Lucas and I continued our chat over a glass of strong wine punctuated by short breaks of video reviewing. He finished to update me on the situation, and let me know of every essential information and useful data.

To begin with, he wasn’t alone, and a small part of his group shared his ideals. For giant criminal gatherings assembled over the years such as theirs, disagreement were common occurrences, and finding some dissident was but a matter of time and trust.

Over time, he had built a circle of reliable helpers that were unhappy with the situation and had the firm intention to put an end to their evil activities.

Scattered among the snitches, the hardcores, and the cowards. The smartest one understood well their situation, and the trap they were caught into. No matter the gain, this very unstable situation was doomed to abruptly cease one day. And they would have no hope to escape at that time.

In fact, if it weren't for his employer’s watchmen and spy, and the bandits’ overall low Qi. Lucas could’ve probably rallied a third of the forces to his cause. This atypical organization, which seemed to have better management than some army corps I was familiar with, was in reality poorly united and motivated almost exclusively by money.

But unfortunately, the majority were happy to enjoy the present moment without using their brain for anything other than selecting the girl they were going to use next.

Yet, things could’ve been totally different, if not reversed.

For the sake of honesty and global compréhension, and certainly because of the wine too, Lucas’ story began to get off topic before we even approached the main topic. He spontaneously started to relate his life while complaining.

I won’t go much into detail, but after some pointless and unnecessary stuff, of which the only noteworthy part was about the time he lost his virginity, he told the captivating story of this gathering of idiots.

Turns out that originally, when Lucas was still a young recruit, they were your typical robber gang, until good fortune smiled upon them, or perhaps due their victims’ misfortune.

They got quite a sum after a good shot. Their sudden income blew the wind of change, and as the old withdrew with their economies, a wave of rookies came in replacement, making the gang grow quite large.

This new blood, full of ardor and dreams of wealth, I mean, for the criminals they were, was driven by greed, and became pretty jealous of the original member still in activity.

One thing leading to the other, the new leader, pressured by the newcomer, and blinded by their small success, chose to broaden their misdeed method. Going from thief to potential murderer, They started to sink more in crime.

By this time, Lucas had already made his proof and was known for his cleverness and hard work so he rose in rank. Sadly enough even with his new responsibilities, he was still too low on the ladder and couldn’t help it but go with the flow .

Time passed, and as he gained power due to his ability to adapt and his sharp mind, old or tired people kept withdrawing.

He became an executive, then the second, and finally the boss. Pushed by the others who saw in him a good leader despite his rather indifferent attitude for the job. Apparently, he was made for it, and it was yet another strong point he has.

He, who used to be one of the moderates, never stopped to support his point of view, but was good enough of a politician as he managed to convince the extremists to accept his authority, and never put them at odds.

Making concessions, he always made sure to remain objective and stood successful in all of his jobs while sharing the profits. Under his command, and the the time he was second, the band grew even larger, amassing a number of specialists and talents of all kinds (in crime), to the point where a small company was formed.

Lucas saw this as an opportunity, and thoughtfully made plans to use them to their fullest, while attempting to break free from the dark world.

Trying to turn a new leaf, or at least return to softer crime, he threw himself into the hard and long task of reforming the whole organization, into mercenaries. This decision received a mixed reception, but since they grew wealthier than ever under Lucas’ management, the voices against grew weaker.

But Fate doesn't like to be played with, and while he had succeeded in influencing general opinion, and converted a majority to his moderate cause, he crossed the path with our corrupted and murky noble ring. A powerful organization who easily discovered their older deed and the ‘pot aux roses’.

They deceived Lucas into accepting jobs related to even worse felonies, compromising him once and for all, and blackmailed him and his useful mercenary corps to work for them at full time.

A proposition which Lucas willingly accepted on the surface, in spite of himself, especially since it suited his underlings’ way of life perfectly. A high pay job, with low visible risk, with the right to commit any crime without fearing the conséquences. No wonder the majority happily returned to their bad habits, and even the most convinced members became corrupt as well effortlessly.

With the new addition of unlimited access to slave provided by their employer, and fresh girl to rape then sold in return, the band rotted to the core, and only a handful of people stood up.

All this to say, simply, that Lucas was not far from success to change this bunch of idiots into proper humans but fate decided otherwise.

Anyway, after this little setback… or rather large digression, Lucas finally sobered up and started talking about important things again.

First thing first, I wasn’t aware, but upon hearing my hero’s title, Lucas spontaneously thought about using me to get out of this mess. Aiming for my remaining connection, had I any left, or at worst, my fighting potential.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Following a last interview with his employer, he fully made up his mind to take down the facility, then flee with every material evidence to put an end to this organization. I’m grateful he did, I’m even indebted to him, since this definitely ensured my and Lily’s survival.

While I was supposed to be disposed of in the galleries, where my body would’ve never been found, he faked my death and to prevent anyone from discovering the trickery, he kept me hidden in the merchandise’s place of captivity.

The girls’ jail was already mostly guarded by his trusted people, to prevent any attempt to use them forcibly, lessening their value.

All he did was to discreetly alter the guard schedule to ensure only his men would’ve taken care of it for a week or two, and make everyone believe I had been successfully slain. This further convinced the noble’s spies of his loyalty recently questioned, killing two birds with one stone

Doing it, he was hoping to make me a little less doubtful and more cooperative, while he prepared the ground for what would follow.

