Keldric immediately stepped into the Mormon Trading House
As he entered, the merchants and staff inside began whispering to each other, glancing at him from time to time.
Keldric, however, entered quietly without much thought, but that was as far as it went.
“Hey, you.”
“Y-yes, honorable Sir Keldric of the Bellaf family! Did you call for me?”
“Right. Go and check if Anshelm is here. Also, tell him I’ve arrived.”
“Understood!”
Keldric’s expression and tone were noticeably different from usual.
Although they hadn’t known each other for long, the quick-witted staff and merchants immediately sensed that Keldric was in a bad mood.
“He seemed fine not long ago, but why is he like this today?”
“I don’t know, man. Shut up and keep your head down.”
“Hey, hey, he’s looking this way.”
It was already shocking that a knight had barged in suddenly, but if that knight was in a bad mood, it could only mean disaster.
Like people praying for survival in the face of a natural disaster, the merchants and staff could only silently go about their work, watching Keldric’s every move.
Some even tiptoed, fearing that even the slightest disturbance might provoke Keldric’s temper.
Meanwhile, Alisa, who had entered the building with Keldric, looked at him with a slightly bewildered expression.
Although Alisa hadn’t known Keldric for long, she thought she had a decent understanding of him.
But that was a naïve thought. This was the first time Alisa had seen Keldric set such a tense atmosphere.
“S-Sir Keldric, are you alright?”
Alisa asked cautiously, and Keldric, after quickly checking his surroundings, whispered to her.
“I’m just setting the mood. I’m not really angry.”
“Ah, I see.”
“It’s nothing, so don’t worry. Just stay quiet and wait.”
Soon, the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs could be heard, and a staff member who had gone up to the second floor approached Keldric.
“Sir Keldric, you may go up now.”
Keldric strode forward confidently.
Alisa stood frozen in place, staring blankly at his back.
“…Hah, really.”
Alisa didn’t know why Keldric was here, but one thing was clear:
Anshelm’s future was about to split into two paths.
Either he would get caught up with Keldric and go to meet his daughter, or he would give Keldric even more money than before in order to save his life.
Keldric wasn’t the kind of knight who was only after money, but at this point, no smarter approach seemed to come to mind.
☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩
Anshelm greeted Keldric with a slightly nervous expression.
Keldric, as usual, sat down naturally at the seat of honor but didn’t take his eyes off Anshelm’s face.
‘Why… why is he acting like this?’
Anshelm felt like he was about to die.
When they had met a few days ago, Keldric had acted like the gentlest person in the world. Now, however, he was handling his mace as if he were about to smash Anshelm’s skull, and the atmosphere was terrifying.
Keldric didn’t have a hobby of collecting human skulls, but if one judged by his current presence, it almost seemed that way.
“Anshelm, Chairman of the Guild.”
“Y-yes, Sir Keldric.”
“Do you know why I came to find you?”
Anshelm pretended to know nothing.
There were a few things he suspected, but he continued to sweat coldly and looked as if he were about to cry, as if to suggest that those things had nothing to do with Keldric.
“I… I don’t know. What would someone like me, a lowly merchant, know?”
“We’ll see about that.”
Anshelm’s complexion began to grow even paler.
He might have thought that Keldric, staying here as a guest of Sir Hermann, would never shed blood, but that was a naive thought.
Knights were the type to handle their own futures to some extent, and those who came to a dead end were often those who caused disasters.
Vellam was the domain of Baron Yaben, and Anshelm, living in Vellam, was a subject that the Baron should protect. But that didn’t mean that a piece of metal, potentially smashing his skull, would be stopped just because he was a protected subject.
If Anshelm hadn’t done anything wrong, it could have been a serious problem.
However, it was just an issue now, and in reality, the chance of Baron Yaben or Sir Hermann harshly punishing Keldric was slim.
If it came to that, Anshelm would be the one to pay the price.
“More importantly, I came here because I want to ask you a few things.”
As Anshelm swallowed dry saliva, imagining the uncertain future, Keldric lowered his voice, trying to sound heavy.
He wasn’t actually angry.
He was slightly irritated, but it wasn’t enough to lose his composure.
Keldric realized that in order to sway the guildmaster in front of him, a certain level of pressure and intimidation was necessary.
As Keldric assumed a heavier tone, Anshelm immediately nodded without any hesitation.
“If I can answer, I will gladly speak. What would you like to know…?”
“Well… As you know, I’ve been staying in the Duchy thanks to Sir Hermann’s kindness.”
