“...”
At Glen’s question, the boss merely darted his eyes around.
Brunel, listening beside him, felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
“Hmm? Why are you not answering?”
“W-Well, I do not really know...”
“Hmm...”
In that instant, the smile vanished from Glen’s face.
At the same time, the entire atmosphere surrounding him changed.
Slowly and casually, he drew a dagger from his waist and placed it on the table.
Its cold, blue-tinged blade gleamed.
“For future reference, I dislike lies. I especially dislike being lied to by a friend. I shall ask you once more. Do you know anything about this powder—this narcotic?”
“...I do not know anything! You barge in here without warning and start asking—”
“You are beginning to irritate me. Nedain.”
WHAM—!
At Glen’s glance, the knight drove his fist into the boss’s face.
The fist of a knight wearing a thick gauntlet was little different from a blunt weapon.
Merciless kicks rained down upon the massive man after he collapsed.
“Uaargh!”
“Boss!”
“Damn it!”
When their boss was beaten, the surrounding gang members naturally began drawing their weapons.
However, none of them dared to charge.
“You should put those down unless you wish to die.”
Alongside the quiet warning, Glen’s gaze slowly swept across the room.
That was all he did.
Yet, as though bound by an invisible force, no one could move.
Brunel was the last to meet that gaze, and for a moment, he felt as though he could not breathe.
It was like being prey confronted by a predator.
“All you need to do is remain still. That is all.”
It was persuasion delivered with a blade pressed against their throats.
No, it would be more accurate to call it a threat.
It was a sight one occasionally encountered while living in the back alleys.
This was what happened when a new apex predator appeared.
“That is enough. Sit him back down and hold him properly.”
Two knights forced the massive man back into his chair and pressed his upper body firmly against it.
The boss’s face was already drenched in blood.
Glen dragged one of the man’s arms onto the table, then picked up the dagger he had set down earlier.
“Do you feel like answering now?”
“Ghk, cough! G-Go fuck yourself, you fucking good-for-nothing bastard.”
“A few severed fingers should change your mind.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Glen pressed the blade against a joint of the boss’s little finger.
He worked it back and forth several times before the finger fell away.
“Aaargh! You fucking bastards! Kill him! Kill that bastard!”
“That was not an answer. It appears you need more encouragement.”
Two more fingers were severed afterward.
The boss’s subordinates merely flinched. Not one of them stepped forward.
The brutal torture unfolding before their eyes had utterly broken their nerve.
Glen himself, however, appeared perfectly calm.
He looked past the severed pieces of flesh and met the eyes of the men surrounding him.
Terror.
Fear.
Horror.
After confirming what he saw, Glen smiled broadly.
Good. This should be enough to break them completely.
“Y-Yes! Sob... W-We distributed the narcotics! Please spare me!”
The enormous man, consumed by pain and terror, began pleading as tears and mucus streamed down his face.
“Where did you obtain them?”
“There are other bastards who supply us from outside the city!”
“I am asking who they are.”
Glen raised the blue-tinged dagger before the boss’s eyes, irritation showing on his face.
“Th-The ‘Red Hood’! We received them from the Red Hood!”
“The Red Hood? The organisation active in the Empire?”
Glen’s eyes widened slightly at the unexpected answer.
The Red Hood.
It was an infamous criminal organisation known by many names, including the Crimson Ruffians and the Bastards of the Empire.
They operated primarily within the Empire, and Glen had clashed with them several times during his life as Riklang.
Why the hell are those bastards appearing here?
“Sir Nedain, does the Red Hood operate in the North as well?”
“It would not be impossible, but I have never heard of them doing so.”
“Then is he lying?”
“I am not! I-I swear I am not!”
The boss screamed almost convulsively.
His face was completely consumed by fear.
Glen had seen eyes like those countless times.
The man was probably telling the truth.
“We can investigate that gradually... Why did you purchase the narcotics?”
“M-Money. We wanted to make money!”
“You operate this tavern, a brewery, and even a gambling den. Now you have entered the narcotics trade as well... Where did you obtain the money for all of that?”
“W-Well...”
The cold blade in Glen’s hand pierced the back of the boss’s hand.
“A-Aaargh!”
“I can continue this all day.”
“W-We do not know who it was! I swear! The person who contacted us only said that he was acting under someone else’s orders. W-We merely assumed that his master was a noble!”
“Hmm...”
