Chapter 304
This is bad, Grund immediately thought.
The number of bandits gathered at the ruins now exceeded 2000, having transformed into a veritable army.Backed by the Duke's influence, supplies and funds were plentiful. With no shortage of food, women, or lack of policing soldiers, this ruin was becoming a paradise for scoundrels.
With so many roughnecks gathered, public order should have deteriorated, but through Grund's management and the purges by the Duke's covert operatives, they maintained a semblance of a military organization.
But at their core, they were still lawless thugs.Rowdy revelry was the norm, their behavior as self-serving as ever.
Grund drank his sake and watched the scene over the campfire. Considering the information he'd just obtained and the current situation, he felt a bad trend was developing.
"......"
Watching their rust-covered sense of crisis gave him a bad feeling.Grund trusted his gut for these kinds of bad shifts.And it had never been wrong.
Grund would assert that the most necessary element for a villain to live long and enjoy the good life was a nose for bad trends.
The insolent brat was captured and execution was certain. Their sponsor, Duke Boldorinde, was detained in the royal capital.The others here, kept in the dark by the liaison, were blissfully enjoying themselves today, but Grund, with his own independent communication channels, felt the tide had turned.
Intelligence from Hokushi indicated that shady groups were successively exposing the misdeeds of the noble and merchant funding sources, and the King had decided to send an inspection team to the northern territories.For now, it was fine, but he could see a future where support supplies to this place would be disrupted.If that happened, the discipline held together by comfortable living wouldn't last much longer.
When that happened, sleepless nights would come.
Perhaps it was time. He wouldn't fight the current and stood up to disappear.
"Mr. Grund, where are you off to?""Hm? Oh, I think I might get sick from the drink tonight, so I'm heading back to my room early."
Staying until the last possible moment was nonsense.There was no point in lingering here.He'd take all the funds he could secure, steal a horse, and run away.While making these calculations in his head, he naturally tried to return to his room even when called by a subordinate.
"......Where do you think you're going?""Huh? Didn't you hear? I'm going back to my room. The drink's gone to my head a bit tonight."
But on the way, a voice called out to him from the darkness.Although he said it was rare, when he turned around, it was one of the Duke's covert operatives monitoring this bandit group.
The path was unmistakably leading to Grund's room.
"You intend to take this and use the escape route, correct?"
But a leather bag thrown by the covert operative rolled at Grund's feet.A jingling metallic sound echoed, and gold coins he had secretly embezzled spilled out.Furthermore, the secret passage he had painstakingly dug out from his room was already known.
"What are you talking about? That passage is for when the ruins are attacked."
Grund shrugged his shoulders without picking up the money, maintaining a smile so the cold sweat slightly trickling down his back wouldn't be noticed.The covert operative's man looked at him with cold eyes, revealing his killing intent.
"You say that while hiding it.""I think it's odd to call a hidden passageway so openly."
Even though he had built it secretly without telling anyone, it was discovered.Grund maintained his smile, hoping the man wouldn't notice the cold sweat on his back.
He instantly calculated whether to fight here, but he knew full well he couldn't win head-on.
"I believe I said betrayal would not be tolerated.""Now, now, I have no such intention, not even a speck."
But there were several ways to slip through.While thinking of those methods, Grund subtly moved his right hand under his cloak and pinched an item with his fingers.
It was a touch-and-go situation. If the covert operative took one more step, the fight would begin.
"Mr. Grund!! A guy calling himself a guest has come!!""A guest?"
At that exquisitely timed moment, someone ran up as a messenger, completely oblivious to the tension.It was bad for either of them to be seen fighting.
From the covert operative's perspective, he didn't want the bandits to see him killing Grund and risk them scattering.From Grund's perspective, he didn't want his subordinates to see him being attacked by the covert ops, suggesting he'd done something to deserve it.
Due to their mutual delicate circumstances, a temporary truce occurred.
Both the covert operative and Grund had a预感 that the fight would resume after this subordinate left.
"Yo! He said he's an acquaintance of some bigwig and that if I showed this letter to Mr. Grund, you'd understand."
When presented with something that effectively extended the truce period, even Grund had no choice but to check it.
Wary of the covert operative, Grund took the letter the subordinate brought and opened his eyes wide upon seeing it.
"Was this your doing?"
Grund looked at the covert operative with a sidelong glance after checking the letter's contents.The content was so blatantly troublesome and arrived at such a perfect timing that he thought the covert ops might have orchestrated it to prevent him from escaping this place.
This ruin, where scoundrels gathered, naturally contained many individuals who had committed outrageous deeds in the past.It was a dumping ground for villains where boasting about stealing things or killing people would only get you laughed at.
Mixed among them were existences even Grund found troublesome.
"......""Silence, depending on the time and place, can indicate affirmation. So it *was* your doing after all. Sigh, I really didn't want to increase the Evil God Cult's influence any further."
Living in the underworld, one naturally hears of the Evil God Cult.Since these ruins were originally a base for the Evil God Cult, there had been several small clashes before, with them demanding it back.
