In My Second Life, I Rule from the Shadows

Chapter 2: Abduction

The assailants removed Carl's blindfold and gag once they arrived at the hideout.

“……”

The stale stench of dust mixed with a trash-like odor stabbed at his nose.

It was the scent of the underworld he hadn’t smelled in a long time.

When he slowly lifted his head, he saw a trio looking down at him with twisted smiles.

They all looked like shabby, washed-up thugs.

One was hunched, another looked like a rat had gnawed on him, and the last was as rough as if he had been carved from stone.

Where had they gathered such scum from?

They grinned down at Carl.

“Kid, what’s your name?”

“...Ca, Carlos Leipzig.”

His voice trembled at the end.

He was trying to act like a frightened child, but even he was surprised by how shaky his words came out.

‘Is there still a gap between my mind and body?’

His mind was that of a weathered assassin, but his body was only that of a seven-year-old child.

Even the pressure these pathetic thugs gave off felt overwhelming.

It meant he still hadn’t fully adapted to this body.

“Leipzig? As in the Count’s family?”

“…Count’s family? That’s bigger than I thought. Isn’t this a bit dangerous?”

“Dangerous, my ass. Think how much money a Count’s family must have. Just imagine how much we can squeeze out of them.”

“Is that so? Guess you’re right?”

“Then how many sacks of gold coins could we get, huh.”

They chatted with gleeful expressions.

Carl merely looked at them with pitiful eyes.

This place felt like the ruling class had even more influence than the Central Plains.

And yet they kidnapped a noble’s child for money?

These worms could only see things in the short term.

‘I wanted to use this chance to check out this world’s underworld, but it looks like they’re no help.’

Even the underworld had its levels.

These kinds of thugs existed in every world.

Just like the cults, they were of no value to him.

Tap.

Having made up his mind, Carl suddenly kicked off the ground and charged at the nearest thug.

“…Huh!”

Maybe he had some combat experience, as the man flinched and reached out an arm.

Carl nimbly dodged using his small frame, slipped into his guard, and twisted his waist.

Clench.

His chubby hand formed a fist.

A child’s punch might not hurt much, but if it carried the energy of a divine art, it was a different story.

Ash-grey energy flared at his fist’s edge. The thug’s eyes widened as he barely sensed the force behind it.

Crack.

The thug’s chest caved in.

His ribs didn’t even last a moment before collapsing, and his internal organs burst from the heavy energy.

“…Gah!”

Carl avoided the bright red blood spewing from the man’s mouth and immediately turned to the next one.

“…What!”

“What the hell!”

The remaining two hadn’t yet grasped what was happening.

Only when they saw their comrade fall, his chest crushed and vomiting blood, did they snap back to reality with shocked faces.

Schwing—

As Carl kicked off the ground again, one of them drew his sword and swung.

He had finally realized Carl wasn’t just an ordinary kid.

Swish!

Carl ducked low, nearly grazing the ground, and the sword narrowly missed his hair.

Red strands floated through the air, severed.

“…!”

The thug saw two crimson trails rushing toward him through the darkness like a beast.

Smack!

Remembering his comrade’s caved chest, he hurriedly crossed his arms to block.

But Carl simply smirked and struck his face.

Thud!

The face caved in, and the man died instantly.

Carl caught the falling sword mid-air and hurled it at the last remaining thug.

Thunk!

The man instinctively raised his arm, but the blade pierced through his forearm and halfway into his neck before stopping.

“You bastard…!”

Having nearly died without even resisting, the thug lunged with a sharp slash, as if determined not to repeat the others’ mistake.

But Carl spun his body, deflecting the attack, and kicked the hilt of the sword lodged in the man’s forearm.

Thunk!

The blade pierced through his neck and emerged from the other side.

Thud.

As the thug’s body fell, Carl landed softly and pulled a handkerchief from his chest to wipe the blood off his cheek.

“…Hmph.”

Even though he hadn’t moved much, his child’s body was already tired.

Carl scanned the area with calm eyes.

Three corpses, no longer breathing.

Even if this was the city’s slum, if found, it would cause a huge uproar.

He meticulously erased all traces of his presence and locked the door tightly behind him.

So that no one could enter easily, even if they came.

‘No one to clean up after me… What a hassle.’

Carl brushed off his hands.

Back in the Killing Veil, all he had to worry about was killing the target.

But here, he had no foundation.

Sure, there was the Leipzig family, but what could a youngest son possibly inherit?

“…Foundation.”

Carl murmured without thinking.

What if he created an organization like the Killing Veil here?

Even if he was praised as the Unkillable or the Greatest Assassin of the Central Plains, he had been just one of the Killing Veil’s assassins.

But what if he became its master?

‘Not a bad idea.’

Carl looked out at the eerie alley and gave a faint smile.

The two most fundamental things needed to build an organization were a central figure and money.

He had himself as the central figure, but creating an organization from the ground up required a considerable amount of funds.

“So the problem is the money for now.”

As a child of the Count’s Household, his allowance wasn’t small.

