NOVEL WEB Chapter 356
Chapter 356. Apex Predator
The Hero who barged in is demanding, “Bring out Gordon!”
Gordon was more perplexed than he had been in years by the thug’s words. The surrounding colleagues looked at him with expressions that clearly said, “What the heck did you do?”
…This is bad.
“So I’ve finally been found out! I swiped some cash from the Holy Church a while back!”
As Gordon spoke this nonsense, he theatrically slapped his forehead.
“…You actually did that?!”
“The Hero’s losing it! How much did you steal?!”
“W-well, how much was it again, haha…”
Laughing nervously, he picked up the dropped pipe and coins, stomping his shoe to extinguish the smoking tobacco scraps on the floor.
“So, I’m gonna take off for a bit!”
“Do that, do that.”
“At that rate, you might end up dead!”
He dashed into his room and hastily grabbed as much stuff as he could carry.
“Sorry about this, everyone! …See ya!”
Glancing back at his colleagues, he took a good look at their faces before sprinting off.
“Take care!”
“Keep a low profile for a while!”
“Y-you guys, it’s bad! The ‘teacher’ has been taken down!!”
“Eh!?”
With the voices of shock ringing in his ears, all sentiment was wiped away from Gordon’s chest, and for the first time in years, the cold-hearted spy demeanor returned.
(—Why is the Holy Church targeting me so specifically?)
In the brief moment he dashed down the corridor, his mind raced.
(The contact must’ve been killed instantly—was that information wrong? Or maybe they fed me false information to lower my guard while actually being captured and interrogated somewhere? No, too many witnesses—there’s no way they could pull that off… If that’s the case…)
The only explanation left was that.
(Originally, the info about me and the contact got leaked altogether…!)
Somewhere else entirely, a spy had been caught…!
(If that’s the case, who? If they know where I work, then it could be Trishe, Frauud, or Arnaak…)
One by one, he recalled the faces of the Night Elf spies. Who leaked it was a critical point; it would change the routes and destinations for his escape.
(…Damn it, I can’t tell!)
But at this point, he had no way to speculate. Even someone as much of a gambler as Gordon was not willing to take a shot betting on one of them. It was safer to think that ‘none of this sounds good.’
(Then, the safest route would be to go south then circle back west…?)
It would be quite the distance to cover, but he might as well aim for the Madata-Skull area to retreat.
Having thought that much in an instant and identified a rough escape route, Gordon faced an immediate problem.
“Where the heck do I run?”
If he continued straight down the hall, he’d hit the back exit of the gambling hall. If he climbed the stairs on the right, he would reach the rooftop. To the left was a door to the basement, which actually connected to the sewers.
…The Hero charging in from the front is undoubtedly a diversion. With his true identity already pinpointed, it was highly likely that the building was surrounded. The Holy Church folks were probably waiting for some dimwitted dark guy to come stumbling out thinking it was all fine after hearing the Hero was attacking.
(The back exit is a no-go. It wouldn’t be surprising if some herbivore has their bow drawn. The rooftop… probably wouldn’t be great either, escaping from Beastman soldiers while roof-hopping would be tough.)
Then, by the process of elimination…
(Must be the sewers…)
If the info wasn’t leaked through the contact but from another city’s spy… the escape route they used wouldn’t be known. After all, Gordon himself had painstakingly dug to connect the basement floor to the sewers.
Still, the Beastman colleagues had sensed the “hole had been opened” due to the stench for a few years, so if the info leaked through the Hoozenflame Family, that would be the end of it.
“……..”
Despite the time pressure, Gordon flicked a coin.
“Faceside”
Snapping it up in mid-air, he checked—faceside.
(…Guess I have no choice!)
Anyway, from behind, the scary Hero was closing in.
He steeled himself for an ambush and resigned to diving into the sewers to escape. Like a sewer rat…!!
As he headed for the basement, he ripped a handkerchief and wrapped it around his mouth as a makeshift mask. Rolling a wine barrel in the basement to clear it, he lifted a tile, peeled up the wooden board below it—
“W-whoosh…”
A stench that stung his eyes. Just thinking about squeezing himself down there made him want to cry.
“Damn it~~~… Just what you’d expect from the sewers…”
Muttering to himself, he stuck the pipe in his mouth. He wanted to avoid it getting covered in filth at all costs.
Thus, Gordon slipped into the narrow sewer. To buy even a little more time, he blocked the entrance again with the tile and wooden board as he entered. If a Beastman was nearby, they’d pick up on the stench, but if this could buy him just a moment more without being discovered…
(It’s getting to the point where I can barely smell it anymore.)
Wading through the filthy water, he moved cautiously. He had to be careful not to get dirty water in his eyes; that was the main thing he needed to avoid, so he rushed as quickly as he could—
(Once I get out, I need to do something about my clothes. It’s already hard enough to escape as it is without stinking and attracting the attention of Beastman soldiers. Should I maybe change my face a bit, too?)
As he gingerly stroked his cheek with a clean hand, Gordon thought.
(I should have just skinned some random human for a disguise back then…)
Then he suddenly remembered the colleagues who had seen him off earlier.
“……..”
Well, they were weaklings, and he could have subdued all of them in seconds if he wanted.
(But I didn’t have time to skin anyone…)
Thus, nothing happened. That much was clear.
(I’ll just look for some homeless person in the slums…)
His dagger was covered in filth anyway, so he was getting a bit down about it when he noticed a light ahead.
A faint glimmer—moonlight, the exit from the sewers was near! The iron grate at the exit was designed so that the second one from the right could be turned clockwise to unlock, and a slender man could easily slip through…!
Cautiously checking for an ambush, he stepped outside, a bit jittery.
“….Hah!”
No holy attribute magic, no miraculous light, and no arrows raining down—he was safe. Letting out a huge sigh, Gordon greedily inhaled the outside air. …What a refreshing feeling!
Though he was in a filthy sewer in the slums. Still better than the sewers; at least he was outside.
Splashing through the muck, Gordon crawled up onto dry land—
“Excuse me”
He jumped, startled by the voice.
Turning around, he saw a delicate-looking pale girl standing there.
She exuded an aura far too mismatched for the slums—her silver hair glittered in the moonlight, giving off an otherworldly presence…
With a plop, the pipe fell from Gordon’s mouth and sank into the muck.
He was instantly captivated by the incredibly beautiful, mystical glow of her golden eyes.
Of course, he missed the motionless slum-dwellers piled up behind her.
“Are you Gordon?”
The silver-haired girl tilted her head slightly and asked.
“Y-yeah… that’s me… I’m Gordon…”
Gordon nodded, in a somewhat dazed tone.
“The dealer, Gordon?”
“Yeah… from the Hoozenflame Family…”
“Thank goodness—”
The girl smiled gently, as if relieved.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she thrust her dagger straight into Gordon’s chest.