Big Boss (3)
In the dead of night, when everyone else was fast asleep, the only light in the basement came from a single lamp burning with magical energy.
"The position of the Undercity Family's boss is not one easily attained," Big Boss's gentle voice echoed through the silent basement.
Sitting perched on a worn wooden chair, he spun his tale with effortless confidence, though no one had asked to hear it.
"And keeping that seat is just as difficult."
Like baby birds chasing after their mother, shadows cast by the flickering lamp danced across the stone walls.
"It was truly, truly difficult. To the point where I thought I might die from the sheer stress of it."
He spoke with absolute sincerity, having survived countless crises to get here. The lower-tier syndicates feigned loyalty while keeping their daggers ready to plunge into his back at any moment, and unaffiliated thugs from the surface flooded the Undercity daily, causing endless trouble.
Yet, he had crushed every rival to become the undisputed kingpin of the metropolis of Balifield. While the surface city belonged to a lord who held the land by royal decree, the Undercity belonged entirely to the Family. What a steep price he had paid to reach this pinnacle.
"It was grueling, but luck had to be on my side as well."
With those words, Big Boss stood up. The wooden chair groaned under his shifting weight.
"Yes, to be frank, I was incredibly lucky. I managed to lay my hands on a rather extraordinary Authority."
In an instant, Big Boss's blue eyes bled into a dark, crimson hue, and an inhuman aura began to roll off him.
Suspended from the wall opposite him was a gagged man. His entire body was covered in cuts, bruises, and bizarre inscriptions written in his own blood as ink. He was unnaturally emaciated for his height, a clear sign of prolonged confinement and brutal torture in this damp cellar. Hearing Big Boss's words, the Grave Robber Leader trembled violently, his face pale with terror.
"Mmph—! Mmmph!"
The Grave Robber Leader tried to scream, but the tight gag reduced his desperate cries to muffled, pathetic groans.
Step. Big Boss walked over to the bound, thrashing man. He looked up at him with a deeply unsettling smile.
"It seems the Holy Kingdom has finally caught our scent. I heard a rumor that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has dispatched an Inquisitor."
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Holy Kingdom—an institution dedicated to hunting down heretics who worship unsanctioned gods and bringing them to swift, merciless justice.
"Rumors of someone wielding heretical powers on the fringes of the continent, you see."
"Mmmph!" The Grave Robber Leader writhed frantically, letting out a desperate groan. But with his limbs securely chained to the wall, even the slightest movement was a struggle.
"From where I stand, there are two things I must consider. First, whether the news of the Inquisitor's dispatch is true. And second, how on earth a rumor from this backwater managed to reach the heart of the continent."
As he spoke, Big Boss's gentle facade slipped, replaced by a chillingly cold expression.
"The most likely explanation, of course, is that someone with inside knowledge of our Family sold the information."
The Undercity Family was a massive criminal syndicate built around the gang Big Boss led. Naturally, preventing sensitive information from leaking to the outside world was of paramount importance.
"I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Give me your professional opinion as a grave robber leader."
Clack. With a smooth motion, Big Boss unfastened the gag. The moment it came off, a thick string of saliva spilled from the man's mouth.
Big Boss grimaced, pulling a handkerchief from his breast pocket to wipe his fingers clean.
"I—I don't know anything!" the Grave Robber Leader shrieked, his voice hoarse and cracking now that he finally had the freedom to speak. Big Boss shook his head slowly, clearly unsatisfied with the answer.
"I didn't even know you were this kind of monster in the first place!" At this desperate protest, Big Boss's expression softened into a strange look. The Grave Robber Leader did have a point, after all.
"Shh." Big Boss placed a single finger to his lips, staring at the shouting man. Like magic, the Grave Robber Leader instantly shut his mouth.
"Well, let's set that aside for a moment. Instead, let us discuss the first issue."
Screeech. Big Boss dragged the wooden chair over from the wall and sat down.
"Upon hearing that an Inquisitor might be on their way, I set up a little alarm system of my own."
"An... alarm system...?"
"Indeed. I infused an ordinary object with the energy of the god who granted me my power. Then, I put it up for auction."
If an Inquisitor had arrived in Balifield, they would conduct an investigation through various channels. The auction house was a highly probable stop. And if they discovered an item laced with the energy of a heretical god, they would stop at nothing to seize it. If necessary, he had planned to leave more bait scattered around over time.
Big Boss's prediction seemed to have hit the mark. Someone had actually paid a staggering thirty silver coins for a worthless statuette that, at best, wasn't worth a single copper.
"So, I invited the winning bidder here. It was my first time seeing an Inquisitor from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, so I wanted to test the waters, so to speak."
"..."
"How do you think it went?"
The Grave Robber Leader remained silent. The brutal torture had left his mind sluggish, and for the life of him, he couldn't guess the answer.
"The answer is: failure. The one who came to see me was neither an Inquisitor from the Holy Kingdom nor a Holy Knight armed with zealous faith. He was just a plain, nasty-looking punk. Frankly, he looked like some petty thief or a grave robber."
This had completely blindsided Big Boss. The person who recognized an artifact imbued with divine power was neither an Inquisitor nor a Holy Knight, but a seemingly ordinary civilian.
"Well, if that were all, I could have chalked it up to a bizarre coincidence. But that punk shattered my expectations yet again."
