Those Who Live Without the Law

Chapter 73

Confidential Leak (2)

Kairus continued his explanation for about thirty minutes.

When he finally finished, Irena, who had been sitting with her mouth slightly open, wiped away the drool that had trickled down and spoke.

“So basically, there’s a massive shelter beneath Bennett City… and a notorious crime organization is after it.”

“That’s about the gist of it.”

Irena, having heard Kairus’s explanation, was visibly excited.

“Are you a bigger shot than I thought?”

“In Bennett City? Nah, I’m small fry.”

It was true that he had gained some notoriety for robbing national taxes being transported by the Empire.

However, that wasn’t nearly enough to strut around Bennett City with any kind of swagger.

“But you’re saying organizations powerful enough to stop an Imperial locomotive are fighting over it, right?”

That was indeed the case. The Rose Garden had stopped the Empire’s locomotive to ensure the secure acquisition of Melvin Istovan, and then made Kairus join up with him.

“Other than His Majesty the Emperor himself, there’s no one who can stop an Imperial locomotive just because they feel like it.”

“Not if we’re talking about the realm of crime.”

If one didn’t care about the means or methods, then stopping a locomotive whenever necessary was entirely possible.

The crime syndicates in Bennett City hadn’t stopped the locomotive because they wielded more power than the Emperor.

“…That’s true. But still, that’s pretty incredible.”

“I still don’t know much about the power of the Canal Operations Committee.”

The only person he had met from them was Representative Cecilia.

And even that had only happened due to a string of coincidences.

“Anyway, you’ve met one of those outrageous villains. That in itself is impressive.”

“Not in Bennett City.”

Just having met someone, just being acquainted, didn’t mean much. Jonathan from Longwave Bistro was a good example of that.

Though Cecilia regularly ordered food from his restaurant, Jonathan, the owner, considered himself to have no connection whatsoever with her.

And he wasn’t exactly wrong about that. When Kairus explained the situation to Irena, she scratched her head.

“Man… these people live some tangled lives.”

“I plan to stop by that restaurant first thing when we get back to Bennett City.”

“Sounds good. I’m curious how good the food is if a heinous criminal became a regular.”

Irena was simply curious about the taste of the food, but Kairus had something he needed to discuss with Jonathan.

‘I need to secure an office.’

Since Irena was already accompanying him, and with the high possibility of Melvin Istovan joining as well, it had become a necessity.

The number had suddenly increased to three, and anyway, once Kairus wrapped up this current matter, he planned to officially start his work as a construction contractor.

One way or another, he needed an office.

‘The best person to ask for help with something like this is Jonathan.’

The only acquaintances Kairus had in Bennett City were Cecilia, Jonathan, and Spring Parsley.

Asking Representative Cecilia for this kind of favor would be the most reliable move and without question, also an insane one.

She would probably respond, and it would no doubt be the correct answer. But she would make Kairus pay for wasting her time, one way or another.

Spring Parsley wasn’t someone he was close enough with for such a favor.

“Hmm, looks like we’ve arrived.”

While Kairus was gathering his thoughts about his future plans, the locomotive gradually slowed down.

They had arrived at the station where Melvin Istovan was waiting. Of course, Melvin Istovan himself wouldn’t even know he was waiting.

He was probably just wondering why the train’s departure had been delayed for several days.

‘Let’s see…’

Having been contacted by the Rose Garden, Kairus already knew where Melvin Istovan had arranged his lodging.

It was a cheap hotel located near the station.

The rest of the rooms in the hotel had been completely booked by the Rose Garden, so Melvin was the only actual guest staying there.

Of course, if he were truly the only one walking around, it would be suspicious, so the members of the Rose Garden were pretending to be travelers.

“…Just how big is this organization?”

Irena, who had heard the whole story, felt like her head was spinning.

“The world’s a bigger mess than you thought it was.”

Irena had no choice but to agree with Kairus’s remark. The Rose Garden wasn’t just some up-and-coming city gang.

And apparently, there were four more organizations of this scale in Bennett City alone.

This was a world Irena, who had lived as a noble and joined the knights, had no way of knowing.

“There’s no need to know more. Knowledge is power, right? Therefore, knowledge you can’t handle is power you can’t handle.”

People with that kind of power usually didn’t meet a good end.

“Alright, enough lecturing already.”

Ignoring Irena’s complaint, Kairus pushed open the hotel door and stepped inside.

“…”

As Kairus approached the front desk, the man stationed there immediately spoke.

“Go to Room 514.”

Even the front desk staff had been taken over by the Rose Garden. When Irena gave Kairus an incredulous look, he said,

“There are only three people in this hotel who aren’t with the Rose Garden.”

Kairus, Irena, and Melvin. Everyone else was effectively part of the Rose Garden.

“Even eating a meal feels burdensome.”

With a ding, the elevator arrived.

“It’d be nice to have one at the mansion too.”

Irena mumbled quietly.

The Kellogg family certainly had enough money to install an elevator. They even had a greenhouse built in the garden.

“Don’t even think about it. If you start renovating recklessly, you’ll lose the family fortune.”

Installing an elevator was on a whole other level compared to simple renovations. Doing so would inevitably alter the structure of the mansion.

One wrong move and they might run afoul of the laws of ancestral inheritance, which could ruin the Kellogg family.

“Right?”

