302 – I Am the Plunder King. (3)
“Th-that’s real. That’s really the Chief Officer! No, even if he’s not the Chief Officer, he’s definitely a High Official.”
Morbin swallowed hard. He didn’t even see how the dagger was drawn.
If such an escort came along, he was clearly not an ordinary person.
Morbin frantically glanced around and bellowed.
“You idiots! What do you think you’re doing? You need to show respect to the Chief Officer!”
His subordinates immediately bowed their heads and backed off. Honestly, if they charged in, they’d probably be dead in the blink of an eye.
With a servile expression, Morbin rubbed his hands together and spoke.
“I’m sorry. These guys are just so ignorant that they committed a little rudeness.”
“Sigh, why get blood on your hands then?”
“Well, what we do is a bit…complicated, right? So everyone tends to be cautious… Come on, please, let’s go inside. You don’t need to worry about the bodies.”
“Right. Wendy, help me out here.”
Wendy grimaced as she helped Claude.
Following Morbin’s lead, Claude arrived in a lavish private room and got straight to business.
“We’re having a tough time, huh?”
“Oh, don’t even get me started. Everyone’s on edge because of that Plunder King or whatever he is. Where did such a monster-like guy come from…?”
Claude chuckled a few times before continuing.
“How about we work together on something?”
“What kind of work?”
“How about unifying the Underworld of this territory?”
“Me?”
Morbin’s eyes lit up. Unifying the Underworld was indeed every criminal’s dream. But it was something you needed qualifications to achieve.
The real heavyweights were on a whole different level. You know, like the legendary Thief Guilds and Assassins.
Those kinds of guys could hardly be touched by street-level thugs. Some had already been smashed by the Plunder King, anyway.
Still, unifying the Underworld was beyond Morbin’s capability. But what if the Chief Officer had his back?
It wasn’t completely impossible.
He thought he was just going to get a tribute, but received such a massive proposal!
“How… how can I assist the Chief Officer?”
“I can’t realistically manage all the organizations in this territory myself. Can I?”
“That’s true. There are more of them lately, and quite a few are hiding.”
“So I’m saying, put them all under you for management. How about it?”
Morbin swallowed hard and asked again.
“Is there anything you want from me?”
“Bring me half of the profits. Then, I’ll guarantee your safety and provide support. What do you think? Interested? If you aren’t, you can just die here.”
Sweat trickled down Morbin’s back at Claude’s sinister grin.
‘This is real. This guy is seriously obsessed with money. Look at that genuine expression.’
He had never heard of a Chief Officer arriving straight away to collect tributes like this from rumors.
There was no reason to refuse. But he couldn’t do it alone either. He needed practical assistance.
“My abilities are limited. We don’t have many organization members… and above all, we don’t know when the Plunder King will show up.”
Then Claude chuckled and said not to worry.
“I’ll release some criminals I’ve captured in the territory and have them follow you. First, fill in the gaps that way, then take down other guys and keep expanding.”
“Real powerhouses are tough to deal with when you’re up against low-level guys.”
“Don’t worry. When I take down those guys, the Knights will support you too. Besides, there are hardly any real powerhouses left here anymore, right? The ones with strength have all been taken away by Count Desmond.”
“R-right. The ones that remain are better than us, but not as good as the Knights.”
“Beggar, not like the knights.”
Morbin’s eyes lit up with excitement. As long as the knights helped, they could handle any scum.
Claude chuckled arrogantly as he continued speaking.
“Yeah, and while you guys fight, the soldiers will block the surroundings for you.”
“Th-that should be fine. We can take care of the Underworld too. Then the Plunder King…”
The Plunder King had a monstrous reputation. Who knows when he might strike? If the knights didn’t stick around, they wouldn’t be able to stop him.
At Morbin’s worry, Claude’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“That punk is a total piece of work!”
“Huh?”
“He’s just a temperamental brat who doesn’t listen to anyone and does whatever the hell he wants. But he’s crazy about fighting and makes life miserable for everyone else while greedily hoarding all the loot for himself…”
Claude ranted on about the Plunder King without pause. His passion was so intense that listeners couldn’t help but get caught up in his emotions.
After a while, Morbin, who had been quietly listening, cautiously asked,
“Umm… do you know him?”
Claude was taken aback and waved his hands.
“No way! How could I know a criminal like that? Where do you think I am, walking into trouble?”
“Uh… right.”
“Anyway, I’ll lead the soldiers to take care of that punk. You just think about taking out the surrounding organizations. Got it?”
“Understood! If you deal with the Plunder King, I’ll move right away.”
