Wolves of Hader

Chapter 110

I stamped the contract.

The contract was to hire Kudo as the Tris branch manager for the Hader merchant guild, and to transfer the existing staff to him.

Kudo, the boss, let out a wry laugh.

"Are you really going to give me the Goro merchant guild?"

"Are you not confident?"

"Why wouldn't I be confident? I may not know a lot about running a merchant guild, but if I take in Goro's crew as they are, it should be fine."

"Did you check for anything odd?"

"I did. It's a three-year contract. If there's a breach of contract such as murder or any major crime, our entire group gets fired. After the contract period, the merchant guild's independence is guaranteed."

"No complaints, right?"

"No complaints at all. If I just endure for three years, the merchant guild will be mine."

We'll see whether that actually happens.

It would be much better for him to stay under our house.

Well, even if he becomes independent, it doesn't really matter to me.

"Are you confident you won't break the contract?"

"Do you think we're some murderers? You think Tris's laws are just for show? All merchants are a few bridges away from being relatives—do you think I'd try to threaten someone every day?"

I gave a glance at the gold-toothed curly-haired guy.

He quickly averted his eyes.

"Did you send the person?"

"He should be back in about an hour. But do you know Barako is backing the Merchant leader Goro?"

"I thought the two weren't close?"

"Outwardly, yes. Would an esteemed, respected magnate hang around with a gangster? But all the dirty and bloody jobs are done by Goro."

"So he didn't get big just by doing business?"

"That guy is from the backstreet too. Who do you think helped him make money? He grew this big by taking care of Barako merchant guild's dirty work. Well, the noble connections he has, I admit."

This was information even the Mogos intelligence squad hadn't found out.

Well, members of the intelligence squad wouldn't know the underworld better than its own insiders.

"By any chance, do you have any criminal evidence against the Goro merchant guild or the Barako merchant guild? Or even any implication?"

"What good would evidence do us? What effect does a testimony from guys like us have? When fishermen report incidents, the investigations are always half-hearted."

"So, do you actually have evidence?"

Kudo glanced at the curly-haired guy before answering.

"Last year, a large fishing vessel collided with a trading ship and capsized. Twenty-one people died. But here's the thing—all the dead were young ladies."

"Any proof of connection to the Goro merchant guild?"

"All those girls had been hired by the Goro merchant guild's upscale restaurant a month before the accident. There was one girl who swam out alone."

"Where is that survivor now?"

"She's dead."

"You're sure she's dead?"

Kudo cleared his throat before answering.

"She should be dead. On the day of the accident, an old fisherman rescued her, but nobody's seen her since. The Goro merchant guild bastards were looking for her too, so she must be dead."

"And that fisherman is still alive?"

"What fault does the fisherman have? Of course, he's alive. Still, the girl wasn't at his house either. We looked for that girl ourselves, so I know."

This matched what I'd heard previously—Goro merchant guild's human trafficking suspicions.

It looked like they recruited pretty, young girls under false pretenses and sold them overseas.

It was probably them who tried to marry off their only daughter too.

"Do you know where the girls are sent?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Obvious?"

"The divine order, where else? There are only men there, where do you think they relieve their lust? Do you think those precious people would sleep with tavern women? Would they come all the way to Tris each time?"

"You're sure?"

"You really don't know the darkness of the underworld, do you, young master from a noble house? Do you know why so many nobles and merchants go to the divine order?"

"To pray?"

"Hahahaha! To pray?"

He burst into loud laughter.

I couldn't tell if he thought I was joking, or if my joke had landed.

Kudo's laughter stopped abruptly.

"There's a small island near the divine order. The whole island's a casino and red-light district. All kinds of unimaginable things happen there. It may look unrelated to the order, but the real owner is the divine order."

"Have you been there?"

"I have. There are so many important people there, guys like me can't even say our names out loud. By day it looks like a fancy, classy resort, but at night it's completely different."

"How so?"

Kudo began to explain.

I had expected some hedonistic entertainment in secret spaces, but it far surpassed my imagination.

The arrogance and corruption of the divine order had reached its peak. They openly built such a place right next door.

Clearly, for their own convenience—it's close by.

They didn't even care about how it looked. Commoners didn't even know it existed, and all the customers were on their side.

It seemed the order and the customers had created that island together.

Through this collusion, the order and the rich became partners.

This can't be explained just by mutual gain and complicity.

It's a relationship where pleasure, greed, and madness intermix.

Their own exclusive world.

A place no one else can touch.

Where, in their own country, they shamelessly enjoy pleasures that would ruin their honor.

"Is Barako corps leader also a customer there?"

"If someone's close to the divine order, you can assume they're a VIP on that island."

"Any evidence of Barako corps leader's involvement?"

"He supplies everything that island needs. Barako's merchant guild is the greatest in the empire, after all."

Despite the divine order's corruption, I had still been stuck in the notion that they were clergy.

They themselves probably believe they have nothing to do with the island.

"Elder brother, the guys are back!"

The door burst open and two men came in.

They looked like they'd been thoroughly beaten.

"Was Goro there?"

"We're not sure. We did what you said and yelled for payment, but we couldn't even get inside before we got beat up."

I asked, too.

"Were there many of their members there?"

"Yes. Looked like there were also a lot of mercenaries."

"They know I'm in Tris now."

"What now?"

Originally, the plan was to storm the Goro merchant guild as is.

I thought we could catch the Merchant leader Goro that way and secure any secret ledgers.

But now that they know I'm here, they would have already taken out all the important documents.

It would take some time to find them. I also needed to find steward Aldo's family first.

"Kudo. How many members do you have?"

"Around eighty."

"How about Goro merchant guild?"

"They have about 120 members, and counting all the mercenaries they can hire, probably over 300."

