READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 62 - Chapter 62: Unfortunate News
Chapter 62: Unfortunate News
Um, I have some unfortunate news. Rose from the Red Bird Inn, Roazoo Rouge, was involved with a shady guy.
“You, messing with my girl, huh?”
“I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
Ever since that incident, I’ve occasionally slipped out of the dorm and flown over the pleasure district. In a narrow alley, a flashy-looking guy was being confronted by a rough-looking man. It’s scary. Roazoo Rouge is supposed to be a pretty high-end place in this neighborhood. He’s not just a bouncer for the shop; he seems to be Rose’s secret lover. Thanks for the setup, even though it’s a beauty trap.
But how should I convey this to my big brother? Saying something like, “That girl is dangerous,” doesn’t seem likely to be accepted in our current relationship. Moreover, exposing them as scammers might not be safe either. The underworld’s conflicts seem troublesome. Ugh, why did I get involved with such a complicated girl?
Well, he’s just an inexperienced youngster; I guess it can’t be helped. He’s just twenty. The aforementioned Rose says,
“That guy, despite being from a pretty big store, is struggling, isn’t he?”
“Can’t he pull in more?”
“Hehe. After stripping him naked, it’s your turn. Don’t rush it.”
She says stuff like that. Despite being a nighttime butterfly, she has a surprisingly innocent appearance, which makes her even scarier due to the contrast. Girls are scary.
Ah… what should I do about my big brother… But once I’ve learned this much, pretending not to know would leave a bad taste.
However, while contemplating in hiding above, I noticed something. Most of the people working in the pleasure district have the darkness attribute.
In this world, inhabitants are born with one of the six attributes: fire, earth, wind, water, light, or darkness. Although you often see those “all attributes?!” types in light novels, I’ve never encountered someone with multiple attributes. Light and darkness attributes are very rare, with light attributes being roughly one in a thousand. At the age of seven, after receiving a baptism at the church, one’s attribute becomes apparent. Children with the light attribute are invariably invited to join the church, and most of them choose the path of clergy. It’s better to live as a commoner within the church than to live a normal life. The exception is children of nobles.
On the other hand, the reality of people with the darkness attribute is not well known. The darkness attribute is considered ominous, and you hear about children being taken to orphanages or sent away as foster children. However, I’ve never seen anyone with the darkness attribute at the academy, and you rarely come across them in everyday life.
Regarding attributes, although you can infer them to some extent from hair and eye colors, it’s a private matter, so people don’t openly talk about it. Occasionally, when someone becomes renowned as an expert in fire magic or actively serves as a healer with the water attribute, they might disclose their attribute. For instance, someone like me, with the earth attribute, doesn’t bother learning earth attribute skills and certainly doesn’t go around telling people about it. After all, the earth attribute isn’t in high demand and isn’t popular. Despite being extremely useful, in reality.
Anyway, the fact that people with the darkness attribute, whom you rarely see in normal life, make up a significant portion of the residents in the pleasure district was unexpected, or rather, it makes sense. If I want to resolve my brother’s problem, I’ll probably have to confront or negotiate with these people with the darkness attribute.
And, while contemplating this in the shadows above, an unexpected person passed by.
Huh? Isn’t he Bruno?
Speaking of Bruno, he was someone I used to hang out with a lot in the economics research club before I regained the memories of my past life. He’s an outgoing, cheerful guy who loves patting people on the back. Like everyone in the economics research club, his family is a wealthy merchant involved in hotel and restaurant businesses. I can’t criticize others, but why is he sneaking out of the dorm and coming to a place like this? Could it be that he befriended bad influences like my big brother?
I nervously watched, and then I realized. He’s a person with the darkness attribute. He claimed to have the same earth attribute as me, so I naturally—
“Bruno, welcome back.”
“Yeah. So, how did it go?”
“Perfectly.”
My ears caught that conversation. I couldn’t see any trace of the him from the academy—his voice lacked the usual low pitch and energy. He was swallowed into the entrance of a seemingly inconspicuous building amidst the vibrant pleasure district.