303 – I Am the Plunder King. (4)
“Hey, the Plunder King?”
“Didn’t that guy run away?”
“What’s going on! Didn’t the Chief Officer handle him?”
The organization members were too intimidated to confront the name of the Plunder King. His past deeds were just too intense.
Morbin and the organization’s executives descended to the first floor, their faces filled with confusion. Something was definitely off.
After a moment of thought, Morbin said, “I see, that’s an impersonation. They want to scare us. They’re trying to strike now that all the executives are gathered here.”
He didn’t believe for a second that the Plunder King really appeared. He thought Claude, who coexisted with him, would never make such a mistake.
“That guy is a fake! The Plunder King has already been chased away! My brother drove him out!”
With Morbin’s confident words, the organization members found their courage again.
They all knew about the relationship between Claude and Morbin. After all, they were blood brothers with the Chief Officer of the territory. They heard they even went to the bath together yesterday.
“Kill him!”
At Morbin’s shout, the members lunged at Ghislaine.
Ghislaine lightly slapped one of the rushing members with the back of his hand.
Smack!
Boom!
The member flew straight through the wall.
“……?”
Everyone froze, their bodies stiffening in place. Sending someone flying with a mere gesture wasn’t something just anyone could do.
It meant he was on a completely different level from them.
Whether he was the real Plunder King or not, he was simply not someone they could handle.
Breaking the heavy silence, Morbin asked Ghislaine with a trembling voice, “You, what are you?”
“I told you, I’m the Plunder King.”
“I-I heard you left the territory?”
“I came back.”
Ghislaine’s nonchalant answer made Morbin stutter as he continued, “You, you… do you know who I am? Are you here right now?”
“I know, drug addict.”
“I-I have the Chief Officer behind me. D-Didn’t you know? If you didn’t, turn back now. M-My brother and I are blood brothers! Blood brothers!”
Thinking of his backing seemed to boost Morbin’s confidence, and his words flowed smoother.
“Yesterday, I—uh? I ate with him. Uh? We bathed together! Uh? Everything! You bastard! So if you don’t want to die, go back!”
“……”
Ghislaine couldn’t bring himself to answer. Morbin, thinking the opponent was frightened, spat as he spoke.
“If you go back now, I’ll pretend I didn’t see you. If you need a business place, I’ll throw you a decent one; be satisfied with that. Anyway, fighting among ourselves won’t do any good, right?”
Swish.
Ignoring Morbin’s words, Ghislaine stepped forward. Morbin gasped and told the nearby executives, “B-Block him! Stop that guy! I-I’ll talk to my brother and bring the knights!”
But neither the executives nor the members could move recklessly. Who would dare to rush at such a monster?
Morbin pleaded, “You idiots! If that guy truly is the Plunder King, we’re all dead! Didn’t you know he kills everyone he catches?”
Not everyone, but he definitely kills most. That rumor was well-known, and the glint in the organization members’ eyes began to harden.
If they were going to die anyway, it was better to swing a sword at least once before dying. If they could hold out, Morbin would bring the knights.
The members all pulled out their weapons. A few executives shoved Morbin’s back.
“Brother! Hurry to the Chief Officer! We’ll hold him off here!”
Ugh! Thank you! I’ll definitely bring the knights!”
What a tear-jerking scene. Morbin truly wiped away his tears as he dashed towards the secret passage.
Until then, Ghislaine stood there, watching with a nonchalant expression.
The remaining executives shouted at the organization members, “Attack!”
“Waaaaahaaaa!”
As the members all rushed in, only then did the knights standing behind Ghislaine step forward.
Smash! Smash! Smash!
“Aaaah!”
“You bad guys!”
“My brother will surely take revenge!”
But perhaps due to their upbringing in the underworld, everyone charged in with sheer malice. However, with each hit the knights made, their companions fell like flies, and the organization members quickly fell back into fear.
They all rushed in with bravado, but every time the knights landed a blow, the companions fell like flies, and the organization members quickly succumbed to fear again.
“Ugh… monsters…”
“We can’t win…!”
“How are we supposed to hold out against guys like this…?”
This was the end of the criminals’ resolve and allegiance. One by one, they dropped their weapons and immediately knelt.
“Please spare us!”
“We were just following orders from that bastard!”
“Honestly, I’m a good person!”
As the organization members surrendered, even the executives had no choice but to kneel.
“That bastard Morbin is the real bad one!”
“I was threatened too!”
“We’ll live good from now on!”
Everyone bowed before the Plunder King. He nodded with a satisfied look.
“Loot everything here and send these guys ‘there’.”
At Ghislaine’s command, the knights stepped up and began to pummel the organization members into submission.
“Gurgh!”
With every hit, the organization members fainted.
Thus, the executives of Desmond’s underworld were swept away in an instant.
“Haah, haah, haah.”
The organization had collapsed, but Morbin still clung to hope. He ran until he was out of breath.
Where he was heading was none other than the Lord’s Castle. That’s where the Chief Officer Claude resided.
“Stop!”
