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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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Chapter 110: You Should Be the One to Buy That
Gemini and Taris arrived at a port in Flanders and were exchanging farewells on the dock.
“If you take another ship from here to a different location, you won’t have to worry about being tracked.”
Taris spoke while shaking Gemini's hand.
“Then, live freely, Miss Gemini.”
“W-wait a moment!”
Gemini stopped Taris as he turned to leave and pulled something out from her belongings.
“Actually, I made this while we were traveling.”
It was a sheath pouch that could hold a dagger, with Taris’s name engraved along the edge.
“It’s not the best craftsmanship, but…”
Taris smiled at Gemini, who seemed embarrassed.
“This is an unexpected gift. I’ll keep it close to me always.”
“Ah, I’m glad you like it.”
“I’ll need to find a good dagger before I head back.”
Taris gave a small, respectful nod to Gemini.
“Well then, Miss Gemini, I’m relieved to have safely escorted you.”
“I will never forget the kindness you and His Highness have shown me, not even until the day I die.”
Gemini bowed her head deeply.
……When she raised her head again, Taris had already vanished without a trace.
“……Huu.”
A heavy sigh escaped her lips without her realizing it. Gemini stared at the empty space where he had been for a long time before turning toward the sea.
“I pray for His Highness’s fortune.”
Thinking of Allenvert, who was beyond the endless horizon, Gemini bowed deeply once more.
* * *
The assassin sent by Verdzig had gone silent. After waiting two days past the scheduled date, Verdzig had no choice but to admit that even his final plan had failed.
“Ah… Truly impressive. Did you anticipate and prepare for this as well?”
There was no need to send someone to confirm. If the assassin’s communication had been cut off, the only reason was mission failure—in other words, death.
“Remarkable, truly remarkable, Allenvert.”
A dry clapping sound echoed through the room.
Clap, clap, clap.
“How can you possess such foresight?”
He genuinely admired the way Allenvert had anticipated and countered his schemes.
It was as if Allenvert had predicted exactly how a man like him would think and act.
“……Could it be that you’ve been quietly observing my movements while in seclusion?”
“That might be the case.”
Hearing the response from the shadows, Verdzig felt, for the first time, as though he had been struck in an unexpected place.
“I must admit it.”
There was no longer any point in using half-baked tricks against Allenvert.
“I’ll discard what needs to be discarded and plan anew.”
Now, to him, Allenvert was a massive disruption and a variable in himself. Any plan or expectation would twist into something unforeseen the moment it encountered Allenvert.
“Allenvert.”
Verdzig’s eyes deepened as he stared at the chessboard. He still hadn’t fully figured out Allenvert.
“Just who are you?”
It seemed as though almost nothing remained of the younger brother he once knew.
“Perhaps only you…”
Verdzig smiled faintly.
“Could be my equal.”
***
Venion’s training was brutal.
“Wow, there’s not a single part of my body that’s unharmed.”
But I didn’t want to end today’s training just yet. After eating and taking a short nap, I stood in the middle of my darkened bedroom.
‘Tonight is midnight training.’
The moonlight glinted off the sword I had drawn.
I drew a handful of mana from my five organs, channeled it through my meridians, and then infused it into the treasured sword, causing a faint sword aura to emerge.
Whoooosh!
For a moment, I was mesmerized by the sight of the glowing sword, shining like a sea filled with stars. Voyager of the Night. Even the name sounded magnificent.
‘I never knew the dwarves had a talent for poetry.’
Feeling the craftsmanship in the hilt’s texture, the balance of its weight, and the sharpness of the blade that could slice through the wind, I swung the sword as if performing a sword dance.
The swordsmanship that Karzan had honed over a lifetime was now being wielded wildly, without rules or principles.
“Haha.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Chuckling to myself while swinging a sword under the moonlight—I must be a madman.
Swish!
I cut through the wind, pierced it, and tangled with it, completely intoxicated by the sword.
The sword that I was wielding possessed a distinct underworld swordman's quality, which disrupted the graceful execution of the Azure Sea Moon Shadow Swordsmanship technique.
It was only natural. Though I had learned and could use various sword techniques, the most familiar to my hands was still Karzan’s way of fighting.
‘But only by combining the two will I be able to break through the wall.’
I blended Venion’s teachings into my sword dance.
As I did, the sword, which had absorbed the solidity and flexibility of the Azure Sea Moon Shadow Swordsmanship, began to embody a cleverness that both suppressed and amplified its ferocity and sharpness.
‘Good.’
There are nights perfect for losing oneself in the sword. No special reason is needed. Whether the moon is unusually bright, hidden behind clouds, or it’s raining—none of that matters.
‘It’s irrelevant.’
At times, I simply pour my rising passion, like a surge of madness, into the brush of the sword and scatter strokes across the void.
And so, when my breath grows ragged and my vision blurs, when the moon illuminating the dark night becomes hazy—
I saw the scene where Karzan and Allenvert’s martial arts merged into one through some unfathomable principle.
Flash!
A mental lightning bolt lit up the darkness.
The faint aura within the scattered sword strokes embroidered the darkness, as if an unnamed bard were inscribing poetry onto a wall.
