noveldrama
Chapter 101
Chapter 101
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
Chapter 101: That Kind of Dogfight is My Specialty
“As you know from having faced him once, Young Master Verdzig is by no means an easy man.”
“I thought I was paying close attention to that point, but is there something I’m missing?”
“Well.”
Venion evasively avoided answering.
“Perhaps, maybe.”
“Speak.”
“By the time you come to your senses, you might find yourself in the wrong, begging for your brother’s mercy.”
“……That’s true.”
“And one more thing.”
Venion gestured as if putting something into his bosom.
Weapons meant to be secret should be kept hidden and concealed. A dagger, for instance, is kept hidden close to the body and not openly displayed like a knight's longsword.
A chill ran down my spine.
Was this advice, a warning, or a instructor’s worry for a still clumsy disciple? Whichever it was, it wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
“I will keep that in mind.”
It wasn’t that I had no idea what he meant.
If I were to make the still unrefined Zizek into my secret weapon, I first needed time to melt, strike, temper, and slowly sharpen him into a dagger.
Perhaps this was a warning that Verdzig could exploit that gap.
"He must know something if he's saying this."’
If so, I wouldn’t take that warning lightly.
‘But why is he giving me this advice?’
There was something unsettling about it being just advice to a disciple.
The man's true identity was so elusive that even Ludan, a librarian with decades of experience, couldn't discern it—the man was practically a ghost.’
I was curious about whose orders this man was receiving and what he was moving for.
‘Was he even Father’s man from the beginning?’
There was a dangerous scent from this man. I still didn’t know the essence of that sense of crisis.
‘Let’s not jump to conclusions.’
Looking back, even Karzan’s sharp intuition sometimes fell victim to well-crafted deceptions.
I understood that Venion was skilled at deceit.
Amidst conflicting and contradictory suspicions, I had to carefully understand the man named Venion.
***
“Mother, welcome.”
“Verdzig.”
Emengarde Grunewald, the second wife of the Duke of Grunewald, looked at her son with a somewhat worried expression.
“I’ve heard the story.”
Just as Venion had said, the progress of this matter had now become a story that anyone who was anyone knew.
“I’ve caused you unnecessary worry.”
Verdzig gracefully poured tea into his mother's cup.
“This matter was unlike you, Verdzig.”
“I don’t particularly think so. It’s just that Allenvert’s response was unexpectedly excellent.”
Emengarde took a sip of the tea her son had poured and then asked.
“Do you think so?”
“Yes.”
Verdzig answered calmly.
“From the beginning, this wasn’t a significant loss. If I gained certainty for a small price, it’s actually a profitable deal.”
“Gained certainty?”
Emengarde asked.
“What certainty did you gain?”
Verdzig avoided the answer with a mysterious smile.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“You have so many secrets.”
“Power is something that must be hidden behind a veil of secrecy.”
Verdzig laughed.
“Please don’t worry too much, Mother. I will deliver good news soon.”
***
After Emengarde left, Verdzig once again spread out the chessboard and fell into contemplation.
“It seems Allenvert is probably trying to establish connections in the underworld. Moreover, he’s treating that fact as so important that he’s thoroughly hiding it and even setting traps.”
This was the certainty he had gained from this incident.
“Borrowing the power of the underworld? That choice itself is rational. Even if I were in his position, I would have examined that possibility.”
However, this was something with too much risk.
Would it be possible for a son of the Grunewald ducal Clan to enter the underworld without proper support from his mother’s Clan and create his own power? Or would it be possible for him to be under the protection of a powerful organization?
“He must have been running around himself because he’s so urgent….”
Even if he assumed that, it was still just as absurd.
Did he really, truly do that?
“Yes, if it’s him, he would have.”
Verdzig answered himself.
Because.
“He passed Venion’s test so perfectly.”
His aide added agreement to his lord’s soliloquy.
“……That’s right.”
Verdzig had heard everything about what Allenvert had done in Venion’s first test.
Working hard to obtain the tiara, obtaining proper information and reaching the buyer—
Though it was difficult to know the details of what happened inside, hadn’t he proven his martial power to resolve the situation on his own?
“That skill is not ordinary. It’s not something that could be done with mere power at the early stages of the 4th tier. His actual combat power may have reached a higher tier.”
Verdzig asked his aide.
“If a man with that level of skill was determined to infiltrate the underworld, what would happen?”
His aide replied.
“He would be able to easily destroy or subjugate one or two underworld organizations.”
“That’s right.”
Also, Verdzig was curious.
“Has he already found a place to take root?”
That was unknowable. Even with the information network Verdzig possessed, he hadn’t obtained information about any unusual events occurring in the vast underworld of Grunewald City.
‘In the end, I gave Allenvert one weakness…….’
In exchange, he had gotten quite close to Allenvert’s secret and purpose.
‘If I were to compare it to a sword, it’s like giving up one finger and taking the enemy’s wrist.’
Even.
‘Gemini will never confess.’
Verdzig was certain. He had already implanted poison in Gemini’s heart.
Therefore, just as Allenvert had boldly used circumstantial evidence to prevent a real threat, perhaps it was now his turn to take the offensive.
However, before that, he had to confirm one thing.
“Based on what grounds did Allenvert deduce that I was suspicious of him?”
“It’s possible that he noticed signs through the Royal Guards.”
“That’s right.”
His aide’s words matched his thoughts.
“Prepare to trace and cut off Jeffrey’s information network existing within the Royal Guards.”
“Understood.”
It was worth noting again that Jeffrey was in the position of an officer leading one of ten squads within a battalion, and Verdzig was in the position of a battalion commander leading ten such captains.
