Chapter 150: The Greedy Collector (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 150: The Greedy Collector (2)
Meanwhile, training was in full swing at the Dmitry family’s training ground.
Tap.
It was Chris.
Fixing his opponent with a fierce glare, Chris launched an attack with lightning speed.
Whoosh.
The strike hit nothing but air.
Though Chris’s blade moved too fast for the naked eye to follow, Roman deflected it with a single, brutally efficient motion. Even so, Chris didn't panic. Anticipating the parry, he seamlessly channeled his forward momentum into a relentless follow-up, cutting off Roman’s avenues of retreat.
It was a razor-sharp assault.
The spectating soldiers held their breath. After exchanging dozens of blows in the blink of an eye, Chris finally spotted an opening.
Now.
But in that exact moment—
Flash!
"……?!"
Roman suddenly lunged straight into his guard.
Right when Chris thought he had the perfect opportunity, a single counterattack completely shattered his rhythm. Forced backward step after step, Chris finally tumbled into the dirt.
"Your intent was good, Chris. Anticipating your opponent's moves and driving them into a corner—there was nothing to criticize about your process. The problem lies in the timing of the decisive blow. When you suddenly unleash your power in the middle of a seamless sequence of attacks, a gap inevitably forms. That is a flaw that cannot be resolved through ordinary means. If your opponent is skilled enough to exploit that gap, you must have a reliable hidden card to break their balance before delivering the lethal strike."
"……I will keep that in mind."
There was no trace of resentment on his face.
It was only natural. No matter how fiercely Chris attacked, Roman never showed a single sign of faltering; that was exactly why Chris had overcommitted the moment he saw a fleeting opening.
The price of failure was experience.
Roman Dmitry had personally demonstrated how a superior opponent could counterattack. Though Chris had been sent rolling miserably through the dirt, he felt no embarrassment. The other soldiers felt the same. Even though the world praised Chris and the others for their exploits on the Southern Front and their stellar achievements in the tournament, they never lost their beginner's mindset in front of Roman, regardless of the accolades they received.
A realm beyond.
Roman was an overwhelming existence. Those who followed such a man would not dare let their guard down or grow complacent with their current strength.
"Next."
The sparring matches continued without pause. After Chris came Kevin, McBurney, Henderson, and the rest.
They were utterly crushed.
Sparring with Roman was a daily routine, and not once had they managed to land a clean hit on him. Yet, they clung to the training with dogged determination. Knowing they grew stronger with every bout, they strove to carve a lesson out of every defeat.
The Dmitry training ground was drenched in sweat and the heavy, ragged breathing of men.
When the grueling session finally came to an end, Hans, who had been waiting at a respectful distance, approached.
"Young Master. A guest has arrived."
"Bring him in."
Roman had already sensed the guest's presence. Turning his gaze, he saw Marquis Valentino waiting with a flushed, excited expression.
* * *
The wait had been quite long.
Marquis Valentino had stood by the training ground for a whopping two hours, yet he hadn't felt even a shred of boredom.
Is this the true caliber of Roman Dmitry?
Chris and the other soldiers were no ordinary martial artists. As they had proven in the recent tournament, any one of them possessed enough skill to hold a high-ranking position in a prominent noble family. Chris's presence, in particular, was overwhelming. He displayed a swordsmanship that the naked eye couldn't even track. Valentino believed a man of Chris's caliber could easily dominate the entire northeastern region.
And yet, he was no match for Roman. Swordsmen who exuded such powerful auras flickered out like dying embers the moment they faced him.
There is a hot topic in the Cairo Kingdom lately. What rank will Roman Dmitry, the man who defeated the Hector Kingdom's second-ranked expert, be assigned in Cairo? Skeptics point to his mid-twenties age, claiming that defeating Butler might have been a fluke. But the Roman Dmitry I have seen with my own eyes is absolutely not someone to be underestimated. An existence that effortlessly dismantles experts like Chris... His strength is far more overwhelming than the public rumors suggest.
His heart pounded.
If Roman were merely a man of outstanding martial prowess, Marquis Valentino's heart wouldn't be fluttering like this.
The greatest talent of the Cairo Kingdom. And I possess a sword crafted by his very hands.
It carried immense symbolic weight.
The thought of meeting such a person made him as giddy as a boy going to meet his first love. He adjusted his clothes as he walked toward the reception room. Putting aside his lofty title as Marquis Valentino, he simply wanted to make a good impression, human to human.
"I am Roman Dmitry."
Upon entering the reception room, Roman offered his hand first.
In that instant, Valentino felt as if his heart would burst. At the thought that these very hands had forged a masterpiece, Marquis Valentino quickly wiped his palms on his trousers before eagerly shaking Roman's hand.
