Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Ransom Demands
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“……!”
Jackal’s eyes shook violently.
More shocking than the fact that his attack had been blocked was that he had lost sight of his opponent’s movements.
Within the Empire, there was no one faster than him except for the Assassin Guild Master and a few of his subordinates.
So this situation left him utterly flustered.
“I assume you’ve grasped your place now.”
Arthur withdrew the dagger he had pointed at Jackal and released the arm he had pinned down.
He then stood and approached Yarve.
“What... what the hell...”
Jackal wore a dazed expression.
Arthur wasn’t wary of him at all.
It wasn’t the fearful demeanor one would expect from someone who had been cornered by the Julius Knight Order Captain.
He knew Arthur was strong enough to defeat the Sword Master Capo, but he didn’t sense the unique aura of a Sword Master from him.
Even though Jackal himself wasn’t a Sword Master, just being an assassin should have made him someone to fear and guard against.
“To dare... treat me like this...”
Feeling thoroughly ignored, a rage unlike any he had ever felt surged within him.
“I’ll never forgive you.”
Jackal erupted with killing intent as he rose, kicking off the floor and charging forward.
But his attack, devoid of the assassin’s specialty—stealth—was hardly threatening.
“Your mentality is weaker than I thought.”
Arthur looked slightly disappointed as he lightly dodged Jackal’s fist and tripped him with a leg sweep.
Thud!
Jackal’s head slammed into the floor, but ignoring the pain, he sprang back up.
“How long can you keep acting so smug?”
With his pride as an assassin shattered, Jackal charged with venom in his eyes.
“I don’t have time to play with you.”
Arthur threw a punch.
Thwack!
Jackal took a hit to the solar plexus and flew back, crashing into the wall before collapsing to the floor.
Skevin was stunned by Arthur’s skill in subduing an assassin in a single blow.
Not long ago, he hadn’t been this strong.
Yet now, he was incomparably more powerful.
He had continued to grow even amid real combat.
Skevin found it almost awe-inspiring.
That said, his side and thigh, where he had been stabbed, were bleeding profusely.
He decided to staunch the bleeding first.
He pulled a potion from the storage pouch on his belt and drank it. He felt the effects spread through his body, and the bleeding stopped.
This batch of potions worked even faster than the last.
With these, he wouldn’t crumble easily against any opponent.
Anyway.
He planned to bind Jackal before he woke and toss him in a cell.
While Skevin bound Jackal, Arthur stood before Yarve, staring down at him intently.
“Ugh... ughhh...”
Yarve groaned in agony.
“Escaping prison is punishable by death.”
“Sh-shut your mouth...”
Yarve glared with killing intent.
Arthur tossed a prepared sheet of paper and pen at him.
“If you want to live, write it down.”
“......?”
“War reparations.”
“What the hell are you talking about!”
Yarve scowled fiercely.
“Want me to turn you into a beehive?”
Arthur summoned the Benelli M1 into his right hand.
Seeing it, Yarve jolted in terror, trembling violently.
He could never forget how that monstrous weapon had obliterated a knight order.
Even now, when he closed his eyes to sleep, the image of the man with madness-filled eyes mercilessly killing haunted him.
Each time, terror gripped him to the point of madness, and now he had to see it again.
“I-I get it.”
“If you want to keep your life, bring me what I want.”
Arthur fetched a chair, sat before Yarve, crossed his legs, and continued.
“Ten thousand gold crowns. That’s the condition for your release.”
“Wh-what? That’s enough to buy a small territory!”
“That’s how much your ransom is worth.”
“You little shit...”
“I hear the Yarve Count family is filthy rich. Or is that just a rumor?”
Yarve’s insides boiled at Arthur’s continued mockery.
But to get out of here, he had no choice but to meet his demands.
Yarve swallowed his anger and scribbled something on the paper.
“Five thousand gold crowns! Take the deal.”
“Then rot here.”
As Arthur moved to stand, Yarve shouted.
“Wait!”
“Last chance. Think carefully.”
“Honestly, producing that much gold takes time, and I’d have to handle it personally. Suggest something else.”
“Hmph.”
Arthur snorted.
But inwardly, he was pleased—the man was moving in the direction he wanted.
He pretended to think, buying time.
After about ten minutes.
“I’ll give you anything! Just say it!”
Yarve yelled impatiently.
Arthur opened his mouth with a reluctant expression.
“Fine. Five thousand gold crowns, plus iron.”
“Iron? I can give you as much as you want. But even five thousand gold is a stretch.”
“Then die.”
As Arthur drew a firm line and turned toward Jackal, Yarve bellowed.
“Damn it! Fine! Fine!”
He wrote instructions for Nibon Territory on the paper and placed it at Arthur’s feet.
“Deliver this to Waiman in Nibon Territory. Then you’ll get what you want.”
Arthur grinned and glanced aside.
Skevin, having finished binding Jackal, shoved him into a cell. He then approached Arthur and asked.
“What should we do with this one?”
Arthur stood and replied.
“Toss him in a cell, then prepare for deployment.”
“Understood.”
Skevin bowed respectfully.
“What the hell! I wrote what you wanted—say something! You can’t just leave!”
