Extra's Revenge: Reincarnated As A Slave-Chapter 106: How To Win

Rey didn’t return to the Red House headquarters immediately after his conversation with Cassius.

Instead, he had the carriage drop him off at a nondescript tavern in district seven—one of the areas where Category C Guards on their payroll operated. The kind of establishment where information flowed as freely as alcohol, where people talked without realizing who might be listening.

"I need to handle some personal business," Rey told Cassius, who looked uncertain but nodded. "Return to Lady Z and inform her that I’m pursuing an alternative approach to the situation. I’ll report directly to her once it’s resolved."

"Are you certain?" Cassius asked, worry evident in his voice. "If you’re planning something aggressive, we should coordinate with—"

"Trust me," Rey interrupted, his tone carrying a confidence that made Cassius pause. "I know what I’m doing. And more importantly, I know what needs to be done."

Cassius studied him for a long moment, then nodded slowly.

"Very well. But if you need support—"

"You’ll be the first to know," Rey assured him.

Once alone, Rey spent the next several hours methodically gathering information. He talked to bartenders, bribed serving staff, listened to conversations from corner tables. His elderly merchant persona made him easy to underestimate—just another businessman conducting casual networking.

But the information he collected was anything but casual.

Sergeant Torvin’s routine: arrived at the station every morning at the seventh bell, left precisely at the eighteenth bell. Lived alone in a modest apartment in district eight, courtesy of Guard housing. Had a gambling problem that he satisfied at a particular establishment on his route home.

No family, few friends, but a younger brother who worked as a clerk in the city’s administrative offices.

The brother was the vulnerability.

Rey also learned which House had bought Torvin’s cooperation—not the Fanged Serpent directly, but the Blue Lotus House, one of the six major Houses in Elkrim’s Dark Commerce District.

They’d been expanding aggressively, clearly intending to absorb the Fanged Serpent Club once it successfully took the Red House position.

’Interesting coalition,’ Rey thought. ’The Fanged Serpent provides the intelligence and insider knowledge from their time with the Red House. The Blue Lotus provides the resources and backing to bribe officials. Smart strategy, if somewhat transparent.’

By the time night fell, Rey had everything he needed.

The next morning, Rey visited the central holding facility in district six—not as himself, but wearing a disguise Artifact that altered his appearance to that of a younger man with legal documentation.

He presented himself as a concerned relative of one of the arrested Red House operatives.

The Guard at the desk was bored and underpaid, exactly the type Rey needed.

"I’d like to arrange bail for my uncle," Rey said, sliding a modest amount of currency across the desk. "And perhaps you could tell me what evidence they have against him? Just so I know what we’re dealing with."

The Guard pocketed the money smoothly.

"They got him on possession of unlicensed Technique scrolls. Pretty standard stuff. Bail will be steep though—Sergeant Torvin set it personally."

"I see," Rey said, adding more currency to the pile. "That Sergeant Torvin must be quite dedicated to justice."

The Guard snorted. "Dedicated to his paycheck, more like. He’s been bragging all day about... ah, never mind."

’Perfect.’

Rey beamed to himself.

The connection was now confirmed and, more importantly, becoming common knowledge among the lower-ranked Guards.

That would be useful.

Rey posted bail for two of the arrested operatives—carefully selected ones who were mid-level enough to matter but not so important that their release would be blocked.

He sent them back to the Red House with instructions to report to Lady Z directly.

Then came the more aggressive phase of his plan.

That evening, Rey visited the gambling establishment where Torvin spent his nights.

He didn’t approach the Sergeant directly—that would be too obvious. Instead, he spoke with the establishment’s owner, a shrewd woman named Marta who operated on the fringes of several Houses’ territories.

"I have a business proposition," Rey told her, sliding a substantial amount of currency across her desk. "Sergeant Torvin has been gambling here regularly, yes?"

Marta’s eyes narrowed. "Maybe. What’s it to you?"

"I need him to have a very bad night. Significant losses. The kind that would put him in financial distress." Rey added more currency. "And I need his debts to be called in immediately. No extensions, no mercy."

Marta studied the money, then Rey.

"You’re playing a dangerous game, old man. Torvin has backing from the Blue Lotus."

"Had backing," Rey corrected. "By tomorrow, the Blue Lotus will discover that Sergeant Torvin has become a liability rather than an asset."

He leaned forward. "I’m offering you triple what the Blue Lotus pays for your cooperation, plus guaranteed protection from the Red House for the next year. All you have to do is follow my instructions exactly."

