Kasparov chewed the sugar cube slowly with his eyes closed. Within moments, the slouch in his shoulders vanished. He straightened his spine, sitting with a cold, effortless elegance that transformed his entire presence.
He adjusted his cuffs with perfect composure and looked at Rei.
"My apologies, outsider." Kasparov said, his voice smooth and refined. "What happened earlier was simply due to a severe lack of chocolate. My body weakens when my chocolate levels drop. This sugar is a temporary patch, but it will do for now."
An outsider?! Hah… and I was the one who called him "comrade." He looks like an aristocrat misplaced in the wrong place entirely.
Vera walked over and slammed a wooden broom onto the table in front of Rei.
"That will be ten obols an hour for the rental fee," she said flatly.
Rei looked at the ragged broom, then at her. "By God, this is a blatant scam."
"Take it or leave it, rude boy. The debt won't clear itself."
He slid his coat off, letting it fall gently against the back of a nearby, unmarked chair. In one swift motion, he removed his dark jacket and the formal shirt he wore underneath it, placing them both on the same chair.
He was now completely naked to the waist, revealing a body that seemed sculpted from cold marble. It was strikingly beautiful, muscular, powerfully built, and sharply defined. Faint, glowing silver lines traced the paths of his veins beneath his smooth skin.
Rei sighed; "It seems there is no other way."
The temperature in the bar seemed to shift abruptly, and the waitresses watching from the kitchen doorway froze.
One of them, a wide-eyed maid named Mera, felt a sudden heat rise to her face, her complexion flushed an unbelievable crimson, and her grip tightened on her wooden tray.
Beside her, her twin sister, Lera, leaned heavily against the doorframe to keep her legs from collapsing as she stared intently.
The third twin, Sera, swallowed hard, staring with a mixture of awe and primal lust. They had never seen a body like this in the mines.
Rei completely ignored them. A complex, circular black seal appeared in the center of his chest, its geometric lines subtly burning his skin. He placed his right hand over the center of the seal.
"Are you stripping in my tavern?"
"No, I'm escaping this ruthless capitalism. Erosion"
The seal dissolved into a heavy, dark mist that swirled violently around his arms. Within that expanding darkness, three distinct weapons materialized, solidifying as they floated horizontally in the air before him:
Laughing Kid: A wootz damascus steel katana featuring a highly unconventional, specialized design. The hilt was remarkably short, barely accommodating a two-handed grip. With an unusually long blade measuring 145 cm
Ravenous Addict: A heavy revolver with a matte black, light-absorbing finish.
Maiden Bride: A colossal ink brush that stood exactly as tall as Rei himself. Its thick, sturdy handle was carved from a dense black wood,engraved with intricate, winding patterns made of blood.
Rei bypassed the cheap wooden broom Vera had offered entirely. He reached out and gripped the heavy handle of Maiden Bride, balancing the massive brush with two hands.
Forgive me, Maiden Bride, for using such a precious weapon as you to cleanse this filthy place.
With a single, wide sweeping motion of the colossal brush across the floor, a localized wave of dark energy rippled outward from the bristles.
The kinetic force did not damage the structure; instead, it acted like a vacuum, pulling the spilled alcohol, thick mine dust, and shattered glass fragments directly into the dark bristles, leaving the wooden floor completely pristine and dry in its wake.
Without breaking his rhythm, Rei used the long, reinforced shaft of the brush to easily hook under the waistbands and belts of two unconscious miners at a time.
He lifted them effortlessly, balancing their dead weight before swinging them outside the tavern.
A sharp snap of Kasparov's fingers echoed through the tavern.
Three puffs of pink smoke burst at his shoulders, revealing three tiny imps—no taller than a mug, chubby, horned, with frantic little wings. One held a miniature accordion, another a lute, and the third wore a tiny vest, saluting with absurd seriousness.
"Oh my gosh, they're adorable!" Mera gasped, cheeks burning.
"They're so cute!" Lera leaned in, momentarily abandoning her work.
Kasparov straightened his vest with aristocratic precision. "Assist that outsider," he said calmly, gesturing to Rei. "And provide rhythm."
The imps chirped and obeyed instantly—two began playing a lively waltz while the third struggled, puffing itself up as it pushed a massive unconscious miner across the floor.
Kasparov turned to Lera and bowed flawlessly. "May I have this dance, milady?"
Flushed, she accepted. He led her across the tavern as if it were a palace ballroom, turning cleanup into an elegant performance.
Meanwhile, Rei used the haft of Maiden Bride to hook and lift miners effortlessly. Mera watched him intensely.
"His so sexy and dominant," she whispered. "He's the one who ruins you and you thank him for it."
Vera sighed as she sat down in a chair. "Great. One is a troublemaker, and the other idiot chocolate lover plays the role of the noble aristocrat and turns my tavern into a dance party. We're completely doomed."
