Chapter 53: This Warlock is Too Evil
Chapter 53: Chapter 53: This Warlock is Too Evil
Wang Xi spent the night at an inn with Pinocchio.
「The next morning.」
The pair arrived at a tavern in the Daphne Center District, not far from the Adventurer’s Guild.
"Madam’s Tavern."
Pinocchio looked up at the wooden sign, which featured a crude drawing of an old woman holding an axe.
"Gai, this tavern has a weird name."
"It used to be called ’Saint Noobia Tavern,’ named after a martyred nun."
Wang Xi glanced at Pinocchio and explained.
’Of course, this was just a rumor I picked up.’
"But the nun’s distant aunt came here and raised hell. She smashed the sign with an axe, chased away all the customers, and made a name for herself."
"Ohhh," Pinocchio said, his face lighting up with understanding. "So the ’madwoman’ is the nun’s aunt."
"Actually, there’s another story."
Wang Xi led Pinocchio inside, whispering.
"The truth is, the tavern owner was fooling around with the maids, and his mother-in-law found out, so..."
"What does ’fooling around’ mean?"
Pinocchio looked completely lost.
Wang Xi opened his mouth, but ended up giving a dismissive answer.
"Playing cards all night." He gave a cough and quickly changed the subject. "The more handsome you are, the better your luck at cards."
"Anyway, the moral of the story is that gambling is bad. Stop getting hung up on the name. Do you remember what I told you on the way here?"
"Yup, yup." The boy nodded and patted his chest. "Don’t worry, Gai. You can count on me."
Wang Xi nodded as the two of them entered the tavern’s main hall.
Even though it was morning, the place was packed.
A cacophony of noise, shouts, the laughter of coarse men, and the shrieks of maids all blended together.
Wang Xi and Pinocchio’s arrival instantly drew many eyes. Sharp gazes swept over them before being quickly withdrawn.
’Just as I thought...’
Wang Xi discreetly scanned the room.
The men sitting around the wooden tables looked like they were just here for a good time, dressed in casual tunics, but nearly all of them had weapons at their waists.
The tags above their heads almost all had the "Finger Association" prefix, and every one of them was a hostile scarlet.
There were four or five with Two Stars, and the rest had at least One Star. The Finger Association’s elite must all be here.
’I had that old man from the Adventurer’s Guild pull some strings, so he must have told Dick who I am... Is that Little Bull Coinage Officer planning to take me down during this meeting?’
Wang Xi scoffed inwardly.
’Heh. Let them try.’
The pair nonchalantly climbed the stairs to the second floor. Pinocchio, sticking close to Wang Xi’s side, whispered a reminder.
"Gai, I don’t think the patrons here welcome us."
"It’s fine," Wang Xi said calmly. "Prejudice is common. They’re just jealous of how handsome we are."
"I see." A flicker of understanding crossed Pinocchio’s eyes, and he nodded. "So, will the maids come looking to ’fool around’ with us later?"
"..."
Wang Xi was silent.
He didn’t answer Pinocchio, not wanting to corrupt the innocent boy.
After reaching the second floor, as he passed a small cabinet in the corner, Wang Xi caught sight of an inconspicuous black wooden stick that had fallen beside it.
An idea struck him. He walked over, bent down to pick it up, and casually tucked it into his belt.
Soon, the pair reached the room at the end of the hall.
Two men stood guard at the door, one on each side.
Wang Xi raised an eyebrow.
["Finger Association" Hierarch · Huo Wen (Scarlet/Three Stars)]
He was a gaunt, grim-faced middle-aged man in a gray robe. Its sleeves were cut short, revealing sturdy, tattooed arms.
The other was the brown-haired, one-eyed man Wang Xi had seen in the lobby of the Adventurer’s Guild. He now carried two longswords on his back—one iron and one silver—and also had a dagger and a hand crossbow tucked into his belt.
["Demon Hunter · Colin (Yellow/Three Stars)]
Wang Xi hadn’t expected the Little Bull Coinage Officer to be so cautious. Not only had he brought in most of the Finger Association’s elite, but he’d also posted their Hierarch as a bodyguard and hired a Demon Hunter from the Adventurer’s Guild.
It seemed the "Scarlet Warlock’s" reputation made the man quite wary, compelling him to use overwhelming force to deal with a supposedly lesser foe.
Wang Xi reined in his thoughts and smiled at the two men.
"I am Gai Farrell. I have an appointment with Lord Dick."
The Demon Hunter glanced at him but said nothing, standing there as impassive and dutiful as a statue.
But the gaunt Hierarch, Huo Wen, smiled and spoke.
"Mr. Gai, Lord Dick has been waiting. But before you go in, please allow me to temporarily hold onto your weapons."
"Are you worried I mean Lord Dick harm?"
Wang Xi feigned displeasure, his brow furrowed.
Huo Wen kept the smile on his face and waved his hand dismissively.
"Please don’t misunderstand, Mr. Gai. It’s just a necessary precaution, the same for everyone. It’s nothing personal... Of course, if you’d rather not, you can simply hand the commissioned materials to me. You’ll still receive your full reward."
Wang Xi was silent for a few seconds.
He unfastened the longsword and dagger from his belt and removed the crossbow from his shoulder, handing them all to the man.
Huo Wen took the weapons but remained in the doorway, a smirk playing on his lips as he glanced at the side of Wang Xi’s belt.
"Mr. Gai, don’t take us for fools. We’ve all heard of the ’Scarlet Warlock.’ So, please hand over your magic wand as well."
