Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: The Godfather's End
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The Empire's inspection team was welcomed everywhere.
The amount of gold slipped into their pockets varied with the scale of the business, but lavish treatment was a given.
That's why the Empire's Business Review Department was known as the best posting, even for those without high ranks.
Officially, assignments were given out in order, but it was common for the most lucrative inspections to go to an executive's favorite.
And this time, the inspection team for Nerasa was unusually composed of seven members.
Even the largest projects had never required more than five, which meant there was much to gain from this particular venture.
“So he does exist.”
A two-meter giant with a square jaw, in his early forties, greeted the inspection team.
His solid muscles, which would have suited a stormtrooper captain had he joined the imperial army, couldn't be concealed even by his formal attire.
“Welcome.”
Demach, who greeted them in a low, deep voice, had thick eyebrows that gave him a stubborn appearance.
The absolute ruler of the southern underworld.
His demeanor, not in the least bit servile, suggested his moniker, the Godfather, was well-earned, and the inspection team felt an instinctual fear.
“I will show you the way.”
As Demach turned his back to the team, four carriages arrived behind him.
The coachmen leaped down from the carriages, which had stopped at precise intervals, and bowed their heads in unison.
Seeing this, the inspection team understood.
*There's more to be gained here than I expected.*
A political agreement had already been reached.
A casino, tourism, and an auction house.
It was publicly known that he would be running three businesses, but they had decided to block one of them.
The auction house.
Demach would accept it, seeing as he would be engaged in other illegal activities anyway.
“Move out.”
Demach gave the order once the inspection team was inside the carriages.
As the carriage carrying Demach was the last to leave the square, Bae Wang-sik, who was watching from a distance, spoke.
“He's quite something.”
“The guys around him are no pushovers either.”
They were Demach's pride, his 50 elites.
“A frontal assault would take too long, wouldn't it? Dusk's men would suffer heavy losses too.”
“Probably. We might be able to protect him, but his subordinates would likely all be killed.”
“We'll have to change the plan. We can't miss an opportunity like this, with them moving so openly.”
“Do you have a way?”
Sa Seon-gi asked, and Bae Wang-sik answered with a broad grin.
“I'm going to do a little fishing.”
Bae Wang-sik looked out toward the sea beyond the city.
The distance between Nerasa and Rainbow Island was an hour's journey by fishing boat.
The ship carrying the inspection team could have moved faster, but it deliberately did not.
The lavish treatment they had received the night before continued aboard the ship.
Already soaked in the atmosphere, the inspection team treated Demach like an old friend.
“Setting sail!”
A sailor who had climbed to the highest crow's nest blew a horn, and the ship set off.
All the while, the music played on, and the inspection team laughed and chatted like people on vacation.
Exquisite meals, rivaling those of Nerasa's finest restaurants, were endlessly brought to the tables, and dozens of bottles of high-end wine, worth 50 gold coins each, were lined up like beer.
“Mr. Demach, how about you start looking into a title while you're at it? I can make the connection for you if needed.”
The head of the inspection team said, handing Demach a glass of wine.
Judging by the treatment yesterday and today, Demach's power was far greater than he had anticipated.
He could tell not from the food and drink, but from the attitude of the people around him.
“I'm just a vagrant who wanders the back alleys. They say greed brings disaster.”
“Tsk, tsk. So modest. A title is essential if you wish to accomplish greater things.”
Demach replied with a polite bow, but inwardly, he was sneering.
*It's not that I can't do it because I lack power.*
With his money and connections, a noble title would be no problem.
*It would just attract more people trying to officially extort me.*
If he revealed himself, many would approach him. Demach had no intention of enduring such a hassle.
*I can do whatever I want anyway. Once this island is complete, I'll make it my own nation.*
As he imagined living like an emperor, his gaze naturally turned south, toward his destination.
Rainbow Island.
