The World's Strongest and Most Evil Noble Strives Humbly and Diligently ~ Using Knowledge of the Original Story and Unique Magic to Avoid a Destruction End ~ - Chapter 8: The Band of Thieves

Chapter 8: The Band of Thieves

Hiding away in the Forbidden Archives, I’ve come to understand one thing:

Reading is so much fun!

What is this? I had no idea books could be this entertaining. By gaining new knowledge, the world I didn’t know keeps expanding further and further.

In the real world, I barely touched books. What a waste that was.

No… that’s not quite right. Reading is so enjoyable now because the original Hollow had a sharp mind. If it were me from my previous life, trying to read something complex would probably send me straight to dreamland in three seconds flat.

Talent is unfair, truly.

During the day, I train in swordsmanship and magic. At night, I refine my intellect in the Forbidden Archives.

About six months passed this way when trouble arose in the Heisenberg territory. Apparently, a band of thieves had settled in the northern region and were wreaking havoc night after night.

According to Orvin, “The private soldiers responsible for maintaining security in the northern area are working on suppressing them, but the thieves seem to be quite skilled, and it’s proving difficult.”

(This could be… useful.)

After coming to this conclusion, I went to my father’s office and proposed a plan for a “thief hunt” that would satisfy both my interests and a practical need.

“What? You want to deal with the thieves yourself?”

“Yes. I humbly request your approval.”

When I spoke with strong determination, my father paused his paperwork and began stroking his beard thoughtfully.

“Hmm… Orvin, what is your opinion?”

Standing behind my father, Orvin immediately responded, “If it is Master Hollow, I believe there will be no issues.”

“I see… (Hollow overcame the Witch’s Trial on his own. He’s already eleven this year. Perhaps it’s time to entrust him with tasks of this nature.)”

After pondering for a while, my father slowly nodded.

“Very well. I entrust this matter to you. But remember, as the future head of the Heisenberg family, sloppy work will not be tolerated.”

“Yes, sir. Understood.”

And so, today marks the beginning of a fun and exciting thief hunt!

From morning until evening, I engaged in physical training, sword practice, and magic lessons. Then, nightfall arrived—the moment I had been waiting for.

I donned a black robe, pulled the hood low over my face, and headed to the northern town in the Heisenberg territory.

(Now then, where is this band of thieves…)

As I wandered through the deserted alleys, a sharp scream pierced the air.

“—Kyyaaaaaaaah!”

A woman’s high-pitched cry echoed from afar.

Oh, over there.

I headed toward the sound and arrived at a crumbling, dilapidated tavern with a collapsed roof.

What I found there was—

“Hehehe! Stop resisting!”

“No… please… stop…”

A lecherous man had pinned down a young woman and was tearing her clothes to shreds.

“Whoa! This one’s top quality! What a fine body you’ve got!”

“Why… why are you doing something so cruel…”

“Heh, remember this, little lady. In this world, it’s survival of the fittest. The strong are justice!”

“—Then I suppose that makes me justice.”

I swiftly charged forward and lightly kicked the man in the back of his head.

“Oghh?!”

Letting out a strange sound, he was sent flying far into the distance.

“Ha! What a satisfying flight,” I chuckled as I shook my shoulders in amusement. The young woman looked up at me nervously.

“M-Master Hollow…?”

“This place is dangerous. Get out of here now.”

I shrugged off my robe and tossed it to her. If she ran around in such disheveled clothing, she might become the victim of another incident.

“But I can’t just leave you here, Master Hollow—”

“…Are you saying you can’t follow my orders?”

I slightly raised my voice and narrowed my crimson eyes at her.

“M-my apologies!”

Startled, she hastily wrapped herself in the black robe and ran toward the main street.

Hmm, did I scare her a little too much? Well, I need to act like a “proud and lazy villainous noble,” after all. Since she wasn’t harmed by that thief, let’s call it even.

While I pondered, thirty men surrounded me. Each held a weapon—daggers, clubs, axes, all kinds of deadly tools.

