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‘It’s too high.’

Hans was also proud to have traveled around many cities and seen many things, but Leathevelk, the imperial metropolis, was taller than any other city he had ever seen.

The same went for even the shabby back alley where he was standing.

—It was like a prison of bricks and brass.

‘Should I carry around a wire hook like he does later?’

If he had a wire hook, he thought it would be easy to escape from Leathevelk at a dangerous moment.

Of course, the biggest reason was that Ludger had looked cool when he used it to chase the werewolf.

At that moment, the darkness beyond the alleyway swayed and a shadow emerged.

It was a surprising sight that seemed like a ghost had appeared, but Hans, who took his back off the wall, greeted it while adjusting his collar.

Because he had seen such a sight a few times already.

“You came?”

Whoosh.

Before he knew it, the shadow changed its shape and took the form of a human being.

He wore a black inverness coat with a cape on its shoulder

He wore black leather gloves on his hands and had a gold and black cane.

Unlike usual, he wore a silk hat with a hairstyle that was neatly pulled back and didn\'t tie his hair at all.

That alone made Ludger\'s impression look very different.

"How about the situation?"

"Yeah. Let me tell you what I found out first. Our hideout is in the back alley, isn\'t it?"

"Yes."

"Well, obviously, there are various underworld organizations dividing their power and sharing it around there."

Hans organized the information that he had confirmed by himself and gave it to Ludger.

He had been wandering around so much for the past few days to check the information out anyway.

"They are largely divided into four organizations. There is one strongest and largest organization among them and the other three are medium-sized organizations."

"So there are four places in total. Maybe it\'s because this is a big city, but the number is a lot."

"I\'ll start by explaining the medium-sized organizations. First of all, there is a circus built by people who are physically disabled or neglected."

"Circus?"

"It\'s a must to make a living in a city like this with a proper talent. It\'s a circus called Kirchus that\'s also some kind of a gang and union where those people gathered."

Ludger nodded his head as he understood Hans\'s explanation.

"Kirchus, huh. Alright. What\'s next?"

"And then there\'s a place consisting of only women. No matter what city you go to, such a place will never be left out from the underworld."

"So it\'s a brothel."

Without even a hint, Ludger guessed it right.

Average people would express their discomfort or displeasure just by thinking of the word, but it was a place that could never be left out in the underworld.

Because this place was that kind of world.

Even on Earth in the 21st century, that kind of place had always existed.

"But it\'s not just a weak brothel, and I feel like they\'re living as an organization because they have their own know-how. They have considerable ability in gathering information, and they\'re also reaching out to many businesses in the city. They share patterns of tiny black roses to identify members of their own organization, so they\'re called Black Rose Women."

“Black Rose Women, huh.”

Ludger recited the name in a low tone.

"How about the last one?"

"The last one is a combination of children and old people. The people who are very old can\'t do their jobs properly, but they are full of people with know-how and experience, and children are still young but they jump to the front line to make money."

Ludger nodded his head.

In fact, children who worked at a young age and were treated as labor force were a common sight in the world.

Because the streets were full of kids selling newspapers right then.

In addition, there were children who pick-pocketed as petty thieves or children who were in charge of chores at a mansion.

The worst of those child employment jobs would be those doing physical labor in factories or mines without getting proper rest.

"They call the place Old Kids, where old people and children gather. They are also focused on gathering information, making them and the Black Rose Women the two largest information gathering groups."

"Because children can listen to a lot of things."

To organize the information Hans gave Ludger, it was like this.

—Circus group, Kirchus.

—The brothel, Black Rose Women.

—The labor union of old people and children, Old Kids.

It was a total of three medium-sized organizations in the underworld.

"Now there\'s only one big guy left, huh."

"It\'s Crimson Society, a back-alley gangster group."

"Crimson Society, huh. I think I\'ve heard of that name."

"They\'re the ones who dominate the back alleys of Leathevelk. Kidnapping, intimidation, potion and drug distribution, the liquor industry, muscle work, and so on. There is almost no dirty work that they haven\'t done."

If the first three organizations were formed by standing together to survive on their own…

Crimson society was literally an inevitable existence created by gathering the shadows of the world and the insects that were attracted by the odor.

"These back alleys are maintained by the Crimson Society and the other three organizations in a balance of each other\'s power. It\'s more like the Crimson Society is doing all the wicked jobs and the other three are standing together with their power."

"So it\'s the Crimson Society that I need to deal with."

"You are right. The other three organizations are the ones who don\'t even respond unless we\'re messing with them directly in the first place. In fact, their danger is low. But… The guys from Crimson Society are different."

"I see. It’s because they\'re either going to overpower the small organizations under them, or they\'re going to destroy those organizations.

* * *

* * *

"Please be careful. They\'re so strong that it\'s hard to overpower them. Recently, they started to send some people to secretly watch our hideout. So first, just grab their tails one by one…”

Ludger shook his head and cut off Han\'s words, who was speaking his own opinion.

"No, nevermind. I don\'t have to grab their tail first. It\'s a waste of time."

"Pardon?"

"Hit their head; then the rest of them will bend down on their own."

"N-no. But how will you do that…?"

Ludger smirked at Hans, who was bewildered.

"Of course, through taking the bull by the horns."

He had purposely dressed up the way he was to do that.

Hans was about to tell him not to say anything crazy, but eventually raised the white flag when he realized that Ludger was serious when he said so.

Whatever Hans said, Ludger would do what he wanted anyway.

And he would succeed—because he\'d always been like that.

"Indeed. That outfit, too. Are you going to use that identity this time? You know… that one… A self-proclaimed criminal consultant, an important figure who dominates the underworld."

