Chapter 140

Chapter 140. A Fish Out of Water

First, after settling Shine—who was having a full-blown meltdown—I calmly re-evaluated our current standing.

“You’re certain, right? When we see each other again, you have to say it. If you don’t, then…….”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m a dog. A dog. Got it? So just drop it already, ugh.”

Unbelievable……

Missing the detail was my mistake, I’ll admit, but looking back, I had plenty of grievances of my own to voice.

To be fair, we didn’t even have the Infinite Chain in our possession yet, and there were countless other complications weighing on us.

Anyway, returning to the subject of the Infinite Chain.

I shoved the manic Shine into a far corner of the room and continued to dwell on it.

‘For the moment, the junior head has taken the bait, but…….’

Even if the lure had been struck, this wasn’t a scenario where I could afford to relax.

That’s how fishing goes.

Does the job finish the second the fish bites? Hardly.

Sometimes clever fish snatch only the bait and dart away, and the massive ones often snap the fishing line entirely.

Of course, I wasn’t claiming the junior head was some tactical genius.

If anything……

‘……He’s the trophy-fish variety.’

My concern was the junior head snapping the line with a careless yank.

No—“darting away” wasn’t the right description.

“Darting away” implies the junior head intentionally fleeing, and he didn’t strike me as someone that devoid of integrity.

Still, though.

“……I just don’t like it.”

“What’s the matter?”

I looked up at the sound of Parun’s voice.

Parun had stepped out momentarily and returned carrying two coffees. I reached out to grab one by instinct.

No—I tried to.

“That one isn’t for you.”

With that, Parun drained the cold coffee in one swallow.

“…….”

Parun sat beside me holding the remaining cup, and witnessing that made my faith in humanity plummet.

Still, I suppose the silver lining was that Parun hadn’t bought coffee exclusively for himself? Regardless.

“So what is bothering you? Didn’t everything turn out according to the plan?”

I retracted my hand awkwardly and nodded.

“For now, I suppose.”

Of course, the phrase “according to the plan” was a stretch.

Since the moment we stepped into Lortel until this very second—

Not once had things proceeded the way I intended.

The sudden confrontation with the Third Sword, for starters, and the rude, uninvited guest turning out to be Lortel’s junior head?!

It was an endless string of jolts, one after another!

However—

‘If you focus solely on the outcome, it did track with the plan.’

Either way, I had presented an offer to the junior head.

And the junior head had reacted favorably.

So what was the issue?

“The junior head took the bait, didn’t he? The hook is set firmly in his jaw.”

“And?”

Thinking back intently, there was exactly one element I hadn’t factored in.

“The line could still snap.”

“The line snaps? You mean the junior head reneges on the agreement? He didn’t seem like the type.”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

At my prompt, Parun took a sip of his coffee and replied without a pause.

“He didn’t strike me as a man without integrity.”

“……Integrity?”

I tilted my head at a response that felt completely uncharacteristic of Parun, and he offered a slight smirk.

“It’s a joke. What concept is more like a mirage than ‘integrity’? Still, from the junior head’s perspective, there’s no gain in creating more enemies.”

Ah. A joke.

Not funny in the slightest.

But setting aside the grim humor, Parun’s point had merit.

“Right. No need to cultivate new foes. He won’t want to cross blades with clandestine groups like the Mage Tower or the Sword Institute.”

The Mage Tower and the Sword Institute—at first, they were just entities I’d conjured as a makeshift cover, but as the conversation deepened, they had gained unintended credibility.

From the junior head’s or the Third Sword’s perspective, likely……

‘Magap Kalium.’

A secret relic never unveiled to the public—

And—

‘The history behind the collapse of House Impir.’

Deculan’s depravity.

Wouldn’t we appear as a group with deep intelligence networks that possessed those two secrets?

They wouldn’t buy it completely, but they’d keep the possibility in mind: what if the Mage Tower and the Sword Institute were actually real?

Essentially, without trying to, I’d effectively issued a threat like this:

Oh, you decide not to keep your word? Then we won’t just stand by, you know?

No matter how prominent he was as Lortel’s junior head, it would be a major headache to cross swords with organizations like that.

But.

“Somehow…… I suspect that might be the root of the problem.”

“What do you mean?”

It’s like this.

