Ending Maker
chapter-249

Chapter 249: Seven Southern Families (2)

“Tell us a bit more in detail.”

Scarlet looked a bit displeased at Jude’s words, but she sat in a chair near the window and answered.

“Someone is literally robbing the 7 southern families. The families are keeping this information under wraps, but I’m sure of it. Four out of the seven families have already been robbed.”

“Do you know what they robbed?”

When Cordelia approached her and asked, Scarlet provocatively smiled instead of answering right away.

“Guess it.”

“It must be Carlos’ tokens. The tokens Carlos gave to each family.”

Jude immediately answered, and Scarlet pouted at him before she raised her chin and asked.

“Why do you think that?”

“There are two possible reasons why the occurrence of a robbery is being kept secret. One is that it is something you possess that you do not want others to know… An example is having drugs or stolen goods at home. The other is that it is something that will cause a big problem if it is known to be stolen.”

Naturally, this alone did not prove that it was Carlos’ tokens.

He couldn’t just say ‘My intuition told me’, just like how Cordelia did.

“There are two more clues. One is that the 7 southern families are being robbed in a row. Of course, the thief in question may be doing something symbolic by robbing the 7 southern families alone, or perhaps they’re just doing plain thievery. As for the second clue, it’s you, Scarlet.”

“Me?”

“Yes, when you said that it was a big problem, that was a clue in itself.”

Cordelia tilted her head at Jude’s words, but soon nodded and pretended to understand after Jude and Scarlet looked at her.

Therefore, Jude almost couldn’t suppress his laughter that was about to come out, but he calmed down and continued his explanation.

“Because we decided the match to be held at the south, you must have considered the 7 southern families as your targets, right? And to win the match for the Rogue Master position, stealing a symbolic object is better than a sellable item. Like Carlos’ token.”

But there was someone who was one step ahead of them.

Moreover, the thief had already stolen four out of seven.

It was a really big problem for Scarlet, as this had more significance to her than Cordelia.

“Gathering all the clues that have appeared so far, I can conclude that there is someone robbing Carlos’ tokens that the 7 southern families have highly treasured.”

The clues were not convincing when considered separately, but combining them made his assumption quite plausible.

‘And above all, it’s Scarlet.’

If he considered Scarlet’s personality and behavior, there was no other answer except Carlos’ tokens.

“Am I right?”

At Jude’s question, Cordelia excitedly turned to Scarlet who replied with a frown on her face.

“Damn it, you’re right.”

“As expected of my Jude. Isn’t my Jude amazing?”

As Cordelia brightly smiled and said that, Scarlet’s expression turned worse and she pinched Cordelia’s cheek.

“Ouch! It hurts! It hurts!”

“I can’t help it when your cheeks are so soft.”

Having said those words, Scarlet released her hand before Cordelia could counterattack, and she looked back at Jude and said.

“Black Cloak is right. Some unknown person is collecting Carlos’ tokens. Without even a notice.”

‘It strange to send a notice in the first place.’

She would clearly be angry if he said that out loud, so Jude held it in and only touched his chin as he asked.

“Any clues about the culprit?”

“None at all so far. But their method is quite rough. They infiltrate in secret, but once they’re inside the mansion, they become violent. In addition, they do not hesitate to kill people. They’re not a righteous thief.”

“Righteous thief?”

When Cordelia asked, Scarlet frowned before she pinched Cordelia’s cheek again and said.

“Great thieves only steal objects and not people’s lives.”

“Those are the words of the Rogue Master. The first one.”

“Yes, though it would have been better if it was Pink Bomb who knew that and not you.”

Scarlet sighed again at Jude’s answer, and she spoke to the groaning Cordelia who was covering her red cheek that had been pinched earlier.

“Anyway, the situation is like this, so it’s a bit awkward to have a match here.”

It was fine if they were going to steal something other than Carlos’ tokens, but the situation was already chaotic, so it wouldn’t look good for them.

Because everyone’s attention was already focused on an unidentified thief.

“Do the ordinary people still not know about it?”

