Chapter 25
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Yacht Club
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At dawn, before the sun had fully risen, Aint prepared early and stepped outside.
- What did I tell you?
“You told me to review the contract carefully and be wary of being scammed.”
- Right. Keep that in mind. Those Fallenberg bastards are the kind of scum who’ll swindle you blind the moment you look away!
“But is there really a need to be so concerned? I’m practically handing them the knife to cut my own nose.”
- You don’t know what you’re talking about. They might just cut your throat instead of your nose. The Fallenbergs will tear you apart even more viciously if they see an opening.
Gardner Alpenparsen’s constant warnings, coupled with the insidious rumors surrounding the Fallenberg family, made Aint increasingly tense.
“Hah, just listening to you makes it sound like I’m about to fight a demon.”
- Not quite. No matter what they’re like, the Fallenbergs are still human. Demons are far more vicious.
“…I can’t tell if that means demons are terrifying, or if the Fallenbergs aren’t as scary as I thought.”
*I’ll know when I get there.* Aint cautiously opened the door to the tavern. It was the establishment owned by the Golden Turtle Merchant Guild that Pernyan had mentioned.
***
In a private room, shielded from prying eyes.
“I’ve written down all of your demands. Read it carefully.”
Aint swallowed dryly and examined the contract Pernyan held out.
【Adamant Sales Agreement】
【Aint Armian and Pernyan Fallenberg hereby enter into the following Adamant sales agreement, to be executed in mutual trust.】
【Aint Armian shall be referred to as Party A, and Pernyan Fallenberg as Party B.】
【1. Party A shall sell 70kg of Adamant to Party B. The 70kg of Adamant shall hereinafter be referred to as the Goods.
2. Party B shall provide Party A with the following as payment for the Goods…】
The contract spanned several pages and was quite lengthy, but it boiled down to three key points.
Aint would deliver the Adamant to Pernyan.
Pernyan would pay for it with Adamant equipment, money, and discreet support.
- There don’t seem to be any poison clauses. You can sign it as is.
‘That’s a bit different from your firm warnings earlier, isn’t it?’
- It’s because it’s tailored so thoroughly to your demands, it’s strange.
- But I can’t just invent a problem that isn’t there.
After confirming that all his requests were properly documented, Aint signed the contract.
“This is great for me, but aren’t you taking a loss? No matter how I look at it, this is far too cheap for Adamant.”
Pernyan asked as he took his copy of the agreement.
“Then isn’t that a good thing for you, Sunbaenim?”
“It is, but no merchant is naive enough to rejoice over baseless goodwill.”
“You gave me the Heart of a Saint Bird, didn’t you? That’s not cheap, either.”
The Heart of a Saint Bird was an elixir as precious as Adamant. Honestly, when he had first sought out Pernyan on Gardner’s suggestion, he had never imagined he would obtain it.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason he was intentionally selling the Adamant at a low price.
“Even if I have Adamant, I don’t have the ability to use it right now…”
“You could have gotten a much higher price if you’d put it up for auction.”
“I don’t have the strength to protect it.”
The Armians, the former imperial family, were respected by many, but that was all. An item as precious as Adamant was valuable enough to make people draw their swords against the fallen dynasty once more.
“It’s better for me to deal with it before rumors spread.”
“What if I were to kill you to silence you?”
“You could, of course. But you gave me the Heart of a Saint Bird, didn’t you?”
He had readily handed over an item of similar, or in some ways greater, value without asking for anything in return.
Would such a person take an unnecessary risk when they could already buy Adamant at a relatively low price? Aint thought not.
- And the very act of writing a contract means he’s also taking a risk.
- With the seal of the family’s acting head on it, you can just publicize it if he fails to uphold his end. He wouldn’t want that, so he’ll be as careful as possible.
The Fallenbergs valued their reputation above all else. They might exploit a loophole in a contract, but they would never break the contract itself.
“So you’re willingly taking a loss to hand it over.”
