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: Thief Gang
Chapter 8: Thief Gang
I locked myself in the Forbidden Archives and realized something.
Reading is so much fun!
What’s this? Are books really this interesting?
Gaining new knowledge keeps opening up worlds I never knew existed.
In my real life, I barely read books… What a waste that was.
No… maybe that’s not quite right.
Reading is this fun because the original Hollow has a sharp mind.
If the real me read complicated books, I’d probably fall asleep in three seconds.
I can’t help but think, talent is so unfair.
During the day, I trained hard in swordsmanship and magic, and at night, I quietly sharpened my mind in the Forbidden Archives.
About six months into this routine, a problem came up in the Heisenberg territory.
It seems a thief gang settled in the northern part of the territory, causing trouble every night.
According to Orvin, “Our family’s private soldiers, tasked with keeping the peace in the north, are trying to suppress them… but the enemy is skilled, and it’s proving difficult.”
(This… could be useful.)
With that thought, I went to my father’s office and offered to take on the “thief hunt” for both fun and profit.
“What, you want to deal with the thief gang…?”
“Yes, please appoint me.”
When I expressed my strong desire, Father stopped his paperwork and rubbed his beard thoughtfully.
“Hmm… Orvin, what do you think?”
Orvin, standing behind Father, answered right away.
“If it’s Lord Hollow, there should be no issue.”
“I see… (Hollow passed the Witch’s Trial alone. He’s turning eleven this year, so it might be time to entrust him with this kind of task.)”
After thinking for a moment, Father slowly nodded.
“Very well. This matter is in your hands, Hollow. You know this, but as the future heir of the Heisenberg family, half-hearted work won’t be tolerated.”
“Yes, understood.”
And so, today is the fun thief hunt!
From morning to evening, I did strength training, swordsmanship, and magic practice—then finally, the awaited night arrived.
I put on a black robe, pulled the hood low over my eyes, and headed to the northern town of the Heisenberg territory.
(Now, where’s that thief gang…?)
As I wandered through the quiet back alleys,
“—Eek!”
A high-pitched woman’s scream came from far away.
Oh, over there.
Heading toward the sound, I reached a rundown tavern with a collapsed ceiling.
And there…
“Gehehe! Stop your useless struggling!”
“N-no… please, stop…”
A man in his prime pinned down a young woman, tearing her clothes to shreds.
“Woo! This one’s a fine catch! What a body!”
“Why… why would you do something so cruel…?”
“Gehehe, listen up, little lady. This world is survival of the fittest. The strong are justice!”
“Then, I’m justice.”
I dashed forward and lightly kicked the man in the back of his head.
“Oof!?”
He let out a funny sound as he flew far away.
“Hah, that was a nice flight.”
As I laughed, shaking my shoulders, the woman looked up at me nervously.
“L-Lord… Hollow…?”
“It’s dangerous here. Get back now.”
Saying that, I roughly took off my robe and tossed it to her.
If a young woman ran around in such a state, she might get caught up in another incident.
“B-but, leaving Lord Hollow behind…”
“Hey, can’t you follow my orders?”
I raised my voice slightly and sharpened my crimson eyes.
“I-I’m so sorry…!”
She flinched, hurriedly put on the black robe, and ran toward the main street.
Hmm, did I scare her a bit too much…?
No, I have to play the “lazy, arrogant villain noble.”
Since she wasn’t attacked by Thief A, let’s call it even.
While I was thinking, thirty men surrounded me.
They held dangerous weapons like daggers, clubs, and axes.
In the tense atmosphere, a big man sitting on a barrel lit a thick cigar.
According to my original story knowledge… his name is Grad Grantz, 50 years old, the boss of this thief gang.
Grad inhaled deeply, letting out a cloud of white smoke with satisfaction.
“Phew…”
Since I was downwind, the sharp smell of tobacco stung my nose.
Hey, what are you doing to a kid in their growth phase?
Secondhand smoke seriously harms a child’s healthy development.
As I waved the smoke away with my right hand, Grad smirked mockingly.
“Pfft, caught up in a moment of justice? I don’t know what kid you are, but you’re a rare fool these days.”
“Honestly, not even knowing the face of the next lord… I’m too stunned to speak.”
As our eyes locked, a man behind me snapped.
“What’s with that cocky mouth, you brat!”
He grabbed my head, trying to slam me to the ground.
But the next moment—the man vanished into the void with a pop.
“““…Huh…?”””
The thieves froze, eyes wide.
No wonder, since one of their buddies disappeared suddenly.
“You… that magic!?”
Grad’s eyes shook with shock.
“What’s wrong? You look pale. Don’t tell me… you’re scared of a kid like me?”
As I flashed a provocative grin,
“““Don’t mess with us!”””
The short-tempered thieves charged at me all at once.
“Idiots, run!”
Grad’s desperate warning was in vain…
Pop.
Pop-pop.
Pop-pop-pop.
“Help, boss—!”
The thieves were all swallowed by the void.
“So, what now, boss…?”
I walked toward Grad slowly, a wicked smile on my face.
“You, that magic… ‘Disaster’ Zeno’s <Voi—”
Pop-pop.
Grad was swallowed by the void too—and then, no one was left.
The thief gang was wiped out, and the town was cleansed.
All’s well that ends well.
I returned to the mansion and reported to Father.
“Father, I took care of the thief gang.”
“Hm, that was quick. Where are they locked up?”
“No, I… took care… of them all.”
“…Oh?”
Father’s eyes widened.
