Chapter 300
Chapter 300 – I Am the Plunder King. (1)
“Ugh, no! You guys!”
In the dead of night, an old man was pleading, clutching the leg of a burly masked man.
“Get lost, will you?”
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The man kicked the old man away and started grabbing various items from his house.
“Ha, being an old man living alone, he doesn’t have much. But hey, looks like he has enough food this time. Hey, have you marked another house?”
As the man looked back, several people nodded.
“Yes, we’ve picked a good spot. Let’s hurry.”
“Right, we need to gather as much as we can in these times.”
The man chuckled. They were low-level members of the ‘Dark Lion Group,’ one of the crime organizations operating in Desmond.
Despite its grand name, their main job was robbery. And there was a good reason for it.
“Hehe, that crazy chief officer has spread so much food around, right? 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 might think. They sell bad drugs, engage in loan sharking, commit fraud, shake down for protection money, and smuggle banned goods.
But nowadays, the latest trend in the Desmond region was robbery and theft. The occupying forces had distributed an enormous amount of food, so it was easy money if they could just take it.
Most of the troops guarding Harold’s vast territory had withdrawn, making room for the criminals to swoop in.
“Hey, let’s move fast. I heard the troops are gradually being replenished and are roaming around. We should collect as much as we can before that.”
The crime organizations were going wild with robbery and theft in their respective areas. They knew that such blatant actions were only possible in this chaotic time.
As the robbers were about to leave, the old man suddenly stood up and shouted.
“You rascals! How am I supposed to live if you take everything? Hand it over right now!”
As the old man rushed at him, the man kicked him again.
“Ugh!”
“Hey, I’m trying to be nice here, why do you keep getting in my way? Don’t you get it? I was letting you live a few more days, but now you want me to just kill you? Haven’t you heard rumors that many people have been dying lately?”
The man pulled out a knife and waved it in front of the old man’s eyes. Seeing his bloodshot eyes, the old man gasped.
“Ugh…”
Having lived long enough, he could tell at a glance. These guys had truly killed before.
Now that the old man felt fear, the man spitted on the ground.
“Go ahead and report us if you want. You won’t be able to catch us because you don’t even know who we are. Heh heh.”
The man spoke with amusement. It was genuinely fun to run rampant in the absence of public order.
After laughing heartily, the robbers abandoned the old man and moved on to their next target.
Then they encountered a group of individuals all wearing masks just like them.
“Hmm? What’s this? Who are these guys?”
The man tilted his head. Though robbery was trending, typically each organization operated within their own territory.
Now was not the time to fight among organizations since that would cause major losses.
“There are quite a few of them. Where are they headed? Hey, where did you come from?”
The newly appeared group of about 40 people stared at the robbers. Then the one at the front stepped up and asked.
“Robbers?”
“Where are you from? Don’t you realize this is our territory?”
“Robbers.”
“Hah, what the hell! Are you looking for a fight? I’m asking where you came from!”
The man shouted loudly. Although they were only about ten, this was their area. No need to be scared, as a war between organizations was banned for the time being.
But it seemed the other side had no intention of backing down. Suddenly, one of them drew a hand axe from their waist and strode forward.
“W-wait. You’re not trying to break the treaty, are you? Seeing you pull out that hand axe, you must be from the ‘Bloody Axe Gang’, right? You made a mistake….”
Thud!
Before the man could finish his sentence, his head was smashed open. The one who swung the axe spoke in a monotone voice.
“I am the Plunder King. And those behind me are the 40 thieves.”
Disguised as the Plunder King, Ghislaine encountered the robbers while heading to wipe out a crime organization.
The robbers staggered back, trembling.
“W-what? What do you mean? We made a treaty, right? Are you trying to start a war?”
“What kind of war with a bunch of punks like you? Kill them all except for one.”
As Ghislaine waved his hand disinterestedly, the 40 thieves… no, knights sprung into action.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
The robbers were swiftly twisted or had their heads burst open. Those who hadn’t even honed their mana couldn’t withstand the knights’ blow.
“Please, spare me!”
One remaining robber dropped to the ground, palms rubbing together. He was in a daze. He couldn’t even see how his comrades had been killed.
Ghislaine crouched down next to the robber and asked.
