Episode 27. Tear down the signboard
“Kuh…!”
Vakain vomited blood, collapsing onto the ground.
The pure white energy penetrated deep into his chest.
Though not instant death, he would be experiencing the excruciating pain of his heart and lungs freezing simultaneously.
“Save me, please….”
“Vakain.”
Abruptly, Vakain began begging for his life.
But Sirius’ voice was cold.
“Your guild controls the logistics in this area, overcharging the merchants.”
“T-That’s…”
“You must have made a fortune… Where did you hoard your wealth? Is it in your headquarters?”
“I-I’ll give you as much money as you want.”
Thinking Sirius coveted the guild’s money, Vakain pleaded desperately.
“Well, then, I will continue to pay tribute to the Thousand Wolf Sect in the future.”
“Tribute?”
“Our guild is expanding into various areas, accumulating wealth. Recently, we’ve started managing construction unions. The money coming in from there alone…”
Vakain couldn’t continue speaking.
It was because Sirius picked up his sword from the ground and slashed his throat.
“People like you squeezing civilians are why the northeast remains neglected.”
He had heard from Yustia.
The northeast lagged behind in industrial development compared to other regions.
And at its core, there were black-hearted individuals who exploited traders.
That was one reason to thoroughly clean up the black-hearted forces in the northeast.
“Then…”
Sirius glanced around.
The battle was already over.
Neither Vakain’s guild nor the Oblea Mercenaries… No one was left alive.
Alleon approached, bloodied, and nodded.
“Master, they’ve all been taken care of.”
“Good work.”
The Thousand Wolf Sect was an organization made up of remnants from the Kalstein Sect.
It was natural for them to be outnumbered against the elite forces of Vakain’s guild and the Oblea Mercenaries.
But thanks to Sirius leading the charge and decimating the enemies, they too gained courage.
With morale soaring, it wasn’t difficult to vanquish enemies in disarray.
“The Thousand Wolf Sect’s first victory. Remember today’s events, everyone.”
“Yes…!”
Alleon bowed with a bright smile.
“Clear the bodies, and if there’s anything useful in the weapons, grab it for later.”
“Yes, understood.”
“After we’re done here, you all can have a drink and relax amongst yourselves.”
“Among ourselves? But, what about you, Danchu-nim?”
“I have a place to go.”
“Where are you going… Ah.”
Seeing Alrayon suddenly close his mouth and nod, Sirius frowned.
“Alrayon.”
“Yes, Danchu-nim.”
“What were you thinking just now?”
“I was thinking whether I should go see the lady.”
“No.”
“Is that so? I apologize.”
“…”
Though Sirius was starting to feel annoyed, he couldn’t say anything more to his injured subordinate.
Actually… once this matter is settled, it’s true that he should go straight to Yustia.
“Starting now, I plan to head to the headquarters of the Valkain Guild.”
“What? Why there…?”
Alrayon glanced briefly at the Valkain’s bodies.
“Ah, are you planning to take over the Valkain Guild’s assets?”
“That’s part of it. But that’s not the main point.”
“Then why…?”
Sirius replied in a composed voice.
“I’m planning to do some business.”
***
After entrusting the aftermath to Alrayon, Sirius descended from the mountain and headed directly south.
He already knew where to go.
“Is this it?”
After running for half a day, he arrived at a considerably large city.
It was known as a commercial city within five fingers in the northeast.
However, the atmosphere didn’t seem very pleasant.
The merchants didn’t have smiles on their faces, and there were many empty shops.
According to Yustia… the Valkain Guild and the Oblaea Mercenaries were both extorting money, and small gangs were causing trouble here and there.
Even if business was good, there was always the risk of being squeezed out, leading to inevitable stagnation.
“These fools.”
Even the bandits of the Moolim extorted protection money here and there.
But extorting too much protection money to the point of causing a recession was a foolish act.
And it seemed like there were plenty of such fools gathered here.
“Innkeeper, bring me some food.”
Sirius entered a suitable restaurant.
After the battle at the Thousand Swords Faction, there was a need to fill the stomach since nothing had been eaten.
“Is business going well at the fortress?”
“Guests come and go, but there isn’t much left.”
Perhaps because it wasn’t mealtime, the only guest was Sirius.
Thus, one could hear various stories from the owner.
Although Sirius had already heard some details through Yustia, it was necessary to hear directly from the parties involved.
“Innkeeper.”
After finishing the meal, Sirius paid more money than the cost of the food.
“Do you know where the headquarters of the Valkyrie Guild is?”
“Oh, if you go into the alley on the right from here…”
Perhaps due to the generous payment, the innkeeper explained in detail.
After expressing his gratitude, Sirius left.
Walking the path as directed by the restaurant owner, a three-story building surrounded by a wall came into view.
“There’s a large warehouse, a stable…”
With a large sign hung, it was evident at a glance that it was the headquarters of the Valkyrie Guild.
As Sirius tried to enter through the main gate, the gatekeeper stopped him.
“You’re a new face here. What’s the matter?”
“…,”
Without responding, when Sirius tried to pass, the gatekeeper grabbed his shoulder.
“What are you doing… Ugh!”
The gatekeeper fainted without even a chance to scream.
It was because Sirius had struck the back of his head with his palm.
“There shouldn’t be any aftereffects.”
