The Druid Who Swallowed Mother Nature - Chapter 20



Only Noblemtl

Episode 20. Don’t make a deal

Citizens who witnessed my confrontation with Brotherhood members from a distance circled around the intersection.

The man clicked his tongue, glancing sideways at the procession that parted like a miracle of Moses.

“Tsk tsk, do you think you can run away like that?”

“We’re still gentlemen. If we get caught by that Paul guy, we’ll get ripped off.”

Isn’t it just one street corner that’s blocked?

Listening to the story, it seemed like there were a lot of organization members scattered around here.

‘It would be a waste of time to keep people indefinitely.’

Galaga City is a massive city that operates as a single nation.

It would take a lifetime to achieve the goal by blocking the road and searching for one suspect.

It’s not that the Brotherhood is stupid and doesn’t know that.

If it had been done based on solid evidence, it would have been a convincing action.

‘It probably bit my tail.’

As I mentioned earlier, it wasn’t difficult to pinpoint the day.

I wonder if I got a clue from somewhere that he was staying at a hotel in this area.

They tracked me down earlier than I expected.

This would have been a headache before going to the brokerage office.

But things were different now.

“You get the general idea, right? Then stop wasting time and take off your hat quickly.”

The man put his hands in his pockets as if he was giving an ultimatum.

The bulging outline made it look like a folding weapon of the knife type.

‘He threatened me in broad daylight, even pulling out a knife.’

This means you have confidence.

“Are you okay?”

“what.”

“It may be okay to block off an alley and install it, but the police will not tolerate blocking off floating population.”

“Phehe, is that the word you managed to get out after rolling Shinchan around?”

The man shrugged his shoulders, saying it was ridiculous.

“I’ve already made an agreement with those guys. Don’t you know that the police department will turn a blind eye to kidnappings and murders as long as you put money in their back pockets?”

Anyway, it was hard to find a corner of this city that wasn’t corrupt.

It would have been annoying in normal times, but on the contrary, it was a comforting story to me now.

“Are you saying that no matter what happens here, the police department won’t intervene?”

“Okay, so don’t be needlessly proud and just crawl… … .”

Before he could finish speaking, the bastard’s eyes widened as he saw something bizarre.

What was reflected in the dry pupils was a bundle of brown stems that had swollen as if encroaching on the roadside.

“What, what! This… … Ugh!”

“Ooh, oooh!”

I stroked the trunk of the World Tree with my other hand.

The bundle of stems, thicker and more shiny than before, seemed to show the growth of a child.

The blades of grass sprouting from the stems on the ground looked mysterious like a landscape painting, out of place in the grim atmosphere.

But the perception of the guys who were caught and tied up by him would have been different.

There was an unconcealed fear on the faces of those who turned towards me.

“I should have known that if I tried to check people ignorantly and without any faith, this would eventually happen.”

It is a city where criminals and monsters who hide their identities live among the general public.

Is it any different from the bustling 3rd district?

Even if it weren’t for me, it would have caused some noise someday.

“But your efforts weren’t in vain.”

As I pushed my hat back, the men exchanged glances with trembling eyes.

That suspicious reaction convinced me that he was targeting me.

“I don’t think I need two to open my mouth.”

Boom!

A bomb-like impact shattered the pavement with a loud noise.

The body of the cocky man was buried between the falling rocks that shot up into the air.

“I believe you won’t keep your mouth shut for no reason other than loyalty.”

The pale man’s throat cleared slightly.

You won’t be punished for doing useless things.

The spirit’s light, innocently playing between the branches, clearly illuminated the movements of the man who was left behind.

“Tell me everything you know about your branch.”

I’m not saying I’m going to let go of the anchor.

The plan I came up with was something they couldn’t have hoped for.

‘Even if you don’t try to catch me, I’ll go and find you myself.’

A connection to the Brotherhood written in the Warlock’s personal records.

In order to dig into this, contact with them was inevitable.

***

Contrary to popular belief, the nights on Earth 4 were not dark.

If the lights of the city center of District 3 are the splendid nighttime splendor of a city, the lights illuminating District 4 are soft and persistent.

It was a spectacle created by a cloud of murky desires that could only be resolved in a lawless zone.

The bars lined up in prime locations have begun full-scale business.

I wasn’t fooled by its exterior, which reminded me of an ordinary store.

