In the city of Raind, a certain rumor had begun to emerge that a new syndicate had appeared in the city. Drug dealers ran scared, and petty thieves were bullied into giving up their profits. Potions were at cheaper prices, and illegal drugs were distributed on the streets. All this under a name that began to gain respect: Underworld.
Underworld in just two months, had achieved the dominance of 90% of the city. The remaining territories were either part of the guard or were close to the guards. And that is why they have become a problem for the army of the Republic. They had concentrated on detecting the presence of one of the three largest syndicates, and now the bill was overdue.
At the headquarters, the sergeants and city captains all gathered together to form an action plan against Underworld. Amid the soldiers of the Republic of Selus in their blue uniforms was a figure. Dressed in white, he was not a member of the local army but a sergeant from the Kingdom of Axes who had come for a democratic mission between the two states. Although his mission was in the capital, he stopped at the barracks when he heard about the meeting of the city's high command.
His name was Silver Alexander Kendall, Sergeant of the Army of the Kingdom of Axes. Because both states used similar military ranks, he was able to attend the meeting with permission from the Captains. Normally this would be impossible, but Silver wore a medal on his chest that any military man watching him would realize was the medal of the Supreme General of the Kingdom. It meant that on this mission, everything he did and said would be treated as if the General himself were present, so no captain refused his entry.
Underworld data made it evident that they specialize in blackmail and the sale of substances without permission. However, they have begun to traffic in weapons. Some guards had found weapons of the demi human savages and the Kingdom being carried by petty thieves. When they were asked where they got them from, they only said a guy with contacts to the Underworld sold them.
The organization of the syndicate had not yet been completely deciphered, but the following ranks were known: First, the lowest echelon is composed of thugs, thieves, and vendors in alleys. Second officers coordinate low-ranking soldiers to do business. Third, a figure serving as a syndicate leader named Hades. This person is the mastermind behind the syndicate's success.
The meeting ended with the decision to increase efforts to locate the syndicate headquarters and discover Hades' identity before he acquires more power.
"A pretty typical meeting, right?" One of the captains asked Silver before he left.
"No, it was actually very informative. I have a duty to let the Kingdom army know in case they try to expand into our territory. Excuse me, could you tell me what your name is?"
"Captain Reggie Pasten Alubarde. At your service. It is uncommon for the Supreme General to send someone on a mission this far. It must be of extreme importance"
"Yes indeed, I must leave immediately for the capital. with your permission."
"I won't entertain you anymore. I hope you have a good trip." Before Silver could leave, Reggie asked him. "How is General Gen?"
"His health is good as always"
After saying those words, Silver retreated under Reggie's exhaustive gaze.
In a private store whose services were only available by special order and not open to the public, were Thanatos, leader of the Underworld, and Lui, the manager of the laboratory. Both were involved in their work, creating potions and experimenting with herbs, powders, and the occasional metal. They took a break from constantly mixing and diluting to compare the results of their labor.
[Level obtained: Alchemist 2]
"These health potions are exactly the same. You are amazing it took you a month to learn the basics and, in another month, you have already matched me" Lui was surprised to see the learning ability of his Boss.
"Well, I have a good teacher and a good reference book" He said, as he touched the black book in his pocket.
"Teacher is too much when you are the one who teaches me the ingredients to make health, strength, and speed potions." Lui was completely grateful.
"And you taught me how to start with this business of alchemy, so I would say we are even."
In fact, he had also improved his ability to read the glyphs and was able to learn some new spells from the black book. Like with everything in life, practice makes perfect. He realized that if he wanted to improve his necromancy, he would have to practice. That thought was interrupted when the door opened.
"I'm sorry for the interruption, but I need you to come with me" Interrupting them at the door was Adel, who needed to talk to Thanatos.
"It seems that they need me, keep up with the good work Lui"
"You don't have to tell me twice, Boss."
They left the lab, and Adel couldn't resist the urge to ask.
"Why did you ask them to call you Boss?"
"Again with that, I told you that I only decided in the moment because it seemed the most natural thing for them to call me that"
"But you chose Hade's name as the leader of the real syndicate. However, you say that I would be Hades. Why?"
"That, of course, was because every good organization needs a scapegoat. In case the guards discover us, everyone is clear that Hades is the ringleader of the operation."
"I understand that. I will take the blame, but what I mean is that the name of Hades could have been used by you and I would have stayed as the false leader called Thanatos. You said before that Hades was the leader of the underworld in the tale from your home village. So why didn't you choose the most appropriate name for the leader?"
