"Wow!"
The spoon thrown by Lou spun around in the air and struck Barbo's throat.
That accurate and swift blow was so strong that Barbo involuntarily clutched his neck and staggered.
"What the heck is this? Who is this? Isn't this a little mouse?"
A murderous look lingered in Barbo's eyes as he discovered Lou.
"I was actually planning to teach you a lesson anyway, so I’m glad I ran into you."
"Why? Because I ratted out the boss that you gambled away the company funds?"
Lou smirked, tossing out vulgar remarks. Fire flared in Barbo's one remaining eye.
It was because he recalled that nightmarish day when he was caught embezzling public funds.
If it weren't for the merit of saving the leader, it wouldn't have ended with just being beaten to death.
"I will rip your chatterbox-like mouth apart."
"Aha, how did you know I still had something to say?"
Even while standing before the giant, Lou was not intimidated in the slightest.
"You rat!"
Lou dodged the thick hand trying to grab him by the collar like a loach.
Gang-!
And at the same time, he struck Barbo's head with a bowl.
Then, gripping the staggering Barbo's neck like a pillar, he twisted his body to apply centrifugal force.
Before he knew it, Lou was clinging to Bardo's back like a monkey.
"Crazy rat-"
Barbo, who had roughly grabbed Lou's arm, paused before throwing him over.
"If you throw me, I'm going to cut this off."
Because of a single word Lou left, heard only by him.
The leather strap holding the blindfold caught on the blade of Lou's dagger and was pulled taut.
"Barbo, if it's revealed that you've been pretending to be one-eyed in front of everyone here, don't you think your master will be quite intrigued?"
A smiling voice flew into his ears again.
"You've gotten so bold now that you're walking around with your eyes bare without even taking your medicine."
"Yes, how did you..."
The reason he was able to firmly establish himself as the undisputed third-in-command of the Black Day despite his lack of ability was that the leader believed he owed him a debt for losing an eye because of him.
But if it gets revealed that it was actually a play...
'If the boss finds out, he'll try to burn me alive.'
At that time, bam!
"Shouldn't you back down on your own while I keep your mouth shut?"
Lou playfully flicked the blindfold string.
The leather strap, pulled taut from behind, slapped painfully against his temple. The blindfold also tightened as if digging into his eyes.
"Hey, are you really planning to hang up, you rotten bastard?"
Barbo didn't think twice, staggered, and shook his body as if it were a mistake.
Lou also fell naturally and landed lightly on the ground.
Barbo flinched at that refreshing movement.
His blood boiled at the fact that he had to let this despicable fellow go without laying a hand on him, despite having so many subordinates.
His face turned red like lava.
"Brother, what's wrong? Why don't you take this opportunity to teach that guy a lesson?"
However, with people watching, Barbo could not back down like this, if only to restore his bruised pride.
Just then, someone came into Barbo's sight.
"Hey, bro, what are you looking at, huh?"
The sparks flew to the guy who sat quietly in the corner with his hood pulled down low, looking foolishly big, waiting for this commotion to end quickly.
"Did you come to watch?"
Barbo kicked Peleus's chair away.
"You look like a stranger. Did you pay the toll to get in here—!"
No. To be precise, he tried to kick it.
However, the moment he stretched out his leg, Peleus was no longer there.
Byak~!
Instead of a person, an empty chair got caught on the leg and bounced up into the air.
Unable to withstand the recoil, Barbo's body tilted backward.
'W-what? It was definitely here...!'
Barbo could not understand it even at the moment he fell.
It was lightning-fast. The man who had been right in front of him just moments ago was suddenly a few steps behind.
"C-Captain...? Why are you suddenly kicking the air?"
Even the man of black anchors watching could not have imagined that Peleus had moved his body in that split second.
And then, to the ground, Barbo fell with a loud noise.
"Captain? Snap out of it! What are you doing! Did you faint? Wake him up immediately!"
Barbo, having hit the back of his head hard, briefly lost consciousness.
His panicked subordinates grabbed his heavy body and shook him.
Eventually, he even climbed on top of the chest and punched him, claiming he would massage the heart.
Taking advantage of the commotion, Lou quietly left.
And Peleus secretly followed her as she left the tavern.
Barbo regained consciousness not long after.
The reason he was able to faint and wake up so quickly was not so much because he was healthy, but rather.
"Captain! Snap out of it!"
It might have been because the desperate subordinates had finally poured a bucket of cold water over the unconscious Barbo's head.
"W-what was that just now? What happened?"
"Oh...!"
The customers at the tavern couldn't hold back their laughter, even while glancing nervously at the black anchor.
Barbo ended up looking like a wet mouse thrown to a cat.
Barbo's face turned red and then blue.
"Where did that guy go!"
"Huh? C-Captain, which one are you talking about?!"
"You son of a bitch who dared to mock me!"
The word 'mockery' was misleading. This was because Barbo appeared to have fainted after falling while kicking in the air by himself.
"What did you do! You wretched fools! You just let that guy go? You guys, pack your gear!"
"Now, gear? But it can't be done without the boss's permission..."
The boss of the Black Anchor said that they must not cause an unnecessary accident that would draw the attention of the Imperial City, so they should resolve the matter as quietly as possible.
"Shut up and just hurry up and chase!"
However, Barbo, having lost his reason, went berserk.
While his subordinates hesitated, he drew his sword and stormed out of the tavern, fuming.
At that time, Peleus was chasing Lou.
Even though he was keeping a considerable distance, the boy seemed to notice that he was being followed, so he hid himself deeper into an alleyway in a different direction each time.
'I didn't know that informant was that young.'
However, judging by the way he threatened the thug with his secret, he seemed more capable than expected.
On top of that, the strikes landed properly, and the movements were light.
It was closer to a skill learned through actual practice rather than being taught by anyone.
Although there was a lot of unnecessary movement, he seemed to be overcoming his physical weaknesses quite excellently with speed and accuracy.
The corners of Peleus's mouth formed a very faint arc.
Because discovering someone talented is always a joyful thing.
“It’s over there!”
Just then, a group of strong men came running toward Peleus.
It felt familiar. It was Barbo's gang, with whom he had gotten into a fight just moments ago.
From his perspective, he couldn't dare mess with Lou, who knew the secret, so he didn't dare reveal himself in front of people. It seemed like he was planning to vent all his anger on the stranger.
Peleus placed his hand on the scabbard.
As the sun set, the alley was gradually growing dark.
Judging by the intense murderous aura emanating from their entire bodies, it seems they, too, harbor a deep grudge against Peleus.
It was no threat at all to Peleus, who had been through every battle on the battlefield.
'Was it Barbo?'
He always targets the leader.
The absence of a commander is bound to confuse the generals. It is also the most efficient way to end a battle.
However, the moment he was about to draw his sword, someone snatched his wrist.
“Run!”
Before Peleus could even figure out the whole story, Lou pulled him and started running.
"I kind of expected it, given your size, but no matter how skilled you are, you're not a god. If you charge in recklessly like that, you'll only end up hurting yourself!"
Lou warned.
The boy's face, seen up close, had slender lines. His jawline, lacking established bone structure, was soft, and even faint downy hairs remained.
When he boldly pinned down Barbo in the tavern, contrary to his appearance, he was like a young beast grown in wheat.
Peleus willingly relaxed his body and let himself be led.
"Catch him! He's running away! You bastards, catch him! Catch him!"
The shouts of the gang echoed.
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