In terms of both status and background, the superiority of both sides was clear.
“Perhaps the Bishop.”
Verdzig’s hand moved to take a piece from the chessboard.
“Or, literally, the Knight.”
Either way—
If Allenvert were to lose one of his few key pieces in this way, the loss would be truly enormous.
On the other hand, the spy Gemini, whom he had lost, was just one of many pawns.
“Perhaps your brilliant move might turn into a bad move, Allenvert.”
The snake smiled.
Perhaps a moment had come, a little too early, to sink his fangs into his younger brother’s white neck.
***
I found the room where Gemini was detained.
“She’s extremely stubborn.”
Jeffrey, who came out from inside, said with a disgusted face.
“It’s not just willpower, she clearly seems to be afraid of something.”
“Is that so?”
It was what I had expected. I didn’t expect Verdzig’s handling of things to be so sloppy.
“Yes. She won’t open her mouth easily.”
“But her mind must be quite exhausted.”
“That’s for sure.”
That’s enough.
“What about Gemini’s family relations?”
Olivier answered my question.
“Her upbringing is ordinary. In other words, it means she’s from a typical family with parents and siblings. She’s been working for the Grunewald for six years already.”
“Is she the type to indulge in luxury?”
“No. She says she uses most of her salary for her family’s living expenses.”
“……I see.”
There was no need to know more detailed stories than that. The important thing was to confirm whether she had any exploitable weaknesses.
“I’ll be back.”
“Yes.”
I entered the small room where Gemini was detained. Gemini was spending an eternity, having lost track of time, in the small solitary confinement cell where no sunlight entered.
“Gemini, you look very exhausted.”
“Y-Young Master!”
Gemini, who had been leaning against the wall with empty eyes, jumped up as soon as she saw me.
“I greet the Young Master.”
“You still treat me as the Young Master.”
I lightly mocked.
“……!”
“Do you still have no plans to confess?”
Gemini’s mouth was tightly shut, and I pointed to a chair.
“Sit.”
Gemini quietly did as I told her. I sat down on the opposite chair prepared for interrogation and looked at Gemini.
“Don’t misunderstand, Gemini. If I want, there are many ways to get a confession from you. Torture isn’t to my liking, but I have no intention of refusing it in absolutely necessary situations.”
Gemini’s body trembled slightly.
“I don’t even need to dirty my own hands.”
I said in a cold voice.
“Do you think you can keep that clever mouth shut even in front of my father, the great Duke Georg? If so, the Head Butler is a truly frightening man. And what about the various interrogation experts of the Royal Guards or the Special Operations Division?”
“……!”
“If you buy time with meaningless struggles, do you have a plan for what comes next? If you maintain such strategic thinking, I will respect that.”
I looked at Gemini, who remained speechless, and clicked my tongue in disapproval.
“Answer me. You do not know to whom you are speaking..”
“I’m sorry, Young Master.”
I looked at Gemini’s dry lips and chapped skin. She was in a considerably weakened state.
“I know well that you’re not keeping silent because of loyalty or allegiance to your employer.”
But remember, you don’t necessarily need the other person’s answer to get the information you want.
“You’re afraid of something. Very deeply rooted.”
“!”
I continued, watching Gemini’s reaction.
“Your fear has a clear substance. And a very immediate fear.”
I closed my eyes and spread my senses. The mana that stretched out like threads examined Gemini’s body.
‘There’s no trace of her having learned mana cultivation technique.’
However, I confirmed quite strong mana gathered inside her head.
“A spell has been implanted in your head.”
“!!!”
Gemini’s body trembled.
“If you make an unfavorable confession, will your head be popped like watermelon under elephant’s feet?”
I asked, looking into Gemini’s anxious eyes.
“Or will your heart unexpectedly burst? Either way, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is not how you die, but the fact that you die.”
“……!”
Gemini couldn’t meet my eyes and closed her eyes. Look at her trembling fists and her deathly pale face.
“Ah… my brother is truly a great villain.”
I observed Gemini's silence as I spoke.
“Judging by this, he used a ‘contract’ spell.”
Contract magic.
It was a cruel magic that imposed death as a condition for not keeping an oath. It was a method mainly used by underworld bosses who enjoyed binding or controlling their subordinates, or by insidious nobles.
“He must have told you to carry out your duties as a spy, but if you were discovered, to die without revealing the secret. But in exchange for risking your life, you must have been promised a considerable reward. The safety of your family?”
Gemini was now just shedding tears. Even so, she didn’t open her mouth. To be precise, she couldn’t open her mouth.
I roughly understood the whole story without any confession from Gemini.
“…….”
I walked out, leaving Gemini behind to cry alone.
“Young Master.”
Noticing my facial reaction, Olivier cautiously inquired.
“Please don’t be too angry. I will interrogate her one more time….”
“It’s not that.”
I shook my head.
“It’s not that. Either way, you and I knew from the beginning whose doing it was.”
“……Young Master.”
Let’s admit it. I was angry. At the existence of a villain who used human lives like tools and used innocent families as hostages to use as pawns on a chessboard.
And at my own weakness, having to carefully watch and wait for the time of negotiation even after being attacked by him.
‘It’s quite a dirty feeling.’
However, Verdzig, Snake of the Apocalypse.
Just as I am feeling this frustration, you must also be feeling uneasy within yourself because I am not easy to deal with. Isn’t that so?
I looked at Allenvert’s face reflected in the mirror and raised the corners of my mouth. To put it in Karzan's way, this was a fight of who could be the bigger mad dog.
‘That kind of dogfight is my specialty.’
Therefore, I will patiently wait. Until Verdzig comes to find me on his own.
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]