Kouga Tsukishima was born in an island nation in the Far East. By rights, Kouga, who was the eldest son of the Tsukishima family, a wealthy kimono wholesaler, should have led a smooth life without hardships.
But Kouga's fate did not allow that.
「You loathsome jinx......」
The person who said that while looking at him as if he was feces or a worm, was Kouga's father.
The relationship between a father and son wouldn't necessarily be good, but this amount of hostility and hatred was unusual. The reason for that laid in the secret of Kouga's birth.
As a young couple in a kimono wholesaler, Kouga's parents were well-known in the town as a loving couple that went every day to a shrine in the mountains to pray for a child so that they would be blessed with a healthy successor.
But no one could have expected that that would cause their fates to go so wrong.
One day, when they were returning from the shrine as usual, they were attacked by bandits. Not only were they robbed of everything they had, Kouga's mother became with child.
Although she didn't lose her life, Kouga's mother became mentally ill because of the incident. Not only that, it was discovered only on the next day that ironically, the new life that the couple had been praying for--Kouga, was in her belly.
Kouga's father was torn. Was the child in his wife's belly his seed? He thought that if he was so torn about it, then he should just abort the pregnancy with drugs, but he couldn't help thinking that if it was indeed his child, he would be making an irreversible mistake. While he agonized over the decision, his wife's belly swelled to the point where it was no longer possible to abort the pregnancy.
And so, Kouga was born. Kouga's mother slit her own throat and died a few days after giving birth. No one knew if it was because of her mental illness or because she had given birth to an unwanted child.
Kouga's face was very similar to his maternal grandfather. Something about his eyes were also similar to Kouga's father, but it wasn't enough to be certain.
It was inevitable that Kouga's father would be suspicious. But once someone suspected something, everything would look suspicious to that person. He searched only for the similarities between Kouga and the bandits who attacked him and his wife, and became convinced of similarities between them even if they didn't exist.
And eventually, the suspicions turned into hostility and hatred. Even though Kouga had committed no sin, he began to think that Kouga was responsible for everything.
Even so, Kouga's father was a rational person. He only verbally abused Kouga badly once. It was only the one time when the plug holding his emotions in was gone because he was drunk.
But of course, that didn't mean that he was a good father. He always treated Kouga as if he didn't exist, and never gave him any love as a father.
The other members of his family were also the same. Because they were in the public eye, they never blatantly abused Kouga, but Kouga's care was left wholly to the servants and even though they lived under the same roof, Kouga was treated as an outsider. No, more like a jinx within the household.
Kouga grew up in this household for six years. When he became aware of what was going on around him, he realized that he wasn't wanted by his family. He was a young child who wasn't loved by anyone, but he tried to receive love through his interactions with those around him. He killed the dissatisfaction and anxiety in his heart, and did his best to always smile and be kind to others.
「He's such a creepy child, always smiling and chattering non-stop. That wife of yours left you such a troublesome souvenir. If she was going to die, she should have brought him along......」
The words that his grandmother confided to his father made Kouga realize that all of his efforts were wasted.
It happened on a certain day. When Kouga woke up, he was tied up in and in an unknown place.
「Oh, so you've woken up, boy」
A man Kouga didn't recognize was looking down at him.
「If you don't want to get hurt, just be obedient. In any case, you no longer have a place to return to anymore. No one will help you even if you make a fuss」
He didn't understand what the man was saying. While he was frozen by fear, Kouga was brought to the port and loaded onto a ship.
Other than the evil-looking sailors, there were many people who were bound just like Kouga onboard the ship. They were of different ages and genders, but they were all wallowing in their misfortune.
It was at this point that Kouga finally realized that he had been kidnapped. No, if that man's words were true, then it would be more accurate to say that he had been handed over to the kidnappers. The family that had not wanted Kouga, had simply arranged it to look like he had been kidnapped.
He was sad. More than that, he hated his family. However, the long and harsh voyage wore those feelings down and made him just glad to be alive by the time they had reached their destination.
