’s bo tra fusion.
Chapter 53: Black Fangs vs. The Empire (1)
The work progressed very smoothly.
The rumors spread more and more, and as a result, people’s vigilance eased, speeding up the operation of the relief center.
Just like that mother and daughter from before, more people wanted to help us, so the scale grew larger.
Well, to be honest, we didn’t start this work with this purpose in mind.
But saving lives turned out to be more fulfilling than I had thought.
Each day felt more rewarding than the last.
“Excuse me… Captain, are you sure you don’t need to sleep?”
As I was thinking about that, looking at the relief center that had changed so much in just a few days, a child next to me asked.
“Hmm… I’m the type that can stay up for several nights and be fine….”The kid’s eyes sparkled at my awkward response.
I could tell what kind of misunderstanding they had, but I couldn’t correct it.
It would be weirder to explain that it’s because of my unique traits. That would just make me sound like a lunatic.
In times like this, it’s best to just be vague.
“Come to think of it, hasn’t that person not slept at all these past few days?”
“As expected of the Black Fangs leader. I didn’t believe the rumors that they could fold the ground and run, but if they’re even curing incurable diseases….”
I barely managed to dodge a tricky question when I heard such voices from afar.
I’m not some mythical being, and I can’t fold the ground and travel instantly. The words almost escaped my lips, but I swallowed them back down.
‘This feels kind of strange.’
It was good that the rumors were spreading.
After all, that was the purpose of this work.
We wanted stories about curing incurable diseases to spread.
Showing that we could cure diseases even the Holy Church couldn’t cure.
When the atmosphere was ripe, we planned to release a decisive video criticizing the Holy Church, attacking it.
There wouldn’t be a better way to grab attention.
In that gap, Miss Rubia would swiftly take over the potion business.
‘But this… the effect is so good it’s becoming a problem.’
The first activity of the silent Black Fangs.
With the spectacular performance of curing incurable diseases.
The rumors were spreading wildly.
This was bubble-like exaggeration at its finest.
‘Things are getting quite big….’
It felt strange that there was no reaction from the Black Fangs side at all.
At this point, shouldn’t they have sent some kind of message? What on earth are those guys thinking?
‘Well, how could I ever understand what they’re thinking….’
They’ve opposed the mighty Empire, killed the Imperial Knight Commander, and left the organization’s symbol boldly to flaunt their actions.
Even if someone impersonates them, as long as it benefits them, they nonchalantly let it slide.
I can’t figure out their true identity at all.
No matter how secretive a group is, this is too much.
“What kind of thoughts do people like that even have….”
“If you’ve got time to ponder such useless things, just get to work, man. How could we ever know what goes on in the mind of the Black Fangs’ leader?”
Indeed, what is that guy thinking,
I swallowed those words and stood up again.
Thanks to my Healthy body trait, just sitting in a chair for a few minutes without sleeping helps recover my fatigue more than I expected.
I could probably go without sleep for another month.
As I was thinking that….
“Hmm…?”
I felt a peculiar pain.
In my back.
Both the right and left shoulder blades started to throb painfully.
■■’s ■bo■ ■tra■ ■fusion■■.
Broken, bizarre characters appeared and then disappeared.
With such ominous signs appearing one after another, I wondered if I was seriously ill….
But thanks to my Healthy body trait, I should be immune to diseases, so that couldn’t be it.
‘Then what is this?’
Is this a signal that I’ve been pushing myself too hard lately, relying too much on my traits?
Why does it hurt so much specifically around my shoulder blades?
While I was pondering this.
“C-Captain!”
I heard an urgent voice.
The child who had asked about my condition earlier was now calling my name in a rush.
I felt a sense of foreboding.
I quickly exited the makeshift relief center and moved toward the source of the voice.
The kid’s face was pale.
“Over there….”
As he spoke, the child pointed towards the mountain.
The mountain we had passed through.
I quickly focused my magic into my eyes.
I looked carefully at where the child was pointing once more.
And… my expression hardened.
It was only natural.
Those armors.
The emblems engraved on their swords.
The knights walking in formation with disciplined steps.
