Chapter 298 - Cold-Blooded Intent
Me and my little sister, both covered head to toe in dust, but it wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot.
The roof had only partially collapsed, but debris kept falling in fits and starts. The situation was still extremely dangerous.
“Geho… geho… Valeria, run along the walls and turn everything into dust. It’s still going to collapse!”
I cracked my eyes open, took in the grim scene, and barked out another order. Valeria held her breath to avoid inhaling the dust and took off running.
I waved off Siegrune and the others who were trying to come back. Better to keep our numbers low. Just me and Valeria could react faster, whether escaping or defending. They were smart enough to understand that, even if their hearts wanted to rush in. And if needed, they’d back us up with magic from a safe distance.
Valeria dashed along the walls, kicking up dust as she poured magic into reducing the entire warehouse to powder.
All the while, debris kept raining down. I hurled iron spheres one after another, smashing anything about to fall on Valeria or the parked vehicles.
I never missed. Not even a handful of small stones in free fall could slip past me. That’s what throwing skill looks like.
After a few seconds of spellcasting, the stone walls and what was left of the ceiling crumbled like an avalanche, turning to dust and collapsing completely.
Supplies vanished under the thick cloud. I rushed to Valeria’s side and barely blocked the falling grit with my shield.
“What… what happened here?”
Mary and Violante stared wide-eyed as they returned.
They’d just captured the bomb freaks and come back to… this. It wasn’t just a hole in the wall anymore. No wonder they were shocked. Even the bastards who started it all seemed stunned by the disaster.
They probably wanted to argue it wasn’t their fault. After all, a simple bomb couldn’t do this much damage.
“We had no choice. Had to bring it down before it crushed someone.”
The warehouse was gone, reduced to a mountain of dust. Me and Valeria were completely white, coated in fine powder. Only Siegrune and those near her were clean, thanks to her powerful purification field. Everyone else was grimy from the fallout.
Dirt on clothes and skin could be washed off. But this mess… what now?
“Even if we clean it up, can’t we do it faster somehow?”
One of the quicker members asked the Vice-Commander, eyes full of hope.
“Even Siegrune’s magic can’t fix this.”
“Tch… if even Siegrune can’t handle it, guess we’ll have to do it the hard way.”
The real problem came after. Even if we cleared the dust, the building was gone for good.
I could slap together walls and a roof easy enough, but I couldn’t build something livable. No plumbing, no water systems. Calling in contractors would mean endless hassle. And this had been such a nice, usable warehouse too.
First things first, though. We had to clean up the dust.
“We could blow it away with wind magic, but that’d scatter it all over the slums.”
“Yeah, and the slums aren’t just full of dirty thugs. There are kids too. Can’t go tossing dust around like that.”
Even we, the so-called villains, were softer on children.
If we’d just blown up the unstable warehouse with magic from the start, none of this would’ve happened. Same with cleaning up. We had to think about collateral damage. No quick fixes here.
“Should we just abandon this place and move? We’ve got other warehouses about this size.”
“Any reason to stick to this spot?”
“Not really, Vice-Commander. The new place needs some work, but it’ll be faster than rebuilding here.”
“Then we move.”
“If there’s a replacement, we don’t have a choice. Start digging out the vehicles and supplies.”
Some of the goods and documents near the walls had been blown away. Tracking those down would be a pain.
We’d have to dig through the dust for everything except personal items we’d left in the vehicles. Annoying. And it pissed me off. We’d only recover the important stuff. Daily junk and things we could buy again? Just trash it.
I shoved down the wave of exhaustion and started working.
“Uh… what about these guys?”
Mary shoved one of the captured men into the dust pile. Her voice was calm, but underneath, I felt a deep, quiet killing intent.
And it wasn’t just her. Everyone was furious at these idiots. They’d tried to blow us up. Of course they were.
I felt the same. Part of me wanted to say something extreme.
But revenge needed finesse. This wasn’t Exembra. I had to remember that. Especially me, as the boss.
“I’d love to make them regret the day they were born… but take them to the Vigilantes.”
“Just hand them over?”
Normally, I wouldn’t delegate something like this. If someone messed with us, I dealt with it myself. Usually, I’d start by torturing the underlings to find the mastermind.
But my order surprised not just Mary, but most of the team. They looked confused.
“Listen up. We can’t do things the usual way here. Follow Yukari-dono’s lead.”
