Chapter 70

Sillemol was in utter chaos.

Soldiers of the 11th Legion had stormed the market, which had been engaged in illegal activities under the guise of freedom.

Everyone who had something to hide was busy fleeing.

There were a few fools who believed in their own strength and acted bold, but they only proved their own foolishness.

From mere street vendors to those who called themselves back-alley bosses, all were arrested one after another.

No matter how strong their faction was, in front of Cordis's regular soldiers, they were no different from scarecrows.

There were many complaints.

Everyone, strangely enough, shouted that they alone were different, that they alone were wronged.

Of course, the soldiers of the 11th Legion did not heed such nonsense.

The bustling streets gradually grew quiet, one by one.

“Damn it……”

“……”

There were nine people kneeling.

Their condition, tightly bound with ropes and unable to move an inch, was ridiculous.

They were the ones who had acted as leaders in the Sillemol Free Market.

Whether women or old men, their expressions were not good, and their personalities were even worse.

The largest slave wholesaler, the general manager of illegal drug production, a usury expert, the owner of a fist stronger than the law, a visionary hitman…….

Bukenos openly expressed his displeasure at seeing those who had a knack for buying and selling things that shouldn't be sold (including people).

“Tsk. Names, from the far left.”

“……”

“If you don't want to reveal your names like that, I'll turn you into nameless corpses.”

Bukenos was the chief of staff of the 11th Legion Commander.

He naturally had the right to summarily execute arrested criminals.

When he gestured with his eyes, the soldiers standing nearby pressed sharp blades against the necks of those kneeling.

“…I, Terddans Tellom……”

“What do you think your crime is?”

“…I lent money and took a bit too high of an interest.”

“Hmm.”

Bukenos took out a document and rummaged through it.

He soon found what he wanted.

“Interest doubled the principal in two months, you did take a high rate. Do you think that's your only crime?”

“…Not particularly.”

“No. You naturally used violence in the collection process. And you invested those profits in illegal drug production.”

“…Damn it! Why did you ask?”

“Because I thought I could add perjury to your charges. You should have confessed when I asked.”

Bukenos scribbled with his pen.

Terddans Tellom's sentences increased.

He said kindly.

I won't ask about your personal visits to brothels.

That's your private life.

“Your sentence will be about two hundred years. You're not one of those legendary long-lived species, are you? If not, you'll have a hard time seeing the sun again.”

“……”

Terddans Tellom could not say anything more.

It was because he realized that no matter what he said, it would not change his predetermined future.

Bukenos also paid him no further attention and shifted his gaze.

“Next, what's your name?”

“…Retos Lante.”

“What crime do you think you've committed?”

“…I traded in people. But I didn't directly kidnap them like those next to me. I specialized in high-quality goods, so I put a lot of effort into it.”

Retos Lante spoke passionately.

“I fed them well, clothed them well and found them good workplaces! If they didn't sell, I kept them for years. And now some of them even work for me, so ask them!”

I never caught anyone who paid their ransom and left!

He was the most renowned slave wholesaler in the Sillemol underground.

He seemed to take pride in the fact that he didn't dirty his own hands.

Bukenos nodded his head and said.

“Seven last year, twelve the year before last……. Over seventy in seven years.”

“…Over seventy what?”

“The number of young girls you sold into the pleasure industry.”

“…No, well, it isn't a high-class brothel, in a way, not entirely a bad workplace…….”

“I'll make sure a good prison is prepared for you.”

“…How very thoughtful.”

Bukenos moved on, asking for names and charges.

Not a single person honestly stated all the things they had done.

It was because they hadn't kept count of such things, and even if they remembered, they would still hide them.

“You there, one-eyed man. Name?”

“I have no name. Everyone calls me One-eye, so call me that.”

“Your attitude is very confident.”

“Because there's no reason not to be confident.”

Bukenos looked at the document and asked.

“My friend, the hitman, it says here you killed twenty-two people in five years. Isn't that enough reason not to be confident?”

“Twenty-two? It was twenty-nine.”

The one-eyed man was a visionary hitman and had strong pride in his profession.

“I don't accept commissions unless the opponent is a master. I fought twenty-nine fair duels, and I simply won them all.”

“Listen, my friend, One-eye, imperial law forbids private duels. If you even kill your opponent, it's classified as a serious crime.”

“I am a swordsman before I am an imperial citizen!”

“You should say such things outside the Empire. I don't dislike your fighting spirit, but this is the Empire, so I will judge you by imperial law.”

The Chief of Staff of the 11th Legion picked up a pen and began a simple calculation.

“Even if we just take seven years per person… my, one hundred eighty-nine years. Considering its intentional and continuous duel murders, it could even go up to two hundred fifty years.”

“Be fair, be fair! Give me a formal trial!”

“Didn't you just say you were a swordsman before an imperial citizen?”

Bukenos let out a bewildered laugh.

“And I am also a formal judge authorized by His Majesty the Great Emperor. To brag a little, I graduated at the top of the law department of the Imperial Academy.”

“As expected, he was a noble bastard! What do you know about us spouting such nonsense!”

The one-eyed man suddenly became angry.

Then he began to utter curses that were hard to even put into words with great ease.

At the feast of colorful and dazzling curses, the other criminals quietly lowered their eyes.

