Reborn as a Bully

THE CONTRACT TO KILL

"What did you steal from the Church's warehouse?" I asked Ratatouille.

"Nothing", he replied to us to our surprise.

When we went to purchase all the grains in the church's store, Ratatouille snuck into their warehouses. We thought he would help himself greedily in their property relocation, relocating into Ratatouille's private stash.

"I found out something better", he told us to our surprise.

"What did you find out about?" I asked him.

"All the treasures of the church haven't been sent to Elis yet, they are still in Staari city", he told us.

"But all the churches' stores are emptied?" I asked him.

"The church stored everything inside Faberge eggs", he told us.

Faberge eggs, like my rings, were magical artifacts that contained an enormous space inside. It was used to store large amounts of goods and treasures, which could be easily transported, merely by transporting the Faberge eggs.

"Where are all those treasure eggs now?" I asked him.

"They are still in the church. Cardinal Koreen is watching over them day and night contained inside a large magical chest. It is heavily guarded. I couldn't even get close to it", Ratatouille lamented to us.

"Why aren't they sending the eggs to Elis by now?" Chash asked us.

"It could be they are waiting for escorts from the apostles, or they are waiting to collect more stuff before transporting them together. Moving treasures involves risks", I told them.

"There is something strange though", Ratatouille told us.

"What is strange?" I asked him.

"The Church has another magical chest just like the chest that contains all the Faberge eggs, the treasures of the church in their store", he told us.

"Maybe they have another magical chest just in case, there is nothing to wonder about", Chash told him.

"It is strange indeed", I replied to them.

Suddenly, Mother Asereth came to our room in the inn.

"Ivan, you are here at last. Do you know there is someone who put a target on your head?" she asked me.

"What kind of target?" I asked her.

"They want to kidnap you", she told me.

"Really, who will want to do something like that to me?" I asked her.

"Well, almost the whole city wants you dead now after you signed the grains contract with all the Trading Houses. If we knew how to do business like you, we wouldn't be taking all these small thieving and assassination contracts", Mother Asereth told me.

"Why are you still taking contracts?" I asked Mother Asereth.

"Do you think living expenses are free. We have many mouths to feed", she told me.

"Send me a few dozen good men. I'll get them high paying jobs in the Kaleon family as bodyguards", I told Mother Asereth.

"What about us?" Chash asked me.

"Yes, all of you will become my bodyguards. Then we don't have to meet here secretly in this shabby inn", I told them.

"What about the kidnapping job on you?" Mother Asereth asked me.

"Take it", I replied to her.

-----

"There is a note for you", Saye said to me and passed me a note.

"Who is it from?" I asked her.

"I don't know, some students from school", she replied to me.

"What does it say?" I asked her to read the letter to me.

"Agrilla, your goon, wants you to come to a surprise party in the forest behind school", Saye told me.

"Agrilla will do that? Organize a party for me?" I asked her.

"Something is fishy here", she replied to me.

"Alright, I'll go", I replied to her.

"Should we ask the mother about this?" she asked me.

"She already knows about this", I replied to her to her surprise.

-----

I walked toward the woods behind our school.

Usually, this path wasn't used much at night, and it was strange that Agrilla would have a party here. There were also no sounds of partying in the woods, which made this invitation a little doubtful.

Suddenly, I reached a campfire where several hooded figures were here.

"Surround him now", someone shouted before the hooded figures surrounded me.

"What is the meaning of this?" I asked Panshee, one of my classmates who lost a fight with me, who asked the hooded figures to surround me.

"Meaning? You are going to die tonight", Panshee told me.

"Why do you want me dead? I didn't do anything to you, except beat you with some flour", I told him.

"Somebody else wants you dead. I'm just following instructions", Panshee told me.

"Who is it? Since I am going to die now, who wants me dead?" I asked Panshee.

"It's Yasidee. Yasidee is the one who wants you dead", Panshee told me.

