Since I Don't Know Anything About It, Shall We Break Up, Your Majesty? - Chapter 68

The days of protests, demonstrations, and assaults continued for 3 days.

The street was instantly devastated, and many were injured.

It was just one block away from the glamorous Opera Street where nobles frequented, but it looked like a completely different world, a desolate scene.

Landers’ carriage entered Frank Street, occupied by citizens, under the cover of the dark night.

As if they had been waiting for him, Shantes’ gangs turned around and looked at him.

At the center of the group was Shantes with dark circles under his eyes.

His eyes were by no means friendly towards Landers, but Landers approached him elegantly as if unaware of such hostility.

He was as relaxed as if he had arrived at some party.

His attire was a perfect three-piece suit, no different from usual.

The only thing that wasn’t neat was the cigar in his mouth.

“……To drag this out for 3 days. It seems even the little usefulness you had is gone.”

Shantes’ eyes turned vicious at Landers’ blunt words.

Landers looked straight into Shantes’ eyes and blew out smoke.

Through the dissipating white smoke, Shantes’ bloodshot eyes were filled with killing intent.

Landers, who had been staring back, smiled slightly.

“Good, with those eyes, you should be able to clean this place up tonight.”

“……Why are you here?”

“To deliver this.”

The protests and suppression had become violent, attracting many onlookers.

Even though this city had many allies of Tartien, this level of disturbance was enough to draw criticism.

Tonight, this place had to be cleared without fail.

Landers held out a wooden box he had brought through his secretary.

“What is this?”

“What you need right now.”

Shantes opened the wooden box with suspicious eyes.

“……!”

Inside was a rifle.

Shantes had seen guns a few times before, but it was his first time seeing a rifle.

It was mainly a weapon used by soldiers, and handguns were much more widely circulated in the market.

Although Shantes could have guns if he wanted, he didn’t prefer firearms.

Too fast, too unlucky.

He thought firearms felt similar to Landers.

After all, they’re just weapons for killing, but they’re expensive as if they’re some great treasure, and it’s really annoying how they’re decorated and then act humble.

“Why this?”

Shantes pushed the box away with a sour face, but Landers didn’t back down.

“Take out those at the forefront first. That’s how you break their morale and suppress them all at once. And once some gunshots ring out, even the bravest will cower.”

Landers’ words certainly made sense, but Shantes really didn’t want to listen.

Why should I listen to what this bastard says?

He stared at Landers with gloomy, sunken eyes.

“It’s not difficult to clear this place tonight even without this.”

At Shantes’ words, Landers looked at him with pitying eyes for a moment, then sighed and said,

“……If you don’t want to, I’ll do it.”

“Don’t interfere.”

“This is a request from our side. You’re not in a position to tell me not to butt in.”

“……”

At Landers’ threat, Shantes closed his mouth and glared at him intently.

With an intense desire that someday, he would take that bastard’s life with his own hands.

It didn’t matter if it was 30 years, 40 years later.

Someday, without fail, with my own hands…

“Your gaze is filthy. Well, that glaring is all you can do anyway.”

Landers smirked and ordered his secretary to bring firing gloves.

Just as the secretary put down the box on the ground and was returning to the carriage.

Bang—!

A gunshot rang out and the box on the ground burst open.

Crack! Pow!

“……!”

Surprised, Landers quickly retreated, and Shantes lowered his body and ran to his gang members.

“Damn it! We’re under attack! Find them!”

Bang! Bang!

The gunshots didn’t end with just one.

Consecutive shots rang out from here and there, and something like bombs exploded on the ground.

Acrid smoke rose.

They were planning to ambush, but instead, they were ambushed.

Right then.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Get lost, you bastards!”

“Did you think we’d hand over our street so easily?!”

Dozens of residents armed with weapons poured out.

With bandages here and there, and each holding their own weapon, they charged from all directions at once.

Their momentum was tremendous, like a storm.

“Damn it, everyone scatter!”

