King of the Back Alley

There is a clear difference between games and reality.

One of those differences is item usage.

Unlike in the game, where you double-click to equip items, in reality, you have to wear them yourself.

In games, you only compare the options, but in reality, you have to consider additional factors like fit and weight.

Magic tools sold in the market are highly variable in this regard.

Most of them are made with adults in mind.

No matter how good the options are, if the size doesn't fit, they're useless.

The reason I wanted to recruit Rakto was precisely because of this. Rakto could make magic tools that fit my body perfectly.

As my mana stat increased, I would receive new magic tools, and I'd be able to acquire additional equipment suited for the situation.

Therefore, recruiting Rakto was very important to me.

"A dedicated artisan... passing down skills to future generations and continuing history…" Rakto muttered quietly.

His mouth had a faint smile, but his eyes looked sad.

Although he had concealed his wrinkles with a disguise, I could see the traces of time on him.

"It's a dreamy story. Just imagining it fills me with excitement."

"If Aran helps, it can become a reality."

"Do you know about the Cherbill massacre?"

Rakto finished his nostalgic thoughts and changed the mood.

His sharp artisan's gaze turned toward me.

He hadn't yet made up his mind.

"I don't know the details."

The Cherbill incident was a story from long before the scenario started.

I knew they were slaughtered through NPC conversations, but I didn't know the full details.

The records only stated that they were accused of rebellion and were massacred by the imperial army.

"Hah! You don't even know the details, and you want to help Cherbill? How can you be so sure it was a false accusation?"

"Although I don't know the details, I know about the Cherbill family."

"You know them?"

"The Cherbill family specialized in creating superior magic tools. There's no reason they would have plotted a rebellion."

The Sword Master and the Grand Mage Emperor.

And the central army, consisting of knights and mages.

At this point, even if Aran and Bahal teamed up, they couldn't defeat the Emperor.

He's an immortal being who has achieved eternal life and is the supreme being of this world according to the setting.

"The details of the incident, please tell me. I have no doubt that it was a false accusation."

"Hoo…"

Rakto let out a long sigh.

The sharpness in his eyes was replaced by an empty sadness.

He hesitated for a while, then spoke up with difficulty.

"You must know about the Martin family."

"Of course. They're the second most powerful family of mages."

"Right, we mostly did business with them. Martin always wanted to surpass Aran."

"Realistically, that's impossible."

"That's how great Aran was. The problem started when the Billy family got involved."

The Billy family.

They were originally just an ordinary magic family, but at some point, they rapidly rose and reached a level that rivaled Martin in the later parts of the game.

Thanks to that, I knew about the Billy family as well.

"What happened?"

"The Billy family came to us and proposed that we stop doing business with Martin and work only with them. Of course, we refused."

"Then they must have held a grudge."

"To harm us, they created false plots with Martin to try and drive a wedge between us and Martin."

"So, Martin and Billy were both involved?"

"I'm not sure. One day, the imperial army suddenly came and massacred us all. We didn't have time or opportunity to explain ourselves."

"I see."

"One thing is certain—we never did anything to harm anyone. Except for Billy and Martin."

I quietly nodded.

I had a rough understanding of what had happened.

However, what bothered me was that there seemed to be a gap in Rakto's words.

He said that they only held grudges against Billy and Martin, but in reality, there was one more.

That would be Aran.

'It's possible with Aran. After all, we never had dealings with him.'

From Aran's perspective, it makes sense.

We provided the best magic tools to the second-most powerful family, so they must have seen us as a thorn in their side.

Moreover, with the information network of the Black Realm, Aran would have known all about their relationship.

If Aran had intervened at the right time, it would have been a perfect crime.

Had I become afraid of the Black Realm's power?

The more I thought about it, the more my suspicions about Aran grew.

'Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. I shouldn't judge hastily.'

I decided to think that way on purpose.

If Aran was the one who massacred Cherbill, then bringing Rakto with me would be a terrible mistake.

Even if I were to suspect him out of greed for Rakto's skills, I couldn't do that to Aran.

"Is there a possibility that mages were involved, and Aran could have solved the problem?"

"Can you take responsibility for that?"

"I will definitely make sure of it. Come with me."

Rakto hesitated for a long time, but finally nodded.

He had nothing left to lose, not even his pride, as he was about to shed his fugitive life and continue Cherbill's skills and history.

"Let's leave right away, Aran."

The symbol of the investigator and the mark of the priest.

Bahal's white horse and Cherbill's only bloodline.

These were things I had obtained from the southern region.

The next day, our group took the transport gate and moved to the western region.

The west had a lower temperature than the south, and the atmosphere felt strangely different.

We arrived in a city called 'Neka.'

Neka was the city where Aran resided, and it was the wealthiest city in the empire.

It was so rich that it was known as the 'Golden City,' and for the people of the empire, it was also a land of opportunities.

There's a saying in the empire that if you want to achieve grand dreams, you must go to Neka, just like how one might say, "Send the horse to Jeju and the people to Hanyang."

The city grew this much because of Aran's presence.