But, from a certain day onward, that suddenly stopped.
Why? Because Duke Boldorinde had pulled strings from behind the scenes.
Grund admitted it was necessary to investigate that monster from the beginning.But he thought allying with the Evil God Cult for that purpose was premature.
They were fanatics.Precisely because their interests aligned, they were currently behaving and progressing with the monster's research, submitting materials. But if they were to part ways even once, they would turn their fangs on them.
"Sigh, well, fine. I suppose I have to deal with this, right?""Correct.""Sigh, I hate it, I hate it. I wish I could make someone else handle this troublesome matter."
This time, the guest invited was the High Priest of that Evil God Cult.A high-ranking member of the Evil God Cult, active worldwide, setting foot in these ruins might suggest that the day that monster runs amok is approaching.
For now, the worry of being killed was gone, but considering he lost his chance to escape, Grund sighed, feeling it was a net loss internally.He picked up the leather bag of gold coins spilled at his feet and stored it inside his cloak.
While being watched by the covert operative, he headed to the guest area, where a group that looked suspicious from the get-go was standing at the entrance to the ruins.
Making sure the group could see, Grund took a pendant from his cloak and put it around his neck.It depicted a being called a Chimera, the symbol of the Evil God Cult.
"My apologies for keeping you waiting.""......Are you the person in charge here?""Yes, my name is Grund. Welcome, you've come a long way."
Switching between honesty and pretense was second nature to Grund.He put on a smile that was generally well-received but also somewhat suspicious, and directed it at the group whose faces were entirely covered except for their eyes, while feeling their gaze briefly on his chest.
Knowing that fellow believers would engage with him to some extent, Grund greeted them by making the Evil God Cult's salute: making a fist with his right hand, an open palm with his left, crossing them over his chest, and bowing his head. It seemed his tardiness was forgiven.
"Where is the research facility?""Yes. I will guide you."
But he knew they didn't fully trust him.There was no small talk; they stated their purpose flatly, and Grund unhesitatingly offered to guide them.
"「「「「......」」」"
They cut through the crowd of roughnecks along the way, receiving varied reactions.Some looked puzzled, wondering what that was; those belonging to the Evil God Cult made the same salute as Grund.Most, knowing of their existence, noticeably averted their faces from the group or tried to keep their distance.
"It's further inside. However, 'that existence' is awake, so please do not cross the boundary line. If you enter, I cannot guarantee your safety.""We know. Hey, check the equipment.""Yes!"
The people the High Priest brought were probably researchers.They quickly scattered around the ruins and began checking the equipment located inside the boundary line Grund had specified.
Watching them, Grund thought, 'They are learned, aren't they?' and stayed put, observing intently.Grund and his roughnecks had no idea what the equipment was.
But the people sent here had some idea what the equipment was.
If Liberta were here, he'd probably say this:The organization with the most knowledge about ruins in this world is the Evil God Cult.
Ruins are remnants of past civilizations.And those ruins are also legacies of the gods worshipped in the past.
While organizations on the surface also inherit and can use that knowledge, the Evil God Cult is the most fixated on it.
Various countries have archaeologists, but the reality is they don't allocate much budget.Ironically, in this southern continent, Duke Boldorinde holds the most knowledge in that area and possesses several ancient weapons excavated from ruins.
He intends to use them as trump cards, but unbeknownst to him, Liberta is aware of all the weapons he's likely to use and has reported them to Duke Edelgard, along with countermeasures.
And to acquire those weapons, he has connections with the Evil God Cult.It's an act that could be seen as treachery, but in terms of ducal status and covert operations, no one on this continent can surpass Duke Boldorinde.
"How long do you intend to stay there?""No, I thought you might need something.""If we need something, we'll call you. Dismissed.""Understood."
Even though watching wouldn't tell him much, Grund tried to gather information, but staying any longer might make them suspect him as an enemy, so he left the room.
The covert operative from earlier was behind him.The current was shifting in a worse and worse direction.
"......"
Glancing back, he saw the covert operative following at a distance.If no one was around, he considered escaping with this flow, but thinking now might not be the time, he gave up and changed course, thinking he might go find a woman instead.
"Hm?"
Ruins are old. Even if the passages are intact, the walls or ceilings can be brittle.In such places, you can sometimes see the outside scenery.
When Grund passes through such places with a view outside, he makes a point of looking at the outside scenery as much as possible.
Trying not to miss even slight changes in the scenery, he suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.
Only roughnecks should be outside, yet mixed among them were many well-coordinated individuals.
"......"
Their movements made it obvious at a glance.There wasn't just one or two trained individuals.As a group, they were guarding these ruins.
He didn't make the blunder of stopping in surprise at this sight or doing anything to show he felt incongruity.Without letting on that he had suspected the identity of that masked High Priest, Grund obediently went off to find a woman.
T/N Picked up new series . Check it out . https://www.scribblehub.com/series/1932703/cursed-reincarnator-wants-to-avoid-suffering/