Moreover, somehow they had guns too.

If they had snipers, it would be thoroughly disadvantageous for this side.

‘……Damn it, Landers was right.’

No one on this side had died yet, but the morale was already severely dampened at the thought of enemy snipers.

Still, Shantes didn’t give in.

No, it was rather a good thing.

He took out his well-sharpened weapon.

He had been extremely stressed lately anyway.

He unleashed himself and charged in like a madman, as if to vent his frustrations.

“Aaaah! Come at me, all of you, come at me, damn it!”

Shantes and his group were violent and skilled fighters.

Yet strangely, they were being pushed back.

It was then that Shantes noticed suspicious individuals among the citizens.

They were wearing masks and helping the citizens.

What’s especially impressive were two men with tightly tied blonde hair.

Their skill in beating up his subordinates in unison was amazing.

“Could it be those guys……?”

……That’s right, it’s them. The ones who raided my warehouse!

With eyes rolled back in rage, Shantes pushed through the charging people and ran towards the masked men.

‘……The plan has gone awry.’

Landers watched the melee while hiding his body in the shadows.

It seemed the other side had helpers as well.

Here and there among the citizens, individuals skilled in fighting could be seen.

‘This is going to be bigger than I thought.’

It would be unsightly for him to join the fight.

When he tried to fire a gun to gain the upper hand, he attempted to take the lead and then retreat.

‘If I get hurt here, it’s my loss.’

Landers quietly turned his body and ran towards his carriage, which was parked in the darkness.

However, Landers’ plan to disappear was shattered the moment he saw the broken carriage wheel.

At that moment of hesitation, while he was taken aback, a gust of wind whooshed by, and his jaw was turned.

“……!”

It felt as if he had been hit by a rock, his head rang.

Landers, who had collapsed on the ground, backed away in a daze.

“Wh-who are you!”

With his jaw dislocated, his tongue and lips were torn, causing his speech to slur.

Landers quickly reached into his jacket to pull out the gun from his holster.

But his opponent didn’t let him do that.

Thud–!

Landers was slammed against the wall by a fierce kick, and he hurried to regain his senses.

He couldn’t just be defeated so helplessly.

After all, Landers was also a former frontline soldier.

Keeping his center of gravity low, he began to counterattack his opponent’s attacks.

Thud, thud!

“Ugh! Who, who are you!”

“…….”

Landers held on quite well, but he couldn’t block the relentless attacks completely.

His opponent’s movements were so fierce and fast that even when he barely blocked them, he staggered backward.

“Who are you, cowardly attacking me with your face covered! Reveal yourself!”

As Landers gritted his teeth and shouted, his opponent replied in a mocking voice.

[You’re talking like an idiot. The very act of ambush implies not wanting to reveal one’s identity.]

‘Zeronium language?’

Landers was once again startled by the sudden foreign language.

The man’s voice was somehow both familiar and unfamiliar.

Though it seemed unnatural, like he had taken drugs, the pronunciation was smooth and elegant.

As if he had learned the language of the upper class.

But it was impossible for this person to be a noble from the distant Zeronium.

The probability of that was lower than the chance of him going to Zeronium to start a rebellion.

“You understand my words, don’t you? Are you from this country?”

Without responding further, he pressed Landers even harder.

His jaw was hit, and his ribs were broken.

Covered in dust, Landers collapsed, coughing, as a boot landed on his knee.

“……!”

Before he could even scream, the force pressing down broke his bones,

Crack!

“Ugh! Ughhh!”

Landers groaned, clutching his knee with a face flushed red.

The assailant showed no mercy to him who was writhing in pain.

Instead, he pushed Landers to the ground and mounted him.

Thud, thud! Thud, thud!

His jaw spun uncontrollably. From this side to that side, from that side to this side.

The odds were already against him.

This was violence filled with malice.

‘This person has a grudge against me.’

Even though he couldn’t hear any words, he felt it with his whole body.