"...."
"Do you want to answer me or do you want to get your head chopped?" I asked, pressing my sword against his neck.
"I-I will answer. Karma is a secret organisation of criminals. From what I know, it is a very big organization and some Nobles are also secretly supporting it. I-I don't know much other than this."
'It looks like only a few people know of this Karma. They used the Nobles by providing them a portion of revenue and in exchange used their names to create a backing.'
But still, something was bothering me. From all the incidents I have been, I should have heard about Karma. And since I didn't hear about it, that means they were hidden very well.
So how the hell did this find out all these?
"Are you... um... Brother Dilly? "
"I am the one you are looking for"
It wasn't the bulky guy in front of me who answered. The voice came from behind me and there was no way it was a man's voice.
I looked back and saw a girl with black hair and a pony tail. She looked around twenty with a decent face.
'Curse you, Mr.Thug! It wasn't Broter Dilly. It was Sister Dilly!'
"You are... Brother Dilly?"
"..."
"..."
Both of us looked at each other without speaking anything.
"Can't you see I am a girl?"
Cough!
'That's why I am surprised.'
"Did you kill all my men?"
"So it's now it's your turn now" I don't know why these people don't act obediently unless they are threatened.
"..."
I gripped my sword tightly but the next moment she dashed near me and raised her leg high to kick my face. I tried to avoid it but her fast kick connected to the hood of my coat, throwing it backwards.
'Fast! She is better than me in hand to hand combat.'
But it was not a hand to hand combat. I had my sword with me and my swordsmanship far surpassed that of an average one.
I rotated my body and tried to strike her neck with my sword but well, I stopped a few inches before touching her neck. She was looking at me with an expression I had never seen in anyone's face.
"M-m-m-marcel Mi.. Mistmer!!!!"
"... Do you know me?"
"Yes! Yes! I am a big fan!"
That... was unexpected. I never thought I would gain a criminal fanbase in the competition. I didn't know if I should be happy or sad about that.
'Marcel Mistmer killed his first and only fan with his own sword. Oh well, that didn't sound right.'
"You think I won't kill you if you say that?"
"N-no. I thought someone from another Noble faction sent you. But why is the great and handsome Marcel Mistmer trying to kill me?"
'Great and what? Is she really trying to charm me?'
I really didn't want to talk to a criminal but her face really looked confused.
'Did she not realise that she was committing a crime?'
"Your people killed innocent civilians on your orders, robbed their money, used them for their own pleasure and you are really asking me that?"
"What the hell are you talking about? Why would our..."
She stopped her words as she looked at the bulky guy. He didn't raise his head and was looking at his own feet while shaking. It looked like he was about to break into tears.
"What happened, Jasper?"
"..."
"Jasper!"
"I-It was Darlo. He threatened me to not tell you. H-he was torturing some civilians and robbing them. I am really sorry...sniffle...I...I was scared."
'Sacred? He looks at least five years older than me'
Anyway, I understood the situation more or less. This Dilly girl was most likely their leader but she just wanted to deal with the bets using broker shop as a front. She might have hired that Darlo guy to spread the word about broker shop. But he used this opportunity to commit crimes.
That didn't mean they were not without any blame.
"You idiot! Why didn't you tell me that? Ahhh... Wait, wait! I really didn't know, Marcel."
"..."
"At least, let me explain."
"I already heard from him. Some guy from Karma told you to organize the bets and he used the names of Nobles for a backing."
Dilly shot a fierce glance at Jasper. His shoulders shuddered and he looked at his feet again. She too sighed looking defeated and decided to speak about the matter.
"Yes, it is as you have heard. So what do you want?"
"How do you know about this? I don't think it is something that a person organising bets for them should know."
"... Yes, you are right. They didn't inform us anything about their group. I investigated them after they gave me the job."
"You found out about them yourself?"
"Yes. I am good at gathering information. My skills also greatly help me in it. You can deal with me however you want but let him go. He is just an innocent guy."
"W-what? No... "
"Shut up!"
The bulky guy tried to say something but Dilly cut him off.
'Uh... Looks like she has the upper hand between these two.'
But to gather information about a secret organisation on all her own... She isn't just good, she is extremely good.
