My Disciples Became Scoundrels - Chapter 98

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

Everyone agreed to tail Jenia. If we all followed together, she’d notice, so we split up.
Bella, with the sharpest eyes, keeps watch from above. Cesare stays close to her side. If something happens, word will reach me.
Arkel travels with me.
Gai I’ve left at the warehouse.
Jenia walks without so much as a glance back. Her quick pace is swift enough.
As she passes, I notice several people flinch in alarm. They step aside as if glimpsing a beast with a broken leash.
Jenia shows no sign of disturbance. She simply walks forward, steady and silent.
I have no choice but to keep my eyes on her retreating figure.
Then Jenia vanishes into the crowd. Her small frame swallowed whole, lost to view.
I can’t get any closer. Fighting through the throng, I lose sight of her entirely.
“Arkel, do you see Jenia?”
“No. I’ve lost her. It looks as though she’s left the main street.”
Has she noticed the tail? No—if she had, she’d have come to confront us. I scale the wall quickly, hauling myself up the side of a building.
Even from above, there’s no sign of Jenia. Then something glints in the distance.
Bella. She’s signaling with a mirror. Eleven o’clock.
I send hand signals to Arkel, then sprint in that direction. Eleven o’clock opens onto a narrow alley.
I pursue from above while Arkel runs below. I catch sight of Jenia darting swiftly through the shadows.
After a long chase, Jenia stops at the edge of the main street. A large building stands ahead.
A grand mansion enclosed by high, imposing walls—a four-story structure of considerable size.
A moment later, the gate opens, and Jenia slips inside. From a distance, I can make out a plaque.
Quercos Guild?
A place of considerable rank, judging by its scale. At least it doesn’t seem sinister, which is something of a relief…
I descend and regroup with Arkel below. He’s also watching the mansion from a distance.
“So it’s the Quercos Guild. Have you heard of it?”
“I don’t know much, but I’ve heard they relocated here about half a year ago. I’ll make inquiries.”
I commit the guild building to memory, then move on. At least Jenia won’t freeze in some cold place.
“Still, I don’t understand why Jenia took that alley. It’s not even a shortcut.”
“According to what Cesare said, she’s been using alleys lately.”
Arkel speaks matter-of-factly, glancing back repeatedly over his shoulder.
“She said she didn’t want to stand out.”
I stop in the shadows of the alley. I’m reminded of Jenia insisting on leaving Balanus.
Foolish. Deliberately choosing dark paths to walk. I didn’t bring her out to live a life like that.
“Has Jenia changed in any other way recently?”
“She’s been visiting a bar quite often, or so I hear. Bella would know more about it.”
Did she learn something at that bar? There must have been some catalyst. Something to shake Jenia’s resolve.
* * *
The bar Jenia had visited had a line stretching from its entrance. A large, sophisticated establishment in the heart of the entertainment district.
Waiting in line to enter a bar—a first for me. I ask Bella.
“This place is unusual. Are the crowds here because the drinks are exceptional?”
“No. The security checks arrivals before entry, which takes time.”
Some fine establishments inspect weapons. This appears to be one of them.
Meanwhile, Bella continues to fuss with my attire. I don’t know why, but I let her be.
The line has dwindled. A young security guard appears, his eyes fixed intently on the man before him.
His gaze dissects from crown to heel. Then a cold voice emerges.
“Please leave for today.”
“What—what? What’s the criteria? I came dressed for this!”
“Please leave.”
The bulky guard’s expression hardens. The customer, preened like a peacock, flinches and backs away.
He doesn’t perform any baggage check. Surely not…
“So they turn people away based on clothing?”
“Face and age too.”
That’s rather sobering. They scrutinize that much?
Our turn arrives. The guard glances at Bella, then fixes his gaze on me.
If rejected here, it means I’m either aged, ugly, or provincial. A problem no blade can solve.
I tense for a moment before the guard speaks.
“Please have an enjoyable evening.”
He steps aside. Led by Bella, I enter. A breath of relief escapes me.
The interior of the bar is quieter than I expected. A pleasant atmosphere. Young people engaged in cheerful conversation.
The crowd skews decidedly young. Bella heads naturally toward the sofa seating.
“You come here often, then.”
“Jenia and I used to come together sometimes. The security here is more selective, and there are more people our age.”
It was certainly better than that other bar. Too many old men there, and the atmosphere was worse. But…
