Chapter 256: Side Story 2

Jake knew who the boy was. It was Sieg, a boy he had met at the executive meeting who was about the same age as himself.

Sieg held a small short-sword and was showing no hesitation in attacking people with it.

W wait Kah!

You bastard. Who do you think youre waving the sword at keugh

There was one rule amongst the back alley thugs - even during a war between themselves, they would not use a blade. The reason behind that rule was because if they used a blade, the capitals guards would investigate it as a murder case.

If they were unlucky, the guards might find a clue that could lead to the entire organization being captured. That was why there was an implicit rule to only use a small knife, and only to threaten with it.

But Sieg was different. He was using, without hesitation, a short-sword that was much more lethal than a knife. He had no qualms about stabbing people in the throat or their heart and soon, the enemies who held Jake down became cold bodies.

You alive?

Only after he had dealt with all the enemies did Sieg speak to Jake.

Y yeah. Thanks to you.

Im glad. Can you stand up?

Of course.

Jake clenched his teeth and stood up. His entire body was hurting, but he forced himself up. He didnt know why, but he didnt want to show any weakness in front of Sieg.

Thanks for saving me.

No problem. But youre pretty good yourself. You managed to hold them off all by yourself with just a club.

......

Youre better than the rumors. Seems like youre pretty talented.

Sieg looked at Jake with interest in his eyes.

Jake was suddenly filled with an odd emotion when he saw that gaze.

Dont get all high and mighty.

Huh? Why? Is it annoying you?

...It is.

Heh youre still pretty young.

You son of a

In a fit of rage, Jake tried to attack Sieg, but before he could, Siegs short-sword touched his neck.

In your current condition, do you really think you can beat me in a fight?

......

Theres a time and place for your reckless bravado. If youre going to be obstinate in a situation like this just because of your pride, youre an idiot. You might as well just die as a gutter rat.

Siegs words poked at Jakes inferiority complex.

Jake stalked forward and grabbed Sieg by the collar. His skin began to bleed as the short-sword that had been pointed at his neck dug into his skin, but Jake didnt hesitate.

Do it if you dare, you son of a b*tch.

Ooh...

Once again, Sieg was looking at Jake with interest in his eyes. The Jake reflected in Siegs eyes wasnt just a brainless idiot refusing to yield in a fit of anger. Jake knew very well that there was a sword at his throat, but he was putting his life on the line for his cause.

Hes pretty good.

At that moment, Sieg changed his assessment of Jake. Instead of a chess piece knight that he wanted to use, Jake became someone he wanted to have under his direct command.

Ive decided. Youre mine.

What? What bullshit are you keugh

Jake couldnt continue. Sieg had grabbed his wrist and twisted it, then he pushed Jake against the wall.

I guess we should clarify the hierarchy in this relationship?

What bullshit are you spouting?

Its gonna hurt a bit.

You son of a Guh!

Crack!

Jakes arm broke.

***

When Jake regained his senses, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling. And the first voice he heard was

Are you awake?

Youre you son of keugh

Stop moving. Youre hurt.

And whose fault is that?

At Jakes question, Sieg scratched his head as he responded.

Sorry, I tried to stop myself, but you were too gutsy.

Even after his arm broke, Jake had attacked Sieg. Sieg had won because Jake couldnt use one arm, but Jake had still attacked him again and again until he had fainted.

After knocking him out, Sieg had brought Jake to his own safehouse.

Drink this for now.

Sieg handed over a bowl of warm soup. Jake got up and drank it. Perhaps it was because he had lost in a one-on-one fight, but Jake seemed quite discouraged.

Who are you?

Im Sieg. Living the same back alley life like you.

No. No, youre not.

Oh? What makes you think that?

Just I dont know why, but youre not. Youre different.

He couldnt put it into words, but intuitively, Jake knew it. Sieg was completely different from himself.

Sieg smiled when he saw Jake was looking at him with hard eyes.

Im not lying. I dont know who my parents are and in order to survive, theres nothing I havent done since I was a child. Im just a common street rat

......

But, if theres one thing thats different, it would be that I have a big dream.

Dream?

Thats right. A dream. A goal or even an ambition.

......

Siegfrieds words were so unfamiliar for Jake. A dream? A goal? An ambition? Those were words that he never thought he would hear in his life.

