The Top-Tier Butler of the Marquis Family Chapter 12 : Chapter 12

Chapter 012

I searched the drawers and cabinets thoroughly.

But most of them were empty, and even when I did find paper, it was nothing more than the sort of thing one might use as scrap.

“This is strange. Why is there nothing here?”

I paused for a mont.

Then I emptied my mind and looked around once more. I wondered whether my excitent had made overlook sothing.

Then again, if I thought about it calmly, it would have been strange to keep such an important ledger in an office inside the warehouse. They might have stored it sowhere out of sight, or tucked it away in a hidden safe.

Everything had returned to square one.

I was on the verge of falling into a brief spell of emptiness, but I was Kim Suhyeon, a man who did not know how to give up.

“Even if it is not the ledger, I would at least like to find so trace of their dealings....”

By infiltrating this warehouse, I had already proven that they were deliberately circulating poor-quality ingredients. The proof was the fresh produce stacked over there.

There had to have been instructions connected to that.

Finding those was the key.

And it would be even better if I found a ledger proving that Training Officer Cornel was connected to the Arkain rchant Company.

I took a slow breath.

It was still too early to give up. There were still boxes and cabinets left to open.

So I began moving busily again.

And then, a short while later—

“Oh!”

At last, bundles of docunts began to appear. I had been sinking into disappointnt, but now it was as though oil had been poured over a fire, and my enthusiasm blazed up all over again.

I quickly skimd the papers from the top down. Anything unnecessary, I boldly tossed to the floor.

“Good. Training Officer Cornel’s na finally appears.”

I gathered up several letters and docunts.

They were papers containing traces of questionable dealings. I could examine them carefully once I returned, so for now I only glanced through them and pocketed everything that seed useful.

I had secured enough material.

Then, quite suddenly, I ca across a rather strange docunt.

“What is this?”

Young Lady Sapiela’s na appeared in it.

That felt distinctly out of place. She had nothing to do with the rchant company’s affairs. She was the sort of person who simply lived in comfort, enjoying leisure and social gatherings. Why would her na appear here?

Perhaps it was a list of her personal tastes or luxury goods. Since she was a major client, analyzing her preferences would have been essential.

But as I read the docunt, my eyes narrowed.

It was nothing like I had expected.

It was a paper that organized Sapiela’s daily routine and major routes of movent.

“This has nothing to do with analyzing her tastes. Why would this be in a rchant warehouse?”

From the rchant company’s point of view, it was completely useless information. It felt less like business and more like an intelligence file.

I did not like it one bit.

“I had better take this too.”

I folded the docunt neatly and slipped it inside my clothes.

Then I resud searching.

Unfortunately, there was nothing decisive like a ledger, but even what I had gathered tonight, combined with the materials collected from the Training Officer’s office, ought to be enough to construct a very useful scenario.

“It is ti to head back. I have already stayed too long.”

I turned to leave.

Then my eyes fell on a cabinet to the left that I had not opened yet.

It was an ordinary cabinet.

And yet, sohow, it had a strange power that drew people toward it.

I was the sort of man who trusted intuition a great deal. I was an intelligent engineering geek, after all. Most great scientific discoveries began with the brilliant intuition of scientists.

I walked straight over to the cabinet.

“If I am going to search the place, I might as well clean it out properly. Better that than leave behind any regrets.”

Clunk!

I flung the cabinet doors wide open.

The inside was empty.

No, to be precise, there were no docunts or papers inside, but in one corner sat a single plain-looking box.

It was about the length of a forearm.

“What is that?”

It was not buried under piles of papers or tucked into clutter. There was just one box sitting alone inside this large cabinet, and the sight of it felt strangely out of place.

“I sll sothing. Sothing suspicious.”

I gripped the top of the box with both hands and pulled upward.

Click!

“Well now.”

It did not open.

Click! Click!

I tried putting a little more strength into it, but it was useless. I shook it up and down as well, but it would not budge. I checked it over and saw no obvious lock, yet it was sealed shut from within. There was no visible keyhole either.

“A special box?”

My instincts flared.

It felt as though sothing important had to be hidden inside.

Otherwise, why would they place such a peculiar box here, one that locked without even a keyhole? The odds were high that it contained sothing of real importance.

It might even contain the ledger itself.

I tried again to open it, but no matter what I did, I could not figure out the thod.

My heart began to race.

I had subdued the n inside, but there was no knowing when soone from outside might enter. Thinking it would be wiser to withdraw for now, I picked up the box as a whole.

And at that very mont, a chill ran across the back of my neck.

Startled, I dropped the box.

A cold blade was leveled at my throat.

“This is absurd. What are you, so rat? You dared to break into a warehouse belonging to the Arkain rchant Company? And after making a ss of my boys, you thought you would get out alive?”

It was a deep, heavy voice.

For the first ti, I felt real killing intent. The back of my head went cold, and the blade at my throat felt as though it might slice through my carotid artery at any mont.

“Who are you, and where are you from? Go on, say it. If you tell obediently, I will kill you quickly.”

Damn it.

I should not have opened that last cabinet.

But regretting it was not going to turn back ti. Sohow, I had to escape this crisis.

“What, are you mute? Maybe if I cut off one of your arms, I will find out whether that is true.”

