Crushing the Crime Boss and Exposing Corruption
Our sudden appearance threw the criminals into a panic. Trash like this or not, I was still the lord of this territory—the man with the highest authority here. If I mobilized the soldiers and knights in earnest, an organization like this was done for.
"Damn it! We're all dead! The lord himself came all the way here! The knights must be swarming everywhere already!"
"What the hell were those bribe-taking bastards doing?!"
They scrambled to their feet in a frenzy, but that was it. None stepped up aggressively or tried anything. They probably had no clue why the lord had shown up out of nowhere. Even if they wanted to bolt, they knew charging off alone would just hasten their deaths.
I calmed the panicking criminals myself.
"Ah, don't worry. I didn't bring the knights. It's just me and the guard knight here."
"W-what?"
The criminals gawked at me with dumbfounded expressions. Beside me, Iana shot me a look that screamed, What kind of lunatic is this?
"I didn't even tell my aide I was coming, for secrecy's sake."
They just kept blinking in disbelief, wondering why the hell the lord would spill something like that.
"Kill me and the woman here, and there's no problem. Either we wipe you out, or you take the lord's head. Only one side walks away alive. Simple, right?"
A criminal finally snapped out of it and pieced it together, yelling, "Th-this psycho...! The lord's out of his mind!"
Even after spelling it out, none made a move. Fine, then I'd take the initiative.
Shwaaack!
"Gaaahhh!"
In an instant, blood sprayed like a fountain from a criminal's nape. Crimson liquid dripped thickly along the tip of my sword.
Blood has a strange power. Especially for men with their lives on the line, it's the surest catalyst to turn fear into madness.
"What're you waiting for? Come at me."
"Y-you motherfucker!"
Realizing they'd die passively, the thugs grabbed weapons and charged.
"Don't hold back. These are the guys who rape women and kill kids without batting an eye anyway."
"Hah. You really are something else..."
Dozens armed with swords and axes. Of course, they weren't our match.
Shwick! Shwaack!
Every swing of mine or Iana's sword sent up sprays of blood mist. Hesitation-free strikes. Overwhelming swordsmanship. The criminals' morale plummeted in seconds.
"...Easier than I thought. Are they all this weak?"
"No, you've just gotten strong enough."
The ferocious monsters inside and outside gates. The no-holds-barred spars with me. Those had filled the 'real combat' gap Iana lacked.
Her swordsmanship had evolved a level, naturally.
The original Iana would've struggled a bit here...
But now, she'd grown far beyond that. Petty, cowardly thug swordplay was no threat.
"What the hell are you idiots doing?!"
A hulking man at the rear bellowed.
Thud!
He hefted his axe once and slammed it down, the impact shaking the building like thunder.
The boss from the original story's first episode. Harlan of the black double axe.
...Probably not because the author was lazy with names.
"You wanna die here?! Getting pushed back by some clueless lord and one girl—you calling yourselves members of the Black Double Axe?!"
Harlan swung his massive axe. He handled the weapon, heavy enough to overwhelm any normal man, with ease.
Krunch!
A nearby thick pillar shattered in one blow. Power that could've bisected a man at the waist.
"Trash like us loses if we get looked down on! Know who's behind you?! Harlan, called 'Black Double Blade' in his mercenary days for his monstrous strength! Don't pussy out against some greenhorn lord who brought a wench!"
The boss's roar rallied his men. Even with our superior swordplay, we were only two. With a boss like that, they figured they'd manage somehow.
In this cramped space, even with way more numbers, it'd be tough. Spears, bows, chain nets—tools like that would be needed.
"Iana, you take the big lug."
I pointed at Harlan, gripping his axe. He was holding back, waiting for us to tire, eyeing openings.
"Me? Isn't he the boss? Looks strongest."
"That's why the adventurer you handles him. You want the lord playing adventurer?"
"...Adventurer card only when it suits you."
Iana grumbled briefly, then charged the boss straight on.
"Y-you bitch!"
Harlan panicked, not expecting her to ignore the lord. Iana whipped her sword at him swiftly.
Clang! Clang!