In reality, more than half of those who had been kidnapped had died on this voyage.
「Boy, your luck is good. A kid like you usually dies for sure, but to think that you would survive. Well, do your best too when you're bought」
The ship carrying Kouga was a slave ship from the Far East. The destination that they had reached beyond the sea was Soldiland, the southernmost city of the Werunant Empire.
Kouga was bought by the Halfling Miguel, someone involved with the Dalanbert Family, whose territory covered this city. From even before his Job appeared, Kouga would continue to fight as a gladiator in the underground arena for the next twelve years.
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「Err, your name was...... what was it again?」
It was a luxurious room. A blonde-haired young man who was resting his cheek on his hand at his desk asked while looking at Miguel who was standing beside Kouga.
「Boss, he's Miguel from the Dalanbert Family」
A large man with short spiky black hair who was standing at the side responded instead.
「That's right, Miguel! I remember now!」
The man who was referred to as Boss pointed at Miguel.
「Miguel, that's not good. You ran away with your Family's money? That's unforgivable. The Dalanbert Family's Boss was boiling mad and asked our Boss to hand you over once we found you. That's why everyone associated with the Luciano Family has been given a copy of your wanted bulletin long ago」
The man took out a piece of paper from the drawer of his desk. Printed on the paper was the description of Miguel and Kouga.
「This is that wanted bulletin. Which means that you've now been caught by us」
Kouga and Miguel had been invited to have a chat with these two men around half an hour ago. The ones who had invited them had scary and obviously Yakuza features, and had surrounded both of them in an instant. Unable to escape even if they had wanted to, they were half-abducted and brought to a house in a high-class residential area.
Miguel had predicted that things would turn out this way. However, the cunning Halfling was sure that he would be able to use his eloquence to sweet-talk the one who had caught him.
However, Miguel had yet to utter a single word, had a pale expression and was trembling all over while drenched in sweat. The man with the guts to talk business even when a muzzle was pointed at his forehead was completely swallowed by fear.
Miguel had said the same thing over and over again after coming to the imperial capital.
「It's okay, I'll be able to bluff my way through any opponent. The only one to be careful of is that mad dog, Gambino. If we're caught by Gambino, then there's nothing I can do......」
His repeated words weren't for Kouga, but for himself. However, the importance of its meaning was clear, even to Kouga, who wasn't familiar with the situation in the imperial capital.
Albert Gambino. The young Don of the Gambino Family, an affiliate organization of the Luciano Family.
That was the name and title of the blonde-haired man in front of them.
He was a delicate-looking man with a slender build and appeared to be in his early 20s. He wore a red shirt with gold embroidery. With his insipid appearance, he didn't feel strong at all. Rather, it was the big man at his side that had the gravitas of a Don.
But Albert was definitely the one that scared Miguel so much that he was in serious danger of soiling himself.
Kouga remembered hearing about Albert frequently during the time when he was in the underground arena.
A true madman, they had said. A true degenerate, they had called him.
The Luciano Family had Finocchio, the Mad Pierrot, who had the same air of madness. But no matter how twisted he was, Finocchio did his duties as a Don faithfully, while Gambino was the type of madman who spread calamity around at his whim.
While chatting happily together over tea, he was said to have suddenly stabbed a knife through the skull of the person seated next to him without any logical reason. When asked, he apparently replied that it was because the tea he had been drinking had become tepid while they were talking.
Gambino wasn't bound by any rules.
Recently, stimulants with dangerous side effects were circulating in the imperial capital and it was the Gambino family that was selling them. The stimulants seemed to have been made by an alchemist he was acquainted with.
It was an outrage equivalent to spitting on their superior, the Luciano Family, but it was overlooked presently because Gambino's father--the previous Don, was the sworn brother of the current head of the Luciano Family. In other words, it was what was called『Obligation』.
