55
Chapter 55
Inside the ornate mansion, Kishua sipped his black tea, lost in thought.
Attempting to make contact with the Black Fang had proven far more difficult than anticipated. He was merely reaffirming that they weren't a secret organization for nothing, having never had a single member exposed to date.
And it was precisely at that moment that the news reached him.
The news that the Black Fang was going around helping people.
Fortunately, he had managed to get wind of this rumor early on through an Information Broker.
-Honestly, it's hard to say whether this intel is reliable or not. Please keep that in mind.
The source who provided the tip had said as much themselves; the credibility of this information was admittedly lacking.
The claims stated that the Black Fang was comprised entirely of minors, and that a major figure like the Leader was personally on the ground operating a Relief Center.
It was filled with stories that were simply too absurd to believe.
But....
'Let's look at this from a different angle.'
The sheer absurdity of this rumor was precisely what made it credible.
For such a preposterous tale to be circulating as a rumor suggested a high likelihood that it was actually true.
A rumor about the Black Fang going around saving people could easily spread.
However, for the claim that most of the Black Fang were minors,
and that even their Leader was dedicating himself to relief efforts—such an absurd story could only spread if there were actual eyewitnesses.
Such a fabricated story wouldn't just pop up out of nowhere for no reason.
'Others might find it strange for a heavyweight like the Leader of the Black Fang to be doing such things.'
Let's shift our perspective.
Just because someone is a monster with strength beyond common sense, does that mean we can definitively say they lack humanity?
'Furthermore, the very act of trying to oppose the Empire is proof that the Leader might actually be a righteous person.'
In the first place, someone with that level of power wouldn't need to stand against the Empire.
Simply pledging loyalty to the Empire would guarantee them immense wealth and glory.
By rejecting such an easy path and deliberately choosing the path of revolution,
it was safe to assume the Black Fang was a far more idealistic and righteous group than previously thought.
While entertaining these thoughts, Kishua suddenly realized something.
The true nature of the situation currently unfolding.
"This is... an invitation."
He muttered to himself, utterly astounded.
While he prided himself on being quite intelligent, he couldn't help but marvel at the hidden messages embedded within the Black Fang Leader's actions.
He had certainly found the situation highly suspicious.
Looking at that previous video, it was obvious they were looking for collaborators.
Even if someone wanted to cooperate, there was no proper way to make contact with the Black Fang.
But this rumor currently spreading.
Its true identity must be an invitation. An official invitation sent by the Black Fang's Leader.
If you agree with our intentions, if you want to join us. It's a call to participate in this cause.
A demand to show yourselves supporting the people of the Slums.
Doing such a thing in this situation would naturally draw the Empire's ire. But that, too, is part of the calculation.
Either take the risk of completely antagonizing the Empire, or prove you're capable enough to operate secretly under their radar.
It was a declaration that you must prove at least that much if you want to stand beside us.
'Then everything makes sense.'
Like a puzzle, the pieces that had lacked meaning until now were falling into place one by one.
The reason such a bizarre rumor had spread.
The purpose behind spreading the strange rumor that the Black Fang was made up entirely of minors.
Kishua was able to grasp the hidden intentions behind all of it.
'Was this also a test?'
By spreading info that the Black Fang was a trivial organization, they were filtering for truly loyal individuals.
Regardless of the Black Fang's actual strength.
A test to identify only those loyal enough to sacrifice their lives to overthrow this rotten Empire.
...Cunning.
Anyone other than him would have likely found it impossible to notice.
Just how many hidden calculations were packed into a single action? It was truly mind-bogglingly complex.
To the point where even he struggled to keep up.
However, Kishua simply let out a hearty laugh.
'This actually works out perfectly.'
Having a capable Boss to follow was undeniably good news, never a bad thing.
He also liked the attitude of throwing out such a task and demanding proof of their qualifications.
Tests are something only ordinary people fear.
To those with ability, a test is simply an opportunity to prove their worth.
And Kishua was a man who would absolutely never let an opportunity slip through his fingers.
*****
I looked out once again at the completely transformed appearance of the Relief Center.
The three Knights from last time had worked much harder than expected.
