The Shadow Organization Members Raised Through Pay-To-Win Are Too Strong

Golden Wing Merchant Group.

It was a quite successful merchant group managed by Bastel Hartwell.

Some might have praised Bastel for having a talent in business.

However, behind that glamorous story, there was solid support from his mother’s family, the Rosemund Marquis.

Under the sponsorship of the Rosemund Marquis family, which managed the largest merchant group in the Arcadia Empire, Bastel’s Golden Wing Merchant Group had achieved dazzling growth.

But the news brought by the attendant was enough to surprise Bastel.

“The merchant group was attacked!”

Bastel’s voice trembled.

His hand firmly gripped the attendant’s shoulder.

“Explain properly what you mean by that!”

The attendant, terrified, barely continued speaking in a trembling voice.

“Well, that is… I heard they were completely robbed by a group of thieves…”

“What?”

At the mention of being robbed by thieves, Bastel’s face distorted with disbelief.

The Golden Wing Merchant Group was not an easy target that mere thieves could look down upon.

As far as the influence of the Rosemund Marquis reached, it was a merchant group that transported important goods.

Accordingly, they also boasted a powerful escort force by contracting numerous mercenaries.

‘This doesn’t make sense!’

Bastel’s mind became confused.

Anger surged up, but he tried to regain his rationality.

After taking a deep breath, Bastel calmly asked.

“What is the extent of the damage? What in the world was the head of the merchant group doing in this situation!”

However, the attendant’s answer went beyond Bastel’s expectations.

“About that… They were completely annihilated… Even the head of the merchant group… is dead.”

Strength drained from Bastel’s legs.

He slowly slid down to the floor.

“This can’t be… Everything is over.”

“Oh no, Young Master Bastel!”

The attendant hurriedly supported him, but Bastel’s eyes had already lost vitality.

Although he had the support of his mother’s family, it was a merchant group that Bastel operated.

But all of that crumbled overnight.

As if grasping at his last hope, Bastel asked.

“The goods, are the goods alright?”

It was just a hopeful thought, but the attendant silently shook his head.

“……”

It was an obvious result.

The thieves who were cruel enough to take people’s lives wouldn’t leave the goods intact.

If only the goods had remained, it might have been different, but now, even if the merchant group was restored, the damage was too great.

Even if he compensated for the goods and recruited new personnel, the Golden Wing Merchant Group had already lost its credibility.

Who would trust a merchant group that was robbed by mere thieves?

Above all, if the goods were stolen, there was a high possibility that the ‘items’ supported by the Rosemund Marquis family were also taken.

‘What should I say to Mother?’

Bastel’s head started to throb.

Although he didn’t know the value of the items brought from the Marquis family, it was clear that they were quite valuable.

But even those were all stolen.

With this incident, the support from the Rosemund Marquis would be completely cut off, so Bastel’s business was virtually over.

Still, he had to maintain at least a minimum level of face.

Bastel opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Contact the remaining mercenaries. Quickly! Tell them to do something right now!”

To protect what little honor remained, he had to at least show that he was taking action.

If he didn’t even do this, his reputation would fall along with the merchant group.

Bastel looked at the corridor where his half-brother Ethan had passed.

‘What? There will be good news?’

Nonsense.

* * *

The sight of the Golden Wing Merchant Group was truly a hellscape.

The once-proud red-winged flag was torn and fluttering in the wind.

As they approached the merchant group, a thick scent of blood pierced their noses.

Corpses were scattered on the ground like discarded dolls.

Among the cold, dead bodies, bloodstains were haphazardly intertwined.

The eyes of those once merchants were wide open, filled with terror.

Amidst that gruesome scene, a man wearing a black mask was slowly moving.

With each step, sticky blood clung to the ground.

“……”

The man silently looked around.

His gaze was cold, but at the same time, he was not missing anything at the scene with his sharp observation skills.

Suddenly, several figures appeared from the darkness.

They all had their faces covered, but an immense discipline was felt from their posture and movements.

One of them knelt down and reported.

“Reaper, we have secured all the routes of the thieves. What should we do?”

The identity of the masked man who quietly listened to the report was Reaper.

Reaper slowly turned his head.

As he took a step, the surrounding air became heavy.

Reaper was investigating the merchant groups that had invested in the mines under Ariel’s orders.

But an unexpected variable had occurred.

One of the merchant groups had been annihilated by thieves.

“……”

Not only the goods but also all the personnel were already dead.

Given the extent of the damage, it seemed unlikely that the Golden Wing Merchant Group would be able to recover.

In fact, Reaper didn’t care what happened to the merchant group.

However, this case was special.

The order to secure the list of merchant groups and nobles who invested in the mana stone mines was received directly from Vice-Leader Ariel, but it was ultimately the Leader’s intention.

The leader must have had some major plan in mind with that list.

But some mere thieves had interfered with that grand plan.

“How dare they…”

A sharp and rough voice leaked from his mouth.

Fortunately, there was still a way to salvage the current situation.

The leader’s order included securing not only the list of merchant groups but also the list of nobles.

Moreover, this place was a merchant group owned by a noble named Bastel Hartwell.

Even though the merchant group had collapsed, its owner, the noble, was still alive.

In other words, there was still room to complete the order.

Of course, that didn’t change the fact that they had disrupted the leader’s plan.