The Vice-Commander backed me up. We’d talked about this beforehand.
“Exactly. Ours is a business where getting disrespected means game over. But if we retaliate with another bombing, it’ll just turn into an all-out war. That’d be fine in Exembra. But this is Rigaheim. If we, the newcomers, go on a rampage here, no one will want to deal with us. Our work would dry up fast.”
“But… is that really okay?”
Of course we weren’t letting them off. We just had to play it smart.
We’d always expected trouble. And we’d decided to let the locals save face when it happened. This town wasn’t some lawless ruin. The Vigilantes actually worked here, making it relatively stable.
If we responded with brutal violence, the Kikyo Society could end up making enemies of the entire town.
Better to act like innocent victims and let the Vigilantes look good. That way, we’d blend in and build better relationships.
It’d show the locals, not just in words but in action, that the Vigilante Captain could work with us.
And honestly, while I liked making a splash, I didn’t want to be known here as the leader of a massacre crew.
Of course, if anyone thought we were weak and got cocky, I’d crush them on the spot. As long as I didn’t kill them, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
The Vice-Commander explained all this to the team.
And make no mistake—we weren’t just handing them over and calling it a day.
“This is just for show. Even trash like them, I’d normally send straight to hell. But for business, I think handing them to the Vigilantes is smarter. That doesn’t mean we stop there. We’ll do what we must. The Kikyo way.”
Handing over the foot soldiers was just a performance.
“Ah, I get it. So the mastermind is a separate matter.”
“Exactly. And the Vigilante Captain should already know who’s behind this. He wouldn’t be in charge if he couldn’t figure that out.”
“Right. We let the Vigilantes save face, drag the Captain into it, and make the mastermind disappear. Just… vanish.”
If we left a body, the Vigilantes would have to act, even if just for appearances. No need to give them that hassle.
And think about it. The mastermind was probably some local big shot. If that person suddenly went missing, everyone else would get the message.
They’d assume we’d erased them. We wouldn’t have to say a word.
No proof needed. They’d just know. The Kikyo Society took care of them.
Foot soldiers handed over, mastermind gone without a trace—no one would want to cross us. The rumor would spread on its own.
Losing a pawn wouldn’t hurt the boss much. But if he knew he’d be next, he wouldn’t dare try anything stupid. These jerks only cared about themselves.
“I can’t believe the boss would back down. That’s ridiculous.”
“No matter where we go or who we face, Onee-sama is always Onee-sama.”
Our Kikyo Society? We’d pick a fight with the Adventurer Guild head-on. We weren’t about to start holding back now. We just weighed public opinion and efficiency. Violence wasn’t the only tool. We adapted when needed.
Once everyone was on board, we turned to the mess in front of us.
“Where’s the new place?”
“About five minutes on foot. Doesn’t matter much which one, so let’s take that one.”
“Fine. Siegrune and Mary, go see the Vigilante Captain. We’ll handle the move here.”
“Understood. I’ll make sure we get the mastermind’s name.”
“Count on it. Oh, and tell Rosabel-san what happened, would you?”
We loaded the captured idiots into a large jeep, got the vehicles cleaned, and sent Siegrune and Mary off.
Meanwhile, I called in the Intelligence Bureau members who’d been outside and hadn’t seen what happened. Then I faced the mountain of dust.
Cursing under my breath, I started digging out supplies, brushing off dust, and loading them onto vehicles.
It was annoying, frustrating work. But with so many hands, it didn’t take long.
After a short drive, we reached the new warehouse. And I already knew what to do first.
“I don’t think it’ll happen again, but… please take care of us.”
“Even if a runaway truck crashes in, I’ll make sure it doesn’t get through.”
Safety was a big concern, especially from the Intelligence Bureau, who’d lost some important documents in the dust storm.
Couldn’t be helped. Time to supercharge this warehouse’s defenses.
I placed my hand on the thin stone wall, pouring magic into it, feeling the structure, taking full control.
I transformed it into composite armor, just like the Kikyo Society Headquarters’ outer walls—maxing out resistance to physical, magical, and impact damage. I poured all my recovering magic into thickening the walls, reinforcing even the windows until I was satisfied with the durability.
While I spent ages on this unglamorous big magic, the team made the new place livable.
Thanks to manpower, it took less time than expected. But still, this was all unnecessary work. I felt mentally drained.