Seeing them volunteer to work so hard, staying up for nights on end, made me wonder if they might actually drop dead.
"Is the work coming along alright? You're not uncomfortable or anything, right?"
I wanted to acknowledge the hard work they had put in, so I spoke to them politely. However, the Knight, who was sweating profusely as he focused on repairing the shack, recoiled in sheer panic.
"P-Please, there's no need to be so polite."
He looked so utterly desperate.
I had no idea why they were acting like that. But seeing how desperate they were, I decided to just stick to my usual tone.
"How about taking a break now? You're going to collapse at this rate."
I pointed to the Relief Center as I said that.
Between my Healing Magic, which had recently seen a sudden spike in proficiency, and Ciel's overpowered abilities, along with the special Potions I had personally brewed.
Thanks to all that, we had an excess of makeshift beds for the sick. I figured it wouldn't hurt to let them use a few.
I had made that declaration out of the kindness of my heart, but...
Their faces turned pale instead.
"We'll do anything! Please don't say such things! I'm still full of life! I can work! I want to work! Please let me work!"
Words I couldn't understand at all.
Even the other two men agreed with that bizarre plea, nodding their heads frantically.
I wondered if they had all lost their minds together.
'What on earth is making them act like this? If they were just afraid of me, they wouldn't be so desperate to stick by my side.'
Because they threw a fit every time they slipped out of my sight.
If they were truly terrified of me, there was no reason for them to react like that.
The only possibility I could think of... was that they were acting like this because they didn't want to be around Ciel, Rien, and the other kids.
......Does that even make sense?
Why would those kind kids bully someone?
'Well, I did explain the entire situation. They might not welcome them with open arms, but...'
I told the kids that these were the Knights who had come to kill me.
When I declared that we shouldn't hurt them, and that killing them would only complicate things further, everyone accepted it.
Our kids aren't the type to hold grudges anyway.
Every single one of them was an absolute Angel—making me wonder how I managed to gather only kids like this as colleagues, and feeling incredibly grateful for my absurd luck.
I pondered why those guys were acting like that for a moment... but soon erased the thought from my mind.
It was only natural.
First of all, they were guys who came to kill us. Letting them live was already a generous mercy.
Did I really need to provide mental care for them on top of that?
Whether their mental state was strange or not, as long as they did a good job working, that was all that mattered.
'I don't even have the luxury to worry about such things anyway.'
Thinking that, I looked out at the scenery around me.
It had certainly changed beyond recognition.
To the point where it was hard to even fathom its original state, where you would run into at least two people starving to death on the streets after taking just a few steps.
But.......
'I still can't shake off this lingering regret.'
As long as our manpower was limited, we couldn't save everyone in the Slums.
With a small group of less than a hundred members, it was impossible to open Relief Centers all across the Empire.
We lacked the time to focus solely on rescue operations forever.
I would save as many as I could, but there would undoubtedly be far more places my hands couldn't reach.
That weighed heavily on my mind.
Was there really no way to do something about this?
It was right when I was deep in such thoughts.
-Are you hearing me properly?
A voice I hadn't heard in quite a while rang out. Ms. Rubia was contacting me through a communication spell.
"Is there a problem?"
I asked because I thought something might have gone wrong with the business, but Ms. Rubia shook her head.
-The things happening lately. I was wondering if you were behind them... so I figured I should check first.
Before I could even ask what she was talking about, all sorts of data floated into my mind.
And... my mind went blank for a moment.
'What in the world is going on here?'
Someone had been making massive, anonymous donations to the Slums all across the Empire.
From food to all sorts of daily necessities.
A sudden surge of charitable giving.
It was beyond just surprising.
I couldn't even fathom how such a bizarre turn of events had come to pass.
But.......
Thinking about it calmly, this was actually a very good thing for me.
It would lighten the burden on my conscience,
and it would aid in achieving my goal of distracting the Holy See and the Empire so they wouldn't focus solely on Ms. Rubia.
The more I thought about it, the more it felt like a wildly fortunate happenstance.
That was why, after a brief moment of contemplation... I finally opened my mouth.
"Lucky me."
I didn't know the exact details,
but it seemed the world was doing me a favor for now.