At these words, Wang Xi’s expression changed.
SWISH—
The Demon Hunter silently raised his hand to rest on the hilt of the iron sword at his shoulder, poised to draw at any moment.
Meanwhile, Huo Wen stealthily moved one hand behind his back, gripping a dagger.
"Heh. Looks like you’ve done your homework."
Wang Xi’s face darkened. After a moment’s hesitation, he pulled the black wooden stick from his belt and handed it over.
After Huo Wen took it, he and the Demon Hunter exchanged a glance, both secretly sighing in relief. At the same time, however, a strange look crossed their faces.
"Mr. Gai, please."
Huo Wen opened the door and led Wang Xi inside.
The Demon Hunter and Pinocchio were left outside.
Inside, morning light streamed through the window, illuminating a wooden table where three men sat, their faces a mix of light and shadow.
Wang Xi glanced over discreetly.
One was a chubby man with a handlebar mustache and a hat, his tag reading, ["Minister of Craftsmanship · Ando"]; another was a plain-looking, middle-aged man with a drinker’s nose, ["Palace Alchemist · Marco"]; and finally, there was a short, thin, hunchbacked man, ["Coinage Officer · Dick"].
"My lords, Gai Farrell is here."
Huo Wen set the weapons aside and bowed to the three men at the table. He then took two steps forward, handed the "magic wand" to the Coinage Officer, and whispered something in his ear.
Dick examined the black wooden stick for a moment before passing it to Palace Alchemist Marco and Minister Ando.
The men passed it back and forth, their expressions a strange mixture of gravity, surprise, and confusion.
"This... this is..."
The chubby Minister, Ando, looked alarmed and uncertain. He quickly put the magic wand down and said something in a hushed voice.
Wang Xi’s hearing was sharp, and he managed to catch their words:
"...You were right, Dick. This man truly is an evil warlock, to use such a filthy object as a magic wand."
’A filthy object?’
Only then did Wang Xi take a closer look, using Kaos to investigate:
["Devil’s Carrot": A wooden stick, polished smooth and coated with oil and wax. A private item hidden away by a maid.]
"..."
Wang Xi was lost in thought.
He analyzed calmly, thought for a moment, and judged the situation carefully.
In the end, he came to one conclusion...
"Ahem, Mr. Gai."
Just then, Dick looked up with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and spoke in his grating voice.
"We can discuss other matters later. For now, let’s handle the delivery of the commission."
At these words, the chubby minister shot him an expectant look. This concerned his son’s petrification poisoning, so he was the one most invested in the materials.
Next were the Pharmacist and the Coinage Officer. They both wanted to play their part in this, hoping to curry favor with the Minister, who was a favorite of Prince Calvin.
"Of course, no problem."
Wang Xi gave a slight bow, then untied a parchment-wrapped package from his waist, took out a scroll, and placed them both on the table.
Palace Alchemist Marco took it upon himself to inspect the items. A pleased expression crossed his face, and he nodded at the two men beside him.
Instantly, Dick’s eyes lit up.
The friendly, fake smile instantly vanished from his face. He leaned back in his chair, his short frame crossing its arms, and sneered.
"A Wizard without his Magic Wand is like a lion without its claws... To think the ’Scarlet Warlock’ we’ve been hunting for so long would walk right into our trap like a fool, all for a bit of fame and fortune."
"Lord Dick, what is the meaning of this?"
Wang Xi’s face grew wary as he took two steps back.
Hierarch Huo Wen had already moved to block his path, positioning himself to both protect his lord and prevent the warlock from escaping.
Seeing the panic on the black-haired young man’s face, the Coinage Officer’s expression filled with smug pleasure. He said hatefully:
"You ruined my plans and killed my men. You’re a goddamn bastard..."
"You’re the mastermind behind the Finger Association!"
Wang Xi said, as if struck by a sudden realization.
The Coinage Officer let out a sinister laugh.
"You found out too late! Huo Wen, take him down!"
"Yes, my lord—"
The gaunt man drew the dagger from the small of his back and lunged forward, intending to incapacitate the frail-looking warlock with a single, debilitating strike.
ZAP!!
A red light flashed.
Huo Wen staggered forward two steps. He looked down in disbelief at the hole that had appeared in his chest. Its edges were scorched black, and blood was gushing out.
"You..."
Even as one of Daphne’s most elite assassins, Huo Wen was still an ordinary man. The searing pain in his chest made it hard to breathe.
Huo Wen couldn’t fathom where his opponent had pulled a "new magic wand" from. And what’s more...
"You didn’t say a spell! How did you use magic!"
Blood streamed from his mouth and nose, his face contorted in a ferocious snarl.
The man was tough. Despite his mortal wound, he let out a roar and charged again, attempting to take Wang Xi down with him.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot."
Wang Xi paused.
He raised the muzzle and pulled the trigger.
"Avada Kedavra—"
ZAP!!
A hole appeared in Huo Wen’s forehead. He collapsed to the ground, his legs kicked twice, and then he was as dead as could be.
"WAAAH!!"
Coinage Officer Dick, the chubby minister, and the Palace Alchemist all screamed in terror, scrambling to their feet and backing away.
"Colin! Help me!!"
At the same moment Dick screamed for help, a loud crash echoed from outside the door, signaling that a fight had broken out.
Wang Xi didn’t look back. He trusted Pinocchio to be more than enough to handle the Demon Hunter and the mob downstairs.
He licked his lips and said with a sinister grin:
"Don’t be afraid. It’s not like I’m a devil or anything."