Lucas and I continued our chat over a glass of intense wine, punctuated by short breaks for video review. He finished updating me on the situation and providing me with all the essential information and valuable data.

  To begin with, he wasn’t alone, and a small part of his group shared his ideals. For giant criminal gatherings assembled over the years such as theirs, disagreements were common occurrences, and finding some dissident was but a matter of time and trust.

  Over time, he had built a circle of reliable helpers who were unhappy with the situation and had the firm intention end their evil activities.

  Scattered among the snitches, the hardcore, and the cowards, the smartest ones understood their situation well and were aware of the trap they were caught in. No matter the gain, this precarious situation was doomed to cease one day abruptly. And they would have no hope to escape at that time.

  In fact, if it weren't for his employer’s watchmen and spy and the bandits’ overall low Qi, Lucas could’ve probably rallied a third of the forces to his cause. This atypical organization, which seemed to have better management than some army corps I was familiar with, was actually poorly united and motivated almost exclusively by money.

  Unfortunately, most were happy to enjoy the present moment without using their brains for anything other than selecting the girl they would use next.

  Yet, things could’ve been entirely different if not reversed.

  For the sake of honesty and global compréhension, and probably because of the wine too, Lucas’ story began to deviate before we even approached the main topic. He spontaneously started to relate his life while complaining.

  I won’t go much into detail, but after some pointless and unnecessary stuff, of which the only noteworthy part was about the time he lost his virginity, he told the captivating story of this gathering of idiots.

  It turns out that initially when Lucas was still a young recruit, they were your typical robber gang until good fortune smiled upon them, or perhaps due to their victims’ misfortune.

  After a good shot, they earned quite a sum. Their sudden income sparked change, and as the old withdrew with their economies, a wave of rookies replaced them, making the gang grow quite large.

  This new blood, full of ardor and dreams of wealth—for the criminals they were—was driven by greed and became jealous of the original members who were still active.

  One thing led to the other: the new leader, pressured by the newcomer and blinded by their small success, chose to broaden their misdeed method. Going from thief to potential murderer, They started to sink more into crime.

  By this time, Lucas had already made his proof and was known for his cleverness and hard work, so he rose in rank. Sadly enough, despite his new responsibilities, he was still too low on the ladder and couldn’t help but go with the flow.

  As time passed and he gained power due to his ability to adapt and a sharp mind, old or tired people kept withdrawing.

  He became an executive, then a second, and finally the boss. Others pushed him because they saw him as a good leader despite his rather indifferent attitude toward the job. It seems he was made for it, and it was yet another of his strengths.

  He, who used to be one of the moderates, never stopped supporting his point of view but was good enough of a politician as he managed to convince the extremists to accept his authority and never put them at odds.

  While making concessions, he always remained objective and stood successful in all of his jobs while sharing the profits. Under his command, the band grew even larger, amassing specialists and talents of all kinds (in crime) to the point that a small company was formed.

  Lucas saw this as an opportunity and thoughtfully made plans to use them to their fullest while attempting to break free from the dark world.

  Trying to turn a new leaf, or at least return to softer crime, he threw himself into the complex and long task of reforming the whole organization into mercenaries. This decision received a mixed reception, but since they grew wealthier than ever under Lucas’ management, the voices against it grew weaker.

  But Fate doesn't like to be played with. While he had succeeded in influencing general opinion and converted a majority to his moderate cause, he crossed the path with our corrupted and murky noble ring. A powerful organization that easily discovered their older deed and the ‘pot aux roses’.

  They deceived Lucas into accepting jobs related to even worse felonies, compromising him once and for all, and blackmailed him and his useful mercenary corps to work for them at full time.

  A proposition that Lucas willingly accepted on the surface, in spite of himself, especially since it suited his underlings’ way of life perfectly. A high-paying job with low visible risk and the right to commit any crime without fearing the consequences. No wonder the majority happily returned to their bad habits, and even the most convinced members became corrupt effortlessly.

  With the new addition of unlimited access to slaves provided by their employer and fresh girl to rap,e then sold in return, the band rotted to the core, and only a handful of people stood up. Lucas was not far from making this group of idiots into proper humans, but fate decided otherwise.

  Anyway, after this little setback… or a relatively large digression, Lucas finally sobered up and started talking about important things again.

  First thing first, I wasn’t aware, but upon hearing my hero’s title, Lucas spontaneously thought about using me to get out of this mess. Aiming for my remaining connection, had I any left, or at worst, my fighting potential?

  Following his last interview with his employer, he decided to take down the facility and flee with all the material evidence. I’m grateful he did this; I’m even indebted to him since this ensured my and Lily’s survival.

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  While I was supposed to be disposed of in the galleries, where my body would’ve never been found, he faked my death, and to prevent anyone from discovering the trickery, he kept me hidden in the merchandise’s place of captivity.

  The girls’ jail was already mostly guarded by his trusted people to prevent any attempt to use them forcibly, lessening their value.

  All he had to do was to discreetly alter the guard schedule to ensure only his men would take care of it for a week or two and make everyone believe I had been successfully slain. This further convinced the noble’s spies of his loyalty, killing two birds with one stone.

  Doing it, he was hoping to make me a little less doubtful and more cooperative while he prepared the ground for what would follow.