Reaper issued a resolute order.

“I’ll give you one hour.”

No one failed to understand the meaning of those words.

One hour.

It was the last free time given to the thieves who had attacked the merchant group.

However, Reaper’s subordinates completed that order in less than 30 minutes.

They brought the fleeing thieves back after knocking them unconscious.

The goods stolen from the merchant group were a bonus.

“The mastermind?”

In response to Reaper’s question, one of the subordinates shook his head.

“I apologize. Due to my lack of ability, I was unable to find out the mastermind.”

The state of the unconscious thieves was already miserable.

A rough interrogation must have accompanied them before coming here.

But Reaper’s mission ended here.

“We’re leaving.”

The noble would retrieve the stolen goods of the merchant group if left here.

The disposal of the thieves who had interfered with the leader’s plan was beyond Reaper’s authority.

With Reaper’s order, they abandoned the thieves and disappeared into the darkness.

Not long after, the thieves who had lost consciousness began to wake up one by one.

Jake, the leader of the thieves, also stood up, wary of his surroundings.

“Wh-, where…”

It was definitely the Golden Wing Merchant Group that they had robbed.

He clearly remembered looting the merchant group and running away.

“Ah…!”

Then, he also recalled being caught by those unidentified individuals.

Jake quickly surveyed the area, but there was not even a trace.

They had even spared their lives, and the looted goods were intact next to them.

“Heh, they were idiots.”

Jake sneered.

In fact, when he was caught, he thought he was going to die, but now he was unharmed.

He moved his arms and found nothing wrong.

Relieved, Jake shouted at his subordinates.

“Get up and move the goods first! Let’s leave quickly before those guys come back!”

However, the moment he urged them, the surrounding air trembled ominously.

At first, a faint mist rose and then rapidly thickened.

“Huh? What’s this?”

It was a sunny day without rain.

But in an instant, a thick fog blanketed the area.

The fog swirled as if it were alive, engulfing the entire area.

In the silence, only the urgent breathing of the subordinates lingered.

How should they accept this absurd situation?

At that moment, when Jake was confused.

A faint sound was heard from within the fog.

It was the sound of a carriage wheel scraping the ground.

‘Someone is coming!’

As the sound drew closer, Jake quickly ordered his subordinates.

“Everyone, stay alert!”

Before long, white figures began to appear from within the fog.

It was a carriage.

However, its atmosphere was different from an ordinary, common carriage.

On the white exterior, an eerie crow pattern was drawn.

“Ahh!”

Jake, who had checked the front of the carriage, screamed.

In the place where the horse pulling the carriage should have been, there was one strange creature.

No, it was a monster that one would only see in nightmares.

The monster with six legs was similar to a horse yet completely different.

Its skin was pale and translucent, revealing its squirming innards.

The horn on its head flashed like a blade.

It had no eyes; instead, its entire skull was wide open like a mouth, revealing sharp teeth.

Before they could be shocked by the monster’s appearance, the carriage door opened, and figures in white robes revealed themselves.

Their faces were also covered with white cloth, but the overwhelming aura emanating from them was truly intense.

Whenever they passed by, the surrounding air turned cold.

Terrified, Jake couldn’t say a word.

In the quiet silence, they muttered calmly.

“It’s been a really long time since we’ve seen toys like these.”

There was a joyful emotion mixed in their voice.

Their conversation continued.

“As soon as the Leader returns, there are so many toys like this. This must also be the grace of the Leader. He will also be pleased with the gift.”

“To think they dared to disrupt the Leader’s plan, they are truly bold but foolish.”

“Now, it’s getting late. Since we haven’t had toys for a long time, shouldn’t we take it while it’s still new?”

Jake’s spine shivered at their eerie conversation.

But he didn’t even dare to dream of running away.

In front of their overwhelming power, he couldn’t move his body like a frightened little mouse.

“Everyone just needs to obediently get on the carriage.”

He could only follow the words like a puppet and get on the carriage.

Surprisingly, the carriage was spacious enough to accommodate Jake and all his subordinates.

The door closed, and the carriage slowly disappeared into the fog.

After the carriage vanished, the fog began to lift.

Where the fog had cleared, only a deep silence remained.

* * *

“Oh my…”

I sighed as I looked at the scene before me.

The spacious dining room was filled with soft light.

The table was definitely filled with all kinds of delicacies.

Steam was still rising from the freshly baked bread, and a fragrant herb aroma wafted from the roasted meat.

Colorful vegetables and fruits filled the bowls, creating a truly luxurious meal.

I had never seen this level of quality even in my previous life on Earth.

‘Is this the life of a noble?’

Seeing it in person made it even more remarkable.

However, there was one big problem.

I was the only one sitting at the dining table.

Father, Count Benedict, said he was too busy with work to have a meal together, and my stepmother and Bastel were absent from the meal.

My younger sister Eloise was still young, so the attendants fed her separately.

“This is a bit lonely.”

Is this family affection?

At the same time, a question came to mind.

‘The Black Ravens haven’t been able to provide compensation yet?’

It seemed that the Black Ravens’ skills had greatly declined while I was away.

“I’ll have to work them hard soon.”

I picked up the fork, thinking that I needed to give orders not for my own sake but solely to improve the Black Ravens’ skills.