Don't move, it's a robbery!

Rewind to the morning of the previous day, Knox was leaning against the wall, dozing off in a daze.

Knox was never a good person from a young age. He bullied the village children and spied on widows bathing. As he grew up, Knox became a slave trader. Although Knox did not consider himself a cruel person, he knew he was not a good person.

But that's all in the past.

Ever since he met the Robin Hood, Noxton has felt like a truly virtuous person.

At least he gave those ugly slaves a way to survive, and he didn't bully them too much on the way. Look at the hundred or so people in the room, they are living a much worse life than the slaves. They are beaten almost every day, and the most pitiful thing is that these people use the same basin for eating and excretion every day.

Knox had previously thought he was already in a terrible situation, but compared to these people, he felt that the Robin Hood had actually treated him quite well.

Just as Knox was reminiscing about the past, he suddenly felt someone tap him on the head. He quickly looked up and found me standing right in front of him.

"Boss! I wasn't sleeping!"

Knox was so frightened he almost jumped out of his skin and stood up with a start.

Seeing how frightened he was, I couldn't help but shake my head.

"Look at how timid you are, anyone who didn't know better would think you'd seen a ghost. Come with me, I've just captured some new prisoners, come and give me a hand."

Knox nodded meekly, then cautiously followed behind me. After walking from the West Side all the way to the slums, Knox finally noticed something was wrong.

"Boss, why is there no one on the street? And there are so many guards."

"Oh, it's nothing, it's just martial law, it's normal."

"Huh? Is it really okay for us to just wander around in the street like this?"

"What are you afraid of? Didn't I lead you away from the patrols? It's alright, there won't be many guards once we get to the slums."

Knox nodded blankly, then asked with some concern.

"Boss, why is the city suddenly under martial law?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Last night I went to the upper city and kidnapped some nobles. It's already dawn, so their families probably noticed they're missing. Hey? Knox, why did you suddenly squat down?"

"Boss, I... my legs are weak."

"Why are your legs going weak? I didn't ask you to do anything dangerous. Come on, stand up."

Knox managed to stand up, but he was still a little unsteady on his feet. I didn't expect this guy to be so timid, afraid of even such a small thing, and I couldn't help but sigh.

Soon, we arrived at the place where the prisoners were being held. This place used to be a stronghold of a small gang, but now it was my territory.

Not only here, but I have several similar locations in the slums.

Before I even entered the gate, the aroma of roasted meat wafted from the courtyard. I rubbed my nose and suddenly felt a little hungry.

"Knox, are you hungry?"

"I'm a little hungry, boss. Is this barbecue?"

"No, why would you think that?"

As I spoke, I pushed open the door, and what came into view were more than a dozen unfortunate men whose faces had been disfigured by branding irons.

Knox was still wondering where the smell of barbecue was coming from when he turned around and saw these shameless guys. His eyes rolled back and he immediately fainted.

Tsk, Southerners, their mental fortitude is really poor.

I splashed some water on Knox's face to wake him up, and to prevent him from making a sound, I gave him a light kick.

"Stop pretending to be dead. You were once a slave trader, how can you not handle such a small situation?"

Knox didn't answer me; he just knelt on the ground, trembling, and vomited bile. He seemed to have been greatly shocked and it took him a long time to recover.

"Boss, what are these?"

"Didn't I tell you? I kidnapped some nobles yesterday."

Knox slumped down again, his eyes lifeless, as if he had broken down completely.

"Get up. What are you doing lying on the ground? I told you to come and help. Just stay here and watch over them. Feed these guys on time. Don't worry about those thugs for now. They'll only go hungry for a day; they won't die."

After I finished assigning Knox his work, I left the house alone.

During the disfigurement of these noble prisoners, some of the guilty guys thought I was interrogating them, so they started to reveal their secrets. Perhaps these people had such poor mental fortitude that they even revealed things like bedwetting from childhood, let alone bad things.

Actually, the bad things they talked about weren't that bad, but they were certainly quite interesting.

Imagine a group of people rushing into the street, surrounding a civilian, each demanding that the other not turn their back on them. Then, the person behind the civilian stabs them. To survive, the civilian has no choice but to turn around and beg for mercy, then they turn their back to another person again, and this time the person behind them stabs them again.

Or perhaps he takes a fancy to a girl, first having his gang members rob her family's property, then having the tax collector enslave the whole family under the pretext of unpaid taxes, and then using the money the gang pays to buy the girl's family, selling her parents and brothers to the arena, and then in the arena's VIP room, he plays with the girl while watching her parents fight each other.

I must say, these nobles are really creative. I was so excited listening to them that I wished I could become their apprentice on the spot.

When it comes to being utterly inhuman, you guys are the real deal!

I was originally planning to grab one ticket and leave, but now!

I still think so.

There's nothing I can do. There's an army in the city. No matter how capable I am, I'm no match for the army. Do you really think those crossbows and muskets are just for show?

I shook my head helplessly and then accepted my weakness.

Only by accepting one's own incompetence can one become stronger!

(˶╹ꇴ╹˶): "What you lack right now is power! Come and sign a contract with me! Once you sign the contract and become a contractor, I can give you endless power! Plus, you can use those hero relics at will. What are you waiting for?!"

"If I sign the contract and become a contractor, you really will give me power, right?"

(ง•̀ꇴ•́)ง: "Hmph, hehe~, yeah, I can promise you that, and considering we're old friends, I can guarantee you'll live a very comfortable life, and I'll never send you those missions that are just meant to send you to your death."

(ง•̀ꇴ•́)ง: "Quick! Sign the contract! Say it now!"

"However, I refuse!"

(•ิ_•ิ): "Eh?"

"My favorite thing to do is to say no to those who think they can convince me!"

ヾ(;ﾟ;Д;ﾟ;)ﾉﾞ: "You bastard!"