Chapter 131
Chapter 131
Release the Dogs
While Kairus had successfully secured the Cloud Seizing Art manual and was on the move to board a ship—
Cecilia was in a new hideout in Pontus, engaged in a conversation with two people.
“It feels like it’s been a while since I saw both of you. Have you been well?”
Jensen Ludbow, Security Captain of the Empire, and Dawson Fillery, Chief of the Republic Police Department. Both had responded to Cecilia’s invitation.
Due to the tension between their two nations, they couldn’t exactly exchange pleasantries with smiles, but still, neither rejected the meeting that Cecilia had arranged.
“Make yourselves at home. Just think of it as me inviting you over since I moved.”
That wasn’t it. Which is why a Security Captain and a Police Chief, who weren’t exactly on friendly terms, were now sitting side-by-side on a sofa like a couple, looking fondly at Cecilia.
“Thank you for the invitation.”
“Not at all.”
Cecilia hadn’t invited them for a housewarming either. Among the seven current members of the Canal Operations Committee, these two were the only ones she could reasonably expect to talk to.
“How’s the atmosphere in the city these days?”
“Restless. The crime rate has gone down, but it feels like a volcano about to erupt is lying dormant.”
According to the Security Corps, there were 47 homicides yesterday; the Police Department had accounted for 51. Roughly a hundred people a day were losing their lives at the will of others in this horrific city.
But for Bennett City, that level of homicide meant things were relatively stable.
“Everyone seems to be holding back, the atmosphere’s gotten too strange. What do you think the reason is?”
Security Captain Jensen Ludbow let out a small sigh and replied.
“It’s probably because of Pontus.”
Hearing his answer, Cecilia chuckled and stood up, then lightly ran her hand along the wall.
“Isn’t Dersos such a strange country?”
“Is that so?”
“I can understand the Grand Canal. Once it’s completed, it’s a guaranteed investment with more than enough returns.”
The Antaria Grand Canal was still such an essential facility that it was monumental even now.
But what about this shelter?
Pontus was different. Time, money, manpower—it had all been poured into it, but from Cecilia’s perspective, it was nothing more than a waste of all three.
“I understand it was built as a contingency measure in case of national collapse. I’d say it has its merits.”
To that, Cecilia gave a small smile.
“If they had used the money, time, and manpower they spent on this to crush rebels or invaders instead, I think Dersos could’ve lasted at least another 500 years.”
And now, the underground shelter they had built in preparation for a worst-case scenario had fallen into the hands of Bennett City’s criminals.
Sturdy, deeply buried underground, and spacious—it was the perfect place for dogs to bark their heads off.
“I decided not to use this wonderful space all by myself. Consider it a concession.”
As the winner of the previous wager, Cecilia could have claimed all of Pontus. Instead, she divided the area and allocated sections to other members of the Canal Operations Committee.
Of course, she received compensation in return, but considering that she could have had the entire Rose Garden to herself, it was a fairly big concession. Still, it seemed that wasn’t enough for everyone.
Areumdri Pawnshop wasn’t happy with Pontus sitting squarely in their territory, and the other organizations who had paid Cecilia to receive a portion of Pontus now wanted even more of its space.
“If things go wrong, the nest might collapse from the birds fighting each other.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Cecilia nodded at Security Captain Jensen’s words. And that was precisely why both Jensen and Dawson had willingly accepted Cecilia’s invitation to gather here.
The possibility that the major criminal organizations controlling this city would destroy one another while fighting over more territory in Pontus.
“Neither of you want that, right? I don’t either.”
Jensen and Dawson nodded. Funny as it was, these two were the ones who most fervently wished that this city would never fully fall into the hands of either the Empire or the Republic.
Regardless of whose hands the city ended up in, their fates would remain almost the same.
“You’re both living like kings here right now. But if Valorn or Aylan ends up claiming this city…”
One of them would die. And the other would be faced with an unpleasant, unadaptable situation.
They would no longer be able to live as they did now, and someone superior would appear whom they’d have to serve.
Ironically, that was why these two desperately hoped the current state of the city wouldn’t collapse.
“Since we all want the same thing, shouldn’t we be able to work together?”
“I understand the power of the Rose Garden, but that alone won’t stop a conflict.”
Cecilia smiled. She was well aware of that. If even one member of the Operations Committee had held a clear upper hand, the city wouldn’t have stayed the way it was.
Even if all three of them shared the same intentions, it was impossible to completely prevent the conflicts that Pontus could trigger.
“I mean we have to prevent a full-blown war. Minor disputes are everyday occurrences. If we can’t avoid the eruption of a volcano, then at the very least we should prevent irreparable damage.”
It was actually safer to let off pressure with multiple small eruptions.
“So, can we know what it is you want from us?”
“The city’s gotten too quiet, and that’s why people are starting to think dangerous thoughts. You know that saying, right? Those who enjoy peace are the first to clamor for war.”
When the city’s public order is in complete chaos and new incidents erupt day after day, everyone ends up exhausted just trying to respond to the mess.
And once they’ve drained themselves dealing with that chaos?
By then, the situation inside Pontus would have settled to some degree. Everyone would have adjusted to the territories they were allocated.
Once that happens, the conclusion naturally becomes, ‘I’m dead tired. We’ve already missed the best timing anyway—let’s put off our greed for later.’
At Cecilia’s words, Dawson Fillery exhaled a long breath.
“Do you think it will work?”
“Chief Dawson, we are, by nature, a bunch of rabid dogs.”
