“Whew… I’ve been doing this for quite a while, but this is the first time I’ve seen a situation like this. You’ve got some guts.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Rat, give me what you’ve got.”
“And you even have the nerve to be so relaxed in a situation like this? You’re a real daredevil.”
When I shrugged after receiving the bundle from the Rat, Belkan’s lips twisted into a smirk.
At the same time, the surviving soldiers from the battle with the monsters started to hurl accusations at us.
“Are you trying to save your own skin?”
“Do you know how many people died?”
“And what’s with that shameless attitude? You! You’re the rookie who joined the 5th platoon today!”
“Where’s the platoon leader… and why is he mixed up with them?”
“Can’t you tell? That bastard is in cahoots with them. Damn cowards.”
Every one of them was in a wretched state.
The captain at the forefront drew his sword and glared menacingly.
“According to military law, deserting the front line without permission is punishable by death. Any objections?”
“Eek…”
The Rat turned pale and swallowed hard. Despite me saying there was a way out, he was still scared.
“You cowards. How dare you abandon your comrades and flee?”
The captain’s sword gleamed blue in the moonlight. Ignoring him, I stared intently at Belkan.
“Do you also think we ran away, leader?”
“You insolent scum! How dare you speak first to the leader…”
“Enough. It seems he has something to say to me. Step back, Captain of the 3rd Division.”
Belkan, who had appeared behind the captain like a ghost, stopped him from shaking.
“…Understood. Jin, was it? I will remember you well.”
Grinding his teeth, the captain stepped back. Belkan then approached me closely and whispered fiercely.
“You’re holding your head high, so you must have some plan. What’s your game?”
Though he didn’t know the full story, he sensed there was something more to it.
Facing his burning gaze, I lowered my voice to a whisper.
“If I tell you here, it might put you in a difficult position. Are you okay with that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Just as I said. We didn’t leave the front lines to save our own skins, but to save the castle of Whisen.”
“If you’re going to spout nonsense like that…”
“Lemut.”
I interrupted the leader, glancing slightly at the massive corpse of the monster.
“We didn’t abandon the front lines. We just killed the spawn of that Lemut hiding under the castle walls.”
“…Lemut?”
Belkan’s eyes widened with surprise.
“You know what that beast is?”
“Of course.”
As I nodded quietly, the tension in the air lightened.
Soon after, Belkan looked around briefly and then gestured for me to follow him.
“There are too many eyes here. Follow me.”
* * *
Belkan wrinkled his nose as we entered his messy office together. The stench coming from me was the cause.
“Did you roll around in a trash heap or something? Damn, you stink.”
Before he could finish his sentence, two half-naked courtesans lounging in the office covered their noses and cried out.
“Yuck, is he a beggar? Look at that smell!”
“Leader, why did you bring a beggar here? He’s filthy!”
‘To think he’d call women even here. This guy is something else.’
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I tried my best to ignore the courtesans and spoke.
“Please send them away. I want to speak with you alone.”
“They’re not part of the regiment, so there’s no need. Besides, they make for a pleasant sight.”
Belkan ogled the women with a lecherous grin.
‘Even if he’s a widower, he’s got a daughter. Why does he live like this, obsessed with women and fighting?’
Sighing at his pathetic behavior, I pointed to the courtesans again and spoke.
“Please send them away. I want to speak with you alone.”
With Belkan backing them, the women arrogantly turned up their noses at me.
“Who’s this beggar telling us what to do?”
“Leader! Kick him out right now!”
“Yeah, what’s with that disgusting thing he’s carrying? It stinks and looks awful!”
The courtesans shrieked and pointed at the corpse of the Lemut spawn.
“Who are you calling a beggar, you want to die? Get out, all of you!”
Unable to suppress my patience any longer, I drew my sword and pointed it at them.
“…”
Seeing Belkan silently allowing the situation, the courtesans finally understood and hurried out of the office.
“Heh. You’ve got some nerve, drawing your sword in front of me. You’ve grown bold.”
“Isn’t this what you wanted, leader?”
“Not only bold but perceptive too. So, what do you want to say?”
Belkan, now seated, stroked his bushy beard and looked at me.
After organizing my thoughts briefly, I placed the corpse of the Lemut spawn on the floor.
“First, this is a Lemut spawn that attacked the castle a while ago. We retrieved a total of thirteen of them. The mother, who I inflicted a fatal wound on, is either dead by now or has fled to the demon realm.”
“Lemut… I’ve never heard that name before. How do you know what they are?”
Belkan’s suspicious eyes moved towards me.
It was a situation warranting his skepticism.
Even someone like him, who had guarded this place for decades, wouldn’t find it easy to believe that I knew about a monster he didn’t.
“They are a rare species not easily discovered. The last sighting was about a hundred years ago…”
“That’s not what I’m asking, is it?”
Belkan’s voice turned cold.
He was likely connecting this incident to my previous attempt to sell the formation magic to the Mage Tower.
Of course, his suspicion was entirely misplaced.
“I read about it in the library of my father… the head of the household.”
“In your father’s library?”
Belkan’s eyes widened at my answer.
It was partly a lie.
I had indeed read a bestiary about rare monsters in the library, but that was only in the game.
“I didn’t know there was such a bestiary.”
“You’re not exactly a man of books, are you? You should read it when you get the chance.”
“…Your tone is irritating, but I’ll let it slide this time.”
Seeing that Belkan was finally convinced, I changed the subject.
