Translator: Wan ED/PR: Fan
However, even after Krone’s appeal, not all of the gazes of the organization members changed.
Feeling like he was looking at his past self, Krone was even more enraged.
“You’re still uneasy? Even though Hamel is so devoted?”
Why didn’t they see Hamel’s effort?
Although he wasn’t the real leader of the organization, he couldn’t help but look from that position.
Even if you exclude his personal closeness to Hamel, wasn’t it clear to anyone that he was a helpful person to the organization?
“I have no need for anyone who can’t distinguish between a comrade and a bastard who is causing discord. Get out. But, you will have to spit back all the money you received until now.”
Krone didn’t want the money Hamel gave to end up in those bastards’ stomachs.
What could a warlock do to get money?
Wasn’t it money mixed with blood and sweat?
“It’s good to make certain.”
Then, Miella spoke up.
“You naturally have to give it up, right? There is no way that You plan to act double-faced, say foul things because Hamel-nim is a warlock, all while coveting His money, right?”
Miella openly mocked the organization members.
Because she was the only noble in the organization, even if she entered late, her voice was pretty powerful.
“No way. Would there be such a shameless bastard?”
Even Shutra sneered.
Even though she didn’t like Hamel, she recognized the value of his work.
“Come back to your senses! Right now, Krone…”
Peuk.
Hellon, who couldn’t stand it any longer, pierced the bastard’s head.
They should’ve killed him before.
As such a bastard would only cause discord again as long as he lives.
“Listen well. This is not coercion. Everyone already agreed and joined, and Krone-nim is only acting according to what was written in the contract.”
Hellon stared at the organization members, then bowed to Krone.
“Apologies for acting on my own.”
“No. I was going to cut him down anyway.”
Krone shook his head.
Now, the only people remaining were the traitors who tried to stab the organization in the back.
One already fainted, and the other was begging with his mouth agape saying ‘please spare me’.
Krone sent Hellon to track the bastards.
The place the bastards tried to go to was none other than a temple.
Before cutting the bastards down, Krone glanced at Lucion.
He didn’t know what kind of expression he was making behind the mask, but wouldn’t his insides be boiling?
“I’m fine. Please continue.”
Lucion said.
Krone’s face crumpled at that calm voice, and he pierced the traitors’ hearts with his sharp sword.
Stab!
Stabbing the bloodied sword into the ground, Krone shouted.
“Did you choose?”
Whether they were scared they would be punished like the others, or they hated to give back the money, the organization members had to make a choice here and now.
Go with others.
Or remain.
“I’ve chosen. I’ll remain in the organization.”
Following the first person, the organization members’ answers were heard like a wave.
“I’ll also remain in the organization.”
“Hamel-nim, thank You! I’ll remain in the organization!”
Some laughed, some bit their lips, while continuing making their choices.
[At last, the hesitation is gone.]
Russell sighed.
Based on the atmosphere, they chose to remain, and it looked like they would accept Lucion.
‘Well chosen.’
Lucion thought as he looked at the organization members that would make for the foundation.
He was especially satisfied that the deaths of the five people were effective.
“I’ll not forgive a betrayal regardless of the reason. If you hate the organization, you can leave without problems, but considering the specialness of the organization, disclosing anything even after leaving is prohibited.”
Krone met the eyes of the organization members, and mentioned the precautions again.
“Our organization’s name is Ale, and we will grow into an independent force that doesn’t belong anywhere, fighting for peace and freedom!”
Veins bulged on Krone’s neck.
‘Peace and freedom?’
Lucion almost burst out laughing for a moment.
He made the organization Ale for himself and to protect himself.
However, the organization needed a public goal, and Lucion ordered Krone to decide on a goal on his own.
Among the numerous goals, Krone chose the most obvious one.
‘… No. In this world, such a goal is very rare.’
Lucion soon disagreed with his thoughts.
Peace and freedom.
It was an obvious but very difficult goal.
“I swear, if there is someone who can be helpful to the organization in the future, even if they’re a warlock, I’ll accept them and protect everyone as the members of the organization!”
It wasn’t something to talk about in a courtyard covered in corpses and blood, but strangely, Krone’s guests and voice drew attention to him.
‘His skill to quickly capture people’s hearts is almost like magic.’
Lucion thought it was really marvelous.
Even though he knew he wasn’t saying anything special, he was strangely filled with trust and anticipation.
“Do you too swear to protect the other organization members?”
Krone looked at the organization members and asked.
“I swear!”
Everyone answered without hesitation.
Krone gave them the opportunity to leave the organization, and whether they were scared or intimidated, that opportunity already passed.
While the organization members shouted, Krone looked at Lucion.
It took some words, but he finally succeeded in laying down the goal Lucion wanted.
Lucion nodded, satisfied.
‘At last, the organization took its first step.’
***
— Lucion.
“Yeah.”
Lucion sat close to the courtyard of Chepplan’s mansion and stroked Latta, who stared at him.
He was waiting for the ghosts to appear from corpses and resting to recover, as his body wasn’t in good shape because of the Light.
No joke, he felt like if someone just poked him, he would spit blood.
— Latta is extremely happy right now, yeah? Latta hates bad people saying things about Lucion, and is happy that the sharpness directed at Lucion disappeared!
“I’m happy, too. Doesn’t Young Master, no, Hamel-nim, now have a ‘side’?”
Hyum smiled together with Latta.
Krone’s words were so touching, even Hyum felt her palms sweat.
— Does Lucion’s heart go a happy ‘thud, thud’ like Latta’s?
“Well.”
Lucion answered ambiguously to Latta’s question.