Adel knew the real name of Thanatos. Lia screamed at him when he was about to die. That was how he knew. It wasn´t that he hated his old name, but he wanted to use this opportunity to start from scratch. After confirming that only the two of them knew his real name, he asked them not to tell anyone, not even Castess or Eric. Adel accepted it without problems, and Lia too, although a little more angry. For some reason, she seemed to have an attachment to his old name. After inventing that Greek mythology was a tale of his childhood, he had the perfect name for his organization.
"It's because Hades oversaw the whole underworld, he had to be very organized. That suits you better, since you know how to manage the operations of a syndicate much better than I do. What I do best is being a Boss who gives ideas and moves us towards the goal, and you make sure that things work to fulfill it"
Adel knew that Thanatos was telling the truth. It had been just over two months, but he had already learned that his master was a capricious man. If Adel was the captain of a ship, then Thanatos was the sea and the wind that moved indifferent to the desires of others, with only one exception...
"You arrived, Thanatos. Look, I just finished you a new suit. Try it on. I know it will fit you perfect" Lia cheerful voice flooded the entire sewing room. She moved quickly to give him the suit with innocent enthusiasm.
"Another suit so soon? Every day, you are getting faster. I already have a dozen suits. I told you I don't need any more suits."
"And I told you I'm doing them to practice my tailoring skill" Her words were accompanied by an angry expression. "Try it fast. I want to see how well it fits you."
Unable to say anything, he got behind a curtain and walked out a couple of minutes later. It was a purple suit with black and gold embroidery on the neck and sleeves.
The scene proceeded exactly as Adel predicted.
"Thank you for the suit. How much do I owe you?"
"I already told you. You do not have to pay me. Those are gifts. In fact, you still insist on paying rent, and it bothers me."
"Hey, if you don't accept that money, you will have to accept that I pay you for all the clothes you have given me."
Adel saw how their little dispute continued, and then they reached an agreement where Lia would prepare another garment for him in the future. Adel was a perceptive man, and after two months, he realized some things. Although Thanatos was someone who said what came to mind without much concern for what others might think, Lia was an exception to this. The woman was certainly considered of social norms, so much so that she did not get into the syndicate business and most of the time she worked in her office alone.
When they got together, their personalities changed. Thanatos would become cautious of his words, looking sideways or at the ceiling several times. For her part, Lia talked and smiled much more than usual and tried to ask about anything looking for a conversation.
Adel noticed that neither of them seemed to realize the way they acted in front of the other, which made witnessing these scenes somewhat uncomfortable. He had decided not to talk about it and to simply ignore it. At that moment, the conversation caught his attention.
"The thing is, I received a letter from my mother inviting me to a party in the Capital, so I'm going to be outside for a few days"
"The Capital. I understand. I was thinking about expanding. Adel, you think it's time to get into new territories-"
"Master, please let me accompany you to the Capital. I know it sounds selfish, but I have pending business there." He bowed his head in a sign of permission.
"Of course, I was going to ask you if you could accompany me. If you have business, you can finish them. Can we accompany you, Lia?"
"Yes, of course. Then I can show you the Capital. You have never been there right. I will be your guide."
After a couple of days, with the preparations ready, they left the orders to their subordinates. They were going to reduce their activities for a while so as not to attract too much attention. In the carriage driven by Castess, four people were inside.
"Why are you going to come?" Asked Adel.
"Why? You said that you were going to look for a possible hiding place in the Capital and hire staff. Of course, you need my help."
"I'm more than enough for those tasks. You should make sure that business here maintains its course."
"No, no. You are strong, but you don't have the charisma to recruit those thugs from the Capital. Believe me, I have been several times on those grounds."
"And they ended up running you out every time."
"Do you want to start a fight, you bastard?"
"Stop fighting. Eric, I gave you permission because I trust your experience, but if Adel says you didn't help at all, I'm going to give you a punishment when we come back. Understood?"
"Relax, boss; I'll show you that no one knows those streets like I do." He boasted.
"Don't talk about business now. Let's see the market first. The central square is huge. And I'll take you to a very good restaurant." Lia interrupted them to change the subject.
"Are all of you sitting? Now we will leave for the Capital, is a trip of approximately two days" From the front, spoke Castess.
"I can't wait to see what the Capital is like." With a smile, Thanatos and his group departed.