Damned System

Chapter 97. Compounding Interest (7)

“Did you say there’s been contact?”

“Yes, they said the items have arrived, and we need to pick them up.”

Vallego, who had been enjoying his meal while patting his rounded belly, suddenly jumped up from his seat.

‘Finally!’

It had been about fifteen days since the request was made, and only now did it seem to have borne fruit.

“What should we do? Should I go alone…?”

“No, I’ll have to go personally.”

Vallego hurriedly prepared for an outing and soon boarded a carriage.

Accompanied by his attendant and a knight, he quickly left the estate.

Inside the speeding carriage, the attendant who followed Vallego carried a wooden box the size of a human head.

Vallego snatched it eagerly and opened the lid.

Revealed inside was a chunk of metal.

It wasn’t just any metal chunk, but a restraining magic tool designed to be worn around the neck and wrists.

“Hehehe.”

With this, it was only a matter of time before his grand plan succeeded.

‘They definitely said they’d appoint me as a priest if I handed over that Outsider.’

Once he became a priest, there would be no worries for the rest of his life.

As he visualized the glory that awaited him, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

However, his delight didn’t last long.

Remembering the root cause that drove him to such lengths soured his mood.

‘I won’t let it end just because that bastard threw me out.’

Vallego scowled and closed the box with a thud, tossing it to the attendant.

Barely catching the box after some fumbling, the attendant managed to steady it as Vallego leaned back into the carriage seat, resting his hand on his full stomach again.

Originally, Vallego was born as the eldest son of the Protoram family, known as the giants of the material market, and had grown up in unimaginable affluence.

Even during the turbulent times when the whole continent was engulfed in chaos, his generous physique was evidence of his prosperous upbringing.

He was the eldest son of a family that amassed an immense fortune, one of the largest within Ferrell.

But early on, he realized that the family’s business was not his calling.

‘Playing with numbers is boring and gives me a headache.’

Knowing his impulsive nature, he found that sitting still and poring over numbers and texts didn’t suit him.

He had little attachment to the family’s business from the start.

He wasn’t even particularly adept at calculating profits and losses anyway.

His late father used to lament, calling Vallego impulsive with the emphasis on foolishness.

It was probably his father’s way of expressing disappointment and belittling a son who failed to meet expectations.

While such words troubled him in his youth, they didn’t bother him much anymore.

However, when his brother took over the family business and cut off his funding, it was indeed problematic.

Although he had a substantial amount of personal wealth, it wasn’t enough to last his entire life.

For someone accustomed to a life without want, he had suddenly become someone who needed to find a way to make a living.

Thus, he turned his attention to the temple.

‘With divinity, I can easily grow my wealth.’

He could receive support from influential figures and hold power that spanned the entire continent.

Having money alone couldn’t buy the social status and influence that came with priesthood.

‘With that, he won’t be able to look down on me any longer.’

Grinding his teeth at the thought of his brother, who took over the family and cut off his support, Vallego simmered with rage.

He was enduring hardships he wouldn’t have encountered otherwise because of him.

The thought was so infuriating that it almost made him sick with anger.

While he acknowledged his limitations in talent, he couldn’t accept having his privileges stripped away.

For that reason, this plan must succeed.

If he handed over the Outsider to Agnotia, he would be ordained as a priest the following year.

While fuming with hostility toward his brother but also with firm resolve, Vallego’s carriage arrived at its destination.

The location notified by the guild in advance was situated on the outskirts of Habon castle.

Wearing a hood, Vallego entered the dilapidated building, accompanied by his attendant and knight.

Once inside, he confirmed his identity with a prearranged phrase, and a staff member pulled at a spot on the floor.

“This way down.”

“Tut.”

Momentarily wrinkling his nose at the musty air that wafted up, Vallego used a handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose and descended the steep stairs.

The place where he needed to go was a location he could only reach by passing through a corridor that extended outside the fortress walls underground.

After walking through the damp passageway for a while, a faint light appeared in the distance.

Vallego stopped in front of a makeshift door constructed from wooden panels.

At his signal, the attendant stepped forward to knock, and the door opened as if it had been waiting for them.

“Ah, we’ve been expecting you. Please, come in.”

The person inside was a man with a broad grin on his face.

As he smiled, his yellowed teeth came into full view, causing Vallego to frown.

‘Filthy.’

He had never once felt pleased meeting those born into low status.

Sharing the same space with them was, by itself, unpleasant.

“Where’s the item?”

As Vallego stepped back half a step while covering his mouth and nose, the man’s brows twitched slightly.

However, Vallego didn’t notice the change as the man swiftly regained his composure.

“Right here, ready for you to take.”

The man, donning a salesman’s practiced, artificial smile, stepped aside to reveal the scene.

Unveiled was the sight of a person bound in ropes, slumping limply to the ground.

Vallego’s lips quivered with excitement.

Unique attire, distinctly different skin tone, and even the bizarre images floating above his head.

