I Became a Level -99 Vicious Lord

Chapter 107

“Argonne’s Tomb?!”

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

‘At this point, it’s like Pavlov’s dog, huh?’

Otto snorted at Kairos’s conditioned reflex.

‘I can’t believe he’d react like that at the mere utterance of the ‘a’ word of Argonne the Great….’

‘Maybe he’s the president of a dark fan club?’

Otto said to Kairos as he thought of that.

“Yeah. The Great Argonne’s Tomb.”

“Is that really there?”

“Why wouldn’t 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..!!!”¹

Kairos snorted like an overheated kettle.

“What’s the point of a fancy tomb, it’ll all be the same old white skeleton when you’re dead anyway!”, Kairos shouted.

“Hmm?”, Otto gave a quizzical gaze at Kairos sudden outburst.

“Why are you talking so harshly near the grave of the ancestors?”, Otto questioned.

“Anyway, it’s a matter of pride.”

“Calm down and listen to the story.”, Looking at the fuming Kairos, Otto decided to properly explain everything to Kairos.

“Oh, I understand.”

“First of all, the tomb of the Emperor Argonne exists. Although I’ve heard it’s 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.

“Let’s go dig that bastard’s grave right now, and we’ll stomp on his bones good and hard, and we’ll use his skeleton² 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 he’s alive and well, with his eyes wide open, so what’s the point of smashing those old bones?”

“…….”

“In any case, that fucking anger management disorder.”

Otto said, then explained to Kairos.

“Anyway, there’s all sorts of treasures and artifacts buried in the tomb of the Great Emperor Argonne, which we can ransack. I’m sure there’s 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?”

“He’s probably looking for it right now, or possibly he’s 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? It’s not like the location of Argonne’s tomb is recorded in the history books.”

The only person who knew the exact location of the tomb of Argonne 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 don’t 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 emperor’s tomb?”

“Well, what do you mean?”

“Eh.”

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

“Forget it. Let’s not talk. Don’t talk. You do that. All you know how to do is drink and fight.”

“What?”

“I’ll find out where the grave is, and you’ll just stay quiet and follow me.”

“Ohhhh!”

Kairos chuckled.

“So you’re telling me that you’re going to do all the dirty work, and I’m just going to sit back and watch from the sidelines?”

“…….”

“Hahaha!”

Otto rolled his eyes as he watched Kairos hype himself up about Mental Triumph and Strength 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….

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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 didn’t 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 Otto’s 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?”

“I’m 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.

“There’s no construction in the winter, so no one is hiring laborers or buying construction equipment on a large scale.”

“I know, that’s why I’m asking.”

“I’ll look into it.”

“Please.”

Otto’s method for finding the location of Argonne’s 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 Great Argonne was an idiot, he wouldn’t just hire laborers and buy construction equipment outright, he’d 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 weren’t 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.

It’s 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 wasn’t 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 market’s stock of construction golems have been depleted. For a project of this magnitude, it’s hard to imagine that….”

“It’s almost like building a small royal palace, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

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

“I knew you would want that, and I’ve 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 can’t track their exact location, but… we’ve 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.

“I’ll look into it myself, just give me the information.”

“His Highness is going undercover himself?”

“It’s 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 wasn’t something that could be handled by mercenaries hired from the merchant troupe.

“What the hell is going on? If it’s this big, it’s not normal, is it?”

“Well, it’s….”

Otto whispered the outline into Ego’s expectant ear.

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

“Hiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!?”³

Ego exclaimed in surprise.

“Ah, the Tomb of the Great Emperor Argonne….”

“Shhh.”

Otto glanced around and covered Ego’s mouth.

“I’m telling you specifically because it’s you Ego, you understand.”

*Nod.*

Ego shook his head vigorously up and down in surprise.

“Oh, my God, was there such an incident.”

“I can’t tell you more than that right now, so that’s 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 he’d been surprised at any moment.

“Well, I need to launder your lordship’s 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 Ego’s intelligence, so he didn’t emphasize the importance of laundering.

That was because he was a goblin, and Ego’s ingenuity was beyond that of even Argonne.

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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 Argonne’s men were recruiting laborers.

The Labor Union was a sub-organization of the Craftsmen’s 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 Labor’s Union at dawn and waited to be picked up by Argonne’s subordinates.

And then.

“You, there.”

One of the <Labor Union> employees pointed to one of the men in Otto’s group.

“Yes…?”

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

He’d 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.

“You’re going to the mines.”

“Yes?”

Qasim’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Ego had already greased the wheels at the Labor Union, so it was expected that all of Otto’s men would be taken away by Argonne’s 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 they’re offering double the pay, so hurry up and follow me.”

“Uh, well. I’ve got a bad back… if I carry a boulder or something, I’ll be lying down for days.”

“You’re complaining about your back when it’s 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 you’re whining about your back!”

“It’s not that….”

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

But Otto couldn’t help him.

‘It would raise suspicion, wouldn’t it?’

If Emperor Argonne’s 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 day’s work in a season when there was no work to be had?

In this situation, it was appropriate to simply leave now that he’d 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.

He’d unintentionally missed out three times in a row!

** ** **

TL/N:

1. When you get angry you become overexcited making your brain slip into Concord mode jetting out words and sentences super fast with which your tongue is unable to cope with and match its speed.

2. Cranium as Cup, Hipbone as Wine Satchel

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