At first, he had not understood it, but as time passed, Proctor had no choice but to be convinced.
The Romain Merchant Guild had risen to become the undisputed greatest trading company on the continent. That was a fact that no one could deny.
Thanks to its unique strategies of small profits and quick turnover, and strict adherence to credit and trust, it had ascended to an unrivaled position that no other trading company could follow. But Proctor had no intention of following Count Romain’s methods.
“Whatever choice that bastard makes, I like the slave trade. No matter what happens, I will not change my line of business.”
In fact, the slave trade that Proctor ran could not be as lucrative as Count Romain’s had been in the past. Because of Tezeros’s characteristics, being skewed toward the north, there was no way to sell slaves off to coastal cities. The highlight of the slave trade was, without a doubt, female slave trading.
They were easier to sell than male slaves, and the profits were much greater. The greatest demand for female slaves was in the coastal cities. However, the three kingdoms of Lotus, Fearnold, and Andrea blocked the way by prohibiting the slave trade, so supplying them there was impossible from the start.
Because of this, Proctor had to focus his main business on buying male slaves and selling them off as northern mercenaries. Yet even though that was his primary source of income, Proctor’s interest lay solely in female slaves. The only way to satisfy Proctor’s pathological lust was through slaves.
He was a deviant with a perverted sexual appetite. Because he satisfied his urges through extremely sadistic methods involving beatings, a normal woman could not endure even a month. Therefore, Proctor continued to buy women whether they were sold or not.
“Slave girls are the best for playing around with for about a fortnight before selling them off.”
Smiling darkly, Proctor rose and closed the lid of the box filled with gold coins. Opening the secret safe door installed in the corner of the room, he carefully placed the box inside. The moment he closed the door and tried to turn around, a voice calling him from outside was heard.
“Master. Are you inside?”
It was the voice of the general manager, extremely familiar to Proctor.
“What is it?”
“Someone has come to see you. They say they must meet you, but I do not know what to do.”
Proctor tilted his head.
“I have no scheduled guests today… What do they look like?”
“They are dressed as typical mercenaries.”
“Is that so?”
Proctor silently rose. If they were customers dressed as mercenaries, he needed to meet them.
Mercenary bands were his biggest customers. He had already secured enough robust male slaves to sell off as mercenaries.
“I shall be right out.”
When Proctor went out to the reception room, his eyes went wide. It was after seeing the guests waiting.
‘What is this? They’re just brats who aren’t even twenty?’
He had thought they were from a mercenary band come to buy male slaves, but his expectations were completely off the mark. Proctor scanned the boys’ appearances with a suspicious gaze. First, the clothes they wore on the outside were overcoats that mercenaries favored. Thick overcoats that didn’t let moisture through easily and had good insulation were items especially preferred by mercenaries who often slept outdoors.
Seeing how frayed and faded they were, the boys seemed to have lived as mercenaries for quite a long time. It was a bit awkward that they were so young, but other than that, there was nothing particularly unusual. Their pants were similarly worn, comparable to their overcoats. Except for the fact that their shoes were quite high-quality, they looked exactly like mercenaries who had lived rough lives. Thinking they were similar to the leather shoes that knights favored, Proctor snorted inwardly.
‘The nerve of mercenaries, walking around in such pricey shoes…’
Quickly changing his expression, Proctor put on a smiling face. It was a fake smile born of threadbare merchant tactics.
“Welcome. So, what brings you here?”
When Proctor spoke, the boy on the left slowly raised his head. In an instant, Proctor felt a chilling shiver. The gaze shot toward him was extremely brutal. Surprised, Proctor unconsciously took a step back. The next moment, a cold, eerie voice drilled into his ears.
“You don’t remember me? Proctor.”
“Wh-who?”
“I suppose so. To you, my sister and I must be trivial existences not even worth remembering.”
A light of absurdity settled in Proctor’s eyes. A bratty mercenary he had never met was suddenly speaking down to him, and his tone clearly seemed to be picking a fight. He was so furious that smoke might as well have been billowing from his head, but Proctor was, as expected, a shrewd man.
Instead of replying, he carefully studied the other’s face. Before long, he realized that the face was quite familiar.
“Huh? Y-you are….”
A nasty smirk hung on the boy mercenary’s lips.
“So you’ve figured it out. You’re stupider than I thought, aren’t you?”
Proctor barely managed to compose his flustered mind. Regaining his cool, he subtly gestured. The guards lined up along the walls approached and surrounded the boy mercenaries. Also, as a group of soldiers re-entered the reception room, Proctor was finally able to relax.
“Now that I look at you, you’re Ilina’s younger brother who broke into the mansion long ago to kill me. Sorry I didn’t recognize you at first? Judging by your looks, you’ve become a mercenary.”
“No, no need to be sorry. I have no desire to be remembered by the likes of you….”
As Gerald, maintaining a challenging posture, kept spitting out rude words, Proctor also began to seethe slightly. Being spoken to disrespectfully by a brat who wasn’t even a third of his age was certainly not a pleasant experience. And Proctor, a shrewd merchant, knew well how to retort properly.