It was probably House Sailharn.
But did these men genuinely not know that?
They had accepted money from an unknown person without asking any questions?
Glen considered the matter briefly before setting it aside.
He could investigate it later.
“Ah, where is the Captain of the Guard? Is he also one of your accomplices?”
“W-Well, that is...”
“I know about that. I was responsible for bringing the City Guard over to our side.”
One of the men who had been standing stiffly at the edge of Glen’s vision stepped forward.
His name was...
“Brunel.”
“Thank you for remembering me. May I explain?”
Glen gave a faint smile.
Brunel’s peculiar manner of speaking aside, Glen liked how quickly and efficiently he responded.
“Please do.”
“His name is Lakolin. He is forty-three years old and currently single after divorcing his wife. He was born a commoner and rose to become the Captain of the Repen City Guard. Despite his appearance, he has a powerful appetite for wealth. People say he was completely different when he was younger. We have been bribing him regularly for the past three or four months, and he became a full collaborator around a month ago. He often claims to be on patrol, then spends the night at the gambling den we operate. I expect he is there now as well.”
“...Huh. Nedain, is that information accurate?”
“...Yes. That description matches the Lakolin I know. However, this is the first I have heard of his fondness for gambling.”
“He only developed the habit recently. That is probably why you did not know.”
What is with this man?
He did not seem like someone who belonged among cheap gangsters like these.
Glen looked Brunel over with renewed interest.
He was quite young.
No, perhaps it would be more accurate to call him boyish.
His skin was slightly dark, and his hair was hidden beneath...
A headscarf?
“Remove your headscarf.”
Brunel hesitated slightly before untying it.
Only then was his unusually black hair revealed.
The moment Glen saw it, he understood.
“Are you a member of the Birune Tribe?”
“...Yes.”
“A member of the Birune Tribe became a back-alley gangster here?”
“W-Well, that is somewhat difficult to discuss here...”
Judging by his reaction, he had not even told the other members of the organisation.
Then again, members of the Birune Tribe were rarely welcomed anywhere.
Glen nodded slightly.
“Very well. Brunel, I intend to find the Captain of the Guard now. Will you guide me to the gambling den?”
“Of course.”
“Ah, we should also finish things here.”
With an expressionless face, Glen drew his sword and approached the half-dead boss.
“W-Wait! I told you everything! Y-You said you would spare—Guh!”
“I never said I would spare you if you talked.”
He swung his sword in an instant and severed the man’s head.
It looked no different from disposing of rubbish.
“Brunel, are any of your own subordinates here? Bring them to me.”
“Understood.”
Around six men separated themselves from the others and moved toward one side.
Glen then gave the knights their orders.
“Arrest everyone else. Lock them in prison for a while, then release them.”
“You fucking bastard!”
“We’ll die if they arrest us! Get them now!”
As Glen slowly walked toward the exit, he added,
“Kill anyone who resists. Brunel, have your men help as well.”
“...Understood.”
***
After leaving the building, Glen took another look at the city around him.
Even out of politeness, no one could have called the scene pleasant.
Both in his memories and in the present, Repen City had always been chaotic and restless.
“...”
In a dark corner beside a building, the corpse of an elderly man lay discarded like rubbish.
It was hardly a surprising sight.
Such things were common.
Death came cheaply in this age.
Admittedly, those were strange thoughts for a man who had just created another corpse.
Yet the death of the emaciated old man before him merely left him feeling unpleasant.
The death of the massive man he had just beheaded had felt like nothing more than a nuisance.
Death was common, cheap, and futile.
Yes.
It was worthless.
That worthless death could not be allowed to claim him or his family.
He did not care if that made him selfish.
He merely had to become ruthless enough to prevent it.
Yes.
That was all.
Having settled his thoughts, Glen released a sigh.
“Haa...”
The suppression of the gang ended far more anticlimactically than expected.
Once several of those who resisted were beheaded, the majority—already terrified—surrendered.
The knights began leading the subdued gang members out of the building one by one.
“Young Master.”
“Is it over? That was faster than I expected.”
Nedain approached Glen with a rigid expression.
“It appears you have something to say.”
“...I am concerned by how ruthless your methods have become.”
“Are you going to lecture me?”
Glen gave a faint laugh, but Nedain’s expression remained serious.
“Tormenting the weak is not conduct befitting a knight. I am concerned that others may use this incident to defame you.”
