Chapter 79

“Is that Malik fellow the mastermind behind all this? You said we might gain his cooperation. Things have taken a bizarre turn.”

“It was my blunder. I didn’t anticipate his move at all.”

Izack replied to Vittorio while closing the eyes of a fallen comrade. Vittorio’s gaze as he watched him was equally complicated.

“If men like these had been mobilized for the dungeon raids, Denabi’s situation would be twice as good.”

There was a hint of regret mixed into his voice. Limone was also a frontier fief lacking in people and resources. Losing this many able-bodied men was a significant blow to the territory.

However, Izack spoke up.

“…They are already raiding dungeons.”

“Raiding dungeons?”

Izack nodded at Vittorio’s question.

“But if that’s the case, why didn’t we see a single hair of these guys during the last raid?”

“These bastards belong to the lower district’s Vigilante Association. They don’t cooperate with the Legion at all.”

“Then why leave them be? It would be better to force conscription on them.”

Izack hesitated to explain this to Vittorio. But in the end, he decided to speak. Though they were an impromptu search party, Vittorio was now a man who had crossed the line of death alongside him. He deserved to hear it.

“There are many reasons, but… the core is simple. It’s because these guys have a history of successfully clearing a dungeon.”

“Hard to believe,” Vittorio said flatly. “Even a low-rank dungeon is still a dungeon. Unexpected dangers are bound to lurk there. It’s not a place that can be invaded by people like vigilantes, who lack systematic military discipline, order, and tactics.”

“Do you still think that after just facing them?”

“…….”

Vittorio’s eyes narrowed at Izack’s question.

“I’ll admit it. They were strong. But they weren’t soldiers. A dungeon isn’t something that can be breached at the guild level.”

“You can say that, but the lower district pulled it off. That’s a fact. I was there myself.”

“You were there?”

“The manor of a lower district influential was encroached upon by a dungeon. That influential put out a request to the guilds. At first, I scoffed at it. I took the job thinking I’d just pick up some burial goods at the entrance. But after digging a bit, I saw the potential.”

Izack continued the story.

“The number of participants gradually increased. To handle so many people, a system emerged, and that request transformed into a full-scale operation mobilizing the entire guild.”

“So, did you succeed?”

“Yes. It was a triumph. At least, it was back then…”

Izack lowered his head.

“Because of that incident, the lower district’s autonomy became even more solidified. The justification for the Denabi Legion to intervene in the lower district vanished. Besides, Denabi’s situation wasn’t good enough to wage a full-scale war against the guilds.”

Vittorio nodded as if he finally understood. Then he asked, “Do you regret that achievement?”

“No, if it weren’t for that event, the Denabi of today wouldn’t exist. But… in the end, it’s come to this.”

After securing autonomy back then, the lower district drifted further and further away from the rest of Denabi. Izack said he didn’t regret it, but he couldn’t deny that very achievement had birthed this outcome. The severe conflict currently plaguing the upper and lower districts—the lower district’s victory was the seed.

“Anyway… Malik couldn’t have planned all of this alone. There must be people who egged him on to do this.”

“Are you talking about those lower district influentials you mentioned?”

“Yeah. But they are ultimately creatures that move by the logic of the market.”

Izack stood up from the stairs as he spoke. Blood seeped from the wound on his thigh from earlier. His leather trousers were unpleasantly soaked, and the wound burned with pain. However, the day had only just begun to break.

“We just need to cut off their limbs and show them that this business isn’t profitable. If we ruin what they call their ‘business,’ there won’t be any more resistance.”

Izack spoke as if he were laboriously climbing a mountain step by step. Vittorio finally seemed to understand Izack’s words. What Izack wanted most to avoid was an armed conflict between the upper and lower districts. But now that things had come to this, there was no turning back.

“We have to find the brat. If we lose him, there won’t even be room for negotiation.”

“Of course. Shane’s life is my life.”

The two men trudged toward the alley where Adele had disappeared.

—Splash, splash.

The sound of wet footsteps crossed the blood-scented alleyway.

“Were you truly serious? Gathering supporters to pressure the pursuers…”

“That is the only way to overcome this situation without shedding blood.”

I replied to the gate captain. From atop the gate’s ramparts, I looked across the wilderness stretching out before the canyon.

“If there are people in the lower district who desire violence, there are surely those who desire peace. Especially those living near this gate, at the very bottom of the district—those people would be easy to find.”

“What is your basis for thinking that?”

“They are the ones who witness the Denabi Legion’s efforts from the closest distance. That’s also why I came to find you.”

I turned back to the captain.

“I know. Most lower district residents probably think the Denabi Legion is just obsessed with playing war and wasting money. Consequently, they think the lower district was abandoned because of the Legion.”

“That is…”

“Well, it’s half-true. If the Legion’s maintenance costs had been spent on the lower district, their lives would have improved significantly. Of course, everyone in the fief would likely have died from the Mana Plague by now.”

“…….”

That said, I didn’t intend to dismiss the lower district’s dissatisfaction as purely a product of ignorance. Whatever the reason, it was a fact that Denabi Castle had neglected the lower district.