“Anyway, that’s why I took my team and left the battlefield. We had to deal with the spawns quickly before they burrowed deeper.”
“Even so, what problem could a mere spawn cause? If they were taken down by you lot, they can’t be much of a threat.”
“What happens when those spawns grow up?”
“Oh.”
This man, honestly.
He’s one of the most powerful warriors next to the head of the household, yet his intelligence outside of battle is akin to an orangutan’s.
Violet would be rolling on the floor laughing if she saw this.
“In that case, why not deal with them after dispatching the mother?”
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
“What’s the issue?”
“I’m asking if there was anyone else who knew about these spawns.”
“What do you mean…”
Belkan’s hand, which had been stroking his unruly beard, paused in mid-air.
Finally, it seemed his brain was catching up. Sensing an opportunity, I pressed on.
“In the worst case, I could have died on the battlefield, and no one would have known about the spawns hiding under the castle.”
If that had happened…
Dealing with the grown spawns would have been possible, but their size would undoubtedly cause significant damage to Whisen Castle, which Belkan managed.
“You’d be held accountable for that. Could you handle that responsibility?”
“Then why didn’t you report this to the higher-ups and act on your own?”
“Would anyone in your command have listened to a lowly prisoner like me? I’d be lucky if I didn’t lose my head on the spot.”
“That’s…”
Belkan, caught up in my momentum, stumbled over his words. Sensing the right moment, I continued to press him.
“If such an incident had occurred, how would you have faced the head of the household? Can you imagine the criticism he’d receive if Whisen Castle fell because of your minor mistake?”
Knowing Belkan’s loyalty lay with his father, not the family, I emphasized “head of the household.”
The impact was immediate.
His face gradually stiffened as he processed countless scenarios in his mind.
“…It seems I owe you.”
Belkan finally conceded defeat.
As he let out a deep sigh, I approached him, a smile playing on my lips, and began to untie the bundle I carried.
The contents, numerous obelium ores, spilled across the desk in a spread of pale violet glow and a terrible stench.
“Is this… obelium? Where did you get all this?”
“We recovered it from the Lemut nest. It was buried in filth.”
“In the nest? This much?”
“Yes, we retrieved every last bit.”
Belkan’s eyes widened further at my words.
“How could that be…”
“We were lucky.”
Though for a top-tier warrior like him, obelium held little value.
But for Belkan, the financially struggling lord of Whisen Castle and head of the Dark King’s household, it was a treasure.
“Here’s what we’ll do.”
Understanding his needs well, I pulled a chair and sat across from him.
It was time for serious negotiation.
“Announce that everything today was done under your orders. I’ll keep the secret.”
“You mean you’ll protect my reputation? Just so you know, don’t expect to clear your crimes with this alone.”
“I wasn’t expecting to.”
I pulled some of the obelium rolling on the desk back towards me and smiled brightly at him.
“Instead, I want thirty percent of this as a reward. No questions asked about its use.”
It was a ridiculous request.
Not even knights, let alone a soldier from a penal unit, could claim spoils of war.
And to ask no questions about its use? Belkan, finally coming to his senses, narrowed his eyes and glared at me.
“I could kill you and your men here and keep this a secret forever.”
“Do as you wish. I’m not sure what the head of the household would think, though.”
Before I could finish speaking, a cold smile formed on his scarred lips.
“Heh… You dare use my brother’s name to threaten me? Do you still think you’re the second son of the Meteor Sword Family?”
He looked ready to kill me on the spot.
Knowing that showing any weakness here would lead to disaster, I steeled my gaze and spoke with all the conviction I could muster.
“I’m simply stating the facts. If I were to be executed for a legitimate crime, the head of the household would understand. But if my head is taken just to cover up your mistake, how do you think he would react?”
“That kind of charge. I could fabricate one easily.”
“I know you’re not the type to do that, Chief.”
This was true.
Unlike Violet, Belkan’s nature was such that he would accept punishment before making up a false charge to cover up a mistake.
“Especially not against the head of the household.”
After a tense standoff, Belkan, who had been glaring at me with his mouth shut, finally backed down.
“…Fine. Take it. I’ll inform Ged myself.”
“Ged?”
“The captain of the third division. I need to rest, so if you have nothing more to say, get out.”
Belkan, having finished speaking, stood up and looked out the window.
It was a clear dismissal.
I couldn’t see his expression, but it was likely one of frustration from having been outmaneuvered by me.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
I bowed to Belkan’s back and quickly exited the office.
Click. As the door closed behind me, I felt my legs give out, and I leaned against the wall for support.
“Damn it, that murderous aura… almost wet myself.”
Through the window, I saw the sky lightening with dawn. It had been a long day.
* * *
“Heh, what an insolent brat.”
Belkan’s lips curled into a smile as he watched Jin’s retreating figure through the window.
Not long ago, he had been a pathetic wretch, trembling in Belkan’s presence.
Yet in just a month, he had grown bold enough to threaten him.
“For a moment, it felt like seeing my brother… hmm. What nonsense.”
Shaking his head as if to deny his thoughts, Belkan touched the obelium scattered on his desk.
“Indeed, blood doesn’t lie.”
He could see it clearly.
The once feeble, incompetent wastrel had grown incredibly strong in the past month.
“If you truly carry the blood of the Meteor Star, show me the proof.”
Muttering to himself with a satisfied smile, Belkan called for a servant.
Before summoning back the courtesans he had chased out earlier, he needed to clear the office of the foul stench.
