Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 137
>Chapter Title: Smiled Faintly to Keep Tears from Falling
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My momentary fluster at the unexpected question didn't last long.
I twisted the corner of my mouth and tossed the query back at him.
"So, you're asking if we swiped the Crimson Flame? Us? No way Lortel thinks that's what Decullan is after, right?"
"That's right. Is it a difficult question to answer? If so, you don't have to."
"Pfft. Nah, not difficult. Just kinda funny. So, naturally, you'd have priced the Infinite Chain based on the Crimson Flame too?"
"...That's right, but?"
Was he sensing something off?
A flicker of suspicion crossed the Young Patriarch's face—the same face that had been smiling leisurely just moments ago, as if saying, *I know everything, punk*.
Or maybe he just didn't like my grin. Whatever.
Thing is, I couldn't help but laugh.
*This situation's turning out pretty hilarious. They've got the wrong end of the stick, hard.*
Yeah, from Lortel's perspective, it made total sense.
After all, the leak of the Heavenly Origin Art would be top secret even in Decullan—only a handful of higher-ups would know.
So the info Lortel had access to... yeah. Something like, *Crimson Jade's vice-captain attacked an academy professor. His subspace went missing.*?
Probably. That's why they'd assumed Decullan's goal was the Crimson Flame.
But here's why it's funny.
The situation was working way too much in my favor.
Honestly, even as the Young Patriarch, overturning a deal with Decullan just days away would be a real stretch.
But in a setup like this? Things could go surprisingly smoothly.
So, first...
"Young Patriarch, let's clear up this misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?"
I nodded calmly at his sharp question.
"We swiped the Crimson Flame? Yeah, that's true. But Lortel's got one thing wrong."
"...What might that be?"
"Would Decullan really go after the Crimson Flame enough to want the Infinite Chain for it?"
"What are you..."
"Think about it. The Crimson Flame? Sure, it's an impressive secret art. Worth Decullan's attention. But is it worth moving heaven and earth with the Infinite Chain? What do you think?"
"That's..."
"Let's flip it around."
I threw out an example for the Young Patriarch, who couldn't answer right away.
"Suppose Lortel lost a Crimson Flame-level secret art, and Decullan has the Infinite Chain. Would Lortel offer the Infinite Chain to get that art back?"
"...Tricky."
Yeah, tricky.
The Crimson Flame was impressive, sure, but not something to blow up this big over.
Right after that, the Young Patriarch's eyes sharpened.
"So, there's another reason?"
"You bet. A huge one, way bigger than the Crimson Flame. Wanna guess what it is?"
He gave a slight nod at my question.
I flashed a grin at the sight.
Yeah, he'd be curious. Too proud to beg, but probably squirming inside.
But, oh well.
"Hmm, gotta think this over a bit."
"...Think what over?"
"Whether I should share this info with you. Still not sure."
...
His face hardened coldly at my words.
He probably thought I was toying with him. Pretty much.
Half of me wanted to mess with him, after all.
But I did need to think it over.
The Heavenly Origin Art.
Decullan's origin and endgame. Its root secret art carried weight leagues beyond the Crimson Flame.
Even if this Young Patriarch hated Decullan, it was a heavy matter for us too.
But my deliberation didn't last long.
Like I said, the deal was days away.
*To get him moving, I need to hand over a card like this. Make it easy.*
Plus...
A quick mental calculation showed that revealing this to Lortel would screw Decullan way harder than hiding it.
Screw them? Nah, *torment* them.
*If it were me, I'd make them suffer like crazy.*
Options galore.
Drag things out with the Infinite Chain as leverage, drain their blood. Or leak fake info about the Heavenly Origin Art, send them scrambling in chaos.
Weird how my creativity only fired up for this vicious stuff. Ideas piling up, couldn't count 'em on one hand!
Lost in happy fantasies of tormenting Decullan, the Young Patriarch's angry voice snapped me out.
"Seems you need quite some time to think. Shall we meet again tomorrow at this hour? Though I can't promise it'll stay peaceful."
I folded my wings of imagination at his razor-edged tone and waved it off.
"Nah, a Young Patriarch as magnanimous as the sea shouldn't get mad over this."
"Looks like you haven't seen true anger yet."
"Not particularly eager to, either."
...
Oops.
Got too hyped thinking about screwing Decullan.
Sure, these sword-swingers were simple-minded, but once pissed, they held grudges forever.
Eh, no biggie.
He'd forget this little jab once he heard what came next.
*Now, best way to explain...*
Brief pondering.
Then I hopped up and squatted right in front of him.
"Here, look at this."
"Trying to etch your final moments into my eyes?"
"Nah, not that."
