After leaving the Fawkes residence, Jeremy had Turner follow after him. Several turns later, they arrived at a secluded area. Stopping, Jeremy turned back to Turner, who had remained silent.
The mere sight of him caused Jeremy’s face to scrunch up. Even as far from the Fawkes residence as he was, he couldn’t shake the unpleasantness that the debacle brought. Naturally, he directed his ire towards Turner, the cause of the incident.
“Mister Jeremy?”
On the receiving end of this fierce gaze, Turner turned fickle. None of the bravado and arrogance he showed earlier was present in the youth now. Jeremy himself didn’t inspire any fear in him. With Turner’s powers, he could slice Jeremy into ribbons a dozen times before the senior gang member could unholster his gun.
However, Charlie and Stuart were different. The latter was far more powerful, but it was the former who really scared him. The horrible state Charlie left his victims in were sights burned into his retina, never to be forgotten.
Right now, he knew that he could very well be on his way to receiving such a beating.
“Turner…”
After taking a breath, Jeremy found his words. “I believe we instructed all members to keep a low profile, to avoid combat situations and stirring tensions, didn’t we?"
“Sir-”
“Didn’t we?" Jeremy repeated with a low growl.
“Y-Yes, sir.”
“Yet, you treated it like a mere suggestion. Do you know what you’ve done?”
“Huh, didn’t we resolve it?”
Jeremy frowned at the ‘we’ in the other's words. His fists clenched up; he really wanted to sock the youth.
“No. No matter whether he gets the money or not, this isn’t a good look for us.”
Turner’s face showed confusion.
Jeremy saw this and shook his head. ‘This idiot can’t think with anything other than his dick.’
He turned around.
“Let's go. We have to report to Boss Desmond.”
Turner paled.
“W-Wait w-wait please, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. He doesn't need to know, right? I won’t do it again, I promise.”
The youth fell to his knees as he begged. Even Charlie couldn’t compare to Boss Desmond’s sadism and cruelty. There was no forgiving bone in that man’s body.
Jeremy shook his head.
“Even if you and I hold our tongues, the news will still reach his ears. There’s no way to stop it. Best thing to do is report it in, ourselves. Now, come, don’t delay.”
Jeremy didn’t bother offering a hand or waiting, and simply walked off.
Dismay filled Turner’s face as his fellow gang member’s back drifted further and further away.
'Accept the punishment’ on one side and ‘flee’ on the other side, the coin was flipped.
Landing, Turner got up with great reluctance and then followed after Jeremy.
***
‘Oh, perfect.’
Ralf looked down at his left hand in satisfaction. Hana’s Psi medical skills, a regeneration potion and his body’s natural regeneration had quickly healed up his broken pinky.
“Ralf, how does it feel? Is there any pain?” Hana asked from the opposite couch.
“Pain, let me check.” Answering in this way, Ralf thought, ‘Pain on,’ and instantly, his sense of pain was reactivated.
“Hmm hmm hmm mmm…nope nothing,” Ralf said after wiggling it about and prodding at it.
“Ralf, you’re really reckless.”
Ralf shook his head. “I told you, I can shut off my senses. I didn’t feel any pain.”
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“Even so, you shouldn’t hurt yourself.”
Ralf nodded.
He knew any other response would prompt another lecture. And after enduring thirty minutes of it already, there was no way he could take any more.
‘That damn Rei, I’ll pay him back somehow. I’ll spike all his milkshakes with wasabi.’
Resolving himself to commit the treasonous act, he shifted back to his mother.
“Mom, can you tell me about those gangsters?”
“Sure.” She then went on to explain all she knew.
The Red Star was undoubtedly a gang, yet they didn’t outwardly take this label. Instead, they described themselves as a private protection force, whose mission was to protect the village against monster attacks. This was the rationale they gave for the protection fee, which every resident had to pay.
Of course, this was hogwash. The Red Star had never done any defending, and would most likely never get the chance to. With three Adventurer hubs located at Lagner’s northwest, west, and southwest, a monster reaching Lagner was a nigh impossibility. This was simply a money-making scheme.
The Lagner villagers understood this as soon as it was proposed. Many opposed it initially, but after a few shows of force and some brutal examples, resistance quickly died down. The Red Star had a monopoly on power, there was nothing the villagers could do.
Though despite being under the rule of a gang, life in Lagner wasn’t that bad.
While encountering a Red Star member would worsen one’s mood, that was usually the worst one could expect. They made a few examples early on, but since then, nothing. No one had died and no one had been permanently disfigured by them. By conventional gang’s standards, they were a tame lot.
Another thing to note was that the protection money they asked for was very low. No one would miss a single meal. It was due to this and their general behaviour that many in Lagner had come to accept this predatory arrangement.
“...today’s event will hopefully shake people out of this foolish mindset. In the end, they’re still gangsters,” Hana said with a peeved tone.
Taking a breath, she cooled herself off. “I was just waiting for their demise.”
“Waiting?”
Hana nodded. “Yes, in two or so months, I’m sure they would be all cleaned up.”
Not following, Ralf tilted his head.
Hana’s gaze moved to the calendar and explained, “You know, Micheal hasn’t lost interest in your condition.”
Ralf’s eyes lit up at the name.
“He tasked his subordinate Lisana, the one who helped me move to this place, to do checks ups on you. At first, she used to come every month, but now she stops by yearly. If we go by the latest pattern, she’ll stop by Lagner in two months. As Micheal’s companion, I doubt she’d allow the Red Star to continue its activities. And, power-wise, she's a Rank 9 Telekinetic Origin Energy Master, so the Red Star will give her no trouble."
“Oh, that’s good to know.” Ralf’s mood lifted as another avenue became available to him.
The two continued their conversation and another ten minutes passed by.
“Okay, that’s enough. I have everything I need. I’m heading out.” Ralf got up from his couch and headed to his mother’s side and spread his arms. “A hug for good luck.”
Hana smiled, then proceeded to deliver a warm embrace.
“I won’t be away for long, stay safe okay. If worse comes to worst, use Micheal’s name, or explain that I’m a Unique user, or pretend to be Dimitri or say I’m Dimitri, just use anything to keep safe, okay.”
Hana’s heart swelled with emotion. ‘It’s you that I’m worried about. You’re your father’s son, that’s for sure.’ She sighed, then dropped her hands to the side. Ralf hung on a bit longer, before reluctantly pulling away.
“I’m heading off, stay safe.”
Following these words, he headed for the entrance.
“Ralf…that earlier, I have questions.”
Ralf steps faltered. “Umm, ah that, let's leave that for later, okay.”
“Okay. Then, stay safe and good luck.”
These words acted as winds to Ralf’s sail. Departing, he moved swiftly, exiting Lagner and heading northwest.
‘To Ganurg we go.’