NABC Chapter 304: Chapter 303: I Am the Raider King (4)
Chapter 304: Chapter 303: I Am the Raider King (4)
Chapter 304: Chapter 303: I Am the Raider King (4)
"Wh-what? The Raider King?"
"Wasn't that guy supposed to have run away?"
"What the hell! They said the Head Butler dealt with him!"
The mere mention of the Raider King's name was enough to paralyze the organization's members with fear. The Raider King's exploits were too overwhelming to forget.
Morbin and the organization's executives, who had come down to the first floor, were equally bewildered. Something was clearly amiss.
After a brief moment of thought, Morbin spoke.
"That's it, he's an imposter. He's trying to scare us. With all the executives gathered here, they must be trying to take us out all at once."
He outright refused to believe the real Raider King had shown up. He was convinced that Claude, his ally, wouldn't make such a mistake.
"That guy's a fake! The Raider King has already been driven out! My big brother chased him away!"
Morbin's confident words reinvigorated the members.
They knew all about Claude and Morbin's relationship. They were sworn brothers, even having bathed together just yesterday, or so the rumor went.
"Kill him!"
At Morbin's shout, the members rushed toward Ghislain.
Ghislain casually struck the closest charging member with the back of his hand. Thwack!
Crash!
The man flew straight through the wall and out of sight.
"?"
Everyone froze in place. Sending someone flying with a mere flick of the wrist wasn't something just anyone could do.
This was proof that the person before them lived in an entirely different world.
Whether he was truly the Raider King or not, they had no hope of handling him.
Breaking the heavy silence, Morbin spoke with a trembling voice.
"Who... who are you?"
"I told you, I'm the Raider King."
"I-I heard you left the estate!"
"I came back."
Morbin stammered in response to Ghislain's calm reply.
"Y-you... do you even know who I am, and what you're doing here?"
"I know. You're a junkie."
"I-I have the Head Butler behind me! Didn't you know that? If you didn't, leave now. I'm the sworn brother of the Head Butler, his brother!"
Recalling his backing seemed to boost Morbin's confidence, and his words became smoother.
"Yesterday, huh? I had dinner with him! Bathed with him! Did everything together, you bastard! So if you don't want to die, leave now!"
Ghislain couldn't even respond. Mistaking his silence for fear, Morbin began spitting as he spoke.
"If you leave now, I'll let this slide. If you need a business site, I'll give you a decent one. Let's call it even. There's no point in us fighting, is there?"
Shhh.
Ignoring Morbin, Ghislain took a step forward. Terrified, Morbin shouted to his executives.
"S-stop him! Hold that bastard off! I'll go call the Head Butler and bring the knights!"
But neither the executives nor the members could move. Who could possibly face such a monster?
Desperate, Morbin pleaded.
"You idiots! If that bastard is the real Raider King, we're all dead anyway! Don't you know he kills everyone he catches?"
Though he didn't kill everyone, he came close enough that the rumors were widespread. Steeled by their leader's words, the members' eyes began to light up with determination.
If they were going to die anyway, it was better to at least swing their swords once. If they could hold out, Morbin would return with knights.
The members all drew their weapons. A few of the executives pushed Morbin toward a secret passage.
"Boss! Go to the Head Butler now! We'll hold the line here!"
"Ugh! Thank you! I'll definitely bring the knights back!"
It was a heartwarming scene. Tears streaming down his face, Morbin sprinted toward the
secret passage.
All the while, Ghislain simply watched with a bored expression.
The remaining executives shouted to the members.
"Attack!"
"Raaah!"
As the members charged, the knights behind Ghislain finally stepped forward.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Argh!"
"You scum!"
"Our boss will avenge us!"
Raised in the underworld, the members attacked with all their grit. But every casual strike from the knights sent their comrades crashing down like flies. It didn't take long for fear to
grip them again.
"Ugh... monsters..."
"There's no way we can win..."
"How are we supposed to fight against things like this..."
The criminals' grit and loyalty ended there. They began dropping their weapons, kneeling one
by one.
"Please spare us!"
"We were just following orders!"
"I'm actually a good person!"
With the members surrendering en masse, the executives had no choice but to follow suit.
They too dropped to their knees.
"Morbin's the real bad guy!"
"I was forced into this!"
"I swear I'll live an honest life from now on!"
Everyone surrendered to the Raider King. Ghislain nodded in satisfaction.
"Take everything here and send these people 'there.""
At Ghislain's command, the knights began incapacitating the members.
Thwack!
With each blow, the members fell unconscious immediately.
Thus, the leaders of Desmond's underworld were taken out in one fell swoop.