Siegfried continued to speak to Jake.

In order to make my dream come true, theres a lot of things that need to be prepared. Right now, Im in the process of preparing.

Process of preparing?

Thats right. First, I need to take over the back alleys of the Empires capital.

Youre going to take over the back alleys? You?

Yeah. Im telling you this now, but such a small goal isnt it. Later one, it wont just be the back alleys of the Empire, itll be the entire Empire, no, Im going to make this entire world mind. Thats my goal.

Siegfried spread his arms wide as he spoke. A smile could be seen clearly on his face.

He seemed happy just imagining his ambition.

Youre insane.

Well, you could think that. But Im being serious. This is my lifes goal.

......

Sieg stuck his hand out to Jake as he spoke.

How about it? If you dont want to die as a gutter rat, then why dont you work with me for my dream?

You want me to be on the same side as a psycho?

Doesnt it sound fun?

Jake looked into Siegs eyes. There were no ulterior motives nor was there any sign of embarrassment for talking about such absurd delusions.

Is this bastard being serious?

Jake could instinctively tell that Sieg was being very serious right now.

Im

I guess youre hesitating?

......

Guess it cant be helped. In that case, at least stay with me until the end of this war. You can make your decision after that.

By this war you mean How can you say that when you dont know when this war will end?

Dont worry about that. Itll end by today.

...What?!

Jake was genuinely shocked. They had been fighting this war for the past three months, continuously shedding blood with no end in sight. But its going to end by today?

Sieg spoke to Jake with confident eyes.

I want you to watch clearly from my side. See exactly what kind of person I am.

***

I think were pretty much done now, right?

I agree. At this point, Im sure the higher up will understand the circumstances.

In a tucked away bar, two men were drinking and talking to each other, but the problem was, these two men had a relationship that made this impossible. Chason and Gregoy. These two men, who had been competing to take over the back alleys of the capital, were currently sharing a drink, harmoniously.

How? How could two people who had seemed desperate to kill each other be like this?

There was only one reason - this war had been faked.

Even if this was the Empires capital, it was impossible for there to be zero dark aspects to it.

It is inevitable for darkness and light to coexist where people gather. However, in order for public safety, regular maintenance of the dark areas was necessary.

In order to do so, the Empires guards held strings connected to the dark. Since it was impossible for them to completely eradicate it, they had decided it would be best to manage it so that the general public wouldnt be harmed or bothered.

Chason and Gregory were a part of that management.

Recently, the higher ups of the Empire had secretly ordered them to reduce their force. Since it had been mentioned amongst the nobility, the higher ups were perfectly happy to have the two organizations fight and annihilate one of them.

It was a kind of backdoor deal, but it was a very efficient method of maintaining public security. In the first place, it was difficult to completely uproot such darkness, and even if they were uprooted, similar peoples could come and settle down. That was why it was better to leave Chason and Gregory, who would listen to them, alone. But more importantly, if Chason and Gregory fought, then it wouldnt require the Empires guards to devote separate manpower or budget into it.

And so, Gregory and Chason chose to fight amongst themselves since it was better for them to have their aggressive subordinates bleed once in a while to make them easier to control. Not to mention, it would help strengthen their authority.

And so, the war in which the two of them colluded began. In other words, the men who were currently bleeding in the back alleys were dying for no reason. But in reality, a high-ranking official of the Empire had said something and Chason and Gregorys men were dying on their own while Chason and Gregory were making some personnel adjustments.

I guess we should slowly talk about a peace treaty. When should we do it?

Maybe in about a week or two later?

Mm lets do that. But more importantly, theres a hell of kid in your organization.

Who? Are you talking about Jake?

Yeah. Hes pretty great. Some of my closest men whore pretty strong couldnt handle that kid and were beaten up pretty badly.

Hm I see, so hes that good.

Chason stroked his beard as if he was troubled. Having a subordinate in the back alley meant that you never knew when that subordinate might become an enemy and stab you in the back. If Jake grew up, then his position could be at stake.

Im gonna have to deal with him.

Really? Then why dont you give him to us? Ive got a lot of boys who were thrashed by him, so itll be perfect for them to get their revenge.

Sounds good. Well use that as an opportunity to create a reconciliatory atmosphere.

Kahaha Im glad we can understand each other.

Just as Chason and Gregory were having that conversation...

