Hook was on his way to the shopping district after receiving Ina’s report.
‘Boss Hook. We found one gang for now! Just like the bastard we beat the hell out of said, they really are working in the shopping district.’
When they captured and questioned one of the members from the gangs they were searching for, Hook had thought the man was merely spouting nonsense.
Unless they had all taken some kind of drug, there was no way bastards who made a living cheating people would quietly start selling goods.
‘Yet they really are doing that….’
It was utterly absurd.
There was no chance that trash like them had reformed, so what exactly were they plotting?
Hook intended to go there and find out for himself.
‘It definitely has something to do with the black-robed organization.’
Through the man they captured, Hook had already confirmed that the gangs had joined forces with that organization.
But afterward, they had diligently begun working in the shopping district?
That would be impossible unless they had arranged something behind the scenes.
Still, Hook did not particularly care about that.
There was something else he wanted to learn.
‘Who was backing them?’
There had to be a reason the black-robed organization could act so boldly wherever it went.
Hook needed to identify the patron who had given them that confidence.
Only then could he prevent the same situation from happening again.
Organizations with powerful backing usually changed hands when their time came, like the passing of the seasons.
Capturing the black-robed organization did not mean the matter was over.
Anyone could take its place.
‘It would be different if they left for another kingdom.’
But if they remained in the Doiten Kingdom, they would certainly become a threat again.
That meant Hook needed to do something, whether through negotiation or another plan like the recent assault.
‘The problem is whether those bastards will talk. Tch.’
Hook was hostile toward the gangs.
Their constant clashes had irritated him, so one day, he had wiped them out.
Because of that, they bore a grudge against him.
They would not give him information easily.
Hook clicked his tongue and thought of Terlo.
‘It would’ve been easier if the Young Master were here.’
On the day they attacked the black-robed organization’s building, he and Terlo had worked together better than expected.
Though slightly lacking in some respects, Terlo had displayed exceptional combat ability for someone of his level.
Of course, this matter was less difficult than that operation.
The gangs were numerous but possessed little noteworthy skill.
Still, if Terlo were present, would it not be easier to subdue their leaders?
Hook could manage alone, but he could not help feeling some regret.
‘Forget it. I can use this opportunity to cut him loose.’
He had no intention of teaching Terlo anything further.
His connection with the boy had only been meant to last until the black-robed organization was captured.
If Hook cited Terlo’s absence from today’s operation as the reason, even Terlo would have nothing to say.
‘While my organization was busy, the Young Master was probably collecting benefits from the royal court and holding a celebration.’
Even if Terlo was Baron Krauber’s son, surely he possessed at least that much conscience.
There was no need to invent an irritating excuse.
In fact, this worked out well.
Just as Hook approached the location Ina had mentioned, loud shouting came from nearby.
“You little bastard! Just wait until I catch you! You’re dead!”
“If you’re going to keep looking back, stop running! I’ll beat you twice as hard for making us chase you!”
A group of people appeared to be pursuing someone.
For a moment, the profile of one man seemed familiar.
After searching his memory, Hook realized he was one of the leaders of the gangs they had been seeking.
‘So he was here. But who are they chasing?’
Hook looked ahead of them.
Another familiar figure entered his view.
From a distance, the figure might merely have appeared small, but the body beneath the robe was genuinely tiny.
There was no mistaking it.
It was Terlo.
“Young Master…?”
Hook could not understand why Terlo was here.
Why was he being chased by one of the gang leaders?
Raising an eyebrow, Hook followed them from behind.
Before long, they entered a crowded street.
Amid the dense crowd, a large group had gathered.
‘Over there?’
As Hook moved closer, he saw Terlo standing opposite Ina, with two gang leaders and their followers behind him.
“What? You saw me earlier? How did you even know to come here?”
“I came to buy something and happened to overhear you using the communicator. I was going to help, but….”
Terlo turned around as he spoke.
One of the two leaders raised the corner of his mouth in a sneer.
“Ha. I wondered who the hell you were, but you’re one of that bastard Hook’s people? No wonder something felt strange.”
Judging from the conversation, Terlo had seen Ina by chance and acted independently after learning they were searching for the gangs.
‘Even so, did he need to move without telling anyone? And what was he buying this late at night?’
A small doubt entered Hook’s mind.
But no matter how he examined the matter, Terlo had no reason to come here.
‘Then everything he said must be true….’
At that moment, one of the leaders attacked, and the fight began.
Black magic crossed through the air, bringing nearby structures and buildings crashing down.
The customers who had been watching screamed and hurried away.
Amid the street descending into chaos, Hook watched Terlo.
The boy calmly surveyed the situation, selected one of the leaders, and attacked.
Unlike when he had been fleeing, Terlo now looked full of courage.
‘When I see him like that, he really is nothing more than a child.’
Terlo possessed enough skill to confront them.
Yet in contrast, he was easily frightened.
From what Hook had observed, Terlo had hesitated several times during battle.
But the slightest sense of belonging was enough to make him regain his confidence, just as he had now.
