08. Unexpected encounter (2)

Translated by: ???

Eve sat in a secluded corner alcove where two people could barely sit, ordered a pint of Vestolene pale ale and quickly adjusted the brim of her hat as she surveyed her surroundings.

Her longsword was obscured by the table, and no one else in the pub seemed to mind the presence of Eve, as if she were just a young dim-witted boy.
By the time Eve emptied her second glass of beer, the voices of the men who had been chatting inside the pub grew louder and louder. The voices of a group of young workers were particularly loud.

All three men were drunk, their faces flushed, and they couldn’t control their voices. However, everyone ignored them as if they were familiar with the scene, which was common in the dingy pubs on the east side of the river.
Eavesdropping on their conversation, she got a basic idea of the men’s identities, then slipped away with her beer and slid her butt into an unoccupied stool at a four-seater.

“Hey, big brother Henry! Nice to see you here.”

“Huh? Henry, do you know this kid?”

“Um… who was it again?”

“What? You’re too much, big brother. I’m doing errands for your factory.”

“Ah… um… Philip, Philippa!”

“That’s right!”

“Hey, Philippa, are you old enough to drink?”

“Hahaha! What’s the big deal! Drink up, kid! Drink up!”

After a moment’s puzzlement at the stranger’s sudden entrance, the thought-paralyzed drunken workers began to chatter again, recognizing Eve’s tattered, ragged clothing, rough, unrefined accent, and low, boyish voice as one of their own.

It wasn’t long before Eve’s stocky frame and the high tension of the drunken men melded together, and she found herself sharing a beer with them several times in no time.

Before entering the Vermell household, Eve silently expressed gratitude to the old boys from the orphanage who she had overheard sharing stories at the opportune moments and put them to use in the conversation.

“So my sister is complaining a lot. She says she keeps hearing fights in the middle of the night.”

“That’s not something we mere mortals should worry about. It’s probably a turf war between the mafia and the gangs.”

“That’s right, isn’t it?”

“Damn it, those snake bastards who wouldn’t even be satisfied eating orphans are creeping their way east. They shouldn’t be allowed to enter the country at all!”

“That bastard is talking nonsense again.”

“Leave him be. He’s sensitive because he’s a wolf. Furry beasts and reptiles are always at odds, you know.”

“What snake?”

Eve slowly dangled the bait with an innocent expression.

The men lowered their voices, speaking as if sharing a grand secret with a slow-witted errand runner.

Despite their efforts to keep quiet, their voices were still loud enough that Eve didn’t need to strain to listen.

She matched their pauses and rhythms, leaning forward as if she were listening to a confidential story.

“There was a civil war in Accetra recently. I heard that a bunch of serpentines came in to escape the war.”

“Looks like some scums slipped in with the bottom feeders.”

“From what I heard, some of the pretty big snake families are encroaching on the area that overlaps with the Sidus Family’s territory.”

“Those slimy bastards don’t know the meaning of honor! They’re scum, those disgusting bastards…!”

As curse words spewed from the wolf’s mouth with his ears pricked, Eve could see some men around her, who also appeared to be werebeasts, nodding along in agreement.

It seems like this pub is either in the area of the lycanthropes or is a business managed by them.

Afterwards, the werebeasts continued to pour out insults about the serpentines and the criminal organization they led.

Eve laughed along and carefully sorted through the gossip to extract any useful information.

The chatter continued for a while, eventually reaching a boiling point when one of the werebeasts, who had been drinking too much, collapsed.

After exchanging pleasantries with the men, Eve returned to her seat and fell into deep thought, staring down at her empty beer mug and remaining silent.

In the game, there was no mention of the incident where women were being kidnapped, let alone the story of serpentines.

Eve didn’t know how it would affect the story if she delved into it, but she knew she couldn’t just ignore the women who had been victimized.

If the incident was indeed orchestrated by a gang, unless someone with influence intervened, the investigation would likely be swept under the rug.

Even with her eyes closed, Eve could already envision which direction the case would take.

At that moment, someone plopped down on the empty seat across from Eve with a thud. Eve quickly organized her thoughts and looked up across the table.

Jet-black hair, crimson irises, dark skin tone, strong and prominent jawline, a high nose bridge, deep eye sockets.

Eve had seen a man who looked like him before. Or more accurately, she ?Knew? him.

“Are you here alone?”

“I’m not sure.”

“It doesn’t seem like you have any company. Mind if I sit here?”

“Suit yourself.”

Eve and the man exchanged a few words and simultaneously ordered a glass of ale before falling silent. Their eyes met as they checked each other.

They already knew each other, and each realized they knew each other.

“You were drinking heavily without any snacks. Are you going to drink more?”

