Reincarnated as a Son of the Sword Saint and the Sage
Chapter 77 - 77: Agenda in the Shadows

Somewhere within the Dwarfen Kingdom of Doria

In a dim corridor, a suspicious man in a black hooded robe traced the long, stoned path. He walked without concern for his surroundings, knowing he had nothing to sweat about.

Only the flames of the torches illuminated the area, not magically powered bulbs. Not that they don't have budget to purchase lighting, but it's a countermeasure to avoid any usage of magic being detected in their secluded spot.

The man stepped his feet endlessly until he passed a door. Upon pushing it, five figures unfold behind the cold walls. Each of them sat in their own chair, facing each other across a rectangular table.

"You're late." The man at the end of the table scoffed. "Tardiness is what makes people lose opportunities, you know?" He reminded the latecomer while his feet lay crossed on the wooden table.

"Hmph. This location is in the middle of nowhere, and the hallway is long. Not a good place for an old man like myself to follow." The hooded man whined begrudgingly as he was taking off the hood of his black robe.

Just as the man said, he is really past his prime and appeared to be in his seventies. Gray locks with signs of alopecia, a ridged forehead, and thin body composition.

"Putting that aside. Are you perhaps here to request a job again, Liscio?"

"Indeed. The last attack failed. My master put the order again. Are you willing to work with me again, Sir Kolben?"

Kolben, the man with wine-red hair, removed his calves from the table and placed his right arm instead. The other four around him broke into a smile, which made Liscio increase his awareness. He knew he was currently dealing with a demon.

"Don't make that kind of face, old man. We are still open for transactions. Sit down and relax. I know you've been tired of walking."

"…I'll take your concern." Liscio accepted Kolben's offer and laid his back on a chair across him.

Liscio has been making himself more cautious and careful about his gestures and actions in front of the group. Displeasing them might call off the transaction or, at worst, put his head on the floor.

He had reasons to fear the group, for they were the upper echelons of an infamous underground organization.

Five Headed Hydra is the name of their organization. An organization lurking under the shadows of the countries of the Northern Continent.

Notorious for their crimes and illegal activities throughout the region. Most countries are aware of the deeds that they have done then and now. The whole truth of their power and influence has been a mystery until now.

The authorities are still trying to find out their base of operations, but to no avail. The organization has been snitching up with some aristocrats that shielded them from the law; their business has been making them dime for their own satisfaction.

"So what's the reason for the failure?" The only woman in the group expressed her confusion in a seductive tone. "We accommodated you with a high-quality sword, isn't it?"

Her name is Sabrina, and she is the leader of the human trafficking division. Crimes such as kidnapping and illegal slave trading are daily activities. A few pleasure houses offered high-caliber services.

She is in her early thirties and has long, wavy, wheat-blonde hair. Her bewitching beauty and figure instantly charm every man around her. A former famous first-class nymph of darkness who owned several high-class brothels, legally and illegally, through the continent.

"Why do you have to ask that if we already know the answer?" A muscular man chuckled with his arms crossed. "He failed because he didn't have the brains to hire my men."

He is Mordred, the one in charge of the assassination division of the underground organization. Being the head of manpower implies his absolute strength among all his underlings.

He appeared to be in his early forties, but his prime didn't deteriorate a bit. Gray locks sit atop his head, not from aging but from his natural hue. Pierce faces with a menacing gaze and immobilize the weak with a glance.

Mordred used to be a former Supreme Ranked adventurer. A famous warrior who spread his name throughout the empire but suddenly disappeared and left his glory in history.

For some reason, he is now sitting in the shadows as an elite member of an underground organization.

"…That was the decision I regret the most." Liscio showed a tired face. "I should have hired your men instead of those stupid outlaws."

"That means the items that I provided weren't the cause. Qualities are guaranteed if recommended by myself after all."

The man who just spoke was a dwarf, the leader of the black market division. Although he is wearing a black mask under a hood, his stoutness over height clearly says so. He is a man of authority, so he's been concealing his identity.

"That's right. It's a waste that all of those expensive swords were confiscated by the Imperial Knights." Liscio showed his disappointment.

"Well, it's already done; no need to cry over spilt milk." The slender man in charge of illegal drug dealing, Methis, muttered. "Our influence in the empire wasn't as solid as the other countries, yet we cannot take those swords back."

The Five Headed Hydra is responsible for the production and distribution of a certain kind of drug that has spread widely throughout the continent.

An addictive drug that put the consumers on cloud nine and lost their reason along with it. Some nobles have been corrupted by it, even secretly shielding them from the authorities.

"Are you going to request the same as last time?"

"The same as before. Here are the details."

Liscio then threw an envelope on the table, which Kolben, the leader of all divisions of the Five Headed Hydra, took and read.

"You've got the nerve to take down an aristocrat. Are you perhaps working under another noble?"

Liscio was taken aback by the words of Kolben, but managed to contain himself immediately.

"…It's not your business. I am just a servant who is obediently following his master's demands."

"Well, trust is the most important thing in business."

Liscio took something from under his robe and placed it on the table. It was a small bag that emitted jiggling sounds upon contacting the wood.

"Fifty gold coins as down payment; Master is willing to pay double if you succeed."

Methis, who sat nearest to Liscio, took the bag of coins and threw it to their leader. Kolben jiggled the bag of coins and confirmed the number of golds in it by just listening to the sound.

"Your boss is quite gallant; he must be influential and rich. Quest accepted. You can leave now."

"Thank you for accepting my master's demand. I hope you accomplish it."

Following Kolben's instruction, the old man stood up and walked out the room. With nothing to worry about, they can discuss the matter thoroughly.

"Can you tell us about the ambush, Velfast?"

"Understood."

A man clad in black suddenly appeared in the room. The silent reaction of the members inside indicates he is a member of the committee.

His name is Velfast, and he is the head of the intelligence division. In charge of gathering information around the continent. He's been concealing his presence the whole time until now.

"The scout I've been dispatched to observe the incident never came back. But it was said that a group interrupted the ambush."

"So the scout had been killed as well…"

"There's a high possibility. We have concluded that that was the case. But killing a man of his caliber required a strength comparable to mine. They must have a good rouge among them."

The person Velfast sent was an elite underling of his, not your average rouge. Kolben couldn't believe someone of his caliber was detected and beaten by someone who was on par with or greater than Velfast.

"Have you heard anything about the ones who interrupted?"

"Nothing at all. Only one survived among the bandits and was in the custody of the knights. The knight that they bribed to get rid of the mages was incidentally killed by the bandits. The other knights were tight lipped and didn't expose their benefactors."

"If the group wiped out the band of bandits and even found out our scout, they must be strong. Let's take this case to increase our awareness in the empire."

"Yes, sir."

Once the conversation was done, Kolben shifted his gaze to Mordred to change the topic.

"Mordred, you said that your men in the Imperial Capital fled here and isolated themselves, right?"

"Yes, they never explained what happened to them. It was like they were tortured mentally and spiritually. They've been shutting themselves out and never got back to work since then."

"Hmm…"

A few months ago, one of the few mercenary groups that the organization dispatched into the empire came back to their base mentally unstable and with frightened eyes. They seemed to be desperately trying to escape something that disabled their ability to talk about it.

"That party was strong enough to be recognized by myself. But they encountered something that wasn't supposed to be touched, resulting in their neutralization."

"Something is happening in the empire, which is the next venue for our next mission. So Mordred, tell your men not to mess up and be discreet."

"I understand, boss."

"Good." Kolben turned his attention to the masked man. "You know what to do."

"Alrighty, boss. Leave the items to me."

The six of them chuckled in the darkness of the world.