That time I was reincarnated as a snake (Tensura)

-KAI POV-

After seeing the merchant Edmund fall asleep in his bedroom, I prepared to leave the mansion. I had to make further preparations tonight to give him the impression that an organization like mine really existed.

You might think, how did I find out that I had problems with a noble?

I didn't really know. It all started with the scroll. The scroll didn't really exist, it was just something I made him believe he was reading. I only hinted that it would solve his problem; it was his mind that filled the sentence with its concern. I knew he wouldn't take it seriously. It would be at the moment when an individual infiltrated his study refuted him, when his stress and fear levels would rise and allow him to make more slips with what he said, as was the case when he asked me if I could help him with Marquis Starling. It was he himself who revealed the information.

I just had to keep up the act. I had to act relaxed, as if I didn't care whether he accepted or not, so that he would worry that I would kill him to silence him, while I made him see the benefits of joining my organization. It's the benefits that motivate merchants, nothing like feelings or a high ideal, pure and simple benefits.

The so-called "magic seal" was just the icing on the cake, a way to make him believe he was safe, that he wouldn't be implicated for the mistakes of other members if they were caught, and to make him believe that revealing information about the organization would lead to his death or insanity, all in order to keep him in line.

Actually, there is no such seal. If I knew that kind of magic, I wouldn't be making my life so complicated. To make him believe it, I just made him believe that he saw a symbol that was later hidden and when he tried to say the name of the organization, it was just me making him feel immense pain by manipulating his senses, such as touch.

With his experience and intelligence, he must have realized that everything I said and did was to calm his concerns. That would leave him with the impression that Noche knew what he was doing, and only when the conversation was over was it time to remind him about the cost of membership. Now that he knew the risks and benefits involved, he would be more willing to accept losing a quarter of his fortune. And as a final detail, I made him believe that I knew about his properties, which he actually told me without knowing. A final warning not to play tricks or he would lose everything, his possessions and even his life.

I don't really mind him giving me that fortune. As I said, it's more to prove his commitment to the organization. Taking that money from him would make him feel like it was an investment, and he would think twice before ruining that investment. It might even help that investment grow by helping to develop my organization.

Now the next step in the plan : intercept the bartender of the largest cantina, which is apparently the cantina where I looked for information the first night I arrived in this city. And the most surprising thing is that, from conversations I later overheard, I learned that the sign did indeed say "Ronin's Cantina," now that's a coincidence.

Back to the topic, I must intercept him and make him believe that he is part of all this, so that he can only be a bridge between the members, but not get involved in the activities or identities of the members and can keep his mouth shut.

It may seem difficult at first, but with the time I spent here, I learned a juicy piece of gossip that not many people know about: the bartender whose name is "Clo" and whose favorite numbers are twenty-six and ten, because he apparently likes to be called "CLO2610", is not only the simple owner of the bar, but he is also one of the spies of the city lord, with the goal of gathering intelligence for the lord on information that is sensitive or may pose a threat to the lord.

Crazy, right? Apparently, most of the most prosperous establishments in the city are part of the intelligence network of the city lord. And it is thanks to this fact that I can take advantage of it to create my organization, you'll see how I handle it.

It didn't take me long to get to the cantina. Being so late, it was about to close, so I waited until there were no more customers. As Clo was preparing to close, I decided it was my time. I first made him see a hooded man entering the cantina, only for him to approach Clo and momentarily reveal his face, a face he was very familiar with, it was the face of the lord of the city.

"My lord? What are you doing here?" Clo asked quietly.

"Shhh, I need your help with something very important," I said in the voice of the city lord with a very serious tone.

"Whatever you need, my lord," Clo said firmly.

"This is a top secret mission, only you and I can know about it, understood?" I said seriously.

To which he nodded resolutely.

"Well, I plan to establish a secret organization to carry out missions of a very sensitive nature. This organization cannot be related to me in any way, or it could cause me serious problems," I made him believe that the gentleman looked him straight in the eyes.

"I understand, what should I do my lord?" Clo said seriously.

"The organization will recruit members from across society to carry out missions that are not suitable for my men to perform. We will use the second floor here to serve as a place to make requests, accept tasks, and collect rewards. You will handle that, similar to how the adventurer association handles it. The difference is that it is the members themselves who will make the requests and will themselves set what they are willing to pay for it. It can be anything as remuneration."

"Whatever?" Clo asked.

"Whatever. You have to know that the members won't be good people. I'll have others recruit them from the dregs of society. You shouldn't care about what they ask for and what they're willing to pay. You have to know that the less you know about this, the safer you'll be. I don't want you to get too involved," I said in a worried tone.

Something that Clo noticed, and he felt valued by the person he admired.

"I will do as you command," Clo said, back straight.