While they chatted for a moment, the elevator reached the fifth floor. Standing in front of Room 514, Kairus knocked on the door.

With a creak, the door opened to reveal Melvin Istovan—his pale face, deep dark circles under his eyes, and thin, gaunt body left a strong impression.

“Uh… hello, Mr. Kairus.”

“Looks like you’ve been doing well.”

Kairus spoke as he subtly glanced past the door.

Apparently, tidiness was not one of this man’s virtues.

“Y-yes… I’ve been doing fine. But how did you know I was here?”

Right after saying that, Melvin Istovan suddenly began trembling, then dropped to the floor and spoke while prostrated.

“I’m sorry! I was going to head straight to Bennett City, but the departure kept getting delayed, so I ended up staying here. I swear, I swear! It wasn’t on purpose! Please, don’t kill me, I beg you!”

While lying flat on the floor, Melvin desperately pleaded for his life.

In a way, it was a perfectly understandable reaction. From Melvin’s perspective, the only reason Kairus would have gone through the trouble of finding the hotel he was staying at was exactly that.

“Seems like there’s been a misunderstanding.”

Kairus looked down at Melvin lying on the floor, then slowly reached out and helped him to his feet.

‘…?’

A slight question brushed across Kairus’s mind. More precisely, it wasn’t so much a question as it was a faint sense of something being off.

However, he couldn’t pinpoint the cause. After pondering the discomfort he had just felt, Kairus decided to set it aside for now and explained the situation to Melvin Istovan.

“So… you’re saying a crime organization in Bennett City stopped the locomotive. And they’ve been monitoring—no, protecting me?”

“That’s right.”

Melvin replied with a face that looked like it could burst into tears at any second.

“Why would someone like me be caught up in something like this? I’m just an archaeologist. I can’t handle any of this…”

As he continued speaking, Melvin suddenly clutched his chest and wheezed, then pulled an inhaler from his pocket and took a quick puff.

“I’m nobody, I’m just a nobody.”

Kairus didn’t agree with that statement. To find the shelter beneath Bennett City, Melvin Istovan was essential.

Besides, a person’s value wasn’t something they decided for themselves—it was determined by others.

There were plenty of things he could say. But…

“Shut up and do as you’re told. If you keep mumbling like a sniveling coward, I’ll rip your mouth open.”

Kairus chose a fast and simple method instead of taking the messy route.

A little threat and a glimpse of the blade at his waist could achieve the goal far quicker than coaxing and comforting.

“Did you get that?”

Seeing Kairus’s brief threat and menacing attitude, Melvin nodded with a frightened look, his mouth tightly shut.

“The task isn’t even that big a deal.”

They would go to Bennett City, conduct an underground exploration, find the shelter left by the Dersos civilization, and use the Yucheok Sword that Kairus had to open it.

Once they gathered whatever valuables were inside, they would hand the shelter over to the Rose Garden.

Simple and easy. As Kairus explained, Melvin flinched and spoke up.

“But it’s a ruin. The shelter we find would surely become a national treasure of the Empire.”

“I agree with that.”

For once, Irena and Melvin shared the same opinion. It was a natural result, considering both were from the Empire.

“Well? I imagine the Republic might see it differently.”

The Empire considered Bennett City its territory. Likewise, the Republic also claimed it as their own.

The shelter discovered beneath Bennett City would only increase both nations’ desire for the city, but it belonged to neither.

“The Republic’s just making claims. Bennett City is clearly Imperial territory.”

“Sure, that’s the Empire’s claim.”

Kairus chuckled and casually brushed off the pair’s argument.

“Anyway, the shelter goes to the Rose Garden.”

What happened afterward was none of his concern.

“To just hand it over to a crime syndicate… They probably don’t understand a damn thing about the value or importance of artifacts!”

For a moment, Melvin’s eyes burned with intensity as he stared at Kairus.

Kairus, who had been looking at him with a blank expression, suddenly grinned brightly.

“Well, you’re an archaeologist, so I’m sure you know a lot about the value and significance of artifacts.”

“Yes, I—”

Just as Melvin started to answer, Kairus grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

“Khuh… ack!”

“What about the value and importance of your own life? Tell me, Mr. Archaeologist.”

The shift in atmosphere was abrupt. Even Irena, who was watching right next to them, flinched in surprise.

“We’re going to find that shelter, the one built by your precious ancient civilization. We’ll strip it clean of anything valuable, sell it all off, and then hand the shelter over to the Rose Garden.”

Kairus’s grip on Melvin’s collar tightened.

“Even if you’ve got complaints, it doesn’t matter. You’re going to do exactly what I tell you.”

Normally, Kairus might’ve said something like, “If you don’t like it, leave.”

But this guy wasn’t someone he could afford to let walk away.

It was like a pizza without dough—it wouldn’t be a pizza anymore. Likewise, Melvin Istovan was indispensable for this operation.

“If you keep whining, I’ll rip out all your nails, twist every joint in the wrong direction, gouge out your eyes, and slice off your skin until you cooperate.”

Every word he spoke was steeped in raw sincerity. This wasn’t just a threat.

If they failed to locate the shelter, Kairus would die. He made an effort to be altruistic in his own way, but he wasn’t the kind of merciful person who would show compassion when his own life was on the line.

“I… understand. I’m sorry.”

Melvin finally spoke with great difficulty.