He remembered that slightly unfamiliar feeling.
“I can’t control human hearts. I’m just satisfied that this plan succeeded and that we obtained this mansion.”
[I think you can be reassured and happy now.]
Bethel smiled and said.
No matter who heard that, Krone was sincere, and his resolution to protect Lucion was strong.
[Lucion, I, too, ask myself why you can’t be happy. Didn’t the organization take its first step anyway?]
Russell ruffed Lucion’s hair as he boasted.
“Master-nim. Will this mansion be full of organization members at any time?”
[It probably will.]
“Many people are difficult to control. It’s already difficult to solve this with a method like this right now.”
Lucion sighed.
“I’m not sure. I’ll observe a bit more.”
He learned it’s easier not to expect anything.
The organization wasn’t his family, so Lucion didn’t want to make any hasty judgments.
He just sat quietly, feeling the wind.
***
Bang!
“… Unbelievable!”
Miella shouted looking at Krone.
“What is unbelievable?”
Shutra said as if she was dumbfounded.
“Anyone can see that the leader of this organization is Hamel-nim!”
“What? The leader of this organization is Krone-nim!”
Following Miella’s words, Shutra raised her voice.
Miella suddenly stuck out her finger and added a finger with each word she said.
“Money, base, power, information network, should I continue?”
Miella said to Lucion, who had just entered the room.
“Excellent timing. Please say it, Hamel-nim.”
“Say what?”
Lucion was on his way back after sending the late head of the Chepplan family, the ghosts of the five people who were killed, and the Chepplan knights to heaven.
“Isn’t Hamel-nim the real leader, while Krone-nim acts as one instead, because You can’t openly step forward?”
Meilla asked.
There could be no more sensitive question.
[Miella is sharp.]
Bethel whispered and Russell agreed.
[True. Lucion was deliberately acting submissively towards Krone because of that.]
“Putting reasons aside, I can’t become a leader. So, how about you stop harassing Krone-nim?”
Lucion spoke indifferently.
“… I feel bad. It’s like everyone is stealing from Hamel-nim.”
If they stole it, they should give it back.
Hamel, who taught her that, didn’t actually have anything.
“Ah…! Are You okay after that?”
Miella recalled something important.
There are quite a few objects with Light here.
Even more in the family head’s room.
“No problem, Lenteal broke them.”
Lucion pointed at Hyum.
Seeing Hyum nodding, Miella made a sorry face.
“Sorry. I guess I was excited about killing that bitch. I should have warned you beforehand.”
“… There were items with Light here?”
Krone reacted with shock.
He immediately stood up from his seat and approached Lucion.
“Are you okay? I…”
“No.”
Lucion shook his head, as Krone spoke.
It wasn’t the time for Krone to bow his head.
“More importantly, don’t we have to decide how to distribute organization members in the future? I also mean the positions of the Chepplan family’s knights and servants.”
Lucion brought a problem they had to discuss immediately.
For a moment, the spark was extinguished with the appearance of Ale and the Chepplan family’s former head handing the position to Miella, but it was just the start.
The outside forces may sniff out that the Chepplan family’s head changed and come to visit.
The inside was also worrying, but because Miella was Chepplan, she could safely grab the position.
“First, I’ll win them over with this. I want to finish this matter.”
Miella took out a money purse.
Because it was a familiar money purse, Lucion recognized it as the one he gave to her.
“I also think it would be the best if Miella-ssi was the one to win them over. However, those people will never be able to become the organization’s members.”
Lucion agreed with Miella’s opinion, but pointed out something that had to be stated.
“I know. I will make a compromise here. I want to become an organization member and bare everything related to the Chepplan name. Is that okay?”
Miella looked at Lucion and then at Krone.
“I’ll leave it to you.”
Lucion replied.
There would be nothing more comfortable than Miella dealing with that problem herself.
“Then I also agree.”
Krone also nodded.
At Krone’s approval, Shutra made a dissatisfied face, and Hellon smiled slightly and replied with ‘understood’.
“Hamel-ssi.”
Krone called out to Lucion.
“Please speak.”
“When will the Ratmen come?”
“They will soon arrive, probably.”
It was quite a distance, and the Ratmen’s numbers were a bit higher than the current organization members.
They will take some time because they split into groups so as not to draw attention.
“First of all, we should deploy organization members around Miella-ssi. After that, when the Ratmen arrive, we will increase our numbers and disguise them as soldiers.”
Combining the knights and soldiers owned by the Chepplan family, it is almost 150 people.
But Ale only has just 30 members.
There is a high chance they would be pushed out if the Chepplan knights and soldiers gathered their forces.
Lucion noticed what Krone was worrying about.
‘Krone lost his edge. Such a thing won’t happen.’
Nobles were people who took pride in their status of nobility.
They were a strange bunch that would never forgive someone who wasn’t a noble touching a noble family, even if that family was their archenemy.
As such, the Chepplan knights and soldiers, who knew nobles better than anyone else, wouldn’t do anything to Miella.
‘If we exclude other nobles putting their eyes on Chepplan, the biggest problem is the lack of people in the organization, right?’
Even if they wanted to replace the Chepplan knights and soldiers, the organization had no people to replace them with.
He hoped to have powerful people in the organization, but without someone to control and suppress them, it was beyond their means.
‘… And assassins.’
If the ghosts acted as his eyes, now he needed people to act as his hands and feet.
People who could deal with people who tried to do harm to the organization, without anyone knowing.
‘Who would be good?’
*~*~*
Translator’s note: Lucion being the real leader is only logical, because if you turn this around, the resulting relationship is… uh… mm… o.o;;;
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