“Ah, yes, I know.”
When a knight visits, Sir Hermann, who rules the city, invites them to the castle and treats them well.
Anshelm hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, but it was common knowledge.
“So, a few days ago, I had a chance to speak with the guildmaster of the artisans who was recently arrested.”
“Oh, really?”
Keldric subtly observed Anshelm’s expression.
Anshelm’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and the frequency of cold sweat dripping down his jowls increased, which caught Keldric’s attention.
“Sir Hermann seems to think the guildmaster of the artisans is the culprit. But I don’t believe that.”
“Why… why do you think that…?”
“I thought the guildmaster was captured too easily. Frankly speaking, if he had really committed such an act, he wouldn’t have openly challenged my honor like this. Don’t you think?”
Keldric confirmed that Anshelm was clearly disturbed.
On the surface, it looked like he was simply nervous from Keldric’s intimidation, but it was likely something more than that.
“Well… usually, those who commit vile deeds don’t think things through properly! The guildmaster was always someone driven by greed!”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes! Last time, he hiked up the prices of artisan goods all at once, and it made our lives unbearable!”
“Huh…”
Keldric’s attitude suggested that he was listening intently to Anshelm’s words.
Anshelm, at his core, was a merchant.
Merchants, by nature, had to be skilled in negotiation in order to haggle over goods, and this also applied to Anshelm, who was, in a way, persuading Keldric with a form of indirect persuasion.
“That’s not all! Three months ago, when the wagon used by the guild broke down, I asked them to make new wheels, but they charged me double the usual price! What a ruthless man!”
“Oh? The guild’s wagon broke? That must’ve been a huge hassle.”
“It was a nightmare! We needed the wagon urgently, but the guild staff didn’t even maintain it properly!”
Keldric, who had been pressuring Anshelm moments ago, seemed to forget that entirely, quietly nodding along as he listened to Anshelm’s words.
Seeing this, Anshelm felt a sense of relief. He thought he had gotten out of a dangerous situation.
“What kind of goods were you transporting?”
“Food, mostly. Wine, bread, cheese, and meat.”
“Was it a long trip?”
“It was quite far. We had to go all the way to Robernst.”
“With that many wagons… the quantity must’ve been quite large. Food is always one of the more difficult things to transport, isn’t it?”
“Exactly, Keldric. We needed the wagons urgently, and I had to pay extra to get the wheels fixed, but… I still shudder thinking about it. The artisan guildmaster is just so greedy.”
“But Anshelm…”
Anshelm, who had let his guard down slightly, stopped mid-sentence.
The oppressive atmosphere he had felt earlier was no longer present, but suddenly, Keldric’s heavy mace was on the desk in front of him.
“…Y-Yes?”
“You sent food to the domain? To Robernst?”
“Such a coincidence, wouldn’t you agree?”
Keldric’s eyes glinted sharply.
His gaze, as deep as it was, seemed to reflect that he was quickly sorting through his thoughts.
‘Anshelm sent food to Robernst three months ago,’ he thought.
And Sir Hermann’s uncle, Ulrich, had died and been brought back to his estate a little over two months ago.
Considering the timing, it was not just coincidental—it felt like an irrefutable piece of evidence.
Keldric stared intently at Anshelm.
Only then did Anshelm realize his mistake, and his face visibly crumbled.
“You sent food through the guild’s traders, didn’t you? If you did, then a transaction receipt in the name of the Mormon Guild would have been left behind…”
“W-What are you—?”
“If you sent the food using your own wagons, there wouldn’t be such a receipt. You would’ve simply sent the food directly, in your name.”
Anshelm had created two significant problems for himself.
The first was the heavy mace that was dangling in front of him, and the second was the subtle yet undeniable murderous intent and pressure radiating from Keldric.
It was like trying to juggle apples while doing a handstand in front of a tiger—Anshelm, in this violent atmosphere, knew it was impossible to escape unscathed.
Anshelm tensed up, but just as suddenly, Keldric’s atmosphere relaxed. The tension left Anshelm, and he unwittingly spilled more information.
“Mix a little poison into the food, and then the agent in Robernst will quietly tamper with it… Isn’t it you who’s devious?”
“Wh-what are you saying…! I swear, it wasn’t me!” Anshelm protested, flustered.
“Oh? Is that so? Then, let me ask you something else.”
Anshelm couldn’t believe it. Keldric’s sudden change in tone and the direction this conversation was taking seemed to signal something entirely new.
