The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

Citizens who had seen me facing off against the Brotherhood members from a distance quickly went around the blocked street.

Clicking his tongue as if annoyed, one of the men muttered,

“Tsk, tsk. You think you can run away like that?”

“We’re actually the polite ones. If you’d run into that bastard Paul, he’d have shaken you down for cash already.”

So it wasn’t just one street they had blocked.

From the way they talked, the Brotherhood had the whole area surrounded.

‘Stopping random people like this is nothing but a waste of time.’

Gellerg City was a colossal metropolis that functioned like a nation.

Blocking streets and frisking passersby for one suspect—pointless. Even a lifetime of it wouldn’t get them anywhere.

But the Brotherhood weren’t that stupid.

If they were doing this, it meant they had a solid lead.

‘They must have traced me already.’

As I had guessed earlier, it wasn’t hard to pin me down.

They must have gotten word I was staying in a hotel in this district.

Faster than I expected, they’d tracked me.

If this had been before I visited the broker’s office, it would’ve been a real problem.

But now, things were different.

“You get it now, right? Then quit stalling and take that hood off.”

As if delivering an ultimatum, the man shoved his hand in his pocket.

The bulge of a folding knife showed clearly.

‘Threatening me in broad daylight with a knife, huh.’

That meant he was confident.

“Are you sure about this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Blocking one alley is one thing, but cutting off all foot traffic? The Security Bureau won’t tolerate that.”

“Heh, that’s the best excuse your little brain could come up with?”

The man shrugged like it was ridiculous.

“We’ve already greased their palms. Pay those bastards enough, and they’ll look the other way for kidnapping or murder. You didn’t know that?”

This city—it was impossible to find a corner untouched by corruption.

Normally, that fact pissed me off.

But right now, it was actually convenient.

“So you’re saying, whatever happens here, the Security Bureau won’t interfere?”

“Exactly. So don’t get cocky and just—”

Before he could finish, his eyes went wide with horror.

In his pupils—thick brown tendrils swelling and spreading across the street.

“Wh-what the hell is this—urk!”

“Mmph! Uuugh!”

I stroked the roots of the World Tree.

They had grown thicker, glossier than before—it felt almost like watching a child grow.

Leaves sprouted between the roots, painting the savage scene with an oddly serene beauty.

But to the men tangled tight within, it was pure terror.

Their expressions screamed fear.

“If you idiots thought you could stop people without a plan, you should’ve expected this.”

In this city, criminals and monsters hid among ordinary folk.

Even in the bustling 3rd District, things were no different.

Even if it hadn’t been me, their stunt would have blown up eventually.

“But your effort wasn’t wasted.”

I flipped my hood back. Their trembling eyes darted between each other.

That reaction confirmed they’d been after me all along.

“I don’t need both of you to talk.”

BOOM!

The impact shattered the street like a bomb, hurling chunks of stone into the air.

The arrogant man was buried beneath them.

“I trust you won’t play dumb out of loyalty.”

The survivor swallowed hard, face gone pale.

No tricks—the playful light darting between the roots illuminated his every twitch.

“Tell me everything you know about your branch.”

This wasn’t a threat.

It was exactly what they wanted: for me to come to them myself.

The Brotherhood’s name in that black mage’s records.

To uncover that link, contact was inevitable.

The 4th District at night wasn’t dark, contrary to its reputation.

If the 3rd District blazed like a festival, the 4th glowed with a dim, lingering light.

The light of desires too filthy to be vented anywhere else.

Bars lined the prime streets, now opening for business.

They looked ordinary on the outside, but I wasn’t fooled.

These places didn’t earn their money from liquor.

Hidden backrooms held drug parties, illegal trades, banned procedures.

Ordinary folk would never step foot in here.

Only degenerates or powerful people who could handle the fallout came regularly.

And where there was easy money, vermin gathered.

That the Brotherhood ruled this cesspool was practically a given.

“Those Brotherhood bastards sure are acting cocky these days.”

“Thought they’d quieted down for a while. Another turf war coming to the 4th?”

“Who knows. Heard one of their guys got hit, and now they’re out for revenge.”

“Revenge? What a joke.”

The Brotherhood’s movements were the hot topic of the district.

Half the gossip on the street was about them.

Strange, for them.

When it happened, I thought I’d slip by unnoticed.

Never imagined I’d be marching to confront them directly.

‘This must be it.’

I stopped before a building leaking noise through its doorframe.

Windows crudely painted over flickered with garish red and blue.

Shaven-headed men guarded the entrance. I’d found the place.

This was the 102nd Branch base, just as the Brotherhood grunt had said.

“Hey, what are you doing there?”

“No business? Then get lost.”

I’d lingered too long, and they moved to threaten me.

“That’s how you treat a guest?”

“A guest? If you want respect, show your face first.”

“Guess you don’t know the rules. Act shady around here, and you’ve only yourself to blame when it goes bad.”

I knew this lawless zone better than they did.

This was their version of hospitality.

“If I walked around showing my face, you’d be the ones in trouble.”

“What?”

I pushed my hood back just enough to show my face.

“Y-you bastard—!”

Immediate reaction.

One of the younger thugs yanked out a knife in a panic.

But he was quickly stopped.

“Hold it.”

“But boss, he’s the one we’re looking for!”

“I said, stand down, idiot.”