Gambino, who understood that, behaved audaciously and was a troublesome existence like no other. Of course, sanctions awaited him if he went too far, but it was probably impossible for Kouga and Miguel to live long enough to see that happen.
「Now, our Gambino family has succeeded in catching the bad Halfling, but honestly it's not interesting to just hand you over」
Albert smirked as if amused.
「I mean, what I'm saying is, why do I have to work for a rural Yakuza like the Dalanbert Family? Miguel, what do you think?」
Miguel swallowed his saliva and squeezed his voice out to reply.
「Yes! I, it's exactly as you said. For someone like Dalanbert to dare to order about the Gambino Family, which is said to be the most outstanding among all the direct affiliates of the Luciano Family, is something that should not happen」
Albert nodded in a satisfied manner at Miguel's desperate flattery.
「Yeah, it's as you said. For a Halfling, isn't Miguel a man who understands reason? He's too good a man for the likes of Dalanbert」
「Do, do you mean that!? Then, me and you--」
「So let's do this. We'll stuff and mount you and your slave before handing you over」
「......Huh? Stuff, mount?」
「Yes, by taxidermy! We'll skin you alive and stuff your skins with ham and wieners, and then send it over to Dalanbert. Those guys are sure to be surprised~! Super fun! You think that it's a great idea too, right, Miguel?」
When he happily asked for agreement, Miguel shook his head vigorously.
「No, no, no, why would you do that!? Skin us alive!? Please stop making such ominous jokes!!」
「I'm not joking. I'm dead serious」
Albert declared with a deadpan expression.
「Well, that's it then. Raios, please take care of the preparations~」
「Understood. I'll get right on it」
The big man called Raios bowed courteously.
「No, no way......」
Miguel stood there, stunned. No matter how eloquent Miguel was, it was meaningless when the other party was a monster that words could not get through to. Which meant that it was time to pay the piper. Of course, Kouga would be going down with him.
But while Kouga was prepared for death, even he would hate being skinned alive. Wasn't there something that could be done? No, probably not......
As Kouga sighed in resignation, there was a knock on the door.
「Boss, I've brought the debtor who's behind on his payments. It's the village chief of Mintz village」
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A balding man with an eye-patch over his right eye entered the room.
From their conversation, he appeared to be the village chief of Mintz village. Normally, a Don like Albert would never meet with a mere debtor. Moreover, the village chief had borrowed money from the Yudra branch of the money lending business, so if there was a problem with delinquent payments, the problem should be resolved there instead.
However, the village chief apparently had something that he had to directly appeal to the Don about, so he came all the way to the imperial capital.
「--I see. In other words, you're saying that the party of Seekers called Blue Beyond extorted you out of the money that you had put aside for the repayment」
When Albert wanted to reconfirm the story he had just heard, the village chief nodded vigorously.
「That's right! I resisted frantically! But my wife and daughter were taken hostage, and to top it all off, my right eye was crushed! I had no choice other than giving them the money in that situation!」
The village chief appealed desperately while pointing at his eye-patch.
Kouga was an outsider, but even he thought that the story sounded fishy. If the village chief's story was true, the first person that he should have complained to was not Albert, but the imperial capital's military police.
The Empire encouraged Seekers. At the same time, they strictly clamped down on problematic Seekers. If a complaint was lodged by a victim, they would definitely settle the problem. If the village chief couldn't do that, he could only think that it was the village chief who was hiding something.
「It's not just that! That guy--Blue Beyond's leader, Noel Stollen said this! That if I had money to give to a small and weak Yakuza Family like the Gambino Family, then it was no better than throwing it in a canal so he should have it instead. I heard him say that with my own ears! I swear it's the truth!」
Kouga almost inadvertently burst out in laughter.
He didn't know the truth behind the matter, but it was obvious that the village chief was exaggerating. It was clear to see that he held a grudge against this Seeker called Noel and was trying to use the Gambino Family to exact revenge on him.
「......You've taken it too far, idiotic fool」
Miguel muttered softly.
