Chapter 70: Trouble

Cantidan. There is a mixture of genuine and counterfeit items, so judging super expensive and dirt cheap items depends on both seller and the buyer.

The clash between the buying side looking to cut the price by even a single coin and the selling side determined to not lose even a single coin was unfolding here and there.

“Hou~…… Is that a journal written by The Great Demon King, Tre’ainar?”

“Yes! It was found on the scene when the Allied forces took control of the Demon King’s Zettsmaite territory, these were orders that Great Demon King Tre’ainar sent to the unit commander who was in charge of the territory.”

And…..

『Never have I sent such a missive. In general, I do not leave handwritten documents. All orders were relayed by the magic crystal, and I only issued instructions to those of the 6 Supremacy class directly. Tis almost impossible to send them to a Commanding Officer class.』

Among the many things that the All-Knowing, All-Powerful Tre’ainar boasts of knowing the most, it’s fakes.

“This is the Wand of Brilliance held by the king of the ruined Kingdom of Monay two centuries ago. Its historical value, is preposterous, as of now however…”

『Tis a fake with simple glasswork embedded within. In the first place, the king of that country had a Sun Staff…』

“This is Kotetsu, the sword wielded by the legendary swordsman Konduo, who was once the pride of Japone!”

『The actual article was once broken by me.』

Or rather, from what I’ve been hearing from Tre’ainar so far……

“…… are there only fakes here?”

『Well, tis how things are. Cantidan is also known as A Thousand and Three.』

“Aha! So if there are a thousand pieces, only three are real?”

『No, you might say three is too generous. Tis likely less.』

At first, I’ll make a fortune…. was what I thought, but the reality doesn’t seem so generous.

After all, if there is no genuine article, there is neither profit nor shit.

『But…… tis actually my first time here, then again…… I believed there was a little more of a ‘behind the scenes’ feel to things, but it does not seem so.』

Then, from Tre’ainar’s muttering, I wondered if he had a slightly different impression of this town.

“Behind the scenes?”

『Speaking of the shadows, tis the shadows. Surely I have mentioned such? While this city is rife with fraudulent crimes of selling counterfeit goods under the guise of legendary treasure, it could not be crushed due to its economic benefits.』

“Yeah.”

『But there was a great pretext that kept it from being crushed. Tis the existence of the ‘Underworld’.』

“Underworld?”

『Uh hun. In such places, items prohibited by law are also traded behind the scenes. In addition to selling counterfeits that are different from the actual price. However, such dealings naturally cause trouble. In order to solve such problems, there is an Underworld organization.』

“…… Ah…… like a bouncer.”

『Tis so. They are compensated by the shops and merchants they place under their protection… At times they act as intermediaries, and oversee dealings behind the scenes with high-ranking officials from all over the world and sometimes they traded secretly with the demons.』

When I watched Tre’ainar talking with a somewhat “Nostalgic” feel, it somehow struck me.

“Hey, maybe the Demon King’s Army…”

『Oh. I was not involved directly, but…… the organization that had been in this town for decades had some involvement with the Demon King’s Army.』

“Whoa…… During the war, humans made deals with the Demon King’s Army….”

『Come now, the world is full of many diverse humans, or so I heard. Those who do not care for law or order…. known as ‘the Mafia’ existed.』

Mafia. I heard that name…eh? That reminded me of something.

“Ah? No, I remembered it in the Mafia…… certainly, a few years ago, my father took the initiative on the ‘Mafia Expulsion Initiative’, and so the minister who was connected with the big organization was disposed of. Hmm… the name was… well…”

I was too young, I wasn’t really interested, and it hasn’t been on the test yet, so I don’t remember much.

But I was aware of such a big event in the Empire.

『……the Bockmati Family……?』

“Ah, yes! That’s it!”

I finally remembered the name when he said it.

And, it seemed to be an organization that Tre’ainar also knew, and he had a slightly surprised expression.

『I see… they have fallen?』

“Did you know them?”

