Chapter 67

 < Suffering Enver >

Black Dog.

That organization also appears in the game.

So originally, it wasn’t an organization created by a possessor.

The concept in the game was like the feeling of Gold Moon from the movie New World.

Originally, in Soren’s back alleys where public safety was poor, all kinds of dirty businesses like gambling dens, black markets, drugs, and prostitution flourished abundantly, and Black Dog was the organization born from unifying and imposing order on that underground economy.

They brazenly went to Soren’s public safety headquarters and said, ‘You don’t have the capability to clean up this area, so just leave it to us,’ obtaining vigilante appointment letters and commendations, and actually managed crime.

Crimes that didn’t receive their permission.

Surprisingly, order was quickly established in Soren’s back alleys.

Gambling dens, black markets, drugs, and prostitution still flourished there, but now stories about people being scammed, fights breaking out, getting pickpocketed, murder cases occurring, drugs being flour, or calling for a lady in bed but a man showing up completely disappeared.

Because Black Dog thoroughly managed it.

Based on the massive profits from underground business, they began pioneering legitimate industries one by one.

First, they established Black Dog Bank, then expanded their horizons to logistics, trade, and construction, later even to magic stone processing and manufacturing, and city planning-level heavy industry.

Growing uncontrollably large like that, they now reached into Soren’s political circles and became a legitimate giant corporation.

“But the bottom of that organization is still criminals!”

Enver’s face turned pale blue as he desperately tried to dissuade.

“Criminals!”

That’s correct.

This is called a corporate crime organization.

As an organization rooted in back alley underground economics, the influence of back alley business owners is strong.

In the line of representing their interests, Black Dog commits various crimes like bombing new companies or businesses that go against order, setting buildings on fire, threatening presidents, or assassinating public safety officials or political figures.

“It’s extremely dangerous! Caleb!”

Enver restlessly stomped his feet and eventually revealed one important piece of information.

“There’s even a missing public safety officer there!”

“Were they captured?”

“Probably…?”

“Then what happened to that person?”

“I don’t know either…”

Enver gulped.

The missing public safety officer case is something Neko asked me to do.

That agent went missing while infiltrating Black Dog’s interior and investigating various things, and she asked me to let her know if I heard anything about it.

Of course, this isn’t something to request cooperation from ordinary people about.

Because even going to any business in the legitimate world like Black Dog Bank, it would be difficult to encounter such information.

But Neko speculated that I might be able to approach Black Dog’s leadership.

The basis for that is quite rational.

First, Black Dog is constantly recruiting executives. They also suffered tremendous damage during the labyrinth eruption 12 years ago, so they’re always short on manpower.

Second, I’m a convicted murderer. I already possess the specs that organizations like Black Dog love so much.

Third, I’m an outsider. Even if problems arise while working for Black Dog, there aren’t suitable clues or relatives that Soren’s public safety headquarters could trace.

Fourth, I’m a labyrinth adventurer with considerable skill. Black Dog often goes through labyrinths when conducting underground business.

So wouldn’t Black Dog be interested in testing someone like Caleb?

That was Neko’s speculation, and I could add one more thing.

Fifth. I have an enormous amount of possessor knowledge. Probably my activities have reached Black Dog’s ears unknowingly. If Enver’s words are correct, the possessors in Black Dog seem to covet that knowledge too.

However, they’d probably be cautious because of my history of killing possessors. This part is similar to the Enver Club.

“Ah, probably dead…”

Enver said, gulping again.

Honestly speaking, whether that public safety officer is alive or dead, I’m not particularly interested.

It may be unfortunate for him, but isn’t that natural for most ordinary people?

A brave hero who throws his body into a crime-ridden area for an operation to rescue someone who isn’t family and whom I don’t know is far from who I am.

My going to Black Dog is entirely to learn about the possessor organization within it.

The Enver Club aims to clear labyrinths. Not by going in themselves, but by sending players like Izel.

They want to recruit me as one of those players too.

What about Black Dog?

How is Black Dog adapting to this world, and what are they aiming for?

Are the possessors in that organization safe people? Could they become friends to me? Or are they people who will become enemies?