"I am Marquis Valentino."
"Please, have a seat."
"Thank you."
The atmosphere was peculiar.
Although it was their first meeting, the reception room felt heated by Marquis Valentino's burning gaze. He could hardly contain his emotions. This was his first time meeting Roman Dmitry, but the single fact he had just verified fostered an infinite fondness for the young man sitting across from him.
He spoke up.
"The reason I sought you out, Lord Roman, is because of Blaze. I believe you know exactly what kind of item Blaze is. I was utterly astonished that such a magnificent treasure was released to the auction house, and I won the bid with the absolute conviction that I had to possess it at all costs. To be honest, I have searched far and wide to discover the artisan who crafted it. And today, my search has brought me to Dmitry as my final destination."
His voice trembled with slight excitement.
People always said Marquis Valentino's passion as a collector bordered on madness. It was a pure, unfeigned emotion, which was why he didn't brandish his authority as a Marquis in front of Roman.
"Lord Roman. Are you truly the one who crafted Blaze?" he asked point-blank.
His eyes blazed with desire.
It was an amusing situation. Roman had never expected that his simple intention to test the market value of his sword would lead directly to this outcome.
They call Marquis Valentino 'The Greedy Collector.'
The auction for Blaze had been conducted anonymously. Roman hadn't been trying to hide his identity; he merely wanted to ensure his reputation wouldn't artificially inflate the sword's perceived value.
Therefore, there was no reason to hide it now.
"That is correct."
A simple confirmation of the truth.
Marquis Valentino could not contain his bursting joy.
* * *
Marquis Valentino.
There was no one in the Cairo Kingdom who did not know his name. Aside from his moniker, "The Greedy Collector," he was a figure who had to be mentioned whenever the power structure of Cairo was discussed.
Among the neutral forces, he wields the greatest power.
The four factions: the Royal Faction, the Noble Faction, the Kronos Empire Faction, and the Valhalla Empire Faction.
They divided the power of the Cairo Kingdom, constantly keeping each other in check while vying for the throne. In this delicate balance, Marquis Valentino was a highly attractive piece. His immense wealth dominated Cairo's commercial sphere and possessed the power to tip the scales. Yet, despite being courted by the four factions for years, he had maintained a firm stance.
He had once said:
"I have no interest in power. No matter who seizes control, I hope Valentino will always remain exactly where it is."
It was a shrewd choice. The moment he officially supported one faction, everything he built would inevitably be swept into the fires of factional strife.
Thus, he remained strictly neutral. He closed his eyes to the politics and shut his mouth. Regardless of how Cairo turned, he focused solely on amassing wealth and indulging in his hobbies.
He was a key pillar of Cairo, far from an ordinary man. Yet, this great figure was currently reacting to Roman's revelation like a starstruck fan.
"I knew it! You really are the one who crafted Blaze, Lord Roman! It is truly an honor! You have no idea how much I have wanted to meet you. When I first laid eyes on Blaze at the Adelian Auction House, I felt a sensation as intense as a bolt of lightning striking from the heavens. How on earth did you forge such a masterpiece? They say Dmitry is the holy land of blacksmiths—did you truly inherit your father's bloodline?"
Questions poured out of him in a torrent.
It was pure fanboyism. There was no underlying malice. He had simply yearned to meet Roman, and as he rambled on, his gaze drifted to the sword hanging at Roman's waist.
"……If it wouldn't be too much of an imposition, may I examine that sword?"
It was a brazen request. On a battlefield, asking a warrior to hand over his weapon would never be granted.
However, Roman unclipped the sword and handed it over. It wasn't out of trust, but to gauge Marquis Valentino's intentions and reactions.
Gulp.
Marquis Valentino swallowed hard. Handling it as if receiving a divine relic, he carefully traced the blade and examined it from every conceivable angle.
……What in the world is this?
He was utterly astounded.
Blaze and Salamander. They were shockingly magnificent masterpieces. That alone had filled him with profound respect for Roman, but Darkness was on an entirely different level.
It was a heavy blade that seemed to harbor the very essence of the abyss.
Having handled countless masterpieces, Marquis Valentino's discerning eye recognized the true value of Darkness in a single glance. His eyes trembled with sheer shock. Roman Dmitry was an extraordinary artisan. He wasn't a blacksmith whose flames had died out after forging a single, once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece; he was evolving.
His first sword, Salamander.
His second sword, Blaze.
His third sword, Darkness.
With every new blade he forges, his growth is astronomical. If Roman Dmitry is hailed as the greatest genius of all time with a sword, the exact same holds true for him at the anvil. Just how terrifying will the future blades forged by this monster be? Once Roman Dmitry gains fame as an artisan, any sword bearing his mark will hold unimaginable value in its own right.