The atmosphere was tense as a burly man, seated on a barrel, lit an enormous cigar.

According to my knowledge from the original story, his name was Grad Grantz, 50 years old, and the boss of this band of thieves. Grad inhaled deeply, then exhaled white smoke with obvious pleasure.

“Fuuuu…”

Since I was downwind, the smell of tar stung my nose.

Oh, come on! How dare you expose my developing child body to secondhand smoke? Secondhand smoke has severe adverse effects on children’s healthy growth, you know.

As I waved away the smoke with my right hand, Grad smirked mockingly.

“Heh, caught up in a fleeting sense of justice? I don’t know where you’re from, kid, but you’re a rare breed of fool these days.”

“Indeed, to not recognize the face of the next lord… I’m utterly speechless.”

As our eyes locked, one of the men behind me suddenly snapped.

“You little brat, don’t get cocky!”

He grabbed my head and tried to slam me into the ground.

But in the next moment—he vanished into the void with a popping sound.

“Huh…?”

The thieves froze, dumbfounded. Of course, they would be. One of their comrades had just disappeared without a trace.

“That magic… could it be?!”

Grad’s eyes trembled with shock.

“What’s wrong? You look pale. Surely you’re not afraid of a mere child?” I taunted with a smile.

The moment I did—

“Get him, boys!”

The thieves, unable to contain their rage, charged at me all at once.

“Run, you idiots!” Grad shouted desperately, but it was too late.

Pop!
Pop pop!
Pop pop pop!

One by one, the thieves were swallowed by the void.

“Help me, boss—!”

All the thieves vanished, leaving only Grad.

“Well, what will you do now, boss?”

I grinned mischievously as I approached him.

“That magic… is it the ‘Calamity’ magic of Zeno, the Void—”

Pop.

Grad was consumed by the void, and then there was no one left.

The band of thieves was annihilated, and the town cleansed. Mission complete.

Back at the mansion, I reported to my father.

“Father, I have dealt with the band of thieves.”

“That was quick. Where are they being held?”

“They’ve all… been eliminated.”

“…I see.”

Father’s eyes widened slightly.

(He wiped out an entire band of thieves in one night, killing every member. At only eleven years old, he possesses exceptional decisiveness, unmatched combat skills, and a cold heart unhesitant to kill… Truly my son.)

He softened his brow and nodded in satisfaction.

“Well done, Hollow. You may leave for today.”

“Excuse me.”

After leaving the office, I returned to my private quarters and jumped directly into the Void Realm.

The Void Realm is an endless expanse of pure white, a world sealed off exclusively for me as the master of the Void. Everything I’ve absorbed or transported outside ends up stored in this unique space.

(…Looking around, it’s actually pretty messy.)

Mountains, rocks, and soil that I had transported during my training with the Void were scattered everywhere. Of course, the band of thieves I had just absorbed earlier were also present.

“Hey, everyone. Glad to see you’re all doing well.”

I dropped my act as Hollow von Heisenberg, exposing my true self. Pretending to be aloof and arrogant is surprisingly tiring, you know. These people will never leave this place until their death, so I decided it was fine to be my natural self around them.

“You damn brat! So you’re that spoiled son of the Heisenberg family!”

“Hollow von Heisenberg! I’ll never forget that face of yours!”

“Let us out of here now, or I swear I’ll kill you!”

What a sad spectacle, an endless parade of insults.

“If you want out so badly, I could let you go, but… that would mean facing my father.”

“…!”

Their faces instantly turned pale.

My father, Daphnes von Heisenberg, is feared as an infamously wicked noble and a powerhouse in the underworld. His terror isn’t derived from his title but from his overwhelming power.

To be honest, my dad is absurdly strong. His godlike mastery of magic and enormous magical reserves are unmatched. But his ultimate cheat ability is his Origin-Class unique magic, Deception.

My Void and his Deception often dominate debates about the strongest abilities in Ronzorkia.

