Chapter 051
The man Kalmond brought in was a middle-aged fellow. He had a scar on his face, and that scar alone was enough to suggest a complicated past.
“My na is Simon.”
“Good. You ca.”
The man who introduced himself as Simon looked at with a peculiar gaze. Only then did I realize that I was still wearing the iron mask.
Simon spoke first.
“Kalmond told that you wish to have a human-skin mask made.”
“Yes. I am thinking of having one made that fits my face well.”
“There are three broad kinds of masks. Would it be all right if I explained them briefly?”
“Go on.”
When I responded in a high-handed tone, Simon bowed his head and began his report. He definitely looked like a man who had done a great deal of work in this line.
“They can be divided broadly into high, middle, and low grades. A high-grade one is good enough that no one but a truly exceptional observer could ever notice it. A middle-grade one shows a little, and a low-grade one is rely passable. If I make a high-grade mask, it will be superior to what other craftsn can produce.”
As Simon explained, confidence showed plainly on his face. Confidence in one’s skill was a good thing, but what could he do? Once you have been ground down in graduate school, your standards beco endlessly exacting.
I gave him a thin smile and crossed my legs. For a mont, I beca a professor again.
“I want the finest quality. I will not be satisfied with sothing rely marketable. In the end, what you are saying is that a sharp-eyed bastard would still be able to tell I was wearing a mask, is it not?”
“That would......”
I opened the pouch of gold I had taken from Blackship and spilled it out across the table.
“I will pay whatever it costs. If you can make a mask that no one in this world will ever recognize, this money is yours.”
“......!”
“You want it, do you not? Well? Would you like to try?”
Simon swallowed hard.
A road to great wealth had opened right in front of him. But he glanced toward Kalmond, as if trying to gauge the situation.
He probably wanted to accept, but it also seed clear that he feared I would not let him off easily if he produced sothing poor.
That was exactly why I had chosen to co at him so forcefully.
Business was best when it was clear and clean.
“I will do it.”
He bit more quickly than I had expected. Tilting my head, I voiced my doubt.
“You said you could make sothing slightly better than an ordinary high-grade one. Does that not an you have never actually made a finest-grade one before?”
“That depends on the materials. My skill itself has already reached the summit.”
“Good. Then I will leave it in your hands. How much do you need as a down paynt?”
“I will need ten gold. The material costs for a finest-grade mask are beyond imagination.”
Without a mont’s hesitation, I picked up ten gold coins and handed them to Simon. He accepted them with trembling hands. Even after handing over ten, I still had quite a lot of gold left.
“How much more will I have to pay when it is finished?”
“That is for the Boss to decide.”
And with that, he lowered his head. He was careful not to show too much on his face. This one was no ordinary man. Very well. If he made sothing good, I would pay him generously.
“When it is done, I will give you twenty more gold. What do you think? Will that satisfy you?”
“Thank you for placing your trust in .”
Only then did he lift his head. Satisfaction was written all over his face. Sohow, it felt as though I was being overcharged, but whatever. It was easy money anyway.
“When can I have the finished product?”
“It will take more than a week just to gather the materials. To be safe, I believe you should allow about two weeks.”
I had ti to spare anyway. Besides, Kalmond would handle the Avengers’ affairs, so I only needed to show my face once the item was ready.
But what was one of the virtues a client ought to possess?
Pressure on deadlines.
“If you want to be paid properly, you had better bring it sooner than that. What I hate most is delays.”
“Understood. Before I leave, may I take a cast of your face?”
“What do you need a cast for? It would be a problem if it ca out exactly like my real face.”
“That is only to match the size so it will sit comfortably when worn. I guarantee it will never co out exactly the sa, so please do not worry.”
“If possible, put a knife scar across the cheek.”
I sent Kalmond outside for a mont. If I was going to show my face, I intended to prepare him ntally first and do it only when we were alone.
After all, there was a strong chance that he would recognize my face, and he could not possibly have good feelings toward . I had injured his n and even dealt them severe wounds before.
Of course, now that he possessed absolute loyalty toward , it might end with nothing more than surprise, but one never knew how human beings would react.
“Please close your eyes and remain at ease.”
Simon began applying a thick substance to my face, sothing like a mud pack.
“What is this made from?”
“It is a special liquid made by boiling down the extract of a sli.”
“Is that so?”
A sli, was it? It seed monsters existed in this world as well. Then again, I had not even been outside the village yet, so how was I supposed to know what lived out there?
The cold touch felt strange, but I endured it. After about five minutes had passed, Simon stopped fanning my face.
“I will remove it now. It may sting a little, so please bear with it.”
Removing it was not as painful as I had expected. Once he had finished taking the cast, Simon carefully placed the mold containing the shape of my face into his bag.
Then I asked him,
“By the way, what do you make these masks out of? Surely you are not using actual human skin.”
“We use a special kind of leather. Since this ti I must make a finest-grade mask, I will likely have to use sothing with magic imbued into it.”
“Is that not difficult to obtain? I heard that mages are exceedingly rare.”
“That may be so, but is there anything in this world that money cannot accomplish?”
With a aningful smile, Simon bowed and left. Soon after, Kalmond ca back in. His expression showed a trace of displeasure.
Resting my chin on one hand, I listened quietly as he spoke.
“Captain. What exactly are you planning to use that mask for? With thirty gold, we could expand the organization even further.”
