I Became a Level -99 Vicious Lord

Chapter 107:

Argonnes Tomb?!

Kairos automatically jerked out of his seat as if a seizure button had been pressed.

At this point, its like Pavlovs dog, huh?

Otto snorted at Kaiross conditioned reflex.

I cant believe hed react like that at the mere utterance of the a word of Argonne the Great.

Maybe hes the president of a dark fan club?

Otto said to Kairos as he thought of that.

Yeah. The Great Argonnes Tomb.

Is that really there?

Why wouldnt there be? He was the Emperor of the Great Empire, and unlike anyone else, the Great Argonne rested in peace as the Emperor of the Great Empire, in a magnificent and fancy mausoleum.

Tis This..!!!

Kairos snorted like an overheated kettle.

Whats the point of a fancy tomb, itll all be the same old white skeleton when youre dead anyway!

Hmm?

Why are you talking so harshly near the grave of the ancestors?

Anyway, its a matter of pride.

Calm down and listen to the story.

Oh, I understand.

First of all, the tomb of the Emperor Argonne exists. Although Ive heard its been damaged a bit, the contents are still intact.

Is that true?

Is that accurate?

Where is it!

Exclaimed Kairos, turning to Otto, who looked eager to rush off.

Lets go dig that bastards grave right now, and well stomp on his bones good and hard, and well use his skeleton as a drinking cup for me!

I thought you said they were all white bones anyway?

Th-that.

And Argonne the Great is here, and hes alive and well, with his eyes wide open, so whats the point of smashing those old bones?

.

In any case, that fucking anger management disorder.

Otto said, then explained to Kairos.

Anyway, theres all sorts of treasures and artifacts buried in the tomb of the Great Emperor Argonne, which we can ransack. Im sure theres at least a few pieces of armor made of Obsidium.

Mmm!

The problem is, the Great Argonne wants to dig up his own tomb, too.

Is that true?

Hes probably looking for it right now, or possibly hes already found it and is arranging for it to be excavated.

Otto knew from experience that Julius-Argonne the Great-excavated the imperial tomb around this time of year and made a fortune.

So where is it?

How should I know? Its not like the location of Argonnes tomb is recorded in the history books.

The only person who knew the exact location of the tomb of Argon the Great was himself, Julius.

Countless gamers have tried to use Julius to attempt to steal the Great Tomb of Argonne, but none have succeeded.

This is because at this time of year, Julius usually disappears into thin air and never reappears.

It was only when he learned that Julius was actually the Great Emperor Argonne that he realized the reason for his disappearance.

You brat, are you just playing a joke on me?

Well, just listen to what I have to say.

Well?

I dont know where the grave is either. But we can work something out.

How?

Do you think a single shovel is enough to excavate such a huge tomb? Do you think digging alone will bring up the emperors tomb?

Well, what do you mean?

Eh.

Otto saw the dumbfounded look on Kairos face and gave up trying to explain.

Forget it. Lets not talk. Dont talk. You do that. All you know how to do is drink and fight.

What?

Ill find out where the grave is, and youll just stay quiet and follow me.

Ohhhh!

Kairos chuckled.

So youre telling me that youre going to do all the dirty work, and Im just going to sit back and watch from the sidelines?

.

Hahaha!

Otto rolled his eyes as he watched Kairos cast Mental Triumph after his own arbitrary interpretation of his words.

He felt like he was going to explode if he tried to talk anymore, so he shut up.

* * * /novel/i-became-a-level-99-vicious-lord/ * * *

After leaving the Kuntachi Estate and returning to the Kingdom of Lota, Otto immediately set out to track down the tomb of Emperor Argonne.

Good. I didnt have to do much this winter anyway.

This winter was the season for building up the military and stockpiling food and funds for the upcoming Great War.

As such, Otto had no official schedule beyond his personal training.

Thus, it was the perfect time to plunder the tomb of the Great Argonne.

Did you call for me?

Ego, the goblin merchant who had rushed to Ottos side at his summons, bowed.

What business do you have in calling for this humble merchant?

Has there been a large hiring of laborers at any site recently?

What do you mean by that?

Im asking if there has been a construction site where a large number of laborers have been hired, literally, and where a lot of equipment like shovels, pickaxes, and golems have been purchased.

Your Majesty, it is winter.

Ego replied, looking perplexed.

Theres no construction in the winter, so no one is hiring laborers or buying construction equipment on a large scale.

I know, thats why Im asking.

Ill look into it.

Please.

Ottos method for finding the location of Argonnes tomb was to track the distribution of labor and construction equipment.

People always leave a trail.

Especially on a project as massive as excavating an Imperial Tomb.

Unless the Argonne was an idiot, he wouldnt just hire laborers and buy construction equipment outright, hed probably use some sort of ghost business to get the labor and supplies he needed by other means, Heheh.

So Otto asked Ego, a merchant with connections across continents, to investigate.

With connections at various points in the industry, he figured Ego would be able to flag anything unusual.

About a week later.

I noticed something strange.

Ego visited Otto and reported.

Strange? in the sense of what?

I found out that a mercenary group has hired laborers under the pretense of building a fortress to serve as a base.

So?

The laborers werent recruited all at once from a large city or something, but rather in sections throughout various regions.

