Chapter 25

Episode 25. Let’s Do One Thing Together (4)

Commoners cannot even look directly at the face of an Upper Noble without permission. That is the solemn law of the Lilian Kingdom.

Ultima, though a high-ranking citizen just below nobility, is still merely a “citizen.” He had to show the utmost courtesy to Keter, a blood relative of the Upper Nobles.

*Tap tap.*

Keter, who had kicked Ultima’s knee with his foot, spoke.

“Enough with the formal titles between us. Let’s talk business, business.”

“Business….”

Though he called it business, it was a clear master-servant relationship.

“Let’s settle the scam you pulled off cleanly first.”

Keter skipped the preamble and went straight to the point. Ultima felt dizzy from the start.

“Keter. If you want money, just name the amount. If you let me go, I’ll pay the price for my life.”

“You’re in a position where your life or death is being decided, so why the rush? Do you perhaps regress if you die?”

“What are you even talking about?”

“Or, compensate for everything you embezzled from Sephira.”

“…If I admit to the fraud charges, the reputation of the merchant group will collapse. It’s the same as killing me.”

“Oh, come on. You’ve done business before, right? Just blame it on a subordinate’s mistake. If you admit it and compensate, your reputation might even rise.”

It was true, but what did Keter gain from this? If he’s a member of Sephira, why isn’t he reporting my fraud to Sephira?

Ultima decided not to dwell on questions with no answers.

“Fine, let’s say I admit my mistake, reduce Sephira’s debt, and pay compensation. What next?”

“There are some things to dispose of. Buy them.”

“Dispose?”

Ultima’s nose twitched. Even in this sticky situation, his merchant instincts caught the scent of money.

Then, a voice calling for Ultima echoed from afar.

“Merchant Lord! Lord Ultima! Where are you?”

“Steward Hans is looking for you!”

Ultima gave a look asking what to do, and Keter took the lead, speaking first.

“Let’s go. And smile a bit. You look ugly when you don’t smile.”

“Hah, fine, let’s go.”

This is why the Ruquer fear Keter.

His intentions are visible yet invisible, his words make sense yet don’t.

Moreover, he’s a battle maniac who ignores pain and death, making him seem invincible.

Recalling the nightmares from Ruquer, Ultima shuddered but had no choice but to follow Keter to Sephira’s main gate.

* * *

“You’ve returned, Lord Ultima! Huh?”

Waiting at the main gate was Hans, the steward in charge of Sephira’s finances.

Hans was startled to see Keter right next to Ultima.

“Isn’t this Young Master Keter? What brings you here…?”

“And who might you be, old man?”

“Ah, I am Hans, the steward in charge of the family’s finances.”

“Ah, Steward Hans. You two seem to have something to discuss. Go ahead.”

“Ah, thank you. It’s quite urgent.”

Hans looked back at Ultima and was shocked.

“Why are you sweating so much, and why is your cheek swollen?”

Ultima awkwardly smiled and made an excuse.

“I went into the woods for some business and got bitten by an insect. The sweat is from nerves. I’m fine, so don’t worry.”

“Ah, I see. Elder Leganon has granted you an audience. Let’s head to the reception room now.”

Meeting Sephira’s elder was Ultima’s original goal. But he had no intention of meeting him while carrying the ticking time bomb named Keter.

“No, I suddenly have urgent business to attend to. I must go. My apologies.”

*Swoosh.*

At that moment, Keter, who had been quietly listening, placed a hand on Ultima’s shoulder.

“You were going to meet Elder Leganon? Why?”

“It’s nothing. Really, it’s nothing, so don’t worry about it.”

As Ultima vehemently denied, Keter’s gaze turned to Hans.

Hans didn’t particularly like Keter and was on guard, so he chose his words carefully.

But Keter wasn’t one to tolerate silence.

“Old man Hans. Why are you keeping your mouth shut? It’s obvious you’ve completely messed up the family’s finances.”

“…!”

Without any hint, Keter hit the nail on the head.

Hans looked at Ultima. His eyes accused, ‘Why did you tell Young Master Keter about this?’

