The Returned Lord Is a Genius of Gun Law - Chapter 12
chapter 12
Ground Zero’s First Name
The Returning Lord is a Gun Law Genius – Episode 12
Episode 12
The name “Ground Zero” was first given to the nameless underground city by the defeated soldiers and refugees who barely escaped the Soviet Union after its destruction by dragons.
To survive, these survivors descended into the earth, scavenging the gates and scavenging the remnants of the old Soviet Union—machinery, firearms, and other relics—which they supplied to the Amir. Soon, they splintered into various factions, each fiercely competing for survival.
Among these factions was the Mush (Mice), led by Vladimir Yevchenko.
“Hmph…”
He exhaled the cigarette smoke he’d inhaled, his gaze falling on a photograph beneath the table.
The photograph showed a middle-aged man in ordinary clothes, smiling.
But Yevchenko knew this was no ordinary man.
No, to be precise, he was an eyesore, a thorn in the side of their business.
“That Black Snake bastard must be in hell by now.”
The faint explosion he’d heard earlier must have been his men’s doing. They’d used enough explosives to blow up an entire building in one go, so unless he was incredibly lucky, that man, Black Snake, had no chance of surviving.
“With this, we can finally extend our reach into the Mushido Empire. Tsk tsk, daring to try and devour such a large prey all by himself.”
He might have been skilled at hiding his identity, but he clearly lacked the sense to read the situation and the atmosphere. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the crazy idea of trying to monopolize the vast market of the Empire.
In this cold, dark underground city, the price for daring to undertake such a reckless endeavor was practically death itself.
“Now, if those CIA bastards don’t interfere, everything will run smoothly. We can keep these locals satisfied with scraps, and as for those crazy terrorists, we just need to pretend to help them enough.”
As the leader of one of the five most powerful factions in this underground city, he was willing to make minor concessions to secure access to the Empire’s vast market.
Yevchenko took a long drag from his cigarette, contemplating his future plans.
Crash!
That’s when he sensed the commotion outside.
“Aaaagh!”
“…What’s going on?”
The screams echoing through the crashing and shattering sounds froze Yevchenko’s face.
The source of those screams was none other than one of his men, the one he had sent to assassinate the Black Snake.
Could it be… he failed? I never thought that was possible.
For now, he needed to assess the situation.
Having made up his mind, Yevchenko grabbed the rifle and pistol hanging on the wall and stepped out of his office.
And then…
He couldn’t help but wear a puzzled expression at the scene before him.
“Ugh… ugh…”
It wasn’t the man groaning on the floor with a crushed wrist that caught his eye.
Rather, it was the two men surrounded by his men.
A soldier… and… a knight? What an odd combination.
“Who are you? Did you do this to our men? If you did, you’d better not plan on walking out of here in one piece.”
After assessing the two men’s attire, Yevchenko, feigning anger, issued a veiled threat.
But…
“That’s what I should be saying.”
In response to Yevchenko, the man wearing a combat vest and body armor scoffed and continued.
“You lot cost me a fortune.”
“What?”
Yevchenko, baffled by the man’s words, demanded an explanation.
Thud
Instead of answering, the man tossed something onto the floor.
A flower, and a gold medallion engraved with the dragon crest.
Yevchenko recognized the medallion immediately.
“An Imperial… Lord?”
It was a type of identification card that only lords with their own territories could possess among the Empire’s nobility.
The man continued.
“So, you’re going to have to compensate me for my losses.”
As he finished speaking, Eugene Crocus’s eyes gleamed coldly.
Mushra, so that guy had a reason to be so confident.
“Ugh…”
Glancing at the man being helped out by his companions, groaning, Eugene turned his gaze to Mushra’s ruler. Having visited this city several times before, he knew exactly what kind of organization Mushra was.
Still, they’re relatively reasonable in this underground city. They know how to keep to their word.
He couldn’t figure out why such people would blow up the entire brokerage, but he’d figure that out gradually.
“Losses? What kind of crazy talk is that?”
As soon as he realized his opponent was a lord of the Amir Empire, Evchenko’s tone shifted.
Imperial nobles, especially lords who owned their own domains, held significant influence over Mush’s business, so it was only natural that they would be involved.
Yujin’s reply was brief: “Black Snake.”
The moment Yujin uttered those words, the man’s face twisted in a grimace.
“…What’s your connection to him?”
“We were about to strike a deal. Thanks to our successful negotiations, I expected to make a substantial profit. That is, until you blew up the bomb.”
