Those Who Live Without the Law

Chapter 65

The Archaeologist’s Misfortune (2)

Of course, what Melvin said was something anyone should naturally check.

If someone asked to borrow an identity, it was only reasonable to know exactly where they intended to use it and how likely it was they’d get caught.

But most people, when faced with someone gripping a sword hilt with an expression like they were ready to kill, wouldn’t get that far in their thoughts.

‘Selling off your future just to survive the present.’

However, Melvin Istovan wasn’t swept away by immediate fear and terror. Kairus, who had slightly drawn out the stained glass, pushed it back into the sheath and said,

“I’m going to swipe the list of artifacts currently stored in the vault.”

At Kairus’s words, Melvin made a hesitant sound, “Uh, uh…” and then, in a crawling voice, said,

“Wouldn’t it be difficult with just the ID badge? I mean, well… wouldn’t the best way be for me to go in and bring out the list myself?”

Kairus responded with a look of disbelief.

“Bullshit. What the hell do I have to trust about you to leave you with that job?”

It wasn’t entirely wrong at a glance. If Melvin Istovan cooperated actively, there would be no need for Kairus to enter the vault himself.

Melvin could use his own ID badge to enter the vault, collect the list of artifacts, and simply come back out.

The problem was, this plan had a fundamental flaw in its premise.

‘What if that bastard pretends to cooperate, goes into the vault, and subtly tips off a soldier?’

Kairus imagined Dana Watson swinging Angelene’s Answer down on his head. It was a convincing trap, but not even worth considering.

“Ah, r-right. That’s true.”

Melvin, disheartened again, let out a soft sound.

“One of the soldiers currently on guard duty has a young daughter.”

“…So?”

“If we kidnap her and lock her up, then let him know where she is, wouldn’t he… maybe step away from his post?”

Kairus felt a headache coming on for a moment. What was wrong with this lunatic? He trembled like a leaf but spoke some seriously vicious things.

“Why not just dismember his daughter and scatter her limbs to the four winds so it takes longer to reassemble them? That sound like a plan to you?”

At Kairus’s sarcastic remark, Melvin let out a flustered noise, scratched his head, and replied,

“M-maybe… doing something that would cause unnecessary grudges might not be, uh, such a good idea.”

Was he seriously talking about not earning grudges after proposing to kidnap an innocent girl?

Kairus clicked his tongue and said,

“I already have a plan.”

“I’d really like to hear it. I mean… if the success rate is low, either way I’m, you know… going to die, right?”

Kairus looked at Melvin with a displeased expression. He’d seen plenty of airheads before, but it had been a while since he’d come across someone this jumbled up.

“I killed the newspaper editor and stuffed him in a cabinet. Once I get the ID badge from you, I’m going to toss that corpse into the residence where the battalion commander stays.”

Melvin flinched slightly at Kairus’s words. It wasn’t out of fear or terror. It was a tremble mixed with a strange kind of excitement.

“If the editor’s body is found in the commander’s residence… I see. That would cause chaos. They wouldn’t know who to blame, or who did it. Very, very…”

Melvin Istovan, a scrawny and pale man, licked his lips and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

‘Dangerous bastard.’

Kairus could clearly and distinctly sense a sliver of madness. He’d thought Melvin was like plain water, but he was more like an unhatched snake’s egg.

However, just like a weed that quickly takes root and grows if it finds the right soil, the seed of madness planted in Melvin Istovan’s heart would also sprout rapidly given the right environment.

‘For example, Bennett City.’

If Melvin Istovan wanted to live a normal life, he had to avoid heading to Bennett City.

But Melvin Istovan had no choice but to come to Bennett City. To confirm the location of Pontus, his archaeological knowledge was necessary.

“Oh, right. What was it… Yes. Do you happen to have any equipment used by the Imperial Army?”

“Why are you suddenly asking that?”

In response to Kairus’s question, Melvin Istovan said,

“If you do, and you used it to inflict wounds on the corpse…”

At Melvin’s suggestion, Kairus nodded for a moment. The corpse was already meant to be misunderstood. If some extra work could produce a greater effect, there was no reason not to do it.

After thinking briefly, Kairus looked at his own gauntlet.

‘The flechettes loaded in this thing match military specs.’

If he embedded them throughout the body, it would definitely look like the Imperial Army had done it.

“What I’m asking from you right now isn’t that, it’s the ID badge.”

At Kairus’s words, Melvin glanced around nervously, then nodded and handed over the ID badge hanging from his neck.

“Und…erstood. But, if you really do have the Yucheok Sword, I’d really like you to take me with you to Bennett City.”

“If the circumstances and conditions allow it.”

Kairus couldn’t give a definite answer. But Melvin wasn’t expecting one either.

‘There were two of us when we came, but there’ll be three when we leave.’

With that thought, Kairus checked the ID badge once more, then handed some money to Melvin.

“You’d better catch the fastest train headed to Bennett City right now.”

“You want me to go to that dangerous place?”

Melvin asked in a mix of confusion and fear. Even as an archaeologist, he knew well the infamous reputation of Bennett City.

“Why not? It’s a city of great archaeological value. You’re not interested?”

Melvin flinched at Kairus’s words.

“Well, that’s true.”

The Antaria Grand Canal, one of the great mysteries left behind by Dersos. Bennett City was a place every archaeologist dreamed of visiting at least once.