It was so astonishing he almost let out a breathless laugh.
Blaze. People had mocked him, claiming he had overinvested in a mere sword. That might be common sense to the ignorant masses, but as Marquis Valentino examined Darkness, he saw the future.
Roman Dmitry would be hailed as both the supreme swordsman and the supreme artisan.
Clack.
He gently set the sword down. Marquis Valentino looked at Roman with a remarkably serious expression.
"I know that even if I were to beg you to sell this sword, you would never agree. That is why I must ask: may I make a special proposal to you, Lord Roman?"
* * *
A special proposal. It came with two conditions.
"First, if you ever decide to sell a sword, please give me the right of first refusal."
It was a deeply personal desire. If Roman ever sought a new owner for his work, as he had with Blaze, Marquis Valentino wished to be that man.
"Second, if you forge a new sword, please at least let me know. No, if possible, I would love the privilege of just laying my eyes on it. Time and place do not matter. Whether you are here in Dmitry, in a far-off foreign land, or deep in a remote wilderness untouched by human feet—as long as you permit it, Lord Roman, I will find a way to travel there just to witness the majesty of your masterpiece."
His eyes shimmered with raw desire.
Roman did not offer an immediate answer. Marquis Valentino, the great tycoon of Cairo, was burning with passion all on his own. Rather than asking probing questions, Roman simply waited for the man to lay all his cards on the table.
"If you promise me just these two things, the Valentino family will throw its full support behind Dmitry from this day forward."
The statement was unexpected. He wasn't simply acting out of a collector's greed; he was declaring his intent to abandon his long-held neutrality.
It was an interesting development. Roman took a slow sip of his tea, locking eyes with the Marquis.
"Do you say this knowing what it truly means?"
"Of course I do. The Valentino family has maintained a strict neutral stance until now. Thanks to that, we faced no major obstacles while expanding our trading company, and people eventually crowned the Valentino family as the greatest tycoon in Cairo."
"And yet, why do you intend to support Dmitry? I do not believe it is simply out of a desire to collect. To satisfy your personal desires, Marquis Valentino, your family would have to sacrifice far too much."
A neutral force. For him to suddenly take a side—even if that side wasn't one of the four major factions—would inevitably make the power players dividing Cairo extremely uncomfortable.
Marquis Valentino replied, "I will be honest with you. In truth, I have recently been facing considerable pressure from the four factions. With the power struggle in Cairo growing increasingly fierce, Valentino cannot maintain a neutral stance forever. That is why I have been constantly contemplating which faction to throw my weight behind. Would the Noble Faction be best? The Kronos Empire Faction? Or perhaps the Valhalla Empire Faction? It was during this period of deliberation that I heard the rumors. I heard that you, Lord Roman Dmitry, defeated the northern lords and established the Dmitry Alliance."
His proposal wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision born of fanboyism. Up until he stepped into this room, Marquis Valentino had thoroughly calculated the gains and losses.
"People call me 'The Greedy Collector.' I gladly pay a fitting price for valuable items, but my targets are not limited to mere objects. I also love investing in people. When someone who is still undervalued grows and achieves something monumental, it provides an immense thrill that collecting alone can never match."
Roman Dmitry.
His actions had been unprecedented. The masses simply focused on the reputation of the enemies he had crushed. But Marquis Valentino recognized that the leadership Roman displayed was extraordinary.
And then there was the Dmitry Alliance. Dmitry, which had maintained a neutral stance just like Valentino, had made its first definitive move to step out of the shadows.
"Among the four factions of Cairo, there is none I truly wish to follow. But with you, Lord Roman, it is a different story. Seeing you instantly take control of the northeastern region, which was once a disorganized rabble, I decided that the Dmitry family under your leadership is worth investing in. Furthermore, now that I have confirmed you are the artisan who forged Blaze, is there any reason for me not to favor you?"
"Dmitry is already wealthy," Roman countered. "Is there any reason for us to accept the Valentino family as an ally, especially at the cost of drawing unwanted scrutiny from the Central Government?"
It was exactly the response Marquis Valentino had anticipated.
His opponent had no intention of blindly following the flow of the conversation, and with that single question, Roman proved he possessed the audacity to match his skill.
It was impressive. He did not view the greatest tycoon in Cairo as an absolute necessity.
"I am well aware of how much wealth Dmitry has accumulated. However," Marquis Valentino smiled. "Isn't money something that is always better to have in abundance? I do not ask for much. If I can forge a connection with you, Lord Roman, and as long as Valentino can remain strong in Cairo, I will support Dmitry with whatever you need."
It was a collector's instinct.
The very intuition that had elevated Marquis Valentino to his current peak was screaming at him, yearning to claim a stake in Roman Dmitry.