Chapter 60

“The requisitioning of funds for the expedition is nearly complete.”

I was sitting at my office desk, listening to Avenger’s report.

I asked him, “The requisitioning shouldn’t still be happening at this stage, should it? Supplies don’t exactly arrive the moment you place an order.”

“You needn’t worry about that. Since we cleared our debts with the suppliers last time, we’ve built up some credit.”

“Wait, no way.”

“Yes, way. The Denabi administration has finally reached a point where we can place an order first and settle the payment later.”

Ah. I looked up at the ceiling, overwhelmed with joy.

Is it really this touching just to be able to make a purchase on credit?

‘Of course it is… Because of Denabi’s trash-tier credit rating, every single transaction we made had to be prepaid, no exceptions.’

For us, being below average meant that reaching a state of “perfectly ordinary” was a monumental leap forward.

“Once we settle the monthly revenue from the brewery, we should have no problem securing the funds by the payment deadline.”

I happily flipped open the ledger Avenger handed me.

The financial statement of Denabi Castle used to be nothing but red ink. Now, the urgent debts have been partially cleared, and the financial instability has been somewhat patched up.

Avenger continued, “Recovering the orchard was a huge achievement, of course, but selling the funerary artifacts we obtained from the recent dungeon conquest has been a massive help to our cash flow.”

“And the liquor business is finally getting on track, too,” I added, looking up at him.

However, as he listened to me, a brief flicker of worry crossed his face.

“Indeed. But regarding that liquor business… there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Oh? Is there a problem?”

“Yes, well…”

—Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the office door. The person who walked in was Ronari.

I greeted her. “You’re here.”

“You called, so what choice did I have? But were you in the middle of something?”

Ronari looked back and forth between Avenger and me.

I spoke up. “Oh, right. Avenger, go ahead. What is it? This problem you mentioned?”

“Um… no, it’s nothing. I’ll try to handle it at the lower levels first.”

“Hmm… well, if you say so.”

I felt a bit suspicious, but I decided to trust Avenger. He tends to avoid bringing minor business hiccups to my attention whenever possible. Honestly, it’s a bit concerning, but it’s also true that I benefit a lot from it. He usually handles things quite well on his own.

“Then I’m counting on you, Avenger.”

“Of course, Young Master.”

Avenger gave Ronari a polite bow and left the office.

Once he was gone, Ronari asked me, “That ‘I’m counting on you’ line—just how many people do you say that to?”

“Let’s see… one, two…”

“Is your skin really that thick…?”

She continued, “Just get up already. I’m busy as a bee preparing for the expedition. The Chief Steward went out of his way to yield the floor, so we don’t have a second to waste.”

We left the office and came out into the castle courtyard.

“Good morning, Young Master.”

A group of soldiers saluted me as they passed by. I saluted them back. We had barely left the office, but it felt like we had already run into dozens of soldiers.

I asked Ronari, “How many soldiers are currently stationed in the castle?”

“About 200.”

“That’s quite a lot.”

“Yes. Half of that is thanks to the orchard operation. We succeeded in preserving the deployed forces entirely. We added the newly recruited personnel to the eldest Young Master’s unit on top of that.”

We looked across at the soldiers in training. I could see Jin over there, supervising the drills.

Truly, being able to witness a sight like this was all thanks to our success at the orchard. In the original scenario, everyone would have been suffering from the nightmare of mana crystals piercing through their skin.

‘And Jin wouldn’t have been peacefully training soldiers, either.’

I said, “Still, I’m sorry I couldn’t give you 400 men like last time.”

“…”

Ronari didn’t answer. She just stared at me blankly.

She was scheduled to play a full-fledged role in this expedition. Instead of borrowing Alejandro’s or my voice like before, she would be the one in total command of the expeditionary force under her own name.

She suddenly blurted out, “Don’t you think it’s a bit cowardly, sending only me into a fight like that?”

“Uh…”

I was at a loss for words. I wasn’t accompanying them on this expedition. I had already given Ronari all the necessary information. Since I had no more intel or magic left, I wouldn’t be of much use on the battlefield anyway.

Still, I couldn’t help feeling sorry. She seemed disappointed.

I tried to make an excuse. “There will be people much more reliable than someone like me by your side. For instance, my father—I mean, the Lord. Besides, someone has to stay behind and guard Denabi Castle, right?”

“…That’s not the kind of talk I wanted to hear.”

Ronari glared at me. Her eyes seemed to say:

‘Young Master, you really are incredibly dense.’

What? Did I miss something?

“Uh, then, well, er…”

I scrambled to squeeze out something to say. That’s when she spoke.

“…Forget it. Just take it as a joke.”

“Oh, was it a joke?”

“Yes. Let’s just say it was.”

If we’re “just saying it was,” doesn’t that mean it actually wasn’t?

Before I could poke a hole in that, she continued.

“I know. I know it’s more efficient for you to stay here. And that’s why you decided to only send me.”

Plus, I intended to use you to build up some favor with Jin, but let’s keep that a secret.

I have a feeling I’d get an absolute earful if I said that out loud right now.

“Besides, I know we don’t need a massive number of personnel for this expedition. It’s essentially just a dress rehearsal for conquering the Archive of Crystals anyway.”

