One Stone, Three Birds (2)
A thick body built with a decent amount of muscle, two protruding front teeth, and long hair tied back.
This was Lodren, the loan shark who ran the largest organization in the back alleys of Ramielli.
Lately, he couldn't shake the feeling that things were going wrong.
"Damn it, nothing's going my way...."
He sat down on a chair and let out a sigh.
His anxiety grew as he habitually tapped his fingers on the armrest, lost in thought.
Until recently, his organization had been smooth sailing, like a ship with the wind in its sails.
Then suddenly, bam. They hit a snag.
It all started when Kutan, the head of the action team, and his lackeys were found burnt to a crisp.
"Those bastards, I sent them on a bakery job... Why were they found dead in Alen's weapon shop?... And they hadn't even gone to the bakery."
He had gone to the weapon shop later to assess the situation, but the knights had already swept through the place, leaving no evidence behind.
It was a miracle that they were able to identify the bodies in such a massive fire.
"But Alen, that bastard's body wasn't there."
If only the third-rate blacksmith's body had been found with them, he could have brushed it off as some unfortunate accident.
However, the only bodies found were those of his men.
This meant there was a good chance that someone was targeting him.
Lodren suspected that Alen might hold a clue, so he searched high and low for him.
But it was like he had vanished into thin air.
"Damn it, and the patrols have been tightened ever since. Goddamn it."
After the massive fire, patrols, which were usually lax, had been inexplicably strengthened.
It was a suspicious overreaction considering that only a few thugs from the back alleys had been burned to death.
And it wasn't just for a day or two—it had continued from that day until now!
With those tin cans in armor running around day and night with fire in their eyes, large-scale fights between organizations had naturally subsided.
Now was the time he had been waiting for.
He was just one step away.
The seeds he had sown so diligently had grown sufficiently, and it was almost harvest time.
Just as he was about to take down his biggest rival, the Stone Gang, he was abruptly stopped.
Lodren was in a real bind.
He tried to grasp the situation and find a solution through his noble connections, but they all shook their heads, no matter how much money he threw at them.
It seemed that the order had come from very high up.
"This is my chance to strike while the Stone Gang is in disarray!"
As he remained immobile, his men began to doubt his leadership.
His organization, the Lust Gang, was a group of people who were honest about their desires.
They were easy to handle as long as they were given appropriate compensation, so he had carefully selected similar individuals.
But now, that had become a major obstacle.
The organization was like a dam about to burst.
Hey, why aren't we going after those Stone Gang bastards?
Is our boss scared of them now that it's time to fight?
We haven't gotten anything done since Kutan left. Was he the real leader after all?
Damn it! I'm tired of just drinking! If we can't fight, at least get us some women! I heard sweet moans coming from the Stone Gang's hideout every day! Anyone want to join me and switch sides!?
Of course, those who carelessly voiced such complaints ended up with their throats slit and their bodies displayed as decorations on the wall, but even that had its limits.
He couldn't keep killing his own men. It was like cutting off his nose to spite his face.
Now, he was truly out of options unless he came up with a groundbreaking solution.
"Damn it...."
Lodren frowned.
Just then.
BAM!
"B-Boss!"
One of his informant members burst through the door with an urgent look on his face.
Lodren, irritated, glared at him.
"What is it?"
"A strange guy just barged in!"
Lodren shot to his feet.
"A strange guy? Not 'guys,' but 'guy'?"
"Yes! Just one!"
"One guy? Why would one guy come here? Did the Stone Gang send him?"
"I don't think so! I've never seen him before."
If this guy didn't recognize him, he couldn't be one of our informants or from the Stone Gang.
And there's no way one guy would be stupid enough to attack us...
"....Maybe a noble brought some information...."
The informant's face brightened.
"Yes, yes! That's right! His clothes and demeanor screamed 'noble'!"
However, Lodren felt a sense of unease.
"Who is it? Who sent him?"
The nobles readily accepted the money he gave them, but they generally had a sense of elitism and didn't want to actively interact or get involved.
They were just in a mutually beneficial relationship where they would turn a blind eye to the Lust Gang's wrongdoings or occasionally provide information about the current situation.
For a noble to seek him out, it was clear that they would demand an enormous price.
"They might ask for something outrageously expensive... But if I play my cards right..."
