For Claude, the first day of Year 576 of the Sacred Light Calendar was also the first night. His luck wasn't all that great.
He wanted to get even with Arbeit, but he ended up getting into a fight with Blacksnake and ended up letting Arbeit escape.
However, after venting all his pent-up anger on the guards of Blacksnake, he didn't have the mood to continue looking for Arbeit.
While his identity hadn't been discovered, he decided to quit while he was ahead and leave.
As for his encounter with Kefnie on the way back, it was only a small interlude that Claude didn't take to heart. He was fully covered up with a mask that only revealed his eyes. He didn't believe that Kefnie would be able to recognize him.
The two of them had only interacted on the night of the new year two years ago and hadn't seen each other much in the past year. It would be a miracle if she could recognize him.
Claude didn't believe that he possessed enough charm to leave a deep impression on a beauty.
So, he went home without a second thought. He wasn't going to clean up the mess he caused.
What does it have to do with me? That's what Claude thought. Blacksnake must be quite capable to be able to set up such a casino in Whitestag. Losing a few henchmen is a small matter. They'll take care of it themselves.
At that moment, the underground hall of Blacksnake's casino was filled with people. More than three hundred gangsters in all sorts of attire were gathered there.
Almost all the gangsters in town were gathered there. Many of them were dragged out of their beds.
Their clothes were disheveled and they yawned non-stop, but not a single one of them dared to complain or make a ruckus. That was because the enraged boss, Bidlir Blanche, had already chopped one of the gangsters in front of everyone with an axe.
"Boss, there are a total of 35 gangsters watching the casino. The 27 on duty tonight are all here. Fourteen of them are dead, two are crippled, and eleven are heavily injured. We've already been rescued."
A Blacksnake leader stood beside Bidlir Blanche, trembling with fear as he reported to him the results of the statistics.
Bidlir Blanche, who had been wearing a dark expression all this time, said in a low voice, "The dead will be compensated for their families, the crippled will be taken care of for the rest of their lives, and the injured will be rewarded heavily to recuperate.
Tell them that they did well. None of the 27 brothers on duty ran away. They didn't embarrass us. "
"Yes, Boss is benevolent and righteous." The few leaders who were standing at the side bowed and thanked him.
Bidlir Blanche waved his hand. "Bring him here."
Soon, a few Blacksnake thugs stepped out from the crowd and held up two men who didn't even look human. Upon closer inspection, one could tell that they were the two Blacksnake thugs who brought Claude in.
The thinner one could no longer speak. His mouth kept spitting out bloody foam …
"Boss, this is their confession.
We have confirmed that they are not lying. "Someone handed over a stack of confessions.
After skimming through the statements, Bidlir frowned and waved his hand. "Take them away and deal with them.
Hmph, even though they said they were trying to get customers to work for the gang, they're brainless.
But they have no brains. They even brought an unknown person with them and caused us such a huge loss. So many of our brothers were killed and injured … "
He waved the stack of statements in his hand. "Do you believe what they said? A sailor who wanted to buy a house in town, has money on him, likes to gamble, doesn't like women, and rewarded them with a thale … Fools!
Which sailor would give such a huge reward? It's not like he's the owner of a trading company!
Not a single one of them noticed all these flaws! Hmph! "
The two bloodied figures were dragged away. Their fates were obvious. They were the second and third gang members that Bidlir Blanche ordered to be dealt with that night.
The first one was the leader who didn't have any eyes and was used to fighting for power. The moment he arrived at the gang, he started complaining that it was the security guards who didn't do their job properly that caused such a huge disaster. Then, the boss impatiently chopped him on the head with his axe and ordered his men to drag him out and bury him.
Why was there still infighting at a time like this? Didn't he know what the gang was facing?
Their deaths weren't to be regretted, and it was a good opportunity to show the gang members what they should and shouldn't do.
Bidlir Blanche turned around. Standing behind him was Hurian. The fat old man had obviously been called here overnight. He still had a tired look on his face, as if he had yet to wake up from a hangover.
"It looks like it was done by the magus from last time, but he seems more experienced."
Hurian had already checked all the wounds. He yawned and continued, "Most of the casualties were from fighting last time. This time, there were only three casualties from close-quarters combat. The rest were from Magic Missiles.
Also, it's worth noting that the Magic Missiles avoided the fatal spots last time. This time, they were all aimed at the vitals. You saw the results yourself. One hit, one kill. It's especially brutal. It looks like they're targeting you … "
"I understand."
Bidlir Blanche nodded, "Thank you, Grandmaster Hurian. I'm really sorry to wake you up so late at night.
Credo, send Grandmaster Hurian back and bring my case of good wine. "
Hurian, the fat old man, immediately perked up. "You're welcome, you're welcome. We can be considered good friends who have known each other since childhood. Of course, I have to come and help you. Hehe, I'll take the wine then. Who asked me to have such a good taste …"
After Hurian left with a smile, Bidlir Blanche looked at the leaders and gang members in the hall. He rubbed his brow and began to call out names, "Mason, you'll take over Baldy Aleka's position. Double the number of guards.