“I don’t really know what’s good. Can you recommend something?”

“The grilled sausage is pretty good. They use high-quality meat.”

“Okay, I’ll try that. I’ll use the money for the price of the seat I lent you.”

With Eve’s words, the man lightly laughed and ordered grilled sausage and fried potatoes.

It wasn’t long before a dark golden ale was poured into a rugged glass of poor quality. Eve drank the beer without hesitation.

The refreshing taste of the bubbles and the citrus scent and pleasant pine scent that could be smelled from the orange peel came. Unlike when she was drinking with her mind elsewhere, she could feel the taste and aroma of the beer pleasantly stimulating her tongue.
Setting the glass down, Eve let out a “Kkuuu” that sounded like a middle-aged man, and casually wiped the white foam from her lips with her sleeve.

The man also took a big gulp and put down his glass. He looked at Eve, who was looking at the sausage and fried potatoes on the table with sparkling eyes, with an interested gaze.

“Have you been learning swordsmanship for a long time?”

“Huh?”

“You’re wearing it around your waist. The long sword.”

“Oh, this? What do you mean for a long time? I’ve only been learning for, like, two years. I’m still an amateur.”

Eve honestly answered and cut the sausage with the fork and knife that came together with it without hesitation.

Eve, who cut the red sausage into bite-sized pieces with her knife, which burst with juice as soon as she cut it, put one in her mouth.

It tasted better than she thought.

Eve quickly took a sip of ale and put another piece of sausage into her mouth.

The combination of greasy sausage and the refreshing beer was fantastic.

“Are you starving at home or something?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I’ve never seen a lady who eats so well.”

“People usually eat this much. This nobleman here, haven’t you met a woman who could eat this much before?”

“Mmm.”

Basilio lifted his glass of ale again without denying or affirming anything.

Eve also emptied her glass with a smirk on her face. It was around the time when the two of them were silently enjoying their drinks and snacks that they ordered another glass of ale each.

“What’s your name?”

“Call me Basca.”

“Not that, your real name.”

“Well, that’s my real name. It’s a nickname I only tell the ladies.”

Eve looked at the man who introduced himself as Basca and spoke again.

“A woman I know from the east side of the river is missing. There’s a high possibility that it’s human trafficking by a gang. What do you think?”

“If the woman is a prostitute, she’s probably dead, and if she’s a free citizen, then human trafficking is likely.”

“Are you sure?”

“About 80% sure.”

“Hmm…”

If the boss of a huge mafia group in the back alley said that he had 80% certainty, it was probably very high.

Eve wondered if Maria might still be alive.

In fact, when she’d comforted Anna, she’d told her everything would be okay, but it hadn’t occurred to her that Maria might be alive.

When this guy was sure that it was human trafficking, Eve felt that he knew something. She quickly gulped down her ale and asked again.

“You know everything, right?”

At her question, Basca’s lips curved softly. The man, who looked like a black panther that would not be visible in the darkness, was laughing with what seemed like pleasure, his ruby-red eyes twinkling.

Eve urged for more information as she drank her beer.

Basca briefly closed his mouth and seemed to assess the surrounding noise.

When he was sure that their conversation would not be heard over the noise of the pub, he spoke up.

“There’s a family that’s been making a name for itself lately. They’re called the Viper Family, made up of the former Serpentine from Accetra. Rumor has it that those bastards are collecting human women lately. They export them through the port.”

“International human trafficking? They must be crazy.”

“It’s more profitable to hand them over to foreign countries than to trade in the Empire. Besides, it’s relatively easier to smuggle by sea than by land. Especially when transporting humans. Even if you make a double bottom, if the size of the ship is large, it won’t be noticed that much.”

“What is the purpose of selling women to foreign countries?”

“There are various reasons, but there is a prejudice that women ?Made in the Empire? are relatively more beautiful and obedient than their own women… It’s a prejudice that is not a prejudice. They are treated as top-grade goods.”

There were also people here who judged the quality of humans based on their place of production.

She didn’t even have to imitate nausea since a feeling of disgust rose up automatically.

Eve did not hide her expression, which looked like she had chewed on a bug. It felt like the disgusting smell of insult was rising up her throat.

“Have you ever sold a person before?”

After emptying the rest of her beer in one breath, Eve sharply threw a question. Basca replied with a smirk.

“Well, I don’t know about my superiors, but we are a reputable financial company. We don’t deal with risky items like drugs or humans.”

“It doesn’t seem like usury money lending is of good quality either.”

“At least it’s not illegal.”

Eve’s face betrayed a mixture of emotions within.

Basca, who seemed to be enjoying seeing her like that, ordered another beer and spoke again.

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