A living person and more than a dozen corpses playing poker for half the night in a dimly lit room—the more you think about such a scene, the more terrifying it becomes, making your scalp tingle.
Klein suppressed his instinctive fear, looked at the pale man in his late twenties with deep malice hidden in his brown eyes and a hint of craziness in his demeanor, pretended to be intimidated by his presence, and took a step back. Kaspars Canning left the card room and closed the door.
The man asked in a low voice: "Is it you who is looking for a bodyguard?"
"…Yes." Klein deliberately swallowed.
The strangeness of the situation both scared him and gave him a certain sense of reassurance.
The stronger the bodyguard, the safer he would be!
The pale man in the black vest raised his chin and asked: "Why do you need a bodyguard? How much are you willing to pay?"
Klein didn't answer immediately. After thinking for dozens of seconds, he said: "Let me first tell you the specific details of the task. After you assess it, give me a price. If I can pay it, or have an equivalent item, the deal will be made. If not, I'll have to give up and find someone else."
The man with malice in his eyes didn't speak, nodded slightly, signaling Klein to continue.
Klein deliberately glanced at the living corpses, treating them as normal card players, and asked with his eyes whether he should kick them out of the room before answering.
"No need," the pale man said in a deep voice.
Klein considered and described truthfully: "I offended a big shot, a big shot who might be backed by a country."
The card room suddenly became completely silent, utterly quiet. The man with hidden malice and slight craziness froze in place as if turned into a plaster statue.
After nearly a minute, he spoke slowly: "This task is priceless."
"You may leave."
"Ah?" Klein didn't react at first. Only when the man turned and walked toward the card table did he realize the deal wasn't reached.
You bring a bunch of corpses to play cards in a room, acting like you have high status and great strength, and you're scared off just like that? And you seemed a bit crazy… Klein didn't know whether to laugh or cry and added: "That big shot isn't so free in
The man in the black vest ignored him, sat down again, and the corpses began to deal cards, look at them, and throw chips.
Klein let out a breath, left the room, and saw Kaspars Canning, the fifty-year-old man with a red nose and a hideous scar, waiting outside.
"Deal didn't go through," Klein said with a shrug.
Kaspars didn't seem surprised. After a few seconds of thought, he asked: "Did he ask for too much?"
"No, he thought the task was too difficult," Klein said truthfully.
Kaspars frowned slightly and said: "
"Pity," Klein sighed.
Kaspars clenched his right fist and struck his left chest: "May the storm be with you."
"Then I'll be dead…" Klein joked through his misery and smiled: "Thank you."
"You can try to ask some powerful people elsewhere. I'll pay you for your trouble. Hmm… I'll come again tomorrow evening."
After receiving an affirmative answer, he left the Brave Adventurer bar with some melancholy, not even interested in a game of billiards.
…
Klein, half sighing and half relieved, changed carriages and returned to Minsk Street.