Radiant Dragon’s Otherworldly Reincarnation

Chapter 21. My Mom Was Crossing the Line. (1)

“You guys are losing?”

“That bastard Billy cowardly called in outsiders. And three 3-star swordsmen who are on par with me, at that.”

“The ones who always get beaten always have excuses.”

“Ugh….”

“So the bottom line is you're losing and you want me to help, right? Am I wrong?”

“Isn't it also good for you, Young Master, if I take over the guild completely?”

“Hmm….”

As Patrick contemplated, Red spoke in a serious voice.

“A master of a Thieves' Guild with his power cut in half, or a master of a Thieves' Guild who has completely absorbed a whole faction. Which of the two sounds better to you?”

“Well, obviously the latter is better. Do you even have to ask?”

“You see.”

“Haaah. What a bother.”

Patrick scratched his cheek as he pondered.

He had intended to ignore a request from a thief if at all possible.

But now that he heard him out, he couldn't do that.

‘He’s a thief, but he has a point.’

Just as this guy said, a Thieves' Guild that had completely taken over a single faction seemed like it would do a better job, and in the worst-case scenario, if this guy lost the war, wouldn't the information network he had just acquired disappear?

“Aish, getting involved in the disputes of the Unorthodox Faction is the sixteenth thing I hate the most.”

“What is the Unorthodox Faction?”

“It’s a thing. A thing like that.”

“……”

Patrick scratched his head vigorously as he thought, but in the end, the answer was already set.

Right.

When people live, they have to do things they don't like.

How can one only do the things they like?

“I have no choice. Just this once.”

“Really?”

“Once I’ve made a decision, I don't go back on my word.”

“Thank you, Young Master.”

“You know where they are, right?”

“Yes. We are always keeping track of that bastard Billy's whereabouts.”

“Good.”

If he was going to do it, it was better to get it over with quickly.

But wait a minute….

“You're tracking the enemy boss' location, so why haven't you attacked? You should have swiftly attacked and taken his head. Why did you let him live?”

“……”

Was this really the thought process of a ten-year-old?

“Ahem, as I said before, the outsiders that bastard brought in are the problem.”

“Are they strong?”

“I'm confident I can win in a one-on-one fight. However, that bastard has hired three mercenaries who have reached the 3-star level.”

“So there are three guys similar to you?”

“Yes. But if you and I, Young Master, join forces…”

“Tsk tsk tsk, you're so damn weak. You were floundering because you couldn't handle that one thing?”

“……”

“And you even cross-dressed? Sheesh. You might as well just chop it off for real, you punk.”

“No, the cross-dressing was originally for the necessity of concealing information. It wasn't to hide.”

“Sure. Let's go with that.”

“No, Young Master, it's true.”

“Enough, just lead the way.”

Patrick said with a grin.

“Because I'm going to beat the crap out of that bastard for you.”

“Yes. I will prepare immediately.”

In the future, Red would recall it this way.

Having a madman on your side was truly reassuring.

* * *

“Hehehe. This is the life. Right?”

“Hohoho. You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Of course, I am. Expensive alcohol, beautiful women. This is the life of a winner. Isn't it?”

“Hohoho. That's right, Master.”

He was a bald man with a sly-looking face.

His hands were packed with rings embedded with large jewels, and besides those, he was adorned with dangling gemstone accessories.

A decadent beauty in a seductive outfit sat beside him, and in his other hand was a rather expensive bottle of high-class alcohol.

This man, who exhibited the speech and behavior of a classic villain, was Billy.

He was the man who currently held a duopoly over the underworld of Parmas.

No, in fact, it was a bit of a stretch to even call it a duopoly.

Looking at their power alone, it was no exaggeration to say that he had taken over about three-quarters of it.

The woman next to him spoke.

“You really have so much money, Master. The masters of the Thieves' Guild weren't originally this rich, were they?”

“Kehehe. That's because the man who was the previous master was too stuffy.”

“Oh my? Was he?”

“Of course. There were so many things he forbade.”

No drug business.

No smuggling trade.

He even operated the loan sharking, a legitimate source of income, with limits on the interest.

On top of that, he used the guild's money for the health care of the women managed at the pubs, and even took in homeless orphans to feed and shelter them.