If he had bought the statuette simply for its antique value, Big Boss could have just paid him a premium to get it back. Then, he could have prepared another bait, put it up for auction, and waited for the Inquisitor to bite. But the winning bidder had told him something truly shocking.
He got annoyed and smashed the statuette himself.
The statuette, containing the energy of a heretical god, was made of solid brass. Imbued with divine power, it had been reinforced to the point where even Big Boss would have struggled to break it. Yet, a guy who looked like a petty thief had smashed it to pieces.
And the punk hadn't seemed to be lying. He had the exact look of someone utterly intimidated by the ruler of the Undercity, desperately spilling everything he knew. Therefore, his words were the truth.
"Perhaps someone other than the Orthodox Church of the Holy Kingdom caught wind of us and came here."
Whatever the case, someone possessing extraordinary power—much like himself—had arrived. Such an existence was a threat to the order of the Family. Therefore, he had to be eliminated at all costs.
"I don't know what kind of power he wields. But it is clear he is an enemy I must devour. And so—"
"H-Hieeeek!"
Big Boss let his voice trail off as he stood up. He placed his palm flat against the scarred chest of the Grave Robber Leader.
"I'll be needing your help."
Whoosh! As Big Boss whispered, a torrent of malevolent energy erupted from his entire body.
"To face a strong enemy, one must amass a corresponding amount of power. I shall put your life to excellent use."
"S-Stop! No! Spare me!"
The Grave Robber Leader shrieked, begging for mercy. But as he screamed at the top of his lungs, a few stray droplets of spit splattered onto the back of Big Boss's hand.
"..."
Twitch. In an instant, Big Boss's gentle expression contorted into a hideous mask of rage. Thick veins bulged across his forehead and face.
"I told you to stay still!"
Big Boss roared at the Grave Robber Leader. The soft, polite tone from before was completely gone, replaced by a harsh, guttural snarl that shook the room.
"Ugh..." Crushed by the overwhelming pressure, the Grave Robber Leader froze, his thrashing coming to a sudden halt.
"Whew... My apologies. Lately, when my emotions run high, I find it a bit difficult to control myself. I hope you can understand."
Big Boss spoke in his usual serene tone once more, as if he hadn't just bared his teeth in a monstrous rage a second ago.
Reeeeee— At that moment, a high-pitched resonance, sounding like the agonizing shriek of a human soul, filled the basement.
"I—I've always been loyal to you! Please!"
The Grave Robber Leader squeezed out his final ounce of strength to plead. But this time, Big Boss did not reply. After a few moments, the man's desperate struggles ceased entirely, leaving him perfectly still.
"Yes. You are quite right."
Having drained the life force of his sacrifice, Big Boss murmured softly.
"Offering your very life to remain loyal to me until the bitter end... You truly were an exemplary member of the Family."
"So, that's how it went."
Back at the lodging, Yohan explained the situation to the two who were waiting for him. Since Charles was present, the Goddess had returned to her spiritual form.
"The boss of the Family... is a demon worshipper?"
Falco muttered, her face a mask of disbelief. Charles's reaction was much the same.
"Honestly, I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," Yohan said, collapsing onto the bed.
He had only exchanged a few words with Big Boss in private, but the sheer mental strain made him feel completely drained.
"Anyway, I've got a really bad feeling about this. He's going to come looking for us soon."
"Yeah."
Falco nodded at Yohan's words. Charles, on the other hand, looked back and forth between Yohan and Falco with a deeply anxious expression.
"Sorry, kid. We stepped into a cave to get out of the rain, only to run straight into a grizzly bear."
"Ugh..."
What was there even to say? Yohan could only offer Charles a look of profound pity.
"So, Yohan. What are you planning to do now?" Falco asked.
"Well... logically speaking, running away is the smartest move. Then we anonymously tip off the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith or the Holy Knights. Tell them there's a heretical bastard in Balifield who needs to be burned at the stake, and he's currently playing king of the castle."
The two fell silent for a moment.
"But—"
"Yeah, I know."
Falco was the first to break the silence, but before she could finish her thought, Yohan cut her off.
"The idio—I mean, the Goddess I serve is practically screaming at me to beat Big Boss to death."
Yohan tapped his temple with his index finger. At his words, both Falco's and Charles's faces brightened considerably.
As Yohan struck a dramatic pose, the Goddess's worried voice echoed in his mind. Normally, she would have just nagged him, but this time was different.
"Cut the crap. I don't need a grand reason," Yohan muttered back to the Goddess.
He drew the sword hanging at his hip.
"What even is a demon? Just a really bad guy, right? The baddest of the bad. If we take down a bastard like that, wouldn't that build up some massive karma for us?"
A big, bad demon is bound to drop a massive chunk of EXP, Yohan thought to himself.
"Hehe. I'm coming with you," Falco said, a grin spreading across her face.
But Yohan suddenly shook his head.
"No, you're not. You have a different job to do."
He gestured toward Charles with his chin.
"It was only a verbal contract, but a promise is a promise. We agreed to protect this kid until we leave this city."
"..."
Falco fell silent. Logically, she knew his decision was correct, but her heart stubbornly refused to accept it.
"But..."
"No. That's an order," Yohan said flatly, leaving no room for argument.
Falco squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lower lip.
Look at her. She actually has some camaraderie in her, wanting to dive into danger with me. Yohan felt a warm swell of emotion in his chest as he looked at her.
But her next words instantly shattered the touching moment.
"But I want to slice open a demon worshipper's throat too!"