part0020

Who would have known that the young noble he’d partnered with would turn out to be a legendary magician who once lived during the Age of Magic?

He’d never felt this euphoric before, not even when he became the head of the Merchants Guild in Lion City. It felt as though the Goddess of Luck had locked him in an embrace and finally decided to grant her blessings upon him.

Big Mona’s lips couldn’t help but curl into a grin as he thought of these things.

What a once in a lifetime opportunity, indeed!

Inside a tavern near the Central Plaza, Big Mona and several other reputable merchants in the eastern territory gathered around the table as they discussed Big Mona’s proposal.

“What’s with your smile… it’s creeping me out,” said one of his affiliate merchants.

“This is the first time we’ve seen you this happy, sir,” said another. “But no wonder. These products are indeed amazing! I can’t believe this small town is producing these things!”

On the table was an arrowhead made of an unknown black metal and a fabric reminiscent of silk but stronger than leather. Although these products looked common to untrained eyes, these merchants quickly realized their true value. Just these two items were enough to bolster the kingdom’s military might. The fabric, if used by the kingdom’s soldiers, would greatly increase their mobility during battle without sacrificing defenses. Moreover, the black metal was an incredibly powerful weapon that could instantly paralyze its opponents with a graze. Not just the royals, but the other nobles would surely covet these items.

“Small town? Does this territory still look small to you?”

“Well… the wall that suddenly popped up overnight sure isn’t small, is it?”

The merchants laughed at their little joke.

“So, Big Mona, all we have to do is make sure these products reach the ears of the royal family and the nobles at the western territory?”

“That’s right,” Big Mona said after taking a sip of juice from his tankard. He had not revealed the high-grade potions to these affiliated merchants. He planned on marketing those items himself and shoving his achievements in the faces of those merchant bastards in the capital. “Easy, isn’t it? And don’t forget what I told you before. You need to spread rumors that the black metal is capable of paralyzing monsters—even demons.”

“Of course, of course. Easy enough.” One of the merchants nodded. He did not think too much about the last part of Big Mona’s statement. Demons? Such things did not exist. They’re merely myths. “A mysterious metal found only in the eastern wilderness, capable of paralyzing its opponents. Beasts, monsters, demons—all of them will fall with just a single graze. How about it? Catchy, isn’t it?”

“It’s flowery and a bit disgusting, but I like it,” said Big Mona, grinning. “I don’t care how you do it, but make sure the military learns of this metal’s potent capabilities.”

“Leave it to us, sir.”

“But, Big Mona, are you sure you don’t need our help in transporting the black metal from the mines? We are all willing to lend several dozen of our men to do the mundane tasks.”

Big Mona shook his head. “No. All transactions will be done in this town only. That is final.”

Now that he was bound by an oath, Big Mona had no intention of letting these merchants know the source of all these goods. He planned on only using the servants who’d taken the oath of silence beforehand when transporting the fabric and the black metal. Big Mona knew that at the end of the day, these affiliated merchants could still stab him in the back given the chance. Even if the chances were slim, he would never dare risk his partnership with Lark.

“There will be severe repercussions, if I catch any of you snooping around town, looking for the source of these items,” Big Mona boldly uttered a threat before emptying his tankard. Like a beast marking its territory, he was declaring that he would not tolerate anything that would threaten his position as the lord’s exclusive merchant.

The merchants who’d been planning on investigating the lord and the source of the unknown metal started having second thoughts. Now that Big Mona was protecting this territory, it would be foolish of them to act so rashly.

“We wouldn’t dare, sir.” The merchants laughed awkwardly.

One of the merchants noticed the old man who’d just entered the tavern.

“Sir,” he whispered, “Isn’t that the butler at the lord’s mansion?”

Big Mona looked at the table at the far end corner of the tavern. Although the old man sitting there was wearing casual-looking clothes, there was no doubt that he was the head butler of the lord’s mansion.

“He’s drinking by himself? At this time of the day?” said one of the affiliate merchants.

It was only an hour after dawn. Even this tavern—the most popular one in town—was almost deserted at this time of the day.

Big Mona felt something was amiss. He called one of the servers and asked her to send an invitation to the butler to join their table. After some time, the server sent back a message.

“Apologies. Sir Gaston humbly declines the offer, sir,” said the server.

Even the server recognized the old man. He was, after all, one of the most powerful figures in this town. In terms of authority, some even said that he was second only to the lord in this territory.

“Is that so?” said Big Mona.

“But he gratefully accepted the drink you sent him,” added the server.

Upon hearing those words, Big Mona became certain. Something of great significance must have happened at the mansion for the head butler to act this way.

