Chapter 199
After the Emperor's coronation ceremony ended.
The prosecution bureau began a massive operation. The prosecution bureau was handed all the evidence of tax evasion that the intelligence bureau had collected.
Since the founding of the empire, countless families had committed endless corruption through collusion with the Secret Council. Tax evasion and bribery were so rampant that they became customs.
There were also many who used their noble status to commit murder. Especially the knights, who frequently injured common citizens or swung their swords carelessly.
All those incidents were brought to light, and families that had evaded taxes were hit with enormous back taxes. Those with criminal evidence were fined huge sums for bail.
Attention was focused on nobles, knights, and great merchants.
The nobles and knights had their titles stripped and status revoked, while the great merchants had their businesses confiscated and were made to pay bail.
Especially families allied with Lady Mien were subjected to searches and truly shaken down, leaving nothing untouched. When knights resisted, the imperial knight order was dispatched, claiming it was a challenge to public authority.
If anything came up during the investigation, a choice was given.
Will you give up your title? Or pay the money?
Of course, they paid the money.
Only then did the families in the capital realize how frightening an independent investigative body was. Before, they could at least appeal to the Secret Council elder. Now, things like that were completely gone.
No matter where they dug it up, there was evidence and testimonies—what could they do? The prosecution enforced the law, and the crimes committed were indeed the truth.
In that process, I was able to resolve grievances of the common people, too. There were countless citizens oppressed by the tyranny of nobles and knights. So much so that even the people saw it as normal.
For that reason, the number of commoners supporting me steadily increased. The agitator faction also grew their influence just as much, but my supporters simply didn't organize rallies.
During that time, I discovered a critical charge against Viscount Born. He was the visible head of Lady Mien's faction, believing himself to be the central figure.
"Viscount Born is here."
"He must be desperate."
I smiled as I left the palace.
He was standing outside the castle gate.
"Come out and speak with me."
"Speak to the prosecution."
"Please spare me. I can't keep my son in check all the time. Frankly, who can say that witness didn't testify for a bribe?"
I stared wordlessly at Viscount Born.
"Pay 10,000 gold coins as bail."
"What?"
Viscount Born's face twisted.
He was so shocked he even drooled.
"You want my entire fortune?"
"Your fortune is likely ten times that amount. Considering the suffering endured by 32 factory workers at your son's hands, it's not a huge sum. You'll have to pay compensation too."
"But those girls wanted it..."
"They wanted it?"
I fixed my stare on the viscount.
There must have been female workers who were victimized by him as well.
"Your son really takes after you. You used to frequent the Pleasure Island run by the Order when you were young."
"How do you know that?"
"I know all about what countless capital nobles did on the Pleasure Island. I'm sure that intel played a part in Director Oren's effectiveness heading the prosecution bureau."
Viscount Born was speechless.
He must not have known, being part of a neutral faction. It seemed the Grand Duke's faction had kept the fact that I had such information hidden.
"If you're so reluctant about the bail, wait a little longer. Trying to save one thing, you'll lose all ten."
"You can't touch my title!"
"We'll see about that."
I was about to get into my carriage, then spoke again.
"You should let the others know as well. If they want to keep their titles, they'll have to put up half their total wealth."
I boarded the carriage.
Viscount Born hurriedly banged on the door.
"Don't be like this! I'll give half to your director—just help a little, please! 10,000 gold coins would take me 10 years to earn!"
"You could do it in two. Goodbye."
Bang—
I closed the door.
The carriage immediately set off.
To someone who achieved both wealth and honor, power becomes visible. But if they reach only for power without the capacity, they eventually lose everything they had. That's what happened to Viscount Born.
There's no power struggle.
It's only their backers who are dangerous.
The carriage headed north.
In the middle of work, I received contact from the squad leader: Duto Syren had boarded a carriage heading north.
"Have you found out anything more about Mien's merchant guild?"
"There's a suspicious underground base in the northern mountains. The path is so complicated I couldn't confirm it, but they heard roars coming from chimneys all over the place."
"A chimney?"
