The black market in the capital attracts all kinds of people. Thieves, swindlers, fences, thugs… the abandoned, the forgotten, or those who left society by choice—the outcasts. Among the many dark pits here, if one were to ask which place holds the worst reputation, ‘The Nest’ would undoubtedly be among everyone’s top picks.
It is one of the three most notorious dens, along with ‘The Valley,’ known for its drug trade, and ‘The Forge,’ a gathering of arms dealers. Only those who have stained their hands with blood can enter this employment office. It’s a place where serial killers, hitmen, illegal mercenaries, and assassins—anyone whose trade involves killing—gather. The dim lighting is suffused with the stench of drugs, cigarette smoke, stale alcohol, and the metallic scent of blood emanating from uncleaned, rusted weapons.
In short, it’s not a place for a well-dressed ‘lady’ to be wandering into. So, it’s no surprise that every gaze in the room turned toward the door as it swung open. The young woman, dressed in an expensive-looking robe, stood out like a sore thumb in this bleak setting. With an enthusiastic gait, she trotted in, glancing around with a beaming smile. To an onlooker, she might as well have been a child on a picnic.
“Who’s the worst criminal here? Raise your hand if you’re confident,” she declared suddenly, stealing everyone’s attention with her unexpected question.
The bizarre sight left the occupants of The Nest blinking in confusion. The woman, dissatisfied with the lack of response, scanned the room again, frowning slightly.
“No one?”
“Is this place really that weak? Weaker than the last two spots?”
No one knew what she meant by the ‘last two spots,’ but her words were enough to scratch someone’s pride. At the sound of a weapon slamming on the table, everyone’s eyes shifted to the source.
“If you’re rushing your death, I won’t stop you,” a rough voice called out. The man who spoke was well-known in the area—a notorious hitman with a bare, scar-covered chest. It was rumored that he carved a scar for every person he killed. His menacing presence made everyone uneasy, save for one person.
The woman who had initiated the questioning cocked her head slightly and took a few steps toward him.
“Are you the baddest one here?”
“You certainly don’t seem like you’d win a Citizen of the Year award.”
“Yeah?” he sneered. “Why, do you need proof? I can give you some if you’d like.”
The woman nodded, as if she had confirmed something.
“Your words tell me you’re the real deal.”
She gently placed her small hand atop the man’s large hand.
“What’s this? Are you offering yourself as proof—”
But before he could finish, a knife plunged mercilessly down, piercing through the woman’s hand and into his own, pinning both to the wooden table.
Blood splattered everywhere, and as the man let out a blood-curdling scream, those nearby sprang to their feet, drawing their weapons.
“……You, bastard!”
“I have a few questions to ask. I’d like you to answer them honestly, if you don’t mind. A friend asked me to look into this.”
The woman who had committed such an act remained seated, her chin resting on her hand atop the table, still smiling. It was safe to say she looked rather relaxed.
“What the hell are you saying, you—”
“Claiming you’ve done a lot of bad things probably means you’ve been busy here, right? It also means you know a lot, doesn’t it?”
But none of the people in The Nest dared to rush at her.
That’s because they recognized the blazing, searing-hot flames that suddenly erupted around the woman, heating up the room like the middle of hell itself.
“…Divine power?”
If someone could control such an ability, they were at least a paladin—at most, a royal from the Holy Kingdom. It was more than enough reason to reconsider attacking.
Meanwhile, the woman who had created this oppressive atmosphere showed not the slightest hesitation as she continued speaking.
“Recently, there’s been some folks poking around the black market. I’d like to know where they are.”
“Gasp, haah—”
“Hellfire bombs, Suppression Syringes, and Ritual Root. I heard someone’s been handling all of them. They’re not ordinary goods, so there must be rumors. Do you know anything about them? Tell me everything, and I’ll pull out the knife and let you go.”
“Shut up…! I’ll kill you, you damnable—!”
“Hmm, yeah, yeah. That’s what they said at the last two places, too.”
“…What?”
“Yeah… The Valley? The Forge? Something with cutesy names like that.”
“The guys there reacted just the same when I did this.”
The names of the two most infamous gangs in the capital’s black market slipped out of the woman’s mouth, leaving the others stunned.
It was clear just by her words that she had confronted them in the exact same way.
Those who had drawn their weapons awkwardly exchanged glances.
Honestly, they figured she was probably bluffing.
The three dens of crime were certainly not friendly toward one another, but at the very least, they would’ve heard rumors if one of them had been taken down. Within half a day, word would’ve spread like wildfire.
In other words, if what she claimed was true…
It meant that this woman had annihilated all three of the black market’s dens within less than half a day.
‘…Is that even possible?’
Everyone in the room shared that thought.
However, it was the woman’s demeanor that made the situation even more unsettling.
“Don’t worry. In the end, they all talked.”
Calmly.
Without any sign of bravado or intimidation, she spoke as if she were simply stating a fact.
Still smiling brightly, she continued cheerfully.
“Usually, they start talking when I burn them from the hands up to the arms.”
She then moved the flames that had risen around her.
The man’s face, who had been impaled through his hand, turned pale. Despite the black-and-white flames that seemed to absorb all light, casting shadows on her face, she continued to smile.
Of course, by now, that smile was starting to look different.
It wouldn’t be wrong to call her a demon at this point.
“You damn—!”
But everyone here was someone who lived by killing, meaning that being cornered this far guaranteed at least some resistance.
The man swung a curved sword from his free hand in a broad arc. In the blink of an eye, it slashed across the woman’s neck.
And then.
The woman simply scoffed.
No scream, no bloodshed, not even any reaction.
It was as if the blade had cut through thin air.
“Hmm.”