Bang!

The door broke and someone walked into the hidden bar. Chason was surprised when he saw who it was.

Youre Jake?

Jake was the one who had burst into the secret bar.

You f*cking son of a

Jake stared at Chason as if he was going to kill him.

He had heard about it from Sieg, but he hadnt thought it would really be a dirty deal like this. It felt like his head would burst from anger when he found out that people had been killed by their plot.

How? Why are you here?

What happened to all the men outside?

Chason and Gregory were dumbfounded. Sieg answered the question as he entered the room after Jake.

Theyre all sleeping. Guess everyone was tired.

Sieg? You too?

Chason gritted his teeth.

You dare betray me? You want to be flayed alive? Is that it?

Chason cruelly threatened them, but Sieg and Jake didnt blink an eye.

Do you think thats gonna work now?

These bastards

Chason mustve thought it wouldnt be enough to just talk to them as he reached for the knife at his waist.

But then

Ugh

As soon as he tried to get up from his seat, Chason felt like the world spun in front of his eyes. It wasnt just Chason either, Gregory was the same.

Sieg looked pitifully at the two of them.

Im confident Ill win if we fought, but theres no reason to do that if theres an easier way.

You did you mix something into the alcohol?

Even though he couldnt handle his own body, Gregory still spoke up.

Thats right. Now do you understand the situation a bit?

Chason and Gregory felt chills going down their back. Chason and Gregory had kept the youngsters because they thought the youngsters would be useful, but now, they realized they had kept tiger cubs they couldnt handle.

Well then we dont have a lot of time, so shall we get started? First, why dont you tell me where your secret safe is hidden.

During a war, leaders of organizations would turn all their important assets and exchange it for money and hide them in places only they would now. Why? Because money was more important than their subordinates.

What do you mean a secret safe? Theres no such thing keugh!

Chason shouted when Siegs blade stabbed him in his thigh.

Sieg smiled as he spoke.

Well, I didnt think youd tell me easily.

K guh

Then shall we get started?

Sieg smiled cheerfully as he looked at Chason and Gregory. Their eyes were filled with fear and despair as they looked back.

***

A new day dawned.

Chason and Gregory, who had been called the back alley titans in the Empires capital, became dead bodied.

Sieg had found the assets that these two had hidden and packed it all up. As he was grabbing a heavy purse, he spoke.

This isnt a bad start for my military fund. As I thought, you make a lot of money when youre committing crimes.

Jake spoke as he watched Sieg.

Whatre you gonna do now?

Well, first, I have to leave the capital. If I stayed, Im pretty sure I'd die.

He had killed the back alley titans, Chason and Gregory. It wouldnt be a smart decision if he continued to stay in the capital.

Where are you going?

Im thinking about heading towards the Republic. Since the boundary between classes is so thin, itll be helpful in getting ahead.

You believe in your abilities that much?

Yes. That and bribery.

Jake was dumbfounded when Sieg pointed towards the purse.

Hes going to use that money to settle down in the Republic Is that why he called it military funds?

Jake thought Chason was well above him in life.

But Sieg only thought of Chason as a stepping stone.

We have different scales.

Jake realized that putting superiority in strength aside, he and Sieg were completely different.

He approached Sieg.

What are you going to do once you get to the Republic?

Im going to rise to the top.

And then what?

Sieg reached out towards the rising sun and clenched his fist as if he was grabbing it.

......

Of course he couldnt grab it.

It was too far away and it was too valuable and great for it to be touched by human hands. However

That was why...

Im going to take everything.

Sieg wanted it. He had the ambition to get everything that was out of his reach.

At that moment, Jake decided his fate.

Can I go with you?

Huh? What do you mean?

...Um Well, so, I want to

Of course you have to come with me. Didnt I tell you? Youre mine.

......

Even if you say no, Im going to put a leash on you and drag you with me.

Ha hahahahaha

Lets go, Jake. Lets leave behind our names in history.

Alright. Lets go. Lets do it, you crazy bastard.

Jake got on the horse with Sieg.

Ah! Its okay right now, but later on, make sure you talk to me politely and formally.

Even if you killed me, no!

Is it because my names not dignified? Alright, lets change my name. Hows Siegfried?

Im telling you, no!

And so, the two boys left the capital of the Empire in order to leave behind their names in history...