Hans didn't bother to ask why Ludger had given him the wolf's fang.
It was him who knew his physical type better than anyone else.
"Even so, if I go alone, the atmosphere won't be right. I need one big guy behind me to threaten them properly."
"I don't know… if I get into a fight like this, I will escape right away.”
"You don't have to worry about that."
“Haah…”
Hans sighed, he held the wolf's fang in his hand and stabbed it into the palm of his hand until it was bleeding.
Whooosh.
And shortly afterwards, around the wound by the wolf's teeth, black hair began to grow on Hans' body.
The gene contained in the wolf's teeth penetrated his skin and made contact with his blood, triggering his physical transformation in which the beast's factor was expressed.
Craaack.
With the sounds of bone twisting, Hans turned almost 1.5 times bigger than usual.
In time, Hans was replaced by a black-haired werewolf wearing clothes that were almost about to burst.
Hans carefully took off his top and placed it nearby, as his clothes were stuffy.
“Is this enough?”
“Hmm. Not bad. Well, if I can do as I want. I'd say you don't need pants either, but…”
"…Please be careful about that."
“Yes. I should understand that part.”
If his transformation went away afterwards, and he took off his pants as well, there would be nothing more horrible than that.
Hans breathed a sigh of relief.
“That’s a relief.”
“Hmm. Your size is not bad either. I'm sure that your shape will change depending on which animal's teeth you use."
"…Well, that's something that I've had to learn after an awful lot of experience, even though I didn’t want to know about it.”
“That’s a shame. I wanted to keep the teeth of a bear or a tiger if I could get them."
Hans didn't have to be bitten directly by the beast.
His physical type was triggered only when the animal’s factor touched the inside of his body.
In other words, it meant that his conditions for transformation were met just by puncturing his skin with an animal's teeth.
"But I think this wolf's fang is especially amazing, am I right?"
Hans looked around at his own figure and said so.
Hans, who had turned into various shapes unwantedly, felt special how he was at that moment.
His body was full of strength, and his muscles were 1.5 times thicker than usual.
Hans was sure it wasn't just a common wolf's fang.
“Yeah. It's a fang of a Blackfang that exists in the North Continent."
“Hoo. Do you mean the especially ferocious beasts that are dangerous to kill? No wonder I became more powerful than usual."
“Compared to anything you've transformed into so far, you can be proud of this being in the top ranks. Of course, if you use 'it' that I gave you just in case, you can be stronger than anyone else."
Hans' frowned until it was clearly recognizable in his face even though he was transformed into a wolf as he heard the word ‘it’ from Ludger's mouth.
“But I don't want to use such an extremely dangerous thing. If I did something wrong, I’d probably be eaten by the wilderness."
"I handed it over to you just in case. We don't know how the world would turn out. Use it if you think your life is in danger. It’s better than dying.”
“That’s that, but…”
Hans recalled the huge molar.
It was a tooth, but it was so big that it had to be carved and made into a dagger.
It was a special gift from Ludger for Hans.
Hans, who thought his physical type was a curse, still kept that tooth, even though he was reluctant.
“Then shall we go?”
"I'll say it again, if there's a fight, I'll run right away."
“I already said it: you just need to set the mood. I'll go in first, so follow me when I send you a signal."
“Pheew. I get it.”
Ludger, who was dressed in black, and Hans, who had become a shadowy beast, disappeared as if they were melting into the darkness of the alleyway.
***
Located on the outskirts of Leathevelk downtown, Poages Street was famous for its many stores, restaurants, and music halls.
There was also a workshop to make a power device made of mechanical springs. which was an active place for children as well as adults.
In the depths of Poages Street…
In the boundary between the bright outside part of the city and the back alleys…
“Damn it!”
There was a man with red hair who blew a bottle of alcohol and drank it.
Compared to others who had muscular builds, his build was nothing remarkable, but his face was pretty much so.
Having long sideburns, he had a large scar across one of his eyes, so his ferocity was extraordinary.
When he became annoyed, his subordinates around him walked on eggshells.
At that time, the subordinate who played the role of an advisor took courage and stepped up.
“Big Brother, are you alright?”
“Do I look alright to you right now?”
"…It's hard to say yes, honestly."
The man was the Crimson Snake, Daughtry, the leader of the Crimson Society.