Calling herself a mad dog, Cecilia leaned back against the sofa and took a sip of tea. On the surface, she spoke politely and softly, but she was no exception to that statement.
“Dogs overflowing with energy, not knowing what to do with it. They run around wildly, pick fights with other dogs, bleed all over the place, and cause every kind of ruckus imaginable.”
The clink of her teacup followed, then a sigh.
“And if those dogs can’t let off that steam outside, you know what happens. They go crazy inside the house. They break furniture, tear at the wallpaper, and dig holes in the perfectly fine floor.”
This city had dogs that were born insane, and others that had gone mad after spending too many years fighting in the pits. For all their different reasons, they shared one thing in common:
When things got quiet, instead of being grateful for the peace, they got so bored they chose self-destruction.
“To put it nicely, we just need to take them for a walk to let them blow off steam.”
“I understand. Do you already have a method in mind?”
At Security Captain Jensen’s question, Cecilia smiled faintly and replied.
“How about a special pardon?”
“What?”
“Both of you have at least a dozen lunatics locked up in your own bases, don’t you?”
In this city, the particularly deranged types who went too far were either dead or locked up by the Security Corps and Police Department.
They were maniacs so brutal, perverse, and terrifying that even calling them human felt wrong.
Not ordinary criminals, but the kind of insane bastards that even the city’s Operations Committee would look at and think, ‘That one needs to be killed or locked away for good.’ Of course, there was a reason they hadn’t been killed yet—just imprisoned.
For example, the type who would check if a woman’s underwear was white, and if it was, they’d chop her to pieces.
“If they were that level, they wouldn’t be locked up by the Police Department or the Security Corps. Compared to those inmates, these ones were almost cute.”
“You don’t have grounds to grant a pardon, do you? Those bastards are all lunatics.”
“It’s not that we’d officially grant them a special pardon. We’d just arrange for them to be released as if it were an accident.”
They would release a bunch of dangerous prey, then hunt them down until everyone was exhausted.
It would become an exhilarating hunting game where the mad dogs could vent stress and pent-up energy.
“The damage would be enormous.”
People would die, buildings would burn, and fear would blanket the city like a blizzard.
“Now? You expect them to suddenly repent their sins and enter a monastery or something?”
By now, the three of them sitting here had already done far too much to talk about innocent victims.
“If you’ve resolved to give up all the wealth and power we enjoy in this city, then there’s nothing to be done. We’d have to find another way.”
That wasn’t a decision just anyone could make. If someone truly had the will to give up all the sweetness they were enjoying, no amount of pleading or coercion from Cecilia could change that.
But could these three, sitting here now, summon that level of resolve?
“When would be a good time to implement it?”
“I’ll contact you soon.”
Security Captain Jensen agreed to Cecilia’s proposal. All that remained was Chief Dawson Fillery’s consent.
“All right. I’ll do it too.”
Both of them agreed to Cecilia’s plan. Soon, that vile city would be flooded with scum so vile even the city itself could not tolerate them.
“Is there a chance the escaped ones might head elsewhere?”
At Dawson’s question, Cecilia burst out laughing.
“That’s absurd. What would people like us do if we left this city? Become farmers?”
They could not leave. They had never tried, nor could they do, productive work like farming.
They might flee for a while, wandering around the ruined hive like bees circling a broken beehive, but they would keep returning here. That was exactly what Cecilia wanted. The longer the chaos lasted, the more drained everyone would become.
“…What are the odds the other members of the Operations Committee would intervene actively?”
If the organizations that made up the Operations Committee pulled out their core forces and personally intervened to restore order, two weeks would be enough.
“Captain Jensen, we are preparing for war right now.”
With the city in this state, job postings at the hiring office would remain while workers would be scarce. Skirmishes, large and small, would break out.
"How awful would it be to get stabbed to death by the criminal next door while you're busy cleaning up mad dogs?"
As she said that, Cecilia gestured toward herself. The Operations Committee couldn’t afford to go all in. If Cecilia showed a passive response, the other organizations would be forced to follow suit.
“That’s true. Very well, let’s give it a try.”
With that, the meeting came to an end. Cecilia saw Jensen and Dawson off, then returned inside.
“This should be enough for now.”
Ultimately, neither the Empire nor the Republic could make a move in Bennett unless internal fractures occurred.
“I heard you were looking for me. Did the meeting go well?”
“For now.”
After the two had left, a high-ranking member came to greet her. Now that things had been decided, the Rose Garden had to carry out its responsibilities.
“You’ve noticed the city’s getting more tense lately. Tell the members to stay armed at all times, even during normal routines. And anyone who doesn’t meet a certain level of skill—either send them out of the city or reassign them to indoor duties.”
“I’ll act on that immediately.”
Everyone could sense the city’s atmosphere was beginning to turn. There was a widespread expectation that a clash between organizations could happen any day now.
Of course, this wasn’t the reason Cecilia gave those orders. She wasn’t preparing for inter-group conflict. Lunatics couldn’t see affiliations, and fear or authority wouldn’t stop their rampages.
Soon, maniacs would be released—ones who’d gut a child and wrap their intestines around their neck just because the kid happened to smile on the street.
Those without sufficient skill wouldn’t be able to wander around Bennett relying solely on the name of the Rose Garden anymore.
As the head of the Rose Garden, Cecilia had the duty to prevent her members from shedding blood as much as possible.
That was why she gave those orders. Because it was now certain that Bennett City was about to become even more dangerous than before.