The reason why Ego said it was strange was because there was no reason to source the laborers all over the place.

Its currently winter.

There was no work for construction workers, who usually make their living by working on construction sites.

If they put out an announcement that they were looking to hire workers in the winter, it was certain that the workers who were resting from work would come in like a wave.

There wasnt a good reason to hire a small number of workers around every city.

The total number of hired laborers is nearly 3,000, and the shovels, pickaxes, and even the markets stock of construction golems have been depleted. For a project of this magnitude, its hard to imagine that.

Its almost like building a small royal palace, isnt it?

Thats right.

Can you track the movement of the laborers and the flow of construction equipment?

I knew you would want that, and Ive already been gathering information.

I see.

Otto smiled.

I was expecting this, Hehehe. In the end, the flow of money and logistics determines everything.

Ego is a merchant who operates across continents.

In reality, he was a businessman running a global company.

This meant that he was very sensitive to information from around the world.

We cant track their exact location, but weve been creating opportunities to infiltrate under the guise of laborers.

Oh!

Would you like me to look into that for you?

No, no.

Otto threw up his hands.

Ill look into it myself, just give me the information.

His Highness is going undercover himself?

Its a dangerous mission.

Since the mission is to infiltrate the site where the Great Emperor Argonne is excavating his own tomb, the risks are truly enormous.

It wasnt something that could be handled by mercenaries hired from the merchant troupe.

What the hell is going on? If its this big, its not normal, is it?

Well, its.

Otto whispered the outline into Egos expectant ear.

Except, of course, for the secret that Julius was actually the Great Emperor Argonne.

Hiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!?

Ego exclaimed in surprise.

Ah, the Tomb of the Great Emperor Argonne.

Shhh.

Otto glanced around and covered Egos mouth.

Im telling you specifically because its you Ego, you understand.

*Nod.*

Ego shook his head vigorously up and down in surprise.

Oh, my God, was there such an incident.

I cant tell you more than that right now, so thats all you need to know for now.

I understand.

So what do you think we should do now, Sir Ego?

Hahaha!

Ego laughed, looking as if hed been surprised at any moment.

Well, I need to launder your lordships stolen treasures and secure an outlet to dispose of them.

Waaaa!

Feigned ignorance.

Otto let out an exclamatory gasp as Ego immediately grasped his words.

After talking to a stone head like Kairos, it was refreshing to have someone like Ego on his side.

You have a big job, Ego. You know that laundering is more important than stealing, and we have to make sure that no one knows where it came from.

Course it is, Hehehe!

Otto trusted Egos intelligence, so he didnt emphasize the importance of laundering.

That was because he was a goblin, and Egos ingenuity was beyond that of even Argonne.

* * * /novel/i-became-a-level-99-vicious-lord/ * * *

The next day.

Otto, Camille, Kairos, and thirty other magic swordsmen left the Kingdom of Lota disguised as laborers.

They traveled towards the Labor Union in the city where Argonnes men were recruiting laborers.

The Labor Union was a sub-organization of the Craftsmens Guild, a group of artisans who arranged jobs for simple manual laborers who did not require special skills.

In reality, its role was much the same as that of a recruitment office.

At dawn a few days later.

Disguised as laborers, Otto and the others went to the Labors Union at dawn and waited to be picked up by Argonnes subordinates.

And then.

You, there.

One of the employees pointed to one of the men in Ottos group.

Yes?

Qasim, the Chief of Air Force of the Kingdom of Lota, was surprised that the employee had pointed at him.

Hed been tired of raising his Black Wyvern fledgling, and when he heard there was a special operation, he volunteered.

Even though he may have gained a new class, he is still a magic swordsman at the core.

It was necessary for him to participate in special operations every once in a while to keep his skills sharp.

Unfortunately, his luck was not good.

Youre going to the mines.

Yes?

Qasims eyes widened in disbelief.

Ego had already greased the wheels at the Labor Union, so it was expected that all of Ottos men would be taken away by Argonnes subordinates.

But a mining operation?

What kind of rubbish is this?

What, mine?

The miners have requested a laborer to clear the rocks that have accumulated in the shaft, and theyre offering double the pay, so hurry up and follow me.

Uh, well. Ive got a bad back if I carry a boulder or something, Ill be lying down for days.

Youre complaining about your back when its obvious how hard it is to find work in this cold weather! You want to starve for a few days?

.

You looked pitiful, so I picked you out, and now youre whining about your back!

Its not that.

Qasim gave Otto a look that implored him to help him out.

But Otto couldnt help him.

It would raise suspicion, wouldnt it?

If Emperor Argonnes men found out that Qasim had turned down a job that paid him twice as much, there would be suspicion.

After all, what laborer would turn down an offer of a doubled rate of pay for a days work in a season when there was no work to be had?

In this situation, it was appropriate to simply leave now that hed been singled out.

Just go.

I, Your Majesty!

Quickly.

Understood.

Qasim trudged out of the waiting room, following the Union staff as Otto gave him a glance.

In the end, Qasim was once again left out of the operation, this time after being sold to the wrong person.

Hed unintentionally missed out three times in a row!

** ** **

TL/N:

1. Outburst shout reminiscent of the published Manga character in October 4, 2007. Tsunayoshi Sawada of Katekyo Hitman Reborn