Following that passionate rhythm, I suddenly stopped. What lingered in my mind was Karl’s voice.
“I recently obtained information about the survivors of Eisenach.”
The note Karl handed me contained the location where they were hiding.
‘……I can’t believe they were there.’
My heart raced.
‘How did they survive? What lifestyle did they lead?’
Even without asking, I could almost feel the weight of the trials they must have endured. It was likely no different from the hardships Karzan had faced.
‘And yet, they survived.’
Surviving is a good thing. Because someday, the sun will rise.
‘So, survivors of Eisenach, strangers of a city betrayed and scorned, wait for me there.’
……I will become your dawn, wandering aimlessly through the night where even the moon has died.
***
According to the note Karl gave me -
The remnants of Eisenach have their base in the northern district of this large port city, in a high and barren plateau.
"I feel like I've been completely blindsided,"
Olivier explained that the area is so inconvenient in terms of transportation, and due to the densely built, trash-like buildings, unplanned and maze-like roads, rough residents, and an environment far from the port where money doesn't circulate, it is a lawless zone that even the underworld doesn't covet much.
'In this context, a lawless zone means that even the underworld doesn't fully control the area.'
My father also left it alone because it wasn't worth rounding up and pushing away, and because they were holed up there and didn't come out often.
"So it's no wonder it was hard to find them."
Olivier nodded.
"There were many who tried to track them down. Not only the usurper Angantyr, but also the maternal relatives who considered me and the fourth wife as thorns in their eyes were constantly trying. But I wondered why they couldn't find them..."
"It's obvious when you think about it."
I said.
"They were born and raised in the rugged mountains. Even the high altitude that makes others breathless would be like flat ground to them."
For them, who lived among wild beasts, small poisonous snakes and insects, and poisonous weeds, the city must have been a difficult place to adapt to.
Therefore, the barrenness of the highlands, which city dwellers shunned, was rather an environment that reminded them of their hometown.
"This is a great opportunity."
As Olivier said.
"If we can connect with them, grow Zizek's organization, and plant two forces in the underworld..."
Someday, I will be able to stand up against that Verdzig with the power I have cultivated in both the light and the dark.
"But Young Master, what about this guy named Zizek?"
Jeffrey asked.
"If you look at his current martial arts skills alone, he won't even be able to handle a single member of the Royal Guards."
I replied.
"But as soon as he gained enlightenment and motivation, he became noticeably stronger in just a few days."
"Indeed."
Jeffrey crossed his arms.
"If the men of the underworld survive for a long time with talent and venom, they become terrifyingly strong."
Despite being a member of the Royal Guards, Jeffrey did not look down on them or have a sense of superiority. This is probably largely due to Jeffrey's upbringing environment.
"Now, let me explain the specific plan."
I snapped my fingers and focused the attention of the three people.
"I will write a note and give it to Peter, and Peter will quietly hand it over to Bridget. The next day, Bridget will go to Zizek's pawn shop to buy something and deliver the note."
"With that level of secrecy, even if Young Master Verdzig suspects something, you can sufficiently deceive him."
Olivier was impressed.
"Yes, I thought about it, but it's a brilliant plan."
Let's consider each action.
Peter is just returning home, and even if there is a surveillance, it is nearly impossible to find out that he gave a note to his younger sister Bridget inside the house.
Meanwhile, Bridget is just going to a newly opened pawn shop, so how can anyone suspect that she is handing over a note in the process, that the pawn shop's backer is Zizek, and that I have already recruited Zizek as my subordinate?
'If you suspect that, you're not smart, you're just crazy.'
"Above all, my judgment is that Bridget is a smart and determined child, so I can trust her with this task."
"You've probably set up a password or something, right?"
"It's basic in the underworld."
I answered Jeffrey's question.
"I've told them to put an experienced and seasoned old man in the pawn shop. An impoverished noble child from the slums befriends a mysterious old man guarding the pawn shop and becomes his companion... It's quite a picturesque scene, even to someone who doesn't know the situation, wouldn't you agree?"
"But I wonder if everything is properly set up as you said. What if something goes wrong and the preparations are incomplete -"
Peter worried.
"I can trust his resourcefulness. Besides, Bridget seems to be able to handle things flexibly. Don't you trust your younger sister?"
"It's not that."
I tried to frame Peter as a worthless person, but he deftly dodged it.
"She's smarter than me."
"Oh, she is."
I tore a piece of paper and wrote on it.
-I have obtained information that the remnants of Eisenach are in the highlands of the northern district. Verify it and report back. The deadline is four days from now.
I folded the note twice and handed it to Peter.
"Go and have a good time with your family."
"Leave it to me."
Peter had a rather determined look on his face.
"Um, but Young Master."
"What?"
"Is it okay for a servant to be out so often?"
"So what? It's not like you're the only employee who does that. Julia also commutes to work, and Olivier and Jeffrey don't always sleep here, do they?"
"Come to think of it, that's true."
"If you understand, go now."
I waved my hand dismissively and sent Peter away.
"Then I'll be back."
"Bring wafers when you come back."
"Are you going to give me money?"
"I've already raised your salary and given you a bonus, so you should be the one to buy that."
"......"
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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