“Let’s put aside the junior head, who is blinded by his obsession with Deculan. And the Third Sword follows the junior head’s lead, so he likely doesn’t weigh the importance of the Mage Tower and Sword Institute much.”

If you view it only that way, our big-fish junior head wouldn’t break the line.

But there was a factor I hadn’t considered.

For our junior head, regardless of the Mage Tower or Sword Institute, he only needs to secure the prize on the hook.

Because Deculan is the target anyway.

But—

‘……This pond known as Lortel contains more than just the junior head.’

In this pond, there was a creature vastly larger than the junior head.

No—not a fish.

The master of the pond.

“……How would Lortel’s Head of House view this situation?”

“Lortel’s Head of House?”

“I mean, think about it. One day, your son arrives carrying something immense. Magap Kalium! The truth behind the fall of House Impir! From the Head of House’s point of view, what would that be? Would he think, yes, this is perfect?”

“That…… hmm.”

Parun struggled to respond.

“A tough question. But…… he’d be curious about the origin of the intelligence.”

“Right? And that source is supposedly the Mage Tower and Sword Institute—shadowy organizations no one has ever heard of. If you were in his shoes, what would you do?”

“If it were me…….”

Parun fell into deep contemplation for a moment.

And it wasn’t long before he answered.

“Rather than the Infinite Chain or the secrets of House Impir…… I think I’d become fixated on those two mysterious organizations.”

Precisely. Exactly.

In the pond known as Lortel—

The junior head is a fish that only wants to satiate its hunger, but Lortel’s Head of House is the owner of the pond.

He has to do more than just satisfy his own appetite—he needs to expand the pond called Lortel and ensure the fish within are well-fed.

And to a Head of House like that, the Mage Tower and Sword Institute represent an incredibly intriguing prospect for bolstering the pond.

So if I were the Head of House……

‘I’d snap the line.’

Void the agreement entirely.

And then—

‘I’d step out of the pond, and instead of consuming the bait, I’d consume the fisherman holding the tackle box.’

Oh, and for the record, the owner of the pond can navigate both land and water.

I only used fishing as a metaphor—neither the junior head nor the Head of House were actually aquatic animals.

“Do you see why I’m uneasy now?”

“……You mean the negotiation table could be overturned. And beyond that……”

“The negotiation partner could shift.”

If that occurred, it would no longer be a negotiation.

It would depend on the Head of House’s temperament, but……

‘……If I were him, I’d tear the fisherman to pieces and scatter him throughout the pond.’

Of course, that was the worst-case scenario.

If the Head of House intervened, that nebulous danger—‘we might be crossing the Mage Tower and Sword Institute’—would no longer restrain him.

If anything…… the more risk he perceived, the more he’d hunger for it.

‘Locations that reek of danger always offer the most profit.’

Just as that thought crossed my mind—

“But isn’t that borrowing trouble? Wouldn’t it depend on how the junior head manages things?”

“That’s true. But…….”

As I trailed off, Parun spoke up.

“I understand that unexpected variables created a fresh risk. If everything had gone as planned, you wouldn’t have had to fabricate those imaginary groups.”

“Correct.”

If things had gone according to plan, we would’ve remained the scavengers who pilfered Deculan’s Scarlet Flame—nothing more.

To the owner of the pond, we wouldn’t have appeared very savory.

The intelligence is impressive, granted…… but we’d be little more than minnows worth noting.

“But just because the risk arises from an unforeseen variable doesn’t mean the event will definitely come to pass. And even if it does, what can we do about it?”

“There’s…… absolutely nothing. Yeah. You’re right.”

Just because it’s a risk stemming from an unexpected variable doesn’t mean the situation will necessarily manifest.

Meaning, the owner lurking at the depths of the pond might not give us a second thought.

But for some reason—

A sudden, ominous intuition.

That intuition clung to my consciousness and kept scratching at my chest.

……And two days later.

Deep in the night.

I realized this dread would not end as a mere possibility.

Knock knock.

“……Looks like I’ve found the right location.”

Did he dispatch people to track us down?

Even though there was still one day remaining until the scheduled date, the Third Sword arrived at the inn in person.

Judging by the oversized cloak pulled over his frame, this was clearly a clandestine matter.

Well, our meeting itself was kept secret, but it didn’t feel like it was purely due to the Infinite Chain.

As I stared at the Third Sword in bewilderment—

He spoke.

“There is someone who wishes to meet you.”

