Chapter 110: Time Is Money, II

The sudden appearance of Louis and his twin startled both the old man and Page.

Of course, their reasons for being surprised were different.

Good Lord! How did they find this place?!

Page was shocked because the secret hideout of the Leon Revolutionary Army, which had never been discovered by anyone else, had been found out so easily by these children.

As for the old man…

“You two… aren’t twins after all!”

He was genuinely surprised to see such welcome faces again after a long time.

At the strong voice full of joy, Louis turned around.

Seeing the smiling old man, Louis raised an eyebrow.

“Huh…? That old man?”

How could he forget?

That wrinkly face?

Louis pointed at the old man with his finger.

“You’re the kidnapper of my twins!”

“I already told you I’m not!” Greg, the mercenary leader of the Black Rhinoceroses, roared back.

Louis didn’t back down. “What’s an old codger like you doing here?”

“Old codger?! What about you kids? Why are you here?”

“I asked first!”

They had met on a ship traveling from the Winter Continent to the Fall Continent. Louis couldn’t believe he’d run into him again in such a place after all this time.

When it became apparent that Louis, the twins, and Greg knew each other, those around them fell silent for a moment.

Page looked between Louis and Greg, then asked, “Do you know one another?”

“Indeed!” Greg was the first to respond. He pointed at the twins and exclaimed, “They’re my chosen disciples. And…” His gaze shifted to Louis, his eyes filled with clear disdain. ”…I suppose you could call yourself their guardian?”

“As if anyone can claim someone else as their disciple!” Louis pulled the twins behind him protectively. He glared at Greg, who wore a goofy grin.

What kind of twisted fate binds me to these old men across lifetimes?!

He had barely managed to separate Logan and Aiden from one situation, only to find himself facing a similar predicament on another continent entirely. It was utterly exasperating.

Once again, he began imparting knowledge directly into the twins’ minds.

“Twins, what if a stranger approaches you and offers some treats?”

“We have sophisticated palates; we don’t partake in such cheap fare!”

“Bring us treats costing at least 10 million gold pieces!”

“Twins, what if a stranger wants to take one of you as their apprentice?”

“We only associate with those stronger than ourselves!”

“You might as well go back and nurse from your mother some more!”

“Well said, well done.” Louis praised the twins with a face that radiated trustworthiness.

Something about this… made Greg break out in cold sweat, sensing Louis had raised his defenses another level.

Having perfectly concluded his training session, Louis turned his attention to Page. Eager to wrap things up quickly and make her leave, he swiftly broached the matter at hand:

“Is that runaway dwarf here?”

“A dwarf…?” Page tilted her head in confusion.

Realizing his mistake, Louis quickly corrected himself.

“The one who ran off with you.”

“Pardon me?”

“Pablo, I mean!”

“Oh! He’s here alright. But what do you mean by ‘ran off’…?”

Just then, a muffled banging came from one of the rooms.

Louis growled in its direction. “I’ve been nice about it so far, but time’s up.”

”… …”

“Are you coming out on your own two legs? Or should we carry you out?”

“I-I’m coming! I’m right here!” Pablo burst through the door before Louis could finish his threat.

As Pablo scrambled towards them, Louis glared at him. The moment Pablo reached him, Louis lashed out, striking the young man squarely on the shin.

“Aargh!”

Pablo clutched at his shin and tumbled to the ground. The unexpected turn of events left onlookers utterly dumbfounded. Only Louis remained unfazed, his face stern as he gestured sharply with his finger.

“Back to your post.”

“B-back to my post!”

“Explain the situation. Briefly. Keep it to three lines.”

“I spotted someone suspicious tailing Page! I gave chase! That suspicious character—so then… that old man knocked me out!”

“Are you certain?”

“T-there isn’t a shred of falsehood in my words!”

It was a short but nearly perfect explanation of the situation.

Louis whispered to Fin:

“What happened? They were supposed to be fleeing together.”

“Well… umm… I clearly saw them leaving together. Pablo definitely carried Page over the wall!”

