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Chapter 36 : The Negotiation (1)
David Lancaster was the eldest son of Marquis Gerard Lancaster, the great lord of the west and the kingdom’s greatest mage.
As part of his heir training, David was ruling Balduran in his father’s stead. His official title was the mayor of Balduran.
It was a difficult task for a twenty-year-old young man to rule a city with a population of tens of thousands. Incidents occurred almost every day, and there were more than one or two problems that needed his attention.
David, who had thought that all problems would be solved on their own with just the authority of Lancaster, was always irritated due to the excessive workload.
“I’m going crazy.”
Е̇.ń ŭ m̊ а̃
It was even more so today.
Because he had heard a report last night that the hideout of the Baal Church had been destroyed.
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Although he didn't know the reason, Marquis Gerard had treated the church’s High Priest as a guest of honor and had ordered him not to interfere with the church’s affairs.
Under the neglect of the Lancaster family, the church had expanded its influence at a frightening speed. In particular, it had gained great popularity among the city’s poor.
Shylock, one of the rulers of the slums, had requested a correction, saying that the church was interfering with his business, but he had ignored it because of his father’s order.
“Shylock, how dare that bastard…”
W e b n̂ о̇v е́ ĺ Ӗ_n̂u m̀а
And then, Shylock had mobilized his own organization and had razed the church’s base to the ground.
According to his subordinate’s report, not a single church official had survived.
The curfew policy that required all priests and believers to stay at the base at night, and the closed structure of the base with only two entrances, had been the cause of the disaster.
The only survivors were the people who had been captured by the church and the High Priest who was staying at a mansion owned by Lancaster. He had barely found out that it was the work of Shylock’s gang by interrogating the survivors.
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The cause of the attack and the cause of the annihilation were both with the church. However, the High Priest had flown into a rage, holding David responsible.
“Why are you making a fuss at me when you were stupidly defeated.”
Еń ǔ m̈ а̇. i d̀
Although Shylock was one of the people who could hold his head high in Balduran, he was still just the leader of the slum thugs. The subordinates he had were also only thugs and cheap mercenaries.
On the other hand, the Baal Church was a group that even Gerard Lancaster, one of the five most powerful people in the kingdom, had to yield to. They must have had many skilled individuals, but they had been annihilated by mere thugs.
‘Damn pseudo bastards, how about the power of the Balduran slums.’
Although he disliked that Shylock had caused trouble, he thought it was commendable that he had shown the spicy taste (?) of Balduran to an outside force.
Still, he had to punish Shylock to appease the High Priest. Although there was his father’s order, he was also personally receiving the High Priest’s help. He had to win him over.
So, as soon as he woke up, he had summoned Shylock.
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“They have been annihilated.”
His subordinate delivered the thunderous news.
“What are you talking about?”
“It is as I said. The Shylock organization has been annihilated.”
“What?”
When he went to Shylock’s mansion, the courtyard was full of the corpses of the organization members. Shylock had disappeared.
Éǹ u m̌ à . і_d
“Was it the Baal guys?”
That couldn't be.
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The High Priest had told David to take responsibility for this matter, not that he would handle it himself.
If he had intended to do so, he would have told him in advance.
“Find out the situation of the other organizations too.”
The three major forces that ruled the slums and the slave market were in conflict with each other. Although Shylock was the largest force, Logozhin and Pierce were not to be ignored.
Е̄ n u ṁ а̂ .і̄ d
If the two of them joined forces, they could eliminate Shylock.
“Mayor! We have a big problem!”
The subordinate he had sent to find out the situation came running in a hurry.
“What? What is it?”
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David also stood up from his seat.
“Logozhin and Pierce have also been annihilated.”
Е́ n̄u m̆_а
“What?”
“I have confirmed that the slave warehouses of all three organizations are also empty.”
His legs trembled, and his vision went dark.
Shylock, Pierce, Logozhin. They were all high-taxpayers who were in the top 30 in Balduran for paying a lot of taxes. In fact, those three were the only ones who paid their taxes properly in the slums. They were also David’s personal financiers.
When he thought of his father’s reaction when he received a report of this matter, his mind went blank.
“W-who on earth…”
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David sat down in his seat again.
He couldn't even understand, let alone solve, this unprecedented situation.
“I have released the informants, so you will be able to confirm the situation soon.”
It was around noon when he was able to grasp the situation, at least roughly, by compiling the information brought by the informants.
“They were defeated by two people?”
