BXBX NOVEL Chapter 36: Settle Down or Move Forward (2)
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Chapter 36: Settle Down or Move Forward (2)
Mordred’s isolated room, completely open on all sides.
Creak.
The door to the isolation room opened, and Khan entered.
He immediately knelt before the sword stuck in the middle of the room.
“I humbly ask you, please teach me the sword.”
At his plea, the sword trembled.
Soon, white light flickered, and Mordred materialized.
She scratched the back of her head with a complicated expression.
“Ah, fine. Let’s hear it. Why do you want to become stronger?”
It was a question she had asked before.
After the festival ended, when Khan first came to Mordred, he had simply demanded training, and Mordred had refused.
Strength is like a drug—once you\'re addicted, there’s no turning back.
A knight should never be like that.
“And by the way, if your answer is the same as last time, I won’t teach you.”
Aimless wandering stirs impulse.
So she prodded him again.
Khan bit his lower lip slightly before answering.
“I want to be of help.”
“Help?”
“When we were surrounded by kobolds, and even during the tournament, I was of no help at all.”
Khan\'s hands trembled as if consumed by self-reproach… but in fact, it had been a stage where even challenging Mordred was sheer nonsense.
‘The manager was a special case. Other than that…’
Whether it was Mari landing a hit by borrowing Tristan’s power, or Beryl protecting the team with his shield, it was impressive—but that was it.
Aside from that fleeting moment, there was no way anyone could have stopped Mordred.
Of course, it wasn’t Mordred’s duty to boost Khan’s self-esteem.
Instead,
“Well, compared to the others who bravely stepped up, you did fail to stand out, like the other insects.”
She could dig into his heart to solidify his resolve.
“So, you need strength?”
“…Yes, I want to learn the sword. I don’t want to see my comrades getting hurt again.”
That answer was barely acceptable.
‘He’s been avoiding it out of fear of the hassle…’
But a deal was a deal.
Mordred’s crimson eyes gleamed as she surveyed Khan’s entire body.
This time, she could sense that he had come with a clear purpose.
Besides,
‘It might become a little troublesome… but…’
Mordred had recently concluded that staying trapped here was nothing but boring.
She also figured that wandering around under the guise of education wouldn’t be so bad.
“Well, since you seem somewhat prepared, I’ll teach you.”
“Really?”
Mordred grinned down at Khan.
“Yes, we had an agreement. But my training will be quite harsh. You okay with that?”
Since they were starting, there would be no half-measures.
Whether he could keep up or not depended on him.
Although, that concern seemed unfounded.
“I don’t mind!”
Khan boldly raised his head and confidently met Mordred’s gaze.
His eyes were filled with determination.
“Well, I guess you\'re not completely hopeless. But, if you can’t keep up, I’ll abandon you right there and then. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Follow me. You’re not the only trainee, you know.”
* * *
A strangely quiet company.
Two men stood, looking down at a bald man.
“Hmm, is that all you have to say?”
“I-I’m innocent! They looted our goods!”
[Magleus (Platinum)]
The bald employee shouted in frustration, but all he received in return was indifference and disdain.
A man with an impressive mustache kicked the bald man.
“Gah!”
Then, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, he asked again.
“So you’re saying that you let a mere [Silver]-ranked company steal [The Bow of Verdure] from you? Oh my. Do you think [Magleus] can make a fool out of us, [Warriors’ Union (Diamond)]?”
The mustached man, impeccably dressed, was unable to contain his rage as he continued to stomp on the bald man.
“Tell me again, do you think we’re a joke? Are we a joke to you?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
Though the bald man was a 6th-grade employee, a core member of the [Platinum]-ranked company, he couldn’t dare stand up to the man kicking him.
He could only hope that the mustached man’s fury would subside, for his own sake and for the company’s.
After all, the man kicking him was a 5th-grade employee from the [Warriors’ Union (Diamond)], a rank higher than his own.
“Hngh… I-I’m sorry.”
“This is absurd. I knew we couldn’t trust a [Platinum]. What is the master even thinking…?”
Unable to watch any longer, one of the employees stepped in to stop the mustached man.
“That’s enough, Makarov. Even though it’s rare, that company did beat one of our 4th-grade employees and get a special promotion. There must be something to them.”
“Hmm? Who dares mention my name…?”
Makarov, the 5th-grade employee from [Warriors’ Union], was about to explode at whoever touched him, but when he recognized the person, he stopped.
“…Ah. It’s Mitsu, a 4th-grade employee of [Madari]. If you say so, then maybe they aren’t just ordinary guys.”
“I didn’t see it myself. But… I’ve heard some things.”
“Being cautious, are we? Fine. But Mitsu, I think there’s some misunderstanding here.”
Makarov stroked his moustache with a displeased smile.
“Well, from what I heard, the only reason they managed to corner Mordred was due to a single strike from The Bow of Verdure .”
“…”
“In other words, the reason [Madari] failed is because those idiots over there lost The Bow of Verdure .”
Mitsu had also heard that a rookie archer wielding the Bow of Verdure had managed to stop that Mordred.
That\'s why it felt even more unfortunate.
"Hmm, unfortunate indeed. It was unexpected that the Bow of Verdure didn\'t end up in our hands. But that\'s all. From what I heard, they weren\'t able to take down the creature in one blow. It\'s the limit of a C+ grade weapon."