*I will become an emperor there. Starting with that place, I will take the entire continent into my hands.*
The rainbow island was just the beginning.
He swallowed the ambition he had yet to reveal.
The voyage was smooth. So, the crew wasn't particularly tense.
—Don't go to the bow unless it's something special.
The route to Rainbow Island was one they traveled at least once every three days. The sea was mostly calm, and even when it was rough, the ship had never been in danger.
It was a route with proven safety, so all they had to do was follow the captain's orders.
Today's order was a single one.
Don't go to the bow, where the party was being held.
“Quiet again today.”
The captain said, looking at Rainbow Island, which was just beginning to appear as a white speck.
It was then that the familiar peace was shattered.
“Huh?”
A sailor scanning the surroundings from the crow's nest on the mast spotted something and raised his spyglass.
He had seen a splash of water rushing toward the ship.
“What is that?”
Its identity was soon revealed.
*Pwwak!*
A giant octopus tentacle shot up and slammed down on the water.
“A-a kraken!”
It was a monster known to sailors as a calamity.
A giant octopus, each of its tentacles reaching 30 meters.
Just the rumor of a kraken's appearance was enough to make sailors erase that route from their minds.
“It's a kraken!”
The ship was thrown into a panic.
“W-what is this…”
The most shocked were the members of the inspection team.
Even the sailors were panicking, so it went without saying for the inspection team, who had almost no experience at sea.
“I-it's coming closer!”
The splash created by the kraken was aimed directly at the ship. Not stopping there, it raised a tentacle again and slammed it into the water's surface.
Only then did a veteran sailor notice another, smaller splash in front of the kraken.
“It's chasing something…”
The 20-year veteran assessed the situation accurately, but it changed nothing.
“Helmsman! Starboard!”
The captain shouted urgently, but they all knew.
*Rumble!*
The sound of the splash was like thunder, and then a powerful impact struck the ship.
*Crash!*
The kraken's tentacle split the ship in half.
Screams erupted from all over, further exciting the kraken, which attacked everything that moved.
Its eight tentacles thrashed the sea, soon creating a whirlpool.
The sailors flailing in the water were swept into the whirlpool and dragged deep into the sea.
But just as everyone disappeared, someone emerged from the surface.
“Phew, that was close. That vicious bastard.”
The one who broke the surface, letting out a long breath, was Bae Wang-sik.
He reeled in a long chain while surveying the hellscape of the sea.
“Guess not just anyone can build a base.”
Bae Wang-sik had lured the kraken from the far sea.
However, the kraken's attacks were fiercer than expected, and the long distance had left him exhausted.
“I need to heal up first.”
His ankle, injured by the kraken, throbbed. The impact itself wasn't bad, but his foot had been grabbed and squeezed, dislocating the bone.
Despite that, he had managed to make it this far with all his might.
“Hm?”
As Bae Wang-sik was about to turn and head for Nerasa, he spotted a small movement in the now-calm sea.
Someone had poked their head out of the water where the whirlpool had vanished.
“He made it out of there.”
It was a middle-aged man with a stern impression.
Demach himself.
He recognized him immediately, having seen his face when he came to meet the inspection team before they departed.
But Bae Wang-sik didn't bother to chase him.
“That thing is as persistent as I am.”
Sure enough.
A giant tentacle shot out of the water and slammed down on Demach, who had just managed to get his head above the surface.
*Splat!*
Bae Wang-sik clearly saw Demach's head explode.
“Ugh! Vicious thing.”
Knowing he would be the next target, Bae Wang-sik quickly fled the scene.
And so, the ruler of the southern underworld vanished into a pool of blood on the sea.
Having reached the shore of Nerasa, Bae Wang-sik collapsed on the spot.
“Ah, I'm dead.”
He sat on the white sand with an exhausted expression, but it wasn't strange. It was a common sight for people who had been swimming for a long time.
Thanks to that, Bae Wang-sik lay on the beach and enjoyed his rest.