All the organization members in Logozhin and Pierce’s mansions were dead, but the servants had survived.
Ẁ еb n̆о vѐ ĺ Е́ n̊u ma
Through those servants, he found out that the intruders were two men.
“My goodness.”
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Even if they were back-alley thugs, their number exceeded several hundred. Among them were skilled individuals who could handle aura, like the Pierce and Sharp brothers.
To kill all those people with just two people, they had to be a Sword Master or a 5-Circle mage.
“According to Shylock’s servants, the Griffith brothers have been staying at the mansion as guests for the past few days.”
“Griffith?”
Е ǹ ũ mа̄
The monster of Griffith came to mind.
But he soon shook his head.
The reason William was called a monster was because of his abnormal growth rate for his age. It was still difficult to see him as an overwhelmingly strong person. The Pierce brothers would have been able to deal with him sufficiently with a joint attack.
Moreover, Edward was a sickly person on the verge of death. He would only be a hindrance, not a help.
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“Don’t tell me those rumors…”
He had heard strange rumors related to Griffith. The stories that Edward had killed a temple knight and had toyed with William.
Wе̂b̊ nоvе l Е ṅumа
Previously, Shylock had also complained that he had lost a 1-Star Aura user subordinate to Edward.
At that time, he had thought it was a bluff and had let it go in one ear and out the other, but now it felt different.
‘Could it be because of those books?’
David had been Edward’s academy classmate.
He had also acted as the only friend of Edward, who had no friends.
He hadn't wanted to, but he had no choice because his father had ordered him to. He had also studied black magic books together with him under his father’s order.
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His father had warned him to just read them together and never to think of doing anything with them.
In fact, there was no need for that. The contents written in those books were nothing more than absurd nonsense. They were junk books that he wouldn't have even glanced at if it weren't for his father’s order.
‘Something must have happened.’
A sickly person on the verge of death had suddenly regained his health, and on top of that, had become incredibly strong.
The only thing that could explain this situation that was beyond common sense was black magic, a study that was beyond common sense.
“They must have killed Shylock too.”
Ĕn̄ŭ m а́ .і d̀
Shylock had been conducting a loan shark business against the Griffith domain.
He knew that a considerable number of villagers had become Shylock’s slaves because they couldn't repay their debts. The Griffith family was also in great debt. The Griffith brothers had killed the creditor instead of repaying the debt.
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“They must have approached him by proposing a deal.”
They must have said they would take care of Pierce and Logozhin, so please cancel the debt. Shylock had accepted the proposal and had started a war.
“As soon as the war ended, they must have shown their true colors.”
It was a mystery how they had won over the cunning and suspicious Shylock, but if he thought about it roughly like that, it made sense.
Е_ṅ ū m̃ а̌. і̌d̊
“Where are they?”
Attacking a citizen of Balduran was the same as an act of aggression against Lancaster. He had to catch them and hold them responsible.
“They are said to have left the city with several carriages early in the morning.”
“The villagers who were captured as slaves. Summon the knights. We will pursue them immediately.”
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“Yes. Mayor.”
* * *
Е.ṅ u̇.m̆ а .і d́
The Griffith brothers and the villagers left the city in the carriages Shylock had prepared.
The managers who were guarding the warehouses were all killed, and Shylock was gagged and put in a cage used to transport pigs and taken away.
“Mph! Mph! Kmph!”
When he took the ring back, he started to go crazy.
After being beaten to a pulp by William, he became obedient.
It is better to live even if you roll in a pile of dog poop.
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“You will have a proper meal starting in three or four days. If you eat bread or meat before that, your shrunken stomach will not be able to handle it. You will get an upset stomach, and in severe cases, you may die.”
The reason the villagers were locked up in the slave warehouses was because they hadn't been sold. Since they had no commercial value, they were treated worse than animals. Although they had eaten gruel, judging by their physical condition, it was as if they had starved.
Even if you gave these people proper food, they couldn't digest it. They had to be fed only soft porridge until their digestive power returned.
Even if it was the same porridge, it was incomparably more delicious and nutritious than what they had eaten in the slave warehouses, so everyone was satisfied.
“You will be able to eat until your stomach bursts in about a week, so just bear with it until then.”
“Yes! Young Master!”
Ѐn̂ ü ḿа̃
The expectation of freedom and returning home restored vitality to the villagers who were tired from their slave life.
William and Edward, who had stayed up all night, also entrusted their horses to the coachmen and moved to the carriage to sleep.
