Chapter 29. Taking the Lead
“Crying even though I hit you gently.”
Bellied Albrime, the second son of the Albrime family.
Seeing him tear up, Sirius felt a sense of pity.
If he had hit him seriously, Bellied would have been bleeding and fallen by now.
“Paltéon is said to be a key figure by Vellid, but is it really that significant?”
Sirius is currently here because he accompanied the Celestial Transport convoy.
The plan was to escort the convoy and then personally observe the Albraim family.
While helping with the luggage… Vellid approached and started an argument.
“Vellid, sir?”
“Why are you crouching over there?”
The Albraim family servants working nearby approached.
They hadn’t seen Sirius hitting Vellid on the back of his head.
“W-Well, this boy just…”
Vellid was about to scold Sirius but suddenly stopped himself.
“N-No, it’s nothing.”
“What?”
“He just tripped! He had a stomach ache!”
Which side is he on?
Sirius chuckled in disbelief.
At the moment, Vellid was hiding what he had received due to his pride.
If the second son of the Albraim family got hit by a mere luggage carrier, it would be quite humiliating.
“Hey, you.”
Vellid pointed at Sirius.
“Do your work properly. I clearly warned you.”
“…”
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After a commanding tone, Vellid turned his head and left.
Watching his retreating figure, Sirius chuckled once more.
“What an amusing guy.”
With a smile, Sirius unloaded the rest of the cargo from the baggage cart.
***
“Damn it!”
Returning to his room, Vellid punched the wall.
He had to act as if nothing had happened to maintain the dignity of the Albraim family, but he couldn’t bear the humiliation.
“The Celestial Transport… They were completely untrustworthy.”
Responsible for managing under the Regel family?
Then the Regel family must have degraded to the level of the untrustworthy.
A proper prestigious family wouldn’t let their subordinates engage in such acts.
With the appearance of a guy like Sirius, the atmosphere of the family had completely changed. Was it because of him?
“I won’t let this go. I will definitely…”
“Vellid, sir.”
At that moment, an aide entered the room with a smile.
“The people from the Celestial Transport are truly skilled. We should rely on them in the future…”
“What’s so great about being skilled!”
“W-Why, why are you upset?”
As Belid erupted in anger, his attendant flinched.
“Just to say that?”
“Oh, the head of the transport team wanted to greet Lord Belid. That’s why…”
“The head?”
Perfect timing.
He had to somehow retaliate against that rude long-haired man mentioned earlier.
“Tell him to come in.”
“Understood.”
Belid, caressing the bump on the back of his head, awaited the arrival of the head of the transport team.
Finally, the attendant brought a man in.
“Lord Belid, this is the person.”
“Hey, how can we possibly…?”
Belid, who was about to complain about this matter, froze on the spot.
The man who had struck him on the back of his head was right in front of him.
“You, you…”
“Yes?”
He had a nonchalant expression.
He even sat down without permission, crossed his legs, and stared at Belid.
“Our work is almost done. Only the finishing touches remain.”
“You, you, you rascal…”
Belid couldn’t speak properly.
“So, you’re the head?”
“Yeah, I took charge of this transport, as the head… no, as the transport leader.”
“What in the world!”
He was dumbfounded.
“A scoundrel like you as the transport leader? Unbelievable!”
“What’s the problem?”
“Shut up, you trash!”
Belid raged, pointing fingers.
“The Regal family has completely fallen! To entrust work to such trash, the Regal family is no different from garbage…”
“Hey.”
Right at that moment.
A cold voice interrupted Belid.
“Are you insulting the Regal family right now?”
“W-what?”
“Is it the second son of the esteemed Albrime family, insulting another family as trash? Especially when the Regal family, who has always strived to uphold the honor of the five major families of the continent?”
Belid flinched.
“Are you suggesting we fight until one side is annihilated?”
“…!”
The atmosphere was tense.
Belleed began his desperate defense.
“Hey, what’s there for you to get so worked up about?”
Even though he couldn’t understand why he was groveling before a mere convoy commander, Belleed tried desperately to persuade him.
“It’s just a conversation between us. It’s not like anyone from the Regal family is listening, so if we just talk and let it go in one ear and out the other…”
“Why wouldn’t someone from the Regal family be listening?”
“What?”
“They’re right here.”
“…”
A moment of silence passed.
“Who might you be…?”
“I am Sirius Canisroot, the youngest son-in-law of the Regal family.”
“…”
Belleed’s mouth fell open.
“Oh, no, why would the youngest son-in-law of the Regal family be in the role of a convoy commander…”
“Because the wife of the ruler of the Celestial Dragon Empire is my wife.”
“…”
“So, Belleed.”
Sirius leaned forward and spoke.
“Shall we fight until one side is destroyed?”
…!
This was an absurd proposal. It was inconceivable for the Albraim and Regal families to fight to the death over such an incident.
But right now, Sirius was standing right in front of him.
A man who had crushed the Uterus family because of his wife’s betrayal, a man who had ruthlessly eliminated all the surrounding black organizations…
He could use this incident as a pretext to attack the Albraim family.
If such a thing were to happen, how would he explain it to his father?
If he said that he had caused all this trouble due to a personal argument… What expression would his father have?
“I…”
“I?”
“I will apologize…”
In the end, Belleed bowed his head.
“I insulted the Regal family recklessly in a moment of emotion. It was my mistake, so I sincerely apologize.”