“You’re lucky. At the very least, until that place called Pontus is either discovered or proven to be fake, you’ll be able to stay safely in Bennett City.”

“…Can you guarantee that?”

“I don’t know yet.”

At Kairus’s reply, Melvin let out a nervous squeak.

“You want me to risk my life and head to that infamous city on something so uncertain?”

“It’ll eventually come out that someone used your ID badge to access the vault.”

Though Kairus was in disguise, so the military wouldn’t be able to pinpoint him as a suspect, it would be clear that someone entered the vault using Melvin Istovan’s ID badge.

“If you stay here, you’re definitely screwed. But if you go to Bennett City, there’s a high chance you’ll survive.”

Melvin checked the money Kairus handed him and asked,

“What about going somewhere else…”

“If you think you can avoid the Empire’s eyes by going somewhere other than Bennett City, then be my guest.”

In truth, it was practically impossible. Bennett City, embroiled in a territorial dispute between the Aylan Republic and the Valorn Empire, was the most secure place to escape the Empire’s pursuit.

“…I suppose this might be a good chance to see the Antaria Grand Canal. Right?”

Melvin Istovan spoke as if resigning himself to the decision, then headed straight to the train station.

After parting ways with Melvin, Kairus headed directly to the public telephone set up in city hall. He needed to contact the Rose Garden.

He had the contact number. It wasn’t a direct line to Cecilia, but he planned to request to be connected.

Believing they would accept the deal, Kairus dialed the phone.

― What is it?

“I’d like to sincerely apologize to the Representative for the mistake I made earlier.”

He immediately heard a scoffing laugh from the other end.

― The Representative is busy. She has no time to spare for someone like you. Especially a dead man walking.

As expected, Cecilia intended to kill Kairus in Rezantin City.

“Perhaps… I could be of use to the Rose Garden. I was wondering if that might delay my death.”

― Hold.

As if they had been expecting Kairus to say something like this, a member of the Rose Garden organization left a short reply.

After a brief pause, the signal changed.

― Yes, this is Cecilia.

“Representative.”

A voice Kairus already knew came through the receiver.

― Name your price for your life. I’ll be the one to decide.

“There appears to be a massive shelter built by the Dersos civilization underground near Bennett City.”

At Kairus’s words, Cecilia fell silent for a moment.

― And?

“After finishing my business in Rezantin City, I’ll return to Bennett City and begin the search for that shelter.”

Cecilia gave a small scoff over the line.

“If the shelter I find doesn’t please you, or if I fail to find it, you can punish me then. It won’t be too late.”

At Kairus’s words, Cecilia fell into brief thought while holding the receiver.

In truth, there was no rule that said Kairus had to share this information with the Rose Garden. He simply contacted them first because they currently held his life in their hands.

Lukas’s Children or the Areumdri Pawnshop would also be interested in the information about a large underground shelter near Bennett City.

‘If it’s true, even if we don’t get it ourselves, we can’t let another group have it. And if Kairus is lying, I’ll just kill him the moment it’s revealed.’

After weighing the pros and cons, Cecilia quickly reached a conclusion.

― Well, I do prefer getting a piece of real estate for free over the life of a single man.

“Thank you.”

It seemed Cecilia was willing to let Kairus live. Her tone even softened again. Of course, that only applied if Kairus actually succeeded in finding the shelter.

Right now, he was like a walking corpse whose death had merely been postponed.

To truly come back from the dead, he needed to accomplish his goal at the vault and escape from Rezantin City.

― Ah, but I won’t be lending you any help to ensure your survival. I won’t interfere further, so make sure you finish the job and escape on your own.

If he failed to escape and died, that would be the end. She had no intention of dealing with someone who wasn’t capable.

“May I ask just one question?”

― What is it?

“How did you know?”

The documents from Simid Kellogg had no problems. Could she possibly know about the rebellion too? Kairus asked, and Cecilia answered.

― The Treasury Chief was involved in shady dealings. And any large-scale illegal activity always runs through Bennett City one way or another.

Kairus could roughly grasp the situation. The supplies, equipment, and manpower needed for rebellion couldn’t realistically be acquired through legal means.

‘They must’ve compared the guarantees they issued before with the documents I sent.’

Even if they didn’t know the Treasury Chief’s exact objective, they could tell something was off with the documents Kairus had submitted.

The call with Cecilia ended.

“What a charming woman.”

She really had a way of picking just the right words to say. If he had the chance and the ability, he’d love to stab a few knives into her back.

With that thought, Kairus set the receiver down.

“…Let’s do this.”

Saying she wouldn’t interfere anymore at the very least meant she wouldn’t tip off Dana Watson when Kairus entered the vault.

For real now, everything was ready. Kairus headed to the garbage collection site where he had left the cabinet to retrieve the corpse.

The cabinet was still abandoned there. Apparently, no one had taken an interest in it.

“If I get caught, it’s over.”

Kairus took a deep breath as he hauled the cart carrying the cabinet toward the garrison.

‘I won’t be suspected up to this point.’

There was no way to enter the military base while carrying the cabinet.

Once near the garrison, Kairus hid the cabinet on the rooftop of a nearby building and headed for the garrison.

It was now time to steal one of the winter uniforms worn by the patrols and create a gap in their schedule.

‘Five minutes.’

He didn’t need much. Just five minutes would do. He didn’t even need to hide the stolen uniform well.