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Chapter 188

Chapter 189. Even Falling Has Wings (2)

“This is beyond rock bottom.”

Ultima glared at Aleron, the head of the Aleron Trading Company, who was kneeling obediently in front of him.

“Hic, hey, you’ll spare me as promised, right? I’ve handed over the entire company, and I’ve told you everything about Philip!”

“I never said I’d kill you. But is this really everything? No omissions?”

Ultima pointed to a thick stack of papers that couldn’t even be held in one hand.

The documents neatly outlined how the small-scale Aleron Trading Company had suddenly risen to prominence.

‘Taming monsters from the Demon Realm as pets? They’ve gone completely insane.’

Outwardly, Aleron appeared to be a self-made businessman, but behind the scenes, he had been amassing wealth by trafficking monsters from the Demon Realm, among other unsavory practices.

Even Ultima, who hailed from Ruquer, was taken aback by the sheer madness of it.

‘Even if they were weakened and branded with marks of submission, they’re still monsters from the Demon Realm.’

The method of trafficking the monsters was equally outrageous. The military was involved in this affair as well.

They weren’t venturing into the Demon Realm to capture monsters themselves. Instead, the military stationed at the border between the Demon Realm and the human world, the “Demon Realm Borderline,” was engaging in corruption.

In principle, any monster that crossed over from the Demon Realm had to be killed.

But the soldiers at the border were subduing the monsters instead of killing them and selling them to merchants…

Even the transparent slime known by various names like Philip, Dopema, and Norman was originally a monster captured at the Demon Realm Borderline.

However, Aleron had tried to keep it for himself rather than sell it, ultimately losing control and ending up with the roles reversed—a predictable outcome.

“There’s a story about a rabbit-sized monster from the Demon Realm wiping out an entire 3-Star Knight Order. Everything that comes from the Demon Realm is a monster that defies common sense. And you were releasing them into the world? You idiot!”

“Hic, hic! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

Aleron, knowing that Ultima held the power of life and death over him, begged as humbly as he could.

“Sorry? Why did you sell them so cheap?! The most expensive one was only 10,000 gold? Ugh, you pathetic fool!”

“?”

*Thud!*

Ultima punched Aleron’s head.

Aleron was more shocked than hurt. Ultima wasn’t angry about releasing monsters into the world—he was angry about selling them too cheaply!

*Crack!*

Ultima grabbed what little hair Aleron had left and yanked him up.

“You, you’ve been groveling like you’d give up your liver and gallbladder, but you left out the most important information, didn’t you? With your puny courage, you couldn’t have done this alone. Someone must have suggested selling the monsters. Why isn’t that in here?”

“Th-that…”

“Hey, don’t stutter and waste time. Who do you think I am, an idiot? I already know. If you reveal their identity, they’ll kill you. But don’t you know this? If you don’t talk, I’ll kill you right here, right now.”

“……”

“Tsk.”

As Ultima clicked his tongue and reached into his pocket, Aleron’s body trembled. He thought Ultima was pulling out a weapon.

But what Ultima pulled out was a cigar.

“Open your mouth.”

Aleron awkwardly opened his mouth. The cigar was shoved in through the small gap.

*Slice.*

Ultima used his Aura to cut the tip of the cigar and snapped his fingers to light it.

Ultima himself took a puff from the cigar.

“Phew— You and I, we’re both veterans who’ve seen it all in this world. Let’s not waste time with pointless mind games. Let’s do this.”

*Tap tap.*

Ultima flicked the ash and pulled out a platinum coin.

“Tell me who suggested you sell the monsters. In return, I’ll make you officially dead.”

“And the price is just one platinum coin?”

Aleron, who had been groveling all along, no longer stuttered. He changed his stance and confronted Ultima directly.

“No? Then die. Even if you don’t tell me, the person who suggested you sell the monsters will come looking for me, right?”

“……”

Aleron remained silent. It wasn’t hesitation—it was agreement.

Just as Aleron was about to open his mouth to accept the deal…

*Splat!*

It happened in the blink of an eye. Aleron’s head swelled up like a balloon and then burst.

It was only natural to scream when a head exploded right in front of you, but Ultima didn’t scream. Instead, as if he had expected it, he deployed an Aura shield to block the splattering flesh.

“Tsk, predictable as always.”

Aleron died without even knowing why. It meant he hadn’t even realized that such a “restriction” had been placed on him.

“It probably didn’t hurt. That cigar was quite expensive.”

Of course, Ultima had no intention of sparing him from the start.

But the cigar he had given Aleron was a drug that turned pain into pleasure. It was meant to let him die as comfortably as possible.

So Aleron, who died with his head exploding, likely died feeling the ultimate pleasure.

“*Sigh*. The problem is that this has become more complicated than I thought.”

Absorbing the Aleron Trading Company had instantly increased the size of Ultima’s own company. This was clearly a good thing.

But now he had come face-to-face with some individual or force that had been controlling the Aleron Trading Company.

On top of that, this force was releasing monsters from the Demon Realm across the entire Lilian Kingdom. Whatever their intentions were, they certainly weren’t benevolent ones meant to comfort the loneliness of the nobles.

“Well… As long as I make money, that’s all that matters.”

*Thud!*

Ultima tossed the half-smoked cigar and cracked his neck.

“That idiot Aleron might have sold the monsters for a few thousand gold, but I’ll make sure to get at least tens of thousands.”

He didn’t care what anyone was trying to do. As long as he made money, that was all that mattered to Ultima.