“So, you expect us to cover the losses?”
“Exactly.”
“You’re insane.”
Yevchenko stared at Yujin with an incredulous expression.
“If you weren’t an Imperial noble, I’d have you riddled with holes right here, right now. Do you know that?”
He wasn’t joking.
After all, every member of the organization surrounding Eugene and Knight Malone held an AK-series assault rifle in their hands. If Yevchenko had given the order, bullets would have torn their bodies to shreds from all directions.
“And you know that such an act would put you in serious trouble, don’t you? Surely you don’t intend to antagonize the Empire forever?”
But Eugene had already figured out what the Mush organization wanted. They must be aiming to infiltrate the Empire too. Everyone thinks the same way, I suppose.
He knew well that the vast market of the Empire was a tempting prospect for them, whose primary income source was the black market.
Perhaps the reason the Black Snake was targeted was also related to the Empire.
“Hmm.”
Whether his suspicions were correct, the other party hesitated to answer Eugene’s question readily.
Eugene continued, “Firearms, ammunition, and fuel.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The items I need from you. At the very least, you owe me as much as I paid the Black Snake as an advance.”
“What kind of crazy talk is that…”
Yevchenko’s face twisted in disbelief at Eugene’s audacious demand.
But what Eugene said next was enough to change his mind.
“Instead, I’ll give you an opportunity.”
“An opportunity?”
“A chance to make a deal with me.”
“…Hmm.”
As Eugene finished speaking, a smile playing on his lips, greed, slowly ignited in Yevchenko’s heart.
“It’s not easy to build connections with the empire’s nobles. Besides, they seem to know our side quite well. They’re different from the usual country bumpkins of the Amir.”
Unlike those who still prattle on about honor and loyalty even after being nuked, their words and actions were solely focused on business interests.
If they were only going to be business partners anyway, it was better for him to stick to the necessary matters.
“Hmm, so you’re asking for the goods for free?”
“I suffered losses too, so I think I deserve that much from you.”
Seeing the opponent’s attitude soften from their initial stance, Eugene was confident that things were proceeding as he intended.
Then.
“Put the gun away. We have a guest.”
Click!
At Yevchenko’s gesture, the organization members who had been surrounding Eugene and Marlon lowered their guns in unison.
Soon, Yevchenko pushed through the ranks of his men and spoke. “Let’s discuss the details inside. We need to know exactly what you want.”
“Agreed.”
At these words, Eugene’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.
“Yawn…”
Jones, the guard stationed at the entrance of Crocus Castle, yawned out of sheer boredom.
“Hey, you’re yawning on duty?”
“But it’s just so boring, what else can I do?”
Seeing his colleague’s reprimand, Jones stretched his stiff neck from side to side and continued.
“The Lord is away on a long trip, and the steward and the other knights haven’t been around much lately either. Ever since that duel with Primrose last time, those Primrose bastards haven’t made a move either.”
“Ah, that duel. It was really something…”
His colleague nodded in agreement.
Jones spoke again.
“I heard he’s from Earth, but I’ve never seen anyone handle Earth weapons so well before. Actually, I didn’t even know such weapons existed in the first place.”
“Everything felt calculated, even from the moment they charged. The way they obscured our vision and then struck with a barrage of attacks during our brief hesitation was truly…”
“I thought only those ‘demons in your eyes’ types could pull off something like that.”
As they recalled the duel, their faces flushed with excitement.
The battle had been so impressive that even those of us who use different weapons were completely captivated by our lord, Eugene’s, performance.
Especially for soldiers like us who can’t wield aura, seeing Eugene lead a high-level knight to victory without using magic was nothing short of astonishing.
“Seeing what our lord has achieved, I’m certain our domain will prosper. They already knelt before Primrose—who would dare stand against our lord now?”
“I truly hope so. The people of this territory have suffered far too much.”
After that, the two guards continued their idle chatter as they stood watch at the castle gate, gazing down the empty road.
But then…
Clatter, clatter.
Their conversation was cut short by the sound of approaching hoofbeats.
In an instant, the guards snapped to attention. Before their eyes, a procession of carriages lined up and entered Crocus Castle.
And at the head of the procession, hanging from the lead carriage, was a blue floral crest.
It was none other than the crest of the Baron Crocus family.
“The Lord has returned!”
Baron Eugene Crocus.
The lord who had left his territory had finally come back home.