Chapter 145
Chapter 145
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: 60. Signal Arrow (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Boss, big trouble!”
“I'm watching.”
“What the hell is...”
Gorio stood on the rooftop with his arms crossed, gazing down at the streets of the Imperial Capital.
An enraged mob was condemning Joachim for his misdeeds, searching everywhere for Joachim natives.
The claim was that a spy sent from Joachim had tried to poison the Emperor.
“Is it really true?”
“Joachim would have to be insane to touch the Emperor.”
“I think so too, but with the people rising up like this, it looks like they caused some real trouble over there.”
“Those gathered down there probably think the same as you.”
“Huh?”
“With things blowing up this big, the assassination attempt from Joachim has to be real.”
“Uh...”
“A loud voice carries conviction.”
His subordinate scratched his head awkwardly.
“Boss. But are we really going to catch and kill Joachim people?”
“More than possible.”
Gorio was the head of a violent organization that made money through gambling and loan sharking. That's why he could observe human nature up close better than anyone.
Corrupting people wasn't all that hard.
All it took was a crowd.
What halved when shared wasn't sorrow, but guilt.
“At that scale, it's no surprise if they start some real violence.”
“What should we do? Just tighten up internally? It's not suspicion, but I'm worried...”
“Hold on.”
Gorio closed his eyes and sank into thought.
Lately, he'd noticed the number of things he had to think about increasing.
Before, he only thought about money. As long as he calculated profit or loss, decisions were easy.
But now there were many other factors.
It was a change that came after meeting Brioll's Third Prince.
“Can't be helped, I guess.”
Gorio gave a wry smile and opened his eyes again.
The crowd's madness hadn't died down even as night fell, spreading across the entire Imperial Capital.
But the security forces weren't moving.
This meant the Imperial Palace was tolerating it.
So what would happen next was obvious.
Gorio muttered to himself.
“They didn't send me here knowing this would happen, did they?”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
He turned and headed toward the exit below.
“I'm going to meet the Capital Brigands.”
The implication was clear.
His subordinate bowed his head in respect to his boss.
“Yes, Boss!”
If the Gorio Gang represented the Brioll thugs, the Capital Brigands were the organization formed by those who came from Joachim.
Going to meet the Capital Brigands now meant supporting the Joachim people.
“As expected of you, Boss. Heh heh heh...”
“Don't get the wrong idea. If Joachim falls like this, we're next. Just moving first.”
“Y-Yes, you're right.”
“Their boss isn't the type to sit idle either.”
The Capital Brigands' members were moving busily.
“Huff... huff...”
Suddenly, chaos erupted in the Imperial Capital. Joachim natives were starting to face threats.
In times like these, the organization had to step up.
They even acted as fixers for the Joachim community settled in the capital.
Solving problems for troubled Joachim folk and collecting protection money in return was one of their jobs.
If they tucked tail now, they'd never walk tall again.
“Is this really turning into a riot? Maybe it'll fizzle out?”
“Who knows. The boss said hurry, so we're doing it. Has the boss ever been wrong?”
“He said he'd beat Gorio in a fight and lost.”
“Besides that.”
“Nothing else.”
The Capital Brigands were gathering scattered Joachim people in the city and evacuating them to secret locations.
But the situation wasn't favorable. The furious mob kept growing.
“Too many people over there. Hard to rescue.”
“They're all civilians. Can't we manage?”
“Civilians or gangsters, if they're outnumbered, it's over.”
A crowd had gathered in front of a restaurant run by a Joachim chef.
They were shouting in front of the tightly shut door, looking ready to set it ablaze if no one came out.
“When I give the signal, we charge straight in. They're waiting at the back door.”
“Sounds dangerous...”
“The crowd's only getting bigger. No time to hesitate.”
“Damn it...”
That was when it happened.
The Capital Brigands' members, hiding in the alley and scouting the situation, suddenly spotted a group approaching them.
“Uh...”
Everyone froze.
It was a man no one who lived in the Imperial Capital's back alleys could mistake: Gorio, leading his crew toward them.
“Those bastards...!”
The Gorio Gang was the Brioll outfit that had recently taken over the capital's underworld.
Even at full strength, they were a tough fight; getting ambushed in this emergency meant no chance of winning.
Attacking while they were rescuing people? Truly scum.
No wonder their collection rate was high for loan sharks who weren't even a credit bureau.
“Goddamn...”
“Heartless bastards...”
The Capital Brigands clenched their fists, bracing for a counterattack.
“Whoa, this is...”
“We gotta hurry...”
“This is insane...”
Meanwhile, Gorio approached with heavy steps.
“Where's your boss?”
He asked while slipping on his signature black leather gloves. Rumor had it that wiping them with a wet cloth would reveal bloodstains caked on red.
“N-None of your business, you trash.”
“Oh...?”
“Cowardly bastard.”
“Can you take responsibility for that?”
“No need. Come at us if you dare, you punk!”
“Who said anything about fighting?”
“What?”
“Do we look like we're here to fight?”
“Y-Yeah, obviously?”
“What are you...”
Gorio glanced back. His men were grinning fiercely, faces twisted.
Even Gorio, who spoke first, flinched and retracted his words.
“Guess it does look that way.”
“...”
“But we're not here to fight.”
“Then what?”
“Want us to clear those people out?”
“What?”
“They're not holding out much longer. Get them out quick and run. Then we'll scatter too.”
Only then did the Capital Brigands realize.
Gorio had come to help them.
“Wh-Why...?”