“Make sure to have the tribute ready every week. You wouldn’t want to vanish without a trace, would you?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it’s ready.”
Morbin enthusiastically nodded. Just as the rumors suggested about the Lord of Bribes, it wasn’t just a one-off deal; it had to be prepared weekly.
Though it was tough now, once he became the ruler of the Underworld, it would all be manageable. All he had to do was act quickly.
If he absorbed all the organizations in this vast territory, the money would roll in like crazy.
Claude threw in another warning.
“Oh, and stop poisoning the food. And don’t touch the Territory Residents for a while. Focus on absorbing the organizations first. You get the vibe, right? Getting caught by the Lord wouldn’t be good for anyone.”
Morbin agreed wholeheartedly.
Soldiers continued to bolster public order to stabilize the occupied territories. There were rumors that the Lord had become tense due to several previous incidents.
If they got caught now, they could end up as an example and be executed.
Somehow, after completing the brotherhood ritual with Morbin, who was being more submissive than usual, Claude left the restaurant.
On the way back, clutching his heart, he said to Wendy,
“Phew, I thought I was going to get scolded. I really can’t do this acting stuff!”
“……”
From Wendy’s perspective, asking for money and cursing the Lord was no act. It was all genuine.
Anyway, from that day on, Claude firmly backed the Blue Skull Clan.
He released prisoners from jail to bring them under Morbin and deployed countless soldiers throughout the territory.
The Blue Skull Clan even rebranded the restaurant.
[Mom’s Hand Restaurant]
With the special secret sauce removed, the food naturally tasted bland. So they pivoted to promoting it as a neat health meal instead.
With their preparations complete, new rumors began to circulate in the territory.
“The Plunder King has fled!”
“They say the Chief Officer dispatched troops to maintain order!”
“All 40 thieves were caught and killed, I heard?”
As the rumors spread, crime organizations cautiously raised their heads. A few days passed without any attacks from the Plunder King, prompting them to start moving in earnest.
Of course, the organization that moved the most decisively was Morbin’s Blue Skull Clan.
“Ahahaha! Come under me!”
Under Claude’s full support, Morbin grew at a terrifying rate.
Due to the nature of crime organizations, they were all interconnected. Morbin first absorbed the organizations linked with the Blue Skull Clan and continued to wage war based on those newly absorbed connections.
Due to the nature of organizations, they are inevitably interconnected with other groups. Morbin first absorbed the organization linked to the Blue Skull Clan and continued to wage war based on the connections made with the absorbed organizations.
The other organizations, feeling relieved that the Plunder King had disappeared, were thrown into chaos.
“What the hell! When did those guys get so big?!”
“I heard rumors that the Chief Officer is backing them up!”
“That guy is trying to unite the Underworld!”
As the medium-sized organizations were absorbed, only a few stronger ones remained. But even those were swiftly crushed by the knights supported by Claude.
Even the renowned organizations like the Thief Guild and Assassins’ Guild were no exception. Their main forces had already been pulled into the war due to Count Desmond’s threats and ended up dead.
Although the remaining factions were stronger than the gangsters, they stood no chance against the Penris Knights.
The war among the organizations intensified, but the Territory Residents were completely unharmed. Morbin was cautious, and the soldiers kept a watchful eye on the surroundings whenever war broke out.
When a powerful person is intent on backing someone, this is the result.
In just one month after sealing a pact with Claude, Morbin had become the king of the Underworld.
“Haha! I never thought such a day would come for me!”
Laughter bubbled from his lips. He had long since closed his mother’s restaurant and was now living in a large, extravagant building.
He also changed the name of the organization to the Blue Skull Brotherhood.
In merging several organizations, he gained their immense wealth that had been accumulated. Once things began to stabilize, he could resume the businesses each organization had been running and earn even more money.
“Hey, have you prepared the money to send to the elder brother?”
“Yes! I’ve gathered plenty this time too!”
A subordinate brought a small box. Though small in size, it was filled with jewels.
Although he didn’t have much fixed income yet, he was sending gifts weekly as a token of goodwill.
“Hehe, make sure to record this carefully. I’ll need it as leverage against the elder brother later. They say our lord has quite the temper, right?”
To maintain a long-term symbiotic relationship, it’s essential to have mutual weaknesses on hand. To prevent the Chief Officer from expelling him, preparations like these were necessary.
If things went awry, just handing over the evidence to the lord would ensure the Chief Officer wouldn’t be safe either.
As Morbin rapidly unified the Underworld, Claude came immediately.
“Hey, little brother. Have you done what I told you to prepare?”
“Oh my, elder brother! You’ve come! Everything is ready here.”
