The Druid Who Swallowed Mother Nature - Chapter 51



Only Noblemtl

Episode 51. I Have a Favor

“Really? You lost everything and didn’t get a single penny back?”

“Oh, that’s right! How many times do I have to ask!!”

“Ahahahaha!!”

The woman burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.

It was an outright mockery.

“That’s what I told you. You’re destined to earn money honestly, not through gambling or anything like that.”

“What the hell is wrong with me!”

“You have no luck. You’re the only one who can’t admit it.”

Buggy ground his teeth and made excuses at the woman’s cold criticism.

“… … It’s not that I’m unlucky, it’s that some bastard took it all.”

“oh.”

The woman’s expression suddenly changed and her face hardened.

“… … It doesn’t make a difference whether you were stuck in the slot or someone else did the work for you.”

“Oh, I told you that kid definitely scammed you!”

“If it was a scam, there would have been sanctions. They’re famous for being strict about that kind of thing.”

“Those little bastards probably didn’t notice! Or else there’s no way he’d keep losing while I would… …!”

“There are so many excuses. How can a macho man who always brags about being a manly man be so ugly?”

Buggy, who lost the argument, lost his temper and threw a fit.

The woman, who was enjoying the chaos surrounding her as she drank alcohol, continued speaking.

“So, you’re not doing your job because you’re so distracted by something like that?”

This time, the serious expression was sincere.

Even the mad dog of Yu-ah-dok-jong never put his feelings first even when talking about work.

“Oh, I’ve done everything I had to do.”

“What about the stuff?”

“It’s genuine. They said it would be delivered to the organizers the day after tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

“If you have the guts to bluff in a situation where you’re about to get a hole in your head, you should be fooled out of sincerity.”

“… … .”

The woman, feeling uneasy at the unanswered boldness, narrowed her eyes and questioned.

“Are you an employee of the auction house? How did you handle the aftermath?”

“Even if city investigators come, they won’t recognize you.”

Buggy thumped his chest and said confidently.

“I put out the porridge, hehe.”

It was a spine-chilling laughter.

A pressure that was difficult to escape from his small body weighed on the intestines.

It was a madness that would frighten even a healthy adult male, but the woman just frowned.

“I can see from your disgusting smile that you’ve even done something to an unrelated person.”

“No, it’s to eliminate witnesses.”

“How long are you going to make that excuse?”

The woman gave sincere advice to the new recruit who was just as trouble-making as the existing members of the organization.

“Don’t do anything that doesn’t help the plan. If you do, you’ll get screwed big time.”

“That’s what I want. If you get in my way, I’ll destroy you all.”

It would actually be better if there were more opponents to fight.

The mad dog of the madhouse was the type that got more excited the more he was cornered.

The woman dismissed such a man’s arrogance with a laugh.

“You still haven’t come to your senses even after becoming penniless?”

“Oh! What does it matter!”

“Anyway, I think it turned out well.”

It was a blatant change of topic, as if the lid would slowly open if they teased each other any further.

“You can’t participate in the auction since you don’t have any money. If you want to get that item, you have to succeed in this one.”

“Oh, there were a lot of other things to buy besides that… … .”

“What are you worried about?”

It was an expression that treated me like an idiot.

“We can steal it together then.”

It was a definite tone, as if it had been planned from the beginning.

Buggy looked blank for a moment, then smiled.

“… … Hehehe.”

“If you’re stealing the goods from the Magic Tower, what difference would it make if you added a few more?”

“You’re a crazy bitch too.”

“What are you talking about? They say that stealing someone else’s stuff is the most thrilling thing ever. It’s even more so when it’s something pretty and valuable enough to be put up for auction.”

The hand that was pushing back her long side hair was refreshing, as if she wanted to assert that she was different.

“If you’re not going to take the money for your hard work, why would I bother to take care of you? Be thankful. If it weren’t for this older sister, you would have had to move around on your own.”

“I appreciate that, though.”

The buggy looked up and down the woman’s body without hiding his rotting face.

“Sister, you’re a fucking old man with no conscience… …!”

Boom!

There was a loud noise.

The face of the buggy who had been hit in the back of the head was stuck into the table.