The village chief had certainly taken it too far. There was no reason for the people of the Gambino Family to be taken in by such an easy-to-see-through lie. Normally, the one who would end up being punished would be the village chief who had offended the Gambino Family. To not even understand that, the lifeform known as an idiot was stupendous......
「Small and weak Yakuza Family, huh? That's harsh. We've been working hard, so being spoken of in that way makes me so sad that I feel like I'm going to cry」
Albert said that in a monotone and was clearly not speaking from his heart. It was really obvious that he had seen through the village chief's lie. But the stupid village chief misunderstood and thought that his lie had gotten through.
「Mr Albert, this is no time for lamenting! In order to show the authority of the great Gambino family, you should bring justice down onto that villainous Seeker!」
「Okay, I got it. I'll bring justice down onto that Seeker called Noel Stollen. I'll also give you time for your repayment. Is that okay?」
「Thank you very much! Thank you very much!」
The delighted village chief bowed his head many times.
「Alright, this topic is now done. Next is how to set things right with you」
「Eh, set things right?」
Albert snorted with laughter as the villages chief tilted his head.
「Yes, set things right. Whatever the reason may have been, you broke the promise between us. In that case, you must take responsibility」
「Then in that case, all the money that I have......」
「I don't need any money other than the repayment. In exchange, let's see...... Okay, I've decided. I'll take your right arm then. The Seeker crushed your right eye, right? Then I'll have to take that right arm」
The village chief widened his eyes in surprise at Albert, who had presented this unreasonable argument as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
「N, no way! I'll die if you take my right arm!」
「Look, use your spirit. If you do your best, you can survive it easily」
No matter how anyone thought about it, that was clearly impossible, but Albert did not care one whit about the life or death of the village chief in the first place. He simply wanted to enjoy the tormented look of someone struggling between life and death.
「Hey, you over there」
Albert called out to Kouga.
「Hey you, you said your Job was Bladesman or something, right? I've heard that it has the trait of being more specialized in slashes than the Swordsman, but is that true?」
Kouga nodded. Combat type Job, Bladesman. That was Kouga's Job. Although the Rank was only C, he was the undefeated champion in Soldiland's underground arena.
「Hmm, that's really interesting. I wonder what and how much difference there is. While we're at it, why don't you cut off the village chief's arm. With that stick」
Albert pointed to Kouga's stick.
「......Me?」
「That's right. Hurry up and do it」
It didn't seem like Kouga had the right to refuse. He turned to the village chief.
「Village chief, put out your right arm」
At Albert's command, the village chief shook his head in tears.
「Hurry up, or I'll kill you」
He growled in a low-pitched voice. The village head resigned himself and put his right arm forward.
「Okay, that's good. Ah, wait a minute. I'm not ready yet」
Albert took a small transparent crystal from the drawer and placed it on the desk. And when it was crushed into powder with the hammer that he had taken out together with the crystal, he brought his face close and sucked the powder in with his nose.
「Kaaa~~...... I feel it~~~~! This is it! I have to suck this before it's time to enjoy the violence! Ku~~, it's the best!!!」
Albert's pupils had dilated and was in a euphoric state. What he had just taken was probably the rumored stimulant.
「Hey, it's fine now. Cut off the village chief's arm」
He said it so easily. Kouga, who was a gladiator in the underground arena, had experienced killing countless times. But by no means did he ever do it because it was what he wanted. He didn't want to do things like killing people. Especially weak people who were pitiful, just like this village chief.
「What's wrong, hurry up and cut it off」
When Albert urged him on, the village chief gave a twitching laugh.
「He, hehehe, there's no way a stick can cut......」
Albert, annoyed by the laughing village chief, struck the desk with his fist.
「Didn't you hear me tell you to cut it off!? Hey you, Oriental! Hey, why are you feigning ignorance! Say something!!」
Kouga whispered in a soft but clear voice to the ranting Albert.
「......I've already cut it」
「Haa?」
Albert let out a foolish sound. At the same time, the village chief's right arm fell to the floor.