The pragmatic first-class family resided here, and it was only natural for them to accumulate vast wealth.

"Wow… it's really dazzling. I can't believe such a place exists…"

"Didn't you work for a merchant group? Haven't you been here before?"

"Neka is dominated by massive merchant groups. For small merchant groups like Haemil, it's just a dream."

"Oppa! That building is made entirely of gold! It's really amazing! That one, and that one too!"

Risa was so excited, as if she had discovered another world.

The buildings were just gold-plated, but to a child, it seemed like they were made of pure gold.

"I've been to Neka before, but it's been a long time. This city has grown incredibly fast."

"Have you been here before, sir?"

"Hehe, I came for tourism in my later years. It's only been less than 10 years, but it's unrecognizable now. They say even the mountains change in 10 years."

Everyone in our group was mesmerized by the city's splendor and couldn't take their eyes off it.

The overall atmosphere of Neka was lively yet full of leisure.

It felt like being in Gangnam, Seoul.

"Hmm."

The brighter the light, the darker the shadows.

While my group was absorbed in the bright side, I noticed another side of the city.

Hidden places in the corners of buildings.

The so-called back alley, where people who came full of hope ended up as failures, gathered.

'Who could that be?'

I felt a presence from a nearby alley.

I turned my steps and headed toward the source of the sound. Then, someone who had been watching me from the dim place hurriedly ran away.

Their attire was that of a beggar, but now that I thought about it, there were no beggars on the main streets.

They probably had their own territory.

Like cockroaches that never come out in the open, they all hid in the dark back alleys.

'Maybe they'll be there.'

Since we were in Neka, there was one person I absolutely had to find.

The King of the Back Alley, who boasted about being a beggar.

Meeting him wouldn't be easy, but if I could recruit him, I would be able to fully grasp the movements in Neka.

Wherever there were buildings, there were alleys, and to control the alleys was to control the city.

"Let's stay here for now."

"Huh? Aren't we going straight to Aran?"

"We still have a week until the agreed time."

I couldn't waste time.

I didn't know if I could find him within a week.

Since the city was huge, there were plenty of hiding spots.

"You guys stay here. Sir, you too."

"Where are you going? Aren't you eating?"

"I have somewhere to go. Eat near the inn and don't wander too far. You might get lost."

"I'm confident in my sense of direction, but I think I'll definitely get lost here."

"You'll get used to it. Just stay near the inn and wait. I'll also make sure you get some food."

"Eh? You're not coming back today?"

"It might take a few days, so don't worry and wait."

I made a few requests and left the inn.

For some reason, the smell of gold seemed to be in the air.

Was this why people gathered here from all over the country?

But the place I was heading to was completely different from here.

"Aigoo, the young master of Aran, what brings you to our shop? Anyway, it's an honor, haha."

Before going to the back alley, I stopped by a lens shop.

Since this was Aran's city, the shopkeeper didn't look at me with fear but instead with strange curiosity.

Colored lenses were one of the nobles' accessories, and in Neka, red was the most popular color and expensive. Just like how blue was the trend in the south with Bahal, red was the trend here.

The shopkeeper kept tilting his head as if it was strange that I, an Aran, was buying lenses.

'As expected from a rich city, there are so many varieties.'

The more similar the lenses were to Aran's original eye color, the more expensive they were.

But in the end, it was just a imitation. No colored lens could replicate the original glow.

"I'll take this one."

"Oh… Yes, haha."

The one I chose was black lenses.

It was the cheapest color in the shop and the most common eye color.

"Just take it. It's an honor that you're here."

"That's fine."

I tossed a gold coin to the shopkeeper.

The lens cost wouldn't even be twenty silver coins, but it was the most common eye color, so it had no rarity or value.

"Hurry up and come... Huh?"

After changing into the lenses and heading to the clothing store, the owner looked at me with a confused expression.

I must have looked like a noble with peasant-like eyes, so the reaction made sense.

Ignoring the shopkeeper's bewildered gaze, I went to the most worn-out clothes stuffed in the corner.

"I'll take this one."

"Uh… sure."

"Pay with these clothes."

"?!"

When I handed over my clothes, the shopkeeper's eyes widened.

I simply changed into the clothes and put on the lenses, but now I looked like a peasant instead of a noble.

Lastly, when I went to the shoe store, the shopkeeper's attitude changed completely.

"Get out of here, you beggar! How dare you come here! Get out right now!"

"I'll just buy a pair of shoes."

"What? Do you think you can afford them? Get lost!"

Jingling!

"Wh-what is that? Is that gold?"

When I showed the purse of gold coins, the shopkeeper hesitated.

The shopkeeper held his nose and hurriedly gave me shoes, pushing me out.

So this is why beggars never came out into the open.

I picked the cheapest shoes and threw the entire purse at him.

"Hmm."

After leaving the shop, I stood in front of a gold-plated wall, and I now looked exactly like a beggar.

It was perfect.

Finally, all preparations were complete.

"Shall we head in?"

The King of the Back Alley.

The only way to meet him was to become a beggar myself.