‘No matter how mature he may seem, he’s still too young to stand alone.’
It was also an age when every connection felt precious.
Hook smiled as he watched Terlo.
If he manipulated the boy properly, he might be able to continue using him.
Without offering him any further instruction, of course.
‘I was going to cut him loose….’
But there was no longer any need.
Even now, Terlo had willingly stepped in to help with something he could have ignored.
Since the boy had rolled in of his own accord, Hook only needed to work him like a dog.
“Young Master. I truly intended to let you go.”
Hook spoke words Terlo could not hear and smiled viciously as he entered the chaotic street.
***
Just as he had planned, Terlo joined Ina’s side naturally.
He used the excuse that he had overheard her communication by chance and had been helping.
To prepare for any unexpected situation, he also mentioned Basley.
He said a man being chased by the gangs had run toward him, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself far away.
Then the people he encountered there began chasing him as well.
‘There’s no way to suspect me after that.’
A fight soon broke out, and Hook joined them midway through.
Terlo had expected him to appear, but he arrived sooner than anticipated.
Thanks to him, the previously chaotic street was soon neatly brought under control.
The rubble remained scattered across the ground, but the people had been dealt with thoroughly.
Hook’s group stood while the gang members knelt before them.
With every customer gone, only they remained in the street.
“So. You have no intention of talking?”
Hook tapped the cheeks of the two leaders in turn with a wooden stick.
One of them violently turned his head and knocked the stick aside.
“That’s right. I don’t, you damn bastard. Even if I die, I won’t do anything that benefits you.”
The man kneeling beside him looked thoughtful as he spoke.
“I might be willing to help you. But only if… you list every last thing you did to us and beg properly. Ah, and shed a tear while you’re at it! Then, well, what wouldn’t I do for you?”
At those words, the kneeling gang members burst into laughter together.
It was hardly the reaction one would expect from prisoners.
Hook’s expression grew increasingly vicious.
‘They must hold an extraordinary grudge against him.’
Terlo watched the situation while applauding inwardly.
Until Hook forced them to their knees, Terlo had assumed he would learn at least something about the shopping district.
With their lives at stake, Terlo expected them to tell the truth.
But they showed no intention of yielding.
Hook slowly closed and opened his eyes before speaking.
“Very well. Then I will return the things you originally controlled. That is my condition.”
From Hook’s perspective, that was an enormous concession.
How easy could it be to give back things he already possessed?
For someone as greedy as Hook, it would be especially difficult.
But the response was only ridicule.
“The things we originally controlled? Don’t make me laugh. If you’re going to hand something over now, it should at least be your tavern district. Right?”
“Exactly. Our livelihoods collapsed overnight…. Yet this damn bastard offers us something so worthless.”
There appeared to be no answer to this negotiation.
What could possibly work on men who did not even fear death?
‘Unless he literally hands over the tavern district….’
In the end—
SWISH—!
“Ghk…!”
Hook wrapped his whip around the neck of the man who had mocked him.
“This is your last chance. There will be no mercy.”
Even then, the man bent and twisted in pain as he spoke.
“K-Kill… me, you… bastard… Ghk…!”
His struggles gradually weakened.
Eventually, he died with his eyes still open.
But the atmosphere did not change.
The others instead made a commotion as though they regarded his death as noble.
It seemed none of the gang members were sane.
‘It’s time to leave.’
Only indiscriminate slaughter remained.
Terlo no longer saw any reason to stay.
He had remained in case something happened, but Hook seemed unlikely to discover anything.
And Terlo still had a responsibility left.
“Boss Hook. I’m sorry, but I should head back first. Father is waiting for me.”
“……Haaah. Is that so? Thank you for your help today, Young Master. Go and rest.”
Though he paused to control his breathing before answering, suppressed anger colored Hook’s voice.
It was understandable that he was angry when nothing had gone his way.
“Yes. Then I’ll be going.”
Terlo glanced once at the gang members and left.
Remaining alert to anyone following him, he headed toward the place where he had first told Basley to meet him.
After some time, he arrived at the building near the edge of the shopping district.
No one was visible on the dark rooftop.
The place where they had stood looking over the shopping district and the surrounding area were both empty.
‘Could they still not have arrived?’
Suddenly uneasy, Terlo searched the area and called to the skeletons.
If they were nearby, they would respond.
‘Where are you?’
But no sound came from his surroundings.
‘If you’re there, keep making noise.’
Terlo stood still and listened.
As he concentrated on the surrounding sounds, he thought he heard bones clicking somewhere.
…CLACK.
…CLACK.
At the faint sound, Terlo focused every bit of attention on his hearing.
The sound seemed to grow gradually louder until it became clear.
He immediately identified the location.
‘They’re outside the building.’
More precisely, they were near a side door reached by going halfway around from the building’s entrance.
Certain of it, Terlo teleported there without hesitation.
He saw a skeleton repeatedly clicking its jaw.
And beside it—
“……Master.”
Raunz was spilling blood between Basley and Riley.