“This concludes our meeting,” Big Mona said to his affiliated merchants. “The iron ingots. I expect all of you to deliver them to this town within the next three weeks. Understood?”

“Leave it to us!”

After the merchants left, Big Mona walked toward Gaston’s table. The old butler had already finished three tankards of ale.

“Can I join you for a drink, sir butler?” said Big Mona.

Although Gaston was a commoner, Big Mona wasn’t foolish enough to think that he was superior to this old man. Big Mona knew that in this town, the butler was more influential than any guilds or merchants.

Gaston looked up, his face flushed red. Deep within the old man’s eyes, Big Mona could see indescribable sadness—or was it emptiness? Despair? The fat merchant was not sure.

Before Gaston could even respond, Big Mona plopped himself on the opposite chair and shouted at the server, “Two more ales here! And something to chew on! Hurry!”

The server disappeared into the kitchen for a moment, then came out holding two tankards of ale and a large plate filled with bread, cheese, and roasted meat.

After the server left, Big Mona raised his cup and said, “You look horrible, sir. What happened?”

Big Mona sipped his ale as he waited for the butler’s reply.

The butler sighed. “It’s nothing you should be concerned of, sir merchant.”

“Is it related to the lord?” said Big Mona.

The butler’s face contorted for a moment, but he didn’t utter a response.

Big Mona was far smarter than his peers. After observing the butler’s reaction, he could somehow surmise what had happened to this old man.

Lark’s recent revelation regarding his true identity.

The lifeless eyes of this old man

Just like to him, Lark had probably revealed the truth to his butler. This was the conclusion Big Mona came to after observing him in silence.

As expected, not everyone can so easily accept the truth, thought Big Mona.

Before partnering himself with the young noble, Big Mona made sure to thoroughly investigate Lark Marcus. He was certain that this old butler was among his most loyal servants. A loyal subject who’d followed Lark Marcus to this small town after he’d been exiled by his very own father.

It was understandable that the butler was so devastated upon learning about his young master’s real identity.

“Nasty rumors will spread if the head butler is drinking here in this tavern, at this time of the day,” said Big Mona.

The butler placed down his tankard. He smiled and mumbled softly, his voice almost a whisper, “I don’t even know if I can continue serving in the mansion anyway. This pathetic old man…”

Big Mona sliced the grilled meat with his knife and stabbed it with a fork, before placing it in his mouth. He ate silently for several seconds before saying, “Since you refuse to tell me anything, I’ll assume that this is related to the Lord of Blackstone Town.”

Gaston remained silent.

Big Mona said, “It’s hard, isn’t it? When everything you’ve believed in until now turns out to be a lie, a facade.” Gaston’s shoulder trembled upon hearing those words. Big Mona realized that his conjecture was spot on. “But at the end of the day,” Big Mona said wisely, “Isn’t it up to us to determine if everything is truly a lie?

“I don’t know about you, sir butler, but I firmly believe that the people we met in the past, in the present, and in the future are basically one and the same. Isn’t change inevitable? Humans face adversities on a daily basis. Weak creatures like us need to adjust according to the current circumstances in order to survive this damnable jungle called life.” Big Mona wiped his lips with a napkin. “Why brood over useless thoughts? If it’s too complicated, just try living in the present.”

Although it was probably bad advice, it was Big Mona’s honest opinion. The Lark Marcus he’d met over a year ago was already possessed by the consciousness of Evander Alaester. For him, the previous Lark and the current one were one and the same. He never intended on overthinking this complicated matter.

The words of Big Mona kept echoing in Gaston’s mind. The butler had never expected to hear these words from this greedy, fat merchant.

Big Mona pulled out a golden watch from his pocket. He called the server and paid for their drinks.

“The workers I’ve hired from the city should have arrived at the gates by now,” said Big Mona. He stood up and fixed his garb. For several seconds, he stared at the old man. “This may sound gibberish, coming from someone like me, but follow what your guts are telling you. Follow what your heart truly desires.”

After Big Mona left, Gaston sat there for almost half an hour, contemplating the fat merchant’s advice.

“What am I doing… getting drunk this early in the morning?” Gaston said self-mockingly.

The last time he drank like this was years ago, when the duke told him that he’d decided to exile the young master to this town. That was one of the most painful moments in Gaston’s life. Still, without much hesitation, he’d followed the young master all the way to this faraway place.

“If it’s too complicated, just try living in the present,” he repeated the words of the merchant. “Follow what my heart truly desires…”

Gaston stood up and nodded, clearing unnecessary thoughts. Although his face was flushed, he had quite a strong alcohol tolerance.

He decided to go back to his room in the mansion, before rumors started spreading throughout the town. It would be hard to arrive at a conclusion so soon. The butler decided to take things slow, one step at a time.