Chapter 115

Chapter 115

Ramaz’s soldiers were swept away by unannounced mafia forces. The once heavily guarded checkpoint was no more.
By the time the alarm went off, they had already entered the city.
“……It’s fresher than I thought.”
“Don’t let your guard down.”
Cluck, cluck, cluck.
Taking cover behind a wall, Antonio changed magazines. Screams and yells. Heavy drinking and firing. The noise of battle echoed through the streets like a scene from an old war movie.
“We’ve gotten this far with little damage, but we don’t know what else could happen.”
Ekidna didn’t take kindly to his subordinate’s criticism.
Bold, yet cautious. It’s a game with many variables. Don’t relax until you’re sure you’re safe.
I’m not looking for a bloody battle. I’m not a combat fanatic, and I’d be happy to simply take the city as it is.
“Yeah, it’s creepy, but….”
Even knowing this, I couldn’t help but be nervous.
“What can I do on my own to make them go away?”
“That’s… I’m curious about that, too.”
Nuova Era was no underdog. As a survivor of the harsh Timorta, the organization is no stranger to cigar warfare. Their equipment is far beyond that of the mafia.
But they’re outsiders.
We don’t know the layout of the city. Ramaz is as well armed as Nuova Era, if not better, so the odds were stacked against him.
The reality was different.
“Damn it, detour over there, surround it, kuck!”
We’re not organized. They don’t coordinate, and they’re at each other’s throats. The sight of them throwing down their weapons and running away, only to collide with reinforcements rushing to their defense, is appalling.
It was a cauldron of chaos.
“This is what it’s like to be a loser.”
Ekidna wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and looked around the street. Every building she saw had its doors firmly shut. The windows were curtained, too, so she couldn’t peek inside.
Citizens reacted faster than soldiers.
Like a tortoise, it hides, waiting for the bloodstorm to pass, until the weakened tyrant is slain and a new tyrant takes the reins.
Born and raised in conflict zones, it’s their way of survival.
“I don’t like it that much.
Maybe I was too deep in the moment.
Jumbuck.
I heard footsteps nearby.
“Ekidna!”
Antonio put his arm around Ekidna. The street was lined with houses on either side. Already through, a man stood unharmed in the road littered with bodies.
Dressed like the soldiers of Ramaz. I don’t know where they came from, but I’m glad we saw them before they ambushed us. As soon as he recognized the enemy, Antonio fired his rifle without acknowledgment.
Not a single shot hurt a man.
Every bullet was deflected by the steel plates. Antonio and Ekidna’s eyes widened as a shield appeared out of nowhere. The spell was familiar to them, though not for long.
“They’re shooting from the hip.”
“…string, is this correct?”
“Uh-huh.”
The voice is familiar. The spell is too distinctive to be impersonated. While Antonio breathed a sigh of relief, Ekidna shook her head.
“Why is your face the way it is?”
“That’s a little hard to hear.”
“Your face was always more acceptable.”
Soon her eyes narrowed.
“Maybe it was a cover story or….”
“This is bullshit, this is your cover, you’re stuck with this for the next two days.”
“It’s a spell. Whose?”
“Oh…. I’ll introduce you to it later.”
Kim felt a small pang. She felt sorry for Manozu and the twins. He had hoped to free them from Ramaz, but now he had dragged some mafia with him.
But the emotions were just that: emotions.
‘We’re still at the point where we need Nuova Era.
A companion to Naraka. The understanding is still there.
I doubt that the mafia will let go of someone once they’ve been in the organization, but I’m not too worried about that.
The presence of the mithril was just unexpected. The stem did not deviate from the original plan. Nuova Erda, the twins, moved as she had planned.
The ending will be no different.
“……, which is the least damaging way to get to Kabarati.
What if Nuova Herrera had not been brought in? The chasm between Ramaz and the citizens was growing deeper and deeper, and a catastrophe was likely to ensue. Even if he somehow regained sovereignty, the limits were clear.
The citizens of this city have entrusted the defense of their city to others.
