Bastard NPC Chapter 23

Chapter 23

“……”e9b6de5261e7d876

The small 60380e8e72 token Adam c12dc7bb06 had prepared 0ad221d7e4 was a 2a99a0d290 hoe. Not just 2d4b0e84f5 any hoe, 7ed03106b9 either. I had no c6173a4381 idea where he 2f34af7b54 found something like 630aca1574 this, but the 8888c7fb58 handle was covered e2d3f1e3e6 in pink leather. e2f17fcc58afb982

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The cover was adorned with multicolored jewels. Is he crazy? With the way he’s spending money like this, it’s no wonder why he’s always broke.b7bd1ba5254cf819

“It’s a specially custom-made hoe. The only one of its kind in the world.”71c150446739b129

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A hoe that should 69e7b1333f never exist in this 5ea408ed2a world. I couldn’t bring d8cf3420b2 myself to say eb4e0daa77 anything, so I acd1911436 just stared at b495d15886 it in disbelief. Adam, with a 0b0a9926f8 proud look on e3501d8bca his face, stroked d75fd7f5b3 the bridge of 056c4afe97 his nose.80a9ee1a4b8f98ea

“Under this hot weather, you must be working so hard taking care of the garden.”8ad5f0c002c58ce3

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Plus, I 55fb0637d9 had no 1302a04cb6 use for 4323c06ca3 a hoe. My business 0b2fa731ef with Black 94b6e00f5c was over, ee4496bb27 and he 547e8c78ba had left 6b01b6dd6d for a aab5a95d73 trip, saying 4db8493df9 he was 0fef046b1a going away cf92a6a497 for a c66eb0a718 while. Adam, who didn’t 6045aebc1c know the situation, 58355b4a1c continued as if 9ba4590786 he understood my 6c020c2b57 feelings.5a236b1b4b1de668

Though he hadn’t struggled as much as I had, he said he had a tough time when he first started seeing Black. For almost a month, he had been going in and out of Black’s house, doing housework.cef3dc85e7eb88ea

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Furthermore, out 4cce6dc1a2 of necessity, 15293f940f he had fc25fcf117 gotten quite 0474433c2d good at c2212b053a cooking to 007b93197f accommodate Black’s 3ec320527b picky tastes. It sounded abacc133a3 like a f90fa558f8 sad story, 4198c62946 and it 4654f5e7fd seemed like 162d09c4e3 he had 49fe355f41 suffered much 824a334071 more than bf847eb62d I had. So, I 137c2f00eb nodded along ed90458cf4 to show 14ff0ae698 understanding.102351e6bec8fe31

“……Yeah. Thanks for the gift.”6f15bbcd67971f6a

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“After hardship comes joy. It’s tough, but please hang in there a little longer while you look at the beautiful hoe. That guy has his quirks, but he’s one of the few gunmen I respect. He’s also a man who values loyalty.”d5078c5adeab9531

“Who are you talking about?”ae403536f2040787

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It was Colin. I hadn’t even noticed 7c3889c3ed him coming, so distracted f117b8d836 by the extravagant hoe. But suddenly, c3127166f4 Colin appeared a51e8f6322 behind Adam 69ef3b3088 and cut 33145c7451 into the afbe4ae5ef conversation.c349b1a91189600c

“Oh, my lovely younger brother Colin.”a8955e9e87824486

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I wasn’t 1908896b42 sure when 9f0f30e8ef or where c8276b18c9 he’d started a7d084607f listening to 6e082b998f this conversation, 947e0f72d1 and I 534035b716 felt a 53a4771885 bit awkward. Adam, who winked 485176bba2 at me and d18c911a3a turned around, casually a0f320d0e2 greeted Colin.791ca6a4fa1d72fc

“Who’s the gunman who knows loyalty?”187b29518b5576b3

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“That would be our godmother’s imaginary friend. His name is Tom.”a4ab61c317fd6548