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‘It’s a good thing we finished it in one night.’
In his past life, if he was in a situation where he could use Black Soul, he could fight for several days without rest.
But now, perhaps because his basic constitution was so weak, no matter how many souls he absorbed, his limit was a full day. His physical strength and magical power continued to be strengthened, but his stamina began to decrease from a certain point.
It seemed better to avoid long-term battles until he raised his stamina through continuous training.
Е n̊ ũm а̄ . і̆ d̃
“Young Master!”
He was woken up in the evening.
“The knights are coming.”
Knights on horseback were approaching at a high speed.
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‘Five 3-Stars, five 2-Stars, ten 1-Stars, one 2-Circle.’
A total of twenty-one people. The person at the head was a mage and looked to be around Edward’s age.
Ѐñ ǔm̌а̊..їd
The only young mage in this area who could lead a knight order of that level was David Lancaster.
“It’s your black magic friend, brother.”
William muttered, yawning.
“Black magic friend?”
“He was your academy classmate. He even gave you black magic books. He probably came to our domain a few times too. I was kicked out every time that guy came, so I couldn't even see his face properly.”
When he had killed Deckard of the Baal Church, he had found out that the High Priest was staying at the Lancaster mansion.
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Perhaps the black magic book that David had given him was also received from the Baal Church.
That guy was definitely not Edward’s friend.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ll have to talk to him first.”
The sky was turning red. The sun would set soon. The night was Edward’s time.
Edward took his luggage from the carriage and moved to his horse. William also followed.
Е̇ n̊ ūm̌ а̌ . і̆ d
The two of them went to meet David and the knight order.
“Edward.”
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“David.”
The two of them stopped at a slight distance.
“I’m disappointed that you came to Balduran and didn’t even look for me.”
“I didn’t want to bother the busy mayor.”
Eń ú m̀ ã
“What brought you to Balduran?”
“It was because of a deal with Shylock.”
“What deal?”
“He said he was going to fight with Pierce and Logozhin and asked me to lend him my strength.”
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Griffith had a reason to attack Shylock. But not Pierce and Logozhin.
He had to limit this matter to a problem between the forces of Balduran to create a loophole to escape.
Е̇n̊ ů m а. іd́
“So you killed them?”
“Yes.”
“Listen carefully. Edward. They are citizens of Balduran and are under the protection of the Lancaster family. You have just declared war on the Lancaster family.”
“Shylock said it was okay to kill them because they were back-alley thugs. I just did as he ordered.”
Edward feigned ignorance, and David let out a hollow laugh.
“What did you agree to receive from Shylock?”
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“He said he would cancel the debt the Griffith family owed and release the villagers.”
“Then why did you attack Shylock?”
“Because that guy tried to kill us.”
“What?”
“It seems he was planning to frame us because he was afraid you would scold him. It didn't go as planned, though.”
“Whatever the reason, the fact that you killed the citizens of Balduran does not change. You will have to go to Balduran with me.”
Е̌ṅ um ӑ
Edward threw the ledger he had brought to David. David caught it.
“What is this?”
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“Shylock’s ledger. In the middle, you will find a record that he disguised mercenaries as horse bandits and attacked Griffith.”
“What did you say?”
Judging by his surprise, it seemed he didn't know that far.
“It means that a citizen of Balduran attacked Griffith. And a commoner attacked a noble’s domain. How are you going to explain this?”
Ĕ ǹ u m̌а̂.і̂ d
David, who had checked the ledger, was confused.
Because a commoner attacking a noble was not a matter that could be easily overlooked.
“Follow me. Let’s talk about the details in Balduran.”
David, who had been thinking for a while, chose to push through with force as expected.
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“No. I will go to Griffith.”
“You are a criminal who has broken the laws of Balduran. Follow me when I’m being nice.”
Ẽ n um̀ӓ..іd̆
“What if I can’t?”
“I’ll have to take you by force.”
Screech.
The knights all drew their swords.
“It’s a good day to die.”
William stretched and grinned.
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“Try it if you can.”
Edward also said with a smile.
“It seems you are not afraid of the annihilation of your family.”
David’s face hardened.
“Lancaster may be able to destroy Griffith, but it cannot protect your life right here and now.”
Even the last afterimage of the sun went over the horizon. Edward added, looking at the world covered in darkness.
Ẇ еb̄ n о́v еĺ Ėn u m̊ã
“If a fight starts, you will surely die.”
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