The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 303: Chapter 302: I Am the Raider King (3)



'I-It's real. He's the real Head Butler! No, even if he's not the Head Butler, he's definitely a high- ranking official.'

Morbin swallowed nervously. He hadn't even seen how the daggers were thrown.

If someone arrived with an escort like that, they clearly weren't an ordinary person.

Morbin hurriedly looked around, shouting.

"You fools! What are you doing? Show some respect to the Head Butler!"

His subordinates immediately bowed their heads and stepped back. Honestly, they felt that if they tried anything, they'd all be dead in the blink of an eye.

With a servile expression, Morbin rubbed his hands together and said.

"I'm terribly sorry. These men are just a bit ignorant, so they acted rudely."

"Sigh, why must there always be bloodshed?"

"Well, it's just the nature of our work, isn't it? Everyone's just overly cautious... Please, come inside. Don't worry about the bodies."

"Fine. Wendy, help me up."

Wendy frowned but supported Claude as they followed Morbin's lead to a lavish private room.

As soon as Claude sat down, he got straight to the point.

"Things have been tough lately, haven't they?"

"Oh, don't even mention it. Everyone's lying low because of that Raider King or whatever he's called. Where did such a monster even come from...?"

Claude chuckled, shaking his shoulders, and continued.

"How about working on something with me?"

"What kind of work, sir?"

"Have you ever thought about unifying the underworld of this estate?"

"Me?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Morbin's eyes lit up. Unifying the underworld was every criminal's dream. But it was something only those with the right qualifications could achieve.

True experts in the field were on an entirely different level-such as thieves' guilds or assassin groups.

Low-level street gangs wouldn't dare to touch those circles. Although several of them had already been destroyed by the Raider King, unifying the underworld would still be a monumental task for someone like Morbin.

However, if the estate's Head Butler backed him? It wasn't entirely impossible.

He had assumed the Head Butler was just here to demand tribute, but this offer was enormous!

"What would you like me to do, sir?"

"Well, realistically, I can't manage all the organizations in this estate by myself, can I?" "That's true. Especially recently, there have been even more groups hiding in the shadows."

"That's why I'm telling you to put them all under your command and manage them. What do you think?"

Morbin swallowed nervously and asked again.

"What do you want in return, sir?"

"Give me half of your profits. In exchange, I'll guarantee your safety and provide support. How about it? Interested? If not, you can all die here."

Claude's sinister grin made Morbin break out in a cold sweat.

'He's serious. This bastard is truly insane about money. Look at that sincere expression.'

He had never heard of an estate's Head Butler personally hustling to secure bribes right after arriving.

There was no reason to refuse. But doing this alone would be impossible. He needed practical support.

"With my current resources, it's too much. We don't have many members, and... most importantly, we never know when the Raider King might show up."

Claude chuckled again and reassured him.

"I'll release the criminals I've detained in the estate and assign them to your group. Use them to fill in the gaps, and start expanding by taking down the others."

"True experts can't be dealt with by a bunch of small fries."

"Don't worry. When it comes to those kinds of people, I'll send knights to handle them. There aren't many real experts left here anyway, right? The ones with actual power were all dragged off by Count Desmond."

"That's true. The ones left are better than us, sure, but they're no match for knights."

Morbin's eyes glimmered with excitement. With knights on their side, they could take down

anyone.

Claude smirked arrogantly and continued.

"Right. And when you fight, I'll have soldiers block off the area."

"Th-That's more than enough. We can clean up the underworld. But what about the Raider King...?"

The Raider King was rumored to be a monster, and they never knew when he might attack. Without knights stationed to guard them, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Seeing Morbin's worry, Claude's eyes narrowed sharply.

"That bastard's nothing but a pushover."

"...What?"

"He's a reckless idiot who never listens to anyone, always does whatever he pleases, and loves fighting so much he drives everyone around him crazy just to pick fights. He's also

disgustingly greedy, hoarding everything for himself—"

Claude launched into a tirade about the Raider King, venting his feelings with such fervor that

even Morbin felt caught up in the emotion.

After listening for a while, Morbin cautiously asked.

"Do you... know him personally?"

Claude flinched and waved his hands dismissively.

"Know him? How could I know a criminal like that? Don't say something so outrageous!"

"...Understood."

"Anyway, I'll deal with that bastard myself with the soldiers. You just focus on taking over the surrounding organizations. Got it?"