In that heartbeat, I understood.

‘……Damn it.’

The fishing line had snapped.

The master of the pond had emerged onto dry land.

First, we made a few hasty preparations and trailed the Third Sword.

“If there is someone who wishes to meet us, then surely…….”

“……Yes. It is the Head of House.”

At the Third Sword’s confirmation, I couldn’t help but exhale a quiet, jagged breath.

‘Why is it that ominous premonitions are never wrong?’

But only for a second did I feel defeated.

I resolved to view this as optimistically as possible.

‘If it’s the pond’s owner, he would tear us apart and grow his domain…… but, you know, that’s only if it were me.’

Now that I admit it, I know my own nature is wretched.

If you rounded up a hundred short-tempered bastards and stood them in a line, wouldn’t I confidently place in the top few?

……That realization lasted only an instant.

I let out another soft sigh.

‘……No chance.’

Not the top few—I’d likely struggle to even rank in the top hundred.

Even with my internal optimism running at maximum capacity, the likelihood that Lortel’s Head of House is a better person than me is essentially zero.

At this stage, I at least needed to discern the circumstances.

“So…… why does the Head of House, lofty as the sky above Lortel, wish to see us?”

“Hm. I believe he is intrigued by your proposal.”

“What did the junior head relay?”

“That…… hm.”

Walking in front, the Third Sword stalled. His steady gait faltered for reasons unknown.

He regained his composure quickly, but that brief hesitation was more than enough to feed my mounting anxiety.

A moment later, the Third Sword spoke.

“……He reported it exactly as it occurred.”

Yeah, right.

He definitely embellished every single detail.

From the junior head’s perspective, this deal was mandatory.

And if possible, he’d want to strike at Deculan while also dismantling whatever the Eight Elders were supposed to be.

To accomplish that, he would’ve inflated the source of the intelligence, and in the process, the Mage Tower and Sword Institute would’ve transformed into enigmatic organizations of unrivaled mystique and overwhelming power.

As that realization settled in, my gaze naturally sharpened.

It wasn’t long before the Third Sword spoke once more.

“You appear to be misinterpreting something…… The junior head did everything in his power to uphold the promise to you. In doing so, he piqued the Head of House’s interest. That is all.”

Ah. I see.

Then it seemed the dialogue between the Head of House and the junior head had unfolded differently than I anticipated.

Rather than exaggerating us to make his claims more convincing, he likely embellished things to stress the importance of honoring the agreement with us.

But even so, the outlook wasn’t favorable.

Because—

‘……The Head of House was planning to grab the bait and reel us in.’

One thing became crystal clear.

Lortel’s Head of House is a morally bankrupt degenerate who has no concept of integrity!

Then why would such a degenerate summon us?

‘Not good. Very, very not good.’

No matter how I analyzed it, nothing beneficial came to mind.

As we navigated the winding alleys following the Third Sword toward Lortel—

Halt.

That was when the Third Sword stopped.

“……?”

“Wait a moment. I have some thoughts to organize.”

If we cleared this alley, we would be immediately at Lortel’s citadel, yet the Third Sword ceased moving abruptly.

He shut his eyes and sank into thought—and in that window, I had to reach a decision as well.

‘Three against one.’

The Third Sword is vulnerable.

If we launched a surprise attack……

Could we still retreat, even now?

Certainly, if we did that, the Infinite Chain would be lost—but we could escape the monster known as Lortel’s Head of House.

At the very least, we wouldn’t be turned into fish food instantly.

In the end, it was a choice between dealing with Deculan down the road, or the Lortel Head of House standing right before us.

That was the dilemma.

And it didn’t take long for me to decide.

‘Alright. My mind is made up.’

My choice was……

But at that moment, the Third Sword turned back.

With a solemn expression as if he’d hardened his resolve, he looked at us.

“Bringing you here was the order of the Head of House. However, the junior head issued a separate instruction.”

“……?”

The tone was strange.

As if the junior head had issued a mandate that contradicted the Head of House’s.

And my assumption was perfectly correct.

“The junior head left a message along with his orders.”

What was that message?

The Third Sword repeated the junior head’s words.

“‘Go back.’”

And—

The agreement will be honored, regardless of anything.

When I heard that, I realized—

‘……That seals it.’

If we encounter the Head of House, we are absolutely doomed.

Without a doubt.