The rookie slunk back, cowed by the senior’s bark.

“Put your hood back on. Go to the fourth floor and wait.”

I brushed past them and stepped inside.

The heat of bodies writhing to pounding music, the stench of alcohol—it hit all at once.

The club’s atmosphere was closer to madness than passion.

「The World Tree is disturbed by the noise.」

I could feel the World Tree shrinking back inside my clothes.

“Not used to it, huh?”

There had been studies that plants could sense sound. Supposedly they preferred classical music, and disliked heavy metal or rock.

If even I found this place overwhelming, it was no wonder the World Tree was uneasy.

I gave a wry smile and stroked its leaves.

As I pushed through the crowd and climbed the stairs, people grew fewer.

Unlike the open dance floor, the upper levels were split into private rooms, with gang members patrolling the halls.

“Go on in.”

The fourth floor was the real prize.

A wide floor divided into only three massive VIP lounges.

I stepped inside the door opened by a neatly dressed enforcer.

The space was nothing like the blinding lights outside.

Tables littered with half-eaten food, empty bottles strewn across the floor.

One wall of solid glass revealed the floor below in its entirety.

Sip wine while looking down, and you could easily feel smugly superior.

“Not bad, for a mere 100-series branch. Business looks good.”

“…Heh. First time someone’s walked into a Brotherhood branch alone just to give me a critique.”

The hulking man on the faded red leather sofa finally spoke.

“You look like a weak brat I could crush with one hand, yet you’ve got guts. I didn’t expect you to show up yourself after knowing you’d been marked.”

His tight tank top showed off bulging muscles, and his greasy skin shone under the lights.

His narrow eyes glared at me with clear disapproval.

So my sharp looks made me seem weak to him. Typical—sweat-soaked thugs never appreciated beauty.

I sat down on a glossy faux-leather chair.

“You invited me, so here I am.”

“Invited? Surrounded by my men and riddled with holes, would you still sound that relaxed?”

“Don’t play coy. Your men already told me everything.”

The reason I’d come quietly, without a fight.

What I’d heard wasn’t a kill order—it was closer to an invitation.

He’d even told his men to bring me discreetly, so I wouldn’t draw attention.

The brute clicked his tongue.

“No fun, that. What’s your name?”

“Allen.”

“I’m Hattig. Branch leader of Brotherhood 102.”

Hattig didn’t radiate hostility.

His sharp gaze seemed, if anything, tinged with interest.

His unusual looks and stiff manner of speech reminded me of something.

“Didn’t expect an orc to be leading a Brotherhood branch.”

Orcs—an immigrant people from the barbarian cities of the south.

In Gellerg City, melting pot of races, they weren’t rare.

But an orc in the Brotherhood? That was.

“For an orc, back-alley thugs should be nothing but flies. Why lead them?”

Orcs were natural-born warriors, loving battle and preferring fair fights.

Quick to violence, but their tribal code prized honor.

The Brotherhood, infamous for cowardice and treachery, was the opposite.

“You know much of my kind.”

“Basic knowledge if you want to live long.”

“Think of me as a mutant. I left before I could be cast out.”

Well, people weren’t all the same.

But this one was certainly unusual.

“Anyway, since you came here, I suppose you’re curious about my business. Curiosity’s a fine trait—if you have the strength to back it up.”

“No. That’s none of my concern.”

“…What?”

His hand, mid-sip of wine, froze.

The relaxed expression turned to bafflement.

“I came to ask you something.”

“…Go on.”

“I need information on a former Brotherhood man. Black mage Dalton Sunderland. Know anything?”

The Brotherhood was huge, but black mages were rare.

A branch leader would at least know the name.

Hattig confirmed my guess.

“Yes. I’ve heard of him.”

“Which corporation recruited him through the Brotherhood?”

My belief was that Hynax hadn’t been running black magic research itself.

It had been subcontracted out—propped up, then discarded.

What I wanted was the corporation behind Sunderland’s extraction.

“…Are you serious?”

“I’m not asking for free. I’ll pay.”

“It’s not that. The very question is funny.”

Hattig’s gaze grew pointed.

“You think the Brotherhood grew this big without backing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Tens, hundreds of companies—megacorps among them—ride with us. For a high-value asset like a black mage, it’s easier to ask who hasn’t touched him.”

“…”

Of course I knew.

Corporations hired freelancers like me for shady work.

That the biggest gang in the underworld had corporate ties wasn’t strange.

“So you’re saying it’s impossible?”

“No. Just difficult.”

He slammed his glass down on the table.

“I’ve got pull. If I reach into Darkest Chase, I’ll find something.”

“Darkest Chase.”

“If you don’t know—an inner-circle black mage clan within the Brotherhood.”

A gang this large had its factions.

Darkest Chase was one of them.

Not really a chain of command—more like a fraternity.

Still, it made them a trove of personal records.

“Now, to practical matters.”

A sly smile spread across Hattig’s face.

“Why should I lift a finger for you?”

I frowned.

“I told you I’d pay.”

“I don’t need money. Business is booming here.”

“If not money, then something else.”

“Something else?”

“You want something from me.”

I hadn’t come with nothing but demands.

“Let’s deal. You give me what I want, I’ll give you what you want.”

After all, they had sought me out first.

I wasn’t the only one with business here.

(End of Chapter)