Chapter 205
Chapter 205
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: The Farce Concludes
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The disappointment didn’t last long.
I quickly realized why my shout had been even more effective than expected.
In the entire Empire, how many people could bluff about the Iron-Blooded Duke?
Even as a joke, no one would dare utter his name lightly.
‘And among those still left, plenty must be customers who came to gawk at the demon.’
Those guys wouldn’t have attended the demon auction without thinking of the Iron-Blooded Duke.
While trusting in the Abyss Auction, they’d surely recognized that his appearance wouldn’t be surprising at any moment.
From the moment the auction started, they’d harbored a faint unease, and my shout would have turned that vague fear into something immediate and visceral.
The result?
The situation had perfectly reached the first stage of my plan—pure chaos.
“Please evacuate this way!”
“Follow the guides, and you’ll be safe!”
Even in this whirlwind of panic, the beastkin didn’t falter.
Had they trained for this? They handled the fleeing customers with practiced efficiency.
“…….”
Yet amid the uproar, a few kept watchful eyes on the stage.
Mostly high-ranking customers.
‘Big shots in their own right, huh?’
Suspicious types are always a pain, no matter where you are.
Of course, they were set to play the most crucial role in my plan.
The ones who think they’re smarter and calmer than everyone else… Smart alecks, in a word.
Hard to fool once, but once you do, they’re far easier to manipulate than fools.
They’d never realize they’d been played, though.
‘About time….’
I counted silently in my head.
One, two, three.
*Snap.*
A faint sound, like flint striking steel.
Not loud, but it surely reached the ears of everyone evacuating, myself included.
*Slash—.*
The massive stage split in two.
A single sword strike had cleaved it apart, signaling the start of phase two: [Destruction].
The star of this little farce had finally arrived.
“Rooooaaarrrrr—!”
Maxim, disguised as the demon, let out a furious bellow.
As the thunderous roar echoed everywhere, a figure emerged from the dust.
‘Is he really acting?’
I flinched the moment I saw the Iron-Blooded Duke’s face.
Ruthlessness dripped from his expression and posture. Even with his confirmation, I couldn’t shake the doubt that he was truly going along with my plan.
It felt strangely off that a man like that was dancing to my tune.
*Crunch!*
His blade was coated in pitch-black lightning.
Black lightning—odd phrasing, but no better way to describe it.
The lightning shifted with his swordsmanship: sometimes like air currents, mist, frost, or slime.
Its ominous aura remained constant.
‘He’s not serious, right?’
Honestly, in my current state, I had no confidence taking that attack head-on.
At full strength, focusing solely on evasion and defense, I might buy time….
But countering? That’d be tough.
For the first time in a while, my competitive spirit flared.
When would I ever beat the Iron-Blooded Duke?
‘Not in a year, that’s for sure.’
He wouldn’t be standing still during that time, either.
Still, I wanted to clash fists with him within five years.
Anyway, the Iron-Blooded Duke unleashed his strikes with lethal intent, as if truly battling a demon… and Maxim seemed a bit flustered.
His beast-transformed bulk dodged the sword in a somewhat reckless manner. His elongated eyes glared at the Duke like daggers.
*Shrieeek… Shrieeek… Hiiiieee….*
‘Cut it out!’
Maxim let out a slow, drawn-out wail meant only for the Duke’s ears.
But the Iron-Blooded Duke remained expressionless, his swordsmanship undiminished.
Amazed by his immersion, I stirred up more chaos to turn the scene into a battlefield.
Nothing major—just smashing nearby objects amid the noise.
Of course, I disguised it to look like collateral from their fight.
Flying debris, explosions, screams…. Such pandemonium amplifies panic.
The final phase would trigger once most auction participants had evacuated.
Key point: not everyone could leave.
Some numbers—witnesses—had to remain. They were the core of this operation.
Finally, as planned, when only about a dozen people were left in the auction house….
“Grraaaaaah—!”
The demon Maxim cried out in agony.
‘Whoa….’
Shockingly, a sword wound marred his chest. Blood sprayed dramatically from the diagonal gash.
Too much? Maybe.
But to fully convince the stragglers, that level of injury seemed necessary.
*Thud…!*
Maxim collapsed.
The barely intact stage crumbled with him.
The Iron-Blooded Duke shook the blood from his blade.
His chilling gaze turned to the evacuees.
*Hic…!*
Someone meeting his eyes hiccuped.
*Step, step.* As the Duke slowly approached them….
“Stand down!”
A booming voice announced the next actor’s entrance.
Our third brother, Raizen Bednicker.
Eyes from both the remaining stragglers and evacuees snapped to the stage.
Raizen was no slouch.
In this tense moment—ad-libbed plan, fake blood everywhere, facing the Iron-Blooded Duke—he showed no major fluster….
Instead, he launched into his role with a desperate expression.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Didn’t you expect this?”
The Iron-Blooded Duke replied indifferently.
Even I shivered at the icy tone.
Raizen flinched.
‘That’s no act.’
I get it. I’d react the same with myself there.
Raizen gritted his teeth.
“…I’ll take responsibility. But your target was just this demon, wasn’t it? It’s already dead.”
“Those who sought to buy this demon still live. All tied to evil must pay the price.”
“That won’t happen. No matter who you are—the Iron-Blooded Duke—you won’t lay a finger on my customers!”