Muttering so, Sirius entered inside.
There weren’t as many people inside as expected.
It was probably because Valkyrie had taken all the key members out.
“What’s this? How did you get in here?”
Among them, a rough-looking man approached Sirius.
Though he had a sword at his waist, he was not among the 50 elite troops selected by Valkyrie.
In other words, he was someone who could only bully weak merchants.
“Where do you think this is… Argh!”
Smack!
With one slap from Sirius, the man was slammed against the wall.
“Who are you!?”
“This punk…!”
Soon, other men rushed in.
However, they were just leftovers who hadn’t been chosen for the 50 elite troops.
Moreover, none of them knew how to use magic.
Without even using his skills, Sirius could easily handle them in an instant.
As Sirius went around once like that… only those who didn’t know how to fight were left inside the building.
“Damn it, you crazy bastard…!”
A middle-aged man with a obese physique pointed his finger at Sirius, spitting out saliva.
“Where the hell did you come from! When the guild leader returns, the likes of you will be… cough!”
Sirius immediately reached out and snapped the man’s neck.
Even if he wasn’t a combatant, he had been sucking the blood of people as a non-combatant. There was no reason to spare even the uncooperative ones.
“Listen, everyone.”
Gathering the horrified individuals in one place, Sirius spoke.
“Your guild leader, Valkain, is dead by my hand.”
“…!”
“And the elite forces he took with him, around 50 of them, also perished at the hands of my subordinates.”
With that statement, everyone realized who Sirius was.
The leader of the Celestial Sword Sect, whom Valkain had gone to meet, had appeared here.
“By the way, the Oblea Mercenary Corps suffered the same fate.”
“…!”
“I plan to seek out the remaining members of the Oblea Mercenary Corps and eliminate them all. They are nothing but scoundrels who swing their swords around to rob others.”
Everyone trembled at Sirius’s ruthless words.
“But you all are a bit different.”
“…?”
Sirius looked outside.
There were numerous carriages waiting there.
“I heard that Valkain’s guild was originally a gathering of transporters.”
“…”
“Transporting goods is a tough business. You can easily be robbed by bandits and such. So naturally, those who use force gather in the transportation business.”
Recalling the Biao Bureau of the martial world, Sirius spoke slowly.
“However, there are times when people get confused. They think that by gathering these strong individuals, they can build a reputation… that’s the thought that comes to mind.”
“…”
“Your Valkain guild is such a case.”
At Sirius’s cold voice, everyone bowed their heads.
“The restaurant owners are clamoring that they have nothing left due to the constant rise in prices. It’s because you guys keep disrupting the flow of logistics and causing trouble.”
“…”
“If the regional economy stagnates, it won’t be good for any of you. Don’t you think so?”
No one dared to exchange glances or respond to each other.
Sirius singled out a relatively young man at the front.
“There, the guy with glasses.”
“…”
“What do you think?”
The man with glasses replied in a trembling voice.
“W-Well, I have suggested to the guild leader as well. That continuing like this will eventually lead to losses in the long run…”
“Is that so? How did Valkain react?”
“Uh… He… He said it wouldn’t be a problem since we’ll soon expand to other regions…”
Sirius let out a sigh.
He thought it was a good idea to have killed Valkain.
“Since the head is gone, there’s no way the organization will function properly.”
“Hmm…”
“Nevertheless, the head is already gone. The ones who were exerting power around also met the same fate.”
With the Guild Master and the elite forces wiped out, most of the powerful figures in the Valkain Guild had disappeared.
Now, what remained were mostly the practical workers.
So… a new beginning was possible.
“From today, the Valkain Guild will return to its original form.”
“Returning to its original form means…”
“To go back to being a transport company that aims to deliver goods safely and promptly.”
“…!”
In front of the breathless crowd, Sirius spoke in a clear voice.
“From now on, you will transport goods at affordable rates and contribute to the development of the local community.”
“…!”
“There should never be anyone unfairly squeezing money out of the merchants. If I catch anyone doing so, I will personally see to their punishment.”
In the stern atmosphere Sirius created, no one dared to speak.
“If I am too busy to act myself, someone from the Thousand Wolf Guard will step in for retribution.”
“…”
“However.”
Facing the breathless individuals, Sirius spoke slowly.
“If anyone tries to steal the goods you transport, the Thousand Wolf Guard will step in to protect you.”
“…!”
“Yet, you won’t need to pay protection fees to the Thousand Wolf Guard. Just make sure to cover their meal and drink expenses generously.”
The Thousand Wolf Guard would now oversee this region’s underworld activities and maintain public order.
This also included ensuring the safety of transporters.
“Furthermore, you are no longer part of the underworld.”
“…?”
“From now on, you will be an organization under the Rigel Family, one of the five major families on the continent.”
“…”
Sirius had already settled matters with Yustia.
To expand the Rigel Family’s influence, he took over the Valkain Guild to lead the economic flow of this region.
By expanding his power through force, Sirius solidified the Rigel Family’s dominance with Yustia handling the internal affairs.
This was the role division decided by Sirius and Yustia.
“Remove the Valkain Guild sign outside. Valkain is dead, and there’s no need to use that name anymore.”
Sirius revealed the new name for this place.
“From today, this place is known as the Heaven’s Wolf Escort Bureau (天狼鏢局).”