Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The Useful Treacherous Subject
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“Thank you for coming. Where are you from? What’s your name? And may I ask what level of skill you possess? If I’m to contract you, I need to make an estimate.”
‘I had a feeling, but it seems staying cooped up in the mansion training and studying means information about me hasn’t spread this far.’
While he was the dark horse newly entered into the Count’s family, that information wasn’t particularly important in this Teal slum.
‘A person from the countryside, taken in as an adopted son for knightly training’—a one-line summary. Moreover, he mainly stayed within the mansion and had deliberately disguised his demeanor and appearance, so there was no way they would recognize him.
If they had, he had a fabricated scenario ready, but if they didn’t, it was even easier. He could just spin a plausible tale, which was more convenient for Beonald.
“I have no name. I’m just a body drifting with the wind and the rivers due to certain circumstances. However, I heard there was profitable work here, so I came to the Delmain territory. My skill… is lacking, but I can wield a sword a little.”
“Let me see what that level is…”
“Is this enough?”
In an instant, a sword gleaming with a brilliant purple aura materialized right before Baal’s eyes. It was the clear proof of a ‘Knight’ who had mastered mana breathing techniques.
A human surpassing humanity. Even a ‘Low Knight’ possessed power and movement that transcended ordinary humans, something noble families were desperate to recruit. If such a person entered the mercenary world, they could become at least the leader of a small group or an executive in a large guild.
“A… a Knight? My, my goodness!”
“No. I am not a Knight. I am merely a product of tragedy.”
“Ah… Aah! I see! I see. So you have circumstances! Well, well! A Knight-class! Hahaha! Hey! Jean, my secretary! With this, our victory in this fight is practically guaranteed! Hahaha!”
“If you pay properly, I will become your ‘sword’.”
“I wouldn’t dare play games with a Knight! Let’s discuss compensation first.”
A Knight-class combatant joining them was the greatest stroke of luck in this precarious situation. As if Beonald’s aim had hit its mark, Baal treated him with the utmost respect and promised the best possible treatment.
The contract deposit alone was an enormous sum in ‘gold coins’, and they solidly agreed on additional compensation depending on future developments and circumstances.
‘If word spreads elsewhere, that bastard Malek might try to override the contract with a higher price… I must treat him well and secure him.’
‘This is good for a nameless drifter. Since they have no affiliations or weaknesses, they must be calculated purely based on payment.’
‘One worry is that he might take the money and run… but just the rumor of a Knight-class joining will change the situation!’
This wasn’t an actual war between lords, but the rumor of a Knight-class appearing in a fight between slum thugs would certainly fluster the opposition.
Baal was counting on that, hence his willingness to make a large expenditure for Beonald.
Beonald wasn’t unaware of his thoughts either. He securely received the contract stamped with Baal’s seal and made a suggestion.
“Then, before I start my guard duties, may I receive a tour of this building and the area I need to protect?”
“Ah, of course. It’s only natural to survey the surroundings before a war. Of course, your duty is my personal protection. Understood? Sir Knight.”
“It’s embarrassing to be called a Knight… Anyway, if it pleases my employer, I’ll accept it. Then.”
“I’ll send a guide right away.”
Beonald left President Baal’s room with a smile, and Baal immediately ordered his secretary to assign a guide to him. He then waited for the secretary to return.
“Oh, you’re back? The guide is properly assigned, I presume?”
“I assigned Yurel, Jessie, and Garul, sir.”
“In your opinion, what did you think of that wandering Knight youth earlier?”
“First of all, he doesn’t seem to be of ordinary birth. Putting aside the conversation, his demeanor was like a finely honed blade. Not once did his posture falter, nor did his grace, including the etiquette when drinking the tea we served, show any sign of disturbance.”
“Is that so? To me, it all seemed the same… Well, if you, who is from a noble family, say so, it must be true.”
Hearing the evaluation of Beonald from the perspective of his secretary Jean, who was from a noble family, Baal felt somewhat relieved.
It was almost a guarantee that someone with such demeanor and grace wouldn’t look like a person who would shamelessly take the money and run.
“Good. Then spread the word that we’ve recruited a Knight-class, everywhere. Inform Darkteeth as well. They’ll probably move with us.”
However, that didn’t mean he would let his guard down. While keeping the assigned personnel, he immediately ordered his subordinates to start spreading the rumor.
***
And that news soon reached Malek, the boss of the Agrasander group.
He had spent a fortune hiring numerous mercenaries and had been making full preparations for war. The news that a Knight-class combatant had joined the Balas side was enough to confound him.
“What kind of bullshit is that? Why would a ‘Knight’ help that bastard? Don’t those noble bastards leave such talents wandering around? They should be recruiting them immediately, or at least trying to bring them in by granting them a territory! That’s normal!”
“W-well… He might be an illegitimate child of some noble family, or a Knight whose lord died on the battlefield and is now wandering… It’s not an entirely impossible existence… And the wars have been quite frequent lately, right?”