It was clear that they were afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

“This (censored) of a (censored) dares to (censored) like a (censored)! I will (censored) your (censored) and… (multiple curses censored hereafter).”

“This is impossible to record. It will all be censored. Still, I'll add five more years for blackmail.”

“Y-you, (censored) bastard, (censored)-!!!”

Even while being cursed at, Bukenos did not bat an eyelid.

The other criminals were startled.

“You too might have your circumstances. How can a person be perfect? I understand.”

“……”

At his benevolent tone, the one-eyed man finally quieted down.

He snorted angrily but did not utter any more curses.

“I understand that you resorted to crime, as I have not lived your lives. But in return, please understand that I am putting you away. You too have not lived my life, have you?”

“…Your words are glib.”

This time, the usury expert Terddans Tellom opened his mouth.

“Listening to this makes my blood boil. Did you think we didn't know that your side considers Sillemol a trash can?”

“Hmm, go on.”

“Didn't you deliberately condone it? I also saw items that couldn't possibly exist in the world without your help openly circulating. For example, golden medicine and so on……”

Thump, the sound of footsteps cut him off.

“Bukenos.”

The old fisherman approached.

He was so enormous that his long shadow easily covered the criminals all at once.

His steps were more like those of a giant predator than a human, and no one dared to speak.

“Was there ever a fisherman who listened to the complaints of fish?”

“No, Commander.”

“A fisherman's job is to pull in nets, catch fish, and deliver them. Do not concern yourself with what happens to the delivered fish.”

Niko Nereyades, Commander of Cordis's 11th Legion.

A giant who, upon meeting him, deeply realized how fitting the nickname 'Whale of Hobel Bay' was.

Just by staring intently with his murky eyes, one's knees buckled.

“That would be even more true for fish that gathered on their own, thinking the rotten bait was good. Because it means they're rotten from the inside.”

“……”

“……”

There was no reply.

It was because, even before it was the right thing to say, his opponent was Niko Nereyades.

He was massive, and his hands and feet were even larger.

His fingers were like wooden stakes.

There was a certainty that if one were to be slapped by those hands, their jawbone would be torn off.

“Are there any special transports other than these?”

“Yes. This is all of them.”

“Kosavagarobira will like this.”

The criminals' faces turned pale.

Kosavagarobira, the worst prison on the continent.

It was riddled with grotesque rumors, as grotesque as its name, but no one who entered ever came out, so the truth of the rumors could not be confirmed, the abyss of the continent.

“Muzzle them so they can't speak nonsense and send them.”

“Understood.”

Bukenos gestured.

Soldiers rushed over, muzzled the criminals, and dragged them away.

They seemed to want to shout something, but they couldn't.

Bukenos clicked his tongue at their faces contorted in despair.

It was because he was faint of heart.

He couldn't let go of a shred of pity.

Niko noticed his feelings but did not reprimand him.

“Have all the nets been pulled?”

“Everything will be finished once the siege on the fifth underground floor is subdued.”

“How long will that take?”

“Half a day is more than enough.”

“Ensure no soldiers are harmed in their last struggles. They are the Empire's assets.”

Niko Nereyades moved.

An even deeper silence settled over the Sillemol street, which had already been as quiet as death.

“What about Kifkos? I told him to produce three executives.”

“There is no news.”

“When did you contact him?”

“Three days ago.”

“He betrayed us.”

Bukenos nodded his head.

He reported that the medium-sized schooner Kifkos had secretly owned had set sail a few days ago.

And also, that from the time of its departure, the key executives and families of Kifkos's gang had disappeared.

“I thought it was about time.”

Gold-toothed Kifkos was a centurion of the 11th Legion.

Niko remembered Kifkos from those days.

He always went around with his bushy-bearded subordinate, and despite his fierce appearance, he was a very affectionate man.

“Have you found a successor for Kifkos?”

“I was planning to propose to one of the special transporters.”

“That fellow from earlier, what was his name?”

“Are you referring to Terddans Tellom? I was also thinking of him.”

Niko held out his hand.

The chief of staff respectfully handed over a document packed with Terddans Tellom's information.

The old fisherman narrowed his eyes and quickly read through the document.

“He has hardly any serious crimes for the scale of his business. He seems to be very timid. Such people usually can't trust others, so they form gangs with their own blood relatives.”

“That is correct. He is the leader of the Tellom Family.”

“Since he has many blood relatives, it will be easy to find his weaknesses. And he won't be able to escape like Kifkos either.”

The document contained Terddans Tellom's crimes and sentence.

If this were sent to Kosavagarobira, he would never come out again.

Therefore, Niko tore the document to shreds.

It was tough paper that had been specially treated not to be damaged, but that was no problem for an Imperial Legion Commander.

Terddans Tellom's document fell as scraps of paper.

Bukenos flicked his finger over the scraps.

A small flame rose and turned the paper to ash.

With this, Terddans Tellom's legal crimes were extinguished.

Unless they were to arrest him again, that is.

“I leave the conclusion to you, Chief of Staff.”

“And the Legion Commander?”

“I have to go catch the fish that tore the net and escaped.”

Niko stroked his beard.

“You kicked away the opportunity I gave you, Kifkos.”

He looked beyond the coastline.

He would catch his old subordinate, who he knew would be excited, thinking he had escaped his grasp.

This too was what the Whale of Hobel Bay had to do.

“It would have been better if he had just eaten the food he was given.”

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