Chapter 11: Snake Hunting (1)

The creaking carriage.

Inside, Victor, the butler of the Hassen family, looked across with a face full of distrust and wariness.

There, the eldest son of the Hassen family, Damian Hassen, was seated.

‘What are you up to now, taking me along?’

Just a few minutes ago, Victor was dealing with the carcass of a dead horse along with the other servants.

Suddenly, Damian Hassen appeared and called Victor, saying he had something for him to do.

-Young Master, what is it?

-I need to go to Landwalk City. You're coming with me.

-Yes, yes? Why on earth are we going to such a dangerous place!

-I have something to do, so just follow me quietly.

Recalling that conversation, Victor sighed inwardly.

If they entered Landwalk City now, they would surely encounter an enraged black snake.

But he couldn't refuse.

Damian Hassen was the heir of the family, and it was Victor's duty to serve the heir.

‘I hope everything goes smoothly and quietly...’

Whether he knew of Victor's thoughts or not, Damian Hassen was engrossed in reading.

The cover of the book, which seemed very old, was completely worn out.

Curious about seeing Damian Hassen read for the first time, Victor asked,

“Young Master, what book are you reading so intently?”

“This? It's a black magic book. I got it recently.”

At Damian Hassen's answer, Victor smiled slightly.

“Young Master, do you really expect me to fall for such a ridiculous lie?”

“It's true.”

“Even though I'm an illiterate, I know very well how dangerous and hard to obtain a black magic book is.”

Victor puffed out his chest as he spoke.

Damian Hassen glanced at him and muttered,

“You're indeed an interesting fellow.”

* * *

A few hours later, the carriage arrived safely in Landwalk City.

“Victor, I need you to do something.”

As soon as they entered the city, Damian Hassen handed Victor a sack.

The moment Victor saw the sack, his expression darkened.

The bottom of the sack was wet, and it emitted a strange smell.

“...Young Master, what is this?”

“A human head.”

“No, Young Master. I told you, no matter how illiterate I am, I won't fall for such jokes...”

Without thinking, Victor peered into the sack. His eyes met the staring eyes of a head.

“Gahhh!”

Victor screamed and fell to the ground. Damian Hassen picked up the sack.

“Y-Young Master!”

“Calm down. People are watching.”

Indeed, people were staring at them.

“What is this?”

“Ask me later. Right now, your job is to hand this head and this notebook to the cult in the city.”

Damian Hassen handed over a notebook. Victor quickly took it.

“This is a very important mission. You must deliver these to the cult. Otherwise, there will be consequences.”

“Consequences?”

In response to Victor's question, Damian Hassen smiled and said,

“I told you to ask later. If you understand, move quickly.”

Victor nodded solemnly.

Holding the sack and the notebook, he started running down the street.

“Then I should get moving too.”

* * *

The first place Damian Hassen headed to was the tavern he had raided the previous day.

‘Cutting off their heads is easy, but it doesn't satisfy me. Since they touched my family, I'll crush them limb by limb.’

Damian Hassen intended to root out the black snakes from Landwalk City.

To achieve this, he first needed to find the locations of all the black snake's branches in the city.

That's why he came to the tavern.

‘Might as well get some medicine from the owner while I'm here.’

However, Damian Hassen's plan hit a snag from the start.

“...It's closed?”

The tavern's door was blocked by planks, and a sign reading "Closed" was attached to them.

“What do I do now?”

Damian Hassen stroked his chin.

Given this situation, his only option was to capture another member and ask for the location of the base.

While pondering where to find a black snake member, he heard a loud voice.

“You thug!”

Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw two men arguing.

“Give me my money! Give it back!”

A thin, ragged man shouted angrily.

“I told you clearly. I'll take a fee for finding you a job.”

The man who heard the ragged man's protest snorted.

Unlike the ragged man, he was well-dressed and muscular.

“Fee? Sure! I agreed to that! But you didn't say you'd take 80% as a fee!”

“Now you know. The fee is 80%.”

Damian Hassen observed the two men closely.

Specifically, he looked at the muscular man's nape, where a snake tattoo was drawn.

“You fraud! Give me my money!”

