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Chapter 536: The Escapee (4)

Royal Seal.

A seal made of jade — usually used as the signet of a king or emperor.

In other words, the approval seal for matters of state.

So if that thief Kejen really did steal the Kardal royal family's royal seal, then odds are…

‘The royal family will be tearing this place apart looking for it.’

And there might even be a huge bounty on the royal seal.

Even if there isn't a bounty, we could squeeze a lot of money out of Kardal through negotiations.

‘This is a windfall. A windfall.’

As Yeongwoo smiled in satisfaction, Earth offered a sober piece of advice.

○ Blackmail and negotiation are one hair's breadth apart. You should be careful. Besides, the other side is the royal family.

To put it bluntly, what if the Kardal royal family refuses to negotiate with Yeongwoo and decides to use force?

‘If they don't act gentlemanly, then I really have no choice but to be a real robber.’

If negotiations fail, Yeongwoo's Plan B was to fence the royal seal as stolen goods.

‘In any case, we won't lose out. If the negotiation looks bad, we run immediately.’

Having made up his mind, Yeongwoo headed back to Kejen's cell.

Clack.

He traced the thief's name on the list of prisoners on the stone slab.

Then the faintly glowing iron door slid aside and lights were turned on inside the cell.

Pa-at!

-Ugh.

Kejen squinted at the light he hadn't seen in a long time.

Even though he was the great thief who stole Kardal's royal seal, Kejen's true identity was a Ratman standing just 1 meter 40 centimeters tall.

“Another Ratman?”

Yeongwoo shook his head, and Kejen shook the dainty manacles on his wrist as he shouted.

-Hurry and take these off!

“Don't be ridiculous.”

-Wha, what…?

“You're not even holding the royal seal right now, so why should I free you? I'll get you out of here, but you're a captive until the goods are secured.”

With that, Yeongwoo motioned for him to come out.

Kejen clasped his hands together and pointed at his feet.

-Then at least take these off. I can't even walk.

When Yeongwoo looked down, he saw blue chains linking the chair to Kejen's ankles.

Apparently, this thief who could steal a royal seal received special treatment in prison — they chained him so he couldn't move at all.

“You were getting special treatment, huh.”

Yeongwoo shrugged and tossed a Bastard to snap the blue chain.

Kwak-jat!

After retrieving Bastard, Kejen stared at Yeongwoo with widened eyes.

-What the hell are you?

“What? If necessary, I'm a robber who even cracks open prisons.”

Yeongwoo then turned his head toward the final client's cell — the arms dealer Koatu.

“We all leave quietly. To get out of here, we need to take one more person with us.”

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Arms dealer Koatu.

When King Teroph first marked Koatu as his initial target for collection, Yeongwoo hadn't thought much of it.

He assumed Koatu was just another common villain.

But now…

‘Damn… I walked into a prison to extort money from an arms dealer with my own feet.’

What on earth was this guy's true identity?

And why on earth was he imprisoned here?

Clack.

Curiosity in tow, Yeongwoo stopped in front of Koatu's cell.

“I've come back. I took care of the warden.”

Knocking the cell door with the back of his hand, Yeongwoo spoke, and Koatu replied in a composed voice from inside.

-Impressive. But why would someone so powerful come to see me…?

Given that he was imprisoned yet so relaxed, it was clear he wasn't ordinary.

“You're said to have a lot of cash on you.”

-Ah.

Koatu reacted exactly as expected, then moved his arms slightly and the cuffs clinked inside the cell.

-You found me. But when I'm locked up like this, I can't spend money, can I?

“Yes. That's why I'm here.”

Yeongwoo began to open the cell door but first asked a question.

“By the way, how did you end up in this prison?”

He asked because Koatu's listed crime was 'treason'.

[Koatu]

|Affiliation: Germ

|Crime: Treason

Koatu made the cuff noise again and answered in a dejected voice.

-I messed up my business.

“Business?”

-I sold weapons to enemies of the royal family.

Hearing that, Yeongwoo's mouth fell open.

‘…Crazy. He sold weapons to rival houses, and one of them was a royal house?’

A royal family is still a household after all.

“Why would you do something like that against a royal house?”

-The added terms were very favorable. If we won the war, we had a contract to receive a portion of the spoils.

It was a gamble.

Judging by Koatu's current state, the gamble lost, and he and his allies paid for it.

“Then your comrades were all imprisoned or executed, I suppose.”

-Probably.

“…Hmm. It's best not to pick a fight with a royal family if you can avoid it.”

Yeongwoo couldn't help but form a reasonable suspicion.

“So what about the money? From the royal family's perspective, you're a war criminal — why didn't they seize your assets?”

Koatu laughed heartily.

-What kind of clients do you think I dealt with?