At the question, the expressionless Gorio's lips curved faintly. He rarely smiled.
Gorio turned and said,
“The owner of that restaurant makes damn good food.”
With that, Gorio strode toward the target.
He never rushed into a fight. Instead, his men roared and charged all at once.
The Capital Brigands now understood why Gorio was called the Night King of the Capital.
“Damn, he's cool...”
“Let's move, quick.”
“Yeah.”
“Charge!”
And so, the Gorio Gang and Capital Brigands ran through the night rescuing besieged Joachim natives.
It started with just the two groups, but soon the Sea Gull Gang from Bursen, the Light and Salt Gang from Liberta, and all sorts of small outfits joined in.
“How are there so many gangs in the capital?”
“It's where everyone from the continent gathers...”
But they couldn't save everyone. Joachim folk were dragged out and beaten, and deaths began occurring.
The security forces expressed great concern over the situation, but that was it.
The madness, sparked from who-knows-where, spread rapidly.
Not just the capital, but the entire Empire seethed with hatred toward Joachim.
Then one piece of news arrived.
The Empire's 5th Knight Order, waiting in secret, had crossed Joachim's border and was marching on the royal castle.
The gap between the two nations was clear.
People thought Joachim wouldn't last long.
Its fate was now like a candle in the wind.
The Empire's 5th Knight Order had reached the dense forest encircling Joachim's royal castle.
“We need to claim the glory before Sir Graham and Yalta arrive.”
Detached from the main force, their mission was to use mobility for a swift assault on the castle.
If successful, they could take Joachim with minimal losses.
“Joachim scum are weak anyway, no problem.”
“Kill a few and they'll submit.”
“Why not capture the king alive while we're at it?”
The mood was optimistic.
Joachim's national power was a fraction of the Empire's. Their military quality and size differed vastly.
Above all, they were an elite knight order of the Empire.
They were confident they could break through even several times their number of Joachim troops.
“Joachim trash don't even know how to swing a sword properly.”
“Just crash into them. That's it.”
The knights chuckled at that.
It was true to an extent.
But they were forgetting something. War wasn't just about clashing head-on with brute force.
Especially battles in the mountains.
“Alright, everyone inside.”
Under the 5th Knight Order Captain's command, the knights stepped into the forest.
At that moment, a faint sound echoed.
Pheeeeeeee─.
The 5th Knight Order saw a single arrow soaring into the sky.
It pierced the air with a bird-like shrill whistle, climbing at a steep angle.
It was the signal arrow heralding the battle's start.
The knights, seeing such a tool for the first time, stood frozen, unsure how to react.
“What's that?”
“It's making a sound?”
“Sounds like troops inside.”
At any rate, it meant enemies in the forest.
The entire knight order drew their swords.
No one was overly tense. They figured they'd just hunt down and slaughter the enemy like a game of hide-and-seek in the woods.
That was when.
Someone collapsed.
“Huh?”
Gazes converged. An arrow was lodged in the gap of his helmet. The sudden attack froze everyone.
But it wasn't over.
“Everyone, watch out!”
“On guard!”
Another knight fell to an arrow.
Two knights dead in an instant. All assumed defensive stances, scanning everywhere.
“What? Arrows?”
“No presence at all?”
“Damn it...”
The 5th Knight Order Captain shouted.
“Everyone on guard! Watch for arrows!”
“Yes, sir!”
The canopy of leaves shrouded the forest in shadow, hiding the enemy.
Startled by the sudden attack, but the captain still underestimated the foe.
He issued orders.
“Fine, let's sweep the area. Form groups of three and comb the forest. Kill anything you see.”
“Yes, sir!”
At his words, the knights quickly grouped and plunged into the woods.
The captain, left in the rear, recovered the two fallen knights' bodies. One arrow in the eye, the other in the throat.
Skilled knights rarely fell to bows. Yet these silent arrows had severed their breaths.
Too precise to call coincidence.
An ominous premonition stirred.
“Captain? What's wrong?”
“Nothing.”
He shook off the unease and looked up.
It was still daytime.
A forest, yes, but visibility wasn't that bad. He decided to trust his knights' prowess.
The captain called his adjutant.
“Let's go.”
“Yes, sir!”
“These are the ones who tried to poison His Majesty. No mercy for Joachim scum.”
With that, he advanced into the forest proper.
Tall underbrush blocked his view, rustling leaves muffled his ears in the wind.
Twisted tree roots kept tripping his feet.
Progress was tough.
“What a garbage place to live.”
The captain muttered irritably, slashing at the brush in his way. It fell in chunks.
An arrow flew at him then.
He instinctively swung his sword, deflecting it.
It carried mana, but not much.
The problem was the complete lack of presence.
Like an invisible sword swinging.
“Damn it...”
If these kept coming, even veteran knights were at risk.
He yelled,
“Watch for arrows! No presence at all! Guard all directions!”
His shout echoed through the forest.
Replies came from here and there. Relieved, the captain pressed on with his adjutant.
The adjutant said,
“Captain, I think I saw something back there.”
“What?”
It was the direction the arrow had come from.
The captain nodded.
“Let's go.”
“Yes, sir!”
The two quickened their pace to a run.
Suddenly, the ground felt like it gave way.
“St-Stop!”
The captain leaped back mid-air, but the adjutant lacked such training. He plummeted with the ground.
A trap.
The captain licked his lips and approached.
“Sh-Shit...”
His adjutant's body was impaled on sharp bamboo stakes like a porcupine.
He looked up.
Suddenly, the forest felt endlessly vast.