"Yeah."

Ludger replied while putting on a gold monocle that could only be worn on one eye from his pocket.

His usual sharp and cold soldier-like appearance was erased at once.

On the contrary, he appeared to be a man who seemed intelligent and calm but seemed to have a somewhat venomous aura.

That was one of Ludger\'s past identities that he would use.

"Are you really going to take the bull by the horns?"

"Why are you like that?"

"It\'s because the atmosphere within the Crimson Society is currently pretty chaotic. Unexpectedly, the members of the organization are all gathered together with keen edges to their blades."

"Chaotic, huh. I think I know why they\'re being like that."

"How do you know that?"

Hans was curious when Ludger replied that he already knew something that Hans had not found out yet.

"I think that\'s probably why the Crimson Society is in a mess right now… Because of the death of millionaire Belfort Ricksen."

"How come the death of Belfort Ricksen… Ah!"

"You\'ve noticed, I see."

Hans had become even more serious as his question had been answered.

"So there was some kind of connection between Belfort Ricksen and the Crimson Society."

"Yes. Belfort Ricksen was notorious for doing a lot of dirty work since even before this. Death under suspicious circumstances of his rival businessmen, fires in shantytowns against factory construction, and so on. Were all those works handled by that person on his own?"

"He had an accomplice that could be ordered instead."

"And that\'s the Crimson Society."

"Indeed. They need a rich man whom they can get along with and they take care of the dirty work instead."

"Hans, now that Belfort Ricksen is dead, the Crimson Society must be pretty hot-tempered because their biggest cash cow is gone. They\'ll stay calm for now, but they\'ll move to make up for the short money sooner or later."

"…So that\'s why they\'re gathered. No, wait. So you\'re actually their enemy and the culprit, aren\'t you?"

"Of course."

Hans looked speechless at Ludger\'s relaxed answer.

In fact, Ludger had killed Belfort Ricksen, which was why the Crimson Society was so angry.

Of course, they didn\'t even know that Ludger had killed him, so they couldn\'t call him an enemy.

"And now is a better time instead because the people who are normally supposed to be scattered are gathered in one place for the first time in a long time."

“...Are you really going to do it?”

“Why?”

"Well, you\'re a wizard, so it\'ll be fine no matter how many gang members you run into, but the problem is that the Crimson Society isn\'t an ordinary gangster group."

“Not an ordinary gangster group?”

"Armed with all kinds of weapons… Even though no bullet will work in front of a wizard, there\'s a whole bunch of blade masters among them."

“Hmmm.”

“You know. They are the ones who tried to become Knights, but then lacked money or personality, or the ones who got stuck with mercenary work. There are a couple of such people in the Crimson Society. I guess that\'s why the Crimson Society occupies first place in the back alleys."

"So they have strength equal to a Semi-Knight, is that it?"

It got a little annoying when there were Knights mixed among them.

If he thought of a Knight on Earth, he\'d think of an old-fashioned armor-clad butcher, but it wasn\'t like that here.

A Knight was a superhuman.

A Knight had extraordinary physical abilities that could deflect bullets as long as they held weapons in their hands.

Knights had been rivals to wizards for a long time, so as a wizard, the most uncomfortable type of people to deal with were the Knights.

Because people who dealt with auras could cut down or break through some decent magic.

Therefore, Hans wanted to take a safe path, even if it took a little more time.

Because it was too dangerous to enter the enemy camp as he pleased.

“That’s interesting.”

But Ludger smiled rather amusedly at Hans\'s remark.

Hans thought he heard it wrong.

“No, will you still go after all this?”

“Is there a reason for me not to go?”

“There are Semi-Knights there!”

“Those Semi-Knights are just that, they’re not real Knights. Hans, I don\'t think you know it well, but the difference between Semi-Knights and general Knights is big, and the difference between the Knights with those who are the Captains is even bigger."

"No, I\'m not saying that I\'m going to talk about it...”

"I don\'t know about if they were regular Knights, but Semi-Knights are nothing great."

“…”

Hans shut his mouth and contemplated seriously, thinking, \'Is that so?\' after listening to Ludger\'s confident tone.

There was nothing particularly wrong with what Ludger had said.

The difference between the Semi-Knights and the general Knights was actually large.

In fact, to tell it in a good way, they\'re Semi-Knights, but in reality, those were people who couldn\'t become Knights.

It was true that they were even weaker than an apprentice Knight who served beside the Knights and received their teachings.

"…I think it seems like that after hearing it briefly?"

Come to think of it, Hans was judging the situation too pessimistically.

Yeah. He was uselessly scared because there was the word Knight in their title, but they were actually nothing, right?

Hans, who thought he was worried too much, nodded his head while thinking that he couldn\'t help it.

“Well, if that’s what you say.”

Of course, it was Hans\'s big mistake.

It was true that the Semi-Knights were weaker compared to general or apprentice Knights, but they were not that weak.

There was a difference in their power, but it could not be called a crucial difference.

Even if they were Semi-Knights, they were talented people who could cut people\'s throats with only a spoon.

For the people of the underworld there, their skill was akin to a wall that they couldn\'t resist.

Ludger knew the fact, but he hid it from Hans.

Even if Hans knew it anyway, he would still go into the Crimson Society\'s camp.

It was just easier for Hans to follow him without knowing anything.

“Take this.”

Ludger threw something at Hans.

Hans grabbed it and went to check what it was.

“I need your help a little bit.”

“....Are you sure?”

What Ludger threw at Hans…

…Was a wolf’s fang.