Ultima avoided Hans’ gaze.

‘I don’t care.’

Keter intervened between the two.

“Enough staring. It’s getting awkward.”

Unable to withstand Keter’s pressure, the two eventually headed to the reception room where Leganon was waiting.

* * *

Elder Leganon of the Sephira family.

The father-in-law of Count Basil Sephira, he resided deep underground.

He had come above ground for the first time in years, at the earnest request of Steward Hans.

Hans had pleaded that the Sephira family’s finances were in poor shape and asked him to persuade Ultima, the creditor, to extend the repayment period.

“…….”

Leganon, seated in the reception room, looked gaunt.

His skin, already dull with age, was now devoid of flesh, making him look like a patient on the brink of death.

Before him sat two people.

To the left was Ultima, the head of the Ultima Merchant Group, whom Hans had requested to meet.

To the right was a man who needed no introduction. A man who looked exactly like Basil in his youth. Basil’s illegitimate son, Keter.

But why was he sitting next to Ultima?

Leganon turned to Hans, who stood behind him.

“Hans. Why is Keter here?”

The answer came not from Hans but from Keter.

“I came to see who the family elder is.”

“You’ve seen me. Now leave.”

“Oh, why so stingy, Grandpa?”

“You and I share not a single drop of blood. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“Does blood have to mix to be family? Living under the same roof makes us all family.”

Both Hans and Ultima were shocked by Keter’s brazenness.

Even if he were the legitimate heir, such rudeness to the family elder was unforgivable. Strictly speaking, he could be stripped of the Sephira ‘name’ and exiled.

‘Keter, you’re breaking new records of insanity every minute.’

‘Is he insane?’

Ultima shook his head at Keter’s madness, while Hans, who had only heard rumors of Keter’s antics, was stunned to witness it firsthand.

And Leganon was no different.

“Born in the Lawless City, I see. Your lack of manners shows.”

But instead of getting angry, Leganon calmly scolded Keter, as if dealing with a child.

Keter, however, was no pushover.

“It’s the truth, so no harm done. Elder, you’re the father of the late Countess Olive, right?”

Olive was a sore spot for Leganon. Touching that topic was akin to sticking one’s head into a lion’s mouth—yet Keter did so with ease.

“Yes. And who is your mother?”

“I don’t know. I’d have to ask my father.”

“We took you in after your mother abandoned you. Shouldn’t you feel a bit grateful?”

“You could’ve taken me in a bit sooner. Then I might’ve been grateful.”

“Not a single word of gratitude. You’re definitely Basil’s blood. Now, Lord Ultima. What was your reason for wanting to see me?”

Leganon smoothly shifted the topic to Ultima.

Keter was genuinely impressed.

‘I ignored him in my past life, but this old man is something else.’

His calmness and composure were particularly impressive.

Strong individuals can gauge each other’s strength with just a single clash of swords. Keter felt this fully in their brief exchange.

‘This old man is worth observing.’

A retreat to advance. Keter subtly handed the conversation’s reins to Leganon.

Meanwhile, Ultima, facing Leganon, felt his back dampen. His original plan was to pressure Leganon using debt as leverage to humiliate him.

Thereby tarnishing the Sephira family’s honor and spreading distrust within.

That was the original plan, but—

*Glance.*

Ultima shot a look at Keter sitting beside him.

That guy ruined everything.

Moreover, as an outsider, how could he engage in a verbal spar with Elder Leganon right in front of me?

While it was admirable that Leganon maintained his dignity despite Keter’s rudeness, it also irked him.

A conversation with someone in a bad mood, especially when they hold the upper hand, is a nightmare. The situation had become overwhelmingly unfavorable for Ultima.

The only silver lining was that this meeting was set up to admit his wrongdoing and apologize.

Dressing up the ‘fraud’ as a ‘mistake’ to strengthen ties with the Sephira family.

If Keter had insisted on exposing the fraud, Ultima would never have come here. That would’ve given the Sephira family a reason not to repay the debt.

Ultima couldn’t fathom Keter’s thoughts.