“They still don’t know about it, but rumors will soon spread. Four families have already been robbed in succession… and as I’ve said before, the thief does not hesitate in killing people. So there are a lot of victims every time the thief steals from someone.”

There was a huge difference between injuries and deaths.

So it would be strange if a rumor did not come out at this point.

[Jude, what should we do?]

The match against Scarlet was important, but stopping Malekith was much more important.

‘First of all, who’s the culprit?’

In Legend of Heroes 2, there was no one who collected the tokens of the 7 southern families.

There were no quests related to it.

‘There are too many candidates.’

It was Carlos’ tokens and not just some simple object.

Perhaps one of the seven southern families was behind this.

“Scarlet, has Marquis Ophand been robbed yet?”

“Not yet. The other two families are Count Kagehama’s family and Count Luculia’s family.”

Jude nodded again at Scarlet’s answer, and sent a magic to Cordelia.

[Cordelia, choose between the two.]

[If we’re going to rob Kagehama or Luculia?]

[…We need to choose between securing the three remaining tokens or defending Kajsa’s token when the thief comes to attack… because they’ll definitely attack her family.]

Come to think of it, isn’t the answer to that natural?

After all, Cordelia is a beast girl who likes to bomb things.

[Okay, then let’s rob the two remaining families first.]

[Yes, that would be nice. Just like Dragon Ball, it will only be useful if we collect all seven tokens. Even if we only secure one or two tokens, it would be enough for the culprit to try attacking us.]

Because if the culprit’s true goal was Carlos’ legacy that could lead the 7 southern families, it was possible that they would try to confront Jude and Cordelia in order to collect all seven tokens.

But it was at that moment.

“Hey, why don’t you two stop talking secretly and let me in your conversation too?”

She didn’t know how they did it, but it was clear to her that they were talking secretly.

Scarlet spoke in dissatisfaction, and Cordelia turned to Jude who nodded and said to Scarlet.

“Before that, there’s someone we have to bring here first.”

***

Having been suddenly called in the middle of the night, Kajsa looked down at Cordelia as she narrowed her brows.

And Cordelia, whose face, ears, and neck were red, said with some hesitation.

“Y-you see.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I…”

“I?”

“I’m Pi-Pink Bomb.”

She said it. She finally said it.

Cordelia’s already red face turned even redder.

It was so difficult and embarrassing to introduce herself as Pink Bomb without wearing a mask.

But it wasn’t over yet.

“What bomb?”

“Huh?”

“No, what kind of bomb is it?”

“Pi-Pink Bomb.”

“Pink what?”

“Pink Bomb.”

“P-bomb?”

“Pink Bomb! Hey! Are you doing this on purpose?!”

“Yes, it’s on purpose.”

“Hey!”

The tearful Cordelia lunged at Kajsa who hugged her to stop her from moving.

“Woah, woah, calm down. Calm down. Uh, I just didn’t expect that you’ll say that. But it’s not as bad as you think, okay?”

The giggling Kajsa said as she put her chin on the head of Cordelia whom she was tightly hugging.

“Anyway, so the Pink Bomb in the rumors was Cordelia. Then naturally, Jude is…”

“That’s right, I’m Black Cloak. For your reference, it was Cordelia who came up with that name and not me.”

“I see. It’s indeed a name that Pink Bomb would have thought of.”

As Kajsa nodded as if she was convinced, Cordelia struggled in Kajsa’s arms and protested.

“I’m not the one who came up with Pi-Pink Bomb! It was Jude who did it!”

Jude’s the one who started it first, okay?!

But it was useless.

Because Kajsa enjoyed teasing Cordelia, whose reactions were very cute, more than teasing the shameless Jude.

Therefore, Kajsa said with a grin.

“Then, you’re the one who came up with Black Cloak?”

“Eh?”

“Aren’t you the one who came up with that?”

“T-that’s right. I-I am, but…”

Cordelia struggled to come up with an excuse, but she gave up in the end. Because the more that she spoke, the more that she felt like she was digging her own grave.

