Chapter 137 - Chapter 135: Collapse of the Underground Organization
Kaspar and about 50 others screamed "Ugyaa!" many times in the middle of the night, drawing complaints from the next room. The dream Kaspar saw. It was a horrifying thing.
Misuzu came to a beautiful bed, and he was excited, thinking a dream-like sweet sex was about to begin. When Misuzu took the cowgirl position, she shook her hips lewdly. It happened the moment he was about to climax. Gradually, her face and body melted, a monster appeared from beneath, and strangled his neck.
"Stop! It hurts... I'm dying! Gugyaa!!"
He writhed in agony, nearly dying.
'This is retribution for those who have suffered because of you until now. Confess all your sins, and this nightmare will continue until you receive punishment.'
Whenever he tried to sleep, he was forced to see this nightmare, whether he wanted to or not. His other companions were the same, spending days unable to sleep at all.
The time had come for me to use 'Nightmare'.
Aristo, as the Sandwich Man, was mocked daily and grew increasingly pale. Likewise, Kaspar and his merry companions also grew pale day by day from lack of sleep.
The muscle-bound idiot and his father, Viscount Kuzutafu, also suffered from sleeplessness due to nightmares. Amidst this, the muscle-bound idiot's companions disappeared one after another.
"Someone is betraying our companions! Who is it? Find them!"
"Speaking of which, lately, Oliver hasn't been coming to meetings, saying he can't sleep and isn't feeling well?"
Oliver was the muscle-bound idiot.
"That guy is suspicious. He sold out his companions, and can't sleep from regret, right? If he's suspicious, torture him! Investigate his younger brother and his companions too! At worst, we can just make them disappear."
(Because of that muscle-brained fool, the intelligence network we spent 19 years building is being destroyed! Unforgivable!)
Thus, driven by suspicion and paranoia, they began to doubt their companions. Who on earth betrayed them, and for what? Where did the vanished companions go? Or perhaps, they no longer exist in this world? They harbored such anxious feelings.
Today, one disappears, and then another. A different group gathered at a tavern.
"Hey! Isn't this just like the spiriting-away we were pulling? What the hell is going on?"
A leader-like guy was lashing out.
"Don't shout! The women disguised as prostitutes who were our contacts have also disappeared. If they vanish, we don't know who our companions are. They were contacts for emergencies. Everyone, think of a good solution! If you're just going to complain, get out!"
The prostitutes, vagrants, and stall owners who were in contact with the upper organization also disappeared one after another, frustrating the boss. The leader was drinking, so one man said, "If you say get out, I'll get out. I said too much myself, so I'll go cool my head somewhere," and left looking slightly angry, but then vanished completely.
"That guy... it's been a while since he left the shop, is it okay to leave him be, boss? Actually, isn't he the one betraying us...?"
"Indeed. Go look for him a bit!"
The underlings left the shop to search, but he was nowhere to be found. Thinking he might have gone home, they checked his house, but it was empty. To make matters worse, all his belongings had been cleanly removed.
"This is bad, boss! That guy... his stuff is all gone and he's disappeared!"
"Search! He can't have gone far yet! What 'spiriting-away'! If you know the methods and the inside situation, you don't call it spiriting-away! That traitor!"
(The lower organizations of thugs and outlaws are almost completely destroyed. Time to move to the next phase!)
Among the shops purveying to the Imperial Family, there is one called Shilling.The shopkeeper had a good personality and was liked by everyone.
That night, Shilling was tormented by a nightmare.
"P-please... don't kill me... I was wrong..."
"Dear! What's wrong?"
When his wife panicked, he said, "No... I just had a slightly scary dream..." drenched in sweat. In the end, he couldn't sleep a wink that night, and when morning came, the head clerk and the apprentice clerk were gone.
When he asked the apprentice, he was told, "Last night, they said they were going out for a drink together and haven't returned yet." Shilling was irritated, partly from lack of sleep.
It was true that the head clerk and apprentice clerk had gone drinking.However, for some reason, instead of returning, they visited the leader's house. It was empty, and as the head clerk and apprentice clerk were laughing, "Huh? Where did he go?", the boss and his subordinates arrived.
"You... you're the head clerk of Shilling, right? From the Imperial purveyor shop?"
"Yes. That's right. Who might you be?"
"We're the ones asking questions. Why did the head clerk of such a shop come to this room?"
They said they got drunk and lost their way, but they weren't trusted.
"I-it's the truth! We drank too much..."
"Sorry, but you're coming with us!"
They were abducted by the boss and his subordinates. The leader was convinced that the Imperial purveyor shop was connected to the underworld, and that Shilling had been leaking their information to the Emperor when he delivered goods.