These things need to be found out as quickly as possible. Because I’m already receiving attention in Soren.

Unlike the Enver Club, which holds cards like Izel and Enver, I have no idea what kind of operation Black Dog might plan for me, so I’m going to strike first.

So…

“Professor Enver.”

Stop the useless chatter and let’s make a deal with something more productive.

“There are possessors in Black Dog too, right?”

Freeze.

Enver, who had been following behind me, stopped as if nailed to the ground.

“What kind of people are they?”

“…”

“Are they people who will threaten Soren?”

***

‘I need to be careful.’

Enver repeated those words several times in his head.

He had to answer carefully.

He couldn’t carelessly blurt out just anything. One wrong word could lead to all-out war with Black Dog.

But…

‘Damn, I need to know how much this bastard actually knows!’

What on earth should I answer?

Enver quickly reviewed several answer options in his head.

First, Possessors existing in Black Dog, this is the first I’ve heard of it! Where did you hear such a story? And play dumb.

‘Ah. You don’t know.’

A cold look of disappointment rises over the young wizard’s cunning face.

Trust in the Enver organization, which doesn’t even have that level of information gathering capability, would hit rock bottom, and Caleb would go to meet Black Dog’s possessors.

This is certain.

Why?

‘Because he was already on his way to Black Dog.’

He had information from some source. Maybe that fox from Windham gave it to him.

So he already knew about Black Dog possessors, and asking Enver now is to reconfirm that point and get additional information.

‘If I play dumb here saying I don’t know, only I become the fool.’

Caleb would think there’s nothing to gain from him. And once trust is lost, everything he confidently spouted at the assembly a few days ago becomes lies.

And the bigger problem.

‘If I say I don’t know, I can’t hold onto him!’

I don’t know exactly what Caleb intends to do by contacting Black Dog’s possessors, but anyway, once he leaves, the Enver Club can only suck their thumbs and wait.

That absolutely cannot be allowed.

Then…

Answer option 2.

‘Caleb. There are no possessors there.’

Can I persuade him with this stupid claim?

Of course not.

‘How do you know?’

Eyes widening with the returning question would knock me out in one hit.

How would a university professor know whether possessors exist in that giant organization?

It’s not like I went with lie prevention magic to verify every single employee one by one.

Then option 3…

“Professor?”

Caleb urged for an answer.

I can’t think anymore.

My expression has already soured. If the time spent frozen in confusion gets even a little longer, it’s the end.

The time when I could play dumb saying I don’t know is now the last chance. But doing that would be the end—

“That… That’s right.”

Enver crossed the bridge of death.

“There are… Possessors there.”

Cold sweat poured out.

“In their club?”

“That’s… Right…”

Enver had just violated the most important and sensitive clause in the treaty between the two organizations.

Mentioning each organization’s possessors to outsiders is an absolute taboo.

And.

“My goodness!”

Suddenly Caleb drew in breath with surprised eyes.

“There really are possessors in Black Dog!?”

“What…?”

“Wow. That’s really surprising.”

“Didn’t… Didn’t you already know?”

“No. I just happened to pick up rumors somewhere, but it was really true.”

Damn.

At that gentle upturn of lips like a devil’s, Enver realized he had made a fatal mistake.

“I’m glad I asked ‘Professor Enver‘. Thank you.”

This crazy—!

“Don’t worry. I know how sensitive possessors are about their identities.”

“…”

“I won’t go around saying I heard this from Professor Enver. Then possessors would target Professor Enver.”

Enver was as confused as if he’d been hit by several mental magic spells.

He couldn’t make sense of anything.

‘What the hell is this bastard.’

Was what he knew about Black Dog really just rumors he picked up somewhere?

No. Absolutely not.

That look in his eyes earlier was the expression of someone with conviction.

If I had answered that I didn’t know, it was predetermined to fall into the scenario 1 I thought of earlier.

‘He baited me.’

The purpose is unclear, but something about the current situation is definitely getting twisted.

Just one word, wrongly spoken, caused a bizarre situation.

Since I don’t know how much this guy knows, there’s no proper way to salvage this.

“Do you also know who those possessors are?”

“… I don’t know.”

Enver didn’t answer.

