Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Van Helsing (3)
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“A city of lunatics, built by lunatics, for lunatics.”
It wasn't always like this, but it seems to be heading that way.
Isn't Lubeck now a city that exploits its people, uses them as test subjects, and even feeds on their emotions?
I moved through the city, hiding in the shadows of buildings.
Security was tight, undoubtedly because of the bank robbery. Or perhaps it was because many nobles or their representatives were present.
If not that, maybe they were trying to lock the barn door after the horse had already bolted.
“This place has become a complete ruin.”
The Lubeck Central Bank, which I had thoroughly plundered, was now all but abandoned, covered in dust.
Its main customers were nobles anyway, and the moment they turned their backs on it, the bank's fate might have already been sealed.
The nobles would go back to storing their valuables in their own safes. Which I'll gladly relieve them of, if the opportunity arises.
Of course, compensating for the stolen goods was the Empire's responsibility, not mine.
I suspected the Empire would rather squeeze the wealthy, like the merchants who kept their money in the bank, than open its own coffers.
If that happened, it would be a blessing. It would make it easier to collapse the social system.
Besides, did the common folk even have money to deposit in a bank? In the end, it was a bank for the haves.
After a quick tour of Lubeck, I had a rough plan to make the name 'Van Helsing' known.
This isn't about just killing. I need to aim for the most dramatic effect.
“A dramatic effect in a dramatic location.”
The location was set. It was as if a stage had been prepared just for me, the table already deliciously set.
All that remained was who and how. There was plenty of prey.
Of course, I could kill a dozen, or even dozens, of those exposed to demonic energy at once. I have the ability to do so.
However, if I did that, the focus would inevitably be on mass slaughter. Then I wouldn't achieve my goal. The Empire would just brand me as a mass murderer.
In a situation like this, a single, impactful blow is what's needed. That way, the nobles will be plunged into fear, living with the worry of when they might die.
Until Van Helsing is caught. That's exactly what I want. To slowly let fear consume those tainted by demonic energy.
It would be even more effective since the targets are mostly knights and nobles. Isn't it always the ones with more to hide and more to lose who are like that?
“Anyway, who would be the best choice?”
Choosing the tastiest prey isn't easy, but that's when you ask for help.
- The identities of the nobles currently in Lubeck?
“Yes. And their representatives too. It would be great if you could also check how closely tied they are to demonic energy.”
I returned to the inn, connected the communication device with Hattie Shaw, and we exchanged information. Of course, she would have her own informants in Lubeck, but what I saw and what they saw would be different.
- What kind of fun are you planning this time? Is it about that rumor?
“That's right. And for the record, it's going to be quite fun. Enough to shake the Empire.”
- If you're shaking things up, it'll be an earthquake over here.
“Well, it's the common butterfly effect.”
If all goes as planned, things will certainly be shaken up quite a bit. No, to be precise, they'll be so busy focusing on me for a while, just as I intended.
- Van Helsing. What a peculiar name. What was it last time? Michael Bay?
“They're all people I admire.”
I quite enjoyed Hugh Jackman's Van Helsing, after all.
- I'll pass on the requested information through my people. Just let me know when you're going to make your move. We need to prepare too.
“Okay. I'll let you know the place and the target as well. Just make sure to spread the rumors well. By the way, how's the capital?”
- It's like walking on thin ice. I don't know about the higher-ups, but down below, the corruption of demonic energy is getting worse. It's seeping in so subtly that no one even notices.
“That makes sense. The Emperor became a god, not them. Besides, most of the populace, including the nobles, are still human.”
Hattie Shaw's voice was thick with worry. After all, her subordinates were spread throughout the capital. There was no telling when they might be exposed to demonic energy and become victims.
Furthermore, as long as they are human, they cannot be free from the material world. In other words, they can't forsake worldly desires. I don't know how much that bastard Emperor eats and shits, but for ordinary people, those are natural, basic functions.
“What about Haveron and Anya?”
- They're doing well. You'd be surprised how fast Anya is growing. And... I think we should get them out of the capital as soon as possible.
“Send them to our side. I think they can live there with peace of mind.”
- I was already planning to. It's getting more dangerous. As long as we're under the Empire's thumb, you could say there's no safe place on this continent. Especially now that that bastard Ludwig has taken control of the military. It's completely his world.
I don't know every situation and principle of this world, so I couldn't grasp everything happening beneath the surface.
“You need to prepare too, Hattie. So you can get out at a moment's notice.”
- I'm already on it. Once the war starts, they'll obviously go after the intelligence organizations first. I need to hide more deeply.
War, in the end, is based on information, isn't it?
“You must stay healthy.”
- I won't die, at least not before that bastard Emperor does. Oh, and the sale of the stolen goods is mostly finished.
“Keep it safe. Of course, you can use as much as you need.”
- Of course. You told me to use it freely, so I will.
“I don't remember saying ‘freely.’”
The stolen goods from the bank were broken down, dismantled, and either remade by blacksmiths or scattered far and wide in their original form.