“You’re an ill-mannered whelp. Still, your sister was quite a decent wench… Especially the screams she let out while being beaten by me were first-rate.”
Sparks ignited in Gerald’s eyes.
“You son of a bitch.”
Without realizing it, Gerald reached for the sword at his waist, but Heinrich calmly restrained him.
“Hold back, Gerald. We have to remember why we came.”
Barely composing himself, Gerald threw a scorching gaze.
“I’ve come to challenge you to a duel.”
“A duel?”
“That’s right. My family was ruined because of you. I’ve come to exact the price for that.”
Proctor burst into a coarse laugh as if amused.
“Hehehe. A lowly mercenary brat challenging me to a duel? Even a passing dog would laugh at that.”
“Does that mean you won’t accept the duel because I’m a mercenary?”
“No, I shall accept it. However, since I know nothing of swordsmanship, it should be permissible for me to field a champion in my place, yes?”
As it was the reaction he had expected, Gerald readily nodded.
“Of course.”
As if having made up his mind about something, a strange light settled in Proctor’s pupils.
“Might I ask which mercenary band you belong to?”
“You probably won’t know it even if I tell you. It’s a small mercenary band with only seven members….”
A thick smile clung to Proctor’s lips.
“Very well. But if we are to have a duel, there should be conditions, shouldn’t there? What do you want from me as the price of the duel?”
“……….”
“Do you want compensation for your dead family?”
It was a condition he disliked immensely, but Gerald silently nodded. He wanted to demand the bastard’s life, but that was impossible from the start. Had the opponent been versed in swordsmanship, he could rightfully demand his life, but the opponent was a merchant. The only thing that could be extracted from a merchant was money. Moreover, if he demanded his life, there was no way the bastard would agree to the match.
“That is correct.”
When Gerald agreed, an extremely cruel smile flitted across Proctor’s lips.
“Compensation… Very well. I shall compensate you. No matter how much you demand. In exchange, I shall set a condition as well.”
“Speak.”
Proctor slowly spat out the words with gleaming eyes.
“If I am victorious, you will surrender both your arms. If I do that, you won’t be able to bother me anymore, will you? I would like to demand both your legs as well, but I shall restrain myself at that.”
“What?”
Gerald was startled by the unexpected demand. He could not help but be shaken when asked for both arms, which were more important than life to a swordsman. But in the current situation, the one holding the upper hand was Proctor.
“If you refuse, I will not agree to the duel. What will you do?”
Gerald trembled with rage, then nodded as if he had no choice.
“You’re as malicious as ever. Fine. I accept the condition.”
“Very well. The duel shall take place tomorrow at this time. Well, I have no intention of preparing any spectators.”
“Of course. I have no desire for that either.”
“Then come tomorrow. Considering you are the younger brother of my former wife, I shall cut off your arms neatly….”
Gerald, glaring at Proctor with a gaze as if to devour him, quietly rose.
“I shall come tomorrow.”
As if unwilling to stay a moment longer in the enemy’s house, Gerald turned on his heel. Heinrich, who glanced at Proctor’s face, followed after him.
Proctor stared holes into their retreating figures, his characteristic eyes gleaming. Shortly after Gerald and Heinrich left, Proctor called for the general manager without delay.
“Contact the Lotus Mercenary Band immediately and tell their captain, Tinarr, to bring all one hundred of his subordinate mercenaries here.”
Lotus was the mercenary band directly operated by the Proctor Trading Company. To be precise, it was closer to a violent organization than a mercenary band. They lived by wielding violence for the affairs of Proctor’s establishments and receiving set compensation, but there were also times when they committed murder on Proctor’s orders.
However, thanks to Proctor’s connections to the public security forces, it was rare for them to be punished even when they committed crimes. Proctor’s specialty was skillfully manipulating the law, and therefore even if a murder occurred, investigations were either blocked at the starting stage or fizzled out if they began. Such cases were the norm.
Because of this, the members of the Lotus Mercenary Band devoted themselves fervently to Proctor. Proctor seemed intent on calling in the entirety of the Lotus Mercenary Band to deal with Gerald.
The general manager looked at Proctor somewhat anxiously.
“But do you intend to give him compensation?”
Proctor widened his eyes as if that were absurd.
“Have you lost your mind? Why would I give hard-earned money to a lowly beggar like him?”
“But Captain Tinarr’s swordsmanship is not that excellent. You must consider the possibility of losing if he is an experienced mercenary.”
“Do not worry. The duel is merely a formality….”
A cruel smile spread across Proctor’s lips.
“Tinarr is more of a professional brawler than a mercenary. There is no one more suitable for making sure the opponent is killed. And regardless of the duel, those two brats will never leave this place alive. Since they belong to a small mercenary band with only seven members, the cleanup should be relatively easy as well….”
“Ah, I understand.”
“You should look for a place to bury those two cleanly without a trace.”
Finished speaking, Proctor turned away blankly. This was precisely how Proctor handled matters.
“This is perfect. I was always bothered that I couldn’t finish him off properly back then… This time, I ought to clean this up thoroughly so there are no loose ends.”