Marta considered this, her mercenary instincts clearly calculating the offer.

"And if the Blue Lotus retaliates?"

"They won’t. Because they’re about to have much larger problems to worry about." Rey’s smile was cold. "Do we have an agreement?"

The money was too good, and Marta’s loyalty to the Blue Lotus was purely transactional.

"We have an agreement."

That night, Torvin gambled as usual.

And as arranged, the games were rigged just enough that he lost consistently but not so obviously that he’d suspect manipulation. By the end of the evening, he’d accumulated debts he couldn’t immediately pay.

When he tried to arrange his usual extension, Marta refused.

"Cash now, or we have problems."

Torvin was furious but powerless. He left owing substantial money with a deadline of three days to pay or face consequences.

Rey’s next move came the following morning.

He sent an anonymous tip to the Category A Guards—the incorruptible division that even the Houses avoided—regarding Sergeant Torvin’s sudden windfall from the Blue Lotus and his suspicious gambling habits.

Category A Guards didn’t investigate immediately, but the report was filed, creating a paper trail.

Then Rey visited Torvin’s younger brother at his administrative office. He approached as Modred Helt, respected merchant, with a seemingly innocent inquiry about commercial licenses.

During the conversation, Rey casually mentioned, "I couldn’t help but notice your brother has been quite successful lately. Working with the Blue Lotus must be lucrative. Of course, that kind of arrangement tends to attract attention from the wrong people—Category A Guards have been asking questions in several districts lately."

The brother went pale.

He knew what Category A Guard attention meant, even if he didn’t know the specifics of his brother’s activities.

"If he’s in trouble," Rey continued quietly, "there might be ways to resolve it. The Red House, for instance, is always willing to help people extricate themselves from complicated situations. Provided they’re willing to reconsider their allegiances."

He left his contact information and departed, leaving the brother to panic.

The next piece fell into place that evening when the Blue Lotus House received an anonymous report—carefully crafted by Rey—suggesting that Sergeant Torvin had been skimming money from their payments and had become a gambling addict.

Worse, he’d apparently attracted Category A Guard attention, making him a liability.

The Blue Lotus leadership didn’t wait to verify. In their world, even the suspicion of such problems was enough to cut ties immediately.

They sent word to Torvin that their arrangement was terminated.

Within thirty-six hours, Torvin found himself in a nightmare scenario: drowning in gambling debts, cut off from his Blue Lotus backing, under potential investigation by Category A Guards, and with his brother begging him to find a way out of the mess.

That’s when Rey, as Modred Helt, arranged a private meeting.

They met in a quiet corner of a neutral tavern. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Torvin looked haggard, desperate, nothing like the confident man who had dismissed Cassius days earlier.

"You," Torvin said, recognizing Rey from the station visit. "What do you want?"

"To offer you a lifeline," Rey replied calmly. "You’re in trouble, Sergeant. Deep trouble. Your Blue Lotus friends have abandoned you. Your debts are being called in. And I suspect you’re aware that Category A Guards have a file with your name on it."

Torvin’s hands clenched into fists. "How do you know—"

"Because I arranged all of it," Rey interrupted smoothly. "The gambling losses, the debt collection, the investigation tip, your former sponsors cutting ties. Every piece of your current predicament is my doing."

Color instantly drained from Torvin’s face.

"You... but why?"

"Because you made the mistake of disrespecting the Red House," Rey said, his elderly features hardening. "You thought we were weak, vulnerable, easy to dismiss. You thought your Blue Lotus backing made you untouchable. You were wrong."

He leaned forward.

"But I’m not here to destroy you, Sergeant. I’m here to make you an offer. The Red House can make all of this go away—pay your debts, make the Category A investigation disappear, even provide you with better compensation than the Blue Lotus ever did."

"In exchange for?" Torvin asked, though he clearly knew the answer.

"Release our people immediately. All of them, all charges dropped. And going forward, district nine’s Category C Guards work with us, not against us. You’ll receive regular payments, protection, and the security of knowing you’re backed by an organization that rewards loyalty rather than discarding assets when they become inconvenient."

"Or..." Rey’s smile was cold. "You can refuse, and tomorrow morning you’ll wake up to find your gambling debts sold to some very unpleasant people, your brother implicated in your activities, and Category A Guards arriving at your door with arrest warrants. Your choice."

Torvin was silent for a long moment, his face a mask of conflicting emotions—rage, humiliation, fear, and finally, resignation.

Then, he finally spoke.

"What do you need me to do?"