“Haaah…”

Louis let out a deep sigh. He suspected that Fin had misunderstood when she saw Pablo carrying Page over her shoulder as they crossed the fence. This small misunderstanding had led to such a commotion late at night…

Well, what’s done is done.

Louis beckoned to Pablo with his index finger—a clear signal for him to approach. Sensing an opportunity for forgiveness, Pablo cautiously made his way towards Louis.

And then…

Thwack!

“Aaaaargh!” Pablo clutched his thigh once again and tumbled to the ground.

Louis barked angrily, “It’s all your fault we’re making such a ruckus in the middle of the night!”

“I-I’m sorry!”

“For now, get out of here.”

“Oh no…” Pablo looked crestfallen. Who knows how much more I’ll be ridiculed if I leave now? His face turned pale with fear.

“What’re you doing? Hurry up!”

“I’m coming!”

“We apologize for the inconvenience. Please continue your work.” Louis raised his hand lightly as he issued a perfunctory apology.

The Leon Revolutionary Army wasn’t about to let them calmly slip away after turning their hideout upside down in the middle of the night.

“You crazy kids!”

“Who do you think this is? Someplace you can come and go as you please?!”

“You really think we’d just send you on your way?”

By now, over thirty members of the Leon Revolutionary Army had gathered upon hearing of the situation. Including those who were still recovering from the twins’ attacks, the number swelled to forty. Though the corridor was quite spacious, it felt cramped with so many people milling around.

Feeling uneasy amidst such hostility, Louis hastily tried to smooth things over.

“Ah! This isn’t the place? I see we came here by mistake. Then truly, everyone has worked hard!”

“You’re just showing up now?!”

“Nonsense!” Louis exclaimed awkwardly.

His fearlessness only fueled the revolutionaries’ ferocity further.

Just then, Greg stepped forward.

“Stand down.”

“Commander!”

“I said, stand down.”

Though they protested, the members quietly retreated, unable to defy his command.

Greg moved to face Louis and the twins directly. “I don’t know how you found this place, but I can’t let you leave.”

“Oh, come on—just send us away already,” Louis retorted. “We’re only here for Pablo. We won’t breathe a word about what we’ve seen.”

“Hmph, I have no choice but to act decisively when multiple lives hang in the balance. You must stay put quietly.”

“And if we refuse?”

“I value your talents greatly… But if you can’t tell right from wrong and misbehave, I’ll have no choice but to discipline you.”

Louis pondered these words. Of course, his concern wasn’t whether they should remain or leave.

What should I do?

Greg before him was more formidable than he’d anticipated—a power on a completely different level compared to the ordinary members Louis had faced so far. What if such beings could be easily disposed of? And by mere children at that.

Louis glanced briefly at Page and snorted.

I suppose it doesn’t matter now; I’ve already shown them everything there is to show.

Better to show them my true abilities now and prevent any further clinginess about being my apprentice or whatever.

I want to avoid any more annoying incidents, after all.

Louis spoke in a matter-of-fact tone:

“Who’s training whom here? Hey, twins, go give that old man some comfort.”

“Yes!”

“Woof woof!”

The beaming twins took a step forward.

Greg, observing this scene, chuckled at the absurdity of it all.

“Heh heh, right on cue. These kids were handpicked by yours truly; they’d better not back down from such a trifling matter.”

One of his subordinates whispered to him with an air of utmost satisfaction:

“You might want to watch out. These aren’t ordinary children.”

“Tsk, I’ve been telling you all along not to slack off in your training.”

“But sir… these really aren’t just any ordinary kids.”

“I’m aware of that as well. They’re quite talented youngsters indeed. Seems like they’ve learned a few tricks while I was away.” Only those who had faced the twins before knew their true power. Greg, having only ever observed their abilities from afar, couldn’t possibly understand.

He extended his hand casually. “Come now, let me see what you’ve got. If you impress me, I might just teach you something new.”

Louis chuckled at Greg’s nonchalant demeanor, and the concerned squad member also stepped back somewhat reassured.

After all, he is our Danjang.

