The Butcher's Rage

That day, too, Gareth had survived.

It was a strange thing, really — a man weaker than Luden, yet somehow always walking back from the battlefield alive. Maybe the fool simply had a talent for staying alive, Luden had thought, and answered with a shrug.

"That's because the beastkin touched the lord's son first. Who doesn't know that much?"

"Kikikikik. So you believe that too, huh?"

"...What's with that creepy laugh?"

"Ah, nothing. Just found it a little funny, is all."

When the war had first broken out, everyone assumed it would be over quickly. After all, the beastkin were nothing more than a handful of scattered tribes. No matter how strong each individual warrior might be, they simply couldn't stand against sheer numbers.

Yet contrary to every expectation, the war had dragged on for nearly half a year.

"The truth is, this war started for a different reason entirely."

"If you're going to spout nonsense, go do it somewhere else."

"No, I'm serious this time. Listen — while we're out here bleeding for them, the bastards who caused this whole mess aren't even here."

Here we go again.

Watching Gareth rant to himself, Luden let out a tired sigh.

"Honestly, back then I thought Gareth had lost his mind."

Emerging from the brief memory, Luden turned his gaze to the window. Though it was deep in the night, the place his eyes fell upon was as bright as noonday, the light driving back the darkness.

"Isn't this a bit much, even for them?"

The feud between the two organizations that divided Bern's underworld was a war in all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but scale. Even from a distance, the heat of the commotion and the screams that tore at the ears came drifting through the night. Luden hadn't expected them to raise such an uproar in the middle of the city.

So writing their dirty laundry in that letter really did hit a nerve.

"What a complete circus."

The city's soldiers were no doubt scrambling to the scene by now. At this rate, it wouldn't be settled anytime soon.

Which meant it was an opportunity.

With every eye fixed on the two organizations, everywhere else was bound to be left wide open.

Hooded, Luden melted into the darkness as though he were part of it. A short while later, he arrived at an abandoned workshop on the outskirts of Bern — a forge that had once supplied the city's weapons before being shut down, now serving as a stronghold of the Drag Gang.

"Alright, let's start here."

"Hm? Already time for the shift change?"

"Isn't it a bit early? Hey, did some new order come down or something?"

Guards, huh.

Luden glanced around casually, counting how many more there were.

About ten. They really did pull everyone out and left only the bare minimum behind.

The defenses had thinned exactly as he'd planned. A smile tugging at his lips, Luden strode boldly toward the two men standing watch.

"Ah, right, that's it. The boss says with all this commotion, an intruder might try to slip in, so tighten up the defenses."

"An intruder? That's unlike the boss, worrying so much. Who'd even come here?"

"Probably Zeke. He's always been the cautious type. More importantly — an intruder, huh. You mean from one of the other organizations?"

"Hmm. Well, actually... it's me."

"What?"

"Me. The intruder."

Shlak!

The sword bursting from his Inventory Pocket cut both men down in an instant. Their questioning gazes never understood what had happened before the light left them.

"We're under attack!"

"You bastard! Where the hell did you come from?!"

Still, they were a gang with a reputation to uphold — their response was quick. Watching the members come swarming, Luden smiled thinly.

"No time to waste, so let's hurry this up."

A gang the size of the Drag Gang would have several strongholds across Bern. Finding them wasn't hard, but visiting them all would be tight on time.

Luden drew a second sword from his Inventory Pocket.

And then—

The housecleaning had begun.

"Grrh. Those damned bastards!"

Drag ground his teeth, unable to contain the fury boiling up from within. Beside him, his right-hand man Zeke wore a wry smile.

"So we were played after all."

When Drag had stormed in on them, Scorpion had been genuinely flustered. That reaction — as if he'd never expected them to come — hadn't been an act, and it was at that moment Zeke realized the letter hadn't come from them. Besides, if Scorpion had sent it, the method would have been far too sloppy.

"What's his objective, I wonder."

He'd assumed someone was pitting Drag and Scorpion against each other to destroy both organizations at once — but that plan, too, had been foiled by the city guard.

"We've been strung along like puppets, haven't we."

Drag scowled, his mood foul. Zeke felt exactly the same. He didn't like this — being the terror of Bern, yet dancing on someone else's strings.

"From this moment on, I'll have the men comb the city for whoever sent that letter. Judging by the method, it's likely someone from our own world."

"Find him. That bastard above all — I swear I'll tear him apart limb from limb myself."

He's well and truly furious.

Zeke sighed. Just then, a gang member came sprinting up to them in a panic.

"B-Boss! It's terrible!"

"What is it?"

"We're under attack! Someone's hitting our strongholds one after another!"

"What?!"

Drag and Zeke's eyes went wide at the unbelievable news. In that instant, the same thought struck them both.

We got played.

Even when they'd raided the rival organization, they'd left enough men behind to guard their key strongholds. They'd never imagined the places would fall in the short time they'd been away.

Drag radiated menace as he pressed the man for answers.

"Who?! Which bastards?!"

"Th-that's... we don't know. By the time we got there the strongholds had already fallen, and we haven't heard anything about the other organizations moving."

