Artholomew might be a patient man, but even he couldn’t stand being called crazy multiple times in a row.

“Look here. If we say we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it. And while we’re at it, we’re also giving you the opportunity of a lifetime. Now, will you shut up and join us, making your and our lives easier? Or are you going to be obstinate and suffer as much as we have to work harder?”

When Artholomew got angry, he looked quite intimidating, thanks to his height. And he frightened the thug despite the window in between them.

“W-well…”

“Don’t listen to them, Kent. They can’t do anything to us while we’re inside this house. And there’s no way they can deal with the demons. You know how every other attempt at unifying the town has gone.”

“That’s right. So, take your thugs-”

“Don’t be so hasty.”

Kent, the thug leader, got advice from his subordinate, which helped him get over his fear of Artholomew. But before Kent could tell Artholomew to leave again, Micah interrupted him.

“You don’t have to make a decision right now. I’ll give you guys a chance to decide for yourselves. You don’t have to leave the house right now unless you trust us to hold our word. But as Artholomew said, we’re not stopping at merely this. We’re going after the next group as soon as everyone’s rested.”

“...”

“As a show of good faith, I’ll leave enough pol to help your guys recover. But when we leave for our next target, send someone to follow us. That’ll help you make the right decision.”

Micah didn’t bother waiting for an answer. He turned around, with Artholomew and the other two in tow, as he walked toward his men and ordered them to leave five bronze coins on each person’s body.

Micah also ordered his men to take a break and rest up while they rummaged through the remaining makeshift weapons to arm themselves with in preparation for the next battle. Since their first target had been so small and most of them had fallen at the hands of Micah and his direct subordinates, the ordinary followers hadn’t gotten to do much. Micah’s and his followers' hot-blooded charge inspired the other followers and made their blood boil.

Achieving a near-flawless victory with a single loss was something that made the thugs in Micah’s gang look forward to obtaining glory and pol in the upcoming brawls. Micah didn’t bother telling them that they would probably die several times before things were completely settled.

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Instead, he made sure to instruct them on how to wield the makeshift weapons so that they didn’t make the same mistake Kent’s group did. It took a little work, but Micah felt like he was getting used to how Persuasion worked, and with it, it was easier to make the people listening to him really listen.

However, it remained to be seen if his efforts would give anything in the end. Although it looked like they might have grasped how to use their weapons at the moment, they might forget it all when it came to actual battle. But as long as they maintained the bare minimum of basics, they would still have an advantage just by holding the weapons the right way.

And when preparations were mostly done, Micah took a look at all the pol his men had looted while he talked with Kent. It wasn’t as much as he had hoped. But it was a reasonable amount of about fifty bronze coins. He had been lucky when he managed to rob all the thugs and spectators that gathered when he took over Artholomew’s crew. But he would have to put in more effort if he wanted to gather that much pol again in the future.

And the easiest way to make sure his efforts were rewarded was to absorb the pol and regain the strength he had after he fought against Artholomew.

A few of his subordinates were a little envious. But Artholomew and Rego knew that it was best to invest the pol in Micah since he was skilled and the most technically adept at fighting. Giving him pol and letting him strengthen his body was like putting jet boosters on a sports car. The stronger Micah was, the easier it would be for everyone else. And the easier it would be for everyone else, the greater chance of success they would have.

When they were all ready, and while everyone’s blood was still hot, Micah led his men toward the next target. There was no need to delay now that they had rested and armed themselves and one of Kent’s men had recovered.

Kent’s subordinate followed Micah and the others from a distance so that he wouldn’t accidentally be swept up in the battle or maybe even ambushed by Micah’s followers just for the sake of it.

However, the group of men burning with blazing fighting spirit trailing behind Micah made Kent’s subordinate also begin to itch for another hot-blooded battle. Compared to the everyday boredom that was life after death, fighting was a lot more thrilling, even if one died.

Micah’s next target was a little further away, so Artholomew, Rego, and Dennis had more time to brief him about Tineya’s group, which they needed since Tineya’s group was close or surpassed Artholomew’s group in terms of combat strength.

Micah took in all the information he needed as he walked and prepared for the battle. But it wasn’t like they had a lot of strategies available to them. It was just a matter of what would happen after the fighting was settled, how Micah would convince Tineya and her henchmen to follow him as he took over the town.

Considering Tineya’s reputation, Micah was sure that it would be a lot harder to make her submit than it would be to make Kent start following him. One look at Kent’s subordinate was all he had to know that Kent probably wouldn’t stay a stranger for long.

And after a quick walk through town, Micah and the others arrived in front of the mansion where Tineya’s crew hung out.