Chapter 151
Chapter 151
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: A Friend Like That (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Clerk of Moltana wasn't an official position.
Just hearing the name, one might think it was some administrator appointed by a council, but in reality, it was just a title claimed by the village's wealthiest resident. "Village chief" sounded too rustic, and impersonating a "magistrate" could lead to serious trouble—that awkward background was how the vague title of "Clerk" came to be.
Of course, the Clerk wasn't playing pretend all on his own. Everyone in Moltana acknowledged him as the village's top power broker. Not because of the title, but because of these things.
His vast wealth that indebted the entire village, and the mercenaries under his command from Galenta and the underworld.
Years ago, during a massive famine, the Clerk had opened his vaults and storehouses, lending money and grain without hesitation. The villagers praised his benevolence until their mouths wore out. If they'd known those "gifts" would become lifelong shackles, they probably wouldn't have.
The Clerk had slapped murderous interest rates on the loans.
Defaulting wasn't an option. The underworld mercenaries were the type to actually gut you for collections. After seeing debtors beaten bloody and their homes trashed, the villagers had no choice but to pay up, tears and all.
But no one ever cleared their debts completely, and in the end, everyone in Moltana ended up as serfs or slaves under the Clerk. Having seized control of money, labor, and military might, the Clerk ascended as Moltana's unchallenged ruler in mere years.
Of course, there had been minor crises along the way. Like the time someone figured out the Clerk had ruined the fields to engineer the famine...
But that incident wrapped up when the witness vanished for "mysterious reasons." Now, there was no one in Moltana who could threaten the Clerk.
So when such a formidable figure heard about his late-born son, he naturally felt this way.
"My son, Hureuk... got beaten unconscious by that merchant's brat?"
It felt just like a king hearing his prince had been thrashed by a street urchin.
The Clerk wasn't particularly doting on his son. But this was a matter of family pride. Furious to his core, he tried to drag in that urchin and behead him personally.
Fortunately, Aluben, captain of the Clerk's underworld mercenaries, suggested a better solution.
"Clerk, sir, it's a shame about your son, but this might actually be a golden opportunity. That merchant, Duncan? The rumors were true—he's swimming in cash. We just came from his place, and he paid off all his piled-up debts and interest without batting an eye."
"..."
"I know you're furious, but calm down and hear me out. We arrest the kid on charges of assaulting your son. Then we tell Duncan to post bail. A guy who dotes on his family that much? He'll fork over his whole fortune without a peep..."
"...Are you telling me to pull a hostage stunt like some gutter thug?"
"Not a hostage thing, haha—proper enforcement of the law, sir. We have to punish him somehow, right? And this looks way cleaner than just seizing assets outright, doesn't it?"
The Clerk sat silently, stroking his chin in thought.
He'd already heard the rumors about the merchant striking it rich. His original plan was to pin the family down and bleed them dry bit by bit. Aluben's idea seemed far more convenient and justifiable.
Just one thing nagged at him.
"Didn't that merchant bring along some massive barbarian? I vaguely recall hearing the guy's a notorious mercenary..."
"...Just idle gossip, nothing to worry about. If it bothers you, we handle it quick. We already confirmed the barbarian's out..."
"..."
The deliberation didn't last long. The Clerk immediately ordered Duncan's son brought in. Aluben smirked, rounding up his men and heading back to Duncan's house.
The arrest went smoothly. No barbarian, not even Duncan around. Duncan's wailing wife aside, there were no obstacles. The kid himself was remarkably composed.
"Kid, do you know why you're being taken?"
"Y-yes... um... because I beat up the Clerk's son... Hureuk... earlier today?"
"Heh, you know it. Aren't you scared of the punishment?"
"Y-yes, it's okay... I didn't do anything wrong. And the grown-ups taking me... Uncle promised he'd help..."
"...?"
Aluben's face soured briefly, but he smoothed it over. Glancing down, he saw Duncan's wife thrashing to get her son back. He handed the kid off to a subordinate to avoid trouble.
"Hey, Mrs. Wheeled. Anyone'd think we were eating the boy alive. Bring the proper bail, and he's out by morning."
"How much? How much do you want?! Money's no reason to take someone's child like this! How much more do you bloodsuckers need to gorge yourselves?!"
"Oof, spare our ears. We're just upholding the law here. And the bail?..."
Aluben crossed his arms, pretending to ponder, then grinned.
"Bring it in good faith. Yeah, just like that—as much as you love your son."
*
Duncan felt a rage more intense than any in his life.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
His heart pounded furiously, slamming his ribs like a battering ram. Eyes bloodshot, hot breaths hissing through clenched teeth. It was as if a berserker's mad blood had surged through his veins.
Everyone has a line they can't cross. Kidnapping his son wasn't just crossing Duncan's—it was shattering it entirely. He burned to charge in blindly and hack every bastard involved to pieces.
Yet a timid merchant still lingered in his heart.
That voice whispered: Think realistically. You can't do it alone. Swallow your pride and negotiate with the Clerk. Or... go find Kadim and beg for help now.
It was a hard temptation to resist.
If it were just his own neck on the line, fine. But now his son's life was at stake too. He couldn't gamble on fury alone. The conviction that this fight was his alone wavered like a reed in a storm.
Duncan clenched his fists and asked his wife.
"Yulia... so... how much did they demand?"
"In... in good faith... they said. Probably everything we've got..."
"..."
"Pl-please, Duncan, calm down... Sniff, just do what those scum want... I can't live without our boy, Duncan..."