“I’m truly grateful that you understand, but…”

“You’re the one who taught me that. Why are you playing dumb? I heard you had a rough time persuading the Emperor’s Hunters using that exact logic.”

She leaned her face in close, pressing me for an answer.

‘Scary… Okay, I’m sorry.’

I took a half-step back from her.

“Phew…”

She let out a long sigh.

“Well, since we’ve gained a lot of good cards to replace a certain unreliable Young Master, I’m not truly worried.”

Just then, we arrived near the training grounds. A duel was in full swing, drawing quite a crowd. There were at least several dozen soldiers gathered around.

“Who’s fighting for them to be gathered like that?”

“If you’re curious, go see for yourself.”

Ronari grabbed my hand and led me toward the circle. In addition to the Denabi soldiers, there were a few “Hunters” present. Since Yulian’s arrival, the number of Emperor’s Hunters dispatched to Denabi had grown one by one. Now, there were four of them.

They were all watching Adele duel. And her opponent was…

—Screeeech!

A sharp spearhead scraped against Adele’s armor, sending sparks flying. As Adele swung her mace, the wielder of the spear leaped back.

It was Alejandro.

With a spear in his right hand and a sword in his left, Alejandro was skillfully controlling the flow of the duel, dual-wielding with veteran grace.

—Whish!

A casually thrust strike grazed Adele’s earlobe. Alejandro made active use of the spear’s reach while swinging his sword to keep her at bay whenever she tried to close the distance.

Adele spoke up. “My Lord, you’re quite something for your age.”

“The forties are still the prime of one’s life.”

“I think so too. I might have to start including middle-aged men in my acceptable dating range.”

“Haha. I believe I heard you weren’t very good at joking.”

“Did that sound like a joke? Hmm.”

My jaw dropped. She’s even more of an eccentric than I thought. It seems her flirting knows no age limit.

‘At this rate, she’ll be hitting on Jin before long.’

Despite Adele’s relaxed tone, however, she remained on the defensive. Alejandro’s martial prowess was truly formidable, driving back an Emperor’s Hunter. The atmosphere among the soldiers was heating up.

—Clang!

Adele’s mace parried Alejandro’s spear. She continued to circle the perimeter, yielding the initiative. Even while pinned on the defensive, she showed no sign of agitation.

‘Come to think of it, Adele hasn’t allowed a single fatal opening yet…’

Just as that thought crossed my mind, she lunged forward like a bolt of lightning. Alejandro extended his spear to block her path, but Adele’s mace repeated its earlier feat.

—Snap!

Her mace struck precisely the blade of the spearhead, shattering it. It was a feat of skill that defied belief. But the exchange, which I expected to continue, stopped right there. Alejandro tossed the bladeless spear shaft aside.

“The weapon is gone, so the match is over. You win.”

“What a shame. I wanted to admire you a bit longer, My Lord.”

Alejandro burst into a hearty laugh. Standing beside me, Ronari watched in awe.

“…That was incredible. I’ve never seen a fight like that. It looked more like a dance or acrobatics than a battle. Don’t you think so, Young Master?”

I suppose so. Alejandro was a warrior who had served on the front lines of the Empire’s last great war. His skills were top-tier, without question.

Ronari turned back to me. “Huh? What’s wrong?”

She reached out to wipe the sweat from my brow. “Why are you sweating so much…?”

Before I knew it, I was breaking out in a cold sweat.

‘This is bad…’

I gently pushed Ronari’s hand away. “It’s nothing.”

I looked over at Adele in the distance. My insight into combat was no better than an average person’s, yet I couldn’t shake a suspicious feeling.

Adele was holding back. Even in her fight with Jin, she hadn’t given her all.

I whispered to myself, “…I really did give you some incredibly powerful cards. Four of them, in fact.”

I swallowed hard. Four “Hunters.” It felt like a force far too great for Denabi to handle. If they ever slipped from my control…

‘No, that cannot happen.’

I clenched my fists tight.

The day of the expedition dawned. As Ronari had said, this expedition was a dress rehearsal for conquering the Archive of Crystals. But a dungeon is a dungeon, and the tension of the departure ceremony was palpable.

“It’s a temporary farewell until we actually hit the Archive of Crystals.”

I patted Ronari on the shoulder. “I’m counting on you, Ronari.”

She smirked. “Haven’t you said that to plenty of other people already?”

“Haha…”

I felt a pang of guilt. Still, I had to say what needed to be said.

“Please take good care of my brother and father.”

“If someone heard you, they’d think I was the strongest person in Denabi. Who’s taking care of whom?”

“Because you’re the card I trust the most.”

“Trust, trust. You certainly have a way with words.”

She stared at me intently for a moment, then spun around.

“I’m going now.”

Her farewell was brief. I waved at her retreating back. Soon enough, I would surely miss her presence. But it couldn’t be helped. I had already opened the cage door and let her fly. I couldn’t lock her in my cage again.

I turned away.

‘Well, the Emperor’s Hunters are out of the way for now…’

Yulian is a villain, but he isn’t a bomb that will explode immediately. He’s a specific kind of rogue. With the Denabi army and other Hunters around him, he’ll stay quiet for a while. Eliminating him can wait.

What matters is what I have to do from here on out. And what is that?

What else? Finding where the real Sword of Four Seasons is hidden.

I stepped into the brewery. However…

‘Izack is…’

“…Missing?”