"And you're telling me this NOW?!"

If someone had torn through strongholds scattered across the city in that brief window, they couldn't have been working alone. At the very least, the other organizations would have had to coordinate — and claiming they couldn't identify the culprits sounded like nothing but excuses.

"Boss, please calm down. First things first — we need to hurry back. Above all, we can't assume the place with that is safe either."

"...Damn it all! Zeke, you hold this place. I'm going ahead."

Drag bolted without waiting for an answer, and Zeke quickly gathered the other members to manage the situation.

"So this is the place."

In his past life, Gareth had claimed the war had a different cause. At the time, Luden had brushed it off as a joke — but thinking back now, maybe the man had actually known something.

Why the beastkin had attacked the people coming and going from Bern.

Whoosh.

He yanked back the large tarp with all his strength, and what lay beneath was revealed.

A massive cage — the kind built to hold beasts.

"No wonder they were furious."

Luden's brow furrowed. What was inside the cage wasn't beasts.

Children.

Children with the ears and tails of animals, bound hand and foot, locked inside the cage. Gagged so they couldn't speak, the beastkin children stared up at Luden with eyes full of hatred and fear mingled together.

That alone explained everything.

"Insane bastards. Kidnapping beastkin?"

Human trafficking was forbidden in this kingdom. And trafficking of other races went without saying — it was a grave crime. No wonder Drag had desperately raided even his rival organization. If this ever came to light, not only he but everyone involved would be finished.

"So this is why the beastkin attacked the merchants."

The six bound captives were unmistakably children of the Black Wolf Tribe living near Bern. They were who the tribe was searching for.

Luden decided to free ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the children first.

"You don't need to be so wary. I came to take you home."

"..."

"Figured it'd be hard to trust me."

Can't be helped.

Sighing, Luden took his stance.

"Step back. I'll get you out of there first."

Perhaps their beastkin senses had detected the danger, for the children hurriedly backed away from the iron bars.

And then—

KWAAANG!

Brilliant blue light flashed in an instant, and the cage's bars shattered. Luden spoke to the children, who wore expressions of utter astonishment.

"There's no time. I promise I'll send you home — every one of you. So trust me."

Luden immediately lifted the children out of the cage and untied the ropes and gags binding them. Whether his sincerity had reached them or not, a trace of wariness remained — but thankfully, not one of them resisted.

"Th-thank you. Human."

"Save the thanks for later — this isn't over yet. More importantly, you're Black Wolf Tribe children, right?"

"We are."

The boy who seemed the calmest of them nodded. Confined for so long, they were all gaunt and hollow-cheeked.

Clicking his tongue, Luden gave instructions to the children staring blankly up at him.

"Out the back door there, you'll find a cargo wagon. Go hide yourselves in it."

"And... you?"

"I've still got business here. It won't take long, so wait for me."

He pulled Bread of Vitality and water from his Inventory Pocket and handed them out. It couldn't restore their weakened bodies right away, but it would help somewhat.

"Hurry, go!"

At his shout, the children immediately bolted. The weakest among them left leaning on one another's shoulders.

Luden watched them go for a moment, then began his own preparations.

Having consumed every item he'd received as quest rewards, Luden clenched his fist tight.

So this is what it feels like — power surging up from within.

A heat so fierce it startled even him surged up through his body.

"With this, I might actually stand a chance."

Confidence swelled with the exhilaration he'd never felt before. As he was now, he felt he could hold his own even against Count Kaisar.

That was when it happened.

KWAAANG—!

With a sudden thunderous boom, the door of the old warehouse went flying. Through the cloud of dust it kicked up appeared a man wearing the expression of a demon.

Unsurprised, Luden greeted him.

"Yo. There you are. You're late."

"You bastard..."

"Honestly, though. You came alone? Fitting for the boss of a gang, I suppose."

"WAS IT YOU WHO DID ALL THIS?!"

Drag's roar shook the warehouse to its rafters. His bellow carried a killing intent that made the skin prickle.

As expected of a 5-Star master, huh.

They said he'd been a knight once, before an incident got him thrown out — a disgraced wreck. But his skill was clearly the real deal.

Frankly, even Luden didn't think he'd have much chance of beating the man in a straight ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fight. Even using every skill he had, there'd be no guarantee of victory.

But now, bolstered to the brim by quest rewards, that was a different story.

"Reveal yourself. Where did you come from? How did you know about this place?"

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't get it. Not that I intend to answer nicely anyway."

"Grrh. You're mad enough to want to die, aren't you? Fine. Then I'll carve off your limbs and hear your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠answers that way."

"Your personality's as ugly as your face. Well, I suppose that's why you'd commit a crime this reckless. Should I call it brave, or just plain stupid?"

"What?"

"You don't get it? It means it's already too late."

As Luden stepped casually aside, Drag's eyes finally caught sight of what mattered.

The shattered bars. The empty cage.

The meaning was so unmistakably clear that Drag snapped the last thread of his reason.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU!!"

Enraged, Drag lunged.