300 – I Am the Plunder King. (1)
“Oh no! Not like this, you fools!”
In the dead of night, an old man was pleading, grabbing the leg of a burly masked man.
“Get lost, would you?”
Thud!
“Ouch!”
The man kicked the old man aside and began rummaging through his house.
“Ha, guess it’s because he’s a lonely old man, but there’s not much here. Still, it looks like he’s stocked up on food this time. Hey, have we marked the other houses?”
As the man looked back, a few others nodded with their heads down.
“Yes, we’ve picked out some good spots. Let’s hurry.”
“Right, let’s move. We need to gather everything we can these days.”
The man chuckled. They were low-tier members of the ‘Dark Lion Group,’ a crime organization operating in Desmond.
Despite the grand name, their main job was robbery. And they had their reasons.
“Heh, that crazy Chief Officer dumped a ton of food around, didn’t he? If we gather it all and sell it to the merchant groups in other territories, we’ll make a fortune.”
Crime organizations do a lot more than you’d think. They sell bad drugs, lend money at exorbitant rates, commit fraud, extort money under the guise of protection fees, and even traffic in banned items.
But these days, robbery and thievery were the latest trends in the Desmond region. With the occupying forces scattering so much food, simply taking it meant quick money.
Most of the troops guarding Harold’s gambling dens had vanished, and the criminals were exploiting the gap.
“Hey, let’s move quickly. The soldiers are being reinforced and are roaming around. We need to collect as much as we can before then.”
Crime organizations were robbing and thieving like crazy in their respective territories, knowing that such metal trades were only viable now.
As the robbers were about to leave, the old man jumped up again and shouted.
“You scoundrels! If you take all that, how am I supposed to live? Give it back right now!”
When the old man rushed at him, the man kicked him again.
“Gah!”
“Hey, I’m trying to be nice here, why do you keep at it? Can’t you figure out the situation? I was just letting you live because I thought you wouldn’t last long anyway—so should I just kill you right now? Haven’t you heard the rumors about how many people have been dying lately?”
The man brandished a knife in front of the old man’s eyes. The old man gasped at the sight of his bloodshot eyes.
“Ugh…”
Having lived long enough, he could tell just by looking. These guys had truly committed murder before.
Now that the old man was scared, the man got up and spat.
“Go ahead and report us if you want. You don’t even know who we are, so you won’t catch us. Heh heh heh.”
The man said this joyfully. It was truly enjoyable to see them running wild, taking advantage of the gaps in public order.
After laughing heartily, the robbers left the old man behind and moved on to their next target.
And they soon encountered another group of masked individuals like themselves.
“Hmm? Who are these guys?”
The man tilted his head. Even though robbery was in vogue, organizations usually preferred to operate in their own territories.
They needed to eat well now, and fighting among organizations would mean big losses.
“There are quite a few of you, huh? Where are you headed? Hey, where did you come from?”
About 40 newcomers stared intently at the robbers. Then, the one in front stepped forward and asked.
“Robbers, huh?”
“Where did you come from? Don’t you know this is our territory?”
“Robbers, huh.”
“Damn it! Are you asking for a fight? I asked where you came from!”
The man shouted loudly. They were only about 10, but this was their territory. Since war between organizations was off-limits for a while, there was no need to be scared.
The place is their territory. Since war between organizations was temporarily banned, there was no need to be frightened.
However, it seemed the other side had no intention of staying quiet. Suddenly, he pulled out a hand axe from his waist and approached with big strides.
“W-what? Are you breaking the treaty? That hand axe you pulled out… are you from the Blood Axe Group? You’re making a mistake…”
BAM!
Before the man could finish his sentence, his head was shattered, and he died instantly. The one wielding the axe spoke in a monotone voice.
“I am the Plunder King. And those behind me are the 40 bandits.”
Ghislaine, disguised as the Plunder King, had encountered robbers on his way to wipe out a crime organization.
The robbers hesitated, stepping back with trembling hands.
“W-what? What do you mean? We made a treaty, right? Are you saying you want to go to war?”
“What war with a bunch of rookies? Kill them all except for one.”
With a dismissive wave of his hand, the 40 bandits… no, the knights moved.
WHAM!
“Aaaaah!”
In an instant, the robbers were either bent out of shape or had their heads burst open. Those who hadn’t even learned mana stood no chance against the knights’ attacks.