The bastard grabbed my shoulder.

Now.

This was my chance.

I ducked my head sharply and let the blade slide past , then turned and drove my elbow into his stomach.

Thud!

“Ghk!”

It was not an ordinary elbow strike either, but one infused with the mysterious force. No one should have been able to endure that.

At minimum, it should have knocked him out cold.

But that assumption turned out to be my mistake.

“Urgh. Hahahahaha! Not bad. It has been a long ti since anyone laid hands on .”

I had definitely struck him with force, yet the man rely staggered a few steps before straightening his stance and gripping his sword again. Judging by the way he laughed at ease, the damage was apparently not that severe.

This man, unlike the others, seed to be a true expert.

Shing!

I drew my sword.

A brief standoff followed. I had launched a surprise attack, and now that I had pulled a weapon, he seed to be wary of as well.

I used that opening to study him closely.

The first thing that stood out was the black eyepatch he wore over one eye, like a pirate. He seed to be one-eyed. He was also extrely tall, with dark gray hair tied back in a long braid.

He sohow felt like a man of the sea.

His muscles went without saying. And judging by his posture, he was soone who had properly learned the sword.

But what was that?

There was a tattoo on his thick right arm.

It was the shape of a black scorpion.

For so reason, he did not feel like a re rchant company man. Was he perhaps from the organization that had been backing the Arkain rchant Company from the shadows?

I made sure to morize the scorpion mark.

“I will ask you one more ti. Who sent you?”

“What would you do if you knew?”

“A guest cos calling in the dead of night, and naturally he ought to be treated properly. I already have a rough idea, but I want to be sure. Once I find the one who sent you, I will flay him alive!”

“Who do you belong to?”

“What would you do if you knew?”

This bastard.

Was he annoyed? He had just parroted my own words right back at .

At tis like this, it was best to take a shot in the dark.

“The Scorpion?”

“You have good eyes. I am Kalmond, the Scorpion Gang’s enforcer captain.”

It was a na that sounded like so kind of almond packed with calcium. Truly awful naming sense. Whoever had co up with it deserved to reflect on their life.

“Kalmond. I will rember it.”

“And now you should reveal who you are.”

“Are you having trouble seeing because you are one-eyed? I am wearing a mask, am I not? Why do you think I am wearing a mask? So I will not be recognized. If a fool like you can beco an enforcer captain, then the future of the Scorpion Gang is already dood.”

“You filthy bastard!”

The provocation landed perfectly.

He ca rushing in.

His sword ca down in an ugly sweep.

A long fight would favor him, not . Sohow, I had to settle this quickly and get out of here.

Clang!

The two blades collided, scattering sparks.

To my surprise, his sword withstood my strike. Even infused with the mysterious force, it neither broke nor flew from his hand.

The world was broad indeed, and there were plenty of strong n in it.

Even so, the damage seed to have reached him at least a little, because his right hand twitched as if he were forcing himself to endure the pain.

“Hahaha! Not bad at all! To think you dared receive my blade. But your luck ends here!”

He rolled his sword aside and then lunged in with a quick thrust.

Whoosh!

If I had not gained this special power, it would have skewered my heart on the spot. I barely managed to roll away.

But it did not end there.

His sword kept driving after my head, gouging at the floor in quick succession.

Slam! Slam! Slam!

Each one was a savage strike powerful enough to punch a hole clean through my skull if even one had landed.

He was more dangerous than I had expected.

I rolled rapidly aside, narrowly avoiding each blow.

This will not do.

There was a limit to how long I could keep dodging. It would not end well if I stayed on the defensive like this. One way or another, I had to finish it.

Springing to my feet, I poured every last bit of force churning in my heart into my sword.

It was a gamble, but at the mont, I had no other choice.

Everything on one blow!

Hummm!

The sword began to resonate. Its color deepened far more intensely than before. The mont he saw that, his eye widened.

“N-no way...?”

I was curious what he had been about to say.

But I did not have the luxury of listening.

I still did not know what this power I wielded was called in this world. But that was not sothing I could ask about now. Escaping this crisis ca first.

Gathering every shred of my concentration and strength, I unleashed a single strike. I did not want to harm anyone if I could avoid it, but if I did not, I was going to die.

My blade tore through the air and bit brutally into his sword.

Crunch!

Fragnts flew as his sword shattered to pieces.

Not missing the opening, I thrust my own blade into his chest.

“Guaaagh!”

He collapsed, blood pouring from him.

I had not pierced his heart, so if he was lucky, he might survive.

“Huu.”

As I withdrew the sword, a violent wave of dizziness hit . I had probably burned through too much power in an instant. Then again, I had just barely survived a mortal danger.

For a mont, I placed a hand against my chest.

Feeling my pounding heart, I realized that almost none of the mysterious force remained.

“I need to get out of here. Now.”

Before leaving, I looked around the floor once more.

Then I tucked that suspicious box into my arms and left the warehouse.

Just before stepping out of the office, a thought struck , and I paused.

Then I turned back.

Kalmond lay there groaning, bloodied and miserable. I walked quietly toward him. He looked up at with pitiful eyes, breathing harshly.

Begging to spare his life?

Do not worry. I have no intention of killing you. There is just sothing I need to check.

I placed my hand on his head.