“What’s Riley holding?”e09c2acc80beebde

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“As expected, my younger brother has sharp eyes. It’s a hoe specially made for our godmother.”96f288463bca57e6

“What’s that supposed to be?”cf152e8f667c31d2

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Colin seemed pretty used to Adam’s random comments. For some reason, I felt a bit bitter, but I was relieved that I had managed to brush it off.c8a9480eff9b985d

As I sealed the e6cf7b564b princess’s hoe back into b21715f7f6 the box, my phone 35717e74a4 vibrated. Since everyone who would 157d654b26 contact me was already 0a74d8dc04 here, there was only 4fd87081a5 one person left.4ed1894ecb7395b5

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 a8a23711fcf16288

 858bb6f6b3ca4345

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How terrifying 3cb87b677c habits can ecf45055e3 be.0e8efdc2a5de0b87

A cold, sharp e0734aac8f gaze seemed to 63789d12a2 overlap with the 9640cd2fa5 mocking text, making e40ac40f96 my stomach drop. Even the warm 960ab3d562 summer night breeze 2040aa122a felt unnervingly chilly, f5dcb09e68 and I could 105a479f64 almost feel the bd2533d701 hairs on the 1780fafa03 back of my d584546822 neck stand up. 13a2e2e9deee0b30

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It felt like 01a5e29cc7 someone was watching d2a5f740d2 me, so I 871c5fea59 looked around, but 3fb2b7443a I couldn’t see 89f90a24e8 him.03867c5c518cb8e5

“What are you looking for?”afca5eb8c3a2d5b5

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As I craned my d380bb4a69 neck and scanned the 81a539f9e8 corner of the alley, 3d60b1f041 Colin, who also turned 7d47476cbc his head, asked.4c750fa9ccfe9991

“I feel an evil aura.”d09b2477e5679b81

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Colin, who was immune to nonsense, just smiled brightly and didn’t pry. Meanwhile, I, accustomed to Theo’s madness, decided to ignore the insane message. If there’s one valuable lesson I learned from my life as a slave, it’s that “why” doesn’t matter when dealing with a madman. 6e72f9a9669cd392

Even if 65a2c82be4 I find 95e2bf3711 out the 3b40a9d4da reason, it’s 43f23a0247 something beyond f9799e688a the realm 5e6ef9c41f of my 7b1655467d understanding, and f4349b6ee3 it only 85d9021e2c destroys one’s 342f076920 faith in fb6e01076b humanity.69157c504e348ee4

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Look at this.c63472f1feec327e

Now he’s even 04048fba3a calling.Tsk tsk.Shaking my 179f9f9b9b head, I 7edd8b196a switched the 4566d4917c phone to 349cb077d1 silent and c297c87432 tucked it 62ea25d264 deep into 64d5e1f0ca my pocket.1e39da2ba5d66aa6

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“I have something to say to Riley. Do you have time?”88d589d320fd782d

“As long as Ren is okay with it, I’m fine. We came here together in the car.”6981a6457f8bed6c

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“If Ren says he’s busy, I’ll take him home. Move aside, bro.”d26c1f9052b11e6a

His slightly curved e1fde9efe1 smile and soft b6f2e7dbca voice were no 396265d3fb different from the ceb036fb62 usual, but there 0acf56e2b3 was something subtly f735ec6003 firm in his 0e4723e754 tone. 30776fed703672de

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Adam, who had 82678dc5b3 been quietly rolling 5392a856ee his eyes between 22f3ce9a45 Colin and me, 4839b07666 suddenly gave a b17d8d282c sly grin and 103d80692c whispered to me.6d5b3d8908f6faf2

“My younger brother is weak to compliments.”46ac56a242f98bfa

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“Excuse me?”3a5692024632530d

“I’ll be cheering for you.”88ff92797302a58d

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With an enigmatic a6d8288702 wink, Adam whistled 70c82dedc3 as he walked d899b653ca away. Then, just as f7fb129884 Ren was stepping a032a58248 out the door, 017280963d Adam pushed him f0f08a0cb0 back inside.342cd739399c2114

