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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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Chapter 134: Why Did He Choose to Join Hands with Someone Like You?
Rudgarda Angantyr.
The youngest daughter of Grimnar Angantyr, the new king of the mountain people, and the sixth commander of the Special Operations Division, the pride of Grunewald.
With her mask firmly in place, she raced through the night, carrying a letter from Allenvert.
Whoooosh!
The wind blew.
She cut through the wind.
Rudgarda roamed the night of Grunewald more freely than a bird. The starlight that bloomed in every alleyway occasionally illuminated her face as she passed by.
"It's been a while since I've gone out on a mission at this hour."
For the mountain people, who could pluck flowers blooming on cliffs as easily as taking something out of their pockets to suck the nectar, moving between rooftops and chimneys to evade the night watchers was as simple as breathing.
To exaggerate a bit, for Rudgarda, traversing the darkness of the city was almost too trivial to even call it a covert operation.
"I might as well call it a stroll."
Rudgarda muttered to herself, slightly intoxicated by her own speed and stealth.
Her ability to navigate the intricate web of Grunewald's streets so skillfully was partly due to the mental simulations she had run in her head, preparing for the day when things might go wrong and she would need to flee quickly.
"Is this the place?"
Rudgarda had arrived at her destination and looked down at a building located in the slum district.
"The Zizek gang."
It was a name she had only just heard for the first time. According to Taris, they were a fifth rate organization in the underworld that had recently begun aggressively expanding.
In other words, Allenvert had somehow managed to reach out and bring under his control the leader of what was essentially a puny gang that caused a bit of trouble in the neighborhood.
"How absurd. Just how meticulous is he?"
His skill in quietly laying the groundwork was already on par with that of Verdzig.
"And they're under the Bisakino Brotherhood?"
The Bisakino Brotherhood was one of the top organizations that dominated the underworld of Grunewald.
"Then this might be an attempt to infiltrate and undermine them from within. What a terrifying scheme, young master Allenvert."
"Ahem."
Rudgarda cleared her throat and composed herself. Since it was their first meeting, it would be best to maintain a bit of dignity. In truth, Rudgarda was more thoughtful than she appeared.
"Alright, let's go in."
In any case, a powerhouse who could slaughter the entire Zizek gang with just a fork had arrived as a messenger to visit Zizek.
* * *
"Wow, I'm going to die from overwork at this rate."
Lately, Zizek had been working tirelessly, even cutting back on sleep.
"With great power comes great responsibility."
If Allenvert had heard this, he would have advised, "You're closer to being a nobody, so just take on small responsibilities."
In any case, after hearing the story of the Eisenach clan, who had moved on from the pain of their annihilation, and after gaining a step in strength from the spirit medicine they provided, Zizek was going through a kind of spiritual adolescence.
As a result, his organization continued to grow in both size and stature.
"Our territory is expanding."
When a large organization emerges in an area, power and interests naturally gravitate toward it.
Zizek was in the process of taking over and organizing the scattered distribution networks and interests of the area, while also carefully selecting new members through interviews and subjecting them to rigorous training to test their reactions in extreme situations.
"And yet, there aren't many useful ones."
It was only natural; competent and trustworthy individuals were the rarest breed in the underworld. Such people had no reason to be rolling around in this world.
"At least Rob and Old Man Gareth are men I can trust with work."
Without their proper support, it would not have been easy to rebuild the organization into such a well-structured entity in such a short time.
But even this was not enough to satisfy him.
"We're short on money and people. Damn it, what's abundant?"
So, the leader had no choice but to run around himself. Even if it meant cutting back on sleep, Zizek's goal was to grow the organization to a level where it could be of some help to Allenvert as quickly as possible.
"Boss."
Rob entered the boss's office—if you could call it that, since it was also where he slept and ate—with a tense expression, late into another sleepless night.
"What is it?"
"A guest has arrived."
Zizek asked, puzzled.
"A guest? What guest?"
Before Rob could answer, Rudgarda, her face hidden behind a mask and her body cloaked, revealed herself.
"...Who are you?"
Zizek asked awkwardly.
Instead of answering, Rudgarda lightly released her aura.
"!!!"
Zizek's face turned pale. It was a killing intent similar to what he had felt when he met Knut Eisenach, a feeling that seemed to tear him apart just by meeting her gaze.
"W-who are you?"
Zizek's tone naturally became more respectful.
Even in the midst of this, he prepared to draw a poisoned dagger from his pocket, tightening the string of tension.
'Damn, what's going on? Do I need to stab her if things go south?'
Even in this situation, Zizek hadn't forgotten Knut's cold warning.
"I've come on behalf of Karzan to deliver a letter from young master Allenvert."
At the modulated voice coming from behind the mask, his tension immediately dissipated.
"...So you're a guest after all."
Zizek sighed in relief, and Rudgarda tilted her head.
'He's weaker than I expected. Why did the young master join hands with someone like this?'
Of course, this was partly because her standards were excessively high.
"Are you Zizek?"
"Yes."
Rudgarda nodded and said,
"It's a long story, so let's sit down first."
"Right."
Zizek, thoroughly intimidated, immediately took a seat. It was a scene where it was impossible to tell who was the host and who was the guest.
.
.
.
"I never expected this."
Zizek said, glancing at the masked intruder.
"I thought the contact would come through Bridget."
Rudgarda replied in a calm, even tone.
“There’s been a problem with the contact.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Yesterday morning, young master Allenvert’s servant was attacked by an unknown assailant.”