"To recognize members, they will approach you and say the following phrase: 'I'm here to help, I hope you help me.' You must discreetly take them to the second floor. There they can do the following things:

Create help requests. These should state what they need help with and what they are willing to pay for it. Lastly, what they need to verify that the mission was successful. In order for the request to be published, they must leave the full remuneration with you so that whoever accepts and completes the mission can receive it when you verify that it was completed. You should not charge any commission; if you do, you will be seen as an impostor and could be killed.

Accept quests created by other members. To do this, you need to set up a sort of bulletin board where they can see the available quests. By accepting a quest, they will take the role of the posting, preventing others from taking the same quest. You should keep a copy of all saved quests. In case they die and lose the posting, you can put it back on the bulletin board.

Collect rewards for completed missions. Completion of a mission will only be valid if it meets the mission success verification set by the mission creator. If everything is correct, you will give them their full remuneration. In case they fail the verification and demand the reward, you just tell them that if they cause you trouble, their recruiters will come after them. Any questions?" I said in a serious tone.

"How should I inform you about what happens within this organization?" he asked doubtfully.

"You won't, that's the point. I created this dark organization so that it can't be associated with me. I will only make use of it when absolutely necessary, but I must create the impression that even if I am found out to be using it, it will only be as a member and not as the mind behind it all," I said while making the image of the lord show the most serious face Clo could imagine.

"I understand, my lord," Clo said firmly.

Making him believe that the gentleman was placing his hand on his shoulder, I said to him:

"I know this is very dangerous, only you and I will know. If you are involved, you should know that I will not be able to protect you, but I can promise you that I will take care of your family. And if your son shows the necessary qualities in the future, I will make him my knight," I said with a resolute tone.

To which Clo responded with a few tears.

"T-Thank you, my lord, I won't let you down, I promise I'll never involve you in all this," she said, wiping away her tears.

"I know, that's why I entrust this difficult task to you, because I know that you won't betray me and that you have the ability to carry everything out perfectly," I gave him a comforting smile.

"That's it, I must go or someone will suspect my disappearance. Remember, you must never contact me about this operation. You can continue with the collection work as normal, but never, ever, speak to me about this operation; there's no telling who has ears near me. If you ever tell me, I'll act like I know nothing about this, keep that in mind."

"It's best to get started with the organization as soon as possible. The first members are expected to arrive tomorrow; they will always try to appear as discreet as possible or hide their identities. Don't investigate them, the name of the organization is [ ], don't forget that."

And with that, I made the illusion of the city lord disappear from Clo's sight into the night.

"I won't let you down, my lord," Clo whispered.

And with that, the foundation had been laid. With the addition of Clo, someone with experience in intelligence management and acquisition, it would be easy to manage this little organization of mine. Even if everything was revealed, the only one who would bear all the sins would be the city lord.

You might think that I should also opt to use Night to recruit Clo, but one thing I learned is that he is very loyal to the city lord. He wouldn't accept a task like this from anyone other than him. Plus, keeping the mastermind completely unknown may lead to him being investigated more vigorously. At least revealing a known name who might be capable of creating such an organization would make it more believable that he is the culprit.

Now I had to find more members to nourish my organization.

He had already created a list of possible candidates during this month. From low-ranking adventurers, full of debt and with no way out, to employees of various businesses, both white and black, to former nobles who lost their privileges and found themselves in the need to find ways to survive.

This would be a long night, but it would be worth it.

By the time the sun rose over the horizon, I had finished my list. Although some stubbornly refused my proposal, forcing me to silence them so they could not tell anyone, most happily agreed to join my little organization.

The "magic seal" helped a lot in the process, I don't deny it. I should seek the knowledge necessary to make one for real, it would be very useful. I would simply engrave it on the members of the organization without them realizing it and it would seem like it was always there.

Tired from the night of recruiting, I decided to take a short break before following up on Edmund's application.

-Merchant Edmund POV-

With my maids' reminder, I got out of my bed with the first rays of sunlight, recalling the previous night's experience. I could only sigh in exhaustion. I asked my butler to prepare a quarter of my fortune and store it in warehouse eight, which was my property, discreetly, so as not to attract the attention of others. I wanted to get rid of the risk of angering that Night .

Meanwhile, my maids prepared a comfortable bath for me, with aromatic flowers and their beautiful companions, to rub my body. I can't deny it, it's good to have money.

I took my time enjoying the service of my maids. After almost an hour had passed, I decided it was time to get to work. Compared to the day before, when I was worried about Marquis Starling, I felt more relaxed today. Why did I have to worry about a mere noble? Compared to a mysterious guy like Noche, that Marquis was like a child who only screamed for attention.

As I was being helped into my clothes, I remembered the mark on the back of my hand, so I requested a pair of gloves so I could cover it if it appeared.

