Chapter 53: Black Fangs vs. The Empire (1)
The work progressed remarkably smoothly.
Rumors began to spread more and more, and as a result, people’s vigilance relaxed, igniting the speed of the relief center operations.
Just like that mother and daughter from before, more people lined up to help us, and the scale of it all grew larger.
Well, to be honest, we didn’t start this work with this purpose in mind.
But saving lives turned out to be more fulfilling than I had thought.
Each day felt more gratifying than the last.
“Um… Captain, are you sure you don’t need to sleep?”
As I pondered this while gazing at how much the relief center had changed in just a few days, a child next to me asked.
“Hmm… I’m the type that can stay up for several nights and be fine…”
The kid’s eyes sparkled at my awkward response.
I could tell what kind of misunderstanding they had, but I couldn’t correct it.
It would be weirder to explain that it’s due to my unique traits. That would just make me sound like a lunatic.
In times like this, it’s best to just mumble and nod.
“Come to think of it, hasn’t that person not slept at all these past few days?”
“Is this a sign of the Black Fangs’ leader? I didn’t believe the rumors that they could fold the ground and run, but if they’re even curing incurable diseases…”
I barely managed to dodge that awkward question when I heard voices from afar.
I’m not some mythical being, and I can’t fold the ground and teleport! I nearly blurted that out, but I swallowed back the words.
‘This feels kind of strange.’
It was good that the rumors were spreading.
After all, that was the purpose of this work.
We wanted stories about curing incurable diseases to circulate.
Showing that we could cure diseases even the Holy Church couldn’t heal.
When the atmosphere was ripe, we planned to drop a bombshell video criticizing the Holy Church, right in their faces.
There wouldn’t be a better way to attract attention.
In that gap, Miss Rubia would swiftly take over the potion business.
‘But this… the effect is so good it’s becoming a problem.’
The Black Fangs’ first activity after their long silence.
And on top of that, the flamboyant show of curing incurable diseases.
The rumors were blowing up like crazy.
This was bubble-level exaggeration at its finest.
‘Things are getting quite big….’
It felt bizarre that there was no reaction whatsoever from the Black Fangs side.
At this point, shouldn’t they have sent some kind of message? What on earth are those guys thinking?
‘Well, how would I ever understand what goes through their minds….’
They’ve dared to oppose the colossal Empire, killed an Imperial Knight Commander, and boldly left their symbol as a flaunt.
Even if someone impersonates them, as long as it benefits them, they let it slide like it’s nothing.
I can’t figure out their true identity at all.
No matter how secretive a group is, this is too much.
“What kind of thoughts do people like that even entertain….”
“If you’ve got time to ponder such useless things, just get to work, man. How could we ever know what goes on in the mind of the Black Fangs’ leader?”
True, really. What on earth is that guy thinking?
I swallowed those words and stood up once more.
Thanks to my Healthy Body trait, just sitting in a chair for a few minutes without sleeping helps recover my fatigue more than I expected.
I could probably go without sleep for another month given the chance.
While I was thinking that…
“Hmm…?”
I felt a peculiar pain.
In my back.
Both my shoulder blades began to throb painfully.
[■■’s ■bo■ ■tra■ ■fusion■■.]
Bizarre broken characters appeared and then vanished.
With such ominous signs popping up one after another, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was seriously ill…
But thanks to my Healthy Body trait, I should be immune to diseases, so it can’t possibly be that.
‘Then what on earth is this?’
Is this a signal that I’ve been pushing myself too hard lately, relying too much on my traits?
Why does it hurt so much specifically around my shoulder blades?
As I pondered this, a voice broke my thoughts.
“C-Captain!”
I heard an urgent call.
The child who had previously asked about my condition was now calling my name in a panic.
I couldn’t shake off a sense of foreboding.
I quickly rushed out of the makeshift relief center and headed toward where the voice came from.
The kid’s face was pale.
“Over there….”
He pointed toward the mountain.
The mountain we had passed through.
I quickly focused my magic into my eyes.
I scrutinized the area the child was indicating once more.
And… my expression turned grim.
It was only natural.
Those armors.
The emblems engraved on their swords.
The knights moving with disciplined steps.
It was the Empire.