They were protected from monster attacks and tramp plunder. Their owners have fulfilled the bare minimum of their duties. The fact that they have exploited you unfairly cannot be laundered.
Kabarati will not change unless it is armed with the force it deserves. If in the past it was the Hebrews, and until now the Ramaz, from now on Nuova Era will be its shield and its master.
Kim gripped the gun.
“Let’s just get this over with.”
* * *
It took less than a day to take over.
In short, it was a matter of preparation.
Thugs roaming the streets, feuds with citizens, an unstable chain of command, and worst of all, a blown up government building. There was no way I could stay calm.
Many surrendered early. There were also many fugitives who escaped. While Mithril’s return would have been uneventful, his sudden disappearance exposed the group’s true colors.
“There must have been a lot of guys who weren’t from the Legion.
Some were ethnic Turks who had traveled from Atlanta. In Kabarati, they would have been called up, either by conscription or by advertisement, but there weren’t many of them to call “the main body”.
The timing was good.
“It’s called luck.
I’m glad we were able to destroy it before it grew stronger. Perhaps it would have stayed tucked away in Banzar instead of venturing out onto the continent, but it was a pesky, dangerous molecule.
“……haaaaah.”
The battle over, Ekidna caught her breath. She looked around, drenched in blood and sweat.
Shell casings and corpses littered the ground. He shuddered at the sight of his dead men.
The surviving members of the organization were in the midst of marching their prisoners to the square. Victory is not the end of the story. There are still many questions to be answered, including the treatment of prisoners.
“This is going to be a headache.
I swallowed a sigh inwardly. Suddenly, I got nervous and looked to the side.
“You’re human, too.”
“A person, yes. But what.”
“I’ve never seen you so exhausted.”
Kim was resting on the ground. His head drooped, and his posture was very tired. She makes an “ahh” sound as if she’s remembering something, then nods her head.
“I’ve never rolled so hard since I’ve been in Banjar.”
“Maybe the job I gave you was too simple?”
“It’s not a matter of difficulty… it was over quickly.”
Kabarati, on the other hand, struggled a bit.
We infiltrated through the stench, found collaborators, killed Mithril, razed cities to the ground, and engaged in combat……. I didn’t even get a proper break in between.
Kim chuckled as he listed them off in his head.
“I can’t believe you worked so hard.”
“I’ll give you credit.”
A white hand reached out.
His clean skin stood out against the bloodstains. He waved at me, urging me to get up, so I grabbed him and pulled him to his feet.
“You said you don’t want to cheapen labor. I want to pay you well, but I don’t know how much to pay you to make it right. I don’t know if the money I have on hand is enough.”
We’ve already heard that he killed the head of the enemy. Kim Yi Hyun had accomplished a remarkable feat. Nuova Era was just a spoon on an already set table.
Rewards had to be given.
“Anything else you want, besides money?”
“Hmm.”
After a short pause, you open your mouth.
“I’m your subordinate, not your paycheck. Just say something to the guys downstairs.”
“I don’t care. What are you talking about?”
“Tell him I’ll gouge out his eyes if I catch him being an asshole.”
“Uh, hmm?”
Kim added to Ekidna’s goofy face.
“If you’re going to Naraka anyway, you don’t have to exploit them. There are some guys I owe a favor to, and I want to treat them well. Of course, I’m not going to treat the people here like friends, but…….”
Only those who know how to be served by others. It’s not charity, and there’s no reason to tear down a glutted mind. For the sake of order, it’s better to keep things hierarchical.
“I hope you’re staying within the lines, though.”
I deserve to be called a hypocrite, I thought to myself.
It’s just a matter of degree, but when you have a warm back and a full stomach, you become more generous to others and more strict with your ethics and morals.
Now I can afford to relax. I had to be conscious of the ‘line’ that was shifting day by day. The reason Kim has been working so hard all these years is not just to survive.
It’s exhausting, because you can’t rest until it’s done.
“Oh, and.”
“What else.”
He held out his palm.
“Money.”
* * *
Despite the change in leadership, the city stabilized surprisingly quickly.