He had to save his words.

From now on, he absolutely couldn’t carelessly give out any information—

“Then this is really serious, isn’t it?”

Caleb asked with a grave expression.

“If those people don’t enter labyrinths for more than 2 weeks, Soren will face massive destruction again, right?”

“…”

“I don’t think possessors should be killed indiscriminately like Professor Meldini thinks. But shouldn’t we at least know who they are? That way we can watch whether they enter labyrinths, and ensure everyone’s minimum safety.”

Caleb said.

“That’s why I was trying to investigate Black Dog.”

The situation began spiraling in an uncontrollable direction.

“Anyway, thank you for helping, Professor. I’ll let you know when I find out.”

“W-wait a minute.”

Enver desperately grabbed Caleb as he tried to leave.

“I know…”

Enver said through gritted teeth with the feeling of spitting blood.

What is this, some hell quiz show?

It really became the worst situation.

But there’s no choice.

‘I can’t let Caleb go.’

If this guy went to Black Dog and ran wild like Meldini did in his Windham days, that would actually be fine.

Then Black Dog would kill Caleb.

But if he went there saying ‘I came to find out who the possessors are, let’s talk, you do enter labyrinths regularly, right?’ then it’s over.

Black Dog would launch an offensive to recruit Caleb. If this bastard gets absorbed there, that alone would be a big loss to the assembly, but in the worst case, going further—

‘If he tells them what I blabbered about.’

Enver’s imagination crossed into a dizzying stage.

Black Dog would strongly protest to the assembly side, and perhaps White Lion might try to execute me as an apology and example for this situation—

‘He might try to execute me.’

Damn.

‘How stupid!’

He wanted to go back and kill himself from just 3 minutes ago.

“You know who they are?”

“Yes… I know. Those people are well controlled. Caleb… You don’t need to go there.”

“Who are they?”

“…”

“I need to know too. My life depends on this.”

“That… That can’t be said. That’s a secret…”

At some point, Enver’s psychology had fallen to almost a begging level.

Please stop here.

But this evil wizard showed no signs of backing down.

“Professor. I don’t like just leaving important matters like labyrinth eruptions to other people and blindly trusting them.”

Enver learned several more things about him.

“If Professor won’t tell me, I’ll go check myself.”

This guy is a psychopath.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder and a control freak.

A monster who needs to lay everything perfectly under his control and proceed only according to thorough calculations and plans to be satisfied.

For that, he needs to know everything.

Especially something like Black Dog’s possessor organization.

“I’ll go to Black Dog. Thank you.”

I can’t hold him back.

But I also can’t just leave this psycho who’s greeting and leaving.

I need to supervise and clean up whatever nonsense he spouts.

‘Damn, really.’

Enver reluctantly followed Caleb.

He naturally knows what kind of situation this will lead to.

‘An assembly member barging into Black Dog headquarters without even contacting them!’

When this crazy bastard shouted ‘I am! A possessor! Is that acceptable!’ in the university lobby and collapsed having a fit, I think I understand how Meldini felt.

‘I’m going to lose my mind!’

***

In Soren’s back alleys, there’s a huge casino.

Originally an illegal gambling den, but as it grew tremendously large along with Black Dog, after pouring massive lobbying into Soren’s parliament and nobles, it acquired an ambiguous status like ‘decriminalization’.

At the same time, its name also changed to ‘Soren Casino’.

Though most people still just call it the gambling den.

“What are you talking about.”

Chrome, an orc berserker who is one of Black Dog’s executives and manages Soren Casino, frowned at the absurd news.

“Who came to the back alleys?”

“Professor Enver came.”

A member of the ‘Abyss of the Labyrinth Assembly’ at the Magic University.

“What’s he want, suddenly coming without contact. Damn annoying.”

Chrome exhaled a breath full of worries and stood up.

While grabbing his giant two-handed axe, he asked.

“Did he come alone?”

“He brought a young wizard who looks like a student with him?”

Caleb was quite famous, but people like casino employees in the back alleys didn’t know Caleb yet.

“A student?”

“Yes.”

“… Why drag a poor student here. To this rough place. Tch.“

Actually, it was the student who dragged the professor.