As the sliced surface fused back together seamlessly, the onlookers recoiled in horror.
Like a clay doll being molded back into shape, the cut instantly sealed itself—a sight undeniably grotesque.
Still, she kept smiling.
“If you wanted to cut me, you should’ve aimed for your own wrist instead.”
Then.
She lightly tapped the back of the hand that had been pinned by the knife as she continued.
“I’m not pulling this out until I hear everything I want, you know?”
“…You won’t talk?”
“Then I’ll start burning you now. Speak up if you can’t take it.”
At that moment, everyone in the room seemed to come to the same sudden realization.
-This woman.
She wasn’t bluffing when she said she’d gone through all three black market dens.
This woman is a monster, fully capable of pulling it off…!
“I-I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”
The man, drenched in a cold sweat as flames slowly crept toward him, finally broke down. But the moment she heard his answer, disappointment flashed across the woman’s face.
“You’re really the weakest so far.”
The man paled even further, realizing she was serious when she said she’d actually burned people at the previous places.
Reluctantly, he began answering her questions obediently. As the tense interrogation continued, the door suddenly swung open once more.
All eyes, unable to move under the woman’s oppressive aura, shifted to the entrance.
Was it another one of her comrades? What if it was someone even more terrifying than her…?
“Is it over?”
Contrary to their fears, a perfectly ordinary man stepped inside.
The problem was…
“Oh, just now—!”
It was the woman’s reaction upon seeing the man.
The woman, who had been exerting an overwhelming presence moments ago, lost all of that terrifying energy the moment the man’s face appeared.
The man frowned slightly as he surveyed the room.
“You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
“Oh, I just stabbed my own hand!”
“And why exactly are you hurting yourself like that?”
“Well, it makes them more scared of me!”
They continued their conversation casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It seemed like they were close, and that this monstrous woman considered the man her equal.
“Well, if you’re done, let’s go. This is the last one, right?”
“Aww, are there really no more…?”
“Unfortunately, these were the only three bad ones around.”
The woman smacked her lips as if genuinely disappointed, and the man bowed slightly to those around him.
“Have a nice day.”
With that farewell, the man wrapped an arm around the woman, who clung to him, and they walked out of the building.
“What the hell are those two…?”
It was likely that everyone there shared a similar sentiment.
The crazy woman was insane enough on her own, but any man who could befriend such a woman was certainly not normal either.
Aiden sighed as he crossed the last name off his notebook.
“…That’s the last den.”
If you’re looking for a needle in a haystack, the best way is to use heavy machinery to sift through all the hay.
Proven by their efficiency, they’d swept through the most dangerous and filthy places in the capital in less than half a day.
Normally, it would’ve taken weeks or even months to carefully gather information, but this aggressive approach had made the identities of the ‘informants’ almost clear.
This method wouldn’t have been possible without Katia, who loved to act recklessly. He’d already lost count of how many people she’d sent to the hospital in such a short time.
…This is why Noel couldn’t be brought along.
As Aiden pondered this, he noticed Katia staring at him intently.
“What are you looking at?”
“Nothing, I was just thinking that when you decide to cause trouble, you’re really ruthless about it.”
“You look meek most of the time, but when you act, you really go all out.”
…Of all people, hearing this from her brought about a mix of complex emotions.
Sadly, he couldn’t deny it.
“When necessary, you have to act. Catching those kinds of people is all about speed.”
The reason for such an aggressive approach was to prevent the targets from going into hiding once word spread.
Not that this explanation was entirely accurate.
“Hm?”
“They’re probably already preparing to vanish. Those who receive direct orders from high-ranking officials wouldn’t be lacking in information.”
Even though they acted quickly, they had still dismantled three organizations. By now, word must have spread, meaning the opposition would have begun taking action.
Aiden wasn’t inexperienced in crime, so he understood how such organizations operated.
They’d be erasing evidence, scattering, and preparing to disappear.
“From that perspective, the job’s not quite done yet. Are you okay with that?”
“Of course. This is the best part.”
“Nobody complains when you mess with bad guys. It’s a win-win for my hobby and for helping a friend.”
As Katia said this with a cheerful smile, Aiden found himself at a loss for words—until a system window suddenly popped up in front of him.
-System Message:
The mood of ‘Katia’ has significantly improved!
▶ This action has been identified as the optimal way to increase her ‘Affection.’ Related information has been added to the compendium! Repeating this action will have a high probability of further increasing her affection!
Well.
People really don’t change easily.
Even though she was as tame as a pet when she was around him, her violent tendencies and habit of smashing things whenever she got the chance hadn’t diminished at all.
Still, it was fortunate that this notice appeared at just the right time.
What he was about to say to Katia had a high chance of upsetting her.
If she was in a good mood, she might at least listen.
“Well then, Katia.”
Aiden scratched his head and spoke up.
“I’ll need Noel’s help from this point on.”
Sure enough, Katia’s beaming smile disappeared instantly.
It was a sudden shift from heaven to hell.
“…Why her?”
“Come on. I told you to get along with Noel.”
“……”
“Katia. You have to answer.”
“Fine,” Katia replied, pouting her lips.
Aiden couldn’t help but chuckle internally. It felt like he was a father trying to reason with his rebellious teenage daughter.
“But still, explain it to me. Why do we really need her?”
“Oh, that.”
Now that they had the location, this part was crucial.
The whole point of capturing the informants was to expose the prince and the minister.
To do that, they needed ‘evidence’ connecting those officials to the suspects.
And to gather that evidence, direct confrontation with their people was inevitable.
The method he had chosen for this was…
“Noel needs to get really angry.”
Though it was unclear why, Katia seemed visibly pleased at the mere mention of Noel getting mad.
Cliche Novel 