“You two came alone?”
Two girls at a bar? I glanced around. Young couples were engaged in heated displays of affection, as they do. Do all young people act like that these days?
“Yes. Arkel and Cesare aren’t allowed in. It’s restricted to people in their twenties.”
Arkel I could understand, but Cesare was in his twenties. I recalled him briefly, imagining how furious he must have been.
“Gai’s been here before.”
“That one?”
Bella was less cold toward Gai than the others. But I never expected her to come to a place like this with him.
“I wanted to extract some information. I tried to get him to drink and loosen up, but it didn’t work. However…”
She reached for her glass. Her eyes were as cold as ice.
“If Gai has any connection to the Guardian, we need to cut off our information flow. Even more so, now that he already knows I’m a Returner.”
Back when I thought I was Hayden, we shared a lot of information. If he were a spy, he’d have turned it over to them long ago.
“Cesare worries me too. He seemed confused about what to do with Gai.”
“…Cesare believed Gai killed Hayden one hundred percent.”
The imaginary murderer had simply vanished. For Cesare, Gai had become even more incomprehensible. His confusion must be considerable.
I’d need to go back and talk to him about this. For now, I changed the subject.
“We’ll need to gather information at this bar. I suppose we should ask around about the regulars.”
Someone must have seen Jenia when she came here alone. Bella glanced toward the wall.
“I have someone more reliable. I bought off one of the security guards here.”
“You paid him off from the start?”
She hadn’t lived through this future before, yet she’d moved quickly. Bella tilted her head with a slight smile.
“My sister wanted to come to a bar alone. I wasn’t about to just let her go. I had to put someone on surveillance.”
…So family duty really does amount to tailing and surveillance.
Just then, a young man appeared from the back of the shop. By his clothes, he looked like staff.
“That’s him. The one I had watching.”
Bella stood. The man seemed to notice her. He slipped quietly toward the back of the shop.
Following him, I found myself in an empty hallway. The young man wore a pleasant smile.
“Bella! It’s been a while.”
“Right. My sister came here alone. Was there anything unusual then?”
“Unusual?”
The young man fell silent in thought, then shook his head.
“Not really. She just looked around at the couples, same as usual.”
What exactly had he been observing? Bella glared at him.
“Think harder. That’s not what I paid you for.”
No matter how hard she glared, his answer remained the same. As Bella pressed him further, I studied the young man closely.
His clothes were bright, but up close they were cheap fabric. His shoes had worn heels.
But the bracelet stood out. A bracelet worked in gold and gems. That was luxury for a bar security guard.
“Bella. How much did you pay him?”
“Three million Batz.”
“What do you think that bracelet is worth?”
“…At least ten million Batz.”
The moment the bracelet was mentioned, the guard’s face went rigid. Both Bella and I noticed.
He’d been paid by someone else.
As our eyes met his, the young man bolted. Bella went after him.
“Damn…!”
The young man drew a club from his side. He looked ready to swing at Bella and run.
Among my disciples, Bella was the weakest physically. Almost like a paper doll.
But that was only in comparison to the others.
—Crack!
Bella swiftly struck his wrist. The weapon flew, opening a gap. A gap enough for Bella to counterattack.
—Snap!
Her heel struck his temple. The young man gasped and collapsed to the floor.
A mere civilian was no match for Bella, even without using Blood Energy. A bar guard was nothing.
“Ugh, argh…!”
Bella now stood over him, looking down. Her crimson eyes gleamed with an icy light.
“You took money from someone else, didn’t you?”
The young man didn’t answer. He could only sweat and stare at the situation before him. Then Bella spoke.
“When Jenia said she wanted to come here alone. I found a surveillance asset. Very carefully.”
The tip of Bella’s shoe tapped against the young man’s chin, and when she pressed down, his lips parted.
“I looked into the guards. Their temperament, family, hobbies, love lives—what they did in their teens, what they dreamed of in their thirties……”
“……!”
“I picked the best one among them.”
His lips stretched open, his lower teeth exposed. The young man’s face drained of color.
“I know you very well. I know exactly what will become of you.”
The tip of her shoe was just inches from his teeth. As Bella was about to drive her foot down, he cried out desperately.
“The Quercos Guild! One of their members has approached Jenia!”

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