Most noble families possess a territory tied to their na, and through developing that land, they expand their wealth and influence.
However, that doesn’t an every territory in the world was cultivated from the ground up by a single family’s efforts.
The city known as Lebruk was a pri example.
With its massive river flowing through the center, the city was striking at first glance, and its history stretched back more than a thousand years.
Lebruk had existed even before the founding of the Birka Kingdom. Over the ages, it had passed through the hands of many rulers, and depending on each ruler’s inclinations, the city’s developnt had shifted accordingly.
One tried to turn it into a massive breadbasket by using its abundant water supply. Another wanted to make it a fortress to fend off rival incursions. Yet another attempted to grow it into a center of comrce.
Perhaps due to those countless trials and errors layered across generations—
By the ti House Sarnos took control of Lebruk, the city was in a state that could only be described as an absolute ss.
Its geography was excellent. It had abundant resources. Its population was large.
But where to even begin cleaning it up was completely unclear.
The first Count of Sarnos, more a warrior than an administrator, chose to maintain the status quo rather than embark on sweeping reforms. That approach persisted through multiple generations, reaching the current count.
The city’s administration was a tangled ss—so much so that no one could even estimate the population, let alone na an exact number.
Streets that should exist on a map didn’t, while places that shouldn’t be there were accepted as normal. A structure like a # Nоvеlight # labyrinth.
Wealthy rchants extorting the citizens through both legal and illegal ans, and bureaucrats who either ignored them or actively cooperated.
Rulers who had no intention of solving these problems and seed content as long as the taxes kept rolling in.
If cities were to be divided into “well-run” and “chaotic,” there was no doubt that Lebruk belonged to the latter.
And in a chaotic city, there are always criminals who fit right in.
“Hey, shopkeeper. You’re not exactly young, so why are you acting so dense? Is ‘paying your protection fee’ really that hard to understand? Huh?”
A thug with a nasty expression glared as he threatened the old man, whose wrinkled face twisted up as he cowered.
“I-I understand. Of course I understand. But business has been terrible lately, and I don’t have a single coin to spare. The taxes are already bleeding dry—if I pay protection fees on top of that, I won’t even be able to put food on the table...!”
“Haha.”
The thug laughed.
He slapped the old man’s shoulder hard enough to make a sound, then continued in an overly friendly tone.
“Yeah, I get it. I’m not so heartless I wouldn’t understand sothing like that.”
“Then, maybe...”
“So borrow it and pay.”
“...What?”
The thug pointed toward the nearby shops as he addressed the stunned old man.
“See all these stores around here? Borrow money from them. You work in the sa area, so you must all know each other, right?”
The old man’s face turned all shades of red and blue, while the other rchants—watching with anxious expressions—fell silent, their faces frozen.
The only ones smiling were the thug and his gang.
“Whoa, boss. Aren’t you going too easy on them?”
“Seriously, the folks here must’ve had it real comfy. How do you run a shop and not pay protection fees?”
“Forget struggling in other districts—we should’ve moved here from the start! Hahaha!”
“Hey, quiet down. I’m trying to have a conversation.”
“Yes, boss!”
Silencing his n with a single word, the thug smiled inwardly.
‘This is practically free money.’
Originally, he and his gang operated in a territory in the kingdom’s eastern region.
The local lord there was completely useless and had no interest in governing, so they had been able to carry out their “work” with ease. But one day, red-colored dogs started running wild in so territory called Eched or Chepet or whatever, and soon enough, their numbers and patrol areas expanded until they reached the thug’s own territory.
Though he had once made a living as a rcenary and was fairly confident in his skills, even he couldn’t win against overwhelming numbers.
Pushed steadily westward, the thug finally ended up in House Sarnos’s domain. At first, he’d felt hopeless.
He’d already been kicked out of Redvell territory, which was widely considered weak in military terms—how could he possibly survive in Sarnos, the kingdom’s most powerful military house?
But he had misjudged.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Lebruk’s military strength was real, but those elite soldiers only operated in the upper districts where nobles, rchants, and the wealthy lived. They hardly ever set foot in the middle-class areas or the slums where ordinary folk resided.