The ragged man clung to the man.

The man scowled and punched the ragged man's stomach.

“Oof!”

The ragged man's back bent like a shrimp.

The man didn't stop there; he grabbed the ragged man's hair and started slapping him.

“Hey, you beggar. You were all over me when you needed a job, but now you're giving me attitude?”

“S-Stop.”

“Stop? What stop? You should be grateful I found you a good job. Thug? Fraud?”

“Ugh! Ugh!”

The ragged man took all the punches the man threw.

After a while, the man stopped.

“Tch! If I see you again, I'll break both your legs.”

The man turned to leave. Someone grabbed his shoulder.

“What now?”

The man scowled and turned around.

Damian Hassen had his hand on the man's shoulder.

“You're with the black snakes, right?”

“So what? Do you need a job too?”

“No, I need something else.”

“Something else?”

“Tell me the locations of all the black snake bases in the city.”

The man's face twisted at this.

“Are you crazy!”

The man threw a punch.

Damian Hassen easily dodged and drew his longsword.

The blade grazed the man's wrist and his hand fell to the ground.

“Aaaaaah!”

The man screamed and clutched his wrist.

Blood seeped through his fingers.

“You, you bastard! You cut my arm! You cut my arm!”

“Shut up. Can you be quiet?”

Damian Hassen pressed the sword to the man's neck.

The man gulped and shut his mouth.

“You understand well. I like that.”

“W-Who are you?”

“Would you recognize the name Damian Hassen?”

“...D-Damian Hassen? The noble who raided the tavern and killed people?”

“Hearing that name is uncomfortable. I was just taking rightful revenge.”

“D-Daring to return to the city. You must be crazy...”

“Didn't I ask you to be quiet?”

Damian pressed the blade closer to the man's neck. The man's face turned pale.

“Why is the tavern closed? I caused a commotion, but the shop itself was fine.”

“M-Madman... After what happened, do you think customers would come? The boss closed it due to lack of income!”

“The owner? The one called Andersen?”

“T-That old man? The boss dealt with him, saying he was responsible for this.”

Damian Hassen clicked his tongue.

He was disappointed; he had wanted to get more medicine from the owner.

“Next question. Tell me the locations of all the black snake bases in Landwalk City.”

The man's eyes wavered. He was clearly hesitating.

“Seems like you still don't understand the situation. Should I cut off an ear?”

“No, no! I'll talk! I'll talk, so stop!”

The threat worked. The member spilled everything to Damian Hassen.

Damian marked the locations the member mentioned on a city map he had brought.

There were five locations, excluding the central headquarters.

“What are there so many?”

“W-Well, the black snakes are the largest organization in Landwalk City. It's natural...”

“Thugs are just thugs, no matter how big they are.”

Damian Hassen removed his sword from the member's neck. The man's face brightened a bit.

“S-So, are you going to let me live?”

“No.”

Damian Hassen beheaded the member with his sword.

The man died without even realizing what had happened.

“Anyway, the cult will take care of you all.”

The cult never forgave black magic users or their collaborators.

If Victor handed over the evidence, the black snakes' dealings with black magic users would be exposed to the cult.

The cult would then immediately execute the black snakes on charges of heresy.

Damian Hassen intended to wipe out the black snakes before that happened.

Creating such a precedent would prevent future enemies from touching his family.

“Fortunately, there's one nearby.”

Damian Hassen was about to move when he noticed the ragged man trembling on the ground.

The ragged man was watching Damian Hassen with a terrified expression.

“Oh.”

Suddenly remembering something, Damian Hassen reached into the member's pocket.

He took out a money pouch and threw it to the man.

“Why are you giving this to me...”

“Don't misunderstand. I didn't kill him because of you.”

“T-Then why are you giving me this money?”

“Just a bonus.”

The ragged man looked bewildered at this.

Damian Hassen left the ragged man behind and moved on.

* * *

The first base Damian Hassen visited was a two-story building in a back alley.

At the entrance, a brash-looking member was on guard.

Damian Hassen walked up to the member.

“Hey, this is a no-entry zone for peddlers. Get lost.”