I hope that the guards you choose will be like the brothers who died today. They're all brave men who aren't afraid of death, understood? "
The leader called Mason was flattered. "Yes, boss. I will definitely do my job well. I won't let you down."
Bidlir Blanche stared at him and nodded slowly, "Remember what you said …"
He glanced at the leaders and pointed at the gang members in the hall, "Tell them to disperse."
"But, boss, are we just going to take this loss like this?" One of the leaders couldn't help but step out.
Bidlir Blanche abruptly turned around and approached the leader, forcing him to take a few steps back in fear.
He grabbed the leader's shirt and pulled him in front of him, roaring, "What can we do if we don't take this loss? Tell me!
Tell me!
Where are we going to find this mysterious magus?
Do you know where he lives or what his name is?
Even if we do, tell us how we're going to get revenge!
By relying on those bastards who only know how to bully women?! "
Bidlir Blanche let go of him, causing the leader to fall to the ground with a pale face. His pants were already wet.
Bidlir Blanche looked at the silent leaders with a heavy tone. "You think I don't want revenge?
You think I'll just take this lying down?
Whenever I think of our brothers who died, my heart feels like it's being cut by a sharp blade. The pain is so excruciating that I can't breathe. When has our gang ever suffered such a loss?
But what can we do now?
We can't find him, and there's no place to take revenge. We can only swallow our anger.
Twenty-seven of our brave brothers, the backbone of our gang, were destroyed by a mysterious magus just like that!
After all, the opponent was only one person!
Just like that, he casually came in and killed all of our guards before disappearing into the wind and snow.
Think about it, which one of you can do that?
If you only know how to take revenge, which one of you will be able to stop this mysterious magus when he comes again?
Is it you?
Is it you, or is it you … "
All the leaders lowered their heads under Bidlir Blanche's reprimand.
They all knew that all that talk about revenge was just for the sake of it. If the mysterious magus really came looking for them, they would probably run away faster than the other.
"Against magi, we don't need crossbows, swords, or spears.
The only thing we need the most are the muskets.
But now, do you dare to walk the streets of the town with a gun in your hands?
None of you, right? Remember who you are. You are not citizens, so you don't deserve guns!
If you dare to walk the streets with a gun, you'll either be sentenced to ten years of hard labor or executed on the spot! "
Bidlir Blanche strolled slowly in front of the gang leaders, causing their backs to bend lower and lower.
"I know you've been gossiping about how I shouldn't have given so much of the gang's wealth to that vampire Robert and how I shouldn't have promised to pay for the garrison of Whitestag in the future.
But now, do you understand? If we don't have guns in our hands, we won't be able to run this place if any magus comes looking for trouble with us!
So many of our brothers will die for nothing!
As long as we join the garrison, we will be able to legally own a firearm.
If the brothers guarding the place had guns, then the result would be very simple. With a bang, that mysterious magician would be out of luck.
As long as we capture him and find out who he is, we can capture everyone related to him and slowly torture them. We can take revenge however we want!
Do you understand? "
"We understand, Boss," all the leaders replied in unison.
Bidlir Blanche nodded in satisfaction. "Let's reorganize ourselves here for the next two days. Behave yourselves for now. Even if you feel wronged, endure it.
There should be news from the prefectural capital on the 15th of the new year. Whether or not we can control the garrison of Whitestag will depend on this.
I won't allow any of you to hold me back at this crucial moment. Otherwise, I'll make him regret being born in his mother's womb!
Understood? "
"Yes, Boss. We won't interfere with your plans."
"You may leave now. Keep your men in check.
Watch and listen more and speak less. Report to me immediately if you find any clues. "
"Yes, Boss."
These leaders gathered their subordinates and left.
Bidlir Blanche went to the second floor, where the fashionably dressed middle-aged man was waiting for him. Beside him was his lanky guard.
"Mister Christopher, you must have been startled." Bidlir Blanche smiled warmly.
However, the middle-aged man no longer had his elegant demeanor. He looked at Bidlir Blanche nervously. "Mister Bidlir, have you found anything?"
Bidlir Blanche's smile faded and he replied in a rather dejected manner, "No. We know that he's a magus.
But we don't know how old he is, what his name is, where he lives or what he looks like.
The only thing we can be sure of is that he was the magus who clashed with us last time. He's extremely vicious and all our men who fought him were either killed or crippled.
But this time, it's clear that he's coming for us. "
"I-I knew it. They won't let me off that easily.
I hid in such a remote place and changed my name, but they still found my whereabouts so quickly.
Mister Bidlir, I'm certain that they're coming for me. That magus must've been hired by them.
Fortunately, I escaped through the secret passage the moment I saw him cast a spell. Otherwise, I wouldn't be standing before you now. "
Christopher nervously clutched a handkerchief he had taken out of his pocket, twisting it with an uneasy expression on his face.
"How about this? I have a farm in the outskirts of the prefectural capital. Only a few people know about it and they're all my trusted subordinates.
Perhaps you can hide there for a while and treat it as a place to recuperate. What do you think? "Bidlir Blanche consoled.