I Became the Narrow-Eyed Villain in a Dropped Novel

Chapter 145:

“They’re just small fry, literally.”

In just one day, we hit five lower-level organizations of the Black Hand.

They had the grand title of lower-level organizations, but most of them were just neighborhood thugs.

Only one or two had proper jobs; most were local idlers.

Besides being Karajo, they had little in common.

Of course, being small fry didn't mean there was nothing to gain.

“For neighborhood thugs, they were far too well-equipped with weapons and supplies.”

The amount of weapons and supplies confiscated today alone was enough to arm over several hundred people.

Naturally, the number of neighborhood thugs was far less than that.

It wasn't a matter of having a few spares.

Were they preparing for a large-scale rebellion?

For that, the known scale of the Black Hand was too small.

It was known that the Black Hand had nearly 100,000 members in its heyday, but that was 40 years ago.

As a result of continuous suppression by the Empire and losing public support due to indiscriminate terror, it was estimated that their numbers did not exceed 3,000 in all of Gellihau.

If this much came out from investigating only a small area, it meant that if we hit all the places, the scale would be enough to easily arm at least several tens of thousands.

“The interrogation is over.”

Just as I was wondering why there were so many, Ede came in with a tired face.

“What were the results?”

“Well… I realized that small fry are just small fry.”

For once, Ede frowned and shook his head.

“They didn't seem to be tight-lipped.”

“The problem is that they're so loose-lipped they'll say anything. They probably thought we'd like it if they said something plausible.”

“Oh dear. I don't really like braggarts.”

“It’s okay. They’ve all paid the price. They’ll probably be crawling on the ground for a few months.”

What a terrifying guy.

I almost felt sorry for what must have happened to those rowdy things.

Though that feeling faded in less than ten seconds.

“There must have been at least one useful piece of information.”

“They all said that the supplies from their sponsor have increased tremendously recently. So much so that it was sometimes a nuisance to deal with.”

“Did they ask for more, or did the amount they were given just increase.”

“According to them, the sponsor arbitrarily increased the amount they were giving, but since they're small fry, I'm not sure if that's really the case….”

“It's probably true.”

I smiled brightly at Ede, who was trailing off.

The fact that the supplies given had increased matched the internal information from the ravens.

Seeing that the amount flowing into the Black Hand increased right after I started confronting the Duke, it was clear that the giving side had arbitrarily increased it.

“Why would they increase it? Are they planning to start a rebellion or something?”

“There’s only one way to find out. Meet the person in charge.”

“Which side?”

“The ones who received it, of course.”

There wasn't enough time or manpower to track the ravens who provided the supplies.

Targeting the Black Hand was much simpler.

“How?”

“Mr. Ede, if you were the Black Hand, what would you do with so many supplies pouring in that it becomes a nuisance to handle.”

“Uh… wouldn't I save it for the future.”

“With this much, even storing it is a job. You'd want to reduce it if you could. It'd be nice to make some money on the side, too. Don't you think so?”

“Ah, on the black market….”

I nodded at Ede's answer.

The time was just right, evening, a good time to visit the black market.

“Then, let’s go take a look at some goods.”

***

Where people gather, goods gather, and where goods gather, a market is formed.

If the people and goods gathered are criminals and illegal items, then that market becomes a black market.

Therefore, it was not difficult to find a black market in Gellihau.

The problem was finding who had bought the goods passed on by Leitche.

If I had plenty of time, I would have slowly looked around and examined, but unfortunately, I only had about three days left.

Thud!!

A huge security guard fell to the ground with a loud noise.

The shop owner, pale as a sheet, could only stare at the fallen guards.

“This would have been over if you had just told me nicely.”

“D-d-do you think you can get away with touching me?!”

What do I care who you are?

Well, you can't be full on the first bite.

As I raised my staff, the merchant frantically waved his hands.

“Wait, wait! I can’t answer if you don't tell me what you're curious about!”

“Where are the goods the Black Hand sold?”

“The B-Black Hand? I wouldn't take anything from those bastards even if they gave it to me for free… no no, I mean I won't take it, not that I won't answer!!”

Just before the staff struck his shoulder, the merchant screamed.

“Only the Karajo bastards in the innermost part of the market deal with the Black Hand!”

“How am I supposed to know from that.”

“The one-eyed man! Find the one-eyed man! There’s only one of him here!”

“Understood.”

I withdrew my staff and left the chaotic shop.

Dozens of people were sprawled on the dirty street, groaning with their heads buried in the ground.

“The Black Hand?”

“No, they just look like market thugs. Though they're pretty much the same thing.”

Ede answered with a smile, prodding a thug with rolled-back eyes with his foot.

It seemed he hadn't even drawn his sword and had beaten them all with the scabbard.

I approached a few unlucky thugs who hadn't passed out and were groaning.

“They say I should look for a one-eyed Karajo. Do you know where he is.”

“You son of a….”

Whack!

The thug, whose face was half-buried in a puddle, was kicked and rolled a few times.

After confirming that he had quieted down, I asked again in a gentle tone.

“Does anyone know.”

“G-go to the center and look for a bright red roof.”

“Thank you. Mr. Ede, give that kind person some money and send him home.”

“What about the rest?”

“Do as you see fit.”

I left the clean-up to him and walked to the center of the market.

The merchants, who had already noticed the commotion, had hidden, and no one was to be seen on the street.

Finding the bright red roof was not difficult.

It was a three-story building that stuck out among the single-story buildings.

