The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

Brotherhood, 36th Branch.

Considering the Brotherhood's characteristic where a smaller number signifies a larger and more influential branch, this was an upper-mid-tier branch. It had a string of legitimate businesses cooperating with it, and the manpower the branch could mobilize was powerful enough that it couldn't be dismissed as a mere gang.

Yet, Dort, the head of this 36th Branch, could only stand there dumbfounded, unsure of what to do in the face of the major incident that was the raid on his branch.

“Kuaaack!”

“Aaargh!”

“R-run! It’s a monster!”

The branch was collapsing. The building was crumbling, and his loyal members were in a panic, scattering in the chaos.

It wasn’t even that there were many enemies. Just one. But that one person was off the charts.

Allen, the rising star of the contractor world. It had taken him less than thirty minutes to wreck the 36th Branch.

“There was no exaggeration in the rumors.”

Only an empty laugh escaped him. No one could get near him. From a distance, he used a gun, and their return fire was blocked by something like tree bark. Then, he commanded plants all over the battlefield, bringing the entire 36th Branch under his influence.

His subordinates, realizing the difference in power, tried to flee, but it was in vain. The moment they left the branch, a trap would catch their ankles and take their lives. This was supposed to be their home ground, yet when had he set up all those traps?

A helpless sense of powerlessness crushed his shoulders. He felt like an insect caught in an antlion pit.

“Dort, head of the 36th Branch?”

“…Yes, that’s me.”

Before long, only Dort and Allen remained in the branch. In contrast to Dort, who was so tense he couldn’t even move the corners of his mouth, Allen let out a casual, wry smile.

“You’ve got guts. As expected, the head of an upper-tier branch has something different about him. Of all the branches I’ve taken down so far, you’re the first one who hasn’t run.”

“…”

Dort kept his mouth shut. He hadn’t stayed because he didn’t run, but because he couldn’t. It takes one to know one. Dort had simply realized early on that running was pointless and had stayed put.

“If you have any last words, I’ll hear them. Go on.”

“Last words, you say.”

The choice of words suggested the outcome was already decided. Dort just repeated it bitterly.

“I’d like to satisfy my curiosity before I go. I heard you’ve been wiping out several of our Brotherhood branches recently. What grudge do you have against us?”

“A question instead of last words. That’s fine too. But you’ve chosen the wrong question to ask.”

Allen shook his head and said, “My name value has gone up, so it seems everyone is starting to get the wrong idea. The reason a contractor attacks the Brotherhood should be obvious, shouldn’t it? A job.”

“What kind of madman would target the Brotherhood?”

“You guys starting to act recklessly against the city government is a pretty mad act in itself.”

“…Don’t tell me, the city government?”

Allen had worked with the Public Security Bureau against Al-Raid before. But for a moment, Ferguson—Dort—thought of another possibility.

“No, the higher-ups in the organization?”

“If you’ve figured that much out, I’d say I’ve given you more than enough for your travel expenses to the afterlife.”

Before he knew it, the gun barrel was pointed at him.

“Come at me.”

The fight was over in an instant.

***

Vincent was waiting at the rendezvous point when I returned from the job.

“Good work. That makes five.”

That was the number of branches I had taken down. It was a time that made me truly realize that the Brotherhood was indeed the biggest power in the underworld. I had taken down five, and other contractors hired by the Blood Alliance had also formed teams and dealt with several branches.

For any other organization, the scale of the damage would have been enough to ruin them long ago. Yet, it didn’t show at all. On the contrary, the Brotherhood’s disturbances reported in the media were trending towards becoming more intense.

‘Thinking about the Brotherhood’s civil war that would have happened in the original story is horrifying.’

Just suppressing the current unrest happening in Gellerg City alone was taking a tremendous amount of effort. The Brotherhood civil war in FP was a continental-scale uprising, going beyond a single city. How many people must have been mobilized to cause such chaos? Just imagining experiencing it in reality, not as a game, made my head spin.

“How’s the mood in the organization these days?” I asked, since I was on the topic.

This operation, meant to warn Shadowfang by striking several of the Brotherhood’s lower-ranking organizations—how effective had it been?

“For now, the branches below the 100s have pulled out of this affair. With more than a few branches collapsing, they’ve finally realized they’re being targeted.”

“A bunch of nobodies.”

Originally, the 100-series branches were branches in name only, a gathering of half-baked members who might as well not exist. Hartig being the head of the 102nd Branch was an anomaly because he was a variant. The fact that the branches below the 100s had dropped out was a result too embarrassing to even mention as an achievement.

“A branch like the 36th is a force that can be considered just below an Underboss, isn’t it? If Shadowfang shows no reaction this time either, it would be best to consider other plans.”

The Blood Alliance’s decision to target the 36th Branch was a bold one. It was an act that chipped away at the Brotherhood’s actual power, so even if it was a branch under Shadowfang’s influence, it was bound to be a burden.

Yet, if Shadowfang still didn’t even blink, then we would have to think differently. It would mean that no matter how many of their limbs were cut off, Shadowfang would never change their mind. It meant that minor shows of force couldn’t change the current structure.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Vincent replied, gulping down a blood pack. His face was deeply shadowed.

***

A week later.

The Vincent I met again had an even more tired complexion than before.

“So these mongrel beast bastards finally want to have a go with me, huh?”

But the contents were different. The head of the Blood Alliance, possessing Vincent, bared sharp fangs as if a beast were threatening me.

“I took care of the 36th Branch, and they didn’t even bat an eye. I even went out of my way to open a channel for dialogue, and still, dead silence.”

