Lord Larousse was desperate to save his son, but he was not stupid to enter the forest alone with Astrid, so he went to gather the best group he could as quickly as possible.
He and Astrid went to his mansion in the southeastern part of the city.
Meanwhile, Scarlett and her group were in the northern area that’s controlled by the mercenaries.
Although her group was wearing hoods and acting discreetly, Scarlett needed information to understand the mercenaries’ situation.
So he went after the most reliable mercenaries who could give that information to her.
The Black Hand Party has always been strong but considered by the other mercenary groups as the least trustworthy among their people.
Black Hand group, just like most in his group, were seen as rotten apples, not only by the adventurers and the general population of Portgreen but also by other mercenaries.
And he only managed to take control of the mercenaries because they were desperate without Red Lady and Cornelius. So now that Scarlett was back, most of the mercenaries were very happy.
Mainly because they were suffering from the open conflict against the adventurers, all the mercenaries Scarlett spoke to, told her everything they knew, in the hope that she would recover the leadership and solve their problems.
So Scarlett, Angela, and Rose did not take long to reach one of Scarlett’s secret hiding places in the northern area of the city, where Black Hand should be, at least that’s what the high-rank mercenaries told them.
The site was a large mansion with walls not too high, and the ground space is approximately one thousand meters square, a little more than half a mile square.
The mansion spanned approximately three hundred meters square and looked deserted. The gardens and other areas around the buildings were also taken over by the bushes, making it look like a house that has been abandoned for many years.
Homeless people or bandits would certainly invade the place, but this was the northern area, dominated by mercenaries, mainly the Red Lady Party, and the owner of that mansion is the Red Lady herself, so no one approached the place.
And because it is a property of Red Lady, it would be one of the first targets of her enemies. But as the house was in ruins, it was easy to see if there was someone inside, after all the outdoor walls were not high and most of the house’s walls were broken.
Ivan’s group had even entered the house and explored each spot to look for hidden secrets, but they did not find the secret passages to the real hiding place that was in the site’s underground.
Scarlett used the best resources of the Magic Band, the mercenary group led by Cornelius, to create that hideout that only the mercenary elites knew.
There were two entrances on the site, and others are in buildings around it. These secret passages could only be activated by keys that only Cornelius and Black Hand had besides Scarlett.
Entering one of the buildings across the street, Scarlett was well received by mercenaries loyal to her. That building looked like an inn, but it was one of the buildings that hid the secret passage to the mansion underground place and were always watched by golden-rank mercenaries, the equivalent of A-rank.
“Boss, I’m glad you came back safely.” A woman wearing leather armor bowed to Scarlett as she spoke respectfully.
“What is the situation?” That mercenary was one of the most loyal people to Scarlett, so she was not cordial and just got to the point. Scarlett did not want to spend too much time away from Lucien.
The woman was used to Red Lady’s direct personality, so she didn’t even think to ask what happened and just report everything she could quickly.
“After you and Cornelius didn’t come back, we sent several groups of scouts, but nobody found anything. So Black Hand, as the only diamond-rank mercenary, was chosen as the overall leader.”
Although everyone in that building was very loyal to Red Lady, the woman still looked around and then approached Scarlett as she whispered.
“Many of us do not agree with his actions but remain neutral while others only pretend to agree with him… Still, most people were just waiting for a better leader or for you to return… So just give the order, and we will be with you, boss.”
Scarlett can’t help but smile. She knew that many mercenaries would still be loyal to her, but even after all, it seemed nothing had changed. On the contrary, without Cornelius, the Magic Band would be much more likely to follow her than Black Hand.
“What about the mercenaries with Black Hand now?” Scarlett asked.
The woman again looked around to make sure no one was listening. “Everyone loyal to you, except three, which I’m not sure since they are Black Hand’s guys. But if the situation gets out of hand, it’s easy to know which side they’ll choose.”
Scarlett couldn’t stop smiling, wondering how Lucien would reward her for dealing with Black Hand so fast.
She looked at the woman. “Let’s kick his ass then.”
The woman was very confident in Scarlett’s strength; in fact, all mercenaries, especially women, admired her a lot. Still, she didn’t want Scarlett to need to get her hands dirty.
“Should I call for backup? There will only be four, but they are golden-rank and Black Hand is strong.”
Scarlett pointed at Angela and Rose at her side. “Angela and Rose. They are probably the most powerful mages you have ever seen or heard about.”
As Scarlett did not speak softly, all the mercenaries nearby heard and were impressed; after all, Red Lady was not someone who spoke things in vain.
The woman in front of them thought that Angela and Rose were friends with Scarlett, but now hearing that they were so powerful, she can’t help looking at them with a reverent expression.
“Are they your friends, boss?” The woman couldn’t help asking as they headed towards the passage to the underground hideout.
Scarlett responded without thinking. “Sisters.”
The woman was perplexed, not knowing what to think.