“…”
“I know the honor of the family is important. But… I made a big mistake. I hope you can forgive me.”
There was no response from Sirius.
So Belleed bowed his head even deeper.
“And I also apologize for hitting you on the back of the head earlier. I misunderstood your handling of the cargo…”
“…”
“I am truly sorry. Please forgive me…”
After making the apology, Belleed cautiously observed Sirius’s reaction.
“There’s no need to apologize for hitting me on the back of the head.”
“What?”
“I, too, sometimes lose my temper with those around me. It could happen when something really gets on your nerves.”
“Oh…”
The energy that once emanated from Sirius seemed to have vanished at some point.
“If there’s anything to apologize for, it would be for getting angry despite realizing your mistake.”
“Well, that’s…”
“But since I’ve already hit you on the back of the head, it’s all water under the bridge.”
Sirius spoke in a calm voice.
“Then, the issue would be insulting the Regal family… Since you realized your mistake and apologized on the spot, let’s just forget it ever happened.”
“Oh…!”
With Sirius’s forgiveness, Valyd felt all tension leave his body.
***
Sirius wasn’t joking.
If Valyd had continued to insult the Regal family without admitting his fault, it would have been reason enough to clash with the Albraim family.
Any prestigious family that didn’t respect the Regals could simply be brushed aside.
“You saved the Albraim family, Valyd.”
He might have had a pitiful side to him, but… he was a man who could set aside his pride for the sake of the family.
So, there was no need to go as far as taking a life.
“It reminds me of Olang, one of the Twelve Guards.”
Memories of the time of the Baekmulang era and the Cheonlangmooje resurfaced.
He was from the Namgung family, one of the Twelve Guards, with a strong sense of pride.
Back then, he used to cause trouble with his arrogance… but he had become a person who had received his fair share of beatings from Baekmulang.
Thinking about that time, Sirius smiled.
“Valyd, the truth is, I came to meet you for a different reason.”
“What is it?”
“While transporting goods this time, I noticed signs of a band of thieves.”
“The Golgot gang?”
Valyd’s expression soured.
“Did they attack the convoy?”
“No, they were just lurking.”
“That makes sense. They probably noticed the goods coming this way. They try to avoid conflict with our family as much as possible.”
“I intend to deal with them.”
“What?”
Upon hearing Sirius’s words, Valyd blinked.
“Hey, wait. The reason our family hasn’t dealt with the Golgot gang yet is because they are so elusive. They’re not easy to catch.”
“I roughly pinpointed their headquarters. We can raid that place.”
“Y-You found out where their headquarters are?”
Facing Valyd’s incredulous expression, Sirius spoke with a firm voice.
“Valyd, the Regal family plans to clean up all the Black Hues in the northeast.”
“…!”
“For those beyond redemption, we simply end them, but for those with a chance at redemption, we’ll beat them until they change. That’s our policy.”
To be precise, it was Sirius’s policy.
To create a true alliance that encompasses black and white, we must not simply exterminate the black society.
Of course, it’s unnecessary to show mercy to those not worth saving.
“I heard rumors that the Golgot gang are not worth sparing. However, using force recklessly within the Albraim family’s territory could lead to issues.”
“Hmm…”
“That’s why I sought your understanding, Belied.”
With his arms crossed, Belied fell into contemplation.
And soon, he spoke up.
“Understood. I won’t protest if you’re going after the thieves, whether it’s the Regel family or the Celestial Country.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“However.”
Belied’s tone shifted slightly.
It was the voice of a young man yearning for recognition.
“I’ll go with you.”
“Go with me?”
“I’ve been thinking of wiping out the Golgot gang with my own hands someday.”
Boldly stating this, Belied nodded.
“There are quite a few skilled members of the Albraim family here. I’ll lead them, and we’ll eradicate together…”
“If you’re following, come alone.”
“What?”
“If there are too many people, they’ll flee.”
Catching the newcomers was the goal.
If you surge in, they’ll catch on and escape.
“You go alone, or we go together.”
Sirius looked at Belied, speaking in a steady voice.
“It’s one or the other.”
“…”
Belied’s expression hardened.
***
In the dark forest.
Two young men, dressed in common attire, ran through the darkness.
“I have to wear clothes inside out like a thief…”
“Lower your voice, Belied.”
Currently, Sirius and Belied were dressed as typical agents of the black.
Actually, Sirius didn’t need to wear such clothes alone.
But Belied, not knowing stealth techniques, had to dress the part.
“But is this really their hideout? It looks just ordinary…”
“Here it is.”
“…!”
Sirius skillfully discovered the disguised entrance using landmarks.
Having rummaged through many hideouts in the Murim, finding this was easy.
“Follow me.”
“Wait a moment…!”
As they leaped towards a cliff-like place, the guard at the entrance was taken aback and attempted to draw his sword.
“Who….”
Before he could finish speaking,
Sirius swiftly struck the back of his head, breaking his neck and causing him to collapse.
“Vellid, I’ll lead the way. You catch any stragglers I miss.”
“S-Sirius….”
“I’ll go ahead.”
Without hesitation, Sirius walked into the dark where the thieves lurked.
Vellid, staring blankly at his retreating figure, then glanced at the corpse with a broken neck.
“Ugh…!”
This man could kill him at any moment.
Realizing this fact, Vellid felt a chill run down his spine.