Yasidee was the other bully that I beat in the city before and Panshee was just his follower.

"Alright, since you have confessed, you can die now", I told Panshee to his surprise.

Before Panshee could say something to contradict me, one of the hooded figures put their knives to his neck to his shock.

"What are you doing? I am the one paying you", Panshee told the hooded man who was putting his knife around him.

"Bury him", I said to the hooded guys when Panshee panicked and cried.

"Let me live, I beg you. Yasidee forced me to kill you, its not my idea", he pleaded with me.

"Kill him, I already know about that", I told the hooded figures.

"Wait, wait. I can tell you a secret, don't kill me please", Panshee said to me.

"What would I be interested in?" I asked him with a little curiosity.

"It's Yasidee and his family, they are demon worshippers. You will get into trouble if you mess with them. I'll tell you everything just let me go", Panshee told me.

"Ok, I'll let you live", I told Panshee as the hooded men wrapped a sack over him and tied him to a tree.

"Are you letting him off just like this?" Ratatouille asked me.

"Well, he would get his punishment, but I want to know if he was telling the truth about Yasidee and his family", I replied to him.

-----

"Panshee, did you kill that bastard Oriese?" Yasidee asked Panshee.

"Yes, he is dead. We buried him in the woods behind the school", Panshee told Yasidee.

"I would go to the forest to see him die if my father will let me go out", Yasidee told Panshee.

"I'm sure you would like to see that. Why doesn't your father let you out of the house?", Panshee asked Yasidee.

"It's none of your business, you can leave now", Yasidee said to Panshee.

"Can you send me out? I'm freaked out in your house with all the demons around here", Panshee told Yasidee.

"Moron, didn't I tell you not to say a thing about the demons", Yasidee scolded Panshee.

"But I'm scared shyte about the demons", Panshee replied to Yasidee as he fell on the floor in a panic.

"Just get lost", Yasidee told Panshee.

"Alright if that is the case, take this you bastard", Panshee told Yasidee as he slapped him with his hand that immediately broke his back.

Yasidee fell to his bed stunned and unconscious.

------

"Son are you in here with your friend?" a woman suddenly asked Yasidee from outside his room.

"He's gone back already", Yasidee told his mom as he came out to see his mother.

Yasidee's mom suddenly took his hand and brought him to a corner of the room.

"Son, I need to tell you something", Yasidee's mom told him.

"What is it?", Yasidee asked his mom.

"It's about your father. He doesn't eat much and always stays in his secret basement. He keeps bringing prisoners down there, but the prisoners never returned again", his mother told Yasidee.

"What could he be doing down there with the prisoners?" Yasidee asked his mom.

"I don't know, but you must go down there to check", Yasidee's mother told him.

"Ok, I'll go and check on him", Yasidee told his mom.

There was something eerily familiar with Yasidee's father's behavior.

"Here take this key to the basement", she said to Yasidee giving him a key which he quickly took.

It wouldn't be that simple to go to the Ermane family's secret basement with a key alone.

"But I don't know the combination lock?" Yasidee asked his mother. 

"It's your birthdate", Yasidee's mom told him before she left.

"What the heck is my birthdate?" Yasidee asked himself.

Yasidee secretly went down into his father's basement and opened the door with the key his mother gave him and turned the combination lock to the right codes.

"Luckily all the servants here know my birthdate", Yasidee told himself.

All Yasidee had to do was grab a maidservant and asked her, "tell me my birthday correctly, if you don't, I'll grab your butt".

There were advantages to being a bully. You could do much anything without consequences.

There were many rooms inside Yasidee's father's basement. 

In fact, it was an emergency bunker of sorts that he and his family could hide under in case of an emergency. Fortunately for Yasidee his father wasn't here right now so he could look around.

"Here this must be the treasure room. Wow, the Ermanes have quite some cash", Yasidee told himself as he helped himself with all the Aur stones in the treasure room under the basement.

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