It looked solid on the outside, but was full of holes inside.
‘To think a golden territory like this didn’t already have soone working it—this is pure luck.’
It looked like he’d have so fun here. He was just starting to daydream about the profits when—
“Stop right there.”
A voice rang out, firm and commanding. All eyes imdiately turned toward the source.
The thug also turned his head in confusion—and soon saw who it was.
‘A guard?’
The first thing that stood out was the contrast of silver and black.
The leather of her uniform, made from monster hide soaked in special oils, glead strangely. The tal plating covering key areas like the chest and shoulders glinted silver under the sun.
The overall design prioritized practicality over the usual flash of knights, but in the center of her chest, the emblem of House Sarnos was intricately engraved.
The spear in her hand wasn’t so crude stick with a blade tacked on—it was a proper weapon, tal from shaft to tip.
Her face was hidden behind a visor, but the curves of the armor and strands of hair spilling from her helt made it clear the guard was a woman.
The thug’s face briefly twisted in annoyance, but upon confirming she was alone, he relaxed.
“What seems to be the problem, officer?”
“Threatening rchants and demanding money—an undeniable cri in progress. Co quietly.”
“Threatening? I think you’ve misunderstood. I didn’t threaten anyone. Right, shopkeeper?”
With a sleazy smile, the thug gave the old man a subtle look.
It was a warning to shut his mouth unless he wanted trouble later.
But maybe the old man had snapped, because he suddenly shouted like a man possessed.
“No! These bastard thugs tried to extort money from ! When I said I had none, they told to borrow from other rchants! They threatened !”
“That’s right! I saw them threatening him with my own eyes!”
“Officer! Please arrest these guys!!”
“You little—!”
The thug was speechless.
There were ten of them, including his underlings.
Normally, a job like collecting protection fees didn’t require that many people, but since this was the first round, he’d brought the whole crew to intimidate the locals.
In contrast, their opponent was just one person.
With that kind of numbers difference, the outco should be obvious, right? Shouldn’t people have the sense to keep their mouths shut?
‘Could it be that Sarnos guards are strong enough to ignore a ten-to-one disadvantage?’
That fleeting thought was quickly dismissed by the thug, a forr rcenary.
Judging by the quality of the armor, it was clear Sarnos invested more in their soldiers than most other regions. Still, a guard was just a guard.
If she’d had connections, she would’ve beco a knight. If she’d had talent, she would’ve made her na as an adventurer or rcenary.
Guards were underpaid and stuck doing society’s dirty work—tasks neither noble nor glorious. In short, it was the profession for those who couldn’t make it anywhere else.
The guard spoke in a calm voice.
“I have witnesses. Not that it would’ve mattered—you were coming either way. So what’ll it be? If you cooperate, I won’t need to use force.”
The thug clenched his teeth.
It wasn’t the guard herself he feared.
It was the noble house behind her—House Sarnos.
But fleeing wasn’t an option either.
Running would crush his reputation not just among his own crew but among the rchants too.
In this business, once you lost your intimidation, you were done.
Shing!
“Get ready. We finish this before any more guards arrive.”
As the thug drew a shortsword, his n pulled out daggers, wooden clubs, and other makeshift weapons, preparing for battle.
—CRACK!
Exactly one second later, the thug took a blow to the neck from the guard’s spear shaft and collapsed to the ground.
His underlings didn’t even have ti to be shocked.
Before they could process what had happened, they too were laid out on the street, writhing on the ground just like their boss.
The rchants who had been silently watching burst into cheers.
“She got them!!”
“Serves you right, scumbags!!”
“Knew it! Who do you think you are, charging protection fees around here!?”
The guard walked over to the fallen thugs and removed the leather pouches tied to their belts.
Inside were the ‘protection fees’ they had already collected from other rchants before threatening the old man.
“Alright, everyone! Co take your money back! But if you fight over it, I’ll haul you in too, so keep it orderly!”
A few rchants lit up and rushed forward.