“How long do you expect to keep wearing this scrap of iron on my face? If the Village Guard drags off for no reason, it will be a real nuisance.”
“Could you not simply go about without wearing it?”
I gave a small laugh.
“Why do you think a man goes around hiding his face?”
“Well, because he does not want to show it......”
“You understand that well enough, so why keep asking? I told you not to worry about money. We can earn as much of it as we please from now on.”
“Hm. My apologies.”
For the mont, I set aside twenty gold on the table and shoved all the rest toward Kalmond. Even that was still quite a considerable amount.
“Use it as a war chest. Gather so quick, capable n, and get the boys new weapons.”
“Thank you.”
“With this, how many n can you bring in?”
Kalmond thought for a mont before answering carefully.
“I believe we could reinforce our numbers by around twenty.”
“Not bad. Skilled n are one thing, but choose n who can be trusted. n you can entrust with real work. Understood?”
“I understand. Captain. But what about moving the hideout? It looks as though our location has been exposed not only to the Black Pig Gang, but to other groups as well.”
That was an important issue. So naturally, I had to think about it for a little while.
If I could stay here myself, then naturally I would have said no. But the problem was that I would soon have to return to the mansion and resu the ordinary daily life of a Butler Apprentice.
“Find sowhere larger and more secluded. Sowhere the n can train, and where it is easy to secure escape routes.”
“Understood. But when will you be returning, Captain?”
“I will stay here tonight. Tomorrow morning, I have to go back.”
“If it would not be presumptuous...... might I be permitted to see your honored face?”
So he was curious about my identity. I gave a faint laugh.
“There is no great problem in showing it to you. But if you see my face, you will be disappointed in a different way.”
“That is all right. I myself have only one eye, do I not?”
“No, it is not that sort of handicap. It is simply that there are circumstances. If the opportunity cos later, I will show you, so do not press the matter.”
“Understood.”
Originally, I had been thinking of showing it to him right away, but I decided to reconsider. No matter how much the Status Window babbled on about diamond-like loyalty, the human heart was not so easy to predict.
I intended to reveal my face only once I had drawn closer to him and truly ca to think of him as one of my hands and feet.
Of course, it would be best of all if, before that, his mories of faded from his mind.
Just then, the subordinates outside ca running in a panic.
“Captain! A ssenger has co from the Black Pig Gang!”
“A ssenger? Bring him in.”
Their reaction was quicker than I had expected. Slouching in the chair, I received my guest.
He was a well-built man wearing leather armor. His rough beard and thick muscles made a strong impression. He looked to hold a fairly high position.
“Release our Boss at once!”
“What?”
“I said release him!”
What kind of bastard is this supposed to be? Does he not know the first thing about negotiation?
With a small laugh, I ordered one of my n to bring Blackship in. He struggled desperately, but with his mouth gagged and his body bound twice over, he looked only pathetic.
Setting my foot on his head, I asked again,
“Say that again. My hearing has been poor lately, you see. Surely you did not just ask to release him empty-handed?”
“......”
“Why are you silent?”
The pig under my foot squird, his eyes clearly warning the ssenger not to act rashly. At that, the ssenger ground his teeth.
“What do you want?”
At last, now we were speaking the sa language. I removed my foot from the pig’s head and accepted the negotiation.
“A little money and a truce, perhaps?”
“How much is a little money?”
“Ten thousand gold.”
“You lunatic!”
Ten thousand gold was an enormous sum. More than enough to buy a mansion and a title besides.
But I had noticed that Blackship carried no small amount of money in his pouch. His treasure storehouse was probably packed with valuable things.
“I cannot agree to that. Ten thousand is outrageous! I am willing to pay one thousand.”
“Who cuts the offer down to one-tenth like that? Not even thugs would do that. If you have nothing else to say, go back. It cannot be helped.”
“Two thousand!”
“Boys, our guest is leaving! See him out!”
“Five thousand! No more than that!”
The ssenger shouted as though cornered. Folding my arms, I smiled.
“How about a little more?”
“You damned bastard! Then just kill him!”
“What do you an, kill him so easily? Even if it costs a lot, one ought to save a life first. Well then, how about six thousand?”
As I set my foot on the pig’s head again, the ssenger’s expression darkened. After thinking for a mont, he let out a sigh.
“Fine. We will prepare six thousand gold. But we need ti to gather it.”
“I can give you as much ti as you need. How much shall I grant?”
“One week.”
“Good. One week. We will choose the rendezvous point later, so co out there when the ti cos.”
“Understood.”
The ssenger departed. Blackship, who had been used as a bargaining chip, was stuffed back into the wardrobe, and my subordinates looked at in admiration.
“Six thousand gold! Incredible, Captain! With that money, we can grow the organization even more!”
“Perhaps. But it is not all good news.”
At my words, only Kalmond nodded. He continued what I had left unsaid.
“They only moved while calculating that they would take it all back from us anyway. They will pretend to hand over the six thousand gold and then strike us in the back. There will be a war in a week.”
The eyes of my subordinates turned serious. Even so, perhaps because they still had so pride left, they looked less cowed than eager for revenge. That was a good sign.
So I gave my order.
“We do not have much ti, but prepare as thoroughly as possible. Guard the prisoner well. As for , I intend to make a move of my own on the Black Pig Gang.”
“A move, you say......”
“You do not need to know. Do not try to know too much. You might get hurt.”
With a aningful smile, I leaned back in the chair.
User Comments
0 comments from readers