I Became a Disaster-Class Sorcery Genius

Companion (1)

The organization Feradus, led by Radonchire, could not be called particularly large, but that didn't mean it was the kind of group other organizations would dare mess with lightly.

Regardless of their size, they were notorious for their willingness to do dirty work without hesitation, so everyone knew it would be a headache to get involved with them.

For this reason, Radonchire had never imagined such a situation would occur.

That he would end up like this, attacked by Avalanche, which was called Italy's largest cartel.

Bang!

"Kuaaaagh!"

As soon as the bullet lodged in Radonchire's thigh, a piercing scream echoed through the basement.

The only thing he could see in front of him was stark terror.

And, standing before Radonchire, bound as he was, a woman arrived.

The boss of Avalanche, and the mafia boss known as "Iron-blood"—Tia.

She looked down at Radonchire, who had already been shot multiple times in the thigh, with an expression totally devoid of emotion, yet her eyes were unmistakably brimming with murderous intent as she spoke.

"I'll ask you one more time."

"Grrk...."

"Do you know '18yoHighSchoolGirl-chan'?"

"I-I don't know, I really don't know!"

"Really don't know?"

"Yes! I really don't! For real!"

Tia stared coldly at him, indifferent to Radonchire's fear-stricken voice.

Not long after—

Bang!

Once again, Tia pointed the gun at Radonchire's bound thigh and fired without hesitation.

"Kuaaaaagh!!!"

Sitting down to match his eye level, Tia hurled another question.

"Still don't know?"

'This crazy bitch...!!!'

Staring at Tia, who had repeated the same thing like a psychopath more than ten times already, Radonchire barely held on to his sanity and recalled the events of 30 minutes prior.

Back then, all he'd been doing was racking his brain over how to catch the scorpion guy, but in the blink of an eye, he'd been swiftly subdued by suddenly appearing Avalanche members.

Most of his men were now either dead, or—

"Do you really not know '18yoHighSchoolGirl-chan'?"

"I really don't know! I swear! I really really don't—Kuaaaagh!!!"

"You don't know?"

"I really, really don't...! How would we know what that is...! Please, please!! Kuagh!"

"If you're lying, you'll die."

"Is it— Lantiarval or something? I've never played that game, and this Eighteen-something-chan, I swear I don't kn—kuagh!"

"You?"

"S-save me!!!"

Just like Radonchire, his men who were captured alive were tied to chairs and being tortured.

Damn it! What the hell is '18yoHighSchoolGirl-chan' anyway!?

Swearing inwardly, Radonchire screamed soundlessly in his mind.

"Hey, you bastards! What the hell is '18yoHighSchoolGirl-chan'!? Why are you coming after us over that crap, you sons of bitches! How the hell would we know anything about that?!"

Apparently, one of his subordinates felt the same, and started ranting passionately.

"I swear! We really don't know!"

"We don't even know what Lantiarval is! We never played anything like that!"

"Please! I don't know anything. I said I don't know!"

"Why would we have to know about such a stupid game!?"

Other subordinates joined the chorus with their own desperate cries.

Bang! Thud—!

But one neat shot to the head silenced the man who had been speaking fervently.

"......."

All the subordinates who had been wailing moments ago fell into instant silence.

The air grew heavy.

'This is driving me crazy, damn it...!!'

In that moment, Radonchire grit his teeth and wracked his brains for a way to survive this crazy woman staring at him without a hint of emotion.

"Do you really not know '18yoHighSchoolGirl-chan'?"

"I... I really don't know."

"... Really don't?"

"I swear, I swear I don't...!"

"... You really don't? If you're lying... I'll have no choice but to use sorcery, you know?"

At Tia's words, made as she fiddled with her gun, Radonchire's eyes shot open.

Of course, he understood exactly what Tia's threat meant.

No, to be honest, it was impossible for him not to know.

She was the boss of Italy's largest mafia, and her sorcery—dubbed "Iron-blood"—was already infamous throughout Italy.

The horror of the gun-based sorcery she used was notoriously feared among local sorcerers.

So, as the round of questioning came again, Radonchire rolled his eyes, searching for an answer—

"... Looks like you really don't know."

—And before he could even answer, Tia muttered, looking truly regretful, her brow slightly furrowed; Radonchire frantically nodded.

"I really, truly don't know! Why would we, italians, go out of our way to do something that would make Avalanche so angry...!"

Radonchire desperately pleaded.

Tia, after a moment's thought, sighed as if it was unavoidable, then holstered her gun and addressed Radonchire.

"Grudges."

"Huh...?"

"Tell me everyone you've earned a grudge from."

"... Grudges...?"

Radonchire added a question mark, as if he couldn't make sense of the conversation.

Clack—!

"I-I'll talk!"

