Chapter 27: The Sanctuary of Belial (2)

The streets of the Sewer still reeked with a foul stench.

It was the smell of lives worn down by hardship.

It was ingrained into everyday existence here.

Taehoo knew all too well the kinds of lives that gathered in this place.

He knew their patterns, and he knew the methods they chose.

That was why, unlike Juhyeok who hung back uncertainly, Taehoo strode forward without hesitation.

He covered his body with old, tattered cloth.

If anyone here realized he was a child, it would only invite trouble.

There was no reason to create unnecessary problems.

‘I’ve been delayed more than I thought. By now, he might be at the Arena, or maybe not.’

Even if they’d undergone some training, both still had the stride of children.

On top of that, the location of the Safehouse was left vague on the map for security, and that had led to their current predicament.

‘After the Arena, Kurom’s movements have been more unpredictable than I thought.’

If he met someone one day, the next day he would hole up in his room.

It must be a way to evade pursuit.

‘The surest method would be to wait at the place where Kurom is staying…. But I don’t know if there are other Stray Dogs of Dantalion watching him, or to what extent he’s being surveilled.’

There was nothing about that in the Paper of Jintae, either.

Most likely, it had been deliberately left out, or perhaps there hadn’t been time to investigate it—almost certainly the former.

Taehoo organized the situation in his head.

‘The standard approach is to head for the inn where Kurom is staying. But if we wait there, we might get caught tailing him.’

It was riskier to wait in one place than to keep moving.

‘Dantalion isn’t an easy opponent.’

Even the smallest opening, and they’d catch the scent and start tightening the noose around their own necks.

Hadn’t he, who strove for meticulousness in his past life, been struck from behind and met his end?

With that in mind, Taehoo decided to chase Kurom directly.

“Follow me.”

“Where are we going?”

Juhyeok naturally thought they would head for the inn where Kurom was staying, so he asked again.

“You’ll see when we get there.”

The two of them moved deeper and deeper into the Sewer.

From time to time, people noticed that Taehoo and Juhyeok were just children and glanced at them sideways.

But since they walked so quickly, no one bothered to stop or pick a fight with them.

Even this alone avoided a lot of unnecessary conflict.

This was the reason he’d been walking fast ever since entering the Sewer.

To move before anyone else could make a decision.

Anyone would need a moment to consider before acting.

Taehoo stopped in front of a beggar sitting at a shack that looked ready to collapse.

With a rusty tin can of unknown origin, the beggar was begging for spare change.

But no one here would fill that can with charity.

Everyone had enough trouble just feeding themselves.

Even so, this beggar held out his hand to them.

Why?

‘So he’s here even at this time. That’s a relief.’

Taehoo tossed a coin.

“Please… Just a little… just a little help, sir.”

The old man croaked, his voice cracked and dry, then looked up at Taehoo.

His eyes were covered by bushy brows like freshly fallen snow.

Yet the pupils within were far too clear and sharp to belong to an ordinary beggar.

Taehoo could read those eyes.

‘The only Information Broker in the Sewer, disguised as a beggar.’

They released beggars and children across the streets, recording everything that happened in the Sewer.

They were known as the Cockroaches of the Sewer.

“I need Information.”

The old man let out a dry chuckle. “Heh heh… What is it? You don’t look that old, but you already know the Sewer’s secrets.”

His voice was gentle but edged with steel.

“In a wretched city like this, can there even be such a thing as secrets?”

Taehoo answered calmly, unfazed by the old man’s pointed words. At the same time, he pulled out a prepared photograph.

“Have you seen this person today? And if so, do you know where they are now?”

The old man gestured with his eyes toward the can in front of him.

He was asking for more payment.

This time, Taehoo took out a bundle of bills instead of coins and slipped it carefully into the can.

“Wait here.”

The old man grabbed the can with his hunched back and disappeared into the shack behind him.

Soon after, a few children entered the shack as well.

“What is all this…?”

“It’s the Information Broker. Old men like him manage each spot, and the children serve as their eyes and ears.”

“I see…”

All the children entering the shack were missing something—an eye, an arm, or a leg.

They looked like children who couldn’t possibly be a threat to anyone.

When the Dogs of the Wilds later took over the city, these children would survive as Information Brokers.

‘Even we, who were seasoned spies, failed to drive these kids out.’

Instead of obsessing over driving them out, Taehoo had learned to use them.

Now, it was proving useful.

‘All those kids we passed by before… were they all informants?’

Juhyeok shivered.

He’d thought he was tense already, but to find a city so steeped in an Information Network that it seemed perfectly natural…

‘And their clothes look just like ours….’

Juhyeok quickly realized that Taehoo had intended this from the start.

The Information Broker was impressive, but Taehoo seemed even more monstrous.

Soon, the old man came out again.

“If you go to the eastern plaza, 2nd Avenue, you’ll find a small house with a blue roof. He went there, carrying a knife.”

The details were quite specific.

It was almost as if Kurom had been under surveillance.

‘Carrying a knife… Did he have another mission here?’

Kurom was more like a full-fledged member of Dantalion than a simple Dog of the Wilds.

It was no surprise if he had missions beyond just meeting with Juhyeok.