"Otherwise, there's no way the head clerk and apprentice clerk of a purveyor shop would come to a place like this! Make them talk, even if you have to torture them!"
The boss was a low-level organization and didn't know. Shilling Trading Company was an organization that managed information, just like Lechaa Trading Company. The head clerk had thoughtfully come to visit because the leader hadn't shown up at the shop for a while, but that backfired and they were captured.
Even after a day passed, the head clerk and apprentice clerk were missing, but Shilling was on high alert. He wondered if information had leaked somewhere and they had been arrested by the Military Police. Since the head clerk and apprentice clerk weren't real merchants either, even when asked, "What's your relationship with the leader? Speak!", they didn't say a word, though they might have been saved if they had. Although they were the same organization, everyone was now suspicious of each other, and no one realized they were effectively in a state of internal conflict.
The next morning.
The bodies of the head clerk and apprentice clerk were found drowned in the river. They were in such a terrible state that it was clearly the result of torture.
(You're next.)
Shilling felt as if someone had told him that and panicked. So, he fled to the mansion of a certain noble.
Oliver was also captured and tortured.
"I'm not involved! I didn't even know my companions had disappeared! I was at home the whole time and didn't meet anyone! That's good enough, right?"
"About 50 people have already disappeared, you know? Everyone except you. Don't you think that's strange? Hey, you? You have a younger brother, right? In exchange for letting you go, did your brother sell out the other companions or something?"
The muscle-bound idiot, captured by another group and being interrogated. The tone was flippant, but there was an eerie creepiness to it. The cruel smile on his face gave off the feeling of a 'torture lover'.
"W-wait! My brother has nothing to do with this... I don't know anything either, but my brother knows even less! It's the truth, believe me!"
"It seems the younger brother is the real target! His name is Kaspar, I think. Lure him out and torture him! If we say 'Your big brother is in trouble,' he'll come right away, won't he? Everyone, go to the academy! Use any means necessary! Bring him here!"
"You bastards! Lay even a finger on my brother and I'll kill you all!"
The muscle-bound idiot was tied up and couldn't move.
"Idiot! Don't act tough in that state! So uncool!"
The guys around him teased and laughed at him.
The next day.
"Big Brother... are you okay?"
"Kaspar! They did terrible things to you too... You bastards! Unforgivable!"
They were laughed at loudly by those around them, mocked with, "You, tied to a chair, can say whatever high-and-mighty thing you want, it doesn't mean anything!"
Then, a sword was placed at the feet of the muscle-bound idiot and Kaspar. When 'Berserk' was cast on both of them, freeing them from their chairs, they attacked everyone around them.
(Whenever I see it, enemies killing each other is so nice! It cleanses the soul.)
A barrier was set up so no one could escape from this abandoned building. The two brothers continued fighting until they died, turning the inside of the abandoned building into a gruesome crime scene. Even those who barely survived died as the air grew thin.
I cast 'Clean' on all the corpses and tidied them up. When I transferred them to where the refugees were, the looters cleanly stripped them. Surely, the news about the head clerk, the apprentice clerk, and the Kaspar brothers would be in tomorrow's newspaper.
Meanwhile, the three members of 'Shivans' Guard' had cornered a separate enemy unit.
The enemy's separate unit was panicking.
"Why did they find us all the way here... who betrayed us?"
"Captain... saying that now won't help anything!"
Unaware that Lechaa Trading Company had long been captured, they were waiting for a messenger. The bandits they hired had also stopped communicating midway, and they were angry, saying, "They were just hired with money after all!", but they hadn't actually betrayed them.
Just then, a report came from a scout.
"The enemy... about 300 strong! They're breaking through our traps one after another, it's only a matter of time before they get here! At least you must escape, Captain!"
"Don't be foolish! We came here to kill Butler! What good would it do if I escaped alone? ...That's it!"
He gathered five skilled men and gave orders.
"You five, cross this back mountain and survive! We will buy time here! Survive at all costs and kill Butler! Don't forget the 19-year grudge! Repay the Grand Duke's favor! Aim for the opening ceremony!"
"Captain. Please wait for us ahead! We will definitely come to see you with Butler's head as a souvenir!"
"Alright, go! The rest of you, follow me! We'll launch an attack to draw them as far away from the five as possible! Keep the enemy away!"
A mere 50 men took on the task of engaging over 300 enemies.
Yaris and the others didn't miss the enemy's movement either. However, it was the group of 50, not the five. The enemy appeared to be descending the mountain to flee.
"Chase them! Don't let them escape! That's the main force! Aim for their legs as much as possible!"