  Things went surprisingly well; actually, they had not been so smooth since my time back as the hero. After having ended our discussion, we agreed at some point to put the machine in motion without delay. Due to lack of time, we couldn’t wait for my helper’s response.

  During the last week, Lucas informed everyone concerned while studying the different ways of acting and their possible outcome, roughly drafting and implementing a first plan before asking for my help.

  So here’s the thing: as I said, Luca and I, along with some of his confidants, started the operation without much waiting and worked on a semblance of strategy. Again, time was limited, the secret of my fake death was hard to keep, and we had to make some preparations. Moreover, we couldn’t afford to wait past the upcoming girl shipment.

  Too bad for the information verification and cross-checking, I used my letter to ask for urgent help with some crucial information instead, hoping that it would be received and read on time, or at least that this would take care of the fallout.

  Me, Lily, Lucas, and Joe accounted for most of our firepower. To which was added the delicious slave/maid, Anna, alias my thing, as a supporter. Even if she was like Lily and her role was not battle-oriented, she was apparently capable.

  Besides, I learned on the spot that she was actually an archaeologist before being a slave, working on the ruin as a technical project manager. She had never spoken to me about her life, and I knew little about her.

  Due to her strong willpower and resistance toward her master, and to better adapt to situations, she was under Lucas’ direct command and given some privileges, one of which was the right to wander as she liked.

  Since they were provided by the noble, everyone else was still falling under his authority and had strict orders. They couldn’t deliberately go against their master’s interests and were not able to fight. It was a shame because it would have been an essential addition since we had a very meager force in front of the enemy.

  Lucas’ trusted men were in charge of closing the many issues and securing the least important but numerous incriminating evidence. They wouldn’t be of much help, and they were not the best fighters.

  That’s why Lucas made a somewhat ingenious plant in view of our small number.

  It was decided that we would storm from the inside, making it look like kidnapped women and fresh slaves attempted an escape. The new enslaved girls’ order prevented them from fighting, but they could still run away along with us, thanks to a lack of restrictions compared to the one that Lucas’ employer provided. As for the kidnapped, they had no such obstacles and were even eager to fight, so we will let whoever is qualified take their group's lead and assist us.

  Of course, we would not put them in danger and would instantly take control as soon as things got tough.

  While the false insurgence mainly serves to gather the crowd of brigands scattered around this gigantic repair, Lucas would participate as the commander and send them into our trap. We would be the hammer, while Joe and Lucas would be the anvil.

  Simple but effective, all that remained was to know where to fight and how to recruit more men to provide manpower. However, this was not a concern since I was informed of the kidnapped men's current hiding location, which suited our ideas perfectly and would allow us to double our number, at least.

  We would wait just before the next shipment, allowing us to make further preparations and leave some time for my contact to send help.

  Let's also hope she will know how to handle the aftermath independently by then. Since his blackmail, Luca has collected significant evidence. He recorded all calls and exchanges as evidence and reported on every girl passing by, misdeeds committed, and discoveries made.

  With so much evidence, stopping the mastermind or killing him should not pose any problem to this scheming princess, but she could very well decide to make us do the job.

  Although the plant wasn't perfect, we had considered every other possibility. After discussing it for one day, we agreed that this was perhaps our only option.

  Ultimately, we had but one major trouble.

  We were worried that the man behind this would act hastily or somewhat harshly if he were to learn of the coup. A simple spell was enough to condemn every slave under him. And that was something I wanted to avoid by all means.

  We would also need a powerful specialist, given that we had no time to break their contract—someone the princess I requested help from would be able to hire in a hurry if she didn’t already have one at her disposal.

  But while I had no doubt that such a cunning person would think to send help, I couldn’t guarantee that she would receive my letter in time. I wasn’t ready to gamble their lives, especially Anna’s; she would be in great danger, as her contract was unique and would require even more time and strength to break.

  Thankfully for those poor girls, and unfortunately for me, I wouldn’t have to worry about it for long. I was just about to pray to God so we could find a solution on schedule rather than relying on luck, regardless of the probability. Unfortunately, God was a bit too benevolent toward my person. Since the magical device Lucas used to contact his referent was not limited to a single contact, he used it as his instrument of revelation.

  Bzz, bzz “Hello? Is Anyone here? I would like to speak with the hero, if he's still alive, of course. Otherwise, his corpse will do. I would be satisfied as long as I can get it back. I can pay.”

  Sweet words, broadcast live from paradise, reach us in the middle of meetings. SHIT, once and for all, I hate that voice and its honey tone for good. In a way, it's even more frightening than my first wife’s.

  Shaking and sweating abundantly, I made grand gestures without making the slightest noise so Lucas would not respond and leave the sheet concealing the ball in place.

  Please, a letter still passes, but a video call?! Seriously, if she knows I’m here, I'm done. How did she know? It hadn’t been a day since my letter, she couldn't even receive it. Why?... All I wanted was to use you… not to be used…

  AND WHY ARE YOU AFTER MY DEAD BODY? Do I need a testament in case of accidental death to specify who’s keeping It? Or should I give you the contact info of my first wife straight away? So you can have an amicable agreement on who’s toying with it on odd and even days.

  “Eh? One of your fans? I thought you no longer had any; one of the girls you’d knock up, maybe?”

  FUCKKKK YOUUU!!!!, IF SHE CAN SPEAK, SHE CAN LISTEN IDIOT!!!

  “Ahem…, princess?... Hi, how are you?”