There weren’t many Outsiders with two images hovering above them.

And among that handful, the Outsider with the image of Palao was unmistakably one person.

Pushing past the man, Vallego hurriedly approached the Outsider.

“This is the Outsider I described, isn’t it? If you’ve fetched the wrong one, you’d better be prepared.”

Wanting to confirm just in case, a confident voice resounded.

“Of course. We’ve verified his comings and goings from the Bennett estate several times.”

Listening to the man’s reply, Vallego lowered himself.

Then, as he grasped the hair of the Outsider and lifted his head, his lips curled upward.

This was indeed the face he had seen in the viewing stone.

“Heh.”

With this one, he could truly become a priest.

“Is this the item you’re looking for?”

“Yes, it is.”

Straightening up again, Vallego turned around with a dissatisfied expression.

‘If I knew it would be this easy, I would have quoted a lower price.’

However, the reward for the request had already been agreed upon.

If he didn’t pay, he wouldn’t be able to use the guild again.

Vallego reluctantly started rummaging through his pocket.

Observing Vallego’s gesture, the man approached while rubbing his hands together.

“Take it.”

Vallego eventually handed over a piece of paper from inside his hood.

It was a cheque issued by Kerman Bank.

Excluding the down payment, it was a cheque for the agreed reward amount of 10,000 Her.

Even as he handed over the cheque, Vallego couldn’t help but glance back at it enviously before clicking his tongue and turning away.

In contrast, the man who received the cheque from Vallego was inwardly delighted.

‘Sending a few suitable men as a trial, I didn’t expect it to succeed in one attempt.’

Thanks to that, after paying the mercenaries just 1,000 Her, he would pocket the remaining 9,000 Her.

The man couldn’t hide his glee as he admired the cheque now in his possession.

Meanwhile, Vallego’s expression remained displeased.

“Bring over the restraints!”

Was his stomach churning due to the large expenditure? Vallego shouted harshly at the attendant standing by the door.

Panting, the attendant fetched the restraints and opened the box lid.

The process of engraving mana into the restraints was already complete.

All that remained was to attach it to the Outsider.

It was right when Vallego reached for the Outsider again, without the slightest hesitation, that it happened.

“Huh?”

The man, having just stored away the cheque, made a strange noise.

Vallego turned his head at the sudden noise, noticing a bead fastened to the man’s waist was glowing.

‘That’s…’

A portable telegraph, wasn’t it?

Unlike the large telegraph that could accurately convey written messages, the small portable telegraph the man had could only send and receive signals through light.

A signal had engaged, indicating that someone had activated the other paired telegraph.

Blink, blink, blink.

As they watched the continuously blinking light, Vallego felt as though his heart was racing for no apparent reason.

Unable to hold back his curiosity and anxiety, Vallego asked.

“What on earth is going on?”

“Ah.”

The man, who had been making his way toward the door with a frown, turned back to Vallego and spoke.

“It’s nothing. I’ll step aside so you can continue.”

Still polite, but somehow more business-like compared to before receiving the cheque, the man left the room almost hastily.

Afterward, as Vallego turned to gaze at the closed door momentarily, a distant thud resounded.

The knight who had accompanied him to the underground grasped his sword’s hilt and approached the door.

“Sir, it would be best to leave as soon as possible.”

Sensing something unusual, the knight urged Vallego.

Vallego had also sensed that something was amiss.

“Tut, how poorly managed…”

This is why one shouldn’t engage with the uncouth.

Muttering in a low voice, Vallego tried once more to put the restraints on the Outsider’s neck when suddenly.

Thunk, a reverberation echoed as the drowsy Outsider twitched, still bound and slumped over.

It caused Vallego’s hand to veer off course.

With an irritated expression, Vallego glanced behind him.

This time, he distinctly felt the vibration.

Additionally, he began to faintly hear commotion coming from afar.

Eventually, Vallego couldn’t hold back and erupted.

“Galon, go see what’s happening!”

“Yes, sir.”

Just as the knight named Galon sprang toward the door, Vallego grumbled in dissatisfaction.

“Eing, what on earth…”

“What do you mean what.”

A strange voice responded.

“It’s a surprise I prepared.”

The shadow sprang forward, reaching his neck.

“Ah!”

The Outsider, who had suddenly opened his eyes, wrapped his arms around Vallego’s neck, squeezing with all his might.

A clear shout rang out.

“Apprehend them all!”

“They’ve insulted the order!”

“Kill those who surrender if necessary!”

“Capture them!”

Amidst the uproar, the unfamiliar voice continued to speak.

“Because of the notable gift you sent, I made my own preparations, what do you think? Do you like it?”

The Outsider, who had been unconscious until moments ago, continued.

“Even if you don’t like it, you’ll have to enjoy it, because refusal is not an option. Understand, you criminal?”

Vallego felt his blood run cold at the low voice resonating from above his head.

Damned System.