At Yaris's clear, carrying voice, the dogs also moved all at once, cornering the enemy. The 50 men were captured one by one.
"About 50 of them... that's 500,000 G for us!"
"Vel. At most, you'd be lucky to get even 20,000, you know?"
It was just as Regias said, but the reward money still seemed to make him happy.
The 50 men of the separate unit, placed on a magic circle, were treated by me and then sent directly to the underground dungeon of the Palace.
The people I had captured—former students of the Etiquette School, former students of the Knight Academy, and masterless knights and soldiers—were being trained under Sera, doing work for the Internal Affairs Officer, swimming under the Marine Corps, and climbing mountains with heavy bags on their backs.
The captain of the Marine Corps asked, "Why are you training people like these?"
"In the not-too-distant future, the allied forces of the Duchy of Walujava and Hazard Country will attack. There will be war again, right? When that happens, we'll need garrison soldiers and guard soldiers for this territory, won't we?"
Hearing this, he became eager, saying, "We'll train them thoroughly! Us too!"
There were people unsuited to be either internal affairs officers or soldiers. Those not suited for either were put to work seriously in agriculture, commerce, or as artisans, where there was a labor shortage.
And a few days later. The opening ceremony finally began. Conveniently, the five enemies who had fled appeared at the location where my family and the three members of 'Shivans' Guard' were.
"19 years ago... our homeland suffered defeat because of you..."
"Know with your own body how much we have suffered!"
"The five strongest of the Duchy of Walujava! Prepare yourself!"
"Hehehe. We know you're good at magic!"
"We have applied Anti-Magic. You have no chance of winning now!"
When I tried to step forward, Gale stopped me.
"Boy. The general alone is more than enough here!"
Father Butler, holding a greatsword in one hand, slowly stood up, a fearless smile on his face, and said, "Are you finished saying what you wanted to say?" He seemed to slowly raise his sword.
The intimidation was incredible... Just as I thought that, he moved with agility unbefitting his large frame, closed the distance in an instant, and swung his sword down, turning the five into corpses in the blink of an eye.
"Hey, hey... you came calling yourselves the strongest with just this level? Aren't you too weak?"
The five were corpses, their bodies split in two by Butler's downward sword strike.
(No, no... you're just too strong...)
The onlookers were holding back the urge to retort. I cleaned up the corpses, and the opening ceremony ended without a hitch.
(After this, His Majesty and Klaus will enjoy themselves disposing of the higher nobles. It's better if I don't stick my nose in too much.)
The Imperial Army, organized by Windam, was formed into five divisions, with one division incorporating newly recruited soldiers, totaling about 15,000 troops.
"Everyone. This is not a drill! We will annihilate the rebels!"
""Ooh!!""
Thus, the army moved to subjugate the nobles who had been colluding with the enemy.
The three members of 'Shivans' Guard' returned to the territory and thoroughly trained in 'Yabusame'.
After that, I headed to the fast-food restaurant.The first day of opening was incredible.From early morning, there was a line, and I ended up having to help out...
The reasons for its popularity were novelty and low price. And the costumes. They were wearing bikini swimsuits with skirts, and the men lined up saying the legs peeking from the skirts and the panties were arousing.
We moved up the opening time, and I grilled patties and fried French fries in the fryer. The young girls next to me also worked briskly.
Using wrapping paper made from slime solution, they put in hamburgers and fries, sprinkled salt, and Kiku, Inori, Shikari, and Chou served customers with smiles, saying, "Thank you for waiting!"
"What's this? I didn't order it?"
"Those are called French fries, and we're offering them for free today to everyone who ordered a hamburger!"
Saying "Huh," and taking a bite, a young man made a huge fuss, shouting, "What is this? It's super delicious!" Because of that, the customers in line were almost drooling from the good smell and excitement.
Gelato and crepes also sold like crazy. In the end, customers didn't decrease until night, making it a hugely successful day. After cleaning up, I went up to the second floor, took a bath, and ate a hamburger.
A drinking party began, with French fries as a snack.
"That was amazing! Will it decrease tomorrow?"
Kiku said worriedly, and Inori said, "I'll have to close the nursery and daycare center for a while." Shikari said optimistically, "Won't we be able to go partway through tomorrow? Surely, it won't be like today!"
"That's right! If customers come like this every day, my body won't hold up! But if they eventually get tired of it and a day comes when no one comes, that would be a problem too, right?"
When Chou said something negative, the other three started saying, "That would be a problem too. But we'll know tomorrow morning, right?"
That night.
As I held her, Kiku said, "Atai's period still hasn't come! I might be pregnant!" and Inori said, "Me too! When I consulted the director, she said 'Congratulations!'"
