Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Even a Treacherous Subject Has His Uses
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‘If people come, it’ll just be a nuisance.’
Considering his current skyrocketing reputation, it was obvious that if word got out he was even going to duel the Kmel family, hordes of nobles would flock to him, creating a huge commotion.
Some would try to use his fame, others to curry favor with the Valderian family, and still others would try to become spies for the Kmel family in reverse. It was bound to be a chaotic mess.
‘The duel is in three days. Mingling with such people would be troublesome. It’s better to disappear for now.’
It was only natural to avoid them, as sorting through such people and taking measures would consume an enormous amount of time. Moreover, if news of the duel spread and his whereabouts were cut off, it would add to his mysterious image. For Beonald, this choice was unquestionably the right one without even needing to calculate.
And so, doing his best to conceal his tracks, the place he arrived at was none other than Darren’s trading company.
It was currently afternoon. Darren, who had been working, rushed over the moment he heard Beonald had arrived, not even properly putting on his shoes, and tried to leap at him.
“Beona~ld-nim! You’re here? Hahahahaha!”
“…What’s wrong with you? Are you crazy?”
“Guhk!”
However, Beonald had absolutely no intention of accepting a hug from another man, so he dodged immediately, and Darren fell flat on his face.
Yet, as if he didn’t care at all, Darren, with a nosebleed streaming down, didn’t lose his smile and tightly grabbed Beonald’s hand, shoving his face forward.
“Thanks to you, we hit the jackpot. Hoo-ha! Who would have thought you’d really break through five opposing knights all by yourself! It feels like money is raining from the sky.”
“I told you that would happen. So, what were the odds?”
Odds, the multiplier ratio. Wherever there are people, there are bets and gambling.
Since the establishment of the Kalium Empire and the creation of the Academy, there had naturally been groups who gambled even on athletic events that commoners could enter.
Of course, daring to make the noble lords the subject of gambling was a disrespectful act, so it was an underground gambling market that couldn’t come into the light. However, as it was a long-standing event, the size of that underground gambling market was enormous.
“Hahaha! You’ll be shocked when you hear it. Really! I… I thought you were out of your mind when you first told me to bet on the ‘Garden of Swords’ club winning 5 to 0, but I still maintained my faith in you, Beonald-nim, and went all-in with my remaining assets! And I finally hit the jackpot. Yahooooo!”
“Stop shouting so loudly and just answer the question. So, what were the odds?”
“Twenty thousand to one. Hehehe! Hoo-hahaha! Hoo-hahahahaha! I’ve become the richest man in the capital with this! Hoo-hahahahahaha!”
As a merchant, making money is the ultimate task, so he couldn’t help but cheer for Beonald, who had brought him a jackpot of twenty thousand times his bet.
“…Although, most of it has to go toward repaying the debt incurred from the ‘other tasks’ you ordered, Beonald-nim. Haaa~”
“As long as it’s not a loss, it’s fine.”
“It could have been an even bigger profit… It’s just a pity. If I had done the other tasks later and used the money I had to make this big bet first…”
Darren expressed his regret, saying that if he had postponed taking on debt for the other tasks and used his initial capital to go all-in, there would have been even greater profit. But Beonald was merciless.
“If you’re a merchant, make money through trade. Gambling is just a temporary stopgap to cover the costs of work. For me too… it was a high-risk method, and not something I can use twice. Understand?”
“Ugh…! Your words are most wise, Beonald-nim.”
“So, where are the goods?”
“Follow me. I’ll guide you right now. You’ll need a torch too.”
Following Darren, Beonald immediately entered the interior of the trading company. After passing through several secret passages as Darren guided him, they arrived before a warehouse door.
It was a secret warehouse that any trading company these days would have at least one of—a place to hide illegal goods or emergency supplies.
“As we discussed before, I bought up all the goods with the ‘Hydra Crest’ and items from the Unified Empire era first.”
“Let’s see how much you’ve gathered.”
As Darren unlocked the warehouse and explained to Beonald, the door opened.
Soon after, when the torches were lit, the scenery inside the dark warehouse became visible. Piles upon piles of what looked like old junk, antiques, books, and weapons were stacked like a mountain.
“It’s good you gathered a lot, but… this state is highly unpleasant, isn’t it?”
“Ah, no! I had no choice! To buy in bulk cheaply, I had to act like I was collecting seemingly useless junk, and I couldn’t have unnecessary talk from the porters.”
Since his excuse was somewhat reasonable, Beonald, who had been frowning, made a resigned expression.
Anyway, Beonald went inside and began examining the dust-covered items that bore the marks of time.
What he had commissioned Darren to do was to scrape together as many relics and antiques from 500 years ago, the Unified Empire era, as possible.
“But you should have at least sorted them. Hoo-oo~ This is going to be three days of hellish work.”
Seeing the place looking like a dump when there might be precious relics, Beonald let out a deep sigh and glared at Darren. But Darren just shrugged his shoulders and scratched his head once more to express that he had no choice.
