My Disciples Became Scoundrels - Chapter 62

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Heat still seemed to linger at the edge of my ear. I wiped away the blood trickling down my cheek with the back of my hand.
“That was quite a hot greeting. What is that thing?”
“A gun.”
It was a word I’d never heard before. What had been invented during the fifteen years I lay dead?
Bella, holding the gun, stepped closer and continued.
“It’s similar to a lightweight crossbow. Right now there’s a bullet loaded in it. It fires with a fifty-percent probability.”
The muzzle touched my thigh. She gripped my shoulder tightly to keep me from running.
“I’m going to shoot three times. If you endure it, I’ll give you ten minutes. Want to try?”
“How generous. Merely three shots…….”
—Bang!
A deafening sound erupted before I could finish speaking. At the same moment, a burning pain shot through my leg.
My leg nearly buckled. This was just a lightweight crossbow? It felt as though a white-hot spear had been driven through me.
As blood dripped down my thigh, Bella kept the gun trained on me without lowering it.
“Bad luck. Want to continue?”
“You said it yourself.”
I clenched my teeth and swallowed the groan. I forced strength back into my leg and stood upright.
“A generous wager.”
—Bang!
My breathing turned ragged without my realizing it. Another hole appeared in my thigh. The pain was so intense my leg felt numb.
“Stop the theatrics. You can still yield…….”
I placed my hand over hers holding the gun. Instead of pulling away, I drew it toward myself.
“One shot left.”
In that instant, her expression twisted. Something flickered in those dead crimson eyes. She clenched her teeth.
“You’re insane.”
—Bang!
The gunshot echoed once more. Pale smoke curled up from the barrel.
Yet my thigh remained unscathed.
A gouge marked the floor instead. Just before firing, she had twisted her wrist downward.
Bella finally lowered the gun. She pulled out a Pocket Watch and spoke in a cold voice.
“Ten minutes. Say what you have to say.”
I had earned merely ten minutes. What should I ask first? As blood continued to flow from my legs, I opened my mouth.
“……Are you well? Have you been hurt?”
Bella. My young disciple. I couldn’t fathom how many trials she must have endured to reach this point.
I was most curious about how my disciple had lived these fifteen years. Whether it had been difficult, whether she had been lonely.
“Did you meet anyone who celebrated your birthday?”
There was no answer. A beat too late, the corners of Bella’s mouth lifted. As if in mockery.
“Birthday? Only fools bother with such things.”
“I wanted to celebrate yours. Jenia and Arkel, Cesare too…….”
“So? Even if you really are Dein, it means nothing to me. You’re a dead master who couldn’t even protect the Domus properly.”
I could say nothing. There was nothing to say. She was not wrong.
I realized too late what I should have said first.
“……I’m sorry, Bella.”
I could not bring myself to take her hand.
“It’s only natural that you resent me. I promised to protect you, then died first.”
Still, she said nothing. Whether from anger or indifference—either way, it was my fault.
I waited for her to speak. Even curses would have been welcome. If only she would shout. Bella’s lips parted.
“Time’s up.”
I heard the click of the Pocket Watch snapping shut. Ten minutes had passed without warning. A cold voice reached my ears.
“I’ve forgotten everything. Don’t come back.”
She pushed me out the door. It closed. Only after some time did I hear her footsteps receding from the threshold.
I sank down with my back against the door. I poured a Recovery Potion over my wounds. The healing was slow.
Enduring the pain, I recalled Bella’s face. If I had not died, would those eyes still shine?
After a long while, when I descended to the first floor, my disciples all turned to look at me at once.
“Master! What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“What’s that smell of blood? Master, what happened to your leg?”
Though the wounds had closed, holes remained in my clothes, and I could not hide the smell of blood.
Their eyes were fierce. I couldn’t tell them it was Bella. Their expressions suggested they might do something reckless even with family.
“It’s nothing. Besides, I spoke with Bella just now, and as I suspected, she has no wish to return to us.”
Bella had shown us strong wariness. She seemed to suspect we had come to squeeze money from her.
“Still, let’s try to persuade Bella.”
“You really think she’ll come?”
I didn’t answer Arkel’s question. I simply held onto faith—that Bella would still be Bella.
Even when she said birthdays were meaningless, she’d sung birthday songs to her own brothers, just as she once had.
* * *
The air of the upscale bar mingled with the elegant melodies of stringed instruments. Burning candles cast an air of refined mystery over the interior.
Cesare sipped his orange juice while surveying the glittering space. His voice carried a mixture of admiration and mockery.
“How much money did they pour into this place? I should’ve joined the Underworld instead of becoming a mercenary.”
Four days had passed since we arrived in this city. After much inquiry, I’d learned about the Underworld organization that Bella belonged to.
They ran several substantial enterprises—gambling dens, bars, trading houses, and more.
It was hardly an exaggeration to say they controlled nearly all of Grimel. This bar alone was so vast that we had to split up to search it properly.
“That bastard Bella. Think she’ll show her face here? Haven’t spotted her in days.”