"They said it looked like a corpse incineration facility. They witnessed, just once, gladiators being taken inside."
"Gladiators?"
"They weren't knights or soldiers, and they weren't mercenaries either. They were bound like arena slaves."
"Are they making them fight monsters?"
"Maybe so."
There was evidence that Lady Mien was raising monsters. But it wasn't led by her—the secret weapon was set up by the Grand Duke from earlier.
Sez managed it, and after the Grand Duke died, involved Lady Mien. Until then, it seemed she had only been providing 'food' for the monster.
I knew what was special in the north:
The demonic beast dungeon in the northern mountains.
A place crawling with monsters.
That dungeon was the underground base.
It was a deep and complex cave system. That's why it was called a dungeon—once you go in, you can't get out.
/ / /
I entered the northern city in disguise.
This was the territory of Lord Salon, the great lord of the north.
"The roof designs are unique."
"That's because of the heavy snow. The steep angle makes it slide off instead of piling up."
There were many pointy-roofed houses.
To the north, a massive mountain range blocked the way.
"What about Duto?"
—He's eating at an inn.
"Where's the underground base located?"
—In the Uku Mountain valley. Uku is a dangerous place, a monster habitat.
"Got it. Let me know as soon as you see Sez."
—Yes.
I entered the eatery disguised as a mercenary.
Many of the people inside looked just like us. That's because this was the area where the mercenary headquarters was located.
As soon as we took a seat, mercenaries stared at us. We could be rivals, or become comrades. Also, it was probably because they didn't recognize us.
"Hey. Where are you from?"
"The capital."
"The capital? Hahahaha!"
The mercenaries burst out laughing.
I could guess why.
"You should stick to merchant guild escort jobs. What are you doing here?"
"They said there's money to be made."
"Plenty came chasing money like you and never even saw a single coin before leaving this world. No crossbows, no shields, no big swords. Are you hunting by sheer toughness?"
"Hahahaha."
They weren't mocking us.
They were trying to warn ignorant newcomers of the reality. You could tell we looked like we'd die for sure.
"Are you making any money?"
"We make a living. Sure, the money is good, but some of the side income is even sweeter. It's a little nasty, but with some pepper it's edible."
"You eat monster meat?"
"What wouldn't we eat? Hahaha."
I stared at the laughing mercenaries.
Some northern monsters have a fair amount of magic power. Eating them, these guys gained some magic themselves.
"So, want us to let you join?"
"Where are you headed?"
"We're going to Uku Mountain tomorrow morning. If we capture an Uku alive, it's five gold coins per head."
"That much?"
"It's a really strong one. When you meet it, you'll think that reward is too small. These things get stronger over time—this one will be even tougher. Try not to wet your pants."
"Why do you need to capture the monster alive?"
"No idea. Not our problem."
A monster that just keeps getting stronger...
Are they capturing and breeding it?
I recalled that the underground base was at Uku Mountain.
"We'll go, too."
"You know you don't get paid if you don't fight, right?"
"Of course."
Sez was supposed to meet Duto tonight. Regardless of whether we catch him or not, I'll be heading to that underground base anyway. Entering as mercenaries would keep Sez from catching on.
"Come with me."
We followed the burly mercenary.
Not far away was the mercenary headquarters.
"Say hello. He's our commander."
We simply nodded a greeting.
The commander was a hulking man as well.
He gave us a crooked glance.
"Where are you registered as mercenaries?"
"Tris."
"You usually escorted Barako Merchant Guild, right?"
"That's right."
The commander looked us over from top to bottom.
"That's all the weapons you have?"
"We're good fighters, so don't worry."
"Everyone says that—at least until they run away from the Uku. Put up two silver coins each as a guarantee. If you disappear, we just lose manpower."
Donnie paid four silver coins.
The commander pocketed them.
"We'll treat injuries, but your deaths aren't our responsibility. Rewards vary by your contribution to the hunt. If we catch it alive, you'll be paid as per contract."
The commander handed us the contract.
It was a piece of parchment smaller than my palm.
We signed the contract.
The commander spoke again.