“Ah, you’re seriously cute. I really want to bite you.”

“No, you can’t. Five seconds have already passed.”

Jude said something incomprehensible and pulled Cordelia away from Kajsa. Kajsa wasn’t the only one who had superhuman strength after all.

“Ah, it was stolen.”

“I didn’t steal it, I just took it back.”

Jude shamelessly spoke as he tightly hugged Cordelia whose face turned redder at his words. She was somehow panting as she buried her face on Jude’s chest as if she was a mouse hiding in a hole.

And Scarlet, who was watching the entire scene, spoke with a miserable expression.

“What a mess.”

What the heck are you all doing?

This is the moment when the Rogue Master’s identity is revealed, but why is this kind of scene unfolding in front of me?

Scarlet swallowed her bitter tears as a descendant of the Rogue Master, and she glared at Jude who was the culprit of everything. Jude then said with a brazen face like always.

“And this person is…”

“I’m Scarlet. Descendant of the Rogue Master.”

No one knew who the first Rogue Master was.

So when Scarlet revealed herself, Kajsa looked at her in admiration before greeting her in the same manner.

“I’m Kajsa Ophand. Descendant of the divine creature, Fenrir.”

Both were beautiful women, but one was like a seductive fox and the other was like a fierce black panther.

‘What an interesting combination.’

Is this a dream collaboration that one couldn’t see in the game?

Jude’s gamer brain thought of that for a moment before he patted Cordelia’s back and told Scarlet and Kajsa.

“Moving on, Cordelia and I have one more identity besides the Rogue Master.”

“What is it? Is it that you’re a scammer couple?”

When Kajsa tilted her head and asked them, Scarlet burst into laughter.

“Wow, that’s perfect. That’s perfect. Scammer couple.”

“It is, right? It’s really perfect, right?”

As Kajsa giggled with excitement, Jude spoke with a bitter expression.

“… I’m glad that the two of you are getting along well.”

“Because I like pretty people. What’s your other identity anyway?”

Kajsa shrugged and asked him, while Scarlet smiled when she heard the words ‘pretty people’ before she also turned to Jude.

“Scarlet already knows about it.”

The other identity of Jude and Cordelia.

“Cordelia and I are both nobles of the S?len Kingdom, and also the Rogue Master… But we’re also members of the Guardians of the Holy Cross. And in my case, I’m also Master Landius’ disciple.”

“Wait, Iron Man Landius? The Red-Haired Warrior?”

Kajsa asked in her surprise.

She was not surprised that they were members of the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

Even in the south, there were some people from the noble families who had joined the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

But he’s Landius’ disciple?

That Iron Man Landius, and not just anyone else?

“Yes, that Iron Man Landius.”

“Wow, ohmigosh. Seriously, OMG. Wow, wow, wow. No wonder you’re so strong. Wow, you’re Landius’ disciple! That Iron Man Landius!”

Kajsa was so thrilled that she even jumped from her spot.

She couldn’t help it because she was a big fan of Landius.

“Is Landius really that big? Are his muscles firm? No, it must be firm. That’s right, it’s firm. It must be big and beautiful.”

Kajsa fell into her own world halfway when she was asking questions.

If it was the usual Jude, he would have just observed her, but this time, he immediately brought her back to reality because they didn’t have the time for this.

“Anyway, the story that I want to tell is not about my master. It’s just to increase the credibility of the story we’re about to tell you.”

Having said that, Jude took a deep breath and lightly patted Cordelia’s back. It was his signal to her to join the conversation again.

Because the words he was about to tell them was important for both Jude and Cordelia.

“Black Dragon Malekith. He’s aiming for the south.”

Jude slowly talked about what had happened so far.

Their encounter with Gamorr Khan, the boss of the Black Hand Mercenaries.

The fact that they learned from him.

“The resurrection of Malekith is near. The Guardians of the Holy Cross have already asked my master and the other Paragon heroes for help in fighting Malekith.”

Ghostblade Kamael and Holy Angel Lena.