‘…If I hadn’t trained in true swordsmanship and mana breathing, this would have been tough.’
“By the way, how on earth are you appraising them? No, what kind of archaeological skill and appraisal eye do you possess to accurately judge items from the Unified Empire era…?”
‘Well, it’s because I’m a person from 500 years ago! That’s why~’
Lamenting was useless, so Beonald immediately went to the junk pile and began sorting the items.
Frankly speaking, this endeavor was closer to gambling or a gacha pull, but it was the best method Beonald could employ at the moment.
It was a way to utilize the knowledge and memories from his 500-year-old past to the fullest. And since he had actually found a few relics before, he had invested even more boldly.
“By the way, did you deliver the courtesy box to Heidi and Selina and properly inform them of the Princess’s location?”
“Who would dare refuse them? And I confirmed and informed you that Her Highness the Princess was secretly taken to the Vaniro Earldom in advance for a marriage arrangement. But, um… I did give them the item, but what kind of relic was it?”
“That’s a secret. Anyway, I plan to stay here for about two days, so bring me meals, drinking water, and a blanket. I need to appraise as many of these items as I can.”
Beonald doesn’t believe in things like the theory of perseverance or a warrior’s mindset.
Rather than staking everything on such uncertain things and preparing, it suited Beonald’s temperament to search for possibilities in this mountain of junk.
And indeed, each time he found an item engraved with the ‘Hydra Crest,’ not only was he in a good mood, but since they were things he had researched and created himself, they actually had many useful aspects.
‘Oh… this?’
Beonald picked up a discarded gauntlet and smiled.
An old metal gauntlet, rusted and covered in dust. Various patterns were engraved all over it, and the places where gems or magic stones were originally set were visible, now empty.
And in one corner was drawn the Hydra Crest, meaning this too was an item made during the Benofis era.
‘Hydra Scale Glove. If you slot a magic stone and channel mana into it to activate it, a protective magic activates over the area covered by the gauntlet, making it resistant to lava, strong acids, and potent poisons! To think this was just lying around in a place like this!’
The first things Beonald developed, and his main focus, were various protective equipment for alchemy and magic experiments.
Since alchemists often handled dangerous chemicals and materials, safety equipment was essential. It was strange that until now, no one had tried to develop such things.
‘This is a jackpot. It’ll be worth searching through all this.’
Even if it was too old to function, Beonald, who understood the magical formulas imbued in the materials and components and the mechanism of the item, could easily reverse-engineer and mass-produce it.
Feeling delighted, Beonald continued to rummage through the junk pile, identifying antiques.
‘Good, this one can be scrapped for materials… If I remove the rust from this, it’s Beonald Steel. I can melt it down and use it. And this one…’
“…You~ look incredibly happy? I did procure the goods as you commanded, but I could hardly find any weapons or armor.”
Darren had also wanted to purchase things that seemed useful for Beonald, but weapons like swords or armor had long since been picked clean.
So, most of what Darren had gathered here were things like furniture or antiques. At a glance, most seemed useless compared to the money spent, so he was being cautious.
“Ah~ I’m not particularly dissatisfied. Depending on the person, a junk pile can be turned into a treasure vault, after all. Please clear out the things I definitively judge as trash. And can I light a fire here?”
“Ah, that should be possible. The air circulation is well-designed. This is, after all, the trading company’s secret warehouse. It wasn’t made carelessly.”
Darren expressed his confidence, likely because it was a warehouse he had put effort into for hiding various secret contraband.
Confirming that, Beonald immediately began breaking useless furniture, taking apart some antiques, and started making something.
“Wh-what are you trying to do?”
“Ah~ I was thinking of turning this place into a research lab.”
“No, but this is our trading company’s secret warehouse? And it’s not just for my use…”
“Think of it as an investment. Hmm… The mana breathing technique is good for times like this.”
*Crunch! Bang! Bang! Scrape!*
Thanks to his body, trained with the mana breathing technique and clad in aura, acting as a tool, he easily created the necessary equipment for research in no time.
Anything lacking could be made by taking apart or checking the Unified Empire era antiques inside, so the work proceeded very smoothly. As his creative urge was satisfied for the first time in a while, Beonald had a happier expression than ever before.
“…You seem to be in very high spirits.”
“Well, since I was young… it’s something I’ve liked.”
In his past life, within the hellish heir education of Felix von Neumel, the only thing that gave him peace of mind was alchemy research.
Without it, he probably wouldn’t have become the Neumel family heir. As it greatly influenced the formation of his personality during his childhood, it was no exaggeration to say it constituted Beonald himself.
“Hmm, good.”
With an expression unbefitting someone facing a life-or-death duel, he continued to build his research lab.
Two days later, on a forest road in the southern part of the Empire.
Following Beonald’s orders, Selina and Heidi rode Alterio at full speed. Moving as a pair was faster than a large group moving together, and thanks to running almost without sleep, they finally caught up with the procession.
And the moment they saw the procession, the two immediately remembered the task Beonald had instructed them to do.