“Was that man not an evildoer before he was weak? He must have tormented countless people weaker than himself.”
“Whether he was evil is not the important issue. What matters is that you personally carried out such brutal acts.”
Glen already had more than enough enemies.
Nedain was worried that his behaviour would create even more of them unnecessarily.
“Evildoers must be treated as evildoers. Only then will their numbers diminish, even slightly.”
It was a lesson Glen had learned while struggling through every manner of hell in his previous life.
People did not change easily.
Evildoers, in particular, almost never changed.
Showing them mercy merely made them more arrogant.
The essence of controlling the wicked had always been fear and power.
“You may be condemned as dishonourable.”
“Honour... Is that what your honour means?”
“...My honour?”
“Protecting the weak, remaining loyal to your lord, and maintaining faith in the Church. Things of that nature.”
“You are speaking of chivalry. Those are virtues shared by all knights, so I suppose they could also be called my honour.”
“Is that so? My honour is somewhat different.”
Glen, who had been looking away, turned and met Nedain’s gaze directly.
“My family, my friends, and my country. Protecting my people—that is my honour. To accomplish that, I would gladly die and descend into hell.”
The life of one who failed to protect what mattered was itself a living hell.
Glen knew that more painfully than anyone because he had experienced it in his previous life.
Others might have been different, but that was the kind of man he was.
Therefore, no matter what happened, he would protect them this time.
Even if he had to crawl through the abyss or bargain with a demon.
For the sake of something more selfish, he was fully prepared to become even more ruthless.
Nedain considered his words for a moment before answering with a faint smile.
“...You truly have changed, Young Master. I never expected to hear such words from you.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“I am expressing my admiration.”
“Enough nonsense. Let us move.”
***
Even at the gambling den Brunel led them to, the Captain of the Guard was nowhere to be found.
According to the gang members inside, he had been there until shortly before their arrival but had fled after receiving a message from someone.
Even though it was nighttime, the raid had caused a considerable disturbance.
His escape was perhaps only natural.
Brunel suspected that the Captain had gone to the Red Hood’s base.
While accepting bribes from the Black Hand, he had naturally become acquainted with the Red Hood as well.
Now that he was effectively a wanted criminal, he had probably concluded that their hideout was the safest place available.
The following day, Glen immediately reported everything to his father.
“Is that true? The Sailharn bastards brought narcotics into my city?”
The Duke’s brow furrowed.
By any standard, it was an act that crossed the line.
“To be precise, they provided funding to the Black Hand, and the Black Hand independently entered the narcotics trade. However, that distinction is not especially important. In the end, the money they supplied was used to purchase narcotics.”
“...Hmm. You wish to keep this information hidden and use it later?”
“That is correct. We currently lack conclusive evidence.”
There was no evidence directly proving that the Black Hand had been in contact with House Sailharn.
Therefore, they could not use the matter to pressure House Sailharn immediately.
However, there was no question that Glen had acquired a card that could be used in the future.
Furthermore, confiscating the businesses funded with House Sailharn’s money and disrupting their clandestine operation before it could develop were significant achievements in themselves.
“The report you submitted also mentioned the Red Hood. You believe they supplied the narcotics?”
“I cannot yet confirm that it was truly the Red Hood. However, we have approximately identified the location believed to be their base.”
“You learned that through the Black Hand informant you mentioned?”
“That is correct. His name is Brunel, and he is a member of the Birune Tribe.”
The discussion continued as Glen delivered the remainder of his report.
Fortunately, there was no indication that the Lion Knights responsible for supervising the City Guard had accepted bribes or helped conceal the narcotics.
Their crime amounted only to negligence, but the Duke had no intention of overlooking it.
Two full knights were demoted to apprentice knights.
The Duke had wanted to expel them both outright, but Glen intervened on their behalf.
Lakolin, who had also been a full knight, was stripped of his knighthood and officially declared wanted alongside the guardsmen who had fled with him.
Conversely, the knights who had assisted Glen received special rewards.
Glen had already begun gaining popularity within the order after his match against Tylan.
Following this incident, the number of knights who regarded him favourably increased even further.
“Ah, we have also finished discussing the plan you proposed regarding the deciding weight.”
“Already?”
“Yes. You will go to the Kingdom of Arian.”
Glen tightened his fist slightly.
At last.
The gears of the plan he had contemplated for so long had finally begun to turn.