At Jude’s words, Scarlet crossed her arms.

“I see. So you’re trying to collect Carlos’ tokens, right? In order to unite the 7 southern families who are busy fighting each other.”

“Yes, Malekith is a strong enemy that cannot be stopped even if the entire south unites against him. And in order to face him, a new Carlos must be born to lead the 7 southern families together.”

A new ruler of the south who would succeed Carlos.

“Hmm, all right. I somehow understand it.”

Kajsa nodded her head and crossed her arms like Scarlet as she said confidently.

“From what you have said so far, you’re asking us to fully cooperate in protecting the south, right? Okay, I will cooperate. I’ll lend you all the powers of the Ophand family, whether it’s my older brother or father. But on one condition.”

“To hand over Carlos’ legacy?”

“Because our side should also receive something. I won’t ask for it right now. If we try to command the families by using it, some of them might rebel. So Carlos’ legacy will be given to my Ophand family only after the fight is over. Because Carlos’ legacy belongs to us in the south.”

To summarize, she wanted the two to help them become the rulers of the southern region after the fight against Malekith.

‘As expected of the Sea Wolf.’

Someone who took advantage of an opportunity whenever there was an opportunity.

Her fierce smile and look were like that of a wolf.

“Okay, Cordelia and I are nobles from the north anyway. Our fief is also in the center. It would be much better for us to do business with the Ophand family when they become the ruler of the south.”

Even if they had all of Carlos’ possessions, it was impossible to become the ruler of the south during peacetime, unless there was an emergency.

Jude readily accepted her condition, and Kajsa grinned again while Scarlet frowned.

“I’m saying this again because both of you seemed to have forgotten it, but there’s someone who’s robbing the 7 southern families, right? They’ve already collected four tokens.”

In other words, it was not the time to think of giving Carlos’ legacy to someone when they had yet to obtain it.

“That’s right. So Kajsa, what do you think?”

“Out of the three remaining – no, there are two if you exclude my family. So you’re asking on who we’ll pick first?”

Choosing attack over defense was something common for beast-like girls.

Kajsa snickered as if she was amused the moment she made her decision.

“Then it’s definitely Count Kagehama. Let’s start from there. Those b*stards have the worst luck. Especially the second son.”

It was very much like Kajsa to give an emotional and personal reason rather than a tactical reason.

Therefore, Scarlet felt pity for that family while Jude briefly had an internal conflict.

Should I agree to her decision or not?

But it was then.

[Jude, let’s do what Kajsa says. Somehow, I want to hit Count Kagehama first.]

She didn’t have a proper reason for it.

It was just her intuition.

Her intuition was somehow telling her to attack them first.

But because this was Cordelia’s intuition and not anyone else, Jude nodded immediately.

“Okay, then let’s rob Count Kagehama first.”

“Yosh! All right! Let’s go!”

As Kajsa jumped in excitement, Scarlet looked at Jude with a disagreeing expression.

“Are we really going to do that?”

“Yes, because Cordelia also wants to hit Count Kagehama first.”

“And the reason?”

Scarlet was already looking at Cordelia and not at Jude.

So Cordelia replied with some hesitation.

“J-just because…”

I just felt it.

My intuition told me.

Scarlet sighed at Cordelia’s reply, and Kajsa laughed even louder.

“Kekeke, as I thought, we’re alike. My friend is like me, huh?”

Should I be happy or sad about that?

Cordelia awkwardly laughed at her beast friend’s declaration, and Jude turned to Scarlet.

“Hey, Scarlet.”

“What? Black Cloak.”

“Have you made preparations?”

A preliminary investigation on Count Kagehama.

The layout of the mansion, their security system, and so on.

“You want me to give it to you when I’m the one who worked hard for this?”

“Because it’s for world peace.”

Scarlet frowned at Jude’s shameless answer as she really hated it, but it was only for a moment. Her shoulders soon drooped and she nodded her head.

And that night, at a time close to midnight.

The ‘Night at Argon Port’, which lasted longer than usual, finally began.