"Understood! If you take care of the Raider King, I'll act immediately."

"Make sure the tribute is ready every week. If you want to avoid disappearing without a trace,

that is."

"Don't worry, sir. I'll have it ready."

Morbin eagerly nodded. True to the Bribe King's reputation, Claude didn't ask for monthly tributes-he demanded them weekly.

It was tough now, but once he became the king of the underworld, it would be manageable. He just needed to act quickly.

If he could absorb all the organizations in this massive estate, the wealth would be

unimaginable.

Claude added a stern warning.

"Oh, and stop putting drugs in the food. Also, leave the estate's citizens alone for now and focus on absorbing other organizations. You get the current mood, right? If you get caught by

the lord, it won't end well."

Morbin agreed wholeheartedly.

With soldiers continually arriving to stabilize the territory, security had been significantly tightened. There were even rumors that the lord was on edge because of previous incidents.

Getting caught now could mean being executed as an example.

Claude left the restaurant after ceremonially forming a brotherhood with the unusually

cooperative Morbin.

On the way back, clutching his chest, he said to Wendy.

"Ugh, I was so nervous I thought I'd die. I'm really bad at this kind of acting!"

||

From Wendy's perspective, demanding money and badmouthing the lord had been

completely genuine. There was no acting involved.

Regardless, from that day on, Claude fully supported the Blue Skull Gang.

He released the criminals from the estate's prisons and sent them under Morbin's command,

deploying soldiers across the estate.

The Blue Skull Gang even changed the name of their restaurant.

[Mom's Touch Restaurant]

Without their secret sauce, the food inevitably tasted bland. So, they rebranded as offering

clean, healthy meals.

Once their preparations were complete, new rumors began to spread across the estate.

"The Raider King has fled!"

"They say the Head Butler deployed soldiers to maintain order!"

"Even the Forty Raiders have been captured and executed!"

As these rumors circulated, the criminal organizations began cautiously resurfacing. When no

attacks from the Raider King occurred after a few days, they started acting more openly.

Of course, the most active was Morbin's Blue Skull Gang.

"Ahaha! Everyone, come under me!"

With Claude's full support, Morbin's organization grew at a terrifying pace.

By nature, criminal groups were interconnected. Morbin first absorbed those linked to the

Blue Skull Gang, then continued waging wars based on their connections.

The other organizations, having let their guard down after the Raider King's apparent

disappearance, were caught off guard.

"What the hell? When did they get so big?"

"There's a rumor that the Head Butler is backing them!"

"They're trying to unify the underworld!"

As smaller groups were absorbed, only a few powerful organizations remained. But even they

were swiftly crushed by the knights Claude had dispatched.

Renowned groups like thieves' guilds and assassin syndicates were no exception. Their key members had already been dragged into war by Count Desmond and perished.

The remnants, while stronger than common thugs, were no match for Fenris's knights.

Despite the intensifying wars among the organizations, the estate's residents were completely unaffected. Morbin was cautious, and soldiers patrolled the perimeters whenever a battle occurred.

When those in power provide full support, this is the result.

In just one month after making a secret pact with Claude, Morbin had become the king of the

underworld.

"Hahaha! I never thought a day like this would come for me!"

He couldn't stop laughing. The Mom's Touch Restaurant had long since closed. Morbin now

lived in a large, luxurious building.

He even renamed his group to the Blue Skull Brotherhood.

By uniting various organizations, he had also acquired their massive accumulated wealth.

Soon, once the organization stabilized and resumed its operations, even more money would

flow in.

"Hey, is the money for our big brother ready?"

"Yes! We've packed a lot this time too!"

A subordinate brought a small box. Though small, it was filled with jewels.

While their stable income wasn't substantial yet, they sent weekly gifts as a token of

goodwill. "Hehe, make sure to record it in the ledger. Someday, we'll use it as leverage against him. I

hear our lord has quite the temper, doesn't he?"

To maintain a long-term symbiotic relationship, both sides needed leverage over each other.

To ensure that the Head Butler couldn't discard him, Morbin felt this preparation was

essential.

If things went south, handing the evidence over to the lord would mean the Head Butler

wouldn't escape unscathed either.

As soon as Morbin had swiftly unified the underworld, Claude paid him a visit.

"Hey, little brother. Have you done what I asked?"

