Endless Debt Chapter 7 - 2: The Unlucky Guy and the Assessment [Thanks to the Alliance Leader Chongchi]_2

Bologue nodded, paid six Weng Coins to the old man through the iron bars.

After a moment, the old man passed a piece of bread and a can of beer to Bologue, who pocketed them, preparing to depart. Then, he noticed something.

"Is security lax lately?" Bologue inquired.

"It's fine, just making extra preparations. Operating this late, one is bound to encounter difficulties."

The old man chuckled, tucking back the gun handle that had been visible near the small window.

Bologue raised an eyebrow, gave a wave, and said, "Inform me if anything arises. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Bologue."

The old man replied with a grin before sliding the small window shut.

Upon returning to his apartment building, Bologue pushed open the ground floor door, cast a glance at the dozing superintendent, and ascended the grimy stairs, the cacophony of sounds assaulting his ears.

These were the sounds of Bologue's neighbors. An elderly gentleman, hard of hearing, who invariably cranked the television volume to its maximum; and a couple locked in marital strife, whose arguments erupted frequently and often lasted through the night. Unfortunately, Bologue resided between the two.

It was rather strange, he reflected. The neighbors toiled daily for their sustenance, while he roamed in pursuit of demonic entities, yet both ultimately returned to the same building, seeking peaceful slumber.

Like beings from disparate realms, they nonetheless coexisted astonishingly within the same space.

Disregarding the relentless clamor, Bologue stopped before a weathered door, turned the knob, and entered his familiar, small room.

...

After a day's toil, Geoffrey returned home, his body aching with fatigue. Having lent his coat to Bologue, the biting wind on his journey back had brought a touch of color to his cheeks; he suspected he might be catching a cold.

He sank onto the sofa, anticipating a moment of rare peace, when a shrill phone ring shattered the quiet. Geoffrey's gaze drifted toward the sound, a flicker of annoyance clouding his eyes.

He answered the call, and a familiar voice spoke.

"What is your assessment of this Bologue Lazarus?" The caller bypassed all pleasantries, getting straight to the point.

In the dimly lit room, Geoffrey lowered his head, clutching the phone receiver. After a brief pause, he replied, "He's not bad. I believe, at the very least, he's a decent person."

"A decent person?"

The voice on the other end expressed surprise.

"Yes, a decent person," Geoffrey mumbled, loosening his tie with one hand, the constriction making it difficult to breathe. "An unconventional sort, defying common sense, not entirely... completely decent."

A hazy image of Bologue Lazarus materialized in his thoughts.

"You consider him a decent person? Consider his actions."

Geoffrey was unsurprised by the retort; Bologue was indeed an odd character.

Like a rare phenomenon, encountering him made one question the very fabric of reality.

With a wry smile, he picked up a collection of newspaper clippings from the table, each article detailing a shocking event.

"In January of this year, a serial killer known as 'Werewolf' emerged near the Great Rift; this Bologue Lazarus found him and left him hanging from the Great Rift's cable car. In the morning, as the car ascended, the dangling corpse was observed by hundreds..."

The phone receiver crackled with a response.

"His target was a demon. You too know this; demons are no longer human. There's no need for excessive compassion... I believe Bologue shares this view," Geoffrey attempted to defend Bologue.

"In May, he wielded a blade, decimating several carriages on a tram bound for the outskirts. Upon its arrival at the station, the carriage doors opened to reveal a scene of carnage, a veritable river of blood and a multitude of corpses... Some citizens who witnessed this are still undergoing psychological treatment."

"That tram was filled with attending demons. I concede his methods may have been extreme, but he did disrupt a demonic gathering, whatever their plot, and they all ended up as a pile of corpses."

Geoffrey rubbed his temples, forced to acknowledge Bologue's formidable track record.

"And this? This incident, he handled it well. The demon codenamed 'Poison Fang', we had been tracking it for a considerable time, and he neutralized it quite by chance."

The voice on the phone took on a more complex tone. According to Bologue's later account, he was merely out for a stroll that day, chanced upon the demon's trail, and dealt with 'Poison Fang' as an incidental task during his regular duties.

"What about this next one? A vendetta? He single-handedly dismantled several minor syndicates and dealt with law enforcement officials who had been bribed, dispensing his own brand of justice. He slaughtered his way through, culminating in today's matter with the priest."