If that's the case, he could have just told me to find the three-story building.

As I was thinking that and looking up at the roof, something flashed.

I tilted my head slightly to the side, and an arrow flew past.

It seemed they didn't intend to finish it with one shot, as a shower of arrows rained down on where I had been.

Of course, I had already moved from that spot with an acceleration spell.

Standing in front of the building and scanning for enemies, I felt a seething hostility.

“About 30 of them, I guess.”

This should be a decent warm-up.

As soon as I took a step into the building, a club aimed at my head appeared before my eyes.

Whoosh!

While the opponent who swung and missed staggered, I grabbed his face and threw him back.

“Is the one-eyed owner here.”

“This bastard!”

A few more of the hidden guys appeared and swung their swords clumsily.

Compared to the Stetten knights, they were at the level of newborns, so I didn't need to move much to avoid them.

I grabbed one with Mana Grasp and swung him around, and they were quickly taken care of.

When I let go of the thug I had used as a weapon, he crawled away, retching.

“Do you want more?”

“No, that's enough. Everyone, back off.”

At the deep voice, the small fry who had been posturing to attack hesitated and stepped back.

I turned my head and saw an old man with an eye patch coming down the stairs.

“Who are you to cause a ruckus in someone else’s place of business.”

“Are you the one-eyed man they say deals with the Black Hand?”

“…That’s right.”

The old man’s calm reply carried a certain resolve.

“To ask such a thing. Are you sent by the Three Blades? Or the Imperial Army?”

“Neither.”

“I suppose those gentlemen wouldn't come barging in so boorishly. What is it you want? I'll give it to you, so take it and go back.”

“Where do I have to go to meet the head of the Black Hand.”

Gasps could be heard from here and there.

The old man also frowned and glared at me.

“To ask to meet the general, what a madman.”

“Ah, so the name of that ringleader was general? What a grand name for a bandit chief.”

The old man didn't particularly deny my words.

From the way he called me a madman, it seemed he didn't have a very good impression of him.

“Didn’t the Black Hand recently try to sell weapons or arrows.”

“The arrow that was shot at you was one of the things they sold.”

“Do you know that it was a product from Leitche?”

At my question, the old man’s face contorted.

It seemed he didn't know.

“The bastard who always used to demand things was now trying to sell, so I wondered what had gotten into him, but so that's what it was.”

“I trust you understand that this could be a problem without me having to say it. Especially with an investigation team sent from the Imperial Capital.”

It was obvious what would happen to a merchant, who was at best a well-to-do figure in Gellihau, if it became known that he had bought goods supplied by a foreign country to terrorists.

“…Don’t misunderstand. We just do whatever makes money. We never had any intention of protecting those bastards who have been ripping off even the Karajo for decades anyway.”

“I don’t know if the Empire will believe that, but fortunately, ruining your business is not my concern. Where is the Black Hand.”

“The leadership is constantly on the move, so I don’t know their exact location. But I do know what they're planning to do next.”

The old man paused for a moment.

It didn't seem like he was aiming for dramatic effect.

It was more like he was at a loss for words for a moment when he was about to speak.

But he soon made up his mind and spoke calmly.

“The general said this time he's planning to give the Empire bastards and Geller a taste of their own medicine. He said there's a real possibility this time.”

“Don't you know any more details?”

“I wasn’t interested, so I didn't ask further. But from the looks of it, it seems he plans to kill the investigation team sent from the Imperial Capital this time.”

He probably intends to carry out the assassination with that camera the Duke of Leitche gave him.

With this, I've achieved my reason for coming here.

“But….”

Suddenly, a question arose.

“What is it?”

“What kind of person are you to talk about such things with their ringleader? He wouldn’t talk about his operation to a simple merchant, would he.”

“It's nothing. I used to work for the Black Hand too. It's been over 20 years since I quit.”

The old man said so, looked up at the ceiling wistfully, and let out a long sigh.

“If only they hadn't made such a fuss about punishing the traitor back then, that child would never have gone over to the Three Blades.”

“Are you talking about the Silver Dagger, Semia.”

“It seems you know the situation. Thanks to the general, that child became the sharpest blade aimed at the Karajo, so it's a kind of karma.”

I could roughly guess why he said he would cooperate.

In any case, finding out about the Black Hand's movements and an insider was a decent achievement.

“I'll be going. Though I have a feeling we'll see each other again.”

“It will probably be so. Farewell, Count Valheit.”

The one-eyed man threw a word at my back.

No wonder he was so calm; it seemed he already knew who I was.

Was Valheit so well-known even in a backwater place like this?

***

“For even that Valheit bastard to come to the land of the Karajo, what a day.”

“Isn’t it a good opportunity? The ones who ruined the kingdom are all gathered in one place.”

“But wouldn’t the security be even tighter because such important figures have gathered….”

Whispering sounds spread in the dark basement.

The people who were having a heated discussion fell silent when an old man stepped onto the makeshift podium.

“General, what should we do?”

The old man, called the general, frowned as if in thought and looked around the audience.

Thirty pairs of eyes were fixed on him.

“The job proceeds as planned. It's too late to change the plan.”

If he had his way, he would want to kill the accursed Emperor's bloodline and that disgustingly smiling Count, but the current Black Hand was limited to killing one person for sure.

If only one had to be killed, it had to be Johann Geller.

“In two days, we will kill the First Duke and avenge the Karajo Kingdom.” ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel·fire.net

At the general's shrill voice, hushed applause filled the basement.