By evening, everything had settled down. We started preparing tea just as Siegrune and Mary returned.
We swapped complaints and thanks over the move, finished setting up for a break, and gathered everyone to hear Siegrune’s report.
“Their identities were easy to uncover. The one who ordered the attack on us? The boss who handled the ‘Crack’ deal the Vigilante Captain shut down.”
That’s what I figured. This town wasn’t so violent that random nobodies would suddenly try to blow us up. It made sense that the people from the pleasure district we’d crushed were involved.
Especially that group who hadn’t lost anything but still quickly submitted to the Vigilante Captain. They’d always seemed suspicious.
“Huh. Didn’t the Captain say something like ‘I’ve handled it, so hands off’?”
“Yeah. At the time, they begged for mercy. Claimed they were tricked.”
“Being tricked doesn’t excuse everything. The Captain still has responsibility. Did he say anything?”
Objectively, the Captain probably never fully trusted former enemies. He must’ve kept an eye on them. But he likely never expected a bombing. Still, as the leader, he was accountable.
“Well… he was furious. Said he’d handle it himself. But if he tried, he might get killed, causing more chaos. I shut him down and made him set up a meeting instead.”
“For such an unforgivable failure, he has to make it up somehow… So what’s the plan?”
He’d arranged for the mastermind to be summoned under the pretense of an official interrogation by the Vigilantes.
With his men gone, the mastermind had to know things were bad. I wondered how he’d react.
“We told him to come alone to a shop on the edge of the pleasure district. But I doubt he’ll listen.”
“He’ll either run or ignore it. Or maybe he’ll show up with a mob and try to kill the Captain.”
“He’s bold, I’ll give him that. That last option seems likely. We’ve still got time before the meeting. Let’s wait and see. The Vigilantes say they’re watching him, but I don’t trust them. Sorry, but Intelligence Bureau, you’re on it too.”
“Understood. We’ll watch both the mastermind and the Captain. We’ll report as soon as anything happens.”
The meeting was set for midnight. Until then, I focused on recovering my magic.
Even with a rough timeline, we had to be ready in case he tried to run.
While everyone passed time reading, crafting, or playing cards, a call came in close to the appointed hour. From the team watching the mastermind’s house.
“This is Shinogami. Do you copy? What’s the situation?”
“Target left the estate in a small car. Seems to be alone, like ordered. But multiple suspicious individuals are moving on a separate route. The Vigilantes’ watchers probably haven’t noticed.”
“Using decoys to fool the guards, but moving alone? Perfect.”
The Vice-Commander and I exchanged a nod. One of the scenarios we’d expected.
“This is Siegrune. Can you block the target’s path? The Vigilantes are in the way.”
“I’ll get ahead and block the road. He’ll have to detour. I’ll make it a long one, so you’ll have plenty of time to catch up. And the Vigilantes will lose him in the process.”
“Good. Do it.”
I cut the transmission and gave the deployment order.
“Valeria and Mary, pick a few from the Second Combat Unit and head to support the Vigilante Captain. Don’t interfere unless necessary. But if something happens, help him out. Probably nothing will, though.”
It was obvious the mastermind’s backup team would attack the Captain. But they wouldn’t move without a signal or the boss’s arrival. Still, better safe than sorry. We prepared for the worst.
“Yes. First squad, hurry up with combat prep—”
Mary gave the order, and the team began moving with precision.
“What about you, Onee-sama?”
“Time the higher-ups did some dirty work for once.”
“That’s right. Yukari-dono and I will deal with the target.”
“Wait, then at least let me come too! If I report that the boss and Vice-Commander went alone, Josephine will kill me!”
My little sister stepped back, but a member from Intelligence volunteered.
I’d said it casually, but sending the top two was intentional. It was about morale. Even if we were safe, nearly getting blown up weighed heavy on everyone.
But if the boss and Vice-Commander handled the cleanup themselves, it’d ease that frustration. It showed we took it seriously.
To respect the locals and honor our team’s feelings, the top had to deliver justice.
“Fine. You’re on driving duty. And yeah, I’m wearing the Skull Mask.”
“First time using the new gear.”
“Let’s move.”
I climbed into the mid-sized jeep, adjusted my beret, and pulled on the Skull Mask.
The white skull painted on the black mask looked like a guide from the depths of hell—the face of a grim reaper.
I wasn’t fancy enough to reap souls. But I’d make damn sure they reached hell.