The real revenue of the District 4 bar does not come from the sale of alcohol.

Drug parties, illegal dealings and banned procedures carried out in hidden spaces inside were the main sources of income.

Ordinary people don’t even bother to visit places like this out of curiosity.

The ones who frequent it so blatantly that it makes you suspect they are addicted are either the kind of people who are capable of it or the powerful people who can handle it.

And blind money attracts worms.

It was common sense that the Brotherhood, the representative of the mob, would become entangled with him.

“The Brotherhood kids are really acting up these days.”

“It seemed quiet for a while. Is there going to be another power war in Earth 4?”

“I don’t know, but I heard that the organization members were hurt and wanted revenge.”

“Revenge? That’s not even funny.”

The Brotherhood’s movements were a hot topic in District 4.

Half of the stories overheard on the street were about this incident.

Of course, it’s an unusual move for those guys.

When I started this, I thought I could just quietly pass by, but I never imagined that I would end up coming out to negotiate like this.

‘Is this it?’

I stopped in front of a building where noise was leaking out loud through a crack in the door.

The roughly painted windows were flooded with stimulating red and blue light.

I knew I had come to the right place because I saw a group of closely-cropped, balding men standing guard at the door.

This was the 102nd branch base that I heard about from the Brotherhood members.

“Hey, what are you doing there?”

“If you have nothing to do, don’t loiter around and get out.”

They came closer and threatened me, perhaps because they were annoyed by my wandering around trying to check on the situation.

“Is this the only way to treat guests?”

“Guest? If you want to be treated as a guest, you have to show your face first.”

“You don’t know anything, but if you keep acting suspiciously like that, you’ll end up in trouble somewhere.”

I know the horrors of the lawless zone better than they do.

This was a kind of consideration.

“If I show my face around, won’t it only harm you?”

“what?”

I pulled my hat up halfway to reveal my face.

“Hey, this kid… … !”

Then the response came immediately.

One of the gangsters, who looked young and tough, immediately pulled out a weapon.

The hasty action was quickly stopped.

“Stop.”

“No, bro. This kid is the one we were looking for.”

“That’s why I told you not to show off, kid.”

The junior, who was discouraged by the veteran’s threats, stepped back.

“Put your hat back on. Just go up to the fourth floor and wait.”

I got past them and entered the building.

I looked around.

People shaking in the heat, music thumping their hearts, the smell of alcohol tickling your nose.

The scene of the original club was one of madness rather than passion.

“The World Tree is noisy.”

I felt the World Tree, which had popped its head out through the gap in my clothes, immediately shrinking.

“Not familiar?”

There are research results showing that plants also hear sounds.

Among them, he said he likes classical music and dislikes heavy metal and rock.

Even I was not familiar with this place, so the World Tree must have felt unfamiliar and intimidated.

I stroked the leaves of the World Tree with a bitter smile.

As I climbed the stairs, pushing through the crowd that was difficult to move through, the number of people gradually decreased.

Unlike the open floors, they were isolated into individual rooms, and members of the organization patrolled the hallways.

“Come in.”

The fourth floor was the best among them.

A VIP lounge divided into three rooms on one large floor.

I entered through the door opened by a suit-clad member of the organization.

It was a completely different space from the outside, where the flashing lights were so bright that it hurt my eyes.

The table was full of leftover food, and bottles of unknown liquor were scattered on the floor.

One wall made of solid glass completely reflected the first floor.

Looking down at myself through my wine glass, I felt like I was getting a crappy sense of superiority over them.

“For a branch in the 100s, the workplace is large. The business acumen is quite impressive.”

“… … Hehe, this is the first time in my life that someone has come to the Brotherhood branch alone to evaluate something.”

The giant sitting on the faded red leather sofa opened his mouth.

“He looks like a weakling that can’t even be picked up by a fist, but he has a lot of guts. I didn’t think he would come to me instead of running away when he found out I had caught him.”

The tight-fitting sleeveless top emphasized her prominent muscles, and her dull skin gleamed as if oiled under the lights.

The narrow eyes looking at my face without my hat were full of discontent.

This shiny appearance makes me look weak, so I don’t like it. Anyway, I don’t sympathize with the tastes of sweaty guys.

I sat down on a glossy leatherette chair.

“If you receive an invitation, you must accept it.”

