Ard the Great Villain 

Ard chuckled softly. “So, the Boss man believes my words now?”

“I believe you, I believe you, alright.” The chieftain licked his dry lips and said fiercely, “I’ll gather my brothers right now and we’ll clean out that treasury.”

“I would advise against that.” Ard felt a headache coming on as he looked at the money-crazed Ogre.

The Boss man’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

“If you go once, you can claim it was someone else,” Ard reasoned. “But to go a second time, with great fanfare, to haul away treasure… wouldn’t that make it obvious it was the Sunstone Gang’s doing? Once your actions are exposed, do you think a man like the Baron will let you go? I dare say he will be absolutely furious and will stop at nothing to destroy you. Even if he has no competent men, if you are held up, the consequences will be dire.”

The chieftain said, unwilling to give up, “So we just abandon it?”

Ard smiled, unfazed. “How have you become so muddled, Boss man? I told you a cunning rabbit has three burrows, but I’ve only mentioned two. And those two, compared to the third, are out in the open. The most bountiful one is still hidden in the shadows.”

The Boss man’s eyes gleamed with a green light. “Where is the third one?” he asked eagerly.

Ard decided to play his hand. “I cannot tell you that at the moment.”

“And why not?” the chieftain asked, his dissatisfaction clear.

“Telling you now would only lead to disaster. I dare say that with your current mindset, you would immediately go and empty that third vault. But our preparations are not yet complete. We cannot afford any superfluous actions. Besides, the theft of the first two can be explained away as the work of outside scouts. If the third one is also stolen, it will be obvious there was an inside leak. At that point, my enemies won’t bother with evidence; they’ll just pin the blame on me and have me eliminated.”

“Then don’t go back. Stay here and work with me. You have the brains, I have the brawn. With the world so vast, we could go anywhere!”

Ard smiled faintly. “I am very pleased to hear you say that, Boss man. It is the very reason I chose to cooperate with you. Because you have power and influence, I can display my talents without having to constantly watch my back. But my return is also to plan for our future. How do you think that fat Baron, who values money as much as his own life, will react when he finds out we conspired to plunder his wealth?”

The Boss man’s expression grew grim. “The consequences will likely be a fight to the death.”

“Baron Quentin may have a bad reputation, but he has connections in high places. And in his madness, he is likely to resort to extreme measures. You and your brothers are not of noble birth, and you’ll be carrying a massive amount of wealth. You’ll likely be murdered before you even leave the country.”

The Boss man nodded gravely. “Mm, you have a point. So, what is your plan?”

Ard’s expression turned ruthless. He glanced around cautiously, then leaned in close to the chieftain and whispered, “We’ll go all the way. We’ll take down Baron Quentin himself!”

The Boss man’s eyes widened. “You mean…” He made a throat-slitting gesture.

Ard nodded heavily. “That’s right! Not only will we take his life, but we will also have him condemned! That Baron of ours is the one who knows the stronghold best. If we get rid of him and leave in disguise, no one will know we were ever bandits. Furthermore, if he dies a criminal, it will save us trouble from the authorities later. A corrupt official colluding with bandits, plundering his own domain, and with physical evidence to prove it… it will be hard for him to escape death! Boss man, do you have any concrete evidence on your end?”

“I have the ledgers detailing the transport of goods to him, as well as the time and place of every raid we’ve carried out under his orders. It’s more than enough to cook his goose. At the very least, the charge of colluding with bandits will stick,” the chieftain said. He then asked curiously, “You even know about that fat pig’s treasuries. Don’t you have any evidence to bring him down?”

“I do. But that evidence would implicate me as well. I still need to be able to walk in the light in the future; a stain on my name would be troublesome. Your identities are not widely known, so you don’t have to worry about such things.”

“You’ve thought of everything, brother.” The Boss man let out a booming laugh, which, combined with his ferocious features, was a terrifying sight. “So what’s our next move? Even with evidence, we have no connections. Who do we give it to? That person’s status must be higher than that fat pig’s.”

“Have you forgotten, Boss man? You just attacked a member of the royal family. I’m sure that for the sake of Baron Quentin’s vast fortune, they will be more than willing to help us.”

“Hahahaha! Excellent! You are truly resourceful, brother! Those bastards dared to frame me! Then they can’t blame me for striking first!” The Boss man’s eyes were filled with a cold, murderous rage for the Baron.

Ard reminded him, “Please give me those ledgers. I intend to start laying the groundwork when I return.”

“Of course.” The Boss man turned and retrieved a set of ledgers from a hidden compartment behind his chair, handing them to Ard.

Ard flipped through the books, his expression turning grim as he saw the shocking records of dark transactions. If this evil is not eradicated, this domain will never know peace.