"Be here early tomorrow morning."
We left the mercenary headquarters.
The big guy laughed.
"Lucky for you—my mercenary group's all Proficients. See you tomorrow."
He walked back to the eatery.
They did look capable... But I still wondered how many had died for them to pull in strays like us.
We headed for the city square.
Then, in the distance, a man staggered over and suddenly collapsed, coughing up blood. It was Duto Syren.
—Young master!
"I see him. What about Sez?"
—He hasn't shown up yet.
"Just stand by for now."
Duto had been murdered.
I expected him to be killed after meeting Sez, but they used poison. As if he wasn't even worth talking to.
Still, as firstborn, I'd thought Duto would be tasked with rebuilding the family. But even if they rebuilt, the label of a traitorous family stuck, so they just disposed of him.
Donnie and I discreetly checked the square. The citizens were crowding around the fallen Duto in shock, but no suspicious figures were in sight.
"Well, there's nothing we can do now."
"They'll be in the underground base."
We headed straight for the inn.
The northern mountains were shrouded in storm clouds.
It looked like it would rain in the morning.
/ / /
We climbed the mountain in the rain.
The carriage could only go as far as the entry-ban zone of the northern mountain range. After that, we'd been heading for Uku Mountain for six hours.
Donnie and I wore shabby light armor and carried only swords. Other mercenaries had lots of noisy hunting gear. They had special equipment for capturing Uku alive.
"From now on, make no noise."
"Yes, sir."
There were 21 mercenaries in total.
We were teamed up with the big guy from yesterday and started descending toward the distant valley.
Because of the heavy rain, going down the mountain slope was extremely dangerous. If you slipped, you could roll a long way. We even used ropes to help everyone down.
The narrow valley was filled with battle traces.
The ravine was quite long, with animal bones scattered everywhere and even some uncollected corpses.
We went on like that for quite a while.
Then the one leading us raised his hand.
Ssshhhhh—
All we could hear was the pouring rain.
The officer gestured.
The mercenaries began laying traps on the ground. Paralytic poison bombs that would go off if stepped on. Even in the rain, they seemed to be effective. Next, one person went in deeper.
"Careful with the traps. If you get hit, you'll die."
"Understood."
Srrring.
All the mercenaries drew swords; some readied crossbows and noose snares. They took their positions.
One mercenary went deep inside.
Suddenly, a message came in.
—There are monsters ahead.
"How many?"
—Two. There's a cave at the end of the valley, and it's likely the entrance to the underground base. There's a monster habitat inside.
"The chimneys?"
—They're halfway up a boulder mountain at the end of the valley. Carefully hidden by rock.
That cave was the dungeon entrance I knew.
The big guy looked at me.
"What are you muttering about?"
"Nothing for you to worry about."
There are various monsters in that dungeon. The Grand Duke's side had connected a secret base to an existing cave. As I was waiting—
Uwooohhhh—
A mercenary came running as fast as he could, pursued by a huge monster. It had the head of a bull and the body of a troll.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!—
"There are two of them!"
"Two?"
"Damn! Get ready!"
Kuaaaahhh!—
Kwakang!—
The monster swung a giant club at the fleeing mercenary. The mercenary-nimbly dodged and ran toward us.
"Fire!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud—
A volley of crossbow bolts rained onto the monsters' bodies—or seemed to, but they bounced right off.
"What the hell is that?"
"What's going on?!"
"Be careful!"
Kraaaak!—
One monster leaped and smashed down at the fleeing mercenary. The mercenary tried to dodge, but it was too late.
Smash! Crack!—
The sound of a body being destroyed echoed out.
The monsters charged toward us.
"Retreat! Everyone, up the hill!"
The mercenaries turned and ran for the mountain.
Donnie and I darted forward.
"Hey! Are you nuts? You trying to die?"
"We'll distract it!"
Boom!
The monster stepped on a trap. As poison spread and one monster staggered, we dashed past the side of the remaining monster, heading straight for where they emerged.
It didn't seem like a wild Uku.
Its magic power was extremely strong.
Monster breeding was complete!