“P-please spare me!”
One remaining robber dropped to the ground, frantically rubbing his palms together. He couldn’t even process how his comrades had died right before his eyes.
Ghislaine approached the robber, squatting down, and asked.
“Where are you digging?”
“A, the Dark Lion Group.”
“Pfft!”
Unintentionally laughing at the grand name, Ghislaine cleared his throat as if nothing happened.
“Ahem. I was on my way to another organization; I didn’t know there was one like that.”
Ghislaine tilted his head.
Harold had documented most crime organizations while he was alive, but the information was not perfect. Existing groups disappeared or merged, while new organizations took their place.
The organizations that had paid taxes and kept a low profile in the territory were clearly identified, but the ones that didn’t pay taxes and got wiped out or the ones scattered due to power struggles had scant information.
And it was hard to know about the new organizations that emerged, taking advantage of the security gap.
Though it wasn’t part of the plan, since he had come out to capture all the criminals anyway, it made sense to take action now. Ghislaine nodded and continued speaking.
“Well, this is good. Lead the way.”
“Pardon?”
“Lead the way. To your hideout.”
“Oh, yes, understood!”
The robber’s eyes widened as he stood up. He had thought he was a goner, but he was still alive.
At the hideout, there would be plenty of organization members. Especially the executives had exceptional fighting skills. The robber was convinced the executives would be able to catch and kill these guys.
He guided the Plunder King and his subordinates to a fairly large building.
“Hmm, what is this?”
It was a rather sizable ink manufacturing facility and dye workshop, included in the territory facility status report. This meant they were running a somewhat legitimate operation.
“Wow, these guys are impressive. On the surface, they’re doing honest work, but behind the scenes, they’re raking in money.”
That’s why no matter how many small fry you catch, the crime organization never disappears.
The higher-ups follow the law quite well. They have the lower guys handle the troublesome business while they keep safe and continue committing crimes.
They also create connections through bribes just in case they get caught.
“This is why it’s tough to catch them. Most territory residents don’t even realize these guys are a crime organization.”
If they struck here without proper evidence, rumors would spread quickly that the lord was framing them and exercising tyranny.
It would take too long and be exhausting to find evidence and legally deal with him.
In that case, it’s better to just beat him up and throw him to the labor assault squad.
Screech…
As I opened the door and walked in, there were indeed sturdy men gathered inside.
“Who are you? We’re not open right now. Come back tomorrow.”
A burly man with muscles kindly smiled. This guy was none other than the leader of the Dark Lion Group.
But he quickly noticed that the guests were dressed rather suspiciously.
“What the? Where are you guys from, all wearing masks?”
“I am the Plunder King.”
“What?”
As Ghislaine finished introducing himself, the captured robber shouted.
“Boss! These guys are from the Blood Axe Gang! They’re here to raid us!”
With that one line, all the members of the Dark Lion Group stood up, weapons in hand.
Ghislaine calmly observed them and mumbled.
“I told you I’m the Plunder King.”
“Attack!”
At the leader’s shout, the members charged forward. Ghislaine gestured to the knights and said.
“Clear them out. Except for that guy.”
Boom!
“Huh?”
The leader, charging with weapons, suddenly stopped.
Where did all the organization members disappear to?
As he slowly turned around, he found them all smashed against the wall, reduced to a bloody mess.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud…
The leader clenched his teeth and trembled, slowly raising his hands.
‘T-This is real. Real professionals are here from the underground.’
The guys in front of him weren’t just some simple crime organization like him. They had to belong to a proper assassination group or a huge guild.
“W-What brings you to us?”
“Hmm, could we have a chat?”
“Sh-Should I bring some tea?”
“No, just sit down.”
Even with blood splattered everywhere, Ghislaine calmly sat in a chair. The leader could only kneel on the ground, too intimidated to sit.
As he quietly watched, Ghislaine spoke up.
“Tell me all the locations of the organizations you know.”
“Y-Yes, right away!”
He too was someone who led a crime organization. He knew all too well that questioning could lead to serious pain.
After all, emphasizing loyalty or blood relations in crime organizations is notoriously meaningless.
The leader of the Dark Lion Group diligently wrote down all the locations he knew of other organizations, even providing details about their numbers and who their leaders were, as though he were listing the enemies of his parents.