Lodren quickly calculated the potential gains and losses.
Then he clicked his tongue.
Tsk.
"You, go to the warehouse and bring me the dagger. If anything else goes missing, you know what'll happen."
"!"
The gang member's eyes widened in surprise.
The dagger in the warehouse was Lodren's most prized possession—the magic dagger!
It was worth more than all the other money and goods in the treasury combined.
Lodren had decided to pull out his trump card to resolve the current situation.
"Damn it. I'll go see what he wants."
Lodren opened the door and stepped outside.
The atmosphere was strangely chaotic.
As he surveyed the situation to see what was going on, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Wham!
Wham!
There was a man.
As the informant had said, he had an unusual aura.
An expressionless face with black hair and black eyes, neat attire, and ruthless violence.
He was holding a strange-looking club in his hand.
It was too dark inside the hideout to see clearly, but it was probably made of iron.
After all, the two hulking figures he had stationed as gatekeepers were currently being beaten to a pulp.
Thud!
Thud!
The gatekeepers, their bodies covered in blood, rolled on the ground, their heads caved in.
They seemed to be already dead.
"Damn it... What the hell is going on? Did he kill our boys? I thought he was here with information?"
Lodren gritted his teeth.
He tried to match the man's appearance with the dangerous individuals in his memory.
Nothing came to mind.
"Who is he? Who sent him? Maybe he's not a noble."
He wanted to gather his thoughts a little more.
But he felt the gazes of his men on him.
"Damn it."
Two of his men had just been taken out right before their eyes. Stalling any longer would only fuel the doubts that had begun to shake his authority.
Lodren stepped forward, his voice booming.
"Hey, you son of a bitch! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"You're the bucktooth, aren't you? Turns out the rumors about your teeth were true."
"!"
The surrounding gang members gasped.
Mentioning Lodren's teeth, his biggest complex, was taboo.
Anyone who had ever uttered the word "teeth" in his presence had their own teeth pulled out and buried alive.
But the man continued, seemingly unconcerned.
"It's fascinating, really. How did your teeth get so... prominent...? Do they retract when you press them?"
Lodren's face turned red with fury as he was insulted to his face.
"You little shit! Who sent you?!"
The man ignored Lodren's question.
"Hmm, they come in all shapes and sizes, don't they? Do you judge people by their looks here? I have to admit, the boss is the most magnificently ugly of the bunch."
The man nodded.
Grit.
Lodren ground his teeth.
Then, he threatened in a low voice,
"I. Asked. Who. Sent. You...."
"Let me see... I don't remember his name... Oh, right, he was an odd-looking fellow too."
The man stroked his chin as if trying to recall a memory.
"Ah, he had a square jaw."
"Kutan!!"
Lodren's eyes blazed with fury.
The man who killed Kutan had come to him!
Lodren quickly surveyed his surroundings.
"Almost all of my men are here. He's alone. I didn't see him take down the gatekeepers, but he must be skilled to have handled two men at once. But..."
Lodren knew all too well that even the strongest warrior was no match for overwhelming numbers.
A cruel smile spread across Lodren's face.
"You've got guts, you crazy bastard. Hey! You guys! Get your knives out!!!"
At Lodren's command, the gang members scrambled to draw their weapons.
"Hey, where's my knife?! That's mine!"
"Shut up, you idiot! Just find something nearby!"
They may have looked disorganized, but they were all capable of killing a man without a second thought.
There was no way this guy was getting out alive.
Lodren welcomed the external enemy, as it meant he wouldn't have to sacrifice any more of his own men.
Moreover, this guy was Kutan's killer—a perfect target to make an example of.
By killing him as brutally as possible, he could show everyone what happened to those who dared to challenge him.
"This'll buy me some time, at least."
He needed to boost the morale and unity of his gang.
"Listen up, boys! This bastard killed Kutan! We never forgive those who harm our own! Now's the time to make an example of him!!!"
Lodren shouted for all his men to hear.
The man glanced back.
Then, he nodded and replied,
"As expected of the lackeys of that dark mage targeting Eustia."
His voice echoed, resonating in their ears.
The gang members tilted their heads in confusion at the strange title.
"What? What is he talking about? Eustia? Dark mage?"
Question marks popped up over Lodren's head.
