Chapter 244 - A Professional at Work
We moved close to the location where the illegal goods would be exchanged and waited. The guide had other things to do and had already left, so it was just Valeria and me. We hid in an abandoned building, watching the scene through a broken window.
The slums at night, with barely any streetlights, still had a fair number of people around. There were many drug dealers and buyers, but there were also plenty of people just hanging around.
The Royal Capital, where the underworld organizations are supposed to be suppressed, is different in the slums. The atmosphere here is decidedly sketchy.
There are probably several small groups operating here, even if not large-scale criminal organizations. For some reason, they are deliberately overlooked, and it seems to have become a business in itself.
"Onee-sama, they're here."
I looked in the direction Valeria was pointing and saw a small truck and an accompanying jeep appear in the alley. That must be our target.
The two vehicles stopped in a small empty lot, and the men got out, dispersing the others around. These guys are the department head’s hired help, responsible for handing over the goods to the buyers.
Soon, another jeep arrived and joined them. The receiving party must be in that one. Considering the dangerous journey to Retnark, the security seems a bit light, but it looks like they have backup waiting outside the Royal Capital.
The men got out of their vehicles and began to secure the perimeter, creating a tense atmosphere.
It’s strange that people like these can enter the Royal Capital so easily, but there must be guides facilitating their entry. It’s probably become a business in itself.
The two groups faced each other, and soon a representative from each side stepped forward. They seemed to be familiar with each other, as if it were a regular transaction.
The guild member opened the truck’s cargo hold and said something, and the Retnark representative handed over a bag. From what I’ve heard, it’s full of gold coins. It’s unusual to use cash these days, but since Retnark is no longer a country, cash might be more prevalent than Record Cards.
"Valeria, let’s start. We’re taking the money and the goods."
"Yes!"
Once we secure the goods and the money, we can let them go. We could catch everyone, but it’s not necessary, and it would be a hassle.
We jumped out of the broken window with ease. Moving like shadows and at an inhuman speed, they didn’t notice us coming.
When we got close enough, I used a small prop given by Rosmerta. It wasn’t necessary, but I figured I might as well use it.
I threw the spherical object, and it burst into a thick cloud of smoke upon impact. This disposable magic item creates a smoke screen. It’s occasionally fun to use these.
"Cough, cough, what is this!?"
The smoke, while not toxic, has a numbing effect, which should incapacitate anyone who inhales it.
Of course, we have coats that neutralize the gas, so it doesn’t affect us. We can just charge in.
The smoke makes it hard to see, but with our magical perception, we can easily locate everyone and the magic items.
Valeria, as usual, took down the leader first. The enemies, blinded by the smoke, just panicked and couldn’t do anything.
I approached the man who had the bag of gold coins and knocked him out, taking the bag. The combination of our overwhelming strength and the element of surprise, along with the effects of the smoke, made it an easy job.
Ignoring the groaning and confused men, we quickly climbed into the truck. It was a bit of a hassle because the control key required a magical authentication, but fortunately, it was an old-fashioned regular key, so it started without any issues.
I honked the horn, and everyone reacted to the loud noise.
The blinded men shuffled toward the sound, but we ignored them. As soon as Valeria got in, we drove off without a second thought.
The truck was slow without the limiter removed, and we moved at a normal speed, which felt a bit strange. We quickly left the gas zone, and no one seemed to be chasing us, probably due to the paralysis effect. Easy work.
"Phase one successful."
"Yes, it was a breeze. I think we passed as mysterious attackers."
Hmm, it was easy. If we were dealing with the armed factions in the former Retnark territory, robbing them for quick money might be a viable option.
There would be no legal issues, and it would serve as combat training. But gathering information would be a challenge.
Well, this year is still busy, so let’s think about it next year or whenever we have free time. If we remember, that is.
We returned to the base without any issues, but Rosmerta was busy, so we just relaxed.
The next morning, we had breakfast and talked about the mission.
"Sorry about yesterday. You did a good job."
"That was easy. We could have done it two or three times, if we had to."
"Yes, the other side would increase their vigilance, but with you and Valeria, there shouldn’t be a problem."
The department head has multiple partners. Even if last night’s targets never dealt again, there are others we can target. We just need to systematically shut them down.
"So, what’s the next plan?"
"There’s another illegal shipment scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Normally, they would cancel and tighten security, but I suspect they’ll push through. We’ll see how it goes and act accordingly. Today, I have a different request."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Punish two men who are excessively fond of women. Both of them at once."
Both at once? That sounds efficient.
"Punish them? Are we going to catch them in the act? Direct confrontation with the department head would be straightforward."
"Yes, I’ve decided it’s safe to confront them directly. I’ve been preparing for this, and now is the right time to set it up."
The department head, all four of them, are men. Among them, these two are particularly fond of women and have been causing a lot of trouble.
Having money and status, men often indulge in womanizing, but these two have been particularly egregious.
For example, they’ve been forcing business partners to arrange entertainment in the pleasure district. While the women working there are professionals, the forced arrangements have been causing headaches for other business partners. The frequency and high costs have become a significant burden, and the demands keep escalating. Frustrated business partners have been seeking help everywhere, and the situation has become quite serious.
If it were just the women in the pleasure district, it might have been manageable with the right budget. But the department head’s excessive womanizing has taken a turn for the worse.
It started when one of the men set his sights on a beautiful female employee at an agency. He tried every trick to win her over, and when that failed, he began to use his power to force her.
In essence, he said:
If you don’t hand her over, I’ll cut off your business.
If this happened, the business would collapse. They could try to become a secondary supplier or source from other cities, but that would be impractical and would likely lead to further harassment.
The department head has connections everywhere. A few whispers to the right people, and they can make things happen without leaving any evidence.