Two factors played a big role in this. The citizens had been through the same experience before, and Ekidna had put the squeeze on the organization.
Murder, rape, theft, assault, and a whole host of other criminal activities were banned. This was essentially at Kim’s insistence, but it was also a policy that Ekidna agreed to.
“It can’t hurt to be nice in case they come back. It’s not like we’re terrorists. The Mafia, you know, they’re very socialized criminals.”
“So it’s better?”
“No? Not at all?”
Ekidna said, as if I were some kind of fatty.
“That means they’re highly malicious assholes. I am, too. You’d be surprised what’s inside my head. After I get Naraka, I’m going to do something big.”
A muffled chuckle echoed through the room.
“Kabarati is going to be an important pipeline, and I’m going to pamper you all to death with worker ants.”
“Sis, can I eat this?”
“Eat a lot now. So you can work when you grow up.”
“Hehe, thank you!”
Priya picks up a cookie from the table and eats it. Her face lit up with happiness as she savored the sweetness. Ekidna, watching, pushed the entire bowl away.
Sitting cross-legged, she shifted her gaze to Assam.
“Don’t you eat?”
“Me, I’m fine.”
Unlike Priya, Assam couldn’t hide his discomfort. His usual cheerfulness was gone. After a long pause, he finally made up his mind and stared straight at Kim.
“Hey, Dean.”
Ekidna snorted at the title.
“Big brother, no conscience. Uncle, uncle.”
“I didn’t make you do it. Why?”
“So you’re not, uh, what you said before?”
What are we talking about?
Kim considered it, keeping his face expressionless. For a moment, he was puzzled, but then he understood.
In other words, the title of agent of the Xuran Empire was a lie. It’s not unreasonable to think that the cunning mafia had tricked him.
It actually tricked me.
‘You’re keeping secrets in the meantime.
He’s a good boy. The good kid didn’t need to be told that Santa was a liar.
“That’s right, we’re only working with the mafia temporarily.”
“…Hmmm, is that what it is!?”
“Yeah. The Ramaz were no ordinary bastards.”
Assam’s smile widened in an instant. He ignored the look in Ekidna’s eyes that seemed to say, “You’re trying to pull a fast one.
“Have you moved house, by the way?”
“Yeah. Manoj cried. He said there’s no bunghole in the ceiling.”
“Yeah, that was kind of funny.”
After living in the sewers, the poor are slowly returning to the streets. They couldn’t be brought back all at once due to various problems. Such as housing and complaints from citizens who despise the poor.
This is something that will be resolved over time.
“Someone other than me, of course.
Antonio is usually in charge of the placenta’s affairs. Thanks to him, Kim is enjoying a relaxing break. Her face immediately returned to its normal color.
One of the goals of coming to Banzar, to grow as an agent, was already accomplished. More precisely, I was able to measure the limits of my current performance.
“Next up is Naraka.
It’s just a matter of getting ‘it’.
“Let’s take a break before we do that.
Your car is running on gas. The harvest is going better than expected and you’ve gotten an unexpected harvest, so you can relax a little. The Nuova Herrera will also need maintenance.
I’m worried about the guys I left in the lab, but I don’t care. I’m sure they’ll be fine. I’ve asked Kushan and Leila to watch over them, so they won’t do anything untoward.
I can’t wait to get back to work.
“I’m starting to wish I didn’t have variables anymore.
I wonder if the problem was that I thought it was …….
“Excuse me.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s, um.”
Antonio enters the room and notices the twins. He walks over to Ekidna and whispers something in Moorish. Ekidna’s expression turns puzzled, and she begins to stare at you.
I feel like such a cheapskate. But I couldn’t help but listen.
“Why. What.”
I pressed, and Ekidna whispered the news, as did Antonio.
“Tell them there’s someone here.”
“Who?”
“I just heard, I don’t know. Said it was a young man, but whatever.”
He pauses a beat and says.
“You’re looking for Hafael?”
“……Ah, please.”
Give me a break, Polaris the dog.