The guards in front of the castle blocked his way, and Morbin collapsed, shouting.
“Chief Officer! Please call the Chief Officer right now!”
“What? Is the Chief Officer your friend? You think he’ll just meet with you if you want to?”
The guards were baffled, and Morbin shouted with desperation.
“You bastards! I’m the Chief Officer’s brother! His brother!”
“…Ah.”
The guards had heard the rumors. They knew that Claude had formed a blood bond with the leader of the crime organization.
Anyway, shouting that he was the brother couldn’t be ignored. Reluctantly, the guard went to report to Claude.
“What? Why the hell is that bastard here?”
Claude was taken aback. Was he trying to come here, knowing others might find out?
‘Did the Lord go on a rampage and leave him behind?’
Either way, he couldn’t just let it slide. Claude waved his hand dismissively.
“Get rid of him; he’s going to die anyway.”
“That’s what we’re trying to do, but he won’t leave easily. He says he’ll spread the Chief Officer’s secret if we kick him out.”
“Is he insane?!”
Claude, who had been acting all honorable, suddenly sprang up angrily and marched out.
As he appeared with a legion of soldiers, Morbin greeted him excitedly.
“Brother! Help me! The Plunder King is…!”
“Capture that bastard! Hurry!”
“Brother?”
“You! How dare you come here to meet me in this place! You damn criminal!”
Claude shouted in an authoritative tone. As the noise went on, soldiers and servants began to gather around.
Claude, now frantic, shouted at them.
“Take that bastard to the prison right now!”
The soldiers grabbed Morbin. Only then did he realize that Claude was trying to throw him out.
He twisted his face like an evil spirit, screaming.
“You bastard! How many bribes have I given you! How can you do this to me!”
“What? When have I ever accepted a bribe? I’m clean and innocent!”
“I have all the evidence! I’ve prepared the ledgers! My subordinates will spread it!”
“Shut up! That’s all fabricated! I’ve never done that!”
A Chief Officer of a territory was squabbling in front of people with a criminal. Wendy facepalmed from the sidelines.
Morbin wasn’t planning to die alone. He shouted as if for everyone around to hear.
“What do you mean you’ve never done that? We sent soldiers to help during the war! In return, you received jewels from me every week! Are you even human? Did you think I would die alone?!”
He shouted confidently, but people’s reactions were lukewarm. Morbin looked around in confusion.
‘What’s going on? Do they really trust the Chief Officer? Do they truly believe he’s innocent?’
However, people didn’t look like they were seeing it that way. They all had expressions that said, “Why are you saying something so obvious?”
‘What the hell? Who is this bastard? He’s the Chief Officer! This shouldn’t be happening!’
“What is it? He’s the Chief Officer, right? That shouldn’t be allowed!”
Morbin couldn’t figure out how someone could build a reputation like that. Why had the Lord let such a guy live until now?
Claude, seeing people remain calm, sighed in relief.
“Huh, huh. Did people really believe that ridiculous lie? Hurry and take this guy away!”
Morbin was dragged off with a resigned expression. What everyone knew couldn’t be a secret or weakness.
He had been living like a frog in a well, ignorant of the world. He was so hidden that he didn’t even realize he was marked.
So just like that, numerous crime organizations in the Desmond Territory were wiped out in one fell swoop. Most were taken to the Labor Assault Force Special Training Center without even knowing what was happening.
The territory residents were unaware of the full situation. They just felt thankful that the guys who had been bothering them had stopped appearing.
With most criminals gone, incidents and accidents significantly decreased. The territory residents, who received large amounts of food, gradually began to find stability.
“Doesn’t it feel like public order has improved a bit? Maybe it’s because so many soldiers have come over.”
“It turns out our Lord is a good person, huh? He doesn’t just capture the territory residents carelessly and even shares food.”
“See, that’s why you can’t believe rumors. Is there really a Lord like this nowadays?”
“But what’s up with the Chief Officer? I heard he took bribes from criminals. Should we be thankful that he’s not bothering the territory residents?”
Praise for Ghislaine increased while Claude’s reputation plummeted.
As the Labor Assault Force filled its ranks and public sentiment stabilized quickly, Ghislaine couldn’t hide his satisfaction. Ensuring the security of the occupied territories was his top priority.
Having completed an important task, he gathered his retainers and said, “Now, let’s start the next job.”
*
When the news of Ghislaine’s victory in battle reached the capital, the atmosphere brightened significantly. The nobles who had invested in Ghislaine’s ventures and the Crown Prince faction nobility were just as joyful.
Their victory turned the tide against the Duke faction’s prevailing atmosphere.
However, the high-ranking nobles of the Crown Prince faction couldn’t celebrate Ghislaine’s win purely.
“That… that duckling is that capable? What? Archer Cavalry? 6th Circle Mage? The best swordsman in the North? Are you sure you’re seeing this right?”
Marquis Maurice McQuarry, Commander of the Kingdom Army, repeatedly asked Clifton, the commander of the 3rd Legion, the same questions.
Each time, Clifton replied with an unshaken expression.