“I’ll make a scene at the meeting as planned, so you properly retrieve the items and come back. If you get excited and make a scene again and waste time, I’ll just abandon you and leave.”

“… … Oh, okay.”

Buggy emerged from the rubble unharmed.

The table was broken, but there was not a single scratch on her beautiful skin.

The guilty face was colored not with pain but with greed.

“Einsiefer’s blade knuckles, they are mine.”

Madhouse, a group of armed men.

They were an anti-social group that acted according to their own desires, regardless of whether they were commissioned or not.

***

“Here is a list of the items you have won. Please check for any remaining items before signing.”

I looked at the list the auction house employee gave me.

There were a total of five auction items that I won.

It may not seem like much compared to the fortune I made at the casino, but it was the best I could do.

‘They should have stopped after raising the price moderately, but they kept chasing this all the way.’

I knew it, but the money-grubbing of the nouveau riche was something I could never adapt to.

It was natural that the competition for elixirs would be fierce, but who would have thought that even a rare rock would be worth risking one’s life for?

I thought I would be able to leave at least 30% of it for later, but it was completely eaten up.

‘But we all won the bid anyway.’

It wasn’t a bad thing to remember that it was someone else’s money anyway.

It wasn’t a loss since I got the elixir I was looking for.

“The item you won will be delivered immediately.”

I left the private room with a warm welcome from the auction staff.

As I came out to the lobby, Colin was waiting for me with a glum expression.

“Are you here?”

“Let’s relax. People around you are scared.”

“Oh my, I can’t even be annoyed?”

The security guards were on guard as the man, who looked like a savage who had come down from the mountain, frowned.

Colin, who often looked around even though he didn’t look like it, grumbled and furrowed his brow.

“Why don’t you just lend me the money?”

“… … .”

Colin’s heartache started yesterday.

Since I had earned a lot of money, there was no way I couldn’t give it to Gaepyeong.

It would be a different story if he had offered to pay back the research funds and ended up penniless.

You have to know how to take responsibility for your mistakes.

Wasn’t the incident at the Magic Tower the result of him neglecting his duty?

Despite being a kind person, he had bad habits that needed to be corrected.

“You have money to spend on a few worthless rocks, but you don’t have any money to lend me?”

“You say it’s useless? It’s precious to me.”

Luminescent stone, accumulator stone, and wet stone.

It’s a mutant stone worthy of a fantasy world.

As Colin said, it was considered trash even in the game system, but I had an idea to use it.

Unfortunately, Colin, a small-minded man who did not know the big picture, did not hide his dissatisfaction.

“What would you use that for? I didn’t know you were the kind of person who enjoyed putting a rock on a display case and sprinkling water on it.”

“It’s not like being a senior has a particularly bad hobby… … I’ll explain it to you later.”

Every word he said was sharp, as if he was somewhat offended.

That doesn’t mean I would lend you money.

And I have no more money to lend.

I replied and gave him a look.

Luckily, Colin knew how to differentiate between construction and non-construction.

Suddenly, magical power gathered around them and all sounds from the outside world were blocked.

“Why the sudden barrier?”

“Have you made any progress in your search for the traitor?”

“Unfortunately, it’s still the same. Instead, the trading location has been specified.”

“… … Hmm.”

“Did something go wrong?”

“yes.”

That was very, very wrong.

“The first thing was to secure the traitor’s recruits before the deal, but it became difficult when they said there was no hope.”

“What on earth is so difficult? Even though his skills have improved by leaps and bounds, it’s no use to you or me.”

“There are others out there who are after the bladed knuckles, too.”

The appearance of Buggy Vile was not something to be overlooked.

Just thinking about the massacre at the auction house was enough of a variable.

So did this guy just happen to come here to commit massacre at the perfect time?

It was not even close to being probable.

Even if Madhouse does not restrict individual activities, there is no benefit to be gained by evaluating it directly.

Rise to fame? Demonstration of skill?

There were many other cases to prove this.

Considering the grudge that would build up with the gang that backed the auction, the loss was enormous.

Rather, it was more realistic that it was a random accident like a mad dog.

‘But if you add one keyword to it, the story changes.’

Einsiedel’s blade knuckles.

The widely known owner is none other than Buggy Vile.

‘What if he had heard rumors about the treasure at the top of the tower and was after it? What if the massacre at the auction was the aftermath of that?’