"What's your relationship, by the way?"
"He is my younger brother."
"What? What are you? Like thirty? "
"S-shut up! I am twenty one and he is... um... sixteen."
'Holy mother of Elysium! This gorilla is sixteen? He looks even older than you, Sister Dilly'
Dilly's face also became bright red as she introduced her brother's age.
"... I see. That's good... Cough! Anyway, tell me everything about this Karma group."
"... I don't know how more than what Jasper told you but that group is surprisingly big and strong. They have supporters everywhere in this world. It doesn't matter if they are Nobles or commoners, many people are supporting them secretly. Even..."
She stoppee for a while looking tense and spoke in a low voice.
"....Even some Nobles of Elysium are with them."
'What? Wait a minute...wait a minute...'
I couldn't control my expression after hearing her words. I had a really bad feeling about this group for some reason. I had to ask her to make my doubts clear.
"The terrorist attack in Lumina Town..."
"Yes, you are right. Karma was most probably behind it."
'!!!'
'It was Karma who was behind everything? The Doctor and that lady with a veil, the attack on Lumina Town, the people targeting Isabelle. It was all related to Karma!'
"And if this group decides to start an all out war, several towns would be wiped out."
'It was at a level I couldn't even imagine. All these guys I fought from Karma till now were not even the fodders. I think the upper factions of this group don't even know that I killed their people. Their deaths were no different from that of an ant to them.'
"Do you know a lady wearing a veil from Karma?"
I could see her eyes looking at me with a slight state of shock.
"Umm...Her name is Vincia. I-I don't know much about their positions but I heard she had a little higher position than the other dead-weights. I think her position was the same as the guy named Yuhan who hired us. And yes, Vincia was the mastermind behind the Lumina Town incident, though she was killed by you and your friend."
'She already heard about it?'
Since I already exposed myself to the Princess along with her friends and the guards, I didn't really expect it to remain a secret. But this was just too early. She was definitely no ordinary person based on her ability.
"And what about the Doctor? Or... umm... Mr.H?"
"I heard someone named Doctor here in Springbell. I couldn't investigate much because the Guild interfered. Although I know some that a King's courtier foiled his plans before he disappeared. And I haven't heard of anyone named Mr.H."
'Hmm... So she hasn't related the King with Marcel Mistmer.'
It was good news for me. If such a good information gatherer like Dilly didn't connect Marcel Mistmer with King Johnathan, then I doubt someone else might have done it.
Maybe I should thank the Guild for that. It looks like they're backing me up in this.
And she also didn't hear about Mr.H. It's sad but I already expected it.
I slowly raised my sword and put it against her neck. She didn't try to defend against it. Maybe she realised that I had no intention to kill her?
"Now tell me then, why are you working with Karma?"
"... We just needed money. We didn't have any other jobs and I thought this would be a good chance to earn money. I-I really don't know anything about what those guys did."
"You are an information gatherer but you don't even know the information regarding your own gang?"
"I-Its not a gang!"
"Well, convince me then"
"This was a dangerous place where bets are placed so I hired them to gather costumers as well as protect Jasper in case something goes wrong. I didn't know they were the ones bullying him. And it's only because I was very busy in Lumina Town gathering all that information. Otherwise I would have killed all those bastards myself."
I already guessed it was something like that but still I felt it would be a waste to let them go like that. They had already seen my face and I couldn't do anything if they revealed the information to the ones behind these bettings.
"Wait! You.. you are really thinking of killing me, aren't you? I-I can be of use to you. Yeah! Maybe you can give me a different job"
"And why should I trust you?"
"Ahh... Wait a minute! Let's sit and talk. Um... How about a Mana Contract?"
"Mana Contract?"
"Yes! "
A mana contact. I already heard about before from the books. Two groups can sign a contract using their mana as a signature. They can decide the terms and conditions themselves and propose a suitable penalty to the one who breaks the terms of the contract.
But there was a problem. I didn't know how to sign one and I didn't want to tell her that I didn't know.
And seeing my troubled face, it looked like she had already guessed my problem.
"Ah! Don't tell me... "
'Shut up.. '
"..you don't know..."
'Shut up!'
"...how to sign a contract."
'God dammit! Shut up!!!!!'