Yarve screamed like a madman.
But Arthur left without a backward glance.
Skevin grabbed Yarve by the scruff of the neck, hauled him up, and threw him into the cell opposite Jackal’s.
Yarve scowled at the unconscious Jackal across from him.
“You pathetic bastard! A supposed bodyguard knight who can’t handle one kid? Ridiculous!”
Shing-.
“......!”
In an instant, Yarve’s eyes widened.
Before he could blink, Skevin’s sword was at his throat.
“G-get that... away...”
Yarve stammered, pale with fear.
Skevin glared murderously with his fierce eyes.
“Watch your mouth if you want to live. Next time, I’ll cut your throat without mercy.”
***
“Mm...”
Arthur emerged from the underground prison and headed straight to his office.
Standing by the window, he pondered who to entrust with the reparations note Yarve had written.
It had to be someone reliable, strong enough to handle any show of force if needed.
Skevin came to mind first.
But he had another mission, so that wasn’t possible.
Entrusting it to Drakan would expose the Lannister Knight Order, who moved with Giant Wolves and drew attention.
The Phoenix Knight Order couldn’t substitute their mounts with regular horses.
With the need to conceal the Julius family’s full strength, they were out too.
The other knight orders weren’t ready for such a task.
His dilemma deepened.
He brainstormed various options in search of the right person.
Time passed.
Knock knock.
Skevin entered the office, followed by Blizan.
Arthur glanced at their reflections in the window and turned.
“Any injuries?”
“I’m fine.”
“Tell me what you felt from today’s fight with that guy.”
“He was tricky to handle, and I didn’t expect Yarve Count to have someone of that caliber.”
“And?”
“It confirmed how weak I am.”
“......!”
Blizan, listening behind them, widened his eyes in shock.
‘Who the hell?’
He was stunned that Yarve Count had someone who could match Skevin.
He wanted to ask who, but it wasn’t his place.
He decided to keep listening.
“Honestly, that guy isn’t higher in realm than you. There’s only one reason you lost.”
“What is it?”
Skevin stared intently.
“An assassin fights with a single thought. What were you thinking while facing him?”
“......!”
Skevin’s eyes wavered as realization dawned.
Silence fell.
Arthur waited patiently, and after a few minutes.
Skevin met Arthur’s gaze.
“I’ll never forget what you said today.”
Arthur smiled at the deeper resolve in his eyes, sensing his growth.
“It won’t be long.”
“What do you mean?”
“The day you’ll stand by my side.”
“Please wait just a little longer.”
Skevin bowed deeply.
‘By his side? What’s that supposed to mean?’
A question mark hung on Blizan’s face.
Arthur wrapped up Skevin’s personal matters and asked about the deployment.
“Are preparations complete?”
Skevin replied crisply.
“The advance team totals fifty, including ten from the Horcamun Tribe with Blizan.”
Arthur nodded and turned to Blizan.
“I await your safe return.”
“I won’t disappoint.”
“I trust you.”
Arthur gave a faint smile, then locked eyes with Skevin and spoke firmly.
“This is the first time the Julius family’s knight order deploys externally, so pay attention to everything. If variables arise, prioritize survival and report to me. I’ll come rescue you anywhere.”
“Ugh!”
A moment later.
Skevin led the knight order on expedition to Hajan’s base.
But only Arthur and a few commanders knew.
The training grounds still echoed with trainees’ shouts unchanged.
Arthur watched the departing knight order from the window, wishing them safety.
Once they vanished, he turned back to the reparations issue.
No suitable candidate came to mind, and there was no need to expose forces to the world.
“Tricky.”
As Arthur sighed, a certain person popped into his head.
If that person joined him, this problem would solve itself easily.
He was satisfied so far, but it wasn’t enough to decide.
The man’s circumstances had changed; his convictions might have shifted.
“I wonder what he’ll say.”
Arthur smirked, leaving the office.
***
“You con artist!”
Yarve gripped the bars and bellowed as Arthur appeared.
Arthur approached with a grin.
“Blame your own stupidity.”
“Shut up! You think that scrap of paper will get you what you want? It’ll never happen.”
“Apologize to my mother. Then I won’t kill you.”
“What did I do wrong!”
Yarve glared furiously, and Arthur’s eyes turned icy.
“Nothing wrong?”
“That’s right!”
“Say the same to the King of Hell.”
“Who’s that?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Arthur glanced at Jackal in the next cell.
He stared silently out the window.
“Jackal, you worthless shit! You’re an assassin—aren’t you supposed to do something? He’s right there! Handle it!”
Arthur approached Jackal and asked.
“Don’t you regret serving a fool like that? With your skills, you could’ve chosen better.”
“Hmph.”
Jackal chuckled.
“Why laugh?”
“You don’t know the world? Or are you just mocking me? I don’t play those games.”
“I must look like that kind of guy.”
Arthur gave a wry smile and continued.
“It depends on how you see it. For the record, unlike those who despise assassins just for their aura, I’m different.”
Jackal looked at Arthur for the first time.
“Then why spare me?”
Arthur met his eyes with a meaningful smile.
“To give you a chance. A chance to be reborn.”