“Looks like you youngsters are about to get involved with some bad sorts. Be careful, heh heh.”

The old man said, as if genuinely concerned for them.

He’d already guessed that they were children, and that all three were at least affiliated with some organization.

Cheap charity did not exist in this city.

Taehoo never forgot that.

He placed more money on top of the can.

It was the most he’d given yet.

“We don’t need charity. There’s nothing good to be found here anyway.”

Taehoo smirked and asked the old man, “How much will this keep our Information off your market stalls?”

“A bold kid, aren’t you?” The old man chuckled, quickly counting the bills. “Three days.”

“Fine. I’ll bring better Information next time before that’s up.”

At that, the old man stared at Taehoo a moment longer.

Taehoo ignored the gaze and walked away.

They crossed the Central Plaza.

Juhyeok kept pace with Taehoo, inwardly clicking his tongue at how swiftly and thoroughly Taehoo got things done.

‘So fast, and no openings. It’s unbelievable…’

It was obvious without asking that every move was calculated.

He’d long since surpassed what you could call talent.

‘Just what is he…?’

As that question filled Juhyeok’s head—

“We bought three days, but they’ll keep our secret for just two at best.”

Taehoo spoke as they crossed the plaza.

His voice faded into the plaza’s noisy air.

“Yeah, I figured as much. But if you knew that, why settle for just that?”

Juhyeok was asking why they hadn’t gagged the old man in some other way.

“I have my reasons. Don’t worry about it. Chasing Kurom comes first.”

Taehoo lowered his voice.

‘Juhyeok’s just a foot soldier, so he might not realize, but Dantalion surely knows all about the Sewer’s Information Brokers.’

That meant their secret was safe for only two days, at most.

‘I’ll finish everything within that time. Silencing them comes after.’

Since they might need the Information Broker’s help later, Taehoo made sure to set his priorities.

Anyway, getting solid information and buying time was hardly a loss.

‘He went somewhere, armed with a knife.’

People brandishing knives was an everyday affair in the Sewer.

Even someone like Yosef, whose identity Taehoo had borrowed, had plenty of reasons to carry a knife.

But a Dog of Dantalion, who needed to conceal his identity, would rarely draw a blade.

‘Maybe his identity was exposed… or something else?’

Just as the thought occurred to him, they arrived at the blue-roofed house the old man had mentioned.

There was no sign of life.

Only a black, tightly-shut door in a rundown building.

Taehoo focused Mana in his palm.

He grabbed the doorknob, and it crumpled in his grip.

The door, now broken, creaked open, revealing the interior.

The smell of blood oozed through the gap.

Juhyeok noticed it too.

Someone was dead.

Who?

They hurried inside and closed the door again.

Juhyeok tried to turn on the light, but when it didn’t work, he pulled a candle from his bag and lit it.

A man lay collapsed on the floor.

His belly was pierced, blood gushing between the fingers that clutched at the wound.

Judging by how much blood still flowed, it hadn’t been long since he was stabbed.

“You, you two are…”

The man, still barely conscious, lifted his head.

It wasn’t Kurom.

Which meant this man must have fallen victim to him.

‘What’s going on…?’

Taehoo knelt by the man’s side.

His condition was just right—not so far gone he couldn’t talk.

‘Not sure how much strength he’s got left to speak, though.’

Taehoo activated a skill.

[Skill ‘Intimidation’ activates!]

[The target is already in a weakened state. The effect is amplified!]

The stabbed man’s eyes turned glassy.

The skill was working.

“Who are you? Who do you work for?”

Taehoo asked.

“Je, Jed, I’m, a Dog of Dantalion…”

Juhyeok’s eyes went wide.

Taehoo, too, was slightly surprised.

‘They’d treat a House dog like this? And didn’t even finish him off properly. This isn’t just about cutting off loose ends.’

In Taehoo’s memory, this was anything but normal for Dantalion.

Only one possibility came to mind.

Betrayal.

But was it Kurom who betrayed, or this guy?

The situation was growing more tangled than expected.

“How did this happen to you? Did you betray the House?”

“N-no. The opposite. I… I just reported a traitor…”

Blood spurted from his lips as he finished.

It was dark and thick.

Jed didn’t have much time left.

‘So Kurom is the traitor. That’s a pretty big post—to be entrusted with power and put in charge of the dogs. What could be worth throwing all that away?’

No answer came to mind.

On top of that, this kind of retaliation against an informant did nothing but advertise for his own death.

“Kurom’s a traitor…?”

While Taehoo was calmly sorting things out, Juhyeok was visibly shaken.

It must have been even harder for him to grasp.

But now wasn’t the time for feelings—it was crucial to draw out as much information as possible before the man died.

“Do you know where he’s going?”

“H-he was in a hurry to leave the Sewer. That’s all I know. You have to ki…”

Jed’s neck snapped before he could finish.

The blood he’d been forcing down spilled out, soaking the front of his shirt.

‘Only more questions keep piling up. What’s he after?’

There were more things Taehoo needed to hear directly.

‘If things are this serious, Dantalion must already suspect Kurom’s betrayal.’

There was a good chance an elimination squad was already moving.

‘I have to get to him before they do.’

What reason did he have to betray the House?

What was it he intended to change?

The two quickened their pace.