The Heroines Who Framed Me Are Clinging to Me

Chapter 28 - Claire (1)

Vincenzo Gang.

This gang that controls the streets of Eastan collects money under the guise of protection fees from various establishments.

The range is anywhere from 10% to 30%.

Of course, they have enough sense not to mess with relatively strong places like the Adventurers’ Guild, training centers, or knight academies.

They know their limits.

Their targets are weak establishments that seem vulnerable and likely to yield easily to force.

Hector, the leader of Vincenzo Gang, was walking down the street with his subordinates.

[TL/N: Yes, his name is also Hector. I think the author just forgot that he used that name for another character.]

Collection directly correlates with performance.

He knew exactly which places would allow him to squeeze the most out of them.

Businesses run by women or those owned by parents with children are particularly easy targets.

—Clatter!

It was then that he noticed a fancy carriage.

It was too far away to see clearly, but even at a glance, it was the kind of carriage only wealthy people would use.

Moreover, a rather striking woman stepped out.

“Did you see that?”

“Yes, boss. Heh.”

Their eyes gleamed with a malicious light.

The building the woman entered was an old guild building recently sold.

The fact that someone would buy a place like that suggested they probably had no sense when it came to money.

It was clear they would be an excellent source of income.

Hector approached the building with his subordinate.

“If we handle this well, we might not need to work for a whole month.”

His subordinate, Karl, licked his lips as he muttered.

Hector smacked the back of his head.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“You’re already thinking of taking it easy when you’re just a lowly grunt. Haven’t you heard? The boss has started dealing with a huge merchant company lately.”

“Dealing? You mean...?”

“Drugs, you idiot.”

Hector scanned the surroundings and whispered quietly.

“Based on this month’s performance, the groups with the highest earnings will get to sell the drugs. That’s where the real money is...”

Hector rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.

Watching him, Karl gulped.

“C-can we really make that much?”

“Hah. You’re so clueless it’s almost a shame. Have you ever seen a thug like us getting paid a salary?”

“Well... they do pay us a bit. About the same as anyone else.”

“There’s no bonuses though! We’re risking our necks and willing to rot in prison. You can’t do this job for more than ten years. You need to make as much as you can while you can.”

“That’s true.”

“The answer is drugs. There’s plenty of cash to skim off the top, and even if you only pocket 20% of what the organization gives you, it’s ten times what you make now.”

“T-ten times!”

“So, keep your head straight and do your job. This month, we’re collecting from every place we can. Squeeze every last drop.”

“Yes, sir!”

With renewed enthusiasm, the two thugs knocked on the guild’s door.

But there was no response.

“Think no one’s home?”

“You saw them go in earlier. Knock harder.”

“What if it breaks?”

“Are you really a gangster? Huh?”

“A-alright!”

Bang! Bang!

As Karl pounded on the door with enough force to break it, two people finally emerged.

One was a young girl who looked clueless about the world, and the other was a frail-looking boy who seemed like a servant.

‘Jackpot.’

The girl’s clothes were high-quality, indicating she was wealthy, and her face was striking enough that she could fetch a good price if sold elsewhere.

Of course, human trafficking comes with risks and is not easy even for the seller.

‘If we bleed them dry under the pretext of protection fees and bury them in debt, anything’s possible.’

Might as well have some fun before selling her.

Hector laughed inwardly.

“Who are you people? Why are you trying to break down our research institute’s door?”

The girl’s question made Karl glance back at Hector.

Hector nodded.

“Take 30%.”

Thirty percent of their revenue.

For a place filled with weaklings like this, that was a reasonable protection fee.

Isn’t that what “protection fees” are about anyway?

The weaker they look, the more they should pay.

These people were clearly weak, so they’d have to pay a little extra.

—Crash!

Karl struck the wall roughly.

The wooden wall cracked slightly.

“You! How dare you! Do you even know who I am?”

Even her angry outburst was feeble.

Karl sneered.

“Why would I care? What are you, some high-ranking noble?”

“You... You...!”

“I’ve never seen a noble dragging around a servant who looks like that. Right, boss?”

Hector shrugged.

The girl’s hands trembled.

She must be scared.

Hector grinned.

“Anyway, if you want to do business here, you need our approval. You need protection in this harsh world.”

Karl pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

[Protection Service Contract]

If they could get them to sign this contract, which demanded 30% of their revenue as a protection fee, it would be over.