“You're injured.”
About ten minutes later, Sa Seon-gi came to his side.
“You look handsome from down here.”
Lying down, Bae Wang-sik grinned.
“Let's treat you first.”
“It'll heal in a bit.”
His self-healing ability was excellent, and he had already poured a potion on it.
He was resting to pass the time.
“What about the job?”
“It's taken care of. They've probably become octopus food by now.”
“A total wipeout?”
“Yep.”
“So their men don't know their boss is gone.”
“Let's go together in five minutes.”
“They're at the Herena Inn right now. About thirty of them.”
They were the remaining members of Demach's elites.
With 20 of the 50 having been buried at sea with Demach, dealing with the rest would inflict a fatal blow to Drepia's military strength.
“Hoo. Well then, shall we go finish things up?”
Bae Wang-sik ended his rest and got to his feet.
There was only one uninvited guest.
He entered the Herena Inn and called out boldly.
“A beer over here!”
“Sir, I'm sorry. We're not open for business right now. The sign outside…”
Bae Wang-sik pushed past the approaching innkeeper and went inside.
A dozen or so men eating in the first-floor hall all glared at Bae Wang-sik at once.
“Look at all the snacks. One that looks like a fish head. A pig's head and a horse's head, too.”
Bae Wang-sik pointed to them one by one, treating them as his side dishes.
Thirty minutes later.
*Hic!*
The innkeeper was so shocked he could only hiccup.
When his eyes met Bae Wang-sik's, the owner froze, trembling, unable to even think of running away.
“I believe I asked for a beer?”
“Huh? Y-yes, I'll bring it right away!”
“Never mind. I'm all out of snacks.”
The "snacks" Bae Wang-sik had pointed out were now all cold corpses, without a single exception.
Those who came down from the second floor as reinforcements had also been dealt with by Sa Seon-gi.
Annihilation.
Bae Wang-sik left the innkeeper and walked out.
The place where Drepia's Vice Guild Leader, Elric, rushed to was a valley two hours away from Nerasa.
In the mountains overlooking a small waterfall, a small village had been formed.
The buildings were too luxurious to be called a typical mountain village, and the central building could easily be called a mansion.
“Wait here.”
He left his escorts at the entrance and went inside, where he saw working slaves.
*A total wipeout.*
This was the village where the Godfather and his elite team stayed. This meant that all of its masters were now dead.
Unaware of this fact, the slaves bowed their heads in greeting upon seeing the Vice Guild Leader.
“Open up.”
The guards at the entrance of the Godfather's mansion did not step aside, even at the Vice Guild Leader's command.
They were not part of the 50 elites, but their skills were not far behind.
“We need permission.”
“The Godfather is dead. You must have already felt that something was wrong.”
When the Guild Leader was absent, even Vice Guild Leader Elric could not enter the mansion without permission.
“This is an emergency. Step aside.”
The Guild Leader always checked in at least once a day via a magic crystal ball, but there had been no contact for several days.
“You will all leave with me, so prepare yourselves. We are abandoning this place.”
The guards, making a quick decision, opened the way, and the Vice Guild Leader entered the mansion.
He arrived at the mansion's underground vault.
It was called a vault, but the space was large enough to be considered a warehouse.
The Vice Guild Leader stood before the steel door blocking the vault's entrance and took out a magic scroll.
—Use this only when absolutely necessary.
The Godfather had said as he gave him the scroll.
The only one in the guild.
Besides the Godfather, the only person who could open the vault was the Vice Guild Leader.
*Woooooong!*
As he unfurled the scroll, the steel door vibrated and split open to both sides.
The interior that was revealed made him swallow hard every time he saw it.
A cube-shaped pile of gold bars in the center reached his waist, and various treasures, paintings, and items were displayed along the room's perimeter.
More than half of the treasures had been liquidated over the past three years, used for the Rainbow Island project.
But the core treasures still remained.
