“Wha- what! Gah!”
With one punch from Karmak, Surde’s neck twisted 180 degrees. It was an exclamation of astonishing strength.
Crack- the bone-breaking sound was eerie. Surde, who was only wearing pants, collapsed to the ground.
“Guh…ugh….”
On the wide bed, a half-naked woman trembled under the covers, her neck covered as well. Clearly, she wasn’t his wife.
I lifted Surde’s coat and draped it over the woman.
“Hiccup.”
Startled by my touch, the woman’s breath turned ragged with tension and fear.
I gently tapped her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, this is just rightful revenge. He won’t die. Not today, and not for some time to come.”Perhaps it was my young voice, but her trembling lessened a bit.
It felt like I was experiencing the goodness of youth for the first time.
“When you leave, you can get dressed and return home.”
The woman nodded a moment later, a beat behind.
There was no need to be ruthless.
The woman who survived would spread Casmak’s terror and mercy throughout Rasphal.
I gestured for her to leave.
Casmak, still holding the injured Luico, was the first to head for Surde.
Even at midnight, most of Rodri’s faction appeared.
Given the number of people drunk on alcohol, it seemed like everyone had gathered except those too drunk to move.
No one opposed Casmak’s view.
‘N-No.’
Casmak’s elder brother expressed concern, but he quickly accepted Casmak’s reassurance.
While Casmak spoke, the innkeeper avoiding my gaze was quite amusing.
It wasn’t a difficult task. There weren’t many guarding the stronghold at this time.
Myself, Casmak, and his three brothers, a total of five people, went inside, while the subordinates waited outside.
When we came out of the building, Surde’s executioner was lying on the ground, his throat strangled.
Casmak slapped him, and he immediately lost consciousness.
“You said you’d spare him, but what’s the reason?”
“Even if we eliminate the three factions, we can’t control their territory with just our numbers. We need to set up some straw men.”
If a member of the Rodri faction were to take over the position of a leader in another faction, he’d be killed within three days.
To exercise dominance, a trusted leader-like figure within the faction was essential. That figure must endure internal resistance, something Casmak couldn’t afford.
Casmak only needed to manage one leader.
‘Misusing the term “leader” could be a problem.’
Or, the reputation within the organization might not be good. Usually, a scapegoat was needed instead of the leader.
In many ways, a leader of action would be better.
And once Casmak’s dominance was firmly established, they could replace him with someone from the Rodri faction.
They could continue as they were if things seem favorable.
About halfway through my explanation, it seemed Casmak understood the truth in my words, but he continued to listen intently.
“Indeed. You’re quite different.”
I felt like he was discussing the fact that I work for a spy agency at a young age.
“Hafim, Reganya. Leave this guy here and come with me immediately.”
“Yes. Where are we going?”
“Veron.”
I answered. Casmak tilted his head.
“Isn’t Muic closer?”
“Veron is more cunning and wicked. It’s better to deal with the troublesome one first.”
Actually, I wanted to go to Veron from the beginning, but I held back considering Casmak’s reputation.
To gather the followers and say, ‘Tonight, half of Rasphal belongs to us!’ and then go to Surde was impossible.
Casmak agreed with my words.
“Right. Let’s go to Veron. We’ll head to Muic if we don’t find him there.”
There were no further difficulties. Veron and Muic ran wildly in fame, much like Surde.
Though Veron and Muic had more people guarding their strongholds, they fell easily before Casmak’s might.
While resistance was stronger on Veron’s side, beneath Casmak’s bullish charge, I didn’t even break a sweat.
It was a little surprising.
‘He asked for my help after all.’
But it wasn’t that.
Since he owed me, it was like showing off his capabilities to me.
In just one night, we managed to seize control of three organizations that had once ruled half of Rasphal.
Why hadn’t they done this earlier? While I did provide assistance, the process itself was incredibly straightforward.
Now, we just needed to manage the leaders of these factions.