Carl carefully saved it up, and by the time he turned eight, he used the family name to invest in a merchant company.

His father, Count Leipzig, seemed pleased with his son’s initiative and even added a generous bonus, encouraging him to do well.

It was an unexpected windfall for Carl.

If the merchant group succeeded in distributing their goods, he would receive dividends based on his investment.

However, the merchant convoy was wiped out after encountering bandits.

Rumors from the Merchants’ Guild reached the mansion, saying all the people were killed and the goods had become the bandits’ loot.

When he heard the news, Count Leipzig comforted his son.

“This is how the world works. Things don’t always go the way books say. Just think of the lost money as the price of a lesson.”

“…Yes, I’ll remember that.”

Carl nodded with a gloomy expression.

Of course, the ambush on the merchant group had all been orchestrated by him behind the scenes.

He first hired reliable people and had them disguise themselves as bandits to loot the merchant’s goods.

The merchant group itself was also a fake organization created by Carl—an elaborate staged performance.

“With this, I’ve secured the seed money.”

He now had funds he could use without worrying about Count Leipzig’s gaze.

The first thing he did was invest in promising businesses and recruit orphans and vagrants with potential.

Being only eight years old, he had plenty of time.

Which meant he had the leeway to develop usable tools.

Luckily, this world was also overflowing with beggars and ragged orphans.

He lured them in with food, warm bedding, or whatever they desired, and used the Killing Veil’s methods to slowly train them.

He planned to transform them into tools who could take their own lives with a single word from him.

Securing funds, activating business, recruiting talent, expanding influence.

From age seven to nineteen—a grand undertaking that spanned twelve years.

Carl’s entire growth could be said to have been poured into that cycle.

Of course, no one in the Leipzig household knew any of this.

“So, how is Carl doing lately?”

Inside Count Leipzig’s office.

The swordsmanship instructor answered the question with a respectful tone.

“He’s the same as always. Diligence is the young master’s strength.”

“That’s why it’s all the more pitiful. Compared to his brothers, he’s still far behind and always seems a bit withdrawn.”

“He has a resolute spirit for his age. He’s not stagnant either, so I believe he’ll shine eventually.”

“Thank you for speaking well of him.”

“Is there anyone in this mansion who dislikes the young master?”

Count Leipzig gave a bitter smile and nodded.

Carlos had always been the weak one.

Since he was young, he had a frail body and often fell ill.

On top of that, he even caught a plague that was spreading through the territory, and the physician who came to diagnose him cautiously said he wouldn’t live long.

But Count Leipzig did everything he could for his son.

He spared no expense gathering medicinal herbs and searched far and wide for skilled physicians to bring to the territory.

Perhaps the heavens were moved by his devotion.

Carlos’s sickly complexion gradually improved, and now he could even go outside without any issues.

He was nineteen this year, and once this winter passed, he would turn twenty and enter the academy.

“In any case, keep a close eye on him. Report immediately if his condition worsens.”

“Understood.”

When the swordsmanship instructor bowed his head, the Count lightly waved his hand, telling him to leave.

At a glance, the conversation seemed to have ended quietly, but there was another pair of ears in the room besides Count Leipzig and the instructor.

-…….

On Count Leipzig’s desk.

Among the neatly arranged fountain pens, one stood out with a distinct blue tint.

He didn’t use it often, but since it was a gift from his son Carlos, he cherished it and kept it on display.

He had no idea that inside the barrel of that pen was a sound-absorbing device that collected external sounds and transmitted them elsewhere.

-“In any case, keep a close eye on him. Report immediately if his condition worsens.”

-“Understood.”

After confirming that the conversation between Count Leipzig and the swordsmanship instructor had ended without incident, Carlos let out a short sigh.

He took his hand away from his ear to deactivate the wiretap and quietly looked at the person in front of him.

“Deceiving those closest to you is a difficult task. Don’t you think?”

Inside the room stood a man, drenched in blood, gasping for breath.

Crimson blood dripped down from the tip of the sword he held.

He looked around while biting his lip, but no one was left to help him.

“…I-I was wrong. I must have lost my mind for a moment. Please… just give me one more chance.”

The man pleaded desperately.

Having come this far, all he could do was cling to the slimmest chance of survival.

But Carl smiled brightly, showing no intention of granting that wish.

“There’s something I told you when we first met.”

“Please… please…”

“Betrayal means death. Well, I get it. A wretched life like yours probably wanted to get a taste of big money just once.”

A betrayal from a cooperating organization that had taken a bribe.

It was a common occurrence.

But the word “betrayal” was a trigger for Carl.

After all, he had once been killed by those he considered family.

That’s why he made sure even the smallest betrayal was met with ruthless punishment and revenge.

“I wonder if the afterlife here is the same as the one in the Central Plains.”

“Aaaaaagh!”

The man, mind snapped by Carl’s cryptic words, screamed and lunged.

“If you happen to meet a guy named Naraksal, give him my regards. I’ll make sure to send you off with plenty of coins.”

Carl’s sword swung sharply as a smile played on his lips.