Three Days Back ....
Two men were sitting in a wooden hut, dressed in black.One of the two men started speaking softly.
"Katz Did you find out anything about when Dante Ward is leaving the house alone?" Alex asked while looking around cautiously.
"Yes, he's going to a big store this afternoon," Katz replied quietly.
"Perfect," Alex said with a slight smile.
"Katz, there won't be any issues with your plan, right?" Katz asked Alex in a slightly nervous tone.
"Don't worry, my plan is absolutely perfect. No one will suspect a thing," Alex said seriously and confidently.
"Alright, if you're saying it with such confidence, then okay," Katz calmed down.
"So, did you bring the things I asked for?" Alex inquired.
Katz pulled out a bag from behind and started showing it.
"Of course, if you ask for something, it's impossible for me not to bring it, Alex."
"Great, go ahead and open it," Alex said to Katz, eyeing the bag.
Hearing Alex, Katz started opening the bag. Inside, there were two sets of dirty, torn clothes along with some black paint on a leaf.
Seeing this, Katz asked Alex,
"Alex, is it really necessary to wear such filthy clothes and paint our faces black just to rob someone? If we just cover our faces with cloth and scare Dante Ward with swords, won't he get frightened enough?"
"You fool! Don't you understand? If we go in wearing good clothes and carrying swords, Dante Ward will definitely be scared, but then everyone in Milltown will know that Patricians are robbing Patricians, even if we cover our faces."
"But if we wear these torn clothes, smear a bit of black paint on our faces, and change the color of our hair, they'll definitely think we're Dregs. No one will pay much attention; they'll just assume we took a little to fill our stomachs, that's all. Got it, you idiot?" Alex explained to Katz, gritting his teeth.
Alex paused for a moment and then started again scolding Katz angrily,
"And how could you even think about robbing someone by showing a sword, you fool? Don't you know how expensive iron is? We only got these swords by the king's order, because the Guard Duty,"
And if we start using them to rob people, others will figure out that the thief is one of the factory guards. Then we'll definitely get caught, you idiot!"
"Ha... ha... Sorry, sorry, Alex. I didn't think that far," Katz apologized with an embarrassed, foolish laugh.
"Think before you speak! My head is hurting from answering your nonsense," Alex said, frustrated.
"Alright, let's put on these torn clothes now," Alex said to Katz while taking off his clothes.
"Yeah, okay," Katz replied.
In 5 minutes, both Alex and Katz had put on the torn clothes and applied black paint to their faces.
"Alex, look! Dante Ward is coming out of the house," Katz said, pointing towards Dante Ward's gate.
"Wait a bit. We'll follow him when no one is around, and then we'll surround him," Alex whispered.
"Okay," Katz replied, nodding.
Dante Ward was walking by the gate, smiling and humming a tune, and after a short while, he passed by the hut where Katz and Alex were sitting.
After Dante Ward left, the two waited for a bit, and then Alex quietly stood up and said, "Let's go now."
Alex and Katz got up and began to follow Dante Ward.
"This year went really well. The clothing business was great, and I received news from the capital that another inspection has been ordered for my factory. This time, I'll have to hide my income carefully," Dante Ward thought as he walked ahead.
"Katz, there's no one around now. This is our chance, let's go," Alex whispered while watching Dante Ward.
"Okay," Katz nodded, and both of them started running.
A little later, Alex and Katz positioned themselves in front of Dante Ward, blocking his path.
When Dante Ward saw them, he immediately recognized them as Dregs, because most Dregs wore dirty and torn clothes. Looking at them with disgust, he said,
"Hey, filthy Dregs, get out of my way!"
At that moment, Alex pretended to be scared and said,
"Sir, please, give us something to eat. I'm very hungry."
Mistaking Alex for a Dreg, Dante Ward kicked him hard and shouted,
"Didn't you hear me when I told you to get out of my way?"
When Dante Ward kicked Alex, Katz, who was standing beside him, felt a sense of relief, knowing that Dante Ward believed they were just Dregs.
As Alex fell to the ground, he looked at Katz and winked, signaling to him. Katz understood the signal.
Pretending to be frightened, Katz moved toward Dante Ward and grabbed him, saying,
"Sir, you shouldn't have done that. We were only asking for food."
Saying this, Katz tightly held onto Dante Ward, who turned red with anger and shouted,
"You filthy worms, how dare you touch me! Just wait..."