“That’s right. I mentioned the artisan guildmaster earlier.”
“Y-Yes! The artisan guildmaster! You must deal with him! How dare he betray Bellam and Lord Yaben! He must be punished!”
“Oh? Is that so? That’s strange.”
“What do you mean… what’s strange?”
“As far as I recall, I never mentioned the crimes of the artisan guildmaster to you. How did you know he betrayed Lord Yaben and Bellam?”
Anshelm’s face drained of color, turning almost ashen. He froze, unable to speak, his lips quivering, and eventually, he clammed up.
“The artisan guildmaster has already confessed. He said you were the real traitor.”
“…What?”
“Did you receive instructions from Lord Gebhardt? You must have seen this chaos as an opportunity for yourself. Besides, you don’t believe in the faith, do you?”
This was a lie. What Keldric had heard from the artisan guildmaster was nothing but desperate pleas for mercy. Furthermore, the claims about Lord Gebhardt and the heresy were nearly delusional.
Yet, this lie struck at the perfect moment. It landed with devastating impact.
Anshelm collapsed to the floor as if crushed, his body trembling violently. He then grabbed Keldric’s ankle, looking up at him with fearful, shaking eyes.
“…K-Keldric, how much do you want?”
“What?”
“I’ll give you all the money I have! If that’s not enough, I’ll work hard and give you more! Just please, don’t tell Lord Hermann! Please!”
Anshelm was already imagining his future, roasting on the fire like kindling, as he trembled in fear.
The truth was, Anshelm’s true identity was something that could never be revealed. Keldric’s accusations were based on little more than fantasy. There was no concrete evidence whatsoever. This was something only a knight like Keldric, who would throw away all legalities and act recklessly, could pull off.
“Then, just one last question.”
Keldric subtly softened his tone, adding a small smile to his expression.
His emotional shift was surprisingly delicate for a knight, and Anshelm, stunned by this sudden change, could only stare blankly at Keldric.
“Did you use some trick, Joseph from Carlton Village?”
“W-What do you mean…?”
“Joseph said he was instructed by Lord Gebhardt, but I don’t believe someone like him, just a mere merchant, would have any ties to Lord Gebhardt.”
If Anshelm revealed everything, he would certainly lose his life. But if he didn’t speak, his skull would be shattered right here, right now.
“I… I introduced them! I… I introduced Joseph to that bastard, Lord Gebhardt! I deeply regret it!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! Yes, please, if you spare me…!”
BANG!
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed, followed by a horrifying snapping sound.
For a moment, Anshelm’s ears rang, and he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. It wasn’t until he saw his arm, mangled and bleeding, that he understood.
“G-GAAAH!!”
“Master Guild Leader, are you alright?!”
Anshelm’s scream reverberated through the building, and several employees rushed in, only to freeze in terror when they saw the scene before them.
Anshelm lay on the floor, his arm crushed, and Keldric stood over him, holding a heavy mace.
“U-uh, is everything alright?” one of the employees nervously asked.
“Nothing to see here! Apologies for the interruption!”
The more perceptive employees quickly retreated, realizing the severity of the situation—Keldric’s terrifying presence and the state Anshelm was in made it clear he had done something gravely wrong.
BANG! CRASH!
Ignoring all that, Keldric crushed Anshelm’s legs, rendering them useless. If Anshelm had introduced Joseph and Lord Gebhardt, it was essentially his fault that the Bellaf family was attacked and Yakov was killed.
“Aghhh! Hhhnng!”
Anshelm, his eyes bloodshot and drooling, was dragged by the neck as if he were trash. Keldric pulled him down to the first floor, where the building was now eerily empty, the merchants having fled.
“K-Keldric, sir?”
Only Alisa, looking stunned, was left to watch in shock.
Keldric said nothing as he continued dragging Anshelm, each pull drawing louder screams from him.
“Kendrick-gyeong! I-isn’t that Ansellum, the head of the guild? How did this happen…?”
“There were bugs on his arms and legs. I personally took care of it.”
Alisa was at a loss for words.
Kendrick casually placed Ansellum, like a sack of goods, behind the saddle and mounted Boreas.
“Are we not going back to the castle?”
“Ah, well… yes…”
Even with two people on him, Boreas began to move forward with strength.
As they headed toward the castle, Kendrick, feeling unexpectedly refreshed, hummed a tune without realizing it.
‘Maybe I should’ve done this earlier.’
Alisa, who was leading the horse beside him, could only look at Kendrick with a slightly disgusted expression.
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