「Hehe? .........Ehh!? A, aaa, arm!? My right armmm!!! GYAAAAAAA!!!」
Kouga had cut off the village chief's right arm the instant he had been ordered to do so by Albert. Because it was done so quickly and the cut was so amazing, no one around was even aware of it, and even the slashed village chief himself didn't realize it due to the time difference between the cut and his arm falling off.
Blood sprayed from the cut and the village chief rolled around on the floor in pain.
Albert, looking at that scene, laughed loudly in a screechy voice.
「Hyahahahaha!! Amazing, well done, Oriental!! I like you! You'll be my slave from today onward!!!」
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No one could refuse the decision of the mad dog, Albert. For Miguel, Kouga was his only lifeline, but when he was told that he would be let off the hook in exchange, he handed over Kouga's covenant of servitude immediately and ran for it.
And so, Albert became Kouga's owner.
However, he wasn't made to do anything immediately. It was because Kouga was weakened from living on the streets. Kouga was given a servant's room by Albert and was treated there. A few days later, in front of the mirror in the room stood a fully recovered Kouga.
His complexion had become much better and his body was full of vitality. His disheveled black hair that was crawling with lice had also become glossy after taking baths and combing it with a comb. Because it had gotten a little longer, it was gathered and tied at his nape so that it wouldn't get in the way.
The equipment he wore was a crimson Far Eastern armor that Raios had bought from a trader with trade routes to the Orient. And two swords of different lengths, a tachi and a wakizashi.
It was the first time since he was born that he had worn such proper equipment. In the underground arena, he had always been forced to fight with tattered equipment.
「It suits you very well」
He turned towards the voice and saw a member of the Gambino Family standing there.
「Your condition looks perfect. Can you go?」
Kouga nodded silently.
His new owner, Albert, had decided to use him as the Gambino Family's assassin. And tonight would be the first day of his new job.
A Yakuza assassin after being a gladiator. The fact that he was killing people didn't change, but it clouded his heart that he seemed to be falling into evil.
However, Kouga, a slave, could only follow orders.
「......What kind of person is my opponent?」
Nothing good would come out of knowing the opponent that he was going to kill, but Kouga inadvertently asked because he was suffering from the pangs of his conscience. At the very least, it would be good if his opponent was a bad person.
「Your opponent is a Seeker」
「Seeker? The Yakuza wants a Seeker dead?」
At Kouga's question, the Family member pulled a long face openly.
「It's an opponent who doesn't need to be killed. It's purely because the Boss' bad habit is acting out again. If you've heard the story from the village chief of Mintz village, then you know who your opponent is, right?」
「Huh? ......Could it be......」
「Yes, it's exactly who you're thinking of」
The Family member was telling Kouga that the opponent he was to kill, was the leader of Blue Beyond, Noel Stollen.
And it’s another ambush from the onion ninjas. Or that’s what I wanted to say but that backstory was just depressing… I teared up at Noel and Alma’s past but this one just left me so sad… Shoutout to ninjacow though, you were right that Kouga gets this chapter, though it’s all third-person. I suspect the author didn’t want to use first person because he wanted to avoid using a ton of Hiroshima-ben.
That village chief… You can’t cure stupidity…
I struggled with the name of Kouga’s equipment because the literal name of his armor is actually “modern armor”. But that’s only in relation to the older traditional armors. It was modern for its time so that’s what it was called but obviously isn’t modern anymore. Basically, it’s traditional armor that has been upgraded after Western influences and incorporated iron plates to deal with muskets etc. If you look at the full armors from the later parts of the Sengoku era, that will be it. The color is oddly specific too… to know the exact color, its RGB is (179, 66, 74)… I’m not kidding…
Looks like a fun time ahead though, right? In this Yakuza arc, that is. ( ^ω^ )
I usually tease a bit about what will happen next chapter, but trust me, the most epic series of chapters is coming up.
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