Even if there were other factions controlling the other half, they wouldn’t make any hasty moves.
The balance of power among Rasphal’s factions was better than I thought.
If A targets B, then C targets A. Since this happened overnight, it would be impossible to use numbers to our advantage.
‘Did I make a mistake?’
While it was advice from me, I wondered if it was unsolicited.
The Casmak I knew didn’t have a family. This might not be a good thing for me.
Casmak, who lost his family during the faction struggles, might have left the Western Territories.
He might have awakened during this process, becoming the ruler of the Western Territories.
I couldn’t be sure, but I felt that I shouldn’t get involved any further.
It might even hinder his growth.
“Pour.”
Casmak returned to the inn, spoke briefly, and then sat down, pouring himself a drink.
Sea water dripped onto the three motionless faction leaders lying on the ground.
“Cough cough cough!”
The unconscious men stirred and groaned as they regained consciousness. However, even as they woke, the faction leaders were cautious of their surroundings.
Casmak tapped the chair leg with his bottle.
“Did you all sleep well?”
His tone was rather gentle, but what followed was a barrage of angry curses, intermixed with rage.
“What the hell did this bastard…!”
“You little shit!”
“I thought if it were me, I’d realize the implication of lying side by side here and staying quiet.”
Casmak said that while giving me a wink. It was something I had said.
I barely managed to stifle a laugh.
The faction leaders fell silent. It was because of Casmak, who had gained momentum since he talked to me.
Sarcasm and threat. Even I felt the tension next to me.
“Surde, Veron, Muic, they’re all dead.”
Awkward coughs and forced clearing of throats followed. Casmak slightly lowered his upper body and looked at them.
“I don’t intend to kill you all. Join me.”
“With what…!”
“I’ll give you the seats of the leaders of the organizations you were part of.”
Silence descended. How many of these loyal criminals would remain true to the crime syndicates?
None of the faction leaders had the physical build of an action leader. They seemed more concerned about killing their own anger than hurling insults.
Just by looking at their dilated pupils, I could almost hear the sound of their heads rolling.
“Nothing will change. Your organizations remain intact. Instead, you’ll manage the organizations in place of Surde, Veron, and Muic under my command.”
Casmak’s words were followed by a sip of alcohol. In the brief time since he spoke, half of the drink was already gone.
“Think and respond carefully. You started this war. Don’t bother with excuses; it’s making me want to kill you.”
* * *
As expected, the faction leaders acquiesced to Casmak’s terms. The possibility of rebellion was slim.
They had sized up Casmak. They wouldn’t dare to challenge him.
‘And they’re probably busy suppressing internal dissent.’
Even if I told them to pretend to submit and later stage a rebellion, would these men believe me?
Just by looking at their hurried departure at Casmak’s advice, it seemed unlikely.
If they didn’t want to face knives from their own faction, they needed to take control of the organization before dawn.
They would take their aides to deal with any potential hindrances.
“Rodri faction has devoured half of Rasphal!”
“Great Casmak!”
“May the Mother of the Sea be with us!”
Loud voices from outside the door reached us. Despite the late hour, the Rodri faction was throwing a feast.
I was in the room with Casmak.
I was a little tired, a combination of having some drinks and the fatigue that comes with dawn.
I needed some rest after arriving in Rasphal today. Casmak studied my face and asked.
“You look tired.”
“I’m just a heavy sleeper.”
Casmak smirked. His gaze seemed to say, ‘You’re young after all.’
I had seen that look a lot during the mission.
“I’m sick.”
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
Casmak widened his eyes and genuinely apologized. I waved it off, saying it was fine.
He had been checking for any reactions and now he chuckled.
“How does it feel? Satisfied?”
“Yeah, quite.”
“You unexpectedly wore me out. Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. We should attack tonight. It was the right decision.”
Casmak handed me a glass without a word. I clinked my glass against his.
“But why was it me? I was trying my best to keep a low profile. If it wasn’t my brother, most of them wouldn’t have known.”