Before Dante Ward could finish, Alex quickly covered his mouth.
"Sir, forgive us, we have no choice," Alex said, pretending to be scared, while slipping his hand inside Dante Ward's shirt and pulling out a small pouch.
As Alex took the pouch, Dante Ward struggled hard to free himself, but he couldn't escape, as Alex and Katz were trained soldiers.
"Mmm... mmm... mmm..." Dante Ward tried to say something.
When Alex noticed that Dante Ward was trying to say something, he removed his hand from Dante Ward's mouth to hear him. At that moment, Dante Ward shouted loudly,
"You motherfuckers, how dare you try to rob me... umm... mmm," Dante Ward was saying when Alex quickly covered his mouth again.
"It's a necessity, sir, please don't take it the wrong way," Alex said quietly, pretending to be scared.
"Let's go," Alex signaled to Katz, and after giving Dante Ward a strong push, both of them quickly ran away.
After a while, Dante Ward got up and looked back at where Alex and Katz had run off.
"You filthy Dregs! I won't let you get away with this. How dare you have the guts to rob me! , I'll crush your entire family like the worthless bugs you are " Dante Ward shouted angrily, and a crowd started to gather.
Seeing the people, Dante Ward calmed down and decided to leave. He knew that his reputation in Milltown was significant, and he didn't want anyone to find out about what had happened. He quietly began walking towards the store.
**Present...**
"Officer, my factory operates two hours less than other factories because I allow my workers to take breaks. Maybe that's why the production has decreased," Dante Ward lied without hesitation in front of everyone.
The workers and the manager glanced at Dante Ward, and everyone had the same thought in their minds:
"May you choke on those lies, shameless old bastard ."
Max's sharp observation didn't go unnoticed as he commented, "It's good, really good, that someone thinks about their workers' health. Hmm... So, is this two-hour delay the reason production hasn't increased?" He smirked, glancing at the workers.
"Yes, Officer, you're absolutely right," Dante Ward replied calmly, assuming the matter was settled.
Max thought to himself, "What a shameless and cunning old bastard. He's been hiding a good three hours' worth of daily income from the government by scaring the workers. But I'll make sure I bleed him dry without raising any suspicion."
His eyes searched for the old Dreg who had handed him 5 copper Sols outside. When he spotted the man, Max gestured subtly and began walking slowly, engaging in casual conversation as he approached.
"Dante Ward, your idea might seem good, but once the other factory bosses find out, they might file a complaint," Max said as he walked towards the workers, addressing Dante Ward.
"Hah... Those fools won't dare complain against me. They don't have the guts," Dante Ward thought to himself.
Then, looking at Max with an innocent expression, he asked, "Why would they complain against me, Officer?"
Max smirked slightly, keeping his eyes ahead as he replied, "Because once the workers in other factories find out that Ward Textiles has reduced working hours by two, they'll start pressuring their bosses to do the same. If the bosses don't, the workers might threaten to leave. That's why they'll complain against you."
At that moment, the old man who had given Max 5 copper Sols earlier bumped into him.
Max flashed a faint, evil smile and glanced at his companion, giving him a subtle signal. Understanding the gesture, a man stepped forward and began kicking the old man, hurling insults as he did.
"You filthy Dreg! How dare you bump into a high-level Patrician officer?" the man spat, continuing his assault.
"Hey, hey, don't beat the poor guy, Luke," Max said, pretending to stop him, putting on an act of compassion. The workers around him began to think Max was a decent person, unaware that it was all part of his scheme.
"Sir... please forgive me. I felt dizzy and accidentally bumped into you. My health hasn't been good lately," the old man pleaded, tears streaming down his face.
Max looked down at the trembling Dreg and said, "Your boss is very kind, old man. He's thinking about people like you, which is why he reduced the factory's working hours by two. But if your health is so poor, why didn't you just take the day off?"
The old man, now visibly angry, turned towards Dante Ward and blurted out, "No, sir, this old bastard is lying to you! This factory works three hours longer than the others!"
Max's eyes gleamed as he heard those words, finally getting the confirmation he had been waiting for.
"Oh? Would you care to elaborate on that?" he asked, his voice calm but with a predatory edge. The moment he had anticipated had arrived.
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"Tell me something about this story, are you guys enjoying reading it?"
See... Yaa... Next Chapter
[ The First New Dawn ]