“Yes, I’m certain. The Northern Army Commander is indeed powerful enough for that position. Penris is now the strongest in the North.”
“…….”
At those words, Maurice and other Crown Prince faction nobles were left speechless.
Penris is the strongest in the North? That brat they had initially seen had grown this fast. They couldn’t believe it at all.
Of course, there was Raybold, who was comparable to Desmond, but the Crown Prince faction nobles didn’t pay it much mind.
They were convinced Amelia, now a Lord, would fail soon enough.
They thought Amelia’s victory over the Northern Alliance wasn’t because of her strategic prowess but merely because the Raybold Army was inherently strong and the Northern Lords were pathetic.
Maurice struggled to speak.
“Are we… really doing this right? That duckling is the strongest in the North… is that correct?”
While they had supported him, they hadn’t expected him to grow this much. It was far too much. He was already hard to control, but what about now that he was a great lord?
“What if he shows his teeth?”
Maurice bit down on his lip, lost in worry.
Another noble, still unable to believe it, laughed and said, “Didn’t the Perdium Army and the Kingdom Army help? That must be why he won, right? He couldn’t have done it alone.”
“……”
Everyone had no response to that.
It wasn’t entirely wrong. But the achievements reported about Ghislaine by Clifton were at a level that couldn’t be seen as merely supported.
What if the large army he had recruited was fully trained?
Then he could have destroyed Count Desmond entirely without any additional support. In other words, Penris could truly be called the strongest in the North.
Penris truly could be called the strongest in the North.
Marquis Branford wore a somewhat complex expression.
“Heh, I can’t believe that guy actually won.”
As always, he was the type to toy with people’s emotions.
Marquis Branford also found it hard to believe, but how could he not trust someone who had been directly involved in the war and spoke with such confidence?
“I need to reassess the information I received before.”
There were many things he dismissed as mere rumors. Perhaps they were all the truth.
Still, he felt good. How could he feel anything but satisfaction as a supporter watching someone he believed in succeed?
At that moment, Maurice stiffened his expression and spoke to Marquis Branford.
“It seems he’s growing too big for his boots. Don’t you think we should rein him in a bit?”
Other nobles nodded in agreement.
“It seems to be growing too quickly. What we hoped for was that Count Penris would keep the North in check, not that he would run rampant.”
“He’s always been a bit arrogant, hasn’t he? It’s only going to get harder to control him.”
“Perhaps the marquis should stop his support and instead guide it to assist the Crown Prince Faction?”
Marquis Branford’s eyebrows twitched at these words. He was feeling pleased, yet here came a bucket of cold water.
It was indeed a great achievement, but from another perspective, they had merely taken down Count Desmond.
With the duke faction and their lords still intact, how could they already be thinking of infighting? They were truly pathetic characters.
He said firmly, “No. Do not touch Count Penris.”
“…….”
“Count Penris will be a great asset in our fight against the duke faction. Do not forget that our enemy is the duke faction.”
With his unwavering tone, the nobles fell silent.
Of course, even Marquis Branford wasn’t entirely without worries. An uncontrollable ally could sometimes be more dangerous than an enemy.
But if they pushed Ghislaine out, it would only favor the duke faction.
“Do not forget our objective. We can think about Count Penris’s issues after addressing the duke faction.”
The nobles of the Crown Prince Faction reluctantly nodded. Of course, Maurice had a slightly different perspective.
“Tch, anyway, hasn’t the civil war been well suppressed even without Count Penris? That duckling has caused me more trouble than anything else. Just wait, his thoughts will change soon enough.”
After finishing his affairs at the royal palace, Marquis Branford immediately called for his butler and commanded, “Release Count Proud.”
With Ghislaine victorious in battle, there was no need to oppress the duke faction nobles in the capital anymore.
Count Proud, dragged in looking disheveled, smiled as if resigned.
“Now that I’m released, it seems Count Penris has won.”
“Go back, Count. I hope there won’t be any more unpleasant incidents like this.”
At Branford’s words, Count Proud replied weakly, “Your Excellency, you’ve made a mistake. You shouldn’t have assisted Count Penris.”
“What do you mean?”
Count Proud wore a look that seemed to imply he had given up on everything.
“Now that Count Desmond is out of the picture, a civil war will inevitably break out.”
“Everyone knows the duke faction is eyeing the kingdom. It’s us who are suppressing the civil war.”
“No, no. You still don’t understand.”
Branford frowned at Count Proud’s patronizing tone.
“What do you mean?”
“The one suppressing the civil war isn’t the Crown Prince Faction but Baron Joseph from the duke faction.”
“Baron Joseph?”
The so-called ‘crippled devil’ was the one suppressing the civil war?
Count Proud smiled weakly and said, “He is a reasonable man. We really wanted to minimize bloodshed. It was Baron Joseph who persuaded the duke.”
“…….”
“Have you forgotten what kind of person the duke is?”
“…….”
“Now the kingdom will be stained with blood.”
Count Proud bowed his head, as if he truly did not wish for that.
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