"Are the mercenaries from Tris?"

"Nope. I have no idea where Goro gets them from. Can't be cheap, either."

Did the order provide mercenary support?

If so, the mercenary corps must be quite large.

"So, what do you plan to do?"

"We start in exactly half a month. Leave the fight to us—you just clean up afterwards."

"So, wait—are you really..."

Kudo looked at me in disbelief.

"You really mean to go after Goro?"

"Why? Do you think we'll lose?"

"Lose?! I'm worried my boys will get hurt!"

"Is that how you really feel?"

"Why else would I say it? They may be rough and wild, but they're my comrades! Would I want any of them to get stabbed and die?"

"Elder brother!"

"Elder brother!"

"Yeah, you guys. I get it."

"Elder brother!"

The gangster guys were moved to tears.

They hugged and comforted each other, making a big scene.

Even though I'd said we'd handle the fight, what a ridiculous sight.

Anyway—I sent letters to all three houses.

There was no reply, and two heads of house disappeared with their families.

That was a signal they were ready to settle this for good.

This broke the ceasefire negotiation we had.

Since the three houses clearly broke the terms listed in the postwar compensation agreement, I would now claim reparation in person.

Direct claim was also stipulated in the agreement, and included taking over and occupying the territory.

This was a clear matter of agreement between us and the three heads of house.

/ / /

I met the intelligence squad leader.

He had received my request and brought a fake identification plaque from the Mogos intelligence squad branch manager.

"You're Julah family's second son, a noble from Robe and a merchant. You've visited the pleasure island several times, and you're a bit fatter than the young lord."

I wouldn't resemble the real person, but I disguised myself anyway.

I dyed my hair black like people from Robe and dressed in their formal attire.

I even wore a belly wrap to make myself look chubby.

"We hit the viscount and baron houses. Donnie and Hans will go to each. Contact the fortress for support. Also, have them send a ship to the divine order; the waiting position is north of the pleasure island. Make sure to arrive within eight days."

"I'll send the ship right away. Before you return, I'll find steward Aldo's family and evidence of the Goro merchant guild's crimes."

"Don't overdo it. We have plenty of time."

"Yes, sir."

I decided to go to the pleasure island.

It felt like I could seize the divine order's greatest weakness there.

They were at the heart of this matter.

If I took a fast ship, I could visit the divine order and be back in less than half a month.

That would also be enough time for our intelligence squad to produce some solid results.

The ones really feeling anxious were the three heads of house.

They'd confirmed we'd arrived in Tris, but wouldn't know what we were up to during those two-plus weeks.

A bit later, I headed to the pier with Kudo.

A crew member came out to greet us.

He was crew from Robe's fast ship.

"How long will it take?"

"We'll arrive in eight and a half days."

"Can you do it in seven?"

"If you pay extra, we might manage to cut a day off. The crew just needs to work harder."

"In that case, I'll pay the bonus."

We took a landing craft and headed for the fast ship.

It wasn't a regular passenger vessel, but a private charter for the wealthy.

That meant it was smaller and a lot faster.

Normally, the trip from Tris to the order took ten days.

With the fast ship chopping off two days and an extra day paid for, we'd make it back three days faster altogether.

/ / /

We arrived in six and a half days.

It was a small island to the west of the divine order.

When I came here before, I thought it belonged to the order.

There were far more ships than before. Apparently, it was vacation season.

Maybe the actual owner of my fake identity was there now.

We landed and disembarked at the pier.

There were no taverns or inns at the port.

"I guess they expect people to eat and drink only inside?"

"Would a top-tier resort have shabby little shops? Rich people hate to mix with commoners. You can tell just by looking."

True to Kudo's words, everyone just arriving looked wealthy.

Even the servants following along seemed like the young masters of noble houses.

Everybody had large bags.

"That's a lot of cash to be carrying."

"Most come to gamble. Entry is free. All they want is for you to spend your money. That place I mentioned before is only for the most prominent VIPs with clear identities."

As we headed for the gateway, the atmosphere changed.

There was a large, arch-like structure at the entrance like an amusement park, and the buildings were ornate and grand.

There weren't any inspections.

There were guards, but they just strolled around at leisure.

Sometimes they escorted drunken guests, too.

It looked like quite a few people ended up as wrecks on this island.

The reason was obvious.

We walked down the open road.

Kudo said,

"Only the castle way over there is for the top VIPs. Everywhere else is free to go. Most places are luxury hotels and casinos, with fancy restaurants, too."

"Will we be able to get in with my fake identity?"

"If the real person behind your cover is in that castle, you'll be found out straight away. They'll have your name on a list. What will you do? You still want to try? Want to come with me?"

"How did you get in last time?"

"Just follow me."

We left the main path for guests.

We headed toward an inn on the right side of the path.

It was called The Golden Flower.

Kudo went alone behind the building to the rear kitchen.

Then, a middle-aged chef came out with Kudo. The chef looked quite annoyed.

"This is the one. He's a Robe noble."

The chef glanced at both me and Kudo with skepticism.

"Yeah, right, noble. Last time you just begged to be let in, and now you brought another one? You going to take responsibility if I get fired? Do you know what it took for me to get this job?"

"He'll pay you a lot. Help him."

"A lot? Kudo, do you even know my wage? Can't count on a so-called friend to help these days."

"You bastard, are you really going to be like that?"

"Just leave. Don't come back again."

The chef turned away coldly.

That's when I spoke.

"How much is your wage?"

"Why? You plan to pay me a month's wage?"

"I'll open a luxury restaurant for you if you get fired."

"Forget it. I'd rather stay here."

"This resort is going to fail. Better find a new job while you can."

The chef stared at me in disbelief.

This island was doomed.

Whether it collapsed tomorrow or next year.