He used to warn me not to look at his younger brother, treating me like a lecher. However, now, with that deposit , he’s started using formal titles. be38094f2f76855e

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After offering unwanted “lover services,” he’s even handing over his own brother now.fb6a86f2d41e03c8

“Riley, you gave my brother a large sum of money recently, right?”87b3bdf00d567506

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Colin seemed to think bc1e2c0740 I was in a 58b4cc879c tough spot.b782530087f12fe0

“I’m asking because I know. His spending habits have gotten out of control, so I checked his transaction records.”b5118e86c5980165

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The evidence be3c09485d of his 9ced7f0b87 reckless spending c38c79a458 was right f16e3ba41f in his 13270c33f7 hand. Since he’d already 4121e7e7c8 checked the transaction f521d1c381 records, there was aa50e15ea9 no way I 519fc1b5be could deny it. 1f36fd8c705cf0a2

It wasn’t the time aa7ee0ac2a to feel sorry for f28dde9c67 someone else.What should I do? What should 93e5e73ad1 I say?f191bc53a7c342f1

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“That’s probably an introduction fee or something.”10d302cd5e5463a2

“……”01d2186ae2fa53a9

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“The gunman you mentioned earlier, it’s Black, right?”86c8a913268582b1

“……”a1553765eaac0d07

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“The person who killed the researcher was Black, too.”8b1f81c0d42d9366

“……”aae793453dabf942

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“Is this the job Riley was commissioned for? Wasn’t the reason Ra­ni­eri went to see Riley also about the researcher?”644829f25157c349

Is he some kind 09f4413f76 of ghost?240e3e005b6c85aa

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When he mentioned it might be an introduction fee, I had been planning to deflect by saying something like, “I got introduced to you,” to make my escape. But you have to be careful when lying—timing matters. ce09bd2d1b7d0788

It was too late 8398c34989 for that now. Colin wasn’t buying 8ce4219d76 it; he was 4a1799e300 asking questions as ef65c4b3d2 though he already 115e28fc25 had the answer, f2e4a16cb7 and I knew 3a8b38b6e6 it wouldn’t work. Moreover, if I tried 923ccf42bd to brush it off, 9f3e01d9a9 I wasn’t sure where b733a897e3 Colin’s deductions would lead. 5007dd43b3ff0006

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He could, for example, 03fb5288d2 dig into why Theo’s a261e3cbf5 business involved the researcher—or 5d1906e051 something like that.cb8df3364d721b13

“…Is it that I’m sloppy, or are you just really sharp? Of course, I hope it’s the latter.”f4287c0b4e63ceb3

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“It’s not that you’re sloppy, Riley. There were just a lot of clues left behind.”ee520a025d39bad5

I was relieved 80426d3dbf in a way. Thinking back, from the 72f0047e20 grenade attack that started 5e63f8e034 it all to Adam’s 44f82c5938 lavish behavior, Colin had b83fcf58c3 plenty of clues to f3edffc182 work with. The problem 35e9e0b97a was that 6cb5e8cd87 these clues f4e5b0ab48 had been 6d70be84f3 shared equally 65e71930f7 with Adam 1e5d631af5 and Burke.bf9c8f906f12675a

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“What about Adam? Does he know about the request too?”91cab74671836627

“Didn’t he tell you anything?” b95bebb8271c4f16

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“Yes.”079886e889f6380f

“Then he wouldn’t know.”8edbf75c2ed6c405

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It seemed like 4f858911ab Adam would have f1e20a5914 charged a commission 1614508ee3 for keeping things 9310c51946 confidential if he be96502656 had figured it 25212a635e out. He was 87e1276273 always consistent, 6a3bd90e1d but it 03cfacd5e8 was easy 53116d1fc8 to read. I nodded 871a70d8eb and spoke 32d14937b0 up.3ce2d0340fe6fab5