『Well…… there were useful. In addition, the boss of the organization was also a known Martial Artist, one of the Six Supremacy even acknowledged his strength.』

It sounds a little nostalgic…

『The boss of the Bockmati family……’Inai’ expanded the organization with his stout arm, and with fearless audacity, he went to the Demon Realm and traded directly with the Demons.』

“Oh…… Inai… certainly, I saw the name spread in the Imperial City Newspapers. The Imperial Knights captured him.”

『I see… then…… already……』

Tre’ainar had a complicated expression.

Hmm? Why? Tre’ainar said he didn’t trade directly, but I don’t think that’s all there is to it.

I don’t think Tre’ainar would lie, but did he have some important dealing he was emotionally attached to?

When I was about to ask that…

“Somebody, help me.”

“Hmm? Uhhh!?”

There was a crowd around the corner, where a naked woman caught in a net was seeking help.

The moment I saw the woman, I was shocked.

“You, the con woman from earlier!”

“Huh? Oh, geez…It wasn’t me. Hey~, what’s up with you, why so angry?” 1 

The moment the woman saw me, her face turned pale.

Honestly, my anger outweighed my questions about the situation and her nudity and all that.

“Hey, you! Return the 50,000 that you just took!”

“Hey, wait, I have nothing!”

“There’s no way! It just happened!”

“It’s true, look at the state I’m in, utterly naked! A weird girl robbed me saying, ‘This money is confiscated’!”

Saying that, her naked body and huge milk jugs, which were swollen red for some reason, as if slapped many times in anger…. I don’t care, it’s not! 2 

Also, don’t let the boobs and stuff fool you again, me!

“Too bad! You trample on people’s good will! Purity! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Well, I didn’t cheat you… I gave you a vase, right? You’re the one who was convinced 50,000 was its worth and paid up, right?”

“A dirt cheap vase, don’t quibble with the guy you fed false stories for sympathy to take his money.”

I’m trying my best not to be fooled again, the hand-print on her breast…. I desperately turned my eyes away from the breasts, and I lash out at the woman.

To be honest, I don’t know why the woman was robbed, but I have to ask her to pay me back my money, even if it was a causal retribution.

But……

“Hey… It was not a theft, but a price of a vase was given and money was exchanged neatly, and the deal was settled. You’re the one who’s uncouth after it was approved, pal.”

“That’s the way it is. It’s against the city’s rules to try to resolve a deal that has been settled with violence, right?”

“Well, it sucks you got deceived.”

It was then.

Three men came out to the front, parting out the crowd.

“AH? What the hell, you guys.”

The men who came out are young, and they may be older than me, but they are in their late teens to early twenties?

All of them wore long black coats for some reason, and the clothes had some flashy embroidery.

And the hair style, a weird baguette like shape rose from the guy’s head. No, really, what is that? 3 

“Yo, Date. I heard a strange woman was attacking you and I rushed over… what happened?”

“Ah, you’re too late! ‘Kamikaze Gang’! Get me down quickly and catch the woman who robbed me of my money! And take care of the brat!”

“Good grief, Calm the fuck down. He’s just a freaking kid? Well~, you fell for it, didn’t you?”

And, they seem to be acquainted with the woman…. or rather, is she famous in this town?

“Oh, they’re from big bro’s gang.”

“Gonna put those figures to good use today too!”

“Hey, good job bros!”

“Hey, no ‘Bro Leader’ today? If you stay, I’ve got some good booze for you later.”

The merchants of the city are cheering with a smile on their faces at the situation.

But to me, it looks like the strange men suddenly got in the way.

And the guys approached me in a familiar manner.

“Hey, brother. There are rules in this town. Don’t complain after a deal is done… let alone resort to violence. I’m sorry you have been duped by this thot, but take it as a tuition fee and give up.”

“That’s the way it is. If you don’t properly follow the rules, dudes like us show up.”

Saying that, the men stood shoulder to shoulder me and tapped my head…. it was irritating.

But at the same time, somehow I understood these guys.

“You guys? You’re the underworld in this town? Just when you think the Bockmati family was ruined, there are still people like you guys?”

An underworld organization which managed the town that my father should have already destroyed.