But even so, there was something that bothered him.

“I should probably let Keter know.”

How Norman had come into this world, and what was happening in this kingdom now.

“Probably, that guy would just say, ‘Oh, really? So?’”

If it were a young knight of the kingdom, they’d be screaming to break this chain of evil immediately, but Keter was different. He wouldn’t care at all.

“In that way, I think we’re quite alike, Keter.”

Ultima bent down and picked up the platinum coin he had given to Aleron.

*Swish.*

Without wiping off the blood, Ultima pocketed the coin and muttered softly.

“No matter what happens to this world, as long as I’m happy, that’s all that matters.”

* * *

Baydant Family’s Office.

The chair made from the hide of a moon leopard that feasts on ogres was originally reserved only for the family head. But now, sitting in that chair was not the family head, Patra.

Instead, it was the branch family lord, Bolos, dressed in extravagant clothes and sitting arrogantly.

“Ha, Sephira… won?”

The one answering Bolos’s sigh-laden question was a young man.

Solid muscles, sharp eyes. A respectful yet unyielding posture… One might easily mistake him for a knight, but he was definitely not a knight.

Because he wasn’t wearing knight attire, but comfortable activewear? Because instead of the steadfastness typical of knights, he exuded a relaxed vibe? Because his gaze didn’t emphasize discipline?

Those were close guesses, but all wrong. The man lacked even a speck of the “loyalty” that a knight must possess.

But he didn’t seem like a mercenary either. He carried a unique seriousness that mercenaries lacked, so strictly speaking, the man embodied the best qualities of both knights and mercenaries.

This man was the leader of the Baydant Family’s independent tactical unit, the “Tiger Stripe Unit.”

“Yes.”

The young knight answered briefly and clearly, unfazed by Bolos’s tense atmosphere.

Bolos let out an even longer sigh.

“Haaaa, Nether. What is the purpose of the Tiger Stripe Unit?”

“To secure an absolute advantage against Sephira’s archery by mastering grand archery tactics as an independent unit.”

“I know that already! What I mean is, you exist for the downfall of Sephira. Am I wrong?”

“Your words are correct.”

“So I sent you under Eslow’s direct command. To hinder Sephira. To create opportunities where none existed and ensure Sephira’s defeat. So what did you do?”

Nether answered boldly, even in the tense atmosphere.

“We did nothing.”

*Bang!*

Bolos slammed the armrest and stood up.

“And you’re proud of that…!”

“At the time, it was the best course of action.”

“What?”

“The man named Keter was far more dangerous than what I had been briefed on. Exposing myself and the Tiger Stripe Unit without proper preparation would have been a misstep.”

“Are you underestimating the Baydant Family’s intelligence network?”

“No. But it was underestimated. Keter and Sephira are dozens of times more troublesome and powerful than what the Baydant Family knows.”

“Hahaha! So, are you going to disband the Tiger Stripe Unit and return to your hometown? Huh?!”

“You must know your enemy to fight them. I observed and analyzed Keter and Sephira’s archery during the Southern Sword Tournament.”

“Do you know how much money we’ve invested in the Tiger Stripe Unit and you? And all you did was observe and analyze? You basically did nothing!”

Bolos’s voice rose endlessly. The veins on his face bulged as if they might burst. Yet Nether remained calm and continued.

“In this world, one failure is an eternal failure. If you don’t win from the start, you’ll never win.”

“You’re just refuting everything I say! At this point, why don’t you just tell me what I want to hear? Huh?”

“My apologies, but based on my analysis of Sephira during this tournament, using force against Sephira now would be meaningless.”

“Whose side are you on, anyway?”

Unable to contain his anger any longer, Bolos stomped toward Nether.

“In war, taking sides isn’t important. You must consider both sides to make objective judgments and achieve victory. From what I’ve experienced, the current Baydant Family cannot defeat the Sephira Family.”

“Last question. So, what are you going to do?”

“Exactly what I said at the beginning.”

From start to finish, Nether hadn’t moved an inch from his spot. Not just in words, but in actions, he was conveying his resolve to Bolos.

“Doing nothing is the best course of action for the Baydant Family.”

“And doing that will bring down Sephira?”

“I can’t guarantee it will bring them down. But an opportunity will surely come. Sephira will inevitably make a mistake. And when that happens, the Tiger Stripe Unit will not miss it and will tear into them.”

“…Hoo.”

Bolos was disgusted by Nether’s lack of excitement. Feeling like a fool for getting angry alone, he calmed down.

Returning to his chair, Bolos rubbed his forehead and spoke.

“I spent millions of gold to bring in a famous solver from the Empire… If I had known you’d just spout nonsense like this, I wouldn’t have done it.”

“Would you like to cancel our contract now? You can get back 20% of the deposit.”

“Kukuku. I can’t do that. If we fail to take down Sephira, I’ll receive three times the deposit as a penalty. Why would I want to back out now?”

“That won’t happen. I won’t quit, and I won’t fail.”

“Anyway, don’t forget the penalty clause. Three times the deposit in case of failure. Got it?”

“Of course.”

Nether answered, swallowing the words, ‘But you didn’t set a deadline,’ and digesting them silently.


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I’m the Madman of This Family

I’m the Madman of This Family

Status: Completed
Keter, the Fixer and Madman of the Lawless City, finds himself transported back to his younger days as an illegitimate child of a once-great archery family doomed to annihilation. “If I’ve been given a second chance and can’t even save my family, I might as well drown myself in a bowl of water.” For my family? No, for my freedom!

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