Greg had once served as the captain of the Frenche Royal Family’s personal guard. In terms of sheer skill alone, he could be considered one of the top ten warriors on the entire Summer Continent. It simply didn’t seem possible for him to lose to these mere children.

Soon, black energy began swirling around Greg’s body.

Louis observed this scene with a blank stare.

A tier-2 dark attribute…

It was undoubtedly a formidable ability among humans, but that was all it amounted to.

“Twin, let’s finish him off quickly.”

With those words, the twins vanished from sight.

Zap!

All that remained in the spot where they had stood was a streak of lightning.

And then…

“Pass!”

“Aza!”

In an instant, the twins reappeared beside Greg, launching punches at him from both front and back.

”…?!”

Caught off guard by their sudden movement, Greg floundered for a moment.

Meanwhile, the lightning-swathed fists connected with his body.

“The gut!” As Khan cried out, Greg flew backward after taking a solid blow to the stomach.

“The back of the head!” Kani’s fist struck, sending Greg tumbling forward.

Thud!

A loud noise reverberated through the corridor.

Fizzle-zap!

Greg lay motionless on the ground, his limbs twitching violently before gradually subsiding into stillness.

”…”

A moment of stunned silence enveloped the room before a storm of incredulous exclamations erupted:

“C-C-Captain?! No way!”

The squad members couldn’t believe their eyes—how could Greg, whom they had always trusted, be taken down with just two strikes?

Ignoring them, the twins scurried over to Louis.

“We’re hungry, Louis…”

“Me too…”

“Let’s go eat some mana.”

Louis took the twins’ hands and started waddling away. The squad members instinctively parted like the Red Sea, not daring to obstruct their path. Pablo trailed behind the trio like a guilty convict following a triumphant general.

It was an utterly absurd situation. Among those gathered there, it was none other than Page who first regained her composure and urgently shouted:

“Wait!” Page urgently ran over and grabbed Louis’s group just as they were about to leave.

“Hold on… please wait a moment, young master!”

“Why? Are you going to try and stop us too?” Despite knowing she was royalty, Louis continued speaking informally with her.

Page didn’t seem bothered by this; rather, it appeared quite natural to her. She shook her head gently.

“N-no, I won’t hold you back. But could you hear me out for a bit?! And isn’t there something we need to settle between us?”

“A debt?”

“The matter of how to deal with those airship raiders! Remember when I mentioned explaining it before but couldn’t get around to it? Let me do that now!”

Louis had been quietly listening until then, but he waved his hand dismissively at these words.

“No need.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t matter. We’re not seeing them again anyway.” At the time, Louis had agreed to handle things due to sheer frustration, but circumstances had changed since then.

If I provoke him now, it’ll only lead to endless trouble later.

And Louis had an uncanny ability to identify certain odors, didn’t he? In any case, there was no need for them to return here again; once they left this place, that would be the end of it.

Yet Page persisted in trying to persuade Louis until the very last moment.

“Please hear me out,” she implored. “I have a favor to ask.”

“No deal.” His refusal was firm—perhaps too firm—as he strode away without another word.

Watching his retreating figure, Page gritted her teeth and called out:

“One gold per two minutes!”

Louis’s footsteps halted abruptly. Did she catch sight of his twitching ears? Seizing the opportunity, she continued shouting:

“I’ll pay you one gold for every two minutes you listen to my story! You can decide whether to grant my request afterward!”

Those words were enough to catch Louis’s attention.

He turned slightly and asked, “So you’re saying I’ll get one gold for every two minutes of listening?”

“Yes!”

“Ha.”

Disappointed, Louis shook his head again and started walking away.

Desperate, Page raised the stakes. “One gold per minute!”

Louis paused briefly, but his body was still headed towards the exit.

Biting her lip, Page made one last attempt. “One minute… two golds!”

Did it work? Louis completely turned around and gave her a bright smile.

“Hehe, where do we go?”

”…”

Seeing Page’s silence, Louis glanced at her before pulling out a watch from his pocket. “Then let’s start now!”

Louis’s watch ticked away. He truly lived by the saying that time is money.