Many of my suspicions turned out to be correct, even if they were just guesses.

“… … It looks like the magic tower looks quite funny.”

Colin, who was organizing his thoughts like me, spat out coldly.

Even as a wanderer, he had pride in his own home.

“Well, there were a lot of beasts living in this city without a care in the world. So, what kind of people were they?”

“It’s a madhouse.”

“Coolook!”

But it was a pride that would soon disappear.

“… … Is that true?”

“That’s right.”

I saw the face myself.

“Madhouse… … This is difficult.”

It was a name that even the gods above the clouds, the Magic Tower, would know.

Colin, a wanderer who had been active in the secular world for a long time, would have known the dangers well.

“It’ll be difficult to fight with this power. Should I bring out the magic tower?”

“They won’t care. They’ll just try to make excuses to silence you.”

“Okay.”

It was a sigh full of frustration.

His expression distorted and relaxed repeatedly, as if he was weighing what to do.

The relics were important, but not enough to hang the schoolmaster on.

I held up a hand to make sure his worries wouldn’t last long.

“The good news is that they’re a minority. And it’s not like this operation was named after Madhouse.”

Perhaps there are only two people who can act as Yangdong and Bugi.

There was a basis for this.

Because Madhouse wasn’t a friendly enough group to lend a helping hand out of personal desires rather than requests.

“… … It sounds like you have a way.”

There was a hint of anticipation in Colin’s voice.

I nodded.

That was correct.

“Let’s change the plan. I will attack the scene alone.”

“Even if we two are together, it won’t be enough?”

“it’s okay.”

I’d rather be alone.

Colin wasn’t a weak force, but he was just a stumbling block in front of monsters outside of his standard.

“In case of an unexpected situation, please wait at the auction house. You can relay the location of the traitor you tracked through the communication channel.”

The scene could have been missed and the genuine article could have ended up in the auction house.

It’s unlikely that will happen, but it can’t hurt to have insurance.

“I will retrieve the items.”

It was something that had to be done even if it wasn’t a success reward for the nomination request.

‘You can’t give a mad dog sharp claws.’

It is a time when dark clouds gather.

I couldn’t afford to miss a chance to weaken the power of the monsters I might encounter as enemies.

“And I have a favor to ask.”

“Just talk.”

“I asked Sage to create an artifact for me. I would like you to help me complete it by tomorrow.”

“I will do my best.”

I received confirmation from Colin again.

It wasn’t that it wasn’t, it was the most important key to the plan.

The success or failure of this request depended on it.

***

That same night.

The wanted criminal from the Tower of Magic, the traitor Rutgen, spoke to someone with beads of nervous sweat dripping down his face.

“Are you sure it’s safe?”

[Of course. Our auction guarantees complete anonymous transactions to auction bidders.]

“How can you guarantee that the tail won’t stick?”

[Our experts will guard the scene. And even if a tail is caught, we will guarantee your safety until the transaction is concluded.]

“… …After the deal?”

[From then on, it is the bidder’s responsibility. Please be careful not to have the unfortunate event of not receiving the auction proceeds.]

“shit!”

Rütgen hung up the phone, throwing the cord away nervously.

“… … Phew, phew. Yeah, I guess I have some basis for confidence.”

The city’s largest black market, where all kinds of goods are traded.

There were quite a few groups of thieves targeting this.

Fortunately, there have been no reports of any disruption to the auction so far.

Auction would do its best as long as it did not want to tarnish the status it had built up so far.

Even if the troublemaker is a magic tower.

“After receiving the money, let’s leave this city. If we bribe the southern savages and settle down, we can spend the rest of our lives in comfort.”

It was the dream of a researcher at Matap who had been treated like a slave his entire life.

Rütgen let his rosy imagination run wild, holding the stolen goods in his arms.

That’s why I didn’t notice.

“Is that kid?”

“That’s right, so don’t rush in now and just endure it. I also need to collect my compensation. If the number of security guards at the auction house is reduced because I’m dealing with that guy tomorrow, it will be easier for me to steal other items.”

“Stop nagging. I understand, so get out.”

“And you’re being cheap.”

Two men and women hidden in the darkness were looking at him with greedy eyes.