Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: The Head's Legacy
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*Sssshhhk!*
The Shadow Knight's eyes widened as he looked down at his chest.
His body, along with his armor, was already turning to dust and scattering.
It was the result of the immense power of the Heaven-Severing Annihilation piercing through his torso.
Finally, he looked up, his expression one of disbelief.
"Th-this can't be..."
*Thud!*
As the Shadow Knight's corpse collapsed, silence fell over the once-chaotic gambling den.
It seemed no one had expected this outcome.
I scanned the room with a chilling gaze.
"Anyone else want to die?"
*Clang!*
At that, a few of them dropped their weapons, signaling their surrender.
Most of them were ronin belonging to Wolf Fang.
A quick glance revealed that Dyachenko had been killed by the Rainmaker.
They had lost their will to fight the moment they realized they had no chance of winning.
A choice befitting of ronin.
The Felton bastards, on the other hand, glared at me with menacing eyes.
Though they didn't dare to attack just yet.
*'Hurry up and surrender, you sons of bitches. I feel like I'm about to die.'*
I screamed inwardly, refusing to collapse.
It wouldn't be cool to fall over here. Not cool at all.
And that's the most important thing.
*Clank!*
In the end, the Felton knights had no choice but to lay down their weapons.
The Shadow Knight was dead, and Liberta's forces surrounding the gambling den were still intact.
"Tie them all up and clean this mess."
"Yes, sir!"
At my nod, the invigorated members of Liberta rushed forward.
Soon after, I left the gambling den and collapsed to the ground the moment I saw the Black and White Twin Elders.
"You've worked hard, Young Lord."
"There are too many eyes watching. From now on, please use a different title."
"What should we call you?"
"Hmm... What do the members call Derek?"
"Boss."
"That should do."
With that, I immediately began to meditate.
How much time had passed?
After calming my raging aura, an immense thrill washed over me.
I had just finished off one of the fiends who had annihilated the Riverune family with my own hands.
The reality of my revenge struck my heart.
*'It's much clearer than it was with Brooks.'*
It was probably because the Shadow Knight was still a key figure in the Felton family.
"Hoo..."
Once the tidal wave of emotions subsided, I was finally able to take in my surroundings.
The Black and White Twin Elders were looking at me with concern.
They were the elders of Riverune.
They knew all too well what kind of fight I had just had with the Shadow Knight.
"You pushed yourself quite a bit. How is your condition?"
"I've put out the immediate fire. What about Felton and Wolf Fang?"
"The Young Lo... No, thanks to the Boss's strategy, we were able to wipe them out in one fell swoop. Their headquarters has probably been secured by now."
"So, is Illeche completely in Liberta's grasp now?"
"The people the Boss brought with him are still here."
The Black Elder said, glancing uncomfortably to one side.
There stood the Rainmaker, the western continental branch manager of Rantzverger, looking awkward.
The situation had ended a while ago, but because I was meditating, things hadn't been properly wrapped up.
"I'll handle him. You two should head back now. It's not good to be seen by the assassins too often."
"Very well."
After sending the Black and White Twin Elders back to the base, I went to face the western branch manager.
The Rainmaker was nodding with an intrigued expression.
He seemed unable to imagine that Illeche's complex power dynamics, which had persisted for nearly a decade, could be sorted out in a single blow.
"Haha! To think you were serious about swallowing Illeche whole. I can't believe it even after seeing it with my own eyes."
"Have you ever seen me lie?"
"I don't think we've ever really had a conversation."
"...Is that so? Ahem! In any case, you won't have to worry about attacks anymore."
"The threat itself is gone, so of course."
"Then you can get rid of the branch's lumps of iron, right?"
"Are you crazy? Those are our most precious treasures!"
The Rainmaker jumped, his bald head shining.
It seemed he didn't train to survive, but was simply addicted to muscle growth.
No, those damn lumps of iron aren't what's important right now.
"What are your plans for the future?"
"We'll do what we've always done."
"What we've always done" for the assassination guild meant gathering information and carrying out contracts.
And handling missions handed down from the main family.
They were an organization largely unrelated to the power struggles of the underworld.
They only got involved because Nick kept provoking them.
They originally had no reason to engage in such a large-scale battle.
*'I told this bald guy we were going to take this place over.'*
In reality, it would be Liberta that took control of Illeche.
The western continental branch would continue its assassination activities without any interference.
"It would be wise to maintain a strong relationship with Liberta. They have a pretty decent intelligence agent."
I smiled knowingly, thinking of Nick.
There was no better talent for bolstering the underdeveloped intelligence network of the western branch.
Of course, it remained to be seen how cooperative Nick would be.
"Is that so? And what about you?"
"The same. I just stopped by because I thought it would be helpful for my mission."
"I heard you're on a special mission from the Head..."
"I can't tell you the details."
"Ahem! Who said anything? I wasn't even curious."
"You can report to the main family that I stopped by Illeche as part of expanding our influence."