Because they were stolen goods and war was looming, they didn't fetch a high price, but the important thing was to get rid of them all.
There was no point in holding onto them. It was more important to use the money from their sale to buy another handful of food or another weapon.
- Oh, and the mages and merchants are quite stirred up too.
“That's understandable. Those two groups are in the most ambiguous position.”
They might not show it, but the Empire is already inextricably linked with black magic.
However, ordinary mages go beyond disliking black magic; they detest and despise it. So, while they maintain the relationship, they were bound to become neglectful.
Moreover, with limited capital, it was only natural to reduce the funds going to mages in order to support black mages.
“It might not be a bad idea to contact them. No, it would be good. If there are mages who wish to relocate, we should actively welcome them.”
If a war breaks out, they'll all be valuable assets.
- I'll give it a try, but it might be difficult.
“If they refuse, so be it. There's no need to keep pressing the issue while taking on unnecessary risks. However, do let them know that we'll be moving to the Demonic Realm. That should pique the curiosity of those mages.”
Aren't mages a group that lives on curiosity? And if it's the Demonic Realm, a place that has long rejected human presence, that's even more true.
- Got it. I'll contact you if anything changes. And you, don't get caught.
“Of course. It would be incredibly frustrating to get caught here.”
The common people might not have noticed yet, but change was already slowly underway.
***
A few days after arriving in Lubeck. A quiet back alley.
My heart pounded for the first time in a while.
At the appointed time, someone in a deep bucket hat brushed past, handing me a few sheets of paper. I slightly opened my palm and gave them the gold coin I was holding.
The other person seemed slightly surprised, then left the alley as if nothing had happened.
“Heh—that feeling is just exhilarating.”
I wonder if my skills haven't gotten rusty, or if they've just gotten better with my physical development.
I chuckled at the spy-movie-like encounter, tucked the papers into my coat, and returned to the inn.
“Meion Decker.”
The papers I received in the back alley detailed the activities of a noble named Meion Decker.
To put it simply, this noble's path was desire itself.
He was presumed to be one of the first to accept demonic energy, actively absorbing it, and was the one who took the lead in embracing the Raelian Church and building a temple during the Monster Wave incident.
It also stated that his territory was already densely paved with the stones of the Seven Deadly Sins. Wasn't this a sign of his desire to rise beyond a central noble to become one of the Emperor's inner circle?
Thanks to that, he had risen to the position of director of the Lubeck Central Bank.
Of course, it seems his image took a hit when I robbed the bank on his first day in office, but he appears to be diligently attending Raelian Church events to make up for it.
“He's the most suitable.”
Perfectly suitable. Both his symbolic value and his position.
“As expected of Hattie Shaw.”
And on the back of the report, there was detailed information about Meion Decker's usual routes and locations.
.
.
.
.
.
When a long bell tolled throughout Lubeck, people stopped what they were doing and moved in a great crowd toward one place.
It was almost bizarre. To see people stop everything they were doing and move in a throng to a single location.
And that place was the temple of the Raelian Church.
The nobles went inside the temple, while the common folk formed a circle outside around the statue of that bastard Emperor.
I had been watching this scene for days, but I just couldn't get used to it.
At this hour, the entire city felt completely empty.
There wasn't even the slightest noise you'd expect from a place where people live. Nothing but the sound of prayers from the Raelian Church.
Hymns echoed, and the Emperor's sermon could be heard calmly from the communication devices.
People sat packed tightly together on the ground, their gazes fixed on the statue from which the voice emerged, as if they were brainwashed.
They might have looked devout on the outside, but the reality was different. Through my spiritual power, I could feel their emotions being sucked into the statue like threads from a spool.
The sight was so disgusting it made bile rise in my throat and I felt like gagging.
Like an assassin, I crossed the rooftops and headed for the temple's interior. The inside was even worse, not better.
After all, there wasn't a single person here who hadn't pledged their loyalty to the Emperor.
The only difference was how devoutly they acted.
As I scanned the area, I saw Meion Decker in the very front row of the temple, praying more fervently than anyone else.
I channeled a bit of spiritual power and confirmed it. He was deeply corrupted by demonic energy. The scent of it was familiar.
Pride. The same type of demonic energy as that bastard Ludwig.
I took out a grappling hook with a long rope from my inventory. Even the moment of abduction had to be impactful.
There was nothing to hear from him, and nothing I wanted to hear.
Whoosh—
The hook, spun in my hand, shot down with spiritual power and wrapped around that bastard Meion Decker.
“Kuaaaargh—!”
The hook hadn't even sunk in yet, but the moment the spiritual power touched him, the man screamed madly and thrashed about.
Just like that, I yanked him up in one motion. Like snatching a fish caught on a line.
“H-Help me—! Gack—!”
In an instant, the quiet temple filled with screams, and a commotion could be felt from outside as well.
And all eyes turned to the ceiling, where Meion Decker was being dragged up.
Just then, someone who must have heard the rumors whispered the name in a trembling voice.
“The demon hunter, Van Helsing... So he was real....”