“Where’s your base?”
“Ah, the Dark Lion Group.”
“Pfft!”
Ghislaine couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdly grand name, clearing his throat as if it had never happened.
“Ahem. I was actually on my way to find another organization. I didn’t know there was such a place.”
Ghislaine tilted his head.
While Harold had gathered documentation on most crime organizations while he was alive, the data was far from perfect. Existing organizations disappeared or merged, leading to new ones arising.
Organizations that had paid taxes and kept their heads down were clearly identified. However, information on those that had been wiped out after holding out without paying taxes, those scattered due to power struggles, was inevitably lacking.
And it was also hard to identify newly formed organizations that had sprung up, taking advantage of the gaps in public order.
Though finding a target that wasn’t in his plans, since he intended to eliminate all criminals anyway, it made sense to make a move here. Ghislaine nodded and continued.
“Well, this works out. Lead the way.”
“Uh?”
“Lead the way. To your hideout.”
“Ah, understood!”
The robber’s eyes widened as he jumped up. He thought he was a goner, but he was spared.
At the hideout, there would be many members. Especially the executives were strong fighters. The robber was sure that those executives would be able to take them down.
He guided the Plunder King and his subordinates to a relatively large building.
“Hmm, what’s this?”
It was a sizable Ink Manufacturing Facility and Dye Workshop that had been reported in the territory’s facility status. It meant they were also involved in some legitimate business.
“Wow, these guys are impressive. They appear wholesome on the outside but are actually raking in cash behind the scenes.”
That’s why no matter how many small fries they caught, the crime organization wouldn’t disappear.
The big shots lived according to the law quite well. They made the underlings do any risky work, while they continued their criminal activities scot-free.
They even made connections often through bribes so they could escape should they ever get caught.
“No wonder it’s hard to catch them. Most territory residents have no clue that these guys are a crime organization.”
If they hit this place without proper evidence, rumors would quickly spread that the lord was falsely accusing them and resorting to tyranny.
And digging up evidence to deal with them legally would take too long and prove too difficult.
In that case, it was better to just smack them around and throw them into labor forces.
Creak…
Upon entering, indeed, well-built men were gathered inside.
“Who are you? We’re not open right now. Please come back tomorrow.”
A muscular man smiled kindly. He was the chief of the Dark Lion Group.
However, he soon noticed that his guests looked rather suspicious.
“What’s going on? Why is everyone wearing masks?”
“I am the Plunder King.”
“What?”
As soon as Ghislaine finished introducing himself, the captured robber shouted.
“Boss! These guys are from the Bloody Axe Gang! They’ve come to attack us!”
At that single sentence, all members of the Dark Lion Group stood up armed.
Ghislaine calmly observed this and muttered to himself.
“I said I am the Plunder King.”
“Attack!”
With the boss’s shout as a signal, the group charged immediately. Ghislaine signaled to the knights as well.
“Clear them out. Just leave one alive.”
Crash!
“Huh?”
The chief, who had been rushing forward with a weapon, suddenly stopped.
They were gone. All his members who had been running alongside him had suddenly vanished.
Slowly turning around, he found them all smashed against the wall, bloodied.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud…
The chief bit his teeth and trembled as he slowly raised his hands.
‘This… this is real. Real ones from the shadows have come.’
The figures in front of him were not just simple crime organizations like theirs. They were clearly from a proper assassination group or a major guild.
“W-what brings you to our humble organization?”
“Hmm, can we talk?”
“Sh-should I bring some tea?”
“No, just sit.”
Even with blood spattered everywhere, Ghislaine sat calmly in a chair. The chief dared not think of sitting and instead knelt on the ground.
Observing him quietly, Ghislaine spoke up.
“Tell me the locations of all the organizations you know.”
“Y-yes, of course!”
He himself was also a leader of a crime organization. He understood well that being combative during such moments would only lead to pain.
After all, stressing the values of loyalty or brotherhood among crime organizations was often meaningless.
The boss of the Dark Lion Group diligently wrote down the locations of all organizations he knew, even including how many members they had and who their leaders were, as if he was listing his family’s enemies.
Ghislaine received this eagerly, nodding in satisfaction.
“Looks like we’ll be able to find them all.”