While they sorted through the money, the elderly man who had been harassed ca up to the guard, bowing repeatedly.
“Thank you, thank you so much! Every ti—it’s always you... I don’t know how to repay you...!”
The guard waved it off.
“There’s no need to thank . I’m just doing my job. Honestly, I should apologize for getting here late.”
“Ah, co on now. Doing your job? You’re the only one who even cos out to this area anymore. You and Squad 8.”
“......”
The guard—Dahlia—remained silent under her helt.
It was a relief the visor covered her face, hiding her expression.
Now that the thugs were dealt with, the rchants started chatting among themselves.
“Seems like these drifters have been showing up a lot more lately. The locals here all got put in their place by Dahlia and don’t dare co back. These guys must be from out of town.”
“You think it’s got sothing to do with what’s going on in Redvell? I heard they’ve been cracking down on criminals hard over there. Maybe these bastards couldn’t take it and ran here?”
“Cracking down? How?”
“People say there are red dogs chasing down criminals or sothing.”
“Hahaha! What the hell is that?”
“Oh co on, you guys actually believe that nonsense? Gotta be a rumor.”
“Rumor or not, it’s fun to think about. I bet they’re cute. Don’t we get sothing like that here?”
“No way. Just knowing how much our higher-ups hate Redvell tells you they’d never do the sa thing here.”
“Right, right. We’ve got Dahlia—who needs anything else?”
Hearing that, Dahlia let out a bitter smile.
They probably ant well, but still—being compared to a dog didn’t exactly feel flattering.
Clack!
Dahlia flicked a chanism on her spear, extending its shaft to triple its original length.
Then she lined up the thugs on the pole like wet laundry and slung it over one shoulder, lifting it with one hand.
It was the most efficient way to haul a dozen criminals alone.
One of the rchants, a bit startled, asked,
“I-It’s always amazing seeing it, but... isn’t that heavy?”
“This much is nothing. I’ll be going now.”
***
On her way back from tossing the thugs in jail—
Dahlia’s lieutenant rushed up to her in a panic.
“Captain! You went out alone again, didn’t you? Please take so of the others with you next ti!!”
“No need. Everyone’s sectors are already stretched thin because of . At the very least, I can handle this much.”
“Still! That’s not your fault. The real problem is those other squads who refuse to step a foot outside the upper districts. You’d think there was gold hidden there, those greedy bastards.”
“Keep your voice down. Soone might hear.”
“Let them hear. Anyway, you really need to be careful. We all know you’re strong, but things are getting dicey out there lately.”
“If this is about the criminals being pushed out of Redvell, I know.”
“Well, yes, but there’s more. You know Baron Varmore’s territory next door? Word is he got hit—by a single thief.”
“A thief, not a group?”
“Yes, just one. So lunatic broke into the baron’s manor, raided the warehouse, and then tied the baron up and strung him over the main street. And next to him, the thief set up a massive signboard listing every cri the baron committed. Oh, and get this—he returned all the stolen money to the victims.”
Dahlia narrowed her eyes.
“How reckless. Even if he gives the money back, the baron won’t just let his victims walk away.”
“Apparently the sign also said: ‘If you sin again, next ti I’ll leave your heavy body behind and just take the head.’ The baron’s so spooked he hasn’t laid a finger on anyone.”
“......”
“I an, everyone knows Baron Varmore’s trash, so people are already calling the guy a hero. So say it’s about ti... Not that I’m saying that! That’s just what people are saying!”
After awkwardly clearing his throat, the lieutenant leaned in again.
“Either way, soone that dangerous is operating nearby. Please, Captain, be extra careful. If sothing happens to you, our whole squad goes under, you know?”
Even after walking away, the lieutenant kept muttering warnings.
Left alone, Dahlia quietly lifted her visor.
In her green eyes was a deep mistrust as she muttered:
“A thief is still just a thief.”
He might get caught soon after what he did to a noble. And if he ever made it this far alive, she’d be the one to throw him in prison personally.
Captain Dahlia of the Lebruk City Guard, 8th Squad, swore to it.
Reviews
All reviews (0)