But the sound of the gun coming out of the holster made Radonchire panic and spill all he knew, and as Tia listened to each confession one by one—

'18yoHighSchoolGirl-chan... I'll find you, you bastard...!!'

She renewed her resolve once more.

####

Meanwhile, as Tia was grilling Radonchire—

Kim Dojun was preparing to enter the Pantheon with Dan.

"... Do I really have to wear the same mask?"

"Of course. You made your debut in style, you can't lose your mystique now, right?"

"...."

At Kim Dojun's words, Dan fell silent, thinking, "Ah, that's true."

He sighed and picked up his old fox mask, as if resigning himself to his fate.

Kim Dojun watched him and thought,

'If I was still just trying to save money like before, I could use a different mask, but that goal disappeared a long time ago.'

He no longer needed to gather money to buy a spiritual tool.

'In the game, you could buy spiritual tools with money, but here, there are plenty of other ways to get them even without cash.'

For example, through 'persuasion'.

Or 'asking nicely'.

Or methods like 'favor' or 'negotiation'—lots of positive and easy options.

So at this point, there was really only one thing Kim Dojun needed to do.

'Take down Twisted Evil, and while I'm at it, snatch up the spiritual tool Twisted Evil holds.'

Taking down Twisted Evil would help him in the future.

The spiritual tool he could get that way would likewise be a benefit.

And most of all, if he could take down Twisted Evil and install Dan as the boss, Kim Dojun would gain a convenient free labor force and a steady unearned income...!

For that reason—

"All right, let's go!"

Kim Dojun set out for the Pantheon with a somewhat dejected Dan.

"Did you bring what I told you to bring last time?"

Once Kim Dojun arrived at the Pantheon, shrouded entirely in black paper, he spoke to Dan.

"Oh, if it's that, I brought it."

With that, Dan handed Kim Dojun a large map.

"As you requested, it's a map showing the forces in the outer area."

"These markings here are the power structures?"

"Yes. According to the source who gave me the map, the areas marked in red are Twisted Evil's territory."

"The outer area is almost all marked in red, huh?"

"That's because the two big powers, 'Ruler' and 'Universe', established themselves before the outer area even formed, so they're all entrenched in the inner and middle zones. In contrast, Twisted Evil started out in the outer area..."

"So, basically, the outer area is almost all Twisted Evil, huh?"

"Correct."

Dan nodded, and Kim Dojun hummed thoughtfully before asking another question.

"Then what are these red dots?"

"They're the groups affiliated with Twisted Evil, based on your request to mark them."

"Oh, you marked it all? Aren't info brokers desperate to sell every bit of info?"

"Still, it wasn't as expensive as I thought."

"Why's that?"

"Because the groups under Twisted Evil are fiercely exaggerating themselves to try to climb higher, so they're spreading their own info around. Plus, this is the Pantheon; no need to hide things here."

"I see."

With that, Kim Dojun rolled up the map and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Dan."

"What is it?"

"I'm planning to use persuasion."

"Persuasion...?"

Kim Dojun nodded.

"Yes, persuasion."

"... Of whom?"

"Obviously, those minions of Twisted Evil, or rather, the people on this map who might soon become your subordinates."

"W-wait, what?"

Dan, confused, mentally raised a question mark over his head.

"I told you, I'm going to persuade Twisted Evil's minions."

"... Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious. You need to be sincere for this kind of persuasion to work."

"No, seriously?"

Dan asked in disbelief.

But Kim Dojun, acting out as if to show him, beckoned for Dan to follow and began walking.

After about ten minutes—

Dan saw the building where Kim Dojun had stopped.

[Three Visits]

The place looked like an old two-story yakuza hangout, with a wooden sign at the entrance—Dan realized it was one of the groups affiliated with Twisted Evil.

Kim Dojun strode inside without hesitation.

Dan followed.

Inside, they found a group of men whose faces screamed "we are criminals," entirely out of place with the refined old Japanese-style house.

Exactly five minutes later—

Dan witnessed it.

The once-menacing members of Three Visits all beaten half to death and redecorating the place into a wreck of a Japanese-style house.

"Are you going to be my companion or not!?"

"I-I will! I-I'll leave Twisted Evil and become your compa—"

"Don't need you!"

WHAM!

"Kgegh!"

The boss of Three Visits, some bald dude called Jakdu or whatever, vanished head-first into the tatami floor.

And then—

"Haa... It's not easy gathering companions. Negotiations just aren't going well."

Kim Dojun, who had turned over more than twenty Three Visits members and even stuffed their boss under the tatami, sighed in disappointment.

"... Was that supposed to be persuasion?"

Dan blurted out involuntarily.

"Then what would you call it?"

"... Anyone can see that was just plain brutal—"

"You wanna try a taste of persuasion too?"

At that, Dan decided to quietly close his mouth.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】