Chapter 34

[Translator – Helga]

[Proofreader – Lucky]

Chapter 34

The lodging of the Blue Merchant Group was bustling since morning.

“Wow. How much do you think all that costs?”

Camilla gazed at the furniture loaded on the carriage with sparkling eyes.

[T&Co]

In the Frecia Empire, T&Co was the brand that came to mind when it came to ‘furniture.’ It was so famous that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was a must-have for nobles. Even the declining Rehinar family had T&Co furniture. Though Kane had sold all the old pieces to shops, living in an empty house wasn’t an option. Now that he had made a fortune, he decided to furnish it with even better items.

“You bought all new ones with the money from selling the mana stones?”

Daniel immediately responded.

“Just as the Young Master ordered, we didn’t leave a single penny.”

Fifty one-star mana stones, each worth 100,000 gold. Two-star ones were worth 1 million gold each. In total, they earned 6 million gold. Including the valuable items taken from the corrupt residents, it was much more.

“What about the rest of the furniture?”

“They’ll deliver it separately.”

“Good. Since our work here is done, let’s head back to Rehinar.”

“Do you really plan to return just like that? This is a chance to broaden your horizons. You could spend a few days exploring Philaec.”

“There’s a mountain of work to do. We need to transform Rehinar before the mutated monsters start causing trouble.”

They had to prepare for the first defense battle that was approaching. With 4.5 billion gold obtained from the nest of the abyss, 50 million gold from the Black Crow Exchange, and 10 million gold from mana stones and valuable items, they had a total of 4.56 billion gold. It was enough to pay off most of their debts.

While Kane was thinking about this, Daniel asked with a serious face,

“Did you find something suspicious in the demon forest?”

Rehinar’s territory was established within the Demon forest. If the mutated monsters moved, it would be the first to be attacked.

“It doesn’t hurt to be prepared in advance.”

“Absolutely, my lord.”

In the meantime, the preparations for departure were complete.

“But where is Mikhail?”

Kane looked for Mikhail, who was nowhere to be seen.

“He went inside to wash up after moving the luggage,” Camilla replied, nodding her head.

“That guy is a clean freak, isn’t he?”

Mikhail had a personality that disliked sweating. This trait was similar to Kane, who also disliked getting his clothes dirty.

“I wonder how he tolerated all that filth when he was a slave.”

As soon as Kane finished speaking, Mikhail came out of the lodging. His long red hair was tied back, and his beard, which had once covered his face, was neatly trimmed.

“Ah.”

Camilla was momentarily lost in thought. Mikhail’s rugged masculinity was a stark contrast to Kane’s refined good looks. If Kane had a fragile, delicate charm, Mikhail exuded raw masculinity.

“Damn, He knows how to play to his strengths,” Daniel said, not holding back his praise for Mikhail’s new appearance.

“He looks quite striking,” he added.

“It’s just that I trimmed my beard,” Mikhail replied humbly.

“Trimming your beard doesn’t make you look handsome,” Daniel countered.

Daniel and Mikhail had grown close quickly. Mikhail’s polite demeanor, the subtle nobility in his bearing, and his unexpected friendliness to the elderly had completely won Daniel over.

“Camilla, you’re drooling,” Kane teased.

“N-No, I’m not!” Camilla stammered, shaking her head vigorously, her face turning red.

“I’m against romance between colleagues,” Kane remarked.

“WH-What are you talking about!” she shouted, quickly mounting her horse.

“Aren’t we going to depart?” she added, still flustered.

“Your reaction is cute,” Kane said with a small smile. He then looked somewhere briefly before averting his gaze.

“Let’s head back to Rehinar,” he commanded.

The group left the bustling Philaec and headed west towards Rehinar.

* * *

As Kane’s group departed Rehinar, dark shadows emerged atop Philaec’s city walls.

“They’re gone, right?” one of the shadows asked.

“They’ve left,” came the reply.

“Do you think they saw us?”

“I’m not sure.”

These shadows were Gillip and his brothers from the Black Crow exchange.

“Why do I feel so uneasy? Did we really need to tail them?” Gillip muttered.

