The Black Knight's Humble Beginnings
The narrow-eyed bastard's suspicious demeanor was clearly the result of years spent navigating social circles. That was the conclusion I'd reached after careful deliberation. I was screwed.
No, I have to think this through. I can't afford to break down here…!
Even though I'd essentially been exiled from the Colwen count's household. Even though I'd broken every bone in the private soldiers they'd sent after me. Even though the only people beside me right now were one girl and a half-dead villain…! Eres had overcome far worse than this, and she was going to overcome even more!!
"First, recover your body, Cardo…!"
"W-what do you expect me to do—"
"Don't play dumb. Your unique magic is metal manipulation. I know you can use the iron in blood to manipulate blood flow for hemostasis, or reattach and fix broken bones. Don't pretend otherwise."
"M-me?"
"I already told you not to play dumb."
This bastard had been muttering something and trying to escape while I wasn't looking. The fact that he could still move despite all the bones I'd broken was probably thanks to that technique. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to stand, let alone walk.
"……This can't be real. How is this even…."
Realizing he'd already been found out, Cardo decided there was no point in hiding it. After performing emergency treatment with blood flow manipulation, he swung his arm to show it was fine. As expected of Nine's Piece's Black Knight. He wasn't someone I could afford to underestimate.
"I kept you alive because you still have uses. There are plenty of things I need you to do from now on."
"Th-then, could you at least take your hand off my neck…"
"Shut up."
"…."
First, making money. Then procuring supplies and supporting Eres. Neither of those would be easy. To make money, I'd need a new identity—valuable goods required verified credentials even if you had the cash. But if I used this guy?
"From now on, I'll give you a list. Go get everything on it. As a big shot in the underworld, it shouldn't be difficult for you."
He probably had money and some connections or credibility. The base of my knowledge came from things Eres, an ordinary person, could somehow obtain. Nothing a high-ranking executive of a massive criminal organization couldn't acquire. Using this bastard's hands felt unpleasant, but…
"I do have a question…."
"What."
"Are you being serious right now? I'm just a low-level member."
"Don't make me repeat the same thing three times."
"No, I'm serious!"
This bastard was trying to escape by exploiting the fact that I couldn't kill him. If he was going to be this uncooperative, I'd have no choice but to use force.
"Kuhak…!"
"Just because I won't kill you doesn't mean you should take me lightly. I don't think highly of you, and if you cross the line, I won't hesitate to kill you."
If it were just me, I'd click my tongue and try talking, but Melina was here. It was true that the story would get twisted without Cardo. But if something happened to Melina, it would immediately lead to a bad ending. In that case, even if I couldn't kill him, turning him into a lifelong cripple was an option.
"Mister."
"I'm not a mister. You're annoying to look at, so stay back a bit."
"I heard it, and that big brother doesn't seem like a high-ranking person."
Why was I a mister and he was a big brother? I was younger! Right now! Luke Colwen was twelve years old—
"What did you say?"
"When you were fighting earlier, I heard you talking to someone named Rin. You were getting scolded pretty badly."
Rin Emesh. The Black Rook of Nine's Piece and the ruler of Babbage who believed in survival of the fittest. She had originally been Cardo's superior, but after her defeat, she became a loyal subordinate according to the law of the jungle— Ah, shit.
"You're the Black Knight, right?"
"Kuhak! Keck! I-I'm telling you I'm just a low-level member…! I haven't even been in Nine's Piece for half a year…."
No way. Was the current Cardo before he had subdued Rin Emesh?
"Bullshit. A low-level member wouldn't go around with such a shady smile."
"I have to smile because I'm a low-level member. It's the kind of job where you get stabbed first if you offend your superiors."
"Shouldn't you at least try to look intimidating so you don't seem weak?"
"Everyone knows that someone with nothing is just bluffing, so it's just pathetic."
"…That's true."
Even if you were young, seeing grown men cursing and making faces everywhere just made you think they were thugs. So the shady smile had been a habit formed from years of social maneuvering…
"Then why would someone like that suddenly try to stab a person in the neck? Huh?!"
"Th-that's my actual job…."
"A low-level member causing trouble and then how are you supposed to clean it up! Were you planning to kill the count and all his acquaintances too!"
I was screwed. I'd assumed he was already an executive because he was radiating that shady aura and suddenly attacked. Logically, who would think someone trying to kill a count's private soldiers was just a low-level member? Hmm. Maybe this wasn't entirely my fault.
"Answer me, you bastard!"
"Mister, if you're choking his neck, he can't talk."
"You, turn around!"
Was he always this sloppy and stupid? In the original work, he was always the one landing the final blow and slipping away smoothly, which was infuriating. Seeing the immature days of a game villain made me feel unsettled. I'd thought these kinds of people were evil and meticulous from the very beginning.
"Puhah! I'm the one who's ruined because of you! Where the hell did you hear that ridiculous rumor that I made Rin my subordinate and was trying to betray the boss?"
"Shut up. You weren't planning to stay a low-level member forever anyway."
"That's different from this. I was planning to steadily build my position and power, gain sufficient ability, and then take the boss's seat!"