When questioned about why he did such things, his reasoning was quite plausible.

[The reason the authorities turn a blind eye even though they know of our public existence is because they are aware that we are necessary to maintain the hierarchy of the back alleys. Therefore, we must not do anything too dangerous and stop at taking a moderate share. And while we're at it, we should also appeal by showing that ‘we sometimes do good deeds.’]

In practice, the previous guild master's management policy was effective.

While he ran the guild, the number of clashes between the soldiers of the Count Parmas family and the Thieves' Guild could be counted on one hand.

However….

“Are you going to make money that way? In the first place, why should someone from the back alleys be so careful with their neck?”

As soon as Billy became the master, he completely twisted the direction of the Thieves' Guild.

He raised the interest rates of the loan-sharking business and also significantly increased the protection money collected from merchants.

In addition to that, he engaged in various other risky businesses and earned an enormous amount of money.

“Isn't a man all about guts?”

“You're so cool, Master.”

“Hehehe. You cute little thing.”

Billy pulled the woman nestled beside him more tightly into his embrace and slyly slid his hand under her clothes.

Just then, the urgent voice of a subordinate was heard from outside.

“Master. We have a big problem.”

“What? What's going on? If it's nothing, you're dead!”

Interrupted at the peak of a good moment, Billy was greatly displeased.

But at his subordinate's following words, his face turned serious.

“It's an attack. Red is leading his men and has attacked us directly.”

“What!?”

“Kyaaak!”

He hurriedly rose from his seat, and the woman in his arms was pushed aside and fell over.

Billy didn't even glance at the fallen woman and spoke with a serious expression.

“An attack? How many of them are there?”

“It seems like he brought almost everyone. Red is also seen with them.”

“Dammit, call our guys quickly. And call the mercenaries hired as guards too!”

“Yes. Understood.”

He never imagined that Red, whose forces were at a disadvantage, would attack him first.

‘No, is it because his forces were pushed into a corner?’

Perhaps this was Red's final, desperate struggle.

Since it was obvious he would be devoured if things continued as they were, he was trying to put up a proper fight while he still had the strength.

“Fine. I'll take you on. Do you think I'd be scared just because you know how to use a sword a little?”

Billy wasn't confident he could beat Red in a one-on-one fight.

But there was a way to beat Red.

Therefore, he judged that he had a sufficient chance of winning even if they fought here.

* * *

The handsome man with red hair tied back tightly wielded a broadsword and bravely cut down his enemies.

Then he shouted loudly.

“Charge! Make the traitors pay the price.”

“Yes!”

His subordinates, encouraged by him, also fiercely pushed back the enemy.

And….

“Ooh, they fight well.”

Patrick was watching with his arms crossed, standing one step back.

He was watching thieves beat up other thieves while munching on beef jerky.

‘As expected, watching a fight is fun.’

To think a person like this was called a Great Master.

In any case, he would jump in if necessary, but for now, there seemed to be no need for Patrick to step forward.

Red, who had taken off his waitress uniform and neatly tied his long hair back, had become a completely different person.

He had become a dignified and handsome man, and the sight of him fighting bravely at the forefront with a sword in one hand was definitely eye-catching.

“Come out, Billy! I will make you pay the price for your betrayal!”

Patrick was watching him from a little distance behind, marveling at the sight.

He had stepped back to watch because he wanted to see what level the 3-star grade was, and it was certainly on a different level from Brian.

‘He said you need to be at least 3-star to handle a troll without much trouble, right? At that level, he could definitely take down a troll easily.’

From Patrick's perspective, a 3-star level could definitely win against one troll, and though it would be tough, it seemed possible to win against two as well.

From three, it was a bit of an unknown, but he would at least be able to save his own life.

In any case, the sight of him leading his subordinates from the front was quite impressive.

He had a handsome face, was skilled, and had the charisma to command his subordinates appropriately.

‘In the Central Plains, guys like that get called Jade-Faced Swordsman or something and go around seducing quite a few women.’

Patrick couldn't understand why someone with that talent and that face would want to be a thief.

In any case, Red was fighting well enough for Patrick to give him some recognition.

As if to prove that the 3-star grade wasn't just empty words, he overwhelmed the enemy from the front and boosted the morale of his allies.