(He destroyed the thief gang in one night and killed all its members. At just eleven years old, such boldness… Did I have this much ability at his age? Extraordinary problem-solving speed, unmatched martial strength, and a cold heart that doesn’t shy away from killing… Truly my son.)
He relaxed his brow and nodded with satisfaction.
“Well done, Hollow. You may leave for now.”
“Excuse me.”
Leaving the office, I returned to my room—and jumped to the Void Realm.
It’s an endless white space.
A closed world just for me, the ruler of the void.
Everything I sucked in or sent out there is stored in this special space.
(…Looking again, it’s pretty messy.)
Mountains, rocks, dirt, and all sorts of things I sent here during void training are scattered around.
Of course, the thief gang I just sucked in was there too.
“Hey, everyone, you look lively. That’s good.”
I dropped the original Hollow’s act and showed my true self.
Pretending to be lazy and arrogant is actually pretty tiring…
Since these guys will never leave the Void Realm until they die, I figured it’s fine to be natural.
“Hey, you bastard! You’re the spoiled son of the Heisenberg family, huh!”
“Hollow von Heisenberg, I’ll never forget your face!”
“Let us out of here, or I’ll kill you!”
How sad, it’s a parade of insults.
“If you want out so badly, I could let you go… but it’d be in front of my father.”
“““…!”””
The thieves’ faces turned pale.
My father, Dafnes von Heisenberg, is feared as a ruthless noble and a big shot in the underworld.
His terror comes not from his title—but his overwhelming power.
Honestly, Dad is insanely strong.
Godlike magic skills and abnormal magical power.
Above all, his Origin Class unique magic <Falsehood> is a cheat.
My <Void> and Father’s <Falsehood> are regulars in Ronzorkia’s “strongest debate threads.”
“If you leave the Void Realm, Father will kill you. Even if you somehow gain his mercy, the strict laws of the Heisenberg territory would mean life imprisonment or execution. So why not live happily here instead?”
When I made my kind suggestion,
“You… you crazy bastard…!”
“You’re a psychopath. How are we supposed to live happily in this empty place!”
“You rotten scum! Don’t you have a heart?”
Crazy, psychopath, rotten scum—the thieves hurled nasty jeers.
“Honestly… you guys have some nerve saying that, ignoring all the people you’ve made cry.”
“““Ugh…”””
Hit with a dose of truth, the thieves clearly fell silent.
“Damn it… If it’s come to this, I’ll kill you and escape to somewhere your evil lord Dafnes isn’t!”
As Thief A pulled out a kitchen knife,
“—Stop it, it’s a waste of time.”
The thief gang’s boss, Grad Grantz, who had been silent until now, spoke up to stop him.
“That kid’s using <Void>. The same Origin Class unique magic as the worst mage in history, ‘Disaster’ Zeno.”
“Disaster Zeno… You mean that Zeno from fairy tales!?”
“A brat like that has the same magic as that incredible guy…!?”
“Is he… actually super strong…?”
To their rapid-fire questions, Grad nodded heavily.
“Strong doesn’t even cover it… He’s a genuine monster. Even if the kingdom’s regular army teamed up, they couldn’t scratch him.”
“““…!”””
Realizing the hopeless gap in power, the thieves’ faces grew paler.
“By the way, old man, you seem to know a lot about magic.”
To my question, Grad nodded slightly.
“I dabbled in it back in the day. Worked at the Ministry of Magic too.”
“Oh? Were you good?”
“Decent enough.”
“Why’d you turn to thievery?”
“A noble colleague framed me. No one believed my defense. Once you’re off the rails, you fall fast… and here I am. Pretty laughable, huh?”
“That’s a sad story.”
Everyone has their history.
Learning these hidden details is really interesting.
“So, what’s your goal? You didn’t kill us and went out of your way to capture us alive. There’s a reason, right?”
“Sharp, as expected from a former Ministry of Magic worker.”
I cleared my throat, spread my arms wide, and declared loudly,
“I want to build a town here—‘Void Town’—and develop a civilization!”
There’s a game genre called “city management simulation.”
It’s a bit niche, but it’s got a decent following, all about building a town.
I’ve always liked those slow, steady-progress types of games.
(Ronzorkia has the unique concept of magic, so it’s developed differently from the real world.)
If I mix in my knowledge from Japan… something interesting might happen.
If I invent something useful, it could help with the main story’s strategy.
(But building a town needs a lot of manpower.)
That’s where this thief hunt comes in.
Capture them secretly and use them as labor.
That way, the town stays safe, Grad and his gang avoid execution, and I get to enjoy town-building while making new inventions to smooth out the strategy.
A tasty move that serves both fun and profit.
(Hehe, this’ll be fun…!)
Unable to hide my excitement,
“““…”””
An awkward silence fell,
“…Pfft.”
Someone’s snort broke the quiet,
“““Bwahaha!”””
And a wave of laughter erupted.
“Building a town in this empty place…? You’re nuts!”
“Haha… save that nonsense for when you’re asleep…!”
“Your sense of humor is top-notch! I haven’t laughed this hard in ages!”
The thieves clutched their stomachs, laughing.
Okay, this kinda ticks me off.
“…Don’t laugh at my goals.”
I sharpened my eyes and released the magic power I usually hold back.
In that instant, a huge crack tore through the Void Realm, and a jet-black storm raged.
(What… what’s this insane magic power…!?)
(This guy’s no ordinary kid…)
(Ah… abababa…)
The thieves collapsed, sitting flat on the ground.