It was an obvious thing for him to get angry right then.
It was because Belfort Ricksen, the biggest cash cow and supporter in the Crimson Society, had died all of a sudden.
From Daughtry's point of view, who was the closest to Belfort and raised the Crimson Society with Belfort's power on his back, one of the big pillars that supported him had collapsed.
There were still a few more pillars to help them, but the problem was that. before Belfort Ricksen died, the Crimson Society had invested a huge amount of money in his project.
It was an obvious fact that all of Belfort's wealth had scattered because the conductor of the project was dead.
Most investors would share their invested money, but it was difficult to recover the invested money from Daughtry's point of view, who couldn't spend money fairly.
That wouldn't completely ruin the Crimson Society, but it couldn't be helped that the atmosphere within the society became uneasy.
"But it's still bearable, so why don't we seek a new way?"
"That's why I summoned all of you here. I think we'll have to significantly expand our business soon."
Business expansion…
That was what he said, but it would be a work accompanied by blood and violence.
It suggested that maybe they would fight with another organization that had only been snarling and glaring at them so far.
But no one was worried about it.
They were the Crimson Society, and their forces were the best in the back alleys of Leathevelk.
"First of all, let's dominate over the Black Rose Women, no matter what…”
When Daughtry muttered like that…
Creeeeaaak.
The door of the bar creaked open and a person entered.
“Huh?”
“What?”
At first, they thought he was a member of the organization who arrived late, but they were bound to change their mind soon.
The man seemed too tidy to be a member of the Crimson Society.
He wore a black Inverness coat and held a cane in his hand; he also wore a black silk hat on his head and a monocle on one of his eyes.
His figure was that of a gentleman who looked rich and relaxed.
“Who the hell is that brat? Hey, can’t you see that the bar’s door is closed?”
Daughtry glared at the uninvited guest with his drunken, red face.
The man took an empty chair near him and sat at the center of the bar, seemingly indifferent to Daughtry's gaze.
* * *
* * *
As the man was sitting with his legs slightly apart and holding a cane with both hands, he was full of strange dignity that was difficult to describe in words.
“Who the hell is that brat?”
“Is he crazy?”
All members of the Crimson Community glared at the uninvited guest.
After Daughtry emptied his liquor bottle, he stood up from his seat.
“Who are you?”
“Daughtry, the leader of the Crimson Society. Am I right?”
“Yeah, but you… I haven’t seen you yet. Have we met before?"
"It's the first time we've met."
Daughtry laughed as he was dumbfounded.
“Hoo. You came in here alone, even though you knew we were the Crimson Society? Brother, what do you believe in to do that?"
“Something I believe in? I came here because I have it.”
Despite the glares from all sides, the man was confident without any fear.
Daughtry felt a strange sense of uneasiness at his appearance.
He didn't seem to be bluffing.
Having been wandering around for a long time in those back alleys, he could distinguish between the reckless bravado of incompetent people and the confidence of the really talented ones.
Among the two, the man in front of him was the latter.
‘The clothes he's wearing look luxurious, and his atmosphere itself is extraordinary.’
That kind of person came to see him?
Daughtry thought he needed to hear the man's story first.
“Hmm. For what reason did you come to see me?"
"It hasn't been long since I came to this city, so I'm going to start a new business."
“Oh! Business! Good! You came to see the right person.”
Daughtry clapped his hands and rejoiced.
That man talked about business, but everyone there knew that it meant money and dirty work.
With the man's outfit and his atmosphere…
Seeing that he had gone there while knowing something, Daughtry was sure that he was in the same league as Belfort Ricksen.
—A rich merchant with a lot of money and a black heart.
—Customers who wanted to make money through all methods.
‘He's a cash cow that I must catch!’
But Daughtry was not quickly pleased. Wasn't it their law that it would be easy for him to get hit in the back of the head if he believed in that person blindly when there were still a lot of things he didn't know about that person?
If he didn't know the person yet, he should never trust him.
Even if he knew that person, he should only trust half of them.
Betray before you get betrayed.
It was the way and regulation of people living in the gutter.
“So, what’s your name?”
When asked by Daughtry, the man spoke in a rather soft tone.
“My name is James Moriarty.”
“Huh? James Moriarty?”
Dutri wondered at the name that felt somewhat strange. He thought he had heard of that name, but he didn't remember much.