"Yohoho. No, Mitsu-sama, I see it differently."
"What do you mean?"
"Despite [Silver] being the one who used it, the weapon still showed that much destructive power. It proves that it\'s an unbelievably good item. So, all we need to do is get it back."
How would they retrieve something that was already lost?
The eyes of everyone present were now focused on Makarov.
"Yohoho. It\'s simple. We just need to make an unfair contract."
Mitsu reacted to the phrase \'unfair contract.\'
"Oh? How? Is your company going to take the lead, or are you asking us to?"
"Yohoho. No, no. How could I dare suggest [Madari] take the lead? We have just the right person to do it for us, don\'t we? Yohohoho."
As Makarov spoke, he stomped harder on the bald man\'s head.
"Well? You heard him, right? What are you waiting for? Go make that contract happen."
Makarov whispered into the bald man\'s ear, causing him to flinch.
"M-Makarov sir... Even if we tried to press them with authority... The thing is, it\'s not that simple. They have backing! If it weren\'t for that, we would\'ve taken it by force already! Believe me!"
Makarov, seemingly intrigued by this, asked,
"Yoho? Who\'s backing them?"
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"The [Yeondan Society]! Even though they\'re also [Platinum], they have the trust of headquarters, so we can\'t recklessly touch them!"
"Yohohohoho. I see. Yes, getting a contract from a company on the same tier would be tough. But? What of it?"
"...What?"
"A company like that? Just crush them. If a contract isn\'t easy to get, you can just bury them."
The bald man\'s face turned pale.
Makarov was essentially telling him to slaughter everyone at the [Yeondan Society] without breaking any of the [Headquarters] laws.
To kill all their employees so that the company couldn\'t function anymore.
The bald man, breathing heavily, asked again,
"Y-You want us to attack the company...?"
Makarov\'s expression immediately darkened.
"Are you saying you won\'t do it?"
Without hesitation, Makarov shoved a contract in the bald man\'s face.
It was an unfair contract born from debt.
"If you don\'t... I\'m looking forward to seeing what happens to [Magleus]. What do you think?"
"I-I\'ll do it."
"Of course, you will. Oh, and don\'t worry. Our [Warriors’ Union (Diamond)] will help even a fool like [Magleus] succeed."
Makarov twisted his body, creepily extending his tongue.
"There\'s nothing more thrilling than crushing a budding sprout."
Watching Makarov\'s plan unfold, Mitsu smirked as if he\'d seen something ridiculous.
"Ha, really impressive. Too bad for [Administrator Zone] and [Yeondan Society]. They\'re unlucky to have crossed paths with that psycho."
"Yohoho. I don\'t know where to put such praise."
"It wasn\'t a compliment. But your method is certainly revolutionary."
"Yohoho. Exactly. If we succeed, it\'s a revolution! And if we fail, we lose nothing. It\'s an innovative strategy."
* * *
It had been about a month since Khan and the other employees had begun their formal training.
[Intermediate Swordsmanship LV. 1]
[Sixth Sense LV. 3]
[7th Grade Employee \'Khan\' can be promoted under certain conditions.]
The results of their training exceeded expectations.
"As expected from a former knight captain, it seems she\'s teaching them well."
At the training grounds, Khan and some of the employees were undergoing Mordred\'s hellish training.
- Hey! How do you plan to endure if you can\'t handle this? Is 3,000 overhead strikes too much? Is it hard? Answer me!
- Gah! It’s, it’s hard!
- Step forward if you find it hard. What? Are you going to quit being a knight if it\'s tough?
Despite a month having passed, Mordred\'s intense training had no signs of easing, and it seemed she had fully adapted to this place.
"Now that we’ve solidified our foundation, it\'s about time to visit [Yeondan Society]."
As I closed the door to the training grounds, Mari approached, having avoided Mordred’s gaze.
"Why the [Yeondan Society] all of a sudden?"
"There\'s something I need to discuss regarding a contract."
Considering the trust that [Yeondan Society] had from headquarters, it was highly likely that they had valuable ingredients or special materials.
More importantly...
\'There\'s a good chance they have an alchemist.\'
It would be quite profitable if I could learn some of their techniques.
Having an alchemist around would be quite beneficial.
\'I suppose it’s about time we get one.\'
First, I needed to set up a meeting.
\'It would be better if I didn\'t go myself right away.\'
If I showed up unannounced, it might make Mino uncomfortable.
In cases like this, it\'s best to send a lower-ranked employee to give Mino a heads-up.
And the perfect employee for this task was already decided.
I handed Mari a letter.
"Mari, could you go to V and Hyeok and ask them to take this letter to [Yeondan Society]?"
The coordinates for [Yeondan Society] were on Mino\'s business card, so it shouldn’t be hard to find.
"Ugh, why aren’t we going ourselves? Are V and Hyeok going alone to [Yeondan Society]?"
Mari pouted her cheeks in disappointment, but I wasn’t going to be swayed by such an act.
I forced the letter into her hands.
"...You just want to eat something from outside, don’t you?"
"Ah... You found out?"
"…."
"Haha... I\'ll be on my way then."
When I folded my arms and stared at her, Mari quickly ran off, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Well, that\'s sorted..."
A tense company atmosphere wouldn’t last long.
Of course, too little tension would also be a problem... But Mari\'s little diversions were still manageable.
"Now, time to prepare for the promotion."
I turned and headed toward the promotion device.
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