Thanks to that, Red's subordinates were advantageously overwhelming the battle situation despite being relatively outnumbered.

“These bastards!”

That was, until just a moment ago.

A thunderous voice came from the second floor of the building.

Seeing him, Red ground his teeth and spoke.

“Billy, so you came out without running away.”

A bald head and a slightly thin frame.

That man, whose face was filled with vileness, was Billy.

‘Wow, from a physiognomic point of view, he has all the elements a villain should have.’

Whether he knew Patrick was watching him with fascination or not, Billy focused his gaze on Red and spoke.

“The little brat has grown up a lot. You even know how to throw the first punch.”

“I was never hiding because I was afraid of the likes of you in the first place.”

“You talk a good game. Since you've come this far, you must have thought you had some chance of winning. But….”

As Billy gestured, several men appeared from behind him.

Their attire was different.

The people inside the building were, at best, wearing shortswords or longswords with leather armor only on their torsos, but these men were quite heavily armed.

It wasn't full plate mail covering their entire bodies, but armor with iron plates covering vital points over chain mail.

They wore helmets on their heads, held a mace or a longsword in one hand, and a light, round shield in the other.

‘So those are mercenaries. They sure carry a lot of stuff.’

Seeing mercenaries for the first time since being born into this world, Patrick watched them as if fascinated.

In the Central Plains, those who wore armor were rare.

He had heard that assassins wore thin armor layered under their clothes, but they didn't wear it openly.

But those men were not only wearing armor, but they were also holding shields in their other hands.

As these were the first mercenaries Patrick had ever seen, he observed them with curiosity.

But unlike Patrick, Red's expression darkened.

“Five…. Dammit, did he hire more?”

This was a situation different from Red's expectations.

As far as he knew, the mercenaries Billy had hired were, like himself, at the 3-star level, and there were supposed to be three of them.

But now, there were five mercenaries before his eyes.

According to the original plan, he thought they could win if he took on one and Patrick, who was stronger than him, took on two.

But at this rate, there were five.

Even if he pushed himself to take on two, Patrick would have to face three 3-star mercenaries alone.

He knew Patrick was strong, but whether he could handle three 3-star mercenaries was an unknown.

“Hahaha. What's wrong? You little brat. Is there a problem?”

Seeing Billy speak triumphantly, Red frowned.

Should he retreat now?

But it was questionable whether he could even retreat safely, and more importantly, if he backed down here, he would never get another chance to reclaim his position.

‘Should I go to a completely different city, establish a foothold, and start fresh…? No. That won't be easy either.’

“Hey….”

‘Should I pretend to surrender and launch a surprise attack? No, there’s no way that cunning bastard would trust me.’

“…Are you listening?”

‘Should I try to negotiate with those mercenaries directly? Since they are mercenaries who took a request from a back-alley faction, their credibility probably isn't high…’

Smack!

Red, who had been lost in deep thought, was suddenly struck hard on the back of the head and staggered forward.

“Keuk…. Who was that!? Wait… what are you doing?”

“It's because you didn't answer when I called you.”

“……”

“Why no answer? Huh? I'm telling you, being ignored when I'm talking is the thirteenth thing I hate the most.”

Why did this kid hate so many things?

Just as Red was about to burst out in anger, asking if he didn't understand the gravity of the situation, Patrick spoke.

“I just need to take care of them, right?”

“Can you do it?”

“That's why I came, isn't it? So I have to do it.”

Red looked at Patrick with surprised eyes.

A monster of this level should be able to roughly sense the enemy's level.

Yet, for him to show such a relaxed attitude meant….

‘Is he saying there's a chance of winning? Against five 3-star mercenaries?’

Patrick smirked at the astonished Red and said.

“Well, just watch.”

And Patrick, holding a longsword in each hand, headed for the stairs leading to the second floor.

“Who's this little squirt?”

A large man spoke towards Patrick, who was trying to go up the stairs.

“Hey, kid. Go home and suckle on your mom's te…”

Slice!

Before he could finish his words, two streaks of light flashed.

One horizontal, one vertical.

The flash, drawn in a perfect cross, diced the large man who had been mocking Patrick into four pieces.

And Patrick said coldly.

“Talking about my mom is crossing the line.”