“We need to gather more information on Kane Rehinar,” one of his brothers suggested.

“It should be fine since we’ve kept our distance,” Gillip reassured, though the unease lingered.

“Oh, we forgot to sprinkle the salt!” one of the brothers exclaimed.

“Then hurry up and do it. Lots of it,” Gillip ordered.

His brothers pulled salt pouches from their robes and sprinkled the salt outside the city gate.

[Someone will come looking for Mikhail. Tell them I took him first. This way, you won’t suffer any consequences. I’ve spared you not once, but twice now, so make sure to repay this debt with top-secret information.]

‘He knew exactly who we were.’ The true nature of the Black Crows was not an exchange office but an intelligence organization. This identity had been exposed. This was an emergency like never before. Their secret status was compromised. Even the Emperor of Frecia didn’t know the real identity of the Black Crow exchange, but the continent’s fool knew.

‘There’s nothing to lose, so let’s follow that bastard’s advice.’ Gillip took a deep breath and put on a regretful expression.

“Oh no, what a shame. That slave has already been sold to the Rehinar family. If you had told us earlier, we wouldn’t have sold him...”

“What a pity, it seems I arrived a bit too late,” the man said, though his expression showed no disappointment. Instead, he looked somewhat relieved, even smiling slightly.

“I’ll report that Rehinar got ahead of us.”

“We have other excellent slaves. Would you like to see them?”

“No need.”

“I’m very sorry, please let me know what else you need.”

“I don’t like people who just flap their tongues.”

“Will you allow me to serve you to the best of my ability?”

The man laughed coldly at Gillip’s subservient attitude.

“If I’m not satisfied, you’ll regret it.”

“I’ll provide the finest liquor and women for you.”

“I like your attitude. Since I have a long journey ahead, I’ll take a moment to relieve my fatigue.”

Gillip led the man to a secret room reserved for special guests.

‘They said he was obsessed with liquor and women, and it’s true,’ Gillip thought, noting how the man’s ominous demeanor softened at the mention of women.

* * *

Mikhail slowly approached Kane.

“The Black Crows are tailing us.”

“Leave it be.”

“You knew?”

“Somewhat.”

Kane seemed indifferent.

He paid no heed to the Black Crow’s pursuit.

“It seems they’re digging for your information. I’ll handle them discreetly.”

As Mikhail moved to disembark from the carriage,

Kane grabbed him.

“The Black Crow isn’t an enemy. To use them later, we must maintain a good relationship.”

“Doesn’t seem like we’ve kept a good relationship since you brought me here.”

“Gillip seems foolish, but he knows which strings to pull. He may be sharpening his edge now, but he’ll approach first before long.”

Kane smirked.

Confident in his tone.

Turning the Black Crow exchange into a mess and yet aiming to maintain good relations.

His words seemed contradictory.

“Mikhail, are you flustered?”

Mikhail nodded in response to Camilla’s question.

“I have no clue what the Young Master is thinking.”

“You probably won’t. I’ve served him long, and I still don’t know his intentions. But there’s one thing you should know.”

“What is it?”

“When the Young Master’s eyes turn crescent-shaped, that’s when trouble begins.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Leaving the Black Crow alone means you’ve already taken measures. Right, Young Master?”

“You’re learning. aren’t you, Camilla?”

Camilla beamed at Kane’s praise.

“Hehe. I’ve been praised.”

Like a puppy wagging its tail at its owner.

Even a slight compliment brought a sky-reaching expression to her face.

“When did you take action?”

“When we left Philaec. You noticed the Black Crow watching us from above the castle gate, didn’t you?”

“Hmm.”

Mikhail stared at Kane as if trying to see through him.

He attempted to glean something from Kane, but nothing was apparent.

Familiar with the gaze, Kane dismissed it.

“What I said to Gillip wasn’t about paving a way out. Rather, it’s a shortcut to hell.”

The man intending to take Mikhail away was affiliated with Hatzfeld.

He was Lieutenant Aren Stickler.

He was a notorious figure known as the Black Viper, extremely ruthless.

[Translator – Helga]

[Proofreader – Lucky]