He couldn't understand what this guy was babbling about.
"We're honest loan sharks?"
Ignoring their confusion, the man pointed his club at the gang members and took a stance.
Lodren decided to get some clarification before things escalated further.
"What are you-"
"Lost Hope."
But before Lodren could finish his sentence, the man cut him off.
"We won't stand idly by while you bastards kidnap Iriel."
"Huh??? We... Well, we are the Lust Gang..."
At that moment, one of his men chimed in, agreeing with the man's words.
The man smirked slightly.
"Yes, you. The recruits of Lost Hope. Did that dark mage, Lost, promise you the rank of Hope if you kidnapped Iriel?"
What?
As he listened to the man's nonsense, Lodren had a sinking feeling that something was terribly wrong.
"Kidnap? Well, we are loan sharks... We've done our fair share of kidnappings. But who's Eustia, and who's Iriel...?"
Suddenly, the image of a red-haired woman flashed through his mind.
"Wait a minute!! The Princess of Eustia, Iriel Eustia?!"
Lodren's jaw dropped.
"Don't tell me... the reason security has been so tight lately is... Oh no!!!!"
Panic surged through him.
He didn't know if the man's words were true, but if there was even a one in a million chance they were, he was in deep shit.
This wasn't just about controlling the back alleys anymore—his entire organization could be wiped out!
They were clean loan sharks who only kidnapped those they could handle.
Kidnapping the Princess of Eustia would be suicide!
He had to tell this guy that they had nothing to do with the attempted kidnapping!
"W-wait a-"
But before Lodren could get another word out.
Thwack!
The man charged at one of his men.
The unfortunate soul hadn't managed to find his weapon and was completely defenseless.
The man moved at an incredible speed, too fast for the eye to follow.
Crack!!
A dull thud echoed through the hideout.
But it wasn't his man who had been hit.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Roll.
Thud.
The man who had charged with such momentum was sent flying backward.
The gang member, who had instinctively closed his eyes and raised his hands in defense, looked stunned.
"W-what the?!"
The gazes of the surrounding men shifted.
The skilled fighter who had effortlessly taken down two gatekeepers was now lying on the ground, knocked out by a single punch!
"...You... You were this strong...?"
"B-Boss, I'll pay you back for the drinks last time."
"D-did you find your knife? Here, take this!!!"
Lodren frowned.
"What's going on?"
* * *
Zeke lay on the ground, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Alright, time to cough up some blood."
He channeled a weak reverse flow of mana through his mana road. A surge of blood rose in his throat.
Cough!!!
He let out a dramatic cough, spewing an amount of blood that seemed excessive for a punch to the gut.
"Ugh. As. Expected. From. Those. Dark. Mages."
He glared at them, gritting his teeth.
At the same time, the mark on the back of his hand glowed blue.
"Oops."
Zeke quickly hid his hand beneath his stomach, concealing the light.
Woong.
He replicated the delicate mana control Soi Spoon used when making bread.
In Zeke's hands, the technique was even more precise and swift.
Soon, a mana sphere the size of a baseball formed in his hand.
Zeke detonated the mana sphere beneath his stomach.
Boom!!!!
A deafening explosion shook the entire building, and smoke billowed from beneath Zeke's body.
"Damn. You. Bastards..."
"Ugh, the smoke... I suck at this."
Maintaining his usual tone while acting was one thing, but now he had to appear injured.
He tried his best to portray the effects of a dark magic attack, but his delivery remained as flat and emotionless as ever.
Fizzle.
The smoke he had released spread and filled the hideout.
One by one, those who inhaled the smoke began to tremble.
Their eyes slowly turned crimson.
Zeke, keeping his head bowed, peeked around to assess the situation.
"Good, they've almost all inhaled it."
Swoosh.
Zeke reabsorbed the dispersed smoke, converting it back into mana and channeling the residue into the mark on his hand.
"...Groan..."
"...Alcohol..."
"...Sex..."
"...Kill..."
Zeke glanced back.
"How long are those guys going to keep that up? They need to make their move soon."
Zeke kept his face downcast as he spoke.
"Assassination. Captain. The enemies. Seem to. Have. Noticed."
Zeke squeezed his eyes shut.
"Damn it, my acting is so bad! What if they see through it?"
A wave of belated anxiety washed over him.
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