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Chapter 51
“I’ve seen my clinic go under because of a love triangle, you bastards.”
Two men who claimed to love her ended up dueling, bloodied and battered. Turned out one of them was already married.
Ugh, how exhausting.
“These jerks… They’re nothing more than week-long nuisances anyway.”
There were real villains in the world—this level of nonsense barely even tickled.
Before long, they’d all be uprooted.
How long would it take?
“Soon.”
Kanin, the man who ran the third-largest herbal trade business in the Black Forest, was incredibly anxious.
“Why the hell isn’t this working?”
He had been entrusted with a critical task by one of the Empire’s Eight Noble Houses—the Sinion Family.
That task was to completely mess up the Black Forest.
If he succeeded…
“You’ll be granted exclusive bidding rights for the next three years at the major market in the Sinion territory.”
He would become the sole merchant dominating a massive new trade hub for three years.
What a tempting offer!
He had no shot at becoming the top dog in the Black Forest anymore.
All thanks to that damn woman—Jeok Yunha.
They constantly clashed.
Kanin’s merchants would exploit Easterners for cheap labor, even treat them like slaves—and she never let it slide.
Kanin was a staunch supremacist.
“What’s wrong with treating slave-like people like actual slaves?”
Parasites. They muttered in their own incomprehensible tongue when they grouped together.
“Disgusting bugs…”
A market crawling with their kind was bound to be filthy.
But he would execute the plan. He would also land a satisfying blow against the arrogant Black Clan of Easterners.
And then—on to the land of opportunity, the Sinion territory, brimming with wealth.
The plan had been going smoothly.
Even the administrative and tax officials under Sinion’s influence were on his side.
And yet…
“…The land registry and permits are all in perfect order.”
“We’ve found nothing suspicious.”
Instead of reclaiming the ledgers that had been recently stolen, the only thing spreading was the wild rumor of a young female doctor who had suddenly appeared.
And that girl had the gall to brag about her alliance with Jeok Yunha as she rose to fame.
“That damned Tak Minjae wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t for that witch.”
If Tak Minjae had died, Jeok Yunha would’ve been much easier to deal with.
Their plan to frame the Black Clan was perfect.
That was the Sinion Family’s intention, after all.
“What if I end up taking all the fall for this?”
Kanin ground his teeth.
But it was too late to back out now.
“No, there’s still one option left…”
“Hey!” he shouted, summoning a servant and giving him a few instructions.
“Tell Fayman to move—he’ll understand what that means!”
“Yes, sir!”
Kanin sat back, more at ease.
Yes, it was time to dismantle everything slowly and methodically.
“Master, your guests have arrived.”
“Oh, bring them in.”
Soon, several people entered the room.
Those who looked frightened or timid were merchants or herbalists under his guild.
And one figure wearing a robe stood alone—someone from the Sinion Family.
“When will this be resolved?”
The Sinion agent’s tone was sharp with displeasure.
Kanin cursed internally but gave a sycophantic smile.
“Master Sinion is displeased.”
“Of course, how could he not be?”
Kanin handed over a thick folder.
“Please, take a look at this proposal. Everything your side requested has been executed flawlessly…”
“What are you talking about? We didn’t request anything.”
Damn bastards. They were clearly distancing themselves now.
Still, Kanin kept smiling.
The path to a fortune was just ahead…
“Everyone, gather around. Once you hear the final plan, I’m sure you’ll change your minds.”
Yes, he had one last perfect plan.
Something groundbreaking—enough to eliminate both that pesky little doctor and Jeok Yunha.
“Hmm. What a shame.”
A strange voice made Kanin flinch.
“A real waste, not getting to use this~”
Not just Kanin—everyone in the room, even the Sinion agent, jumped and looked around.
“W-What is this? What’s that sound?”
“Kanin, what the hell is going on?!”
“What do you mean, what’s going on?”
The unfamiliar voice rang again, laced with amusement.
At that moment—drip, drip. Water droplets began falling to the floor.
Shhhhhhhhhh—!
“W-Water?”
“Ahh! Sir Sinion, this—what do we do?”
“Don’t panic! It’s just water!”
Unbelievably, it was raining inside the room.
When they blinked again, Kanin saw it—a thin barrier of water.
“Water manipulation?”
And behind that watery curtain, someone in black robes and a cloak appeared.
“Shall I tell you your fate?”
They wore a mask covering the upper part of their face, but beneath it was a smirking mouth.
“You’re all screwed~”
The Black-Clad Agent grinned.
“W-Who is that?”
“Kanin, is that one of yours?!”
“N-No! I’ve never seen him before! An intruder!”
The meeting devolved into chaos.
Kanin shouted, clearly shaken.
“I swear! I’ve never seen him before! I’ll summon the guards!”
“Tsk, tsk. You really shouldn’t do that.”
With a hop, the Black Agent kicked the nearest merchant straight in the gut.
“No point sneaking in if you’re just gonna call guards, right?”
That cheerful grin and breezy voice didn’t match the violence.
“Who the hell are you?!”
“Eek! I’m scaaaared~”
As the merchant crumpled, the others began trembling.
“Listen, I don’t want much.”
The Black Agent grabbed one merchant by the collar and flipped him effortlessly.
That man had a solid build and even some martial training in his younger days.
“But the stuff you people are doing is filthy. Hurting babies? That’s unforgivable!”
“W-What nonsense is this?!”
Disaster.
To avoid suspicion, they’d left all their guards outside for this secret meeting.
A gap in our defense!
One merchant had quietly crept toward the door and finally reached it—his hand reaching for the knob.
But he couldn’t touch it.
It was as if an invisible wall blocked his hand.
Huh…?
Slap. His hand met something wet—water.
“W-Water…?”
That was all he could say.
BAM!
A figure emerged where the merchant collapsed.
Floating droplets of water surrounded him, and at the center stood a man cloaked in mystery.
Like the other Black Agent, he was dressed in black, his hood pulled low—clearly not an ordinary person.
He was Black Shadow Wolf—and his expression was cold as he glared at the remaining merchants.
His mastery over water extended to stealth and illusions. In the past, he was frequently deployed for covert operations.
“It’s been a while.”
But this time, he had volunteered. It was different.
He glanced anxiously at his brother, who was still moving around.
“Damn it. If Big Bro loses it here, we’re really screwed. He’s not going berserk… right?”
The two were executing a pincer strategy.
But with movement restrictions and tracking incense in place, how had they gotten here?
“There’s not much time.”
The first Black Agent strolled forward, having subdued most of the enemies already.
“Whew, moving around after so long is tiring~”
“D-Don’t come any closer…!”
He pretended to wipe sweat from his brow and cheerfully headed toward Kanin.
Crash!
Kanin fell straight on his butt in fear, trembling violently.
Even the Sinion agent he’d relied on was now groaning on the floor, felled by a single kick.
Blood was pooling on the floor.
The approaching man’s hand dripped with it.
“Wow, you really went all out, huh~ Only picked on the weak, didn’t you? What a bad man.”
“Y-You, who are you? Royal guard? No—no, you’re not. Wait!”
Kanin’s mind finally kicked in.
“You’re with that damn baby doctor!”
WHACK!
For the first time in his life, Kanin experienced real pain. He couldn’t even breathe.
“Who the hell are you calling a ‘damn girl’? You disrespectful bastard.”
The eyes staring down at him—colorless, yet bone-chilling.
“Want me to rip that mouth of yours open?”