‘He said he’d make the Sephira family the greatest on the continent, so why is he helping me?’

After dragging out the conversation with small talk, Ultima snapped back to attention at Leganon’s words.

“Lord Ultima. You’ve been holding back what you wanted to say. Will you speak now?”

Ultima took a deep breath to buy a bit more time, then spoke in a serious tone.

“First, I must apologize.”

Ultima began his explanation.

“What for?”

In response to Leganon’s question, Ultima started to explain the ‘fraud’ he committed against Sephira, framing it as a ‘subordinate’s mistake.’

“It seems my subordinate has been making accounting errors for some time. I discovered it late, but I want to correct it now.”

The mistake was as follows:

The accounting subordinate had manipulated the quantities delivered to the Sephira family and embezzled the payments. Ultima discovered this late and wanted to apologize now.

The damages to the Sephira family would be calculated and a detailed statement sent soon, and the debt would be reduced by that amount.

Additionally, though it was a subordinate’s mistake, as the head of the merchant group, Ultima took responsibility and offered to reduce the debt by an additional 50,000 gold as compensation.

“The subordinate who embezzled the goods has fled, but we will catch him and make him pay for deceiving the Sephira family.”

“…….”

After hearing everything, Leganon remained silent, staring directly into Ultima’s eyes.

Ultima also met Leganon’s gaze without flinching.

Though he had been thoroughly beaten by Keter, Ultima was a seasoned veteran and a warrior unafraid of death.

He successfully held his ground against Leganon’s probing silence.

“I had a feeling the family was in debt. But I didn’t know we owed a mere merchant. How much is it?”

“Yes. Originally, the debt was 570,000 gold, but excluding the promised compensation of 50,000, the total is 520,000. The exact amount for the missing quantities needs further investigation, but I estimate around 100,000 gold. So, roughly 420,000 gold is the total debt.”

Leganon sighed at the mention of 420,000 gold.

“Our Sephira family was in debt over a mere 500,000 gold. How pitiful.”

500,000 gold is by no means ‘mere.’ Even for an Upper Noble, it’s a staggering amount.

But for a prestigious family, it’s different. A prestigious family should have finances robust enough to casually spend a million gold without issue.

The Sephira family’s poverty wasn’t solely due to reduced support from the royal family.

The lack of private income sources.

This was the primary reason for Sephira’s poverty.

Originally, nobles could live comfortably on the support provided by the state, but no noble is satisfied with just that.

It’s common sense to seek to expand power, so they establish additional income sources to promote growth.

But Sephira had no particular interest in power or expansion. The support from the royal family was enough for everything, so there was no urgency to expand finances.

Leganon, who lived in those times, smiled bitterly at Sephira’s current situation.

“Regardless, I thank you, Lord Ultima. Admitting your mistake and bearing the loss. Truly, a dignity befitting a noble.”

Just as Ultima’s lips were about to curl into a smile—

Keter pinched Ultima’s waist and whispered very softly.

“Who said you could be happy?”

Ultima immediately wiped the smile off his face and said.

“No, I don’t deserve such words. Elder Leganon, you don’t have to forgive me for my mistakes.”

“Nonsense. I forgive you. I’ve already received compensation, so why wouldn’t I?”

“Your kindness is too much.”

“Then, is our discussion over?”

“Ah….”

Ultima, glancing at Keter, responded a beat late.

“Yes. It’s already a clear discourtesy to keep you, Elder, so long.”

Leganon quietly stood and extended his gaunt right hand.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Lord Ultima.”

Ultima took Leganon’s hand in both of his and kissed the back of it.

“The honor was mine.”

As Leganon was about to leave the reception room, he turned back to look at Keter. Keter was also looking at Leganon, so their eyes met.

“…Behave yourself. It’ll be better for you.”

With those words, Leganon left.

Ultima was relieved, and Hans was anxious. Would Keter really stay quiet?

Fortunately, Keter didn’t retort.

Instead—

*Whoosh.*

He threw a giant, impressive fist-sized potato at Leganon’s back.