**Chapter 96**
—
Willet emptied the last of his drink in one gulp before speaking.
“May I ask one last question?”
“Yes.”
“Why did someone like you step into the underworld?”
Arthur paused at Willet’s question.
“Hmm… that’s a tough one.”
“It is a tough question, but if you answer it, perhaps it’ll help in some way.”
“Oh? And if I tell you, will you help me?”
“If it’s within my ability, I should. That’s what a broker exists for in the first place.”
Arthur fell silent again at Willet’s answer.
*Should I tell him?*
Nothing serious would happen even if he did.
But it didn’t seem likely that Elder Willet’s help would make much difference either.
After some hesitation, Arthur finally gave a half-truth.
“There’s someone I want to kill.”
“Someone you want to kill?”
“Yes. But I didn’t have the power to kill that person, so I came into these backstreets. As you know, Elder, there’s nothing you can’t find here—whether it be elixirs or artifacts.”
Willet’s gaze sank low at Arthur’s explanation.
*He’s hiding something.*
To be honest, if he hadn’t known Arthur’s true identity, it would have been a perfectly acceptable reason.
But the young man before him was none other than the sole heir of House Bayern, the foremost ducal family of the Empire.
*The heir of the greatest family in the Empire, stepping into the underworld for elixirs and artifacts? Not even a passing dog would believe that.*
Even so, he didn’t think everything Arthur had just said was a lie.
*That desire to kill someone… that much was sincere.*
The problem was—who exactly did the heir of House Bayern want dead?
At that moment, Arthur spoke again.
“May I ask a question too, Elder?”
“…Go ahead.”
Arthur’s eyes gleamed.
“Before I killed Balans, we had a conversation.”
“…What kind of conversation?”
“About Elder Willet’s past.”
“……”
“What I heard was quite interesting. Would you tell me a bit about your past?”
Willet clicked his tongue at Arthur’s words.
“…You’ve gotten sly.”
“Me?”
“You only answered earlier because you wanted to ask this question, didn’t you?”
Arthur curved his lips in a smile.
“Isn’t it just give-and-take?”
Willet shook his head at that smile.
“…How much did you hear?”
“Only that Elder Willet once wiped out an entire village.”
Willet flinched.
“…That senile ghost really couldn’t keep his mouth shut.”
“Oh? Then it’s true?”
“……”
Willet scratched his head furiously, then let out a long sigh.
“Do you really have to hear it?”
“It would be nice if I could.”
Willet hesitated, then pulled out a new cigar and put it between his lips.
“…As you know, I was once a mercenary.”
With that, the end of the cigar caught flame.
Willet drew in a puff and exhaled smoke into the air.
“And quite a well-known mercenary at that.”
“Oh… Balans said you were the greatest mercenary of all.”
Willet let out a short laugh.
“Greatest, I don’t know about that. But I did have some fame.”
“‘Some fame’?”
“In those days, having some fame meant you weren’t someone who could be looked down upon anywhere you went.”
Arthur gave a low murmur of admiration.
*To think Elder Willet would say something so old-fashioned.*
Meanwhile, Willet’s eyes drifted into the past.
“Back then… the standards were higher. These days, mercenaries chase only money, honor, and their own greed. But in those days, there was something called romance.”
“……”
“They didn’t just chase their own goals… Yes. There was conviction. Even in the backstreets, there were those who carried themselves like knights.”
Arthur smiled.
“And Elder Willet was one of them?”
“Well… if I had conviction, I wouldn’t have done that.”
“That?”
“The incident you mentioned—the wiping out of a village.”
Willet exhaled smoke again.
And the story continued.
“The village was called… Harita. A small mountain village in the northwest of Arcane. Including nearby hamlets, maybe about a thousand people total… just a tiny place.”
“……”
“At the time, I received a commission from the Holy Church. To erase that village.”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
“The Holy Church? Why would they request that?”
“They claimed there were demon-worshippers living there.”
“…In such a remote village?”
“Hard to believe, I know. But back then, it seemed plausible. You see, Harita didn’t worship the Church’s god. They followed a local faith.”
Arthur let out a soft exclamation.
“So from the Church’s perspective, they were heretics.”
“Exactly. That’s why I initially refused the commission. To be honest, from my perspective, the Church itself was heresy. But my companions felt differently.”
Willet’s eyes lowered.
“The Church had offered quite a hefty reward. My companions, blinded by the gold, agreed to wipe out Harita.”
Arthur’s eyes widened again.
“Then the story that Elder Willet destroyed the village is…”
“No lie. It’s true.”
“…?”
“As it turned out, there really was a demon in Harita. Or rather, someone who worshipped one. The moment the Church’s knights and my companions stormed in, that bastard revealed his true nature.”
Arthur fell silent.
Willet’s voice grew more bitter.
“It was a tangled mess… In the end, the Church’s knights and my companions all died, and Harita became the demon’s den.”
“……”
“Unable to bear my companions’ deaths, I stormed Harita myself and slew the demon. And along with it… the companions who had become its thralls, and the villagers too.”
Willet’s gaze pulled back from his memories.
What remained was emptiness, regret, and crushing guilt.
“I still can’t forget that day. The screams of the village children… the feeling of cutting down my comrades.”
He let out a hollow laugh.
“In the end, I couldn’t withstand what happened that day. I retired.”
“……”
“They called me the greatest mercenary, the finest blade… but in the end, I was just one of many mercenaries who fell to ruin, unable to overcome the sins I’d committed.”
Arthur, who had been silent, spoke.
“Mm… I can’t agree with that.”
“What do you mean?”
“That Elder Willet fell to ruin.”