It was just as I had feared. A will to see their intentions through, no matter how great the damage. It was a bravado they could show because they had seen through the limits of the forces the Blood Alliance could mobilize.

“So what’s the plan for next time?”

Continuing to touch the lower-ranking branches as we had been would yield no results. To bring Shadowfang to the negotiating table, a different, groundbreaking move was needed. The problem was that the Blood Alliance had few cards to play.

Since the Blood Alliance had the risk of having to hide the vampires’ identity as much as possible, they couldn’t just go on a rampage in the same way Shadowfang was acting recklessly…

“They’re calling my bluff, so I’ll have to call theirs, just as they wish.”

…They could.

“Does that mean you’re going to wipe out a 10-series branch this time?”

“No, you think too small. Higher than that.”

I had said that a branch like the 36th was a force just below an Underboss. Then what was above it was obvious.

“I know the list of Underbosses under his command inside and out.”

Underboss. Excluding the three powers that ruled from behind the scenes, they were the de facto top command of the Brotherhood.

“Will he be able to remain composed even after an Underboss serving as his limb is cut off? Let’s say, giving a hundred concessions, that he can use the upper-numbered branches as disposable pawns, but he won’t be able to sit still for that.”

“…”

Was it because it was her own experience? When I had targeted Taser Gale, the Underboss under her command, she had appeared in person to warn me and was ready to use force without hesitation. Although it was to eliminate the physical evidence of supporting a terrorist organization, the fact that the status of an Underboss was that high remained unchanged.

“Personally, I’d prefer a more cautious decision. I understand the intention of targeting an Underboss, but it could escalate into an all-out war.”

It wasn’t just that I was trying to stop her because my own workload would increase. As I said, Shadowfang couldn’t possibly remain silent if an Underboss was taken out. But if that happened, we would have to give up on finishing things quietly. That was unlikely to be the outcome the Blood Alliance wanted.

“That’s unnecessary meddling.”

The head of the Blood Alliance must have been aware of my concerns.

“I’ll handle the aftermath.”

Still, there was no reversal.

“How dare those stinking beasts ignore us, the nobles of the night? It’s unacceptable. Just because we played along for a while, they shouldn’t assume we’re on the same level as them. That’s just ill-mannered.”

Vampires and Werebeasts. A bitter rivalry so deep it was recorded in the history books. Especially for vampires with their naturally long lifespans, it wouldn’t be a dull record in a book but a vivid memory they had experienced themselves.

“They say it’s in the beasts’ nature to establish a hierarchy, right? Let’s take this opportunity to set the pecking order straight. We are above, they are below.”

It was a matter of pride now. It could also be seen as a tug-of-war between factions.

“In a chicken run, the one who stops first loses. Let’s see which side tucks its tail first.”

***

VROOOOM!

A formation of motorcycles sped down the road. The driver and passenger of each bike had menacing expressions and brandished weapons. It was too unusual to be a typical joyride by a biker gang.

Each of them had a common tattoo on a part of their body. It was the emblem of the Brotherhood.

These were the people who had recently been causing a commotion, as if they were about to wage war against the city government. Their villainy was palpable even without the media reporting on it. Even the citizens of Gellerg City, who were tough-hearted from dealing with all sorts of incidents, would slowly avert their eyes, afraid of making eye contact.

Suddenly, several cargo trucks followed behind them. Since there was no protest at their sudden joining, they were on the same side. Nevertheless, they looked as out of place as oil and water.

“Siding with the Brotherhood, you live and you learn.”

“Tell me about it. And the opponent is also the Brotherhood? That’s not an experience you get to have often, even in the contractor business where all sorts of things happen.”

Contractors were riding in the cargo trucks. They were the contractors hired by the Blood Alliance. There were quite a few familiar names, individuals who had made a name for themselves in the industry.

Since Shadowfang, unlike the Blood Alliance, had warned outsiders to stay out, it was only natural that only those skilled enough to ignore it were hired.

I was also riding in the cargo bed with them. However, I was the only one who knew the deep core of this situation. In the first place, they probably didn’t even want to know the inside story of the job. A contractor does their part simply by finishing the job they were hired for.

That’s why I didn’t join their conversation and remained silent. I might let something unnecessary slip if I ran my mouth.

“…”

Of course, it was also because I had already experienced the crazy job of being hired by the Brotherhood to fight the Brotherhood, which they were chattering about. What would I be doing by adding my own words, other than showing off?

How long had this forced vow of silence continued? The roar of the bikes gradually subsided, and the truck came to a stop.

“Get out. We’re moving on foot from here.”

The member in charge of guiding the contractors walked ahead and explained the plan.

The destination was a supply warehouse established by Underboss Victor Laznik. Unlike Taser Gale, who had set up a respectable business called Penicill and acted as a businessman, he operated strictly in the shadows. He had built several bases, supply warehouses, and hideouts, and stayed hidden by moving between them irregularly.

But even an Underboss couldn’t hide his tracks from the head of the Blood Alliance, who was above him. Today, Victor Laznik was scheduled to be at the destination supply warehouse.

“We’ll be the main force of the operation. You contractors just need to form a perimeter to prevent Victor Laznik from escaping.”

Perhaps because they were facing a fellow Underboss, there was a noticeable intention to exclude the contractors as much as possible. I wasn’t too worried. It was a battle between Underbosses. Moreover, one side had gathered forces for a surprise attack, while the other would be caught completely off guard, so victory was a foregone conclusion.

Was that why? Hyenas had flocked to the much-talked-about feast.

“I knew it. I knew you’d be part of this operation.”

An orc approached me with a grin. It was Hartig, and the members of the 102nd Branch.

(End of Chapter)