Rose laughed as she spoke in a mocking tone. “Don’t think to highly of yourself.”
Angela just rolled her eyes.
Scarlett ignored Rose’s comment and mentally contacted Lucien to report on her incredible performance.
After explaining how most mercenaries were still loyal to her, Scarlett made her thoughts clear. ‘I could easily kill Black Hand, and it wouldn’t have any negative consequences.’
Unlike Ivan, who was admired by most adventurers, Black Hand was not bringing benefits to the mercenaries, so killing him would not result in chaos. Of course, that’s because Scarlett is there to lead them.
Lucien understood that, but he thought it was not the best result. Besides that, he wanted to kill Black Hand with his own hands.
‘I think you better not kill him like that. We better make it a good show, while showing Cassidy’s triumphant return. The people have to see her power, so that they don’t think that you are manipulating the situation from the shadows.’
Scarlett understood Lucien’s idea. She was not upset that he wanted to give Cassidy credit and not her, but that made sense since Cassidy is the Queen.
The situation was favorable for Cassidy now, but Scarlett hoped that if she behaved well, Lucien would give her more and more importance.
‘So what am I supposed to do? Most of the mercenaries are on my side so I can do anything.’ Scarlett asked Lucien.
Lucien was thinking about the best way to act while he kept working on his current “training” session with the girls.
Controlling the number of people he would face was easier than he thought it would be. Although Ivan has the loyalty of most adventurers, Olivia was manipulating him easily while Scarlett has the mercenaries under control.
Lucien remembered hearing that when they took Cassidy’s crown, they were saying that she was not good for the people and that they should have better leaders and not a weak monarch.
So it seemed right to prove to the people that Cassidy was a strong Queen and that the so-called leaders of the people, Ivan, Olivia, Red Lady, and Black Hand were weak and just used dirty means to overthrow Cassidy.
Although he didn’t want to humiliate Scarlett and Olivia, he needs them to show that they regret their past actions and accept Cassidy as the true Queen in public.
And since Ivan and Black Hand would never accept this result, he could kill them in front of everyone in a clean and honest way. So the people would side with Cassidy, recognize her strength and him as their new King while Olivia can keep the adventurers that are loyal to Ivan from revolting, at least some of them.
Lucien told Scarlett the plan, and she quickly agreed with that.
‘So, where will this show be?’ She asked.
‘Hmm… I think outside of the city would be good, it would be better for us if we avoid damage to the people. Ivan’s group looks strong, so a big battle is sure to happen.’ Lucien responded.
Scarlett quickly agreed with him. ‘I can find a way to get Black Hand and his group out of town. Just tell me the location and when.’
Lucien couldn’t help but be happy that he made the right decision to give Scarlett a chance to redeem herself. ‘Okay, I’ll let you know when everything is ready. See you soon, my dear.’
Scarlett proudly smiled as she said goodbye to Lucien. ‘Love you, hubby.’
Her group continued until they arrived at a large magic door where Scarlett used her key to enter the main hall.
The mercenaries in the hall were surprised when another door beside the one Black Hand used, opened, but it was a good surprise when they saw Red Lady.
While everyone went to greet Scarlett, Angela and Rose sat on one of the big sofas in the hall. The whole place was very luxurious as Scarlett spared no resources to make her hiding places very comfortable.
The commotion that the mercenaries were making around Scarlett caught the attention of everyone in the hideout, and they went the hall to see what was going on.
Black Hand arrived in the hall with dark circles that made it clear that he has not been sleeping well recently. “What is that abou-“
He can’t help but be surprised to see Red Lady. He thought she would never return, but there she was in all her glory. In fact, she looked more healthy than ever.
Despite her return marking the end of his solo reign, Black Hand was not sad. On the contrary, he was very happy and relieved, because the situation has been awful.
He thought that being the leader of all the mercenaries would be very good, but maintaining control with Ivan and his group hunting and killing his people seemed impossible.
“Red Lady!! I’m so glad you are fine. I sent several groups to look for you. In fact, they are still looking for you everywhere.” Black Hand smiled at Scarlett.
Scarlett wanted to kill Black Hand because he tried to harm Lucien. Still, she had to stick to the plan and behave herself, so that she can be rewarded by her lover.
“I had some problems in the forest, but now I am better than ever.”
Black Hand approached Scarlett as he opened his arms, clearly wanting to hug her.
He knew she was strong, but he never expected her current speed to be twice what it was before.
He didn’t even understand when her foot came into contact with his belly, and he could only be confused while being thrown into the air several meters until he hits the wall.
*Bang*
Black Hand fell to the floor as blood dripped from his mouth. All the mercenaries in the hall laughed, even those loyal to Black Hand, as everyone knew about her reputation for hitting men who tried something on her.
“You haven’t changed at all, or rather, you’ve become even more fierce, Red Lady. That’s actually a good thing as we need a lot of help now.” Black Hand laughed as he cursed her in his mind.