And things went surprisingly well, actually, they had not been so smooth since my time back as the hero. After having ended our discussion, we agreed at some point to put the machine in motion without delay. Due to lack of time, we couldn’t wait for my helper’s response.

During the last week, Lucas already informed everyone concerned, while studying the different ways of acting and their possible outcome. Roughly drafting and implementing a first plan before asking for my help.

So here’s the thing, like I’d said, me, Lucas, along with some confidants, started the operation without waiting much, on a semblance of strategy. Again, time was limited, the secret of my fake death was hard to keep and we had to make some preparations. Moreover, we couldn’t afford to wait past the upcoming girl shipment.

Too bad for the information verification and cross checking, I used my letter to ask for urgent help on the matter along with some crucial information instead, hoping that it would be received and read on time, or at least that this would take care of the fallout.

Me, Lily, Lucas and Joe accounted for most of our firepower. To which was added the delicious slave/maid, Anna, alias my thing, as a supporter. Even if she was like Lily, and her role was not battle oriented, she was apparently capable.

Besides, I learned on the spot that she was actually an archaeologist before being a slave, working on the ruin as technical project manager. She had never spoken to me about her life and I actually knew little about her.

Due to her strong will power and resistance toward her master, and to better adapt to situations, she was under Lucas’ direct command and was given some privilege, one of them being the right to wander as she liked.

Provided by the noble, everyone else was still falling under his authority and had strict order. They couldn’t deliberately go against their master’s interests and were not able to fight. It's a shame because it would have been an important addition, since we had a very meager force in front of the enemy.

Lucas’ trusted men were in charge of closing the many issues, and secrugin the least important, but numerous, incriminating evidence. They wouldn’t be of much help, also, they were not the best fighter.

That’s why, in view of our small number, Lucas made a somewhat ingenious plant.

It was decided that we would storm from the inside, making it look like kidnaped women and fresh slaves attempted an escape. The new enslaved girls’ order prevented them from fighting but they could still run away along with us. As for the kidnapped one, those had no such hindrance and were willing to fight.

We would let anyone qualified to take the lead of the group, and give us a hand in combat. Of course, we would not let them be in danger, and instantly take control as soon as things get tough.

While the false insurgence mainly serves to gather the crowd of brigands scattered around this gigantic repair, Lucas would participate as commander of the bandit and send them into our trap. We would be the hammer while Joe and Lucas would be the anvil.

Simple but effective, we even had some idea on where to put a fight, and how to gain some more hand to provide man power. Instead of fighting aimlessly, I was informed of the current keeping location of the kidnaped men, which suited our ideas perfectly and would allow us to at least double our number.

We would wait just before the next shipment, which would allow us to make further preparations, leaving some time for my contact to send help.

Let's also hope that by then, she will know how to handle the aftermath, and by her own means. Major proofs were collected by Luc since his blackmail, he recorded all calls and exchanges he had as evidence, and made reports on every girl passing by, misdeed committed, and discovery made.

With so much evidence, stopping the mastermind or killing him should not pose any problem to this scheming princess but she could very well make us do the job.

The plant wasn't perfect but we had pretty much considered every other possibility. In just one day we had finished discussing it and we agreed on the fact that this was perhaps our only available course of action.

Ultimately, we had but one major trouble.

We were worried that the man behind this would act hastily, or rather harshly, if he were to learn of the coup. A simple spell was enough to condemn every slave under him. And that was something I wanted to avoid by all means.

We would need a spécialsit, and a powerful one given we had no time to break their contract. Someone that my helper was precisely able to hire in a hurry, if she didn't already have one. But I wasn’t ready to gamble their lives, especially Anna’s, she would be in much danger as her contract was a special one, and would require even more time and strength to break.

I was just about to pray to god that we could find a solution on schedule rather than relying on luck, regardless of the probability. Unluckily, God was a bit too benevolent toward my person, and since the magical device Lucas used to contact his referent was not limited to a single contact, it used it as his instrument of revelation.

bzz, sizzle “Hello? Is Anyone here? I would like to speak with the hero, if he's still alive of course. Otherwise, his corpse will do, I would be satisfied as long as I can get it back. I can pay.”

Sweet words, broadcasted live from paradise, reach us in the middle of meetings. SHIT, once and for all I hate that voice and its honey tone for good, in a way, it's even more frightening than my first wife’s.

Shaking and sweating abundantly, I made great gestures without making the slightest noise, for Lucas not to respond and leave the sheet concealing the ball in place.

Please, a letter still passes, but a video call?! Seriously, if she knows I’m here, I'm done. How did she know! It hadn’t been a day since my letter, she couldn't even receive it. Why?... All I wanted was to use you… not to be used…

AND WHY ARE YOU AFTER MY DEAD BODY! Do I need a testament in case of accidental death, to specify who’s keeping It? Or should I give you the contact info of my first wife straight. So you can have an amicable agreement on who’s toying with it on odd and even days.

“Eh? One of your fans? I thought you no longer had any, one of the girls wou’d knock up maybe?”

FUCKKKK YOUUU!!!!, IF SHE CAN SPEAK SHE CANS LISTEN IDIOT!!!

“Ahem…, princess?... Hi, how are you?”