“The momentum.”
I brought the glass to my lips.
“Originally, you weren’t even a candidate. There were Veron and the northern guys. But I wasn’t really inclined towards them. They were trash.”
Casmak nodded in agreement.
“But then, talk about Rodri faction started coming up around where I was staying.”
Toun would have been terrified if he heard, but he was not here. Hmm, should I add more to the story just in case?
“And I remembered meeting a man from the Western Territories a long time ago. When he saw me, he said I reminded him of Casmak Rodri.”
“Wait, was that a long-bearded man, around 50?”
“No. Why? Why the sudden interest?”
“I thought it might be my master.”
He had a master? That was unexpected. Well, even if you had great talent, there was a limit to how much you could grow alone.
“Anyway, that’s why I came to see you for confirmation. I saw at a glance that you were strong.”
“Your eyes are sharp.”
“That’s one way to put it. I got lucky too.”
Casmak looked at me with a curious expression.
“If I didn’t recognize you, you could have died.”
“Me?”
“Don’t underestimate intelligence agencies. You may not know who’s attacking even when you’re about to die.”
“…”
Casmak conceded in silence.
It wasn’t wounded pride; he was genuinely considering various angles that could occur.
Then he suddenly raised his head.
“No, you’re wrong. You must have considered changing your target when you saw me, even if you were trying to kill me.”
I choked on my drink. Even if I was in a situation where I didn’t know Casmak, would I really have done that?
“It’s not entirely untrue. Well, you could have used your head a bit more.”
“It’s good enough. You’re just too smart.”
I just smiled.
“So, what’s this business proposal?”
“It’s simple. We provide what you need, and you give us information.”
“Information?”
Casmak grinned.
“You’re quite far from the West.”
It was a sharper question than I anticipated. I answered calmly.
“All the information you know. About Rasphal’s situation, and beyond to Rohalak and the West. Your influence has grown, so you can gather more information.”
“Sure thing, pal. Sounds good. But what do we need from you? We can earn money on our own now.”
“Having more money wouldn’t hurt.”
He didn’t seem satisfied with that response. Fair enough.
“And people and information. Things that are hard for you to acquire.”
I refilled the empty glass.
“Besides you, there are many other organizations in the West. Their information, information from beyond the West. Or we could connect you with nobles from the places you want using our influence.”
Only then did a spark of interest light up in his eyes.
“Places we want?”
“Yeah, good spots for smuggling. Not just in the West, but in other regions too. You could get your hands on even better merchandise.”
“Not bad.”
“Not bad at all. And we’re willing to provide even military supplies.”
Casmak’s mouth gaped slightly at this point. He hadn’t thought this far.
“But, for that, you need to have Rasphal under control. It’s a give-and-take.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
Saying this, Casmak looked into my eyes.
“You won’t tell me where you came from, will you?”
Principally, revealing affiliation was not allowed. Even if long-established cooperating organizations might guess…
Unless it was a necessity, it got sorted out soon. But with Casmak, it was fine.
“No, we’re friends. I can tell you.”
“Friends… Yeah, we were friends.”
Casmak chuckled in a somewhat boastful manner.
He was genuinely pleased that I accepted his label of friendship.
“Haisen.”
If Toun were here, he might have been shocked. That image made me chuckle softly.
I didn’t expressly mention not telling anyone else.
Casmak wasn’t that kind of person. He just grinned openly.
“Haisen? You really came from quite far away. Your accent isn’t from the southern regions either.”
“I received training.”
“…You must have had a hard time too.”
This sudden remark hit me deep. Rarely did I feel understood since I came here.
Even though what I was doing was for my own survival, if it wasn’t difficult, it would be a lie.
There were many times I wanted to give up. The uncertain future seemed distant, while the harsh reality was right at hand.
Of course, it wasn’t like that being here, but…
Casmak waited for my silence, then extended a glass.
“Let’s have a drink, friend.”
“Sure.”
I responded with a smile.
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