Lightning-fast strikes beyond a regular knight's level. Harlan swung his axe wide to counter, but he was clearly losing ground.
"Not bad movement. In the original, traps made it tougher."
"Kill that lord bastard... Gack!"
"Training paid off."
I handled the grunts leisurely while watching Iana. She coped effortlessly with attacks from a giant towering a head above her.
"Don't get cocky, you wench!"
Iana's eyes stayed calm. No more getting rattled by threats like before.
Schwick!
She kicked off the ground. Her sword tip thrust straight for Harlan's throat.
Harlan desperately raised his axe haft to block—it was bait.
Thwack!
"Guh!"
Iana's kick targeted his knee. Losing mobility from the start, pain and shock spread across Harlan's face.
"You flimsy pest...!"
Harlan staggered, sweeping his axe horizontally in a massive arc that swept the narrow space.
But it missed. Iana ducked lightly, as if she'd predicted it.
"Impossible! How's a kid like you moving like that...!"
"Honestly, the old me might've eaten that."
Iana's sword path twisted wildly. Lighter and smoother, yet sharply heavy when needed. Her once rigid blade now flowed free, unbound by rules.
"But your sword's too shallow compared to that lord's."
"You damn slut! With tits like that, you should've just rubbed the lord's cock obediently!"
"...Sorry, but I'm so drilled in now, even that crap doesn't faze me!"
Words aside, it pissed her off—her sword speed ramped up. Too fast for any average swordsman to track.
Harlan flailed his axe desperately but couldn't block everything, taking a gash to the side.
"Grk!"
Not deep, but fatal enough. Blood gushed from the wound.
Iana, naturally, didn't miss the opening. She spun to finish him.
"Don't fuck with meee!"
Bloodshot-eyed, Harlan ignored his bleeding wound, hoisting his axe high overhead. Killing intent from the blade crushed the air, befitting a boss's last stand.
"I'm Harlan of the Black Double Axe!"
The axe plunged vertically. No dodging—a head-on clash.
But Iana smirked, eerily like someone else.
Instead of brute force, she tilted her blade at an angle, nudging the axe's path just off.
Kreeee!
A chilling scrape echoed as the massive axe slammed into the floor beside her. Harlan's upper body lurched forward, fully exposed.
In desperation, he fumbled in his pocket and hurled something.
"Uahaha! Paralyzing powder we use! Better dodge unless you wanna go blind too...!"
Powder billowed thickly.
But Iana had pivoted her stance the instant his hand dipped. She crouched low, spinning opposite the cloud—like a deadly dance.
Shwaaaaack!
Her sword slashed deep across Harlan's throat.
"Tricks like that don't work on me. I trained under someone way stronger than you."
"Gurgle...!"
Iana flicked her sword clean before the dust settled. Harlan clutched his neck, choking, then collapsed into his own blood puddle.
A far more pathetic end than his menacing original story demise.
"...Not bad."
I'd watched closely just in case, but Iana never hit a danger zone. Harlan, battle-hardened, tried various traps—feints, impatient counters.
She read them all, overwhelming with her specialty. Still room for improvement, but passable.
"L-Lord..."
A groan came from my feet. One of the guys I'd deliberately spared after cleaning up his buddies.
"We'll give you all our money. With the boss dead, we're just rabble!"
"......"
"Th-that trash made us do it by force. Please, just once..."
"Bullshit."
I knew their sob stories—no tragic forced recruits here.
"Whatever. Where's your ledger?"
"Ledger?"
"You took bribes from a ton of guys. Spill every name."
"Th-that's..."
"Man, look at this punk. Half-dead and I can hear his eyes scheming from here."
"Eek!"
I spun the rusty knife I'd taken from them, pressing it to his eye.
"Heard some say expecting a smooth confession insults the underworld code."
"N-none! No code! Luxury we trash can't afford! Ledger? I'll fetch it now!"
The guy bolted as it sank in.
Hm, special treatment—beheading to hanging for him.
Iana's training's wrapped up nicely. Time to clean up the trash myself.
Wonder how many officials and nobles are tangled in this. Might as well squeeze 'em dry and confiscate their assets too.
In a territory, more money's always better.