“Invitation? Surrounded by my men here, with holes all over my body, can I still sound so relaxed?”

“Stop pretending to be innocent and showing off. Your subordinates are all blown up.”

That’s why I came quietly without making a big fuss.

The order he heard from his subordinate was not an order to kill, but more like an invitation to see his face.

He even told me to bring him there secretly so that I wouldn’t be exposed as much as possible.

The guy shook his head and clicked his tongue.

“It’s a shame the joke didn’t work. What’s your name?”

“Allen.”

“I am Hartig. I am the leader of Brotherhood Chapter 102.”

Hartig showed no hostility towards me.

There seemed to be even a hint of goodwill in those carefully observing eyes.

The guy’s strange appearance and stiff speech reminded me of a setting.

“I never would have thought that an orc would be the leader of the Brotherhood.”

Orcs are an immigrant race native to the cities of the Southern Savagery.

It was not an uncommon race to see this in Galaga City, known as a melting pot of races regardless of origin.

But the Brotherhood’s orcs were, arguably, rare.

“Cowardly back-alley criminals are nothing more than flies to the eyes of natural-born warriors, orcs. Why should they be the leaders?”

Orcs were natural mercenaries who enjoyed fighting and preferred direct confrontation.

Although they were quick to resort to violence, their principles of conduct followed the philosophy of a tribe that values ​​honor.

The Brotherhood, which was not a rabble-rousing gang and was second to none in terms of cowardice, was definitely out of the question.

“You know a lot about our people.”

“It’s common sense for living a long life.”

“Think of me as a mutant. I came out of it by my own hand before I was kicked out.”

After all, people are not all the same.

But it was clear that he was a rather peculiar guy.

“Rather than that, since you came here like this, I guess you were curious about my business. Being curious is a good quality. If you have the skills to back it up.”

“No, that’s not my job.”

“… … ?”

At my answer, the guy stopped gesturing with his hand to break his glass.

The relaxed expression was tinged with absurdity.

“I have something to ask you.”

“… …Tell me.”

“I need information on a former member of the Brotherhood. Do you know anything about the Warlock Dalton Sunderland?”

Even in the Brotherhood, which boasted the largest number of members, warlocks were rare.

An executive at the branch manager level would have kept track of personal information.

Hartig confirmed my guess.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that name before.”

“Which company scouted and supported him from the Brotherhood?”

My conclusion was that Hainax did not directly study black magic.

It must have been because it was run as a kind of subcontractor that the once-successful company was blown up.

I wanted to know the identity of the company that had stolen the guy from the Brotherhood.

“… … Are you seriously asking?”

“I’m not asking you to do it for free. I’ll give you the money you need.”

“It’s funny to try to make the Brotherhood do errands, but that’s not what it means.”

Hartig looked down at me meaningfully.

“Do you think the Brotherhood could grow this big without any support?”

“What does it mean?”

“Dozens to hundreds of well-known companies, including large corporations, are on the same boat as us. It would be easy for a high-level talent like a black magician to identify the companies that we have not contacted.”

“… … .”

It is a company that even hires contractors to exercise their power in an extra-legal manner.

It was not strange that he had connections with the Brotherhood, the most powerful organization in the underworld.

Of course I knew that.

“So it’s impossible?”

“No, it’s just difficult, but it’s not impossible.”

The guy slammed his glass down on the table roughly, as if I had hurt his pride.

“You’re right, I’m a bit resourceful. If I reach out to Darkest Chase, I’ll find something.”

“The Darkest Chase.”

“If you don’t know, I’ll tell you. It’s a black magic clan within the Brotherhood.”

As it is a large organization, it is impossible for there to be no factions.

Darkest Chase was one of them.

Of course, it is just a faction, but it is closer to a kind of regional association.

There was no hierarchical relationship between them.

But since it was just a social gathering, it was a great help in finding out personal information.

“Now, let’s get into practical negotiations.”

There the guy turned the mood around with a mischievous expression.

“Why should I move for you?”

I frowned.

“I thought you said you’d give me money.”

“I don’t need money. The club is doing well, so my pockets are full.”

“If you don’t like money, what about something else?”

“Anything else?”

“You want something from me.”

I didn’t come here with the plan to just insist on my opinions.

“Let’s make a deal. On the condition that we both get what we want.”

They found me first.

The matter did not exist only for me.