C 113
"I can't let my father go like this."
It seemed that whether it was half a person or half a building, something would be left incomplete.
"Kwauuuk!"
Someone!
"Kyauk!"
"Eirin, what are you doing?"
"Kyung, kkyuk!"
I need someone to stop Dad!
I cried a lot and expressed my will, but it didn't seem like he understood what I was saying.
Me too! I want to talk!
In other novels, dragons speak well, so what's my problem?
It was at the moment when I simply hung my head because I felt dejected.
"...Eirin?"
My eyes opened at the familiar voice.
"Kyung!"
Callan! Silian!
Just in time, I raised my front paws with a happy expression, and the two of them came running with their eyes wide open.
"This is really crazy..."
"The plush couldn't capture half of her cuteness."
Can you stop saying things like that with a serious expression?
Embarrassed, I waved my hands and rolled my eyes to look at my father.
Only then did Callan and Silian follow me and turn their attention to my father.
"Oh, Father was here too."
No, what do you mean?
"Yes."
"Father. But where were you going? Why did it turn out like this?"
"The culprit who released the Hatar made Eirin like this. That's why I'm on my way to kill him."
No, don't say such vulgar things with such an elegant expression!
"But were you on your way to kill him? Not to catch the culprit?"
"......"
"......"
I quickly shook my head while looking at Callan and Silian.
"Oh, really?"
Silian looked at me and smiled.
"I'll bring you a sword."
Silian disappeared and reappeared in less than a few minutes.
"This isn't..."
Callan was wearing a wizard's robe and holding a staff in one hand.
"Kyauk!"
No, not like this!
"Yes, we'll avenge you."
I don't want that!
"Let's go."
And so began the strange family outing.
Dad covered me with a soft cloth, so only my face was exposed.
"Kyung!"
I bumped into him here!
When I raised my front paw, the three of them stopped at the same time.
"He's still there."
This sweet but unpleasant smell.
I squinted and smelled the air. This unpleasant smell was faint, but it continued somewhere.
"Kyauk!"
"Do you mean around here?"
"Kyung!"
I nodded, and Callan suddenly stuck his head out to examine me.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" When I tilted my head, the boy's expression became even fiercer.
"How could this little thing touch it...?"
Callan, who had been looking at me, began to walk in the direction I pointed, burning with even more anger.
After passing through the alleys, we arrived at a fairly remote area of the market.
Seeing that there were few people and a rugged-looking person walking around, I somehow thought I had come to the right place.
And the place we finally arrived at was a seemingly nice building.
However, there were two fierce mercenaries standing in front of the building, and people seemed busy coming and going from time to time.
"It's a gambling house."
"Kwyuk?!"
It's a gambling house?
"Yes, I didn't know you would come to this gambling house."
Dad smiled faintly, as if he knew something.
"Kyauk?"
Dad?
"Yes, I don't think there's any problem here."
"Who runs this place?"
Callan Etham asked. So, did Dad laugh?
"Me."
"Kyum...?"
"To be precise, this is the place I made to rebel against His Excellency when I was young."
What?
I was speechless at the scale of rebellion that had been different since he was young.
"At that time... to the gam... No. I think I left it to one of my subordinates."
Dad's words left me speechless. You were trying to say gamble, right?
As I looked at my father, he naturally handed me over to Callan's arms.
"Wait here for a moment."
"What?"
"I'm the kind of person who's pretty good at finding rotten people."
But it's full of rotten people in there.
Dad headed towards the building very calmly.
The mercenaries blocked Dad's path, but when Dad moved his hand slightly with a smile on his face, they all fell headfirst to the ground.
"Eirin."
"Kyum!"
"Should we have something delicious here?"
Callan Etham smiled and pointed to the market. Didn't Dad just say to wait?
As I moved my front paw, Callan Etham hugged me, told me it was okay, and went on.
"Kyuu..."
He said to wait, so shouldn't you wait?
Apparently reading something in my sullen expression, Silian opened his mouth.
"He's doing it because he wants to get rid of all the useless trouble before officially revealing that you're the family matriarch. It will probably take some time to process everything, so let's play for an hour, okay?"
At Silian's words, I blinked and nodded.
I kept looking at the mercenaries on the ground, then went to the market with Silian in Callan's arms.
***
A slight wrinkle appeared on Erno Etham's forehead as he entered the gambling hall.
Everything was filled with acrid smoke, and there were also those with dilated pupils or those who had consumed drugs.
Not only that, but the sound of money and all kinds of games happening here and there was so loud it would break your eardrums.
"...A unique cigar."
Erno Etham had once enjoyed smoking cigars, so he was familiar with the cigars circulating in the imperial capital.