Once they got a taste of power, their demands became even more outrageous. They started to target the wives, girlfriends, and even daughters of their business partners. This finally pushed some of the business partners to rebel, but the department head cut off all their business.
The Magic Item Guild has many business partners. Even if they receive complaints, they can crush them or use other tactics to destroy their reputations. Given the Guild’s authority, other guilds and law enforcement are reluctant to act without concrete evidence.
"I see. We’ll crash their party and pour cold water on them. Maybe threaten them with some incriminating photos?"
"Just threatening to expose the truth won’t be enough. They think they can crush any opposition, so we need a different approach. Let’s use the Kikyo Society’s reputation."
That’s an unexpected suggestion. Our reputation?
"Exembra aside, I don’t think our reputation would hold much weight against the Royal Capital’s Magic Item Guild."
"You’re being too humble. The Kikyo Society is infamous for taking down a branch of the Adventurer Guild. That reputation is quite strong. Let’s use it to our advantage."
That’s true. We’ve already reconciled with the new branch of the Adventurer Guild, and Exembra has good relations with other guilds, so the reputation of defeating a guild hasn’t been useful until now.
But the branch was officially defeated, even if it was a behind-the-scenes arrangement. People who know the truth understand that.
"Also, when it comes to threats, let’s not give them the impression that there’s room for negotiation. They believe they are untouchable, so we need to shatter that illusion."
"Given their track record, it’s no surprise they have that delusion. So, what’s the plan?"
"Let’s make it seem like the women they’ve wronged, along with Valeria and I, and other associates of the Kikyo Society, are seeking revenge. How about that?"
Public exposure is one thing, but the threat of personal vengeance is far more terrifying.
Also, since we’re women, it feels more convincing to threaten with lethal intent. I’m already angry just hearing about it, and it won’t be hard to act the part.
"A show of righteous anger might do the trick. If we can get them to beg for their lives, they might learn their lesson."
"Whether they’ll learn or not is questionable, but please don’t kill them. Let’s stop at intimidation for now."
The first round is just to scare and intimidate them. We’ll reassess their behavior after the threat. Rosmerta wants to monitor their actions afterward.
We were set to start in the evening, so we took a break until then.
The day was quiet, so Valeria and I went for a walk and did some shopping.
Later, we rode in the guide’s vehicle to the pleasure district.
The area was lined with bars and establishments, giving off a decadent yet lively atmosphere. Caroline had played a key role in revitalizing this place, and it now thrived with energy.
"Yukarinowe-sama, Valeria-sama, we’ve arrived. The place with the red sign is our destination. I’ll wait here."
"Thank you. We won’t take long. Valeria."
"Yes, let’s go."
Valeria wore her usual moon-white duffel coat but with the hood pulled up to hide her beauty. Instead of her usual short skirt, she wore black combat pants to match me.
I wore a long black P-coat and aviator sunglasses, without my lightning-warding ribbon. I carried an iron rod instead of my usual Silver Super-Hard Bat, a makeshift weapon for today.
My appearance was quite intimidating.
We stepped out of the vehicle and immediately drew several stares as we headed to the target establishment.
The high-end place had black-clad bouncers at the entrance, but they were in on it thanks to Rosmerta. We showed her crest, and they nodded, allowing us to enter.
Inside, a guide was waiting. We showed him Rosmerta’s crest, and he understood.
"The targets are in the back private room. This way."
The dimly lit establishment had a fair number of patrons, but the high-end setting meant they were in private or semi-private rooms. We didn’t draw much attention as we walked through the corridor.
This place is like a high-end bar where people can enjoy drinks and company, but if they like someone, they can negotiate to move elsewhere. The targets haven’t gone that far yet, given the early hour.
"Here’s the large private room. The staff are unaware, so please clear them out before we start."
"Don’t worry. No one will come near until we’re done."
The establishment is aware of our intentions.
Rosmerta is one of the most powerful figures in the Kingdom of Brenark, and she played a crucial role in revitalizing the pleasure district. The people who work here owe her a great deal, so most of her requests are honored. Even though Caroline is gone, she is still respected, and by extension, so is the Kikyo Society.
"Valeria, I’ll handle the intimidation. You make sure the women are safely escorted out. We’ll see how they react."
"I’ll teach them a lesson if they get too cocky."
"Good idea. Lock the door once we’re in."
We pushed open the heavy door, and I entered a lavish room. A large sofa and a solid wooden table were the main features, and the wall decor gave it a formal, almost office-like feel.
There were many people in the room.
Six men, two of whom were the department heads, and four others who had set this up. Plus, eight women.
I recognized the targets from their photos, and their positions made it clear who they were.
The two targets and the women were taken aback by our sudden appearance, while the other men tried to act surprised.
Gripping the iron rod, I walked forward, and Valeria closed the door behind us.
A woman in all black, with aviator sunglasses and an iron rod, was bound to be noticed.
"Wha—"
Before he could finish his question, I slammed the iron rod onto the table.
The high-quality table didn’t break easily, but I shattered it with one strike. Then I pointed the rod at one of the department heads.
"Are you the one who wronged Erin? I’m here to settle the score."
"Erin?"
Erin is the name of the woman who was targeted. She’s not dead, but she left the company. Rosmerta arranged this with her consent.
"Doubting it? If you’ve forgotten, I’ll remind you."
I coldly said this and then slammed the rod into his knee.
First impressions are crucial. I had to act decisively before they could react.
The department head let out a silent scream and writhed in pain.
With the room under my control, I continued my intimidation. I grabbed a crying woman and threw her against the wall.
The other department head, his face twisted in fear, looked up at me.
We had a good start. This should go smoothly.
Personally, I have no grudge against them, but it’s necessary.
I have no desire to punish evil. This is for my and the Kikyo Society’s goals.
It helps that they are villains, though.