Since our encounter at the gambling den, Bella had vanished without a trace. There was no way to know where she was.
So we’d been keeping watch on the establishments the Underworld operated. Half relying on luck, if I’m honest.
If only we could run into Bella, or at least hear something about her.
Just then, several well-dressed women approached us.
“Oh, I haven’t seen you before. Are you from out of town?”
She looked to be in her early forties. By her manner, she seemed to be a regular.
She might know something about Bella. I offered her a friendly smile.
“Yes, we heard this place was famous, so we came by. Though it feels a bit out of place for us.”
“First time? That’s fair. But ordering juice at a bar? Let me buy you a drink.”
The woman smiled and handed Cesare a glass. I quickly snatched it away.
“He’s currently abstaining.”
“Can’t you make an exception just for today? I haven’t had a drink in months, so it should be fine, right?”
“Don’t even dream about it.”
I downed two glasses of liquor myself, and the women seemed delighted, beginning to drink heavily. I ignored Cesare’s jealous gaze.
“Oh, look at you go! So that’s the difference youth makes? I can’t keep up.”
“Phew, it’s getting hot. This stuff’s pretty strong tonight, isn’t it?”
Before long, the women were thoroughly intoxicated. Cesare glanced at one of them and broached his topic.
“So, who’s the wealthy gentleman running such a grand establishment? Know anything?”
“Garcia—some young businessman owns it. Though really, his lover’s the one managing it.”
A lover. Was she talking about Bella? I poured more wine into the woman’s glass to get more details.
“If it’s a lover, what sort of woman is she, ma’am?”
“Ma’am?”
Her expression shifted in an instant. A sharp, hostile edge suddenly emanated from her. For some reason, she seemed angry.
Was she not a middle-aged woman? Or was she a man? That’s when Cesare smoothly interjected.
“Sister, what kind of fellow is this Garcia? He must be quite wealthy if he can set up his lover in business like that.”
The woman’s expression softened immediately. Could it really be because of the word “sister”?
“He’s rich, certainly. Especially since that woman appeared—he’s started all sorts of ventures and grown even bigger.”
“Is that so? What was she like, sister?”
“Young, but thought herself cleverer than she was. I wouldn’t get entangled with Garcia no matter how rich he was.”
Her mood seemed to brighten. She took a sip of her drink with a knowing look. The woman beside her picked up the thread.
“I heard she tried to run away but got caught.”
“Oh really? So it comes to that in the end. His lovers never last more than a few months.”
Bella hadn’t been seen in days. Had she been imprisoned by Garcia?
“Does Garcia treat his lovers poorly?”
“Ugh, this talk’s killing the mood. Let’s talk about something else. Do you have a lover? You’re cute enough that you probably do.”
Though the women tried to steer the conversation, they pressed us relentlessly with questions about ourselves. Finally, Cesare and I exchanged a look and stood up.
“Well then, we should be going.”
“Already? That’s a shame. Come back again sometime.”
“Yes. ……Sister.”
The woman sent us off with a bright smile. So she really had disliked being called “ma’am.” I leaned toward Cesare and whispered.
“You’re quite skilled at reading people.”
“I called one of the squad leaders ‘auntie’ once and got my bones broken for it.”
We soon rejoined Arkel and Jenia, who were nearby. When I relayed what we’d learned, Arkel’s expression grew strange.
“Bella hasn’t shown up at the gambling den in days either, I’m told. I’ve also heard rumors that the leader has imprisoned and killed his lovers.”
Imprisonment. Murder. Several gruesome images flashed through my mind. Had something erupted after our visit?
Just then, the entrance grew noisy. People naturally parted to make way. Not forced, but like water flowing.
A man walked through the center of the passage—a young man draped in long necklaces and rings, glittering with ostentation.
As he took a seat at one of the drinking tables, several women immediately joined him. He smiled and wrapped his arm around one woman’s waist.
He was a man who carried himself like the owner of this place. Cesare whispered.
“That’s got to be Garcia. Should we take him down?”
“Save that for Plan B.”
My goal wasn’t to kill the owner—it was to find Bella.
Beyond that, a direct confrontation seemed unwise. Power radiated from him in palpable waves.
He was the head of the Underworld. Those around him held their breath, careful not to draw his attention.
I wanted to minimize friction. I approached him slowly.
“I’m Dein. You’re Garcia, the proprietor of this establishment?”
Garcia looked me over, then met my eyes. I didn’t interest him much.
“That’s right. You’re the customer who caused a scene at the Gambling Den? What brings you here?”
He already knew about us. I kept the smile playing at my lips as I spoke.
“It seems Bella didn’t mention my proposal. I’m here looking for a good business partner.”
“Business, you say?”
“Are you familiar with a drink called the Blue Moon? I’m seeking a new supplier.”
That strange liquor the Cartel had created—the Blue Moon. Its explosive potency and popularity would have reached even these ears.
Especially those of a man in the tavern business.
Garcia’s eyes lit up then. A smile spread across his face.
“Dein, shall we have a drink?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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