He carefully put the ledgers away and then said to the chieftain, “May I ask, Boss man, is there a spy from his side in the stronghold?”

“Hmph,” the chieftain snorted. “You saw him yourself, brother. That so-called Counselor was sent by that fat pig. He’s in charge of the accounts and has always looked down on us bandits. Heh.”

“Tsk, a dog looking down on men. Don’t mind him, Boss man.” An idea came to Ard. “Hmm, could you hand this person over to me? I want to use him to confuse the Baron.” 

“You can have him,” the chieftain said dismissively. “I was going to get rid of him later anyway. If you need him, he’s yours.”

“Thank you, Boss man,” Ard said, cupping his hands. “Then, without further delay, I will take my leave. In three days, I will inform you of the next steps of the plan, as well as the location of the third vault. Please be prepared.” He paused, then added in a low voice, “There are many men in this stronghold. Which ones are needed, and which are not… I hope the Boss man will consider this carefully.”

The Boss man nodded gravely. “I understand.”

It was broad daylight when they entered the stronghold. When they left, the sun was just beginning to rise. Three people had entered, and three people had left. Only, the third person was no longer Patch, but the stronghold’s ’bright’ Counselor.

The Counselor’s face was ashen. He clearly did not believe he had much longer to live.

Ard took him to a hidden cave, a cheerful smile on his face as he looked at the despairing man. “Were you sent by Baron Quentin to keep an eye on the Boss man?”

“Hmph!” The Counselor snorted with contempt and turned his head away.

“Oh? Still have some fight, do you?” Ard’s expression turned cold. He said casually, “Yexi, please give us a moment.”

“So pretentious. Why don’t I do it, and you give us a moment?” Yexi retorted, amused.

“…” Yexi’s appearance always made Ard subconsciously forget she was an assassin. She likely knew far more methods of interrogation than he did.

Ard no longer hesitated. He took out a small knife and, with a single, swift motion, cut off the Counselor’s little finger.

“Aaaah!” The piercing pain made the Counselor’s face contort in agony, and he let out a blood-curdling scream.

“A small welcome. I wonder if this will persuade you to answer my questions?”

“F*** you! I’ll @&#% you! Aaaaargh!” The Counselor cursed, but before he could get two sentences out, another finger fell to the ground.

“Don’t rush. For every curse you utter, I’ll cut off a finger or a toe. You still have eighteen curses left. Please, continue.”

“My lord, I was wrong! I beg you, I was truly wrong! Yes, yes, I was sent by Baron Quentin to watch that Ogre!” The once-defiant Counselor was now a sobbing, sniveling mess.

“…” Ard was speechless. “First Patch, and now you too. Why are you all so spineless? I suppose a guy like that wouldn’t have many men of true grit under him.”

“My lord, I beg you, spare me! I really don’t know anything! I’m just an accountant!” The Counselor kowtowed repeatedly.

Ard smiled wickedly. “You can live. But I need you to do a few things for me.”

“Anything, anything! As long as you spare my life, I’ll do anything!”

“How do you and Baron Quentin usually communicate?”

“By letter,” the Counselor said without hesitation.

“Letters? Aren’t you afraid they’ll be intercepted?”

“I use a special mark. And Baron Quentin has a master forger who can verify my handwriting.”

“Very good. Here, eat this.” Ard took a purple pill from his pouch.

The Counselor hesitated. “What is this?”

“A poison,” Ard said, smiling at the man’s terrified expression. “It’s called the Seven-Day Gut-Wrenching Pill. If you don’t get the antidote within seven days, your stomach will feel as if it’s being pierced by a thousand knives. The pain will then spread throughout your entire body, and your bones will feel as if they’re being gnawed on by a million ants. You will die slowly, in excruciating agony. Hehe, not bad, right? It’s quite precious. You’re lucky to get a taste.”

The Counselor’s face was a mask of pure terror. He struggled against his bonds, shouting, “I won’t eat it! I won’t! I beg you, my lord! I’ll cooperate with whatever you want! I’ll be your dog! Please, don’t make me eat this!”

“You don’t have a choice!” Ard’s voice turned to ice. He punched the Counselor in the stomach, and as the man gasped in pain, he shoved the pill into his mouth and clamped his jaw shut, forcing him to swallow.

As the Counselor stared at him with eyes full of despair, Ard untied his ropes and threw a pen and paper at him. “I need you to write me a letter of recommendation,” he said, his voice devoid of any emotion. “Write it well, and in seven days, you’ll get the antidote. If you try any tricks… heh. Only I know where the antidote is. If you don’t want to die, you’ll cooperate.”