Once fully dressed, I headed to my shop, the largest distributor of equipment made from monster parts. We were the ones who ordered the most commissions from the Adventurers' Mutual Aid Association, regarding hunting monsters for their parts. Every day we bought large quantities of materials from the guild and my craftsmen turned them into the best equipment this city could produce.

Naturally, such a profitable business caused many to covet my business, but thanks to my association with the city lord, I was able to avoid those vultures. But the city lord was unable to help me with the problem posed by Marquis Starling, so I felt worried, but that was a thing of the past.

After verifying that everything was going well in the business, I decided it was time to check out this supposed community. I asked my butler to get me something to hide my identity, and I prepared to go to "Ronin's Cantina." When I arrived, I could see that there were several customers eating breakfast. Because I didn't feel the mark's signal, I began to have doubts about whether Night had lied to me, but remembering that it wouldn't activate with the bartender, only with other members, I decided to give it a try. I was already here, I had nothing to lose by trying.

I approached the bartender in a discreet manner. While most of the customers were distracted, he, seeing that I was hiding my identity, became somewhat nervous. I approached his ear and whispered the phrase: " I'm here to help, I hope you help me. "

He relaxed his vigilance, checking his surroundings several times. When he didn't notice anyone watching us, he called for someone to take his place and motioned with his chin for me to follow him.

I followed him to the second floor. It was much quieter than the floor below. He led me to the back room on the right. There I could see a notice board on one of the walls, next to a counter with several quest forms, similar to those in the adventurer's guild.

As we approached the counter, he handed me one of the forms and a pen to fill it out. Then he turned away, not wanting to know anything.

I liked his attitude. For the moment, everything was going as Night had told me, so I continued to read the form.

Application of help

*Write here the help you need. ...

*Write here what you are willing to pay for help. ...

*What do you need to confirm that the request was successful? ...

You must leave the entire remuneration for the help, in advance, to the manager.

Night 's skills , I assumed that no one would dare to play tricks that would damage the organization's credibility, including this manager.

So I set out to fill out the form.

Application of help

*Write here the help you need. Killing Marquis Starling must look like a fluke, there must be witnesses to prove the death was a complete accident.

*Write here what you are willing to pay for help. Ten complete sets of the finest equipment crafted from monstrous materials, as well as a set of weapons including a two-handed sword, five daggers, two tower shields, and two magic staves.

*What do you need to confirm that the request was successful? The murderer must not be discovered, it must be determined that the Marquis's death was a complete accident.

You must leave the entire remuneration for the help, in advance, to the manager .

Finishing filling out the form, I handed it to the administrator, who gave it a quick glance and spoke to me.

"You must leave payment in advance for the request to be published," he said in a serious tone.

He didn't even seem to care that he was asking for the assassination of a great noble. It seems that the members of this organization are ruthless guys and this manager has seen many waves.

"I know, where can I leave the merchandise, where it doesn't attract too much attention?" I asked, changing my voice to a deeper one.

He nodded at my doubt.

"Prepare everything inside a fully sealed box and leave it in the last stable at the back. Someone will pick it up later. After checking that the contents match the request, it will be announced for other members to accept. The maximum deadline for a request is one week. After that, if the request has not been completed, you can come to the same stable and collect the reward. If you wish to repost the request, you will need to come again and fill out a new form. Any questions?" he said in a bored tone.

"Why is the board empty?" I had that doubt since I entered.

"As I said, after a week, requests are either completed or removed from the board if they are not. You came at a time when there were no new requests," he said in a monotone.

"I see, then I'll take my leave," I said.

"Go out the back door, we passed by it on the way up," he said, reminding me.

To which I nodded, it would be suspicious if they saw us going down together.

It was only when I left the bar that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. The atmosphere was making me very nervous.

But with that done, I just have to wait for someone to fill out the application. I can wait a week.

Getting rid of my disguise, I decided to go back to my mansion and relax with my maids.

I ordered my butler to send the reward to the place the bartender told me, telling him to be discreet. I trust he will do it well, he is capable, unlike my assistant in the business.

-Anonymous Adventurer POV-

Who would believe what happened to me the night before? I was on my way back from losing a fortune in gambling, when I entered the dump I call home, there I saw him, a shady guy who offered me to join his organization. The whole thing sounded too shady, I knew I could get into trouble, but after considering that I was up to my neck in debt and could die at any moment fighting monsters, I decided to agree to join. Maybe it would be my chance to get ahead in this shitty world.

So I set out to go to the place he mentioned to see if there was a request I could complete that would have a good reward.

Following the steps the man gave me, I approached the bartender and said the phrase, " I'm here to help, I expect you to help me." He just looked around us and when he was sure it was clear, he took me up to the second floor. There I could see the bulletin board.

To my disappointment, there was only one application. Not wanting to leave in vain, I decided to take a look.

Application of help

*Write here the help you need. Killing Marquis Starling must look like a fluke, there must be witnesses to prove the death was a complete accident.

