I'm a proper student; I only take nine kinds of potions every day.

The moment of speaking.

That middle-aged man, or rather, that ghoul.

I could clearly see a fleeting glint of gold in the depths of Evan's originally black pupils.

Vertical pupils.

He knew very well what that touch of gold represented.

"hunting……"

The middle-aged man instinctively wanted to back away, but he was shocked to discover that the witcher was incredibly strong.

It actually overwhelmed my physical condition.

At the same time, a sharp pain shot through the five fingernails that had pierced Evan's wrist.

He looked down and his pupils immediately contracted.

Those five claws, originally purplish-black and as hard as metal, were being corroded by something at a visible rate.

The tips of the nails begin to soften and peel off.

"What the hell?!"

He had no idea that such a thing would be in the other person's blood.

He instinctively tried to pull his entire hand away from the other person's wrist.

But Evan's 5.4 physical strength suppressed him so much that he couldn't move at all.

Corrosion continues.

The black corrosion had spread from his fingernails to the first phalanx, and the purplish-black flesh began to peel off piece by piece.

The middle-aged man's eyes hardened.

Click.

A crisp sound of bones breaking.

The hand that Ivan had been holding tightly slipped from the middle-aged man's wrist on its own.

Taking advantage of a crucial moment when he held back, the middle-aged man instantly sprang back a meter, creating distance between himself and Evan.

His right sleeve hung limply, but there was no sign of pain on his face.

Only vigilance.

"Witcher. I mean no harm."

The moment he spoke, his eyes changed from the deep and assertive look they had just had to the clear and gentle gaze of an ordinary middle-aged man.

"I can take back all the toxins that were just injected into your body."

"We just want to... do us a favor."

Ivan stood there, slowly pulling the severed hand out of the wound.

The hand that had already separated from its owner's body was changing at an alarming speed.

The outer layer of human skin quickly lost moisture, shriveled, peeled off, and turned into thin, paper-like flakes that drifted in the wind.

Beneath the skin was a slender, thin claw with protruding joints and skin covered with a layer of purplish-black sheen.

The fingernail has been corroded to the point of being just a remnant, and the first phalanx is about to be destroyed.

Ivan looked down at his left wrist.

The five wounds pierced by the claws didn't bleed at all; they seemed to be restrained by an invisible force, only swirling within the wounds.

Then, under his watchful eye, the wound scabbed over rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In less than five seconds, the entire wound had entered the recovery phase.

The eight- or nine-year-old boy at the train car door turned pale the moment he saw this.

His wool trousers had silently developed a dark water stain.

Ivan's gaze swept over, and he grinned, his sunny smile now appearing particularly sinister.

"kid."

He asked in a tone that sounded like an elder teasing a child.

"Is there sweat or urine in your crotch?"

The little boy buried his head in his mother's wool coat in shame, his shoulders trembling slightly, and he didn't say a word.

The middle-aged ghoul took a few steps back and stood beside his wife, shielding the little girl behind him.

"I do not wish to have a conflict with you."

His tone returned to its original gentlemanly manner.

"We... just want some sponsorship."

Ivan narrowed his eyes.

"Using corpse poison to attract sponsorships?"

The middle-aged man gave a helpless, almost self-deprecating, bitter smile.

"How could I dare use corpse poison inside?"

He adjusted his glasses.

"This carriage was built by the Healing Church itself. Just walking into this corridor took a lot of courage."

"That claw strike just now was just to do me a favor."

"I know the rules very well. As I said, this is only a temporary measure."

Evan raised an eyebrow but remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

The middle-aged man took a deep breath and began to explain.

"My family runs a funeral company in the north of the city. It's been passed down to me for the third generation."

"But recently, the factory workers have set their sights on our largest cemetery and want to acquire the land to build a new factory."

"We really have no other choice."

His tone carried a hint of genuine helplessness.

"Therefore, we hope to ask the Hearst family for help by offering a portion of the company's shares."