"Oh! Big brother, you're here? Everything's ready." Morbin handed over several booklets. They were ledgers for organizational management, containing lists of absorbed members, branch locations, personnel, and operations.

In addition, he handed over secret ledgers and documents that the organizations had

previously kept hidden.

Claude demanded them as if it were only natural, and Morbin handed them over without

much thought.

He believed Claude was just desperate to secure bribes and felt safe, thinking he had enough leverage over him.

If it had been a traditional group like an assassin syndicate, such a thing would never have happened. But Morbin was never cut out to lead such a group, which is why he'd been chosen for this role.

"Hmm, you've recorded everything, right? Nothing missing? My, look at the sins of these bastards."

"Of course! I even listed the beggars from the slums as members. How could I ever deceive you, big brother? You'll continue to take good care of us, won't you? Hahaha." When Morbin handed over a jewel-filled box, Claude accepted it with a satisfied smile.

"Great, let's hope our partnership lasts a long time. By the way, you mentioned a gathering with the branch leaders?"

"Yes, I've arranged a formal inauguration. I've summoned all the branch leaders. Will you honor us with your presence? We've prepared it quite grandly."

As Morbin absorbed organizations, the existing territories of those groups became branches

of the Blue Skull Brotherhood. He installed his trusted aides in those positions.

Claude waved off the suggestion.

"No need. My presence would only make everyone uncomfortable. Let's arrange something

separately next time."

"Haha, understood. Take care, big brother!"

Morbin had no doubts about Claude. From everything he'd seen, Claude epitomized a corrupt

official.

That greedy glint in his eyes wasn't something just anyone could fake. Having spent years in

the criminal world himself, Morbin recognized it.

After parting on such amicable terms, Claude immediately went to Ghislain.

Handing over the ledgers, he said.

"Well, it's done now, right? I swear I can't do this anymore. My nerves can't take it. I'm just

not suited for this kind of work."

"...Right."

Ghislain looked at him with a mix of sympathy and amusement.

Claude's reputation was now at rock bottom. Somehow, rumors of him supporting criminals

had spread widely.

Lowell kept his mouth shut, so Claude hadn't heard anything. Everyone else pretended not to know, finding the situation amusing.

"Anyway, you did well. I didn't expect you to consolidate everything so quickly."

"I only did it because I didn't want to deal with it for long."

Using one foolish man, he had united all the organizations. While it was a lazy method, it was

undoubtedly effective.

A few petty thugs might remain, but they'd eventually be drafted into the Labor Assault Corps.

As Ghislain donned a mask, she gave orders.

"Attack the branches. Kill those who resist, and send those who surrender to the Labor Assault

Corps. I'll personally deal with Morbin."

"Understood."

Having recovered from his injuries, Gillian nodded solemnly at Ghislain's side.

Kaor, always laid-back, smirked in amusement. He had been helping stabilize the estate's security and had yet to return to the Shadow Mountains.

"Hehe, I can stretch my muscles before heading back to the mountains."

Other knights armed themselves, some donning masks.

Ghislain led them out.

"Let's go."

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The cavalry moved swiftly, surrounding the branches.

Meanwhile, Morbin was holding his inauguration with the branch leaders. From the second

floor of the building, one of his aides shouted to the gathered crowd.

"A man who lives and dies for loyalty! Morbin has unified the underworld! Let's give a round

of applause for our new king, Morbin!" "Whoooooo!"

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

The crowd of burly men cheered and clapped. Morbin stood, holding a glass of wine, and

grinned.

"Thanks to my brothers, I've reached this position... Uh... so, from now on, I'll always, um, stand at the forefront of danger for my brothers... Uh... that is..."

As the not-so-eloquent Morbin awkwardly read his prepared speech.

Boom!

A sudden crash echoed as the door on the first floor was destroyed.

"What's that? What's going on?"

"Did the first-floor door just break?"

"Who's causing trouble on such a celebratory day?"

The branch leaders murmured in confusion. They weren't alone-there were plenty of their

subordinates downstairs.

The subordinates guarding the first floor turned toward the intruders who had broken down

the door.

Although the intruders wore masks, there weren't many of them. Confident in their superior numbers, the Blue Skull Brotherhood members scowled as they approached.

"Who the hell are you? Where are you from?"

The one at the front of the masked group spoke.

"I am the Raider King."

Ghislain grinned.

It was time to clean out the filth in the estate once and for all.

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