However, even if you think that it’s gone, a new alternative organization would be established again.

Though not as refined…………

“Hahaha…… Hey, don’t go lumping us with those Bockmati shits.”

But maybe he didn’t like what I said, and the guy’s eyebrows twitched a little.

“Ah? Could you say that the guys defending the woman who robbed a poor teenage kid of what little money he had are loftier than the people of the organization that perished?”

I was honestly irritated by the encounter, so I went tit-for-tat with provocative words at the guys who showed up.

But in my words……

“Hey, hey, wait there, guys!”

“That’s right! I don’t know who the kid is, I don’t even know what’s going on, I don’t know about the Kamikaze gang.”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the guys who responded first, but the merchants in the city.

Everyone looked offended at words and tried to argue back.

But……

“Well, wait and see, uncles. It may be quite ignorant to pick a fight with us in this town, but it’s ballsy of this pompous prat, the nerve on this kid.”

The guys took control of the opposing voices by themselves, only one of them stepped forward and snapped his fist, and faced me.

“It’s okay. We don’t just work over those who break the rules… it is also the team’s rule to buy a fight that’s been sold. So, come on!”

If I come this far, even I, who is said to be dull, knew where this was going.

In other words, we’re going to fight.

“No, wait a minute. I don’t want violence or a fight. I just want my 50,000 back.”

“Ah. But, even if we don’t get the situation, we think that making fools of us is selling a fight. If you don’t like it, you can apologize on your knees.”

“Ah? Apologize? I don’t know.”

They’re much simpler and easier to understand than those merchants who try to sell products you don’t know whether they are fake or genuine or strange women that forced their bosom on you.

“Then come on, brat! We’ll engrave the Kamikaze Gang on your body, mind, and heart!”

Saying so, the man with the baguette head raised both fists and held it. At the same time, the crowd gathered round and cheers rose up.

“Remember it! I’m the Third Suicide Fighter of the Kamikaze Gang, the name is –“

“I don’t care.”

“Eh!?”

“I mean, it doesn’t even resonate in the Imperial Capital over the mountains, so that’s about it, right?”

…… before the cheers rose, and before anyone gave their name, I jumped into the opponent’s pocket with a momentary step-in and smashed with the left…. and stopped it.

“Ah, eh…… What?”

“”””………… Eh??””””

Not only the person himself, from that moment, while the merchants, who expected to see a fight of the organization they seemed to adore for some reason, were frozen with their mouths wide open, I nimble went by the Baguette head guy and ran towards the other two men.

“Hey, hold on… What the fuck is ――― eh !?”

“Oh no!”

“Heh!?”

In a rush, the guy threw a right fist counterattack but I crossed that right fist and threw a counter to the man’s face….

“Great Demon Light Cross”

…… I stopped just before…

“Hey, ah, ah…… th-this guy.”

I immediately turned to the other, and, before he had finished talking, stopped a screw-like punch on the chin and the right temple.

The next moment, everyone was speechless, and the three men who appeared were rather taken aback than dazed.

Well, I guess that’s it.

It was a little different from Tre’ainar’s quest for authenticity, but before the fight, I knew that the three would not be the match for me by their manners, their muscles and their form.

So, to the three who were stunned….

“This is a merchant town, right? Then you guys… must learn to discern the true power of the opponent you’re fighting.”

I said, as if I were looking down on them.

Author’s Notes

I finally returned to Japan, went to Nagoya for three consecutive holidays, and finally came back. Refreshed? No, on the other hand, I’m tired, but tomorrow… no, I’d like to start from today.

And everyone was worried about a lot of things, but there were no problems such as immigration and check-in overseas. Rather, the metal detector was smooth and said “good”.

However, there were some unexpected things. What in Nagoya! I stayed at a capsule hotel, but the room temperature was high, so when I was wandering around in just the right outfit, I was warned, “the guest should not walk around in that….” I apologize to all the staff.

[S1]Yeah, when in a jam, go the Shaggy route.

[S2]You just know Instant Memory Magic, 【Canonicon】is working overtime here.

[S3]That is a Pompadour. Or rather, the Anime Version…