"At our level, we have no way of contacting Senator Hearst or Battalion Commander Hearst."

"So we can only take this opportunity to ask Miss Hearst to pass on a message."

The young mother in the beige wool coat also came forward, still holding the trembling little boy in her arms.

There was no threat in her eyes, only a mother's earnestness.

"gentlemen."

She spoke softly to Evan.

"We really meant no harm."

"With your perspective, you should be able to see how dangerous this carriage is for creatures like us."

Ivan stood still, toying with his hands, which looked like dried chicken feet.

He pondered silently in his heart.

The first monster I encountered in my life.

Surprisingly, it wasn't a life-or-death battle with him.

They came to ask him for help in securing sponsorships.

Ivan squinted and scrutinized the expressions, tone of voice, and body language of the family of four.

It doesn't sound like he's lying.

"Perfect, let's send her a whole family of ghouls and see how Hearst reacts!"

He then grinned, revealing a businessman's smile.

"It's not impossible."

The middle-aged ghoul's eyes lit up instantly.

Evan then changed the subject.

"You'll have to pay more."

Upon hearing that money could solve the problem, the middle-aged man's eyes lit up instantly.

"How much do you need?"

He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, reverting to the demeanor of a well-educated gentleman.

Evan spoke after a moment's thought.

"I can not only relay your message, but I can also put in a good word for you."

He paused for a moment, then revealed his sunny and cheerful smile.

"If things go through, I'd like a small percentage of shares. That's not unreasonable, is it?"

The middle-aged man did not answer immediately.

He turned his head and looked at his wife, who was wearing a beige wool coat, beside him.

The couple simply exchanged a glance.

There was no language, but Evan could clearly sense that they were communicating in some non-human, non-verbal way.

There was a faint, almost imperceptible scent in the air, like damp grave soil carried by the wind.

A few seconds later, their gazes fell back on Ivan at the same time.

The quality of that gaze had changed.

If Evan were just an ordinary Hearst family bodyguard, they wouldn't even consider him a negotiating partner.

But this guy is a witcher.

He's also a rather...mysterious witcher.

Its strength is terrifying, its mental state seems poor, its self-healing speed is abnormal, and its blood can even corrode the claws of ghouls.

This kind of existence far surpasses the level of any "Hearst family bodyguard".

Ivan promptly added a comment.

"Anyway, I'll have a lot of... corpse-related business to handle in the future. Our cooperation is a win-win situation."

He deliberately phrased the words "related to corpses" in a light and natural way.

The middle-aged man's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this.

"If things can really be done, I can give you five percent of the shares."

He paused for a moment, then added a sentence.

"We are willing to fully cooperate with you if you have any corpses that need to be disposed of in the future."

Ivan grinned.

"make a deal."

He took a step back.

"Wait here, don't let anyone else near this door. I'll go and inform them."

The middle-aged man nodded vigorously.

"it is good."

Evan had just turned around, preparing to open the carriage door.

The middle-aged man suddenly spoke up urgently.

"teacher!"

"……hand."

Ivan paused for a moment before coming to his senses.

He glanced down at the ghoul's severed claw still clutched in his right hand.

"oh."

Ivan stared at the paw for two seconds.

"Just throwing it away...that's a bit wasteful."

The middle-aged man hurriedly extended his remaining intact hand.

"Then you'll return it to..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

He watched helplessly as Ivan opened his mouth and shoved the claw inside.

bang.

bang.

A crisp, bone-breaking sound came from between Evan's teeth.

Each sound was like chewing on beef cartilage, crunchy and satisfying.

Teeth and mouths strengthened by mercury pills easily handled those hard bone fragments and fascia.

The withered claws were quickly crushed by Evan's chewing and finally swallowed down his throat.

The area connecting the carriages was so quiet that only the distant announcements from the platform could be heard.

"Tsk."

Evan smacked his lips.

It's a little bitter and a little sour.