At that time, his right-hand man, who was his deputy and advisor, rushed up to Daughtry and whispered to him.
‘James Moriarty! It’s him.’
‘Who is he?’
‘The important figure who once dominated the underworld of the Delica kingdom.’
‘Ah.’
Daughtry could only think of the name when his right-hand man said it.
James Moriarty…
Or. as the people called him, Professor Moriarty.
He was a notorious criminal consultant who called himself a professor.
Delica was an iron kingdom that had made remarkable progress in the steel industry.
It was that man who stood right under its light, dominating the darkness there.
The rumor was half as famous as a legendary tale in their field.
‘But was it for real?’
Daughtry had doubts.
It was a few years ago that Professor Moriarty had disappeared from Delica.
Rumor had it that he was killed by a well-known aristocratic detective.
Some said he was killed and had rotted in a deep dungeon in Delica, and others said he chose to die by himself before being killed.
Otherwise, there could not have been no news from him for years.
Perhaps there was a possibility that the Professor Moriarty in front of him was fake.
‘Well, I can just check it out.’
Daughtry coughed and greeted him.
“So you are Professor Moriarty. I heard your name often.”
“I’m glad that you know me.”
“Hmm. By the way, isn't this a little vague? It's a little vague as to whether you are really Professor Moriarty or not."
"Do you think I'm just impersonating?"
"That's because someone who suddenly disappeared a few years ago suddenly appeared in front of me."
Moriarty glanced sideways at his surroundings.
Daughtry’s men were taking out their weapons one by one from their waistlines and holding them.
The weapons were easy to carry, so they were closer to handguns than daggers.
The smell of cheap gunpowder that gently stimulated the tip of his nose convinced him of such thoughts.
Knowing that all of the men were given guns, he realized that the Crimson Society was a pretty big place.
"I want to warn you about one thing."
“Please speak.”
"I recommend you not to pull a gun if you can avoid it."
Moriarty immediately raised his right hand.
Clack clack clack!
At the same time, countless men around him pulled out their guns and aimed them at Moriarty.
If he did anything suspicious, he'd become a beehived corpse.
But Moriarty wasn't scared at all.
At the spirit of his haughtiness that seemingly told them to do it if they could, Daughtry started to wonder if the man in front of him was the real Moriarty.
"You're quite noisy."
Some members of the organization were furious with anger as they heard Moriarty's provocative tone.
They looked at Daughtry and asked him if they should shoot that man.
Daughtry was contemplating for a moment, and then he nodded slightly.
His men, who confirmed his signal, slowly pulled the trigger of the guns in their hands.
Their target was not his head but his shoulders.
If they gave him a shot of lead, he might show them his true colors.
Clack.
But the bullets didn't shoot out.
“Oh, ooh?”
“The guns don’t work?”
And it wasn’t only that. The guns of all the members of the organization who were gathered in the bar were frozen.
"That's why I warned you…"
Moriarty laughed quietly at their confusion.
"Not to pull the guns."
“Wi-wizard!”
Daughtry knew why all the guns were suddenly frozen.
It was clearly the Silence of Fire magic that the wizards used.
That meant that the man in front of him was certainly a wizard if nothing else.
At that moment, Moriarty whistled.
When the sound of his whistle rang within the bar and spread out beyond…
Soon, the door of the bar was smashed, and a giant entered.
“Argh!”
“Wh-what the hell is that?!”
The giant was a huge wolf who was walking on two feet.
It had a huge size with black fur all over its body and a body height of more than 2.5 meters, and sharp claws that grew on both of its arms.
Everyone knew about the werewolves crisis that had made Leathevelk chaotic not long before.
Slowly entering the bar, the werewolf stopped and stood behind Moriarty.
…As if protecting him.
Daughtry immediately changed his attitude at such an appearance.
“Oh, my. So you are real. I didn't recognize the noble."
"Did I give enough proof?"
“Haha. More than enough.”
"Then we can finally have a genuine conversation."
“Yes. What kind of business do you want? What do we need to do?"
"I have a message to tell you first."
“A message to tell us?”
Daughtry opened his eyes wide while asking the meaning of Moriarty's words.
“You know, I don't really like this kind of dirty and disgusting stuff."
“What?”
"It means that the Crimson Society will disappear from this place as of today."
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