Some he already knew while others were completely new. Indeed, criminals knew other criminals best.
He could continue breaking them all down one by one like this.
“Hey, you two.”
“Yes!”
Both the chief and the remaining robber shouted loudly.
Ghislaine looked at them and said.
“As the Plunder King, I never spare life for my enemies. So you must die.”
“Please, spare us!”
“Hmm, if you survive, you’d better pay your dues in the afterlife.”
Thud!
With a single wave of Ghislaine’s hand, the two fainted.
One knight wearing a mask swiftly lifted the two and promptly moved. The knight tossed them straight into the closest troop barracks.
Then several soldiers rushed over to pull them away.
In front of the barracks hung a large sign.
[Labor Assault Team – Special Education Center No. 5]
The Plunder King and the 40 thieves roamed around every night, wiping out crime organizations. Naturally, when morning came, the bodies were discovered, causing chaos among the territory residents.
“Did a serial killer show up?”
“It’s not that; they say all those were criminals. They were fighting with other members of organizations!”
“Huh! So right now, there’s a war going on among crime organizations?”
“Exactly! They say a guy called the Plunder King has decided to unify the underworld of this territory!”
“Oh no, I hope it doesn’t affect us. Things are already chaotic post-war…”
“I heard the new lord issued a powerful decree. He said anyone who touches the territory residents will not be spared. That’s why the soldiers are constantly patrolling and reinforcing security.”
“Well, that’s a relief, but…”
Lowell, the informant, was busy fabricating rumors. It was made to seem as though the crime organizations were merely fighting among themselves.
Because of this, suspicion and distrust did not fall on Ghislaine. While fear no doubt intensified, it was soon to dissipate since the soldiers were tightening up security.
After all, human psychology tends to swiftly forget as long as they don’t suffer.
If he could wipe out the crime organizations as quickly as possible, the attention would die down fast.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Ugh! This demon!”
“So, you’re the Plunder King!”
“I won’t let you go!”
As the organizations began disappearing one by one, some formed alliances. However, they stood no chance against the Plunder King and the 40 thieves.
Every day, half of them were slaughtered while the other half were dragged off to various Labor Assault Teams – Special Education Centers.
“You brutal bastards! We are people too! Do you really have to go this far? Do you need to take it all for yourself?”
One organization’s chief protested wildly, but Ghislaine neatly severed his head, saying,
“You are not people. I prefer to take it all for myself.”
Crime organizations were swiftly vanishing at an alarming rate, but Ghislaine’s work wasn’t finishing as quickly as he thought.
This was partly due to the vastness of the Desmond Territory, but also because the defeat in the war prompted an incredible number of crime organizations to sprout.
As the achievements of the Plunder King became known, the many crime organizations began to hide one by one. Some moved their hideouts while others drastically reduced their activities.
While searching for crime organizations, Ghislaine rubbed his forehead.
“Ugh, what a bunch of idiots.”
Leaving them be because they were being quiet wasn’t an option. They were sure to crawl out to do bad things at any opportunity.
Realistically, there could never be a total eradication of criminals. There are far more crazy people out there than one might think. Such individuals would continue to exist until humanity was wiped out.
However, Ghislaine was determined to ensure that, at least while he ruled the territory, criminals would be unable to breathe easier.
“I need to change my approach a bit.”
He had to find and wipe them out as quickly as possible. It would be even better if they came together and charged at him like last time.
While contemplating, Ghislaine called Claude.
“You need to shine a bit.”
“Me? Do what?”
“Your reputation isn’t great, is it? You’re well known for loving bribes, being a gambler… you’re basically known as trash.”
“…and?”
Claude tilted his head, clearly irritated. Somehow, his bad reputation had spread all the way to this place.
He had hoped to start afresh in a new territory, but that was ruined.
However, Ghislaine smiled meaningfully as if it was all for the best.
“You’ll be meeting with crime organizations. Say you can offer them some protection in exchange for bribes. Gather as many of them as you can.”
“……”
“You can do that, right? You’re good with this sort of thing.”
Ghislaine spoke with confident intonation. No matter how he thought about it, Claude would fit this role perfectly.
Regardless of what anyone said, he was the most corrupt official in the territory.