In the end, that was still betrayal. What was the difference? Besides, contrary to his words, Cardo had betrayed when his abilities weren't sufficient and ended up cornered. It wasn't that he was lacking. It was just that the boss had hidden forces that were beyond the norm. There was no answer except the magic sword when dealing with that menhera.
Well, that was that. The story's completely ruined!! If this guy didn't cause trouble, at least five supporting characters would have been happy!! No, happiness was a good thing. But then their personalities and actions would all change!!! Variables. The variables were increasing in real time!!
"I'll pretend I didn't see anything, so go back! Nothing happened today!"
"It's already too late! Rin has already heard everything through the spy!"
"A spy? There was someone like that here?"
"They were hiding among the soldiers. By the time I noticed, it was already too late…."
"Why are you telling me this now, you crazy bastard!!"
Those people had already been transported. Now there was a Nine's Piece spy hiding inside the count's household? The people who were transported together knew that their master was a criminal organization executive? Damn it, I'd said too much trying to get out of the situation. I didn't know what that spy might do to silence them.
"……Huu, it can't be helped. Melina. Come here."
"What are you trying to do?"
"Restraint."
""Huh?""
I took off my torn shirt and tightly bound Melina's wrists. Then, so she couldn't escape. So no one could rescue her.
"Do you like high places?"
"……No."
"That's fortunate."
I hung her from a tree.
"Uwaaaah!"
"……Is that really okay?"
"It's fine. Seeing her wailing like that makes me realize she's just a child."
Eres was the same. Because she'd lived through hardships, it was pitiful that she didn't show her emotions even when dragged around. Yeah. Children should know how to cry and get angry when things are hard. If they hold it in too much from a young age, it's bad for their mental health.
"Let's go. You remember the spy's face, right? We're going to catch him and drag him out."
"You're leaving that behind?"
"Then should I take her inside?"
"Of course…… It's nothing."
"Right. If we make a mistake, the entire mansion could blow up."
"That sounds dangerous…… Yes?"
I remembered what the soldiers had said. If I went in, everything except the count couple's room would explode. If it was something I could see and manually detonate, I could do something about it, but if it automatically exploded upon detecting me, there was no answer. But I couldn't trust this guy to go in alone and bring him out either. Who knew what he'd do.
"Don't worry. I have a plan."
"I'm really scared, so can I run away?"
"Running away would just make you a dead man."
"……Damn it."
He seemed to have resigned himself and stood up, checking his injured body. He'd almost completely healed in that short time, and there was no sign of pain even when he swung his limbs. That would be useful for endurance training.
The plan was simple. If I could send him in alone while monitoring him so he couldn't do anything strange, that would be enough, right?
"I have a question first."
"Go ahead. We're in the same boat now."
"Do you like high places?"
"……No."
"That's fortunate."
"This son of a—!"
Throw
"He did all of this? Luke did?"
"It would have been less damage to fight a troll instead."
The courtyard of the Colwen mansion was filled with patients. Layla Colwen felt a certain malice in the fact that he'd only broken parts that made movement inconvenient without targeting vital points.
"As if the attack by the Elaud Mercenary Corps wasn't enough of a headache…!"
"It seems he even committed murder before coming here."
"He's definitely crossed the line. It's pathetic that I can't take responsibility with my own hands…."
If she had the strength to fight, she would have personally beheaded him. Unfortunately, she didn't have the power to fight that monster. In fact, it was strange that someone his age had become that strong.
"There's no need for you to step forward personally, my lady. Since he mentioned the explosion when retreating, if we hold out in the mansion, the opponent will have no choice but to run away."
"That's right. Since we've even used our trump card."
The large-scale explosion magic set up throughout the mansion. The final measure that would consume all the magic stones stored in the mansion the moment Luke Colwen set foot inside and bombard wherever he was. To be precise, it wasn't detonating the entire area at once, but magic that recognized Luke's location and followed him. With this, no matter how sturdy he was, he wouldn't be able to withstand it!
"Huh? My lady, something's flying over there."
"Isn't that a bird?"
"It's a bit big to be a bird…."
"Is it an eagle?"
"It's a person! That's a person!"
"Uwaaaah!"
Thud! Screams and dust flew up. The footsteps of people running around kicked up even more dust. Whoosh! The dust wasn't just bothering the people in the courtyard. Something that flew in from outside with a gust of wind took the dust away, and there stood a young man wrapped in metal, barely supporting his body.
"Intruder! ……Is he?"
"Wait, he might be a victim."
"Isn't that the bounty hunter who got beaten up by Young Master Luke earlier?"
"Th-there…… There was no need to throw me…."
Whoosh! A rock flew over Cardo's head as he was contemplating whether he should run away immediately. A man who dealt with metal being afraid of a slingshot. It was quite ironic.
"Don't do anything stupid and just bring the guy you need to bring! If it's someone else, I'll do it one more time!"
"Y-you're going to die…… If you follow that human, you'll definitely die soon…."
But if he didn't follow? He recalled the conversation he'd had with Luke right before departure.
-Actually, I've never played catch before.
-What?
-Be careful because it might hit you when I throw it as a threat.
-What?? Wait a minute, what are we trying to…
"Uwaaaah!!!"
"What the hell is this guy! Suddenly…!"
"My lady! Please step back!"
Cardo's motivation had risen.