She then looked at the TV and said, "It seems today's match ended quickly. This Queen bee is merciless. She severed its limbs and head from its body and then ate it as a snack."
Half an hour later, the tavern was spotless. Rei put on his clothes and placed Maiden Bride and Laughing Kid on his back. He then faced Vera.
"I am finished."
Vera inspected the perfectly repaired room and nodded.
"Good. See you back here tomorrow at 7:00 PM sharp."
Rei lowered his gaze slightly.
"Listen… I apologize for speaking to you that way earlier. And for destroying at least two-thirds of your tavern."
Caught off guard, Vera smiled warmly.
"Well, look at that. A rude boy with a conscience. It seems your mother taught you some proper manners after all."
"I am an orphan."
Vera shook her head apologetically. A brief silence followed.
"On that note… is there a vacant room where I might spend the night?"
"I'm sorry, kid. The only rooms here belong to these three girls."
Suddenly, Kasparov collapsed. The elegant color drained from his face, leaving him deathly pale, and his knees buckled. He collapsed directly forward, falling heavily into Lera's outstretched arms. His breathing was shallow, his eyes half-closed and glassy, looking thoroughly exhausted and sickly.
"The symptoms of chocolate withdrawal are back. I need to get some sugar." Kasparov said.
Lera eyes sparkled.
"Oh my god! Don't worry, milord! I'll take absolute care of you in my room! I'll fetch you all the sugar and sweets you need!"
Without waiting for permission, she hurriedly dragged her chocolate-addicted prince toward the maids' quarters.
Mera stepped closer to Rei, blushing.
"Um… since Vera doesn't have more rooms… you could always stay with me tonight. In my room. I have plenty of space."
Rei stepped closer to her, offering a faint smile.
"I appreciate the generous offer, truly. But I must apologize. I don't sleep. I think I will spend the night exploring the city instead."
Mera froze, her face turning crimson.
Rei raised two fingers to his brow, delivering a sharp, silent salute of genuine respect to the tavern landlady.
"See you tomorrow, Ladyma'am," he said softly, before stepping out into the freezing night.
———————————————————-
Inside the mines, Rei lifted a single, dented oil lamp he had taken from the ground. Its weak, flickering flame was the only barrier against the absolute darkness.
The damp, jagged walls of the shaft tightly closed in around him, throwing long, distorted shadows as his lamp swung back and forth.
Everyone else gets to turn off their brains. Everyone else gets to drown in dreams. And I just get more darkness and suffering.
Suddenly, the flame of his oil lamp flickered violently, shrinking down to a desperate, dying nub.
The air temperature plummeted instantly. Rei's breath froze into a thick, sudden plume of white mist. The stone walls seemed to groan as a heavy, ink-like liquid began to seep from the rocky crevices, swirling around his boots.
Rei froze. His throat went completely dry, and the metallic taste of raw adrenaline flooded his mouth.
Under the pathetic, fluttering glow of his lamp, towering creatures draped in ragged, ancient hooded robes materialized out of the dark.
Beneath their shrouds, they had no eyes, no noses, and no faces—only a massive, horrifyingly wide crescent grin packed with rows of gleaming, human-like white teeth. Above their hooded heads, shiny circular halo. From their backs unfolded massive, multi-jointed angel wings that leaked a sickening, faint white light.
What... what the hell are these things?
His chest tightened so violently that he couldn't draw a full breath.
A crushing, sting weight slammed into his shoulders, pinning his boots to the dirt. He tried to calculate an exit strategy, a weak point, a maneuver—but his mind came up completely, terrifyingly blank.
My legs... why won't my legs move?! Breathe, damn it, breathe! I can't face these. There is no winning this fight. If I make one wrong move , I die right here.
His knuckles turned white, his fingers trembling slightly while he tried to pull his sword.
The entities uncoiled their elongated, terrifying limbs, their clawed hands extending as their grins stretched even wider. Together, they let out a synchronized, ear-splitting shriek.
The agonizing sound wave ripped through the mines, causing the heavy copper steam pipes along the stone walls to instantly rupture, violently blasting pressurized steam into the darkness.
Rei clamped both hands around the hilt of his katana, forcing his locked, terrified muscles to move as the nightmares closed the distance.
Meanwhile, back inside the quiet warmth of the tavern, the calm was violently shattered.
The kitchen doors banged open, and Mera stumbled into the main hall, her face completely drained of color, her fingers clutching the wooden bar counter just to keep her balance.
"Vera!" Mera gasped, her chest heaving as tears of sheer panic welled up in her eyes. "I just looked out the high storage window... Rei went into the mines!"
The glass of wine Vera was holding slipped from her hand, shattering into a hundred pieces against the spotless wooden floor. Her tough, cynical expression completely vanished, replaced by a look of absolute horror.
"That absolute fool..." Vera whispered, her voice cracking as she stared at the door. "Doesn't he know that the Nameless Seraphs roam those mines at night?!