What cash they had was peanuts compared to the goods headed to Deluta. But was paying up really the answer? He pondered intensely, like slashing a tiny canvas with a dozen brushes.
Finally, Duncan steeled himself.
"...I'll be back, Yulia."
"D-Duncan? You're just going to pay the bail, right? Y-you're not thinking anything crazy, are you?"
"Yeah, don't worry. I'll bring our boy back safe... Just rest and take care of yourself."
Slinging his inventory bag over his shoulder, he turned from his trembling wife, shoved past gawking onlookers clutching scorched shoulders, and pushed through the crowd clearing a path in fear.
Duncan set off alone for the Clerk's residence.
The Clerk's mercenaries were already assembled there.
Rough faces, leather armor, axes and flails at the ready. They scowled and postured menacingly, but Duncan didn't flinch. He'd traveled with a warrior who made demons quake.
Guided inside, he descended to the mansion's vast basement. Under dim torchlight stood plenty of mercenaries, the Clerk, Aluben, and his son lined up.
"D-Dad!"
"...Densen."
Hearing that young voice eased the boiling rage a touch. But it didn't vanish. Seeing his son trussed up like game sharpened it to a cold edge.
"...What is this, Clerk? Didn't I already pay off all the debts? Kidnapping kids on a whim?"
"Hah. The gall—kidnapping? Do you know what this one did to my son?"
"...!"
A battered boy shuffled out from behind the Clerk.
Duncan was speechless for a moment. His son beat that hulking kid? Unbelievable, but the boy's nervous glances at Densen suggested truth.
If he'd hit someone, punishment was fair. But the Clerk's son was no different. Duncan fired back immediately.
"...Clerk, don't think I've been deaf just because I left the village. My wife told me everything—how that boy of yours tormented ours... Ever once scolded him for picking on the weak?"
"Enough. If you have eyes, look at your boy. Does that look like a victim?"
"..."
It was a fair point. Densen looked pristine, save for the dirt—thanks to Kadim's blood magic healing him too perfectly yesterday.
Suspicion lingered, but evidence failed him. The Clerk puffed up confidently; Duncan just scowled. Watching mercenary captain Aluben stepped forward to wrap it up.
"What a shame, Duncan. Should've watched your kid instead of just chasing coin. By the book, he'd get the max penalty, but our merciful Clerk's letting bail slide this once..."
"..."
"...Show some sincerity, Duncan. Pile it up here—prove how much you love the boy. Enough love, and he's free as a bird."
Aluben smiled leisurely, gesturing to the table. The Clerk cleared his throat theatrically, stroking his beard; the mercenaries eyed it all with greedy glints.
Duncan's face hardened as he glared around, then silently began unloading cash from his inventory.
Clink, clink, clink...
At first, the mood was light. Mercenaries chuckled darkly, watching gold coins stack up. Some even bet on the total.
Clink-clink, clink-clink, clink-clink—
As coin pouches followed, excitement built.
Mercenaries whistled softly, cheering. They jeered about overflowing paternal love. The Clerk and Aluben exchanged knowing looks—decent haul.
Thud, thud, thud—!
But when whole money chests appeared, the vibe shifted.
Shock chilled the air like winter; whistles faded. That was millions of luden at least—way beyond expectations. And how was that tiny bag spitting out chest after chest...?
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!
When chests piled to the ceiling, the basement froze solid.
Clink-clatter! Ting, ting, ting-ding...
As Duncan stepped down, gold cascaded like a waterfall, pouches tumbling, chests gleaming, drowning even torchlight in golden waves.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Wealth has a numbing magic. It rings your skull, locks your tongue like wood. None had seen so much in one place. Clerk and mercenaries gaped like goldstruck mutes.
Aluben snapped out first, composing himself.
"Ha, haha... Duncan, your love for your son is touching. Honestly, shocking. Never dreamed you'd bring this much for bail..."
"...What're you talking about? This is just the down payment."
"...!!"
"Can't buy my son's life with pocket change like this. I'll pay the rest when I fetch it later. Of course... if you release him first."
Fearing he'd change his mind, the Clerk hurriedly untied the boy. Under the mercenaries' careful escort—like for a VIP—Densen returned safely to his father. Duncan hugged his bewildered son tight and bolted from the basement.
The rest threw a gold rush party. Mercenaries swarmed the piles like clockwork.
"Damn, jackpot! How much is this?!"
"Over ten million luden easy! We're quitting merc life today—retire!"
"Kyahaha! Never worry about meals again!"
"Don't touch! Hands off—it's all mine! I'll divvy your shares later, so back off!"
Not even the Clerk's orders worked. They stuffed coins everywhere. Only Aluben's threats of beheading anyone who touched more stopped them.
Then, amid the frenzy, Duncan returned.
Alone—having dropped his son off. Mercenaries' faces iced over, eyes murderous, fearing he'd demand it back.
But Duncan waved it off reassuringly and rummaged in his pouch.
"Oh, right—forgot to pass this earlier."
Ting!
A dull gleam flashed; Aluben caught it, frowning.
"Hm? What's this, Duncan?"
"Ten-luden gold piece. Enough for a loaf on the street. And..."
Duncan counted heads with a finger, then his eyes sharpened like a raptor.
"...the bounty for all twenty of you bastards."
As eyes widened in shock...
Whoosh—!
A black cloak billowed like a ghost ship's sail, a silent shadow melting into the dark.
"...Wh-what?"
"H-huh? Where'd he...?"
Mercenaries panicked, scrambling. As they fumbled for weapons, a chill whisper slithered into their ears like the reaper's breath.