Chapter 70 : Chapter 70
Chapter 070
“3,500 Gold? Not 350?”
Young Master Hamel asked again as though he could not believe it.
“To be exact, it is 3,542 Gold. The investigators conducted a thorough recount, so there should be no error in the amount.”
“That is enormous.”
“It is all thanks to you, Young Master. Had you not granted permission, it could never have been done.”
I made my report boldly before Young Master Hamel.
Just as I had expected, he could not hide his astonishment. Even Sir Paramela, standing nearby as his guard, widened his eyes.
After all, 3,500 Gold was by no means a small sum.
By the scale of currency value I had managed to piece together so far, it amounted to roughly 3.5 billion won. To have extracted that much in additional collection in a single day was remarkable.
Young Master Hamel narrowed his eyes sharply.
“Did you find the evidence?”
“We are still investigating. For now, the ledgers only reveal ties to the Black Pig Gang rather than the Delfino Merchant Company, so we are interrogating the men who tried to attack our Soldiers.”
“That is a somewhat disappointing result.”
“But does it not still prove, to a certain degree, the hypothesis I first presented to you?”
I said it in a deliberately challenging tone. As expected, Young Master Hamel looked displeased, but he did not press me any further.
At the beginning, I had told him that there was likely some kind of transaction between the Black Pig Gang and the Delfino Merchant Company. Then I confiscated the funds the Black Pig Gang had been trying to gather illegally.
Now all that remained was to uncover the link between the Black Pig Gang and the Delfino Merchant Company, but the truth was, I did not care that much about that part.
The real purpose of this whole affair was for our Avengers to swallow the Black Pig Gang whole.
Of course, in the course of the investigation, evidence might surface showing some sort of dealings between the Black Pig Gang and the Delfino Merchant Company.
But I had already prepared for that as well.
“The investigators are analyzing the ledgers even now, and the men under interrogation may yet provide useful information, so if you would wait a little longer, I believe good news will come.”
“Hm. And if the connection between the Black Pig Gang and the Delfino Merchant Company is proven?”
“In that case, you truly will be able to remain still and let matters unfold on their own.”
“Why?”
“The Black Pig Gang is currently at war with several other organizations. They will collapse on their own, so all we need to do is seize the evidence and investigate the Delfino Merchant Company. There is no need for us to wade into the mud ourselves.”
In other words, I was saying there was no need to bother with unnecessary procedures.
Hamel, who had been resting his chin on one hand, nodded. But then he cast me a doubtful look.
“How much did you pocket this time?”
“I am not sure I understand what you mean, Young Master.”
“Why are you pretending to be innocent all of a sudden? I am asking how much kickback you took.”
It was a question I had been expecting. The Third Young Master of House Adeline liked honesty. So I gave the answer I had prepared in advance.
“I took 100 Gold.”
“You insane bastard! You took 100 Gold? Are you in your right mind?”
Even as he said that, Young Master Hamel was laughing. Sir Paramela, standing beside him, looked at me with utter disbelief.
I had not the slightest interest in Sir Paramela’s reaction.
The only thing that mattered was the fact that Young Master Hamel was looking at me and laughing. He liked things that amused him. He had probably never imagined that I would openly admit to taking kickbacks.
“I thought that, if no one else, I at least ought to speak only the truth to the Third Young Master. So I answered honestly.”
“Hah, brazen little bastard. Then again, if you brought back 3,500 Gold, I suppose 100 Gold counts as a cheap commission. But what, do you have ten necks to spare? Spouting something like that so easily. What if I had thrown you into the Underground Dungeon and had your head cut off?”
“I thought you would look on it favorably.”
“I am not looking on it favorably.”
“Are you not smiling?”
“I am smiling because you are so outrageously brazen that it leaves me dumbfounded. What kind of investigator—no, that is right, you are still an apprentice, are you not? What sort of apprentice would go around boasting that he embezzled public funds?”
“I am not like other apprentices.”
Young Master Hamel gave a snort, and I smiled as I turned the subject elsewhere.
“In any case, at this rate the Black Pig Gang will be annihilated. Their source of funds was completely severed by today’s additional collection, and several organizations have been attacking them lately. There is one particularly promising group among them, and that group will provide the information the Black Pig bastards possess.”
“And what sort of bastards are this promising group?”
“They are an organization called the Avengers.”
“The Avengers, hm.”
Young Master Hamel began tapping the armrest. Feeling that he was showing a little too much interest, I stepped in.
“I would rather you did not dwell on them too much. If rumors spread that the noble Young Master of House Adeline was entangled with an Underworld organization, would your position not become difficult?”
“That is true enough. Though my position is already difficult as it is.”
“Please leave the dirty work to me.”
Young Master Hamel quickly lost interest. So far, everything was going well. Now all I had to do was crush the Black Pig bastards, make it look as though I had received the information from someone else, and then present it to Young Master Hamel.
“Still, since you have distinguished yourself in this matter, should you not properly receive a reward?”
“The kickback I took is enough for me. It may have displeased you a little, but if you are willing to overlook it, I am more than satisfied.”
“Hahahaha! I like your honesty. Very well. I will report this matter to Father personally. You have worked hard. You may go.”
I bent at the waist and offered a respectful bow, then left the Young Master’s room.
The operation had been a perfect success.
***
Good news came one after another.