It was the Empire.
The Empire had found us.
‘…How on earth?’
I had known something like this might happen.
So, before being targeted, I planned to evacuate this place and open another relief center elsewhere… but we got discovered by the Empire.
I knew they were a formidable opponent, but I didn’t expect them to pinpoint our location so quickly.
“...Call the others as fast as you can. I’ll go ahead.”
“T-Then what about you, Captain…?”
“Don’t worry.”
…Actually, it was a situation where worry was justified.
Those were the Imperial assassination squad sent to kill Black Fangs.
There were only three of them.
That made it even more dangerous.
It’s only natural.
The Empire isn’t foolish; if they found Black Fangs’s location, they wouldn’t just send three ordinary soldiers.
These were the elite of the elite.
Each one of them must be a formidable warrior.
However…
“Trust me. Everything will be fine.”
I reassured the child with those words.
There was no time to wait for Siel or Lien.
If those people were allowed to come this way, there was a risk of civilians getting hurt.
And I still had the talisman I received back then.
Even if I took a bit of a risk, it would be okay.
I quickly focused my magic on my legs.
Then… I pushed off the ground with all my strength.
The scenery blurred past in an instant. Cutting through the wind, I quickly headed to my destination.
Before long, I could see the knights.
Three men armed with armor and swords.
I gritted my teeth and accelerated.
I converted my speed directly into power and swung my sword at them.
But the enemy was not easy prey.
The elite of the Empire, the skilled warriors sent to capture Black Fangs.
My strike landed, and the enemy screamed and fell.
…What?
“Ahhh! My arm! My arm!!”
The man who lost his left arm to my strike wailed in agony.
Seeing that, the other knights immediately surrendered.
They threw down their swords, symbols of their knightly pride, to the ground and begged for their lives, trembling.
To make matters worse, the stench of urine began to fill the air.
For a moment, my mind went blank.
So… what exactly is this situation?
*****
“Y-Your Highness, we’ve received information from a spy! People suspected to be Black Fangs have appeared.”
A servant delivered the urgent news to the second prince.
However, the prince’s expression didn’t change.
It wasn’t the first time he’d received such reports.
Many groups had been using Black Fangs’ fame to carry out their own agendas.
When he heard that those suspected to be Black Fangs were all minors, the second prince grew even more skeptical.
He wondered if this servant might also be a spy.
A large-scale espionage organization with over 100,000 operatives, he suspected this servant might belong to the Blood and Bone Gallery.
Then, the servant’s head exploded with a loud noise.
Yet, there was no sign of disturbance on the prince’s face.
It was only natural.
He himself had killed this servant or the spy who provided the information.
Without hesitation, he had activated the self-destruct rune engraved on their necks.
From his perspective, it was a reasonable action.
To him, all other humans were merely replaceable tools.
There were always substitutes. There was no reason to keep such suspicious and incompetent people in his service.
“Such worthless creatures.”
All his subordinates were incompetent. To bring such useless information, it was the epitome of foolishness.
Even if they weren’t spies, their incompetence deserved death.
Black Fangs, a group of children?
The leader of Black Fangs, a boy, and the head of such a large organization engaging in mere charity work?
It was utter nonsense.
Black Fangs was a massive organization with over 100,000 operatives engaged in intelligence activities.
Probably, some naive kids were pretending to be Black Fangs, playing hero.
In a situation where he needed to conserve strength for the confrontation with Black Fangs, there was no room to waste troops.
Sending a few low-ranking soldiers to kill them would suffice.
Thus, the second prince erased this matter from his mind and returned to his original task.
The man sat down and opened a book.
[Blood and Bone Gallery Member List.]
A thick book.
A gift from Asmodeus as an apology.
Based on his memory, he had compiled all the names he had seen using the Grail.
Despite the overwhelming volume and the risk of spies, he couldn’t trust anyone else.
He had been reading the list for several nights but hadn’t finished yet.
Even so, the man didn’t give up.
With bloodshot eyes, the prince opened the book and spoke.
“...Prepare yourself, Black Fangs. I will find you, no matter what it takes.”
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