“So, even now, we must prove that Denabi cares about the lower district and that we can help them.”

“And how exactly do you plan to do that?”

“Well, for starters…”

I let the words trail out slowly, like releasing a fishing line into the water.

“Shall we try spreading some bribes?”

“Now, let’s review. First question: Where did the Lord’s third son go?”

As Adele asked this, she poked the cheek of the captured prisoner. The prisoner glanced around, hoping to find a surviving comrade, but it was a futile effort.

“Stop rolling your eyes and just answer me. There’s no one left to help you.”

“I—I don’t know! I really don’t!”

“Hmm… I figured as much. Even that Malik bastard didn’t seem to know.”

Adele shrugged her shoulders.

“Then, second question: Where did that Malik guy say he was going?”

“He didn’t tell me. I’m just a mercenary! I was only supposed to collect my pay from the guild counter once the job was done. I never heard anything about his location…!”

“That’s unfortunate. Now you only have one chance left.”

—Creeeeak!

“Hieeeek…!”

Adele slammed her mace onto the floorboards.

“Where is that archer?”

“The archer…?”

“The one who fires those massive arrows, nearly five spans long.”

At that, the prisoner’s face brightened.

“I know him! Him, I know! He’s the Banker’s fixer! He’s famous in the lower district.”

“The Banker?”

“You don’t know him? He’s a powerful man down here…”

—CRACK!

“Hieeeek!”

The mace shattered the floorboards.

“Of course I don’t know him. I’m not from around here. But fine. Tell me everything in detail. This powerful man… this ‘Banker’ person.”

“Bribes? We have absolutely nothing here. We don’t even have a way to get to the upper district right now.”

“There is a way to get to the upper district. Though, there’s no need to use it yet.”

The captain of the guard tilted his head at my words.

“Then how do you plan to gather supporters? Didn’t you say you’d give bribes? If you’re planning to tear a page out of your notebook and write an IOU, forget it. The people in the lower district won’t even know what that is.”

“That’s a rather creative idea, but no.”

I replied to each of the captain’s remarks while continuing to gaze out across the wilderness. The captain tapped his boot against the floor repeatedly, looking frustrated. After about thirty minutes, he began to look at me with eyes that suggested he had decided to just hand me over to the vigilantes.

But right then, a sign appeared from across the plains. A dark silhouette was approaching, crossing the horizon.

“Look. Reinforcements have arrived.”

“Reinforcements?”

“That is my bribe.”

Before long, the dark silhouette drew close enough for its identity to be confirmed. The captain muttered the word under his breath.

“Carriages…?”

“If you’ve been guarding this gate, you should know. Usually, around this time after sunrise, they’re bound to come.”

“Ah.”

He finally seemed to realize what the carriages were.

“The ones used for that liquor…”

I nodded.

“That’s right. Almost every morning, the raw materials used for our business enter Denabi Castle through this path. Those carriages are likely carrying fruit. Others will follow soon after.”

Just as I predicted, a line of carriages carrying various raw materials appeared one after another over the horizon. The procession of supplier freight wagons continued to grow. By noon, the amount of raw materials gathered in front of the gate was substantial.

“This should be enough to share with hundreds of people and still have some left over.”

I spoke to myself while looking at the piled-up goods. Then, one of the suppliers approached me.

“But is it really alright to stop here? We’ve always delivered these all the way to the upper town.”

“It’s fine. Instead, the carriages will have to wait in the lower town for a bit. Would you mind doing me that favor?”

“Of course. If it’s a request from the Young Master… but have you expanded your business to the lower district by any chance?”

“Well, something like that.”

I gave the supplier’s driver a grin and then turned back to the captain.

“Now, open the gate.”

“Open the gate!”

The captain relayed my order to the soldiers. I reminded him once more.

“As I told you before, you must never mention me. You must say that these are being distributed by the Lord. If they ask for an explanation, tell them the truth: that these came from the orchards we recently reclaimed. There’s no need to say anything else.”

“Understood.”

As the gates opened and the carriages poured in, the eyes of the lower district residents focused on the gate. The overwhelming scent of fruit and barley flooding in from beyond the walls captivated them.

‘I know their hunger. Every time these carriages passed by, they must have been swallowing their spit. But today…’

“…All of this is yours.”

“Come! Come and take some!”

“I-Is this free?”

“The Lord is providing this, so eat without worry!”

The fake rulers of the lower district. Those bastards probably used a hundred words to cover the ears and eyes of the residents. So, I intended to strike the lower district in a way that could no longer be denied. You can cover eyes and ears, but you can’t make someone forget their hunger.

“…I don’t know exactly who you bastards are. But the strategy of stealing your supporters? That hasn’t ended yet. You probably thought the lower district belonged only to you. But from now on, you’ll have to compete with me for it.”

Naturally, I am the overwhelmingly dominant player in this fight. I am the government, and I am Denabi. I can easily crush those fake rulers over there by unleashing government capital. Even if the Kim Young-ran Act (anti-graft law) existed in this world, it couldn’t stop me.

How are you going to stop the money the government is pouring out?

‘You bastards better prepare an answer to that question.’