"Huff, huff, huff."
paid much attention to him.
They were confident that with a woman, Amelia, as the lord, Rayfold territory would collapse
sooner rather than later.
They believed Amelia's victory over the Northern Allied Army wasn't due to her strategic
brilliance, but rather because Rayfold's forces were inherently strong and the Northern lords were incompetent. Maurice finally spoke with difficulty.
"Are we... doing the right thing? That damn duck is the strongest in the North... is this right?"
They had supported him, but they hadn't intended for him to grow this much. He had grown
too large. He had always been difficult to control, and now, as a great lord, he would be even to manage.
harder
'What if he turns against us?'
Maurice bit his lip anxiously.
Another noble, still skeptical, laughed and said.
"Didn't the Perdium Army and the Royal Army assist him? He probably won because of that.
There's no way he could have won on his own."
No one responded to that statement.
It wasn't entirely wrong. However, Viscount Clifton's report on Ghislain's achievements
suggested a level of ability far beyond what could be explained by mere assistance. What if the massive force he had recruited had been fully trained?
If that were the case, Ghislain could have crushed Count Desmond without any external
support. In other words, Fenris truly deserved to be called the strongest in the North.
Marquis Branford wore a complicated expression.
'Haha, to think he actually won.'
As always, the man had managed to surprise everyone.
Like the others, Marquis Branford found it hard to believe. But with someone who had
participated directly in the war speaking with such confidence, how could he not believe it?
'I'll have to re-examine the information we've received before.' There had been many rumors he'd dismissed as nonsense. Perhaps they were all true.
Still, he felt a sense of satisfaction. Watching someone he had supported rise so quickly was gratifying as a guardian.
At that moment, Marquis Maurice, his expression grim, spoke to Marquis Branford.
"Don't you think he's growing too fast? Shouldn't we suppress him now?" The other nobles nodded in agreement, adding their voices.
"He's growing far too quickly. We wanted Count Fenris to keep the North in check, not
dominate it."
"Hasn't he always been a cocky brat? The more he grows, the harder he'll be to control."
"Marquis, wouldn't it be better to stop supporting him and redirect him to better serve the pro-royalist cause?"
Marquis Branford's eyebrows twitched. He had been feeling pleased, but these comments felt like cold water poured over his head.
Though Ghislain's achievements were remarkable, one could argue that he had only defeated
Count Desmond.
The Duchy and its subordinate lords still remained strong, yet here they were, already
starting internal disputes. How pathetic.
In a firm voice, Branford spoke.
"Absolutely not. Do not touch Count Fenris."
"...."
"Count Fenris will be a great asset in our fight against the Duchy. Do not forget that our true
enemy is the Duchy."
His tone was so resolute that the nobles fell silent.
Of course, Marquis Branford had his own concerns. An ally that couldn't be controlled could
be more dangerous than an enemy.
But turning on Ghislain now would only benefit the Duchy.
"Do not lose sight of our goal. Any issues with Count Fenris can be dealt with after the Duchy
has been defeated."
The pro-royalist nobles reluctantly nodded. Maurice, however, thought differently.
"Tsk, haven't we been suppressing the civil war without Count Fenris? He's only caused more trouble
for us with his antics. Maybe, after some time, Branford's opinion will change.'
After finishing his business at the royal palace, Marquis Branford returned home and
summoned his butler.
"Release Count Forwood."
With Ghislain victorious in the war, there was no need to continue detaining the duke faction
nobles in the capital.
Count Forwood, dragged out looking disheveled, let out a resigned laugh.
"Seeing as I'm being released, it seems Count Fenris has won." "Return home, Count. Let us hope such unpleasant incidents don't happen again."
At Branford's words, Count Forwood spoke in a defeated tone.
"You've made a mistake. Supporting Count Fenris was a mistake."
"What do you mean?"
Count Forwood, as if he had nothing left to lose, replied.
"With Count Desmond gone, a civil war is inevitable." "Everyone knows the Duchy aims for the throne. We've been suppressing the civil war
ourselves."
"No, no. You don't understand yet."
Branford frowned at the Count's cryptic tone.
"What are you trying to say?"
"It's not the pro-royalist faction suppressing the civil war, but Viscount Josef of the Duchy."
"Viscount Josef?"
Known as the "Crippled Devil," how could such a ruthless man be suppressing a civil war?
With a weary smile, Count Forwood explained.
"He is a rational man. We wanted to shed as little blood as possible. It was Viscount Josef who
persuaded the duke to agree to that."
""
"Have you forgotten what the duke is like?"
|| ||
"Now the kingdom will be bathed in blood."