*Tap, tap.* Pernyan drummed his fingers on the table. Then, he nodded.
“I understand.”
The reasoning was plausible enough.
Even the part about trusting him because of the Heart of a Saint Bird.
After all, it was a top-tier item, even in his family’s vault, which was filled with countless elixirs.
He never would have handed it over if Aint hadn’t been the hero destined to save the world from demons.
“You won’t be getting stabbed in the back anytime soon.”
“Thank you.”
“And choosing me as your business partner was an excellent decision.”
A smile touched Pernyan’s lips.
“I’ll help you if I can, but just as you said, I have absolutely no intention of selling you out or killing you for silence.”
Absolutely.
Pernyan emphasized it once more.
- What’s with this lunatic? Did the sight of Adamant make him go crazy with joy?
‘Couldn’t we just say I’ve earned his goodwill because of the Adamant?’
- I don’t think that’s all there is to it.
Unaware of the prophecy book, Aint and Gardner couldn’t comprehend Pernyan’s attitude.
***
It was a satisfying transaction.
He had planned to support Aint in every way possible anyway, but what merchant would dislike acquiring goods at a much cheaper price?
“To think that giving him the Heart of a Saint Bird would lead to this.”
This deal was possible because he had earned Aint’s goodwill with the Heart. If he hadn’t given it to him in the first place, Aint would have never told anyone he’d found Adamant.
“Money really is the best.”
If his family hadn’t had money, there would have been no Heart of a Saint Bird, and naturally, the current situation would never have occurred.
Just as he was thinking that…
“…Kuh?”
—!
A massive explosion erupted in his head.
Pernyan realized this was something he had experienced before.
He clutched his head and fell onto his bed as memories flooded his mind.
[“What do you think, Aint? Want to join a club with me?”
“A club?”
“Yeah. Some of the upperclassmen invited me. The Yacht Club, I think it was called. They said it’s a club where members get together on a yacht once a month to build friendships.”]
[“You must be Aint.”
A man, seated naturally at the head of the table, was watching him.
Aint bowed his head.
“Your Highness, the Prince.”
“Oh, please. Within the academy, we are all just fellow students. There’s no need for excessive formalities.”
- What are you doing, Aint! How could a descendant of Armian bow his head to a punk like that!]
[The countless creatures were like a tidal wave.
“Monsters!”
“Why are there monsters all the way out here?”
“The ship is shaking! Turn back to the academy, now!”
But the ship was heading in the exact opposite direction of their cries.]
[- Aint, behind you!
At Gardner’s shout, Aint spun around frantically. But his opponent was a step faster.
*Crack—!*
The dagger shattered his armor and pierced his chest. A searing pain flared as a sinister poison seeped into him.
“Kuh…!”
- This is… Magi? This bastard is a demon’s lackey!
Aint looked at his attacker’s face. If his memory served him right, it was one of the staff members working on the yacht.
“Die, Armian.”
The staff member’s eyes flickered with an eerie black light.]
[“…This is.”
- Light illuminates the darkness and extinguishes Magi.
- A poison made of Magi is nothing but trash before the light of Armian.
- Is this what they call a blessing in disguise? To have properly awakened the power of light. What you’ll obtain soon will shine even brighter.]
[“Do you think the Fallenbergs are involved?”
- If they knew, they’re traitors to humanity. If they didn’t, they’re more incompetent than I thought.]
“Kuaaaargh…!”
Unable to withstand the shock, Pernyan passed out.
He missed all of his classes that day.
***
“…It’s like a ghost. As soon as one prophecy is resolved, the next one follows.”
Pernyan kicked off the sweat-drenched blanket and reached for a glass of cold water. The cool liquid eased his thirst slightly.
“Is this the third time?”
Even though it was the third time, he showed no signs of getting used to the pain. Then again, it would be stranger if one did get used to the feeling of their brain being set on fire.
“The sea, this time. That damn Aint, trouble follows him wherever he goes.”