“If you leave the Void Realm, my father will kill you. Even if you somehow earn his mercy, the harsh laws of the Heisenberg territory will likely see you sentenced to life imprisonment or a brutal public execution. So why not just live here peacefully instead?”

When I kindly offered this suggestion:

“You insane bastard!”

“Are you a psychopath? How are we supposed to live peacefully in a place like this where there’s nothing?”

“You scum! Don’t you have a shred of humanity in you?”

I was bombarded with insults like “insane,” “psychopath,” and “scum.”

“Seriously… You sure like to throw accusations around for people who’ve done plenty of harm themselves. Do you know how many lives you’ve ruined?”

“…!”

Hit with a verbal punch of truth, the thieves fell silent.

“Dammit…! In that case, I’ll kill you and escape to somewhere that tyrant Daphnes can’t reach!”

One of the thieves pulled out a knife, but—

“Stop. It’s a waste of time.”

The voice of restraint came from their boss, Grad Grantz, who had been silent until now.

“That brat is using Void, the same Origin-Class magic as the legendary calamity, Zeno.”

“Wait, Zeno? You mean the Zeno from the old stories?!”

“Are you telling me that brat has the same magic as that terrifying guy…?!”

“Does that mean he’s ridiculously strong…?”

Faced with the barrage of questions, Grad solemnly nodded.

“Strong doesn’t even begin to cover it. He’s a genuine monster. Even if the kingdom’s entire army united against him, they wouldn’t scratch him.”

“…!”

Hearing of this overwhelming gap in power, the thieves’ faces turned an even deeper shade of blue.

“You seem knowledgeable about magic, old man,” I said, turning to Grad.

“I dabbled in it a bit. Used to work at the Ministry of Magic.”

“Really? Were you good?”

“Good enough, I suppose.”

“Then why are you a thief?”

“A noble colleague framed me for a crime. No one believed my protests, and once you’re off the rails, it’s all downhill from there. Before I knew it, I ended up like this. Pathetic, right?”

“A sad tale,” I murmured.

Everyone has a story. Discovering these hidden pasts is fascinating.

“So, what’s your goal? You captured us alive instead of killing us outright. There’s a reason for that, isn’t there?”

“Sharp as expected from a former Ministry worker,” I said, clearing my throat and spreading my arms wide. Then, I declared loudly:

“I’m going to build a town here—Void Town—and develop its civilization!”

In gaming, there’s a genre called “city-building simulation.” It’s a bit niche but popular enough. I’ve always liked those types of games, the ones where you steadily progress step by step.

(With Ronzorkia’s unique concept of magical energy, this world has developed in ways unlike the real world.)

Mixing in some knowledge from Japan would surely lead to some interesting outcomes. Maybe I could even invent something useful for progressing the main story.

(But building a town requires lots of manpower.)

That’s where the bandit hunt came in. By secretly capturing these thieves and putting them to work, I could secure the labor needed for my project. It would maintain order in the town, spare Grad and his men from execution, and let me enjoy my city-building hobby while creating new inventions for smoother progress in the main route.

A solution that was both practical and personally satisfying.

(Hehe, this is going to be fun…!)

As I reveled in excitement:

“…”

An awkward silence settled over the group.

“…Pfft.”

One of them started chuckling, and soon—

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

A roar of laughter erupted.

“Building a town here? You’re out of your mind!”

“Hahaha! That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard! Go back to sleep, kid!”

“Your sense of humor is top-notch! I haven’t laughed this hard in ages!”

The thieves clutched their stomachs, laughing uncontrollably. That stung a little.

“…Don’t mock my ambitions.”

I sharpened my gaze and unleashed the magical energy I usually suppressed. Instantly, the Void Realm cracked open, and a pitch-black storm raged around us.

(What is this insane magical power…?!)

(This kid isn’t normal…!)

(A-ababababababa…!)

The thieves, overwhelmed by terror, collapsed to the ground, unable to stand.