“With this, I can make a comeback. I'll bribe the Empire's inspection team and strike at Dusk's mercenary group.”
He planned to frame Dusk as the culprit behind the inspection team's disappearance.
They might have heard rumors about the kraken, but with this much money, he could definitely spin the story.
His target wasn't a noble, but a fallen mercenary group, and a bunch of back-alley thugs at that. It would be no problem at all.
What he needed was enough money, and the Vice Guild Leader had it.
“I'll make them pay the price for messing with Drepia.”
He gritted his teeth and started to pack a sack. But a chilling sensation from behind made him turn, and he froze.
“Since when…”
He had heard about the assassin. That's why he had been extra careful on his way here.
He had chosen a route through an empty plain and even had his escorts spread out to check as they entered the mountains.
And yet, the assassin had followed him.
It was an unfamiliar face, but seeing a stranger here now had a clear meaning.
*I have no choice but to fight.*
He had been buried in paperwork for a while, but in Drepia's early days, he had fought alongside the Godfather in every battle.
He reached for his waist, drew two daggers, and held one in each hand.
Then, the assassin walked forward.
One step, then another.
The distance closed, but there was no sound.
It was like an elongating shadow approaching in the setting sun.
*Swish!*
The Vice Guild Leader, who was intensely focused, leaped at the assassin. But the moment he thought he had him, his daggers struck empty air.
In that instant, the Vice Guild Leader foresaw his own fate.
*Shk.*
A thick nail had pierced his side. The Vice Guild Leader didn't give up, swinging his dagger one last time. But the assassin was no longer there.
He had already retreated three steps and was watching him die.
*At least this…*
He dropped his daggers and fumbled inside his coat.
A magic scroll.
He had to tear it. Then the door would close and never open again.
Just as he grasped the scroll.
*Puk.*
The assassin, who had been three steps away, closed the distance and stabbed him in the neck. Then, as if it were originally his, he took the scroll.
Having lost everything, the Vice Guild Leader collapsed, never to rise again.
The assassin, as if his work was done, walked out of the vault with steady steps and closed the door.
Bae Wang-sik sat facing Dusk.
“The Vice Guild Leader has been dealt with. You can take over the remaining territories as you see fit.”
Over the past few days, Bae Wang-sik had led the charge and successfully retaken Drepia's major businesses.
“Thank you.”
“Take over what Drepia was doing. How you do it is up to you.”
“Is there anything specific I need to do?”
“Whenever I give an order, act without thinking.”
Dusk knew that the man before him, as well as the one who was not present, could kill him at any moment.
“This position is thanks to you both. I will do as you command.”
Dusk decided to stay in line.
“One more thing.”
“Please, speak.”
“Gather information and send it to me periodically. You'll need to form a separate team for it.”
“Understood.”
This was something he would have had to do anyway once his organization grew larger. However, since Bae Wang-sik had given the order directly, he would have to allocate more personnel than originally planned.
“If your reports are unsatisfactory, you can imagine what will happen.”
“I will remain useful.”
Dusk had clearly grasped the core of the matter.
“You'll need this.”
Bae Wang-sik, who had always been applying pressure, now offered him a large sack.
When Dusk opened the sack, his serious expression crumbled.
The sack was filled to the brim with gold bars.
“This is…”
It was a gift thrown after intense pressure. He was in need of business funds as it was.
“I pledge my loyalty!”
Listening to Dusk's oath, Bae Wang-sik concluded his fight with Drepia.
A columbarium on the outskirts of Incheon, South Korea.
Bae Wang-sik was looking at a photograph of a young girl.
Beside him were Sa Seon-gi and Min Ha-na, all with solemn expressions.
“I've gotten your revenge. Rest in peace.”
He didn't say much. They hadn't been close enough for that.
But their wishes for her peaceful rest were sincere.
“This is all we can do for you.”
They placed a single flower there and turned away.