Don't Act Weak, You Punk
The footsteps echoed with a steady rhythm. Thud. Thud.
“Walk faster.”
I yawned long and loud as I strolled leisurely behind the gangsters. Two knights from the Helios Marquisate followed at the very rear, keeping a watchful eye on them as we moved together.
I did feel a twinge of guilt. After all, they had only come to escort me, yet they ended up drawing their swords in a place like this. Still, what could I do? This was their duty.
I should give them a bonus for overtime later. Obviously paid for with the marquisate’s money.
Taking only two knights when storming a gang’s hideout might have looked reckless. Serena had certainly stared at me with an expression that screamed pure dread. If they had been ordinary knights, it really might have been dangerous. The gap between trained knights and civilians was enormous, and we had no idea how much fighting power the other side possessed.
But these weren’t ordinary knights.
They were elite knights specifically trained by the Helios Marquisate to protect the bloodline. Unless the enemy somehow dragged out a Sword Master, our chances of losing were practically zero.
And besides—
There’s no way a Sword Master would be involved in something this pathetic.
It wasn’t some complacent assumption. I already knew for a fact that no one of that caliber existed here.
Even if there had been, I wouldn’t have picked this fight.
That aside…
What was it again?
There was something important I was forgetting. I always ended up screwing myself over whenever I brushed past these little details.
“Young Master.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll head on ahead and clear the path.”
“Sure. Go on.”
I nodded at Del, one of my personal escort knights. He urged the gangsters forward, clearly intending to move first.
“Leave one behind. I have something to ask him.”
“Understood.”
Even if the guy stayed behind, he couldn’t possibly harm me. And since only one knight was moving ahead instead of both, Del judged there was no problem and gave a small nod.
The lone remaining gangster rolled his eyes around nervously, but I simply smiled and draped an arm over his shoulder.
“Don’t get so scared. I just have a few questions, that’s all.”
“O-of course, sir…”
I could have let it slide. But I decided not to.
Too many protagonists had gotten stabbed in the back by overlooking things like this. I might not be the protagonist, but precisely because I wasn’t, I needed to tap the bridge before crossing it.
“Alright then. Let’s hear it nice and easy.”
“…W-what do you want to know?”
I grinned at him. The man immediately began to tremble.
Tsk. Don’t act weak, you punk.
The baron and his wife started throwing money around like water. Even after they ran dry, they kept borrowing more and more. They exhausted the family fortune, then even dipped into the territory’s operating funds.
Once word spread that the baron couple was borrowing from them, numerous other organizations began funneling money into Descartes. The gang entered an unprecedented boom. Of course, they were still just a gambling den and a mid-sized outfit, but at least no one in the area dared touch them.
And today—
Just as usual, while the baron couple was at the gambling house, the gang was waiting for the men they had sent to pressure Serena, the thorn in the baron family’s side.
BAAAANG—!!
The door to their hideout exploded.
It happened in the blink of an eye. Too suddenly. The gang members could only stare blankly as the shattered fragments of what used to be their door flew through the air.
While the Descartes members stood there dazed, never having imagined they would be attacked, a man walked in with calm, measured steps through the ruined doorway.
Del rested his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist. He stepped past the wreckage that had once been a door and slowly scanned the room. His emotionless gaze met the frozen gang members, and he opened his mouth.
“The second son of the Helios Marquisate, Lord Kallion, will be visiting this place personally.”
“…What the hell is this guy suddenly saying?”
“If any of you want to resist, come at me now.”
The look in his eyes treated the Descartes members as less than human. The gangsters who had finally snapped back to their senses hurriedly drew their weapons and stood up.
“Not lowering your heads even after hearing the name Helios isn’t courage. It’s arrogance.”
“Kill him!!”
“Therefore, all of you—kneel.”
No matter how skilled a knight might be, facing dozens of armed men would normally fill anyone with terror. But Del didn’t even blink. If he were the kind of knight who would lose to trash like this, he wouldn’t deserve the title of knight from the Helios Marquisate.
“I won’t kill you. His Lordship has use for you.”
When Del had reported that he would move first, Kallion hadn’t added any specific instructions. But Del had read the situation and decided not to kill them. He knew Kallion wasn’t the type to take lives lightly, and he also knew his young master needed something from this place.
That said, he had no intention of letting them walk away unscathed.
Breaking a few bones here and there should be enough.
Above all, Kallion’s safety came first. When the young master arrived, it would be convenient if there were still people capable of speaking properly.
Having made his decision, Del drew his sword—still in its sheath—and took a single step forward toward the gangsters charging at him.
“UAAAAAAGH!!”
And from inside Descartes’ hideout, screams began to echo.
—
“H-here it is.”
The nameless gangster I had had a very productive conversation with guided me to the hideout with far more polite manners than before. I paused for a moment to look at the completely demolished door of the Descartes hideout before slowly stepping inside.
“You’ve arrived, Young Master.”
“Yeah. Good work.”
The interior of the Descartes hideout was utterly destroyed. It looked as if a typhoon had swept through.
“Ugh…”
Everyone who appeared to be a member of Descartes was rolling on the floor with broken arms or legs. Shattered fragments of tables and chairs were scattered everywhere.
There were only four people in the room who could still be called intact.
Del, who was calmly adjusting his clothes without so much as a scratch and quietly bowing his head to me. The two gang members who had guided him here. And finally, one man on his knees—his face covered in burst wounds and dripping blood, but still relatively whole compared to the others.
“You may sit here, Young Master Kallion.”
“Alright.”
I naturally took the seat Del indicated and calmly observed the situation around me before turning my gaze to the man on his knees.
“This man is the head of this organization.”
I gave a small nod at Del’s perceptive explanation and slowly opened my mouth.
“I’ll be direct.”
“…P-please speak.”
This was exactly why proper etiquette training was so important. If Del hadn’t come ahead and cleaned up the situation, the man would have been thrashing around like a lunatic. Thanks to one knight taking care of everything beforehand, the conversation could proceed this smoothly.
“Bring me the contract for the money the baron couple borrowed.”
“…Yes.”
If the baron couple had borrowed money and the contract said what I thought it did, the amount they owed would be no small sum. Yet the boss of Descartes could only stiffen his face and lower his head. In a situation where refusing meant death, he had no choice but to obey. No matter how much money you had, it was useless if your head was gone.
I knew this was basically extortion. But—
…So what?
I didn’t care if it was thuggish behavior. My status and power made me the thug here. These guys had probably squeezed money out of others the same way. I had no reason to feel guilty.
The boss of Descartes dragged his battered body somewhere, then returned with a thick bundle of documents.
“H-here it is.”
I took the papers and frowned as I looked them over.
They really borrowed a lot.
Even at a glance, it was no small amount. It was almost harder to believe they had gambled all of it away.
“Is this everything?”
“Y-yes. There’s nothing hidden.”
“…Good.”
I gave a small nod, tucked the documents into my coat, and stood up.
That wrapped this matter up nicely. After talking with them on the way here, I still had a few things left to handle, but the situation wasn’t bad at all. In fact, this was a golden opportunity to cleanly take care of several other annoying problems.
“What should we do with them?”
I had been walking out of the hideout when Del’s question made me pause. I spoke without turning around.
“…Kill them all.”
There was no need to leave any future trouble behind.
“Understood.”
I wasn’t some crazy psychopath who enjoyed murder. But I wasn’t saintly enough to spare scum like this either.
“W-wait—!!”
Leaving behind the horrified scream and the sound of swords being drawn, I walked out of that place.