Chapter 25
Dialogue.
The man frowned, sinking into his chair.
"What? You lost Dacia?"
Hilden, head of the eastern branch of the underworld organization Illeh that ruled the Northern Kingdom's underworld, bowed his head deeply. He didn't want to bow to that ill-tempered bastard, but the man was a wealthy client, and his current job was to appease the source of that money.
"Yes. I have no excuse. An unexpected variable got involved..."
"Variable? Did you just say variable? Huh?"
The man suddenly sprang from his seat and shoved Hilden's shoulder. Just hard enough to be unpleasant. Before Hilden could regain his balance, the man shoved him again.
Thud.
Hilden ended up landing on his rear in an undignified heap. He tried his best to suppress the involuntary stiffening of his face. Fortunately, his 43 years in this line of work didn't betray him, and he managed to form a perfectly submissive expression.
Seeing Hilden's expression, the man lost interest. He had hoped for some resistance so he could beat him down further. Sinking back into his chair, the man spoke dismissively.
"So? Why are you reporting this to me in such detail? You're supposed to handle minor variables on your own. That's what I pay you for. Or wait—don't tell me you're reporting this just to piss me off? Huh?"