The location is specific, so finding it shouldn't be difficult.
The reason Erno Etham created this gambling hall and didn't close it down was because it was a place where quite useful information was gathered.
The most valuable information is the law of rolling down. Even on the surface, VIPs and the rich gathered in the gambling hall, which was open underground.
Erno Etham didn't believe that money was everything. Information was also worth it.
Those without money simply sold information. A place where information is valued and stored.
For a while, he hadn't used it because he didn't need information or anyone's weakness.
Oh, except when he stole information from Duke Collin.
"At that time, even though I stole it, no information came out."
A clean person whose front and back were not very different was troublesome. No matter how much you shake it, not a speck of dust comes out.
"I didn't know it would be this useful."
Erno Etham entered quietly. It wasn't difficult to spot someone with a cigar in their mouth.
"As expected, he's not here."
Most likely, he's down there.
It was when he naturally moved to the place where there was an entrance to the underground.
Someone put a hand on Erno Etham's shoulder.
"It's forbidden to enter there."
"Don't touch me."
"This side is forbidden..."
Baam-!
Erno Etham grabbed the man's arm and threw him to the ground. It was so swift that you couldn't even see it.
"Obviously, I told you to keep your hands off me."
Said Erno Etham, patting him on the shoulder as if dusting him off.
"Who are you?!"
Guards and mercenaries scattered here and there quickly surrounded Erno Etham.
It was when Erno Etham was about to draw the sword from his waist with a big smile.
"What's this commotion!"
A burly, muscular, and formidable-looking man pushed his way through the crowd.
"It's been a while, meongmeong*."
(*N/T: "Meongmeong" is a Korean sound equivalent to a dog's bark. It's used to express disbelief or nonsense. It's a kind of slang, and using it can be offensive to someone who hears the word.)
"...!"
The man's eyes widened, and soon the muscular man shivered and lowered his head in visibly pitiful exhaustion.
"What- What are you doing here? M-Master..."
"I was trying to find something... Dogs don't recognize their owners."
"I'm sorry, I'll correct it right away. Get out immediately and return to your post!"
Seeing the visibly embarrassed man, the servants put on bewildered faces but moved away from his fierce spirit.
Their employer had always been a fierce and tough man, to the point where he couldn't simply be called a solitary general.
"It is said that even dogs act like wolves among stray dogs."
Erno Etham slowly extended his hand.
Then the man hastily bent down and placed his chin in Erno Etham's palm.
Then, the mouths of the people surrounding them opened wide.
Erno Etham scratched his chin and spoke.
"So, is it worth acting as the owner of a gambling house?"
"Yes, I'm fine thanks to you."
"It seems so. It's quite good compared to when you were trying to drug me, without knowing the subject while pretending to be a pharmacist."
"...It's all thanks to the young master."
"I suppose so."
Erno Etham withdrew his hand and nodded. The man straightened up.
"I have a daughter."
"...Yes?"
"One of the guests laid their hands on my daughter."
His eyes curved and bent into a crescent moon shape.
"What? What kind of lunatic...?"
The man's mouth dropped open.
The man had once been blinded by money and attempted to harm Erno Etham, but then he rolled and tumbled under him for years and became his dog.
But he touched his daughter?
It's surprising that he has a daughter, but a daughter he surely cares enough about to walk all the way here?
"All I know is that he smokes unique cigars, but from what I've heard, they don't seem to circulate in the empire."
"Ah..."
The man's eyes widened despite receiving little information.
"I think I know who it is."
"Yes?"
"Yes, now he's in the VIP room in the basement. He's quite a heavy gambler, but he often comes to bet and meets someone frequently. But it doesn't seem like he enjoys the game, it's more like... I feel like he's betting on the room and to maintain his status."
The man added that a secret room is provided to the highest-ranking VIP.
"...It's there."
Erno Etham's face lit up.
"Lead the way."
Erno Etham nodded.
"To be caught by someone crazier than me, what the hell did he do...? He just signed his death warrant."
Judging by the expression on his face, it didn't seem like he was just acting like a fool.
The man shook his head and guided him.
The man who skillfully found and guided the labyrinthine underground path stopped in front of the door.
"Is he in here?"
"Yes, he's in here."
"Alright, wait here for a moment."
Erno Etham unsheathed his sword, took only the scabbard, and handed it to the man.
"Oh, don't worry. I won't kill him."
He opened the door.
"Who is-...?"
Bamp!
"Aargh!"
"Let's begin."
The door closed with Erno Etham's resolute voice.
The man who was ordered to stay outside closed his eyes.
Indeed, it didn't take long before the sound of a beating resonated incessantly through the underground labyrinth.
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