Ghislaine received the information with a satisfied nod.
“I guess I can track down all these guys too.”
Some he already knew, while others were new to him. Criminals usually have the best intel on other criminals.
If he kept this up, taking them all down one by one wouldn’t be an issue.
“Hey, you two.”
“Yes!”
The leader and the remaining robber shouted loudly.
Ghislaine looked at them and said.
“I, the Plunder King, have never spared an enemy. So, you two have to die.”
“Oh no, please spare us!”
“Hmm, if you survive, you’ll have to pay for your crimes.”
Whack!
With just a swing of Ghislaine’s hand, the two immediately fainted.
A masked knight swiftly picked them up and tossed them into the nearest military barracks.
Soon after, several soldiers rushed in and took them away.
In front of the barracks hung a large sign.
[Labor Assault Squad – Special Training Facility No. 5]
Every night, the Plunder King and his 40 thieves roamed around cleaning up crime organizations. Naturally, by morning, corpses were discovered everywhere, causing panic among the territory residents.
“Is a serial killer on the loose?”
“Not that! They say those guys are all criminals. They’re in the middle of a fight with other organization members!”
“Huh! So, you’re saying there’s a war going on between crime organizations right now?”
“Exactly! A guy called the Plunder King appeared and is planning to unify the underworld of this territory!”
“Oh man, I hope it doesn’t end up affecting us. It’s already chaotic after the war…”
“I heard the new Lord issued a strict order. If anyone touches the territory residents, he won’t let it slide. So, the soldiers are constantly patrolling and increasing security.”
“That’s a relief, but…”
The informant, Lowell, was busily manipulating rumors. He made it sound like it was just a fight between crime organizations.
So, distrust and suspicion didn’t fall on Ghislaine. Her anxiety was growing due to fear, but with the soldiers improving public order, that too would be a problem that disappeared quickly.
After all, it’s human nature to forget as long as they’re not the ones suffering.
If they could wipe out the crime organizations swiftly, the interest would die down soon after.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Ughhh! You demon!”
“So you’re the Plunder King!”
“I won’t let you get away with this!”
As organizations began to disappear one by one, some crime groups decided to join forces. But they couldn’t hold a candle to the Plunder King and his 40 thieves.
Every day, half of them were killed off, and the other half were dragged off to the labor corps – the special training facility.
“What the hell! Why do you have to be so brutal? We’re people too! Can’t you just let someone else eat a little?”
The leader of one organization screamed, flailing desperately, but Ghislaine cleanly took off his head, saying:
“You are not people. And I prefer it when I get to eat it all myself.”
The crime organizations were disappearing at a terrifying speed, but the work wasn’t finishing as quickly as Ghislaine expected.
It was partly because the Desmond Territory itself was vast, but also due to the immense number of crime organizations that sprang up as a result of their defeat in the war.
As the exploits of the Plunder King became known, many crime groups started to hide one by one. Some moved their hideouts, while others drastically reduced their activities.
While Ghislaine was hunting down the crime organizations, she rubbed her temples.
“Ugh, look at these guys?”
If they were left alone just because they were hiding, they’d definitely crawl out the moment they got a chance to do something bad.
Realistically, crime would never completely disappear. There are far too many crazy people in the world acting out more than you’d think. Such people would keep appearing until humanity’s extinction.
But Ghislaine was determined that at least during her rule, criminals wouldn’t be able to breathe.
“I need to change my approach a bit.”
She had to find them as quickly as possible and wipe them out all at once. If they gathered like last time, even better.
Thinking deeply, Ghislaine called Claude.
“You’ll need to step up.”
“Me…? What do you mean?”
“Your reputation isn’t great, right? You’re known for loving bribes, gambling… anyway, you have a trashy reputation.”
“…So?”
Claude tilted his head and made a frustrated expression. Somehow, his bad reputation had spread all the way here.
He was trying to start anew in the new territory, but everything was ruined.
But Ghislaine seemed delighted, wearing a meaningful expression.
“You need to meet with the crime organizations. Tell them you’ll accept bribes and look the other way. Try to gather as many of them as you can.”
“…”
“You can do that, right? You’re good at that kind of stuff.”
Ghislaine spoke with confident tones. No matter how you looked at it, Claude was the one best suited for this task.
After all, he was known as the most corrupt steward in the territory.
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