*Write here what you are willing to pay for help. Ten complete sets of the finest equipment crafted from monstrous materials, as well as a set of weapons including a two-handed sword, five daggers, two tower shields, and two magic staves.

*What do you need to confirm that the request was successful? The murderer must not be discovered, it must be determined that the Marquis's death was a complete accident.

You must leave the entire remuneration for the help, in advance, to the manager.

My eyes widened. Seriously, someone dares to commission the assassination of a marquis? They're either crazy, or I'm crazy.

It was when I read the reward that my mouth started to water. So many sets of armor and so many weapons of the highest quality. If I take the best produced in this city as a reference, all this equipment could be worth hundreds of gold coins. It was a very tempting reward.

The hard part was killing him in a way that would look like an accident. There would have to be witnesses, which meant I couldn't silence all of the marquis's companions if they saw me.

'Wait a minute, if I recall correctly, that guy likes to show off his strength by hunting monsters in the forest. I heard that he even got into a fight with the owner of the best equipment store because he wasn't given all the equipment he had ordered for his men.'

'I just have to find a way to attract a lot of monsters to kill him in the forest. I just have to make sure that some of his men can return as a witness. It would be considered a simple monster attack.'

'I think I'm going to need help with this. I can't do it alone. Besides, it's better to involve more people. If they find out about my earnings later, they'll surely report me.'

With the plan in place, I approached the manager with the request.

"I want to accept this request," I said.

"Okay, you have one week to complete it. After that time, the request is automatically cancelled," he said in a serious tone.

To which I nodded and went out the back as instructed.

I had to plan this plan well. I needed to call those guys. Surely they would dare to help me for the rewards.

I headed to a seedy neighborhood, one where I knew guys who would do anything for money hung out.

I looked for a guy I knew. After wandering around several alleys, I found a shady bar.

As I entered, I could smell the smell of stale beer. I looked around a few times, searching for my target. I found him surrounded by several prostitutes.

I walked over and sat down in front of him.

Upon noticing my arrival, he seemed annoyed.

"You bastard, you dare to look for me? Did you forget the money I lent you?" he said in an annoyed tone.

"I remember, Celdric. I'm looking for you for a big deal," I said.

"What big deal?" he said in a curious tone.

I refrained from saying anything, just took out the application paper and showed it to him, preventing anyone else from seeing it.

When Celdric saw its contents, he was about to scream in shock. I quickly covered his mouth. Only after I saw that his shock had passed did I stop covering his mouth.

"Are you crazy? You dare to kill a marquis? Do you know the consequences if this is discovered?" he said in a low voice.

"I know, but look at the reward," I urged him to continue reading.

"That much? That equipment is worth hundreds of gold coins," he said in a whisper.

"That's why I came with you. I have an idea on how to do it, but I need your help and that of your boys," I said in a serious tone.

"What do you need and how do we share it?"

"I need your help to get that forbidden powder that attracts monsters. I plan to use it when the Marquis goes hunting in the forest. Also, I need your help and that of your boys to prevent the Marquis from escaping. Everything must be done leaving some of his men to serve as witnesses that they were attacked by monsters, so that the request is valid. As for the reward, we split it sixty, forty. Sixty for you. What do you think?"

"You want forty? Almost everything is done by me and my subordinates," he said angrily.

"Yes, but without me, even if you do, you won't be able to claim the rewards," I said in a you-know-what tone.

"Where did you get such a request? Not just anyone would dare to publish this," he said in a serious tone.

"I can't reveal too much, or I might get killed. But if you're interested, I can recommend the guy who introduced me to this. But I warn you, these guys aren't easy to mess with. If you go in, you can't get out," I said as a warning, but I really said it to get his attention.

That guy who recruited me said that if I recommended new capable members to the organization, I could get a commission of several silver coins. The easiest money.

He gave me a searching look. After a while, he gave up.

"Let's leave that for later. Let's first see how to complete this request and not die trying. Let's get out of here; this is not the place to discuss this," he said in a serious tone.

"Okay, I'll follow you."

And so we went to Celdric's base to plan this assassination well.

In the shadows, a pair of blue slit eyes watched all this happen.

_________________________

Author's Notes:

We have a winner, Kai's organization name is: Phersu. Congratulations to Ed_bear for winning the first activity.

Although there were many names that I liked such as:

Shadow council - but this organization does not function as a council.

Human supremacy - just to piss off humans by blaming them.

But I decided on Phersu, I feel that it fits very well with my idea for this organization, where members can have any identity, from the most humble, to the most honorable.

Later on, I will replace all the blank spaces with the new name in the previous chapters. As for the organization logo, I will take my time to create it.

Kai's business is booming.

How will the first request be processed?

Will more members join?

Will Kai help from the shadows?

Find out about this and more in the next chapter of Dragon B-... a, no, That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Snake.