Raizen ground his teeth, snatched a broken plank, snapped it in half, and gripped the pieces like twin blades.
He struck a dual-wield stance, but his martial foundation was likely shallow.
I could tell from his muscles: form over function, all for looks.
Still, it looked convincing enough.
“Raaahhh—!”
Raizen roared and charged the Iron-Blooded Duke.
Watching his desperate back, I silently scored it.
Ten out of ten.
* * *
“Kwahahaha! You show no mercy at all! I never thought you’d beat your own son this badly.”
Raizen burst into laughter, his face swollen twice as badly as when I first regressed and woke up a mess.
Considering his opponent was the Iron-Blooded Duke, he’d held his own.
“Shoulder okay?”
“Shoulder? Oh. Not the shoulder. The armpit.”
He’d been battered with the flat of the blade, then stabbed in the shoulder at the end—or so I thought. Angle tricked me.
“Just a graze, but that sword’s so sharp it tore a bit.”
“Doesn’t hurt?”
“Of course it does! Lucky the weather’s cool. Imagine sweat in an armpit wound… Ugh.”
Raizen fanned his arm dramatically.
Staring at his puffy face, I said,
“Too bad. I’d give you an egg if I had one.”
“Nah. Compared to Sir Maxim, this is nothing….”
Maxim’s wound looked serious, but he brushed it off.
He said himself: a week of good food and sleep would heal it.
“Is beastkin regeneration usually that good?”
“No way. They’re better than average, sure, but he’s just a monster.”
Raizen chuckled, then slumped into the sofa, tension draining as he muttered,
“Anyway… that’s it, right? All wrapped up?”
“Yeah.”
This was my best solution.
The Iron-Blooded Duke bursts in, slays the “demon” in one go, then charges at Raizen, the Abyss Auction’s top brass, with killing intent.
Raizen fights desperately to protect his customers even under threat.
Result: All the guild’s clients escape safely, so neither Abyss Auction nor Zairen Merchant Guild takes a huge image hit.
“I’ve saved face… but Father’s reputation might take a small dent. He let me slip away, after all.”
No witnesses meant we could fake Raizen’s death, but we didn’t.
He’s a merchant living off his name.
Strip his identity like Ludwig’s, and he’d start from scratch.
“Can’t be helped. Even if this happened for real, the Family Head wouldn’t slaughter everyone tracking you. And the Duke’s infamy doesn’t go that far.”
So, dozens of loyal subordinates sacrifice themselves in a desperate stand, buying Raizen time to escape by the skin of his teeth….
That’s how we’d wrap up the auction house incident.
“Anyway, I’ll lay low for a bit. No Abyss Auction, and I’ll need proxies for guild dealings.”
“You good?”
“It’s not so sloppy it falls apart without me. Losing the main revenue stream hurts, though…. That’s on me. By the way.”
Raizen eyed me anew.
“You’re amazing.”
“I’m great, sure. What part?”
“You handled it perfectly.”
“Perfectly? Like you said, both the Duke and Zairen lost face.”
“That it ended there is what’s amazing. Business-wise, this was a total bust. Salvaging it with this little damage? Your skill’s the real deal.”
Raizen extended his hand again.
“Seriously, wanna work with me?”
“Already turned that down.”
“I’m dead serious now. Guys with your guts are rare. Partner up, and I could advance my plans by years.”
“Plans?”
“Become the Empire’s richest man.”
I snorted.
“Cool dream. Not mine. Let’s just be the best in our fields.”
“What’s yours?”
“This.”
I raised my fist. Raizen muttered boredly,
“Martial prowess, huh. Important, sure.”
“Not your thing?”
“Learned self-defense, but nothing more sparked interest.”
“Different tastes.”
I nodded and stood.
“Anyway, hit up later. How?”
Raizen pulled something from his pocket and tossed it.
*Thud.*
I caught it—a dagger, surprisingly.
Not for killing. Too ornate.
The hilt even had flashy gold engravings.
“This?”
“[Zairen Knife], given only to top VIPs. Zairen operates Empire-wide. Flash it for up to 50% off, depending. Or meet the branch head.”
“Thanks, but I asked how to meet you.”
“Sticking to the capital for recovery. Need me? Gold Bellu.”
“Ah.”
Show the knife there.
Gold Bellu: the capital’s ritziest hotel in the posh South District. Absurdly expensive.
Long-term stay there? Guy’s loaded.
‘Keep rich friends close.’
Recalling the timeless truth, I said,
“Got it. I’ll mention what I need then.”
“What do you need?”
“Tell you later.”
Honestly, I hadn’t decided yet.
No way he knew that. He just sighed deeply.
“…Hate not knowing the deal upfront.”
“Not too tough. Rest up.”
“Fine.”
Bad first meeting, decent farewell. Better than the reverse.
I opened the door and—
Oh my.
The Iron-Blooded Duke waited right outside.
“Talk over?”
“Yeah.”
I added unnecessarily to the Duke staring at me.
“He’ll lay low quietly for a while.”
“I see. Then we can talk now.”
“Huh? More to say to Raizen?”
The Iron-Blooded Duke just looked at me.
Still intimidating as ever, but I knew now.
That’s his default face.
No need to freak.
“Have you met Leone?”
This guy’s nuts.