“Who would go to an arms dealer in this universe?”

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Those in need of arms, of course.

From small bandit gangs to great houses preparing for war.

-For an arms seller, having a client suddenly turn into a robber is common.

“…At that point you should change professions.”

-That's why hiding your assets is basic. And to never reveal the location of your money under any threat is part of a gunrunner's fundamentals. Even the torture experts of the Tifur royal family couldn't make me talk.

“What the hell.”

-So let's be straightforward. How much do you want for an escape fee?

“Shit.”

Yeongwoo sensed things were already beginning to spin.

‘Why are there so many crazy people in this universe?’

Despite growing a hundred million years every day, his prudence hadn't deepened as much as his wealth.

So he quoted a high price.

“30 billion.”

-30 billion? That's an excessive amount. You know you won't get it.

“Honestly, you must be carrying at least 30 billion on you.”

-It's too big to lose in an instant.

“Don't you think you can get out of this cell with that kind of money…?”

-….

Koatu fell silent as if at a loss for words. Yeongwoo pressed the advantage and bargained.

“15 billion. Half off, that's absurd but doable.”

-You mean go out and live as a beggar?

“Beggars at least have freedom. Here, you're worse off than a beggar.”

Then Yeongwoo added.

“And you actually have at least 30 billion. 15 billion is a lot, but now's not the time to quibble.”

Kejen standing behind Yeongwoo nodded quietly.

“Instead of staying here, pay the 15 billion, get out, and make money again.”

-…You really have no idea how big 15 billion is.

“Your life is worth more than that!”

Ku-ung!

Yeongwoo's patience finally snapped and he struck the cell door with his hand.

“Then are you staying there? There's no time. Decide quickly or I'm leaving.”

He had unintentionally ended up freeing two more prisoners today; leaving Koatu behind wouldn't be a loss.

The Kardal royal seal alone could earn him a fortune.

‘Of course, more money is better.’

Just as Yeongwoo was about to haggle one last time,

-Very well.

Arms dealer Koatu accepted the 15 billion ransom for escape.

-But I want my safety guaranteed until I'm sufficiently secure.

“You're afraid of the royal family's pursuit? That service can be arranged.”

He was a 15-billion client; what royal family would frighten him?

Besides, he would soon draw enmity from other houses anyway.

They were about to use the Kardal royal seal to do business.

‘Come to think of it, these guys… all committed crimes against royal houses, didn’t they?’

After glancing at the flashy roster of escapees, Yeongwoo finally opened the last client's cell.

Dreureuk!

To everyone's shock, Koatu sat slumped on a chair — nothing like what Yeongwoo expected.

“…Huh?”

-My god.

-What is this?

Both Mantero and Kejen gasped and covered their mouths in horror.

Koatu the arms dealer looked utterly beaten to pieces.

Who knew what had happened to him — his left leg had been ripped off, his right leg was already a mechanical prosthesis.

Deep cuts crisscrossed his body — the marks of brutal torture.

‘Damn… so the torture experts really paid a visit.’

Even after being tortured to this condition, he had not revealed the location of his hidden assets.

“You really love money, huh? You could have just spared yourself a little.”

A little embarrassed, Yeongwoo unclasped the chains binding Koatu to the chair.

“Hey… has your face always been like that?”

Half of Koatu's face was mechanical, so Yeongwoo asked.

Koatu gave a wry smile.

-Let's just say I once met a fierce client long ago.

“Ah. Another incident, then.”

Yeongwoo politely helped Koatu to his feet.

“Hey, Mantero. Support our client. I might have to fight; I can't keep standing here.”

-Ah, ah. Understood.

The good-natured Mantero rushed over without complaint.

Meanwhile, Kejen peered into the darkness beyond the prison corridor.

-Hey… something's wrong. I think we've got trouble.

“…What is it?”

Kejen pointed out into the distance, and outside the cells Yeongwoo saw something darker than the darkness itself pushing in.

Thud, thud, thud!

It was the Black Iron Prison's guard corps.

They had already deployed suppression teams into the underground cell block.

“Ah, these bastards. I didn't want to spill blood today.”

Yeongwoo advanced, gripping Bastard in irritation, and Kejen raised his cuffed hands, showing his manacles.

-Hurry! Take these off. I'll help you!

“Shut up. You're not free until ransom is paid.”

Then Yeongwoo asked Earth.

‘We need at least four escape boats, I think. Can you prepare that?’

○ If you give up comfort, yes. I'll send low-cost escape boats.

Then Earth added a condition.

○ But at minimum, you have to get to the castle courtyard. Can you manage that?

Yeongwoo glanced at Koatu, who was being supported by Mantero, and nodded.

‘15 billion can make impossible things happen.’

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