Then Shikari and Chou also happily said theirs hadn't come, but Shikari said, "It's my first child, so I'm worried..." and Chou said, "Here, the hospital is close, so I'm relieved, but I'm worried about the shop."
"You can just consult with Sera and Meg about that! You four should first and foremost think about your own bodies."
The four seemed tired, so I let them sleep early.
The next morning.
"Isn't it more than yesterday?"
"It's definitely more..."
"What's going on!?"
"Anyway, let's hurry and get changed!"
Looking out the window, I could see people who had clearly been lining up since before dawn. The person at the front said, "I've been waiting in line since late at night! I couldn't forget the taste from yesterday!"
The part-time girls also quickly came in through the back door. They told me they got here safely because the Marine Corps was guarding them, but don't get completely naked in front of me to change.
"The changing room is pretty cramped, and... if it's our handsome Lord, we're happy to have him see! It's more like a reward! How about it? Us?"
About 20 beautiful girls, aged around 15 to 18, changing completely naked into bikinis was a feast for the eyes.
"You're all very beautiful. I can see why men come here for you!"
When I praised them, they squealed with delight and said, "This place is strange," which made me wonder what was strange. These girls were children of refugees and displaced people. The noble lord who originally lived here was arrogant, and apparently, it was normal, even commonplace, for him to treat slum children like them like garbage and rape them without a second thought, let alone praise them.
"Nobles like that should just die."
When I muttered that, they said, "You really are strange! We'll do our best!" and left.
I spent those three busy, turbulent days at this shop. Now that everyone was finally getting used to it, I decided to return.
Seeing the explosive sales of French fries, Sera, who had her eye on the potato called spado as a money-maker, immediately gave instructions.
"Listen! We're going to improve the variety of these wild potatoes and increase the planting area!"
The village chief questioned, "This potato? It sells? There are tons of them just lying around everywhere, though?"
"Don't be silly! Lord Shivans says it will sell!"
"Then there's no mistake! Hey! Let's make better ones than the other villages!"
The villagers were eager.As if competing, each village began cultivating them on vacant land in a race.
I headed to the Butler territory and asked about the progress of the dresses; they were already finished. Moreover, there were over 50 items made by remaking previously made ones, changing materials, or partially altering the designs.
"Thank you very much! This is a great help!"
"It's fine, Young Master! Just earn lots of money!"
Encouraged by the aunties, I returned to the academy for the time being.
At the academy, the figure of Aristo the Sandwich Man was already gone.
(It seems we've won.)
Aristo, who kept standing even as his heart was about to break.On the other hand, a year of sleeplessness, his heart eroded by Nightmare.
[Viscount Kuzutafu's Brothers Found Slashed to Death. 30 Other Bodies Also Found Naked]
[Apparently, they died as a result of internal strife. The eldest son, Oliver, was once said to be the top swordsman in his grade at the Knight Academy. However, he became frustrated because his skills were only enough to lose to an academy student, and he voluntarily dropped out. His younger brother, Kaspar, also roamed the streets night after night. He was doing things no different from a thug.]
With the publication of this article, the 50 companions were interrogated by the Military Police and apologized to Aristo, saying, "We are the ones who spread the bad rumors. We are very sorry."
Even so, Aristo's reputation did not recover.
"Are you still blaming the first-years for breaking your promise with Master and not even apologizing? I don't want to hear such excuses."
"It's unsightly! Lord would surely be disappointed to see you now, Aristo-sama. You speak of everything as if it's someone else's problem, but you are a criminal who could easily have been arrested by the Military Police, you know? Do you understand that?"
Told off by Indigo and Frank, was he reflecting at all? However, he looked happy when Carla and Limone invited him to the gym storage shed. In the end, Indigo and Frank went along too.
When I went to the Student Council Room, Aria was standing there all alone.
"Hey, you? Does my pussy feel good? The other day, Aristo said that Limone and Carla felt better."
When I laughed, she got angry, saying, "Why are you laughing!"
"Because there's no point in comparing with people you don't even like, right? At the very least, I have no desire to hold Limone or Carla. I'm happy because you lewdly devote yourself to me, Aria, and when I hold you, it feels good!"
She giggled, "Oh, really! You have no desire to hold Limone or Carla, but you want to hold me! Fufufu..." and laughed happily.
"My lewd pussy loves only your cock! Certainly, sex with Aristo didn't feel good at all!"
"Only your pussy?"
"I'll tell you the rest in bed ♡ Hold me soon, you ♡ Tie me up a lot and make me lewd ♡"
Until the next morning, Aria became lewd, was held like crazy, and continued to scream, "I love only my Master ♡"