“Anyway, your guess is right. But it’s all over now. A lot happened, but as you know, it was handled well. Now, I’m steadily building up my achievements by taking down gangsters.”9080b6aa220929c5

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Theo may have been fc29bc2e04 leaking some of his b2819d5093 official intentions, but I 34d811a7ad still didn’t know his 24dd013652 true purpose. I only had 444d39a2a5 a vague idea 221d1806d5 that eliminating the 7089d403ec researcher wasn’t his 8728457a12 entire goal, and 27aa0048f7 that the death 19c05d82d4 of the researcher 857d4dd023 had given him fc0839b5d1 more than I 1dd6b7b97a initially realized.be10d82765f74ff8

“Riley, have you ever heard the term ‘stirring a hornet’s nest’?”c6e038736642781c

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Colin, who had been a073b3c26c looking down at me c42664e8d4 with a sharp gaze, b354a938cf let out a quiet 56318e8995 sigh.4a5d6f409cecd107

“What about it?”55b8cd33356f71a8

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“Right now, when VCI is carrying out a large-scale sweep operation, it’s often compared to stirring a hornet’s nest. It creates gaps in the organization’s defenses.”0629cd20f3211cf3

“I see.”17a5c0a2c00ab4e3

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“And Riley, you could become a target—both for the organization and for those who are after it.”fe82d2c2648abca6

“…Me?”c2bb59f793586948

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“The former is revenge, and the latter is a proposal, but either way, it’s not a good situation.”97474b7815822815

Colin’s calm voice hit me like a heavy shock, making my mind spin. This was unexpected, but it was definitely something that could happen. At least, when it came to the former, it made sense. 38c166434e71b6f3

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The exaggerated rumors 6d929ebf8d about Theo and 76b3809ad6 me being in ecb9b64f1d some great love 79f6d2d5a5 affair were a 0a49b85fd0 problem. It meant there 7d8275ad70 was a high 647bf6e510 likelihood of a 5de2126639 group with a e77ba33f59 grudge against Theo 31853b3d17 turning their attention 0303617439 toward me.fbe3e285ebe5b382

“But, Colin. I understand the 9688965273 former, but what 55e8762456 does the latter 7b04940b54 mean? What proposal a0290d5294 are you c367857ba1 talking about?” d6b94389b7f429dd

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“Recruitment. It would be advantageous 01b102909d to recruit you.” 1125cc3a735c7fb2

“I can just 9cfb42d350 refuse that, can’t a321290c69 I?” d0c37f31d7f194b7

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“Of course, you would refuse, but in such a sensitive time just being seen with a particular organization could lead to misunderstandings. Whether it’s VCI or another organization.”a44df4006e93ea5d

Maybe Theo intentionally ff221be3c5 got me involved, 9fdec3e82b making my face 352df34b14 recognizable, in an 73b7a189fe attempt to drag 3c3066a49a me into this 8edd3966b4 organizational war.582f63164081d94b

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Even if I don’t d21d0d15ba know how valuable the c6cd7b120f information the researcher sold b274916429 was, the damage I 6dec82c753 caused to Fixford was b5392ada0f astronomical. 32005479a1059642

So, after tormenting me f272e49354 and using me to 9a082cf5f4 their advantage like a 86e505e7e9 thorn in their side, a9c6f22e65 it would be a 4e7bc20267 convenient way for them 98a813a5d6 to get rid of 305226bab8 me by just linking 4e5e4bab32 me with some organization. He could f799937eb2 take me f527bc12f6 out without 51cd542e6c lifting a f406ec1e1e finger.5a45087323b5db17

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Then why did he give me a bulletproof vest? Is he saying that he’s going to spare my life but throw me in jail or something? d487a3792549b55b

Was he annoyed and resentful because I still haven’t been caught? Oh my, he’s such a bad person.a4f8e4f5a3753301

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