Arthas had his merits recognized by the Knight Order. The wounded Soldiers of the Third Village Guard made a full recovery, and once the Knight Order itself came to offer their thanks in person, word began to spread.
On top of that, Guard Captain Womoff submitted an official report in which he recorded Arthas’s distinguished service in detail, and it was said that Knight Commander Varian personally commended him.
And yet Arthas, who was telling me all of this directly now, did not look particularly satisfied.
“If they were going to praise me, they should have paid me in money. What kind of nonsense is a mere Reward Leave?”
“A Reward Leave is no small thing. If greed goes too far, punishment follows. Take it in moderation.”
“Hah, especially now, when I want to replace my weapon. The one they issued me is nowhere near enough.”
Since Arthas possessed genuine skill, his desire for a good weapon was just as strong.
Even for an Apprentice Knight, it was difficult to obtain a weapon worthy of a proper Knight. The pay was too meager. Of course, it would be another matter if one were born with a golden spoon in one’s mouth.
I casually took a pouch from inside my clothes and handed it to Arthas.
He accepted it without much interest, but the moment he checked what was inside, his eyes flew wide open.
“Where did this money come from?”
“Put it away quietly. It is your share from the last mission.”
“This is far too much for that.”
“If it is too much, then there would be nothing wrong with buying yourself a good weapon. Then perhaps you would finally be able to receive my attacks properly.”
“Damn you!”
Even as he rose to the bait, Arthas was laughing. With this much money, he would certainly be able to acquire a fine weapon.
“Buy yourself a good weapon with it, and plenty of good food too.”
“Of course I will. But where did this kind of money come from? You do not mean to say......”
“Do not pry too much. You might get hurt.”
“Then I had better keep my mouth shut.”
He was not a fool, so he seemed to have guessed the route by which I had obtained the money. In any case, that made the two of us accomplices now.
“This mission was only the beginning. There may be more dangerous work ahead. If you are willing, I would like to borrow your strength from time to time. What do you say?”
“I would like that. We seem to work well together too. But the problem is, I am still only an apprentice. It might be difficult for me to make time.”
“Do not worry about that. I will speak to those above and have you requisitioned.”
“Do not tell me you have attached yourself to Young Master Hamel?”
“Not quite.”
Instead of telling him not to worry, I simply patted him on the shoulder. Also, it gave me the chance to check his Status Window.
○ Arthas Merdiang
Rank: ★★★★
Level: 24 (+2)
Traits: Swordsmanship A, Horsemanship A, Breakthrough B, Iron Wall B, Archery C, ???, ???
Status: Intimacy
[Not Unlocked]
[Not Unlocked]
......
His Level had risen by 2 during this operation. For the amount of time invested, that was an excellent result. After all, one real battle was worth more than a hundred training sessions.
Judging by the fact that the senior Knights seemed to be between Level 40 and 50, I would have to make sure he had steady chances to swing his sword from now on as well. Once he reached the high thirties, he would become the kind of Knight no one could afford to ignore.
And his Status message had changed too, from Favorability to Intimacy.
Judging by the nuance of the words, Intimacy was far closer than Favorability. We had now reached the stage where I could truly call him a friend. Whether that was because I had given him kickback money, or because we had faced life and death together, I did not know, but the important thing was that he had drawn closer to me.
Now, once Arthas received his Knightly Appointment and came to occupy a central position within the Knight Order, it would be of immense help to me as well. By then, I too would surely hold a good position in the Butler Corps, and I would be able to help him greatly in return.
This must be what people mean by mutual aid.
It seemed about time. I rose from my seat first. Arthas stood up as well.
“Where are you going? Your duty is not over yet, is it?”
“I have something to take care of in the village.”
“Another mission?”
I shook my head. With a grin, I mimed the act of throwing back a drink.
“Tch. You have a fine life. I am jealous. I wish I could become Young Lady Sapiela’s Guard Knight too.”
“Train hard. Then someday you will catch the Young Lady’s eye.”
“Do you really think that day will come?”
“It definitely will.”
And if it does not, I will make sure it does, so do not worry too much.
After parting ways with Arthas, I left the mansion.
I slipped into a shadowy alley, pulled the hood over my head, and put on the Face Mask that had already risen to the rank of my favorite item.
Thus transformed into Suhyeon, I headed toward the tavern where Eluna was working.
***
When I entered the tavern, Eluna was dealing with a number of customers. It felt as though there were far more of them than before.
Previously, many of them had simply occupied tables and lingered, but this time they were seated at the bar. Since this place also served as an inn, the fact that there were now more men who had come simply to drink meant that the number of customers had increased.
In other words, the men sitting at the bar right now were customers who had come to see Eluna.
Men really are all the same everywhere.
I squeezed through a gap and took a seat. Eluna recognized me and smiled.
“You have more customers.”
Smiling skillfully, Eluna slid a glass of water toward me. At this point, she really felt like a proper bartender.
“What would you like to order?”
“The usual.”
“Please wait a moment.”
At the words “the usual,” the gazes of the other males nearby turned toward me. Did they think of me as a rival? Unfortunately for them, they were wrong. I happened to be Eluna’s master. I stood on a completely different level from the lot of them.
A moment later, Eluna brought me my drink. I sipped it slowly while waiting for the tavern to quiet down a little more.