The Empire had found us.
‘…How on earth?’
I had known something like this might happen.
So, before they caught on to us, I planned to evacuate this place and set up another relief center somewhere else… but we got discovered by the Empire.
I knew they were formidable, but I didn’t expect them to pinpoint our location so quickly.
“…Call the others as fast as you can. I’ll go ahead.”
“T-Then what about you, Captain…?”
“Don’t worry.”
…In reality, it was a situation worth worrying about.
Those were the Imperial assassination squad sent to kill the Black Fangs.
There were only three of them.
That made it even more dangerous.
Of course!
The Empire isn’t foolish; if they found the Black Fangs’ location, they wouldn’t send just three ordinary soldiers.
These were the elite among the elite.
Each one of them must be a formidable warrior.
But still…
“Trust me. Everything will be fine.”
I reassured the child with those words.
There was no time to wait for Siel or Lien.
If I let those people come this way, there was a serious risk of civilians getting hurt.
And I still had that talisman I received back then.
Even if I took a bit of a risk, it would be okay.
I quickly focused my magic on my legs.
Then… with all my strength, I pushed off the ground.
The scenery blurred past in an instant. Whoosh! Cutting through the wind, I sped toward my destination.
Before long, I spotted the knights.
Three men clad in armor, swords in hand.
I clenched my teeth and accelerated.
I converted my speed directly into power and swung my sword at them.
However, the enemy was far from easy prey.
The elite of the Empire, the skilled warriors dispatched to capture the Black Fangs.
My strike landed true, and the enemy screamed before collapsing.
…What the?
“Ahhh! My arm! My arm!!”
The poor guy who lost his left arm to my strike howled in agony.
Seeing this, the other knights immediately surrendered.
They threw down their swords, symbols of their knightly pride, to the ground, trembling and begging for their lives.
To make matters worse, the unmistakable stench of urine started to fill the air.
For a split second, my mind went blank.
So… what exactly is happening here?
*
“Y-Your Highness, we’ve received word from a spy! People suspected to be Black Fangs have appeared!”
A servant hurriedly delivered the urgent news to the second prince.
However, the prince’s expression remained unchanged.
It wasn’t the first time he had received such reports.
Many groups had been exploiting the fame of the Black Fangs to pursue their own agendas.
When he heard that those suspected to be the Black Fangs were all minors, skepticism filled the second prince’s mind.
He wondered if this servant might also be a spy.
A large-scale espionage organization with over 100,000 operatives… he suspected this servant might belong to the Blood and Bone Gallery.
Then, without warning, the servant’s head exploded with a thundering bang!
Yet, there was no hint of disturbance on the prince’s face.
It was only natural.
He himself had killed this servant—or rather, the spy who provided the information.
He had activated the self-destruct rune etched onto their neck without hesitation.
From his perspective, it was a reasonable action.
To him, all other humans were merely replaceable tools.
Substitutes were always available. There was no need to keep such suspicious and incompetent people around.
“Such worthless creatures.”
All of his subordinates were incompetent. For them to bring such useless information was the epitome of foolishness.
Even if they weren’t spies, their incompetence deserved death.
Black Fangs, a group of children?
The leader of the Black Fangs, a boy, and the head of such a massive organization engaging in nothing but charity work?
What nonsense!
The Black Fangs was a gigantic organization with more than 100,000 operatives focused on intelligence activities.
Perhaps some naive kids were impersonating the Black Fangs, pretending to be heroes.
In a situation where he needed to conserve his strength for an eventual showdown with the Black Fangs, there was no room to waste troops.
Sending a few low-ranking soldiers to eliminate them would suffice.
Thus, the second prince erased this matter from his mind and returned to his original tasks.
The man sat down and opened a book.
[Blood and Bone Gallery Member List.]
A thick tome.
A gift from Asmodeus as an apology.
Based on his memory, he had compiled all the names he had seen using the Grail.
Despite the overwhelming volume and the risk of spies, he couldn’t trust anyone else.
He had been reading the list for several nights but hadn’t completed it yet.
Nevertheless, the man didn’t give up.
With bloodshot eyes, the prince opened the book and declared.
“…Prepare yourself, Black Fangs. I will find you, no matter what it takes.”
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