Morbin handed over several booklets. They were about organization management—lists of the absorbed members, the locations of branches, details on the members, business operations, and so on.
Additionally, he also provided the secret ledgers and documents held by the organizations.
Claude expected it without question, and Morbin gave them without a second thought.
He believed that his counterpart was genuinely struggling to receive the tribute. He thought it would be fine since he had gathered enough leverage.
If it had been an established organization like the Assassins’ Guild, he would never have acted this way. But Morbin was simply not cut out for such standards, which was why he was marked in the first place.
“Hmmm, you wrote everything down correctly, right? Nothing missing? Oh my, look at these guilty little rats.”
“Of course! I even noted all the beggars from the Poor District among the members. How could I deceive you, elder brother? You’ll be taking good care of us from now on, hehe.”
As Morbin handed over the jewel box, Claude accepted it with a satisfied expression.
“Yes, I hope we can keep this up for a long time. By the way, you mentioned a gathering with the Branch Leaders, right?”
“Ehehe, yes. I’ve arranged a formal inauguration event. I’ve summoned all the branch leaders; will you come and grace us with your presence? I’ve prepared quite the extravagant affair.”
“It rained.”
As the organizations were absorbed, the territories of the existing organizations became branches of the Blue Skull Brotherhood. Morbin placed his trusted subordinates there.
Claude waved his hand dismissively at Morbin’s words.
“Forget it, if I attend, everyone will be uncomfortable, so why bother? Let’s set up a separate meeting next time.”
“Hehe, understood. Take care, brother!”
Morbin didn’t suspect Claude at all. After all, Claude had thoroughly embodied the image of a corrupt steward he had witnessed over time.
That greedy gaze wasn’t something anyone could easily hide. Having also spent a long time in a crime organization, he recognized it well.
Having parted ways amicably, Claude dashed straight to Ghislaine.
He handed over the documents and said, “Phew, that should be enough, right? My heart can’t take any more. I really can’t handle jobs that don’t suit me.”
“…Right.”
Ghislaine looked at Claude with a sympathetic gaze.
Currently, Claude’s reputation was at its worst. Somehow, rumors spread that he was backing criminals.
Lowell kept his mouth tightly shut, so only Claude remained oblivious to it. Others found it amusing and pretended not to notice.
“Anyway, good job. I didn’t think you’d gather them together this quickly.”
“I was just too lazy about it.”
He seduced one dumb guy to unify all the organizations. He didn’t want to bother searching for each one individually, but the method certainly proved effective.
A few local gangsters might be left behind, but those fools would eventually be dragged off to the labor battalion.
Ghislaine, donning a mask, said, “Attack the branches in each area. Kill anyone who resists, and send all those who surrender off to the labor battalion. I’ll deal with Morbin personally.”
“Understood.”
Gillian, recovering from his injury, bowed his head heavily while guarding Ghislaine’s side.
Kaor, usually the mischievous one, also laughed as if he found this amusing. He hadn’t returned to the Shadow Mountain Range yet, as he was helping to stabilize public order in the territory.
“Ah, I can stretch a bit before heading back to the mountains.”
Other knights began equipping themselves with armaments. Some even put on masks.
Ghislaine led them as they started to move.
“Let’s go.”
Thud thud thud thud!
The cavalry swiftly moved to surround the branches in different areas.
Meanwhile, Morbin was gathered with the branch leaders conducting a swearing-in ceremony. His subordinate shouted towards the crowd on the second floor of the building.
“A man who lives and dies by loyalty! Morbin has finally unified the underworld! Let’s give a round of applause for our new king, Morbin!”
“Waaah!”
Clap clap clap clap clap!
The many burly men present cheered and clapped. Morbin raised his wine glass, stood up, and smiled widely.
“Thanks to my brothers, I’ve… uh… come to this position. From now on, I will always lead in danger for my brothers… uh… so….”
Just as Morbin was slowly reciting the speech he poorly prepared, suddenly—
KRAAAANG!
A loud sound echoed as the door on the first floor smashed open.
“What’s going on? What happened?”
“Did the first-floor door just break?”
“Who the hell is causing trouble on such a joyous day!”
The branch leaders chattered loudly. They weren’t alone; there were numerous subordinates downstairs.
The organization members guarding the downstairs looked on as the intruders burst through the door.
Though all wore masks, there were only a few of them. The overwhelmingly confident members of the Blue Skull Brotherhood approached with scowls.
“What are you guys? Where did you come from?”
The one at the front of the masked group spoke.
“I am the Plunder King.”
Ghislaine grinned.
It was time to uproot all the filth from the territory.
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