He couldn’t tell if Aint was a hero who would defeat demons and save the continent, or if he could only become a hero because he was a magnet for trouble.
“The Yacht Club.”
Clubs were small gatherings where students could foster friendships.
They were an activity encouraged by the academy, with a wide range of fields from simple tea parties to monster hunting.
“This time, he’ll handle it fine on his own, so I should just…”
Among them, the Yacht Club was a small political arena where only students from prestigious families could join.
“Wait…”
The meetings were held once a month, and Pernyan, who valued connections, was naturally a member and attended regularly unless something came up.
“…a minute.”
Was that all? He was the one who had provided the luxurious yacht to the club, which originally just held simple tea parties, and steered it toward outings on the sea.
“…A demon’s lackey, disguised as a merchant guild employee, is going to target Aint on a ship *I* provided?”
*Fuck it. No wonder Aint wants to ruin me.*
Pernyan’s face twisted into a vicious scowl.
***
Around the time Pernyan fainted and woke up seething at the demons.
*Tinkle—*
“Yes, welcome.”
The bookstore owner standing at the counter greeted a customer.
“Do you happen to have a book called *The Basics of Cooking*?”
“You can look for that in section C21.”
“Yes, thank you.”
After searching the section for about five minutes as directed by the owner, the customer returned to the counter.
“I don’t think it’s here!”
“If it’s not there, it means we’ve sold out. Hold on, I’ll check the warehouse.”
The bookstore owner went into the storeroom at the back. The warehouse was filled with books, and the musty smell of paper hung heavy in the air.
“Let’s see…”
It was at that moment. A black shadow abruptly rose up behind him.
“I have a report.”
The bookstore owner continued searching for the book without a word, but the shadow began its report regardless.
“Upon investigation, Aint Armian never encountered Verian Calburden, who had gone berserk due to Magi.”
“And.”
“According to Your Excellency’s original plan, the defeated Verian Calburden should have pursued Armian’s mana, but it is presumed that someone intervened.”
“Intervened?”
The bookstore owner found and pulled out a copy of *The Basics of Cooking* that had been wedged deep on a shelf.
“I was unable to identify who it was. The tracks were erased so thoroughly…”
It was because Pernyan, anticipating the demons’ pursuit, had perfectly erased all traces.
“So you failed to identify them?”
“…My apologies. I will attempt to track them again.”
“That’s enough. If you’re saying that, then it can’t be helped. Pushing it further would be unwise, so stop.”
“My apologies.”
“I was wondering why there was no mention of Magi at all. So that’s what happened.”
He lightly dusted off the book.
“It’s unlikely anyone knows about us… was it a coincidence?”
There was no other explanation. To humans, demons were little more than legends, so it was impossible for someone to know of his plans and thwart them in advance.
Still, it was strange that Magi wasn’t mentioned at all, but if they didn’t know what Magi was in the first place, it was somewhat understandable.
“Be cautious from now on, but do not become fixated on this. You can do better next time.”
“…I will do my utmost.”
“Aint Armian. He cannot be left alone.”
For some reason, since enrolling in the academy, Aint Armian’s growth rate had been beyond imagination.
He was certain this was the work of the first emperor.
“That cursed progenitor must have set something up. It’s obvious.”
Therefore, he could not simply leave Aint Armian be.
At first, he had only intended to test the waters, but the fact that a student ranked 38th had instantly defeated the 2nd-ranked Verian Calburden explained everything.
“Yes, that will do.”
“Please share your wisdom.”
“Lure Aint Armian out to sea. If you succeed, that cursed bloodline will be eliminated. If you fail, it will still sow discord within the empire.”
“Yes. I will follow your command.”
“We cannot yet handle the empire, so remaining undetected is paramount. Do not disappoint me a second time.”
At those words, the shadow flinched.
“…I will keep that in mind.”
With a wave of his hand, the shadow vanished.
The bookstore owner, now alone, forced a smile back onto his hardened face.
“Sir, I’ve found a copy of *The Basics of Cooking*.”