade responsibility and could get him killed.
Having reached this conclusion, Zikmel launched into a rapid-fire explanation.
“In Ogwen, I foolishly spoke ill of your elven companion, but you showed mercy, only breaking my legs, allowing me to live! It’s been a while! And I apologize for my subordinate’s lack of discipline!!”
Bang!
Bang!
Zikmel repeatedly slammed his head on the floor, harder this time, but he felt no pain.
The return of a terror he hadn’t felt in years overwhelmed any physical sensation.
“Ah! You’re the one who told me about that warehouse?”
“Yes!”
“Wow, it’s a small world. You’re in the capital?”
It was so small that Zikmel considered packing his bags and fleeing to the Empire if he survived this encounter.
However, Eldmia seemed genuinely surprised to see him, and the fact that the thugs who’d brought him here were from the stolen goods division, and that Eldmia hadn’t stormed in and destroyed his office but had approached him politely as a “client,” offered a glimmer of hope.
“Thanks to you, Eldmia Egga-nim, I’ve seen the light and now work as an information broker, avoiding violence! The fact that you came here so quietly, instead of destroying everything in your path, tells me you need my skills! Just tell me what you need, and I, Zikmel, will find it for you!”
“Well, you’re certainly more articulate and perceptive than I remember. Impressive! Get up. Your head must hurt. You’re the boss now; maintain some dignity.”
And Zikmel’s wish was granted.
It worked.
He survived.
As the terror from his past helped him to his feet, Zikmel nearly wept with gratitude.
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“The thing is, I need information related to the nobility. I’m not familiar with your line of work, but I know it’s a specialized field. Can you handle it?”
Eldmia asked as he helped Zikmel up.
He’d already instilled his beliefs in this guy, so treating him normally was fine, but Zikmel’s over-the-top reaction had softened Eldmia’s approach.
It was remarkable that the frail delinquent he’d crippled had not only recovered but had established himself as an information broker in the capital, even running a side business.
It had only been four years.
This guy must have been driven.
“I’ve been feeding my family by dealing exclusively in information related to the nobility since I left my previous city! I can definitely be of assistance!”
“That confidence is admirable! But this is a bit delicate. Could you send your friend away while we talk?”
“Of course! Ben! Go outside and make sure no one comes in… No, wait! Bring us some tea, and then make sure no one disturbs us!”
“Yes, Boss!”
Ben’s lightning-fast obedience and Zikmel’s apparent leadership skills were impressive.
Whatever epiphany he’d had after their last encounter, it had clearly been transformative.
Eldmia sat down, impressed by Zikmel’s meticulous tidying of the desk he’d just trashed, and got straight to the point.
“There’s a traitor in the capital. I want to find information about him. I know it’s dangerous, so I’m not asking you to do anything reckless. I’m just exploring this opportunity.”
Zikmel, now a law-abiding citizen, widened his eyes at the mention of treason.
Eldmia understood.
The word carried that kind of weight.
“H-how did you know that?”
“Today… Wait. That’s an odd question.”
He wasn’t asking about when he’d gotten wind of the information, but how he knew there was a traitor to begin with?
Could it be…?
“Do you know something?”
“…Yes.”
Thankfully, Zikmel didn’t try to lie or feign ignorance.
If he had, Eldmia would have had to consider the possibility of his involvement in the treason.
This was an unexpected stroke of luck.
Or was it too early to tell?
Stroking his newly-grown stubble, Eldmia considered this as Zikmel continued, seemingly without reservation.
“I moved to the capital about three months ago. I’d heard rumors in my previous city about insubordination in the outer territories. I thought it might be an opportunity to establish myself here, so I left my subordinates in charge there and came here. I hadn’t found any leads, but about five days ago, things started… leaking.”
“Leaking? What do you mean?”
“Information. Control is slipping, or maybe they’re getting sloppy because they’re rushing. It feels like someone’s deliberately spreading it… It’s hard to explain, but that’s the feeling I get.”
Muttering about having it organized somewhere, Zikmel expertly sifted through a mountain of documents on another desk, pulling out a few sheets and placing them before Eldmia.
“At first, I thought the Noble Council was just preparing for a power struggle with the Royalists because Margrave Levien had unexpectedly achieved so much during her visit to the Empire. But the movements were strange. The Royalists were quiet, but the Noble Council was in disarray. The younger nobles, usually so boisterous, were suddenly silent amongst themselves. Some of the old guard were distancing themselves from younger nobles they’d been close to.”
The back-alley punk he’d crippled had truly evolved into an information broker!
Perhaps it was Eldmia’s unfamiliarity with this line of work, but Zikmel’s simple words and handling of documents seemed incredibly professional.
“Then I found this. Years ago, after the Levien Marquisate was destroyed by the Demon King’s army, there was a noble who invested considerable resources into searching for the then missing Margrave Levien’s daughter, Lagnis Lien da Levien.”
“They searched for her even after all that time?”
“This kind of valuable information is more common than you think.”
The documents Zikmel handed him contained detailed information about a noble.
“I assumed it was about the late Margrave Levien’s inheritance, but their movements were suspiciously clandestine. So I dug deeper, and… well, this is what I found.”
“Loan sharking, slave trading, exceeding the permitted number of wyverns in the outer territories, maintaining a private army, and possibly even colluding with demons?! Seriously?!”
“It was so brazen, it made even me nervous.”
This was undeniable evidence of treason.
But how could the kingdom be unaware of information even Zikmel had access to…
No, they weren’t.
“So that’s why Duke Lesrom reacted that way.”
“D-Duke?”
“Yes. I just met with him. I heard about the traitor from him, too.”
“…..Unbelievable. The attendant of Margrave Levien who caused a bloodbath at the temporary detention center… Was that you, Eldmia-nim?!”
“Wow. News travels fast. But if you’re so well-informed, why did you act like you didn’t know I was here?”
It was strange that Zikmel, so knowledgeable, hadn’t known about Eldmia’s presence and activities in the capital.
“Information about nobles comes from their connections. Margrave Levien is reclusive… Oh! So the rumors about you defeating the Hero and rescuing the Imperial Princess during the Empire visit are…?”
“Hearing it like this is incredibly embarrassing.”
Eldmia chuckled, genuinely flustered despite the serious situation.
Meanwhile, fear crept back into Zikmel’s eyes.
Eldmia spent the time until Ben returned with tea clarifying the misunderstanding.
It was baffling that someone with such a talent for gathering information, someone who risked everything to uncover such sensitive details, was so easily intimidated.
This was dangerous work; one wrong step could lead to his death.
Eldmia asked him about it.
Zikmel’s answer was simple.
“They haven’t found me yet, but you, Eldmia-nim, are standing right before me.”
It was so true that Eldmia was speechless.
Perhaps he needed to reconsider the effectiveness of his belief-instilling methods.
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[Zikeml the GOAT]
Can anyone explain what Zikmel meant by those last few lines?
It means death hasnt found Zikmel while doing such a dangerous job, but Eldmia has.