Hector also took a threatening step forward.

At that moment—

“Let’s talk for a moment. Yulia, please stay back.”

The boy stepped between them and the girl.

Behind him, the girl’s eyes gleamed with a blue light.

‘What’s this?’

Before Hector could even register his surprise, Karl got into a confrontation with the boy.

“Oh wow, I’m so scared I might piss myself. Think blocking our way like that is going to do anything?”

Karl smirked menacingly as he took a step forward.

Hector frowned.

The boy wasn’t backing down.

‘Does he have something up his sleeve?’

There were cases where someone who appeared weak turned out to be a formidable knight or martial artist.

Hector quickly examined the boy’s hands.

Thin, long fingers.

They looked like the hands of a mere servant.

‘Must just be someone with guts.’

Hector grinned.

There were types like him every now and then.

People whose minds were stronger than their bodies.

As a man, it’s an admirable trait.

‘But a few hits and they always break.’

Hector nodded at Karl.

Karl immediately moved to intimidate the boy.

“Didn’t you hear me? Move!”

Swish.

Karl rolled up his sleeves.

His arms were covered in menacing tattoos.

Usually, people back off at this stage.

But instead of being intimidated, the boy just glanced at the tattoos as if they were child’s scribbles and looked back up.

“Seems like you’re the one who should move. This is our building, after all.”

This kid...

Karl’s muscles bulged.

The second level of intimidation.

Flexing muscles.

‘This usually settles things.’

Flexing muscles indicates that the person is an “awakened” with physical enhancement abilities.

If anyone watching has any sense, they’d bow their head immediately.

Even if they don’t, they’ll still back down.

Why?

The bulging muscles alone are enough of a visual threat.

But as Hector watched the boy’s expression, he was shocked.

‘...He’s keeping calm?’

At this point, we’re well beyond the realm of ordinary guts.

It was unsettling enough that even Hector, who had seen plenty, felt uneasy.

But there didn’t seem to be any special abilities.

If he had any combat skills, it would show in his hands or arms.

So what’s he relying on?

What’s making me nervous here?

Hector’s unease was enough to make Karl even more on edge.

And naturally—

When someone’s nervous, they tend to overcompensate with their actions.

“You little—!”

Whoosh!

Karl swung his fist.

‘Damn it.’

Hector immediately looked outside.

If a patrol happened to pass by and saw this, it would be troublesome.

Fortunately, there was no one around.

‘I didn’t want this to get messy today.’

It would have been best to rough them up just enough to make them sign the contract.

With that thought, Hector turned back around.

And froze in place.

Karl was sprawled on the floor, twitching.

“...What?”

What the hell happened?

Did the boy just take Karl down?

How?

But that wasn’t the only problem.

‘It was silent.’

There should have been some sound.

But there was no noise, no indication of anything happening.

The boy calmly looked at Hector with the same expression as before.

“.......”

Hector stammered in shock.

Gulp.

His throat tightened as sweat trickled down his back.

“How... how did you do that?”

He barely managed to speak.

He tried to hide his fear, but his voice quivered.

No way the boy didn’t notice.

The boy casually shrugged.

“He just decided to lie down. Maybe he liked the wooden floor.”

“Does that make any sense?”

“It’s true. He seemed comfortable.”

Hector cursed inwardly.

‘...Shit.’

This kid’s nuts.

On closer inspection, even his eyes seemed off.

I thought he wasn’t scared, but there was a strange excitement flickering in those eyes.

There even seemed to be a faint red glow.

Dangerous.

I have no idea what just happened, and that makes this even more dangerous.

The most dangerous situations are the ones you don’t even realize are happening.

“J-just a moment.”

Hector raised both hands.

He cautiously took a few steps back.

But then—

—Creak.

The girl closed the door.

Thud. Hector’s back hit the wooden door with nowhere to go.

“M-my apologies for our rudeness. I’ll make sure to discipline this guy properly. You can have the contract for free. We’ll provide protection without any charge. We do collect a lot, but we really do protect you. Really.”

Hector pleaded desperately.

But—

The boy took a slow step forward.

Hector frantically reached for the doorknob.

But the knob that had been there just moments ago was now mysteriously gone.

The boy stood right in front of him, holding the knob and grinning.

“Entering is easy, but leaving is a different story.”