“What?”
Zizek was visibly shocked.
“Is that true?”
“Fortunately, the servant wasn’t injured, and the letter wasn’t stolen. It was thanks to the timely intervention of Grunewald’s security guards.”
“Ah, what a stroke of luck.”
Zizek sighed in relief, though his expression remained serious.
“This is my fault. I failed to maintain security in the nearby area—”
“That’s not the main issue.”
Rudgarda cut him off coldly.
“Huh?”
“If they were truly determined, even if you had personally intervened, it wouldn’t have made a difference.”
“……!”
Zizek gritted his teeth at her blunt dismissal.
“Still, I should have been more vigilant.”
Rudgarda shrugged and said.
“Do as you see fit. In any case, I plan to come directly next time as well.”
“Does that mean the current method of contact is being abandoned?”
“Not entirely. I’ll only step in when delivering letters.”
“Ah, I see.”
Zizek nodded, understanding her meaning.
The usual contacts, Bridget and Peter, would still be used. But for matters like letters, where security was more critical and the risk of interception was higher, this eccentric figure would take charge.
“Deliver this to the survivors of the Eisenach clan.”
Zizek took the letter Rudgarda handed him.
“How should I deliver any reply?”
“Young master Allenvert didn’t write this expecting a response.”
“……What’s in it?”
“Curiosity about its contents isn’t part of a messenger’s duty.”
Rudgarda’s words were undeniably true.
“I see. My apologies.”
Zizek shrunk back.
“Um, by the way…”
“What is it?”
Zizek asked cautiously, gauging her reaction.
“May I know your name?”
Rudgarda shook her head.
“You don’t need to know that.”
She had no intention of revealing her name, Angantyr, or her affiliation with the Special Operations Unit to this unreliable underworld figure.
“…….”
Zizek wasn’t oblivious to her blatant disregard.
“Then, could you at least answer this?”
“Persistent, aren’t you?”
“What is your relationship with Boss Karzan?”
“I’m in a cooperative relationship with Karzan.”
A cooperative relationship. This implied they weren’t in a hierarchical arrangement.
Even setting aside the fact that Karzan and Allenvert shared the same name, Rudgarda still saw Allenvert more as an ally than a master. In terms of experience and ability, Allenvert was still immature.
“Since you’ve asked a question, I’ll ask one in return.”
“What is it?”
Rudgarda pointed at Zizek.
“Why did he choose to join hands with someone like you?”
“……!”
The overwhelming pressure that accompanied her words made Zizek feel as if his heart was being squeezed. He bit his tongue lightly to steady himself.
“……I may still be weak.”
The pain, and the metallic taste of blood, kept him from fainting. With great effort, he managed to speak.
“It’s because Boss Karzan and I share the same cause.”
“The same cause?”
Rudgarda tilted her head.
“And what might that cause be?”
“Heh.”
Zizek bared his teeth, his pride kicking in.
“Do I really need to explain that to you?”
“What?”
“Whether you’re an ally of Boss Karzan or not, I don’t see why I should explain what he and I discussed to you.”
“……Oh?”
Rudgarda’s eyes turned icy.
“So, don’t mock Boss Karzan’s choice just because I’m weak.”
“Haha.”
The dry laughter carried a hint of anger and a faint killing intent, sending a chill down Zizek’s spine.
* * *
Late at night, Olivier came to see me.
“You’re not sleeping, are you? Working this late?”
I yawned widely.
“I’d rather finish late than push it to tomorrow.”
“That’s why the dark circles under your eyes never go away.”
“……Are they that bad?”
“A little?”
Olivier traced the hollows under my eyes and spoke.
“I’ll try to get more sleep starting tomorrow.”
“Do that. We’re doing this to make a living, after all.”
“Yes.”
“By the way, what brings you here?”
Olivier lowered his voice.
“I’ve completed everything you asked for.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I’ve managed to gather most of the information on Evan Bergen’s family background, character, past, and the vulnerabilities he’s been caught in.”
“Oh.”
I sat up straight, surprised.
“Impressive. All that in just one day?”
“It was more the efforts of the clan’s people than mine.”
Olivier coughed lightly, a hint of pride in his voice.
“Here, take a look.”
I read through the report Olivier had compiled.
“……Hmm.”
The contents didn’t stray far from my expectations.
“Olivier.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“As expected, Brother Verdzig only sees someone’s family as a ‘vulnerability.’”
Aging parents, young children, struggling siblings, a sick spouse……
The weight of family, borne regardless of one’s choices, becomes a source of responsibility and purpose for some, and a convenient tool for coercion for others.
“What a cold-hearted man.”
I’m no saint myself, but……
At the very least, the words of the grandfather who saved a starving young boy, the reason I chose the still-weak Zizek as a subordinate, and my concern for Peter and Moritz all stemmed from the same place.
In that sense, this is a clash between my nature to protect the weak and Verdzig’s nature to exploit their vulnerabilities.
“But Brother Verdzig is no ordinary man. If he’s found a weakness, it’s not something one can easily escape.”
“What will you do?”
The answer to that question had been decided from the start.
“If he intends to exploit my weaknesses—”
I smirked.
“Then it’s only fair that I find and press his as well.”
I neatly folded the paper and handed it back to Olivier.
“Let’s go see Evan Bergen as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
No matter how formidable Verdzig is, I have no intention of abandoning this grand strategy.
……After all, this is just one move in the chess game between the two of us.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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