Despite the member's warning, Damian Hassen didn't stop.

The member scowled and growled,

“Didn't you hear me? Get lost before I beat you like a dog...”

As soon as Damian Hassen was in range, he swung his longsword.

The member's head was cleanly severed.

He opened the door and entered the building.

The black snake members were drinking and gambling at a large table.

Beside them, a naked couple was kneeling.

“You damn bastards!”

A middle-aged man was raging in front of the couple.

“I put you in charge of watching the prostitutes, and you let them run away? You're disgracing me!”

“B-Branch Manager, I'm sorry. I was wrong!”

“P-Please spare me! I won't do it again! I won't defy you again!”

The couple begged, but the Branch Manager's anger didn't subside.

“You scumbag! How much do you owe? Even if your mother couldn't pay and died, you should have paid it off with determination!”

The Branch Manager grabbed the woman's hair. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Damn, I can't stand it. I'll cut off both your heads and make an example of you.”

“B-Branch Manager, please show mercy just once!”

“P-Please, I beg you!”

“Shut up!”

The Branch Manager kicked the couple's faces.

They groaned as they fell to the ground.

“Branch Manager, stop and come play a round.”

“You're right. Why get angry over such scum?”

The gambling members said to the Branch Manager.

The Branch Manager huffed and was about to join the game.

Then he noticed Damian Hassen standing at the door.

“Ah... Really, this idiot couldn't even guard the entrance properly.”

The Branch Manager fumed and ran his hand through his hair.

“Damn it, who was on guard today?”

“Henry.”

“Bring him to my room. I need to give him a proper lesson.”

“Understood.”

“Understood? Don't just sit there, go kick that idiot out!”

The Branch Manager hit the member's head in anger.

The member rubbed his head and stood up.

“F-Fuck.”

The member, still angry from being hit by the Branch Manager, approached Damian Hassen, massaging his fist.

“Do you know where you are? Do you think the black snakes are a joke? I'll make you see sense today.”

Without a word, Damian Hassen moved his sword.

The blade swept across the member's neck.

A moment later, the man's head slipped off and fell to the ground.

“...Huh?”

“Wh-What?”

The other members, who had been watching, made dumbfounded sounds.

They were slow to react to their comrade's sudden death.

The headless body lost balance and fell.

At that moment, the members snapped out of it.

“B-Broad is dead!”

“It’s an attack!”

The members scrambled for their weapons.

However, Damian Hassen was faster than they were.

He leaped into the group.

“Gah!”

“Keh!”

Every time Damian Hassen swung his longsword, blood splattered.

The members' bodies were cut down. In the blink of an eye, they all became corpses.

Only the Branch Manager was left.

“A-Aaaaaah!”

The Branch Manager collapsed, his legs giving out. He trembled, pointing at Damian Hassen.

“W-Who are you! D-Do you know who I am? I'm a black snake officer!”

“Shut up.”

Damian Hassen stomped on the Branch Manager's ankle.

With a crack, the ankle broke. The Branch Manager screamed.

“If you scream again, I'll cut you.”

At Damian Hassen's warning, the Branch Manager clamped his mouth shut.

Once he was quiet, Damian Hassen looked at the naked couple.

“P-Please spare us!”

The naked couple bowed before Damian Hassen.

“You can go.”

“T-Thank you!”

“Try to live a decent life.”

“W-We will!”

The couple quickly dressed and fled.

“Now it's just the two of us.”

Damian Hassen's gaze returned to the Branch Manager. The Branch Manager's face turned ashen.

“Answer my questions now.”

“D-Do you mean you'll spare me?”

“I'll decide after I hear your answers.”

Damian Hassen bent down to be at eye level with the Branch Manager.

“Tell me the locations of all the black snake branches in this city.”

He had heard this from the first member, but he couldn't fully trust it.

To prepare for any contingencies, he needed to cross-check the information.

“W-Why do you need to know...”

Damian Hassen hit the Branch Manager's face with the hilt of his sword.

The Branch Manager spat out a broken tooth and groaned.

“Answer only the questions I ask. Understand?”

The Branch Manager nodded, tears streaming down his face.