Willet tilted his head.
Arthur smiled faintly as he continued.
“Elder Willet is still alive, isn’t he?”
“…?”
“You’re alive, running the shop Manner make the man, guiding countless mercenaries and juniors. With such a life, how could you call that ruin?”
Willet’s eyes widened.
Arthur then rose to his feet.
“Thank you for the story, Elder. I don’t think I’ll be visiting for a while.”
“……”
“I’ll be busy with various things. Please give my regards to Julie.”
Willet, snapping back to himself, asked.
“You’ll come back again?”
“Is there any reason I wouldn’t?”
Willet blinked, then broke into a laugh.
“True… no reason not to.”
Arthur gave a soft smile and left the tavern.
Willet watched his departing back for a while before rising as well.
It was about time to return to his tailor shop.
*…And there’s plenty of work to do. To clean up the mess that Donn—no, Arthur Bayern—has caused…*
Just then, something dripped from Willet’s eyes.
“…?”
Startled, he looked at the moisture that had fallen, then gave a hollow laugh.
“…Mid-age already? Guess it really is time to retire.”
—
—
Back home, Arthur shut himself in for a week without stepping outside.
Fortunately, since it was midterm preparation period, no one thought it strange.
For that week, aside from eating, sleeping, and other bare necessities, he devoted himself entirely to meditation.
And on a night past the seventh day—
Arthur’s chest began to pound.
The swirling mass of mana inside him had finally formed into a ring.
At that moment, light flared from his body.
Fwaaash—!
His closed eyes opened with the radiance.
“Ah…”
With a soft exhale, Arthur trembled involuntarily.
“This feeling… it’s been so long.”
His power overflowed—no, it ran wild.
Not just a feeling—it truly surged out of control.
Woooom—!
Six rings spewed mana without cease.
The resonance of his once-starved rings was now overflowing beyond measure.
*Exhilarating… Feels like I can do anything.*
With a crooked smile, Arthur muttered.
Perhaps because he had regained a sensation he’d never thought to feel again, memories of his efforts flashed through his mind.
*I’ve reached the 6th Circle I attained in my past life. And I’ve gathered strong bloodlines as well.*
By now, he could say with certainty he was stronger than in his past life.
And that fact meant something huge.
*If I’ve surpassed my former limits, there’s no reason to hesitate in revenge anymore.*
Now that he could wield Aura Blade, it meant he could draw his sword against anyone.
“Oh… thinking of it like this, I really do feel stronger.”
Arthur murmured with a soft laugh as he rose to his feet—
And noticed Jeannie peeking in through a crack in the door.
“…Why are you skulking like a rat, Miss Jeannie?”
Jeannie’s fine brow furrowed deeply at Arthur’s words.
“‘Like a rat’? I saw you concentrating, so I was waiting not to disturb you.”
“Hmm… really? From where I stand, it looked more like you were spying.”
Jeannie didn’t answer and instead stepped inside.
Arthur tilted his head at the unusual sight.
*Strange. Miss Jeannie coming to find me first?*
Aside from breakfast, it had been rare to even see her face.
Then, folding her arms, Jeannie suddenly bent at the waist.
“Sir Donn.”
“…Yes?”
“No… I mean, Young Master.”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
Jeannie raised a finger as she spoke.
“I heard an absurd rumor yesterday.”
“…?”
“They said some crazy mercenary declared war against both the Pirates and the Seven Lords. That’s what I heard.”
Arthur blinked, then burst out laughing.
“Oh… sounds like that crazy mercenary is me.”
“…It’s true!?”
“Yes.”
“Why on earth would you do something so insane!?”
“Hm… Is it something I shouldn’t have done?”
“Of course it is! Do you not understand what it means to be marked by both the Seven Lords and the Pirates in the underworld!?”
Arthur just shrugged.
Jeannie’s whole body shuddered.
*It… it really was him? He’s the one who did it?*
The entire underworld was in uproar.
Both the Seven Lords and the Pirates were furious, all screaming the name of one mercenary.
And now that man stood right before her.
As Jeannie struggled for words to describe the situation, Arthur broke the silence first.
“Jeannie. Is breakfast ready?”
“…Breakfast?”
“Yes, food.”
“Didn’t Anna prepare it?”
“Oh, perfect. Then shall we go eat?”
Jeannie let out a heavy sigh at Arthur’s words.
“…Fine. Let’s eat. No matter the situation, food still comes first.”
She took the lead.
Arthur chuckled softly at her back.
*Hmm… calling me ‘Young Master’ now. Miss Jeannie’s completely adapted.*
At first she’d seemed awkward, but in the end, this was a good change.
Following her into the dining room, Arthur had a belated breakfast with Anna and Jeannie.
“Mmm… this is nice.”
Arthur leaned back against his chair, savoring the fullness.
Anna, watching him, asked:
“You seem in a good mood today, Young Master.”
“Hm? Ah… I suppose I am.”
It would have been strange if he wasn’t—after all, he’d reclaimed the realm of his past life.
Amid that calm satisfaction, Arthur rose to his feet.
“Shall we go out somewhere?”
“…What?”
“The weather’s nice, I’ve no tasks today… how about a picnic nearby?”
Jeannie’s eyes flew wide.
Anna’s too.
*Good heavens… the Young Master himself suggesting an outing!*
*In a time like this, he wants a picnic? Honestly, this man…*
As the two women let out astonished exclamations, Arthur thought to himself:
*Considering what lies ahead, today may be my last day of leisure.*
Which was why he intended to rest—just for this one day.
For once revenge began in earnest, there would be no more time to rest.
—