"Alright. I'll do that."
"Yes, then."
And just like that, I concluded my business with the western continental branch.
* * *
With the forces of Felton and Wolf Fang subdued, Illeche rapidly found stability.
The Black and White Twin Elders even said it felt similar to the early days of their settlement.
I stayed in the quarters provided by Liberta, enjoying a luxurious rest.
The treatment was so lavish that even a king would be envious, reminding me of my carefree days in my past life.
"Ahh! This is a real vacation."
There wasn't a fantastic scene of beautiful noble ladies coming and going, but I was still quite satisfied.
The unique food and drink of the southwestern continent had their own charm.
But then someone approached hesitantly and spoke to me.
"...sir."
He was mumbling, so I couldn't hear the beginning at all.
When I frowned and looked up, I saw Derek approaching, his face flushed red.
"What is it?"
"Ahem! The master is looking for you. Young Lord..."
"Hm? Did I hear that right?"
Derek cleared his throat loudly, subtly letting the last word slip.
This time, however, I clearly heard the words "Young Lord."
*'Oho. So he has no choice but to acknowledge me now, does he?'*
I gave a meaningful smile and twirled my finger.
The small glass wobbled and spun like a top that had lost its momentum.
"I didn't quite catch that. Say it again."
"The master asked you to stop by. Young Lord."
"Pfft! That's all well and good, but just call me 'Boss' outside. People will hear."
"But I'm the boss of Liberta."
"Then call me 'Big Bro' or something. Do you want to go around telling everyone you're a member of Riverune?"
"That's not it, but..."
"Then don't talk back and just do as I say."
"Yes, Big Bro."
Derek's face shifted between red and pale, but he wasn't disrespectful like before.
A single operation had forced him to acknowledge my existence.
*'It's only natural. They've been constantly pushed back ever since outside forces entered Illeche.'*
Watching Felton and Wolf Fang get crushed must have been quite a shock to him.
I patted Derek on the shoulder and headed for the heart of Liberta's base.
"You've arrived, Young Lord."
"Haha! This is a fine sight to see."
The Black and White Twin Elders greeted us with pleased smiles.
They had guessed the situation just by looking at Derek's expression.
I shrugged and replied nonchalantly.
"I thought he was petty, but he's surprisingly straightforward. I guess he was just wary of a stranger."
At my subtle defense of him, Derek's face grew even redder.
He seemed to be inwardly blaming his past self for storming out and refusing to acknowledge me.
"It seems you have much to report. Let's hear it."
"...Yes, I understand."
At the Black Elder's words, Derek nodded and unfurled a bundle of papers he had brought.
"Over the past week, we've secured a total of 125 businesses, and all our members have been dispatched."
"That's quite a lot."
"It's so tight we can't even manage shifts, so we're getting help from allied merchants."
"Projected revenue?"
The scale of the businesses and the inner workings of Liberta were not my concern.
What mattered was how much capital we could secure and how we would use it to rebuild Riverune.
"From the newly acquired businesses alone, we expect to generate at least one million geld annually."
"..."
At Derek's answer, the Black and White Twin Elders and I were left speechless.
I had earned a considerable amount of money through various activities until now.
I currently have 60,000 geld on hand.
But one million geld, all of a sudden.
*'Wow... Maybe I should start my own underworld organization. If I took over Troven, I could probably make ten million geld easily.'*
Of course, there was no room for me to squeeze into the imperial capital.
This result was only possible because Liberta was effectively the lord of Illeche.
For me to generate that much revenue, the fastest way would be to make a prince the emperor and receive a title.
"That's more impressive than I thought."
"This is all thanks to you, Young Lord."
"Well, I am pretty amazing."
"...I had a sliver of doubt in my heart, but your last comment has completely blown it away. You are without a doubt the Young Lord."
The Black Elder looked at me with a dumbfounded expression before letting out a dry laugh and nodding.
I shrugged and looked around at the others.
"I've achieved my purpose in Illeche, so it's time for me to leave."
"Ah! You said you were in the middle of a mission, didn't you?"
"There's still plenty of time left, but I can't stay for long."
To avoid suspicion from the main family, I had to make it look like I had truly taken control of Liberta.
A direct descendant of Rantzverger wouldn't pour so much attention into a mere underworld organization.
Keeping a moderate distance and acting as if I were barely involved was the surest way to maintain my cover.
"I'll visit again when the time is right."
"We wish you could stay a little longer..."
"But for the sake of our great cause, we must let you go."
The Black and White Elders gazed at me with wistful eyes.
I was still in the guise of Ray Carter, son of a merchant from the Four-Part Autonomous District.
But it seemed the two elders wanted to commit even my disguised face to memory.
I rose from my seat, about to bid farewell to the Black and White Twin Elders and Derek.
But a comment from the White Elder, who was stroking his beard, stopped me in my tracks.
"Young Lord, by the way... have you received the Head's legacy?"