I wrapped my finger in mana and smoothed out the bumpy dirt floor.
Scritch, scratch.
Letters on the ground.
"Lortel probably valued the Infinite Chain like this."
(Infinite Chain's base value) + (Crimson Flame's value)
"...That's right, but?"
"Maybe Decullan pushed for a higher price than expected in negotiations? Looks that way to me. No real haggling, probably."
"I don't know the details. But..."
He glanced at the third sword.
The third sword, which had been staring at the bonfire, spoke up.
"Indeed, Decullan wrapped up negotiations faster than anticipated."
"...So that's it."
"Then, ever wonder why?"
"Why? To recover the secret art ASAP, obviously?"
"Yeah, natural assumption. But what if it's not that?"
"What?"
Scritch.
I erased the "(Crimson Flame's value)" part.
Then stared straight at the Young Patriarch with a smile.
"What if Decullan played Lortel for a sucker?"
...
"And closed the deal quick because of that? What then?"
"Stop dragging it out and get to the point."
I pouted and sighed deeply.
Man, what a personality. So damn impatient.
But dragging it further might make him snap.
"Fine, listen up. I'll tell you why. You asked if we swiped the Crimson Flame? Spot on. But we didn't stop there. The Crimson Flame was more like an unexpected bonus. So, what did we really take?"
Keeping my gaze on him, I wrote more letters on the ground.
And.
Crackle, pop.
When my finger lifted from the finished word, I smiled brightly and spoke.
"Heavenly Origin Art."
...
"We didn't take some puny Crimson Flame. We took Decullan's root. Beginning and end. The Heavenly Origin Art. So..."
I shifted my eyes to the ground.
"Isn't this the right equation?"
(Infinite Chain's base value) + (Heavenly Origin Art's value)
Before and after.
The formula barely changed.
But the meaning packed inside? Worlds apart.
Of course...
The value too.
"Get it now? Why I was grinning like that."
As I finished, the Young Patriarch's eyes twitched faintly.
Soon his shoulders shook, a deflated sound leaking from his mouth.
"Huh, hahaha."
His lips curled up with a snicker.
The chuckle grew, filling the space.
"Haha, hahahaha! This, this is...! Haha!"
Funny? Yeah, hilarious to me too.
No, more like *satisfying*.
*I'm a righteous Troubleshooter.*
Call it a good deed.
Saved Lortel from getting duped by that shady buyer, Decullan.
Well... the deal was doomed anyway, but still counts as a good deed.
Smiling proudly at my feel-good deed for the day.
The Young Patriarch, who'd been laughing hard, cut it off abruptly.
And when his mouth opened, his words plunged me into deep trouble.
"Sorry."
...?
"Thought you were just petty cattle thieves. Turns out you're castle-robbing bandits."
...
Praise or insult?
Dunno.
Stealing a castle beats cattle, sure.
But thievery's thievery... makes me the ultimate scum, right?
But such worries were brief.
"Anyway, one thing I wanna ask."
...?
"I'll buy that you undervalued the Infinite Chain. But sharing this means..."
A thick smile spread across the Young Patriarch's lips.
"You can pay the new value for a new Infinite Chain, right? Hope so."
"No w..."
So absurd, words failed me.
Then he drove the nail in.
"For reference, Decullan offered 10kg of pure meteor iron."
"Meteor iron..."
"As you know, meteor iron's top-tier for sword-making. Oh, you're a mage—might not know. Even my main house has no all-meteor-iron swords. And that's 10kg."
I knew. How could I not.
But.
*...10kg of meteor iron?*
10kg could forge a full solid sword, depending on type. Alloys? Multiple blades.
But meteor iron's true worth wasn't just tough swords.
Masterpieces.
Divine swords.
So, 10kg... let's see. One, ten, hundred, thousand... numbers skyrocketing in my head.
When the math finished.
I could only mutter a quiet curse.
"...Fuck?"
10kg of meteor iron could buy a decent castle.
Size and location vary, but... for a broke student like me, unimaginable sum!
No, was it even about money?
Meteor iron wasn't for sale, even for cash.
"Feeling a bit strained?"
At his smirking smile, I thought.
Who really got played? Decullan? Lortel?
Nah, neither.
Decullan offered it, but the deal's busting. Lortel won't get it, but they'll deal with me.
The biggest sucker here is...
*Me.*
Why me?
'Cause I freed the very Lortel we suckered.
"Shall we start the real deal, then?"
The Young Patriarch smiled leisurely.
"Oh, and thanks for the info."
...Yeah, thanks accepted.
I looked up at the sky. Smiled faintly to keep tears from falling.
You watching, Wyvern?
Nope.