“Damn! I suppose so.”
Given the constant conflicts plaguing the Empire for years, it wasn’t unusual to see Counts dispatching troops. In this world’s situation, a wandering Knight or two wasn’t a strange occurrence.
But the problem was why, in this particular conflict, he had attached himself to the Balas group, their rivals, and not to their side.
“Well… A Knight is still a Knight. Joining an organization like ours that deals drugs might be a bit… unseemly, wouldn’t you say?”
“Then is that liquor-selling, women-selling bastard normal?”
“Brothels and taverns are places anyone with… equipment naturally visits, boss.”
“Damn it!”
Bang! Crunch!
Unable to contain his anger, Malek slammed his fist on the desk. Perhaps befitting a drug organization boss, his brute force was considerable, as the wooden desk split in half and shattered.
The situation was flowing in a very dirty way. If the opponent had a Knight-class, the mercenaries he had hired wouldn’t fight properly.
They were all in it to make money by wielding swords, not to get their heads chopped off.
“Boss… A request for talks has just come in from Darkteeth. They suggest we all meet first to clear up misunderstandings before resorting to blade-work.”
“Isn’t that obviously a trap to assassinate only the leaders?”
“I… I don’t think so. They say to bring as many people as you want.”
“Meaning if the talks break down, they’ll just start the blade-work. Grrrrrr…”
Malek frowned at the fact that the opponent’s move was not ordinary.
The fact that Darkteeth sent this contact simultaneously with Balas spreading the rumor of having a ‘Knight-class’ showed they were joining hands to respond together.
It was a good move, implying they would fight 2-on-1 if necessary.
“Boss, what should we do? Will you accept?”
“Accepting isn’t great either… But if we don’t, we’ll still end up being swayed by Balas’s bragging about having recruited a Knight-class. I hope it’s just a bluff, but if not…”
“What if we bluff that we’ve also recruited a Knight-class?”
“What good would that do now? Since they’ve played the ‘talks’ card, that’s impossible. It’s too much unless we actually bring in a real Knight-class. We’d have to bring them to that ‘final meeting’, you see.”
Malek, still thinking of them as his rivals, began searching for a way to break through this crisis, but no brilliant idea came to mind.
He couldn’t just back down after spending a fortune and contracting mercenaries, but the rumor of the opponent having a ‘Knight-class’ had already lowered his mercenaries’ morale and made it seem like they couldn’t fight, which was a problem.
“…What shall we do?”
“Set up the talks for now. And gather information on that so-called Knight-class and try to make contact. The point is, if we can turn just that guy to our side, our chances are revived!”
“Ah, yes!”
Malek quickly judged the root cause of this situation and knew that if he removed that cause, the balance of power would swing back to him.
The ‘Knight’—the element disrupting the power balance in this situation. If he could just secure that guy, victory would return to him, so he decided to target him immediately.
And to buy time, he would accept the talks but schedule them for a later date.
Thus, ultimately, all the benefits flowed to Beonald, who had orchestrated this situation.
He received lavish treatment from the Balas organization, while secretly coordinating with proposals from the infiltrating Agrasander group and taking money from them too. When Darkteeth sent assassins, perhaps to test his strength, he taught them a lesson, and now they too were trying to butter him up. This situation was utterly delightful for him.
“W-well then, I’ll be in your care.”
“Indeed. As expected… money is the best thing in the world.”
“Haha, indeed it is.”
‘Research funds require money, territory management requires money, military requires money… there’s no such thing as too much money. Anyway, the situation is flowing most pleasantly.’
Beonald smiled as he sipped the wine provided by the Balas organization.
The Teal slum. He wondered what kind of villains were here, but in the end, they were all moving like puppets on his palm, not deviating from his expectations.
Of course, there were many things he had to do to manipulate them, and to move the Agrasander group, he needed special skills not just anyone possessed.
‘Learning alchemy was really the right choice~ It’s a skill I can milk for this life and the next. Should I say I was fortunate to encounter this opportunity?’
Beonald marveled once more at the usefulness of the alchemy he had learned.
Alchemy. For the current Beonald, it was the crucial study that became the turning point of his life. In truth, he hadn’t intended to learn it from the start; originally, it was a skill he would never have had the chance to learn.
‘Who would have thought I’d encounter such an opportunity in the prison tower where Father took us to scare us as children…’
His connection with alchemy began in a truly unintended place.
It was in the prison tower where the family’s great criminals and those who had insulted the family were confined that he met someone who could be called a master of alchemy.
‘Th… that bread… p-please give it to me, young master… In return, I will give you… wisdom.’
‘If I hadn’t given it to him then, the current me wouldn’t exist.’
It started when he gave a piece of bread from his lunchbox to an alchemist, emaciated and dying in a corner of the prison tower, and learned the very basics of alchemy. That was the moment the first page opened for Beonald as an alchemist.
Every time he benefited from alchemy, Beonald couldn’t help but recall that moment. He continued to tilt his wine glass as he chewed over the memories.