Chapter 210: Brilliantly Dazzlingly (4)
Cain’s party decided to launch a two-pronged operation.
Duke Morning and Cardinal Aurelia will officially visit the Mytilene Auction House to divert attention solely focused on the grand auction and prevent their plan to use ‘pureum’.
Cain had to stay under the radar until their plan came to fruition, as he would only make his appearance then.
And there was a very suitable task for him to do beneath the surface.
“H…… Hero.”
Allen called Cain, who was standing behind him, with an awkward expression.
Dressed in ordinary attire of a rural nobleman’s escort, unlike his usual clothes, Cain shook his head.
“Please don’t call me that. I am just Young Master Allen’s very ordinary escort.”
Whoosh—
At the same time, Cain’s fist reached Allen’s back.
Cain spoke in a low voice.
“Get a hold of yourself.”
“Y, Yes sir!”
Allen hurriedly straightened his back, stood up properly, and began to walk.
Next to Cain was Elena, dressed as a knight. Protected by the two, Allen strutted down the main street of the Mytilene Auction House.
“I’m hungry.”
Allen cautiously said.
He couldn’t understand.
He was told he was being used as bait, but what he was doing was no different from his usual self.
He was just walking around in the precious clothes that his family had packed for him, just like he always did, and Cain seemed to like it.
Allen couldn’t understand it at all.
“Restaurants are also places where a lot of things happen.”
Cain nodded.
“Usually, in novels, incidents happen because people say the wrong things while eating.”
Elena added.
The two glanced at Allen’s face.
He was the perfect girl for this.
“Let’s go. To a place where this jerk’s mouth can cause trouble.”
Allen made a tearful face.
Listening to Cain and Elena, it seemed like he was the troublemaker.
He wondered how he came to hear the same things he heard from his parents and brother from a hero and a princess, even though he was out of his territory, and headed to the restaurant.
There was a place he had been looking at since the day before yesterday.
🔹🔹🔹
Allen was beyond expectations.
“Do you know who I am?! I am Allen Enges, the second son of Baron Enges! How dare a mere restaurant stand in my way!”
Allen’s scream echoed.
The restaurant he was headed to was a luxurious-looking place, wrapped in white exterior materials and decorated with green and brown ornaments to create a classy atmosphere.
When Cain asked Allen if he had looked into the place beforehand, Allen said he didn’t know what they sold, but he wanted to go because it looked nice.
“I’m sorry, but only those who have made reservations can enter here.”
The large manager in front of the restaurant seemed used to this.
He spoke to Allen in a calm, flat tone, and Allen shook his head. And he pointed his finger at the people outside the restaurant window who were looking at him like an animal at the zoo.
“What are you talking about?! I clearly saw some people just walk in.”
“They are probably VIP customers. We always keep the top floor reserved for them.”
At the manager’s words, Cain and Elena clenched their fists.
Allen was excellent bait.
To think he would choose a restaurant that was so perfect for causing a stir.
Allen shouted, forgetting about the presence of the two.
“Then you’re saying that I, Allen Enges, am not a VIP? How dare a mere commoner insult the Baron Enges of the Empire?!”
“……Sigh.”
The manager let out a low sigh.
It wasn’t uncommon for nobles to barge in so rudely and recklessly, but it always flustered him.
In this world, where social status was firmly established, there was nothing he could do about it, even if he was angry.
At that moment.
“Aren’t you Allen-nim of the Baron Enges?!”
Someone approached.
A healthy-looking man with tanned skin and dark blonde hair.
Cain and Elena knew from the start that he had been watching them from afar.
“Yes, do you know me?”
Allen asked back triumphantly.
“Of course. How could anyone not know the Baron Enges of the southern Empire? Everyone knows of your fame, Allen-nim!”
“Haha.”
Allen laughed as if he was pleased.
On the other hand, Cain was certain.
The Baron Enges might be known for their iron ore, but he was sure that the guy had just overheard and repeated what he had heard.
“Yes, what is your name?”
Allen asked as if he was doing him a favor. The man bowed his head politely and said.
“My name is Wickliffe Codin. I am working for the Codin Merchant Guild, although I am lacking.”
“Mer-… chant Guild?”
Allen’s face crumpled.
Tucker Spencer’s face came to mind. Wickliffe was taken aback by Allen’s sudden reaction.
Usually, these arrogant nobles thought of merchants as their personal piggy banks, so they would say they would pay them back anytime and then run away.
Wickliffe thought Allen was one of those typical guys, but he couldn’t help but hesitate because his reaction was different from what he expected.
“I heard that Allen-nim lost the escorts he brought from his territory yesterday due to an attack by the Spencer Merchant Guild.”
It was Cain.
He spoke up at the right time, easing Allen’s tension and starting to talk about themselves.
“And we are mercenaries hired here.”
“Aha.”
Wickliffe’s eyes curved into half-moons.
He was hoping that they weren’t the ones brought from some rural territory, but if they were mercenaries hired in Mytilene, it would make things a lot easier.
“That’s very unfortunate.”
Wickliffe hid a smile behind his sad face.
How happy he was that the wounded prey that that Spencer bastard had missed had fallen into his hands.
“Indeed it is.”
Cain also smiled inwardly, just like Wickliffe.
Not all new nobles were associated with Commons, but it was an inevitable relationship.
The ideas of liberalism flowed from them.
And they were also supplying the world with the power to achieve freedom—money, magic, and swords.
For them, who moved systematically, the foolish old nobles, who only possessed the land given to them by the old powers, were suitable prey.
‘Spencer, did us a favor, or rather, it was a good thing.’
Cain stepped back again.
Wickliffe reassured Allen with all sorts of sweet talk and badmouthed Tucker.
Then, winking at the manager, he used his VIP privileges to lead Allen, Cain, and Elena to the top floor of the restaurant.
“It is an honor to be able to treat Allen-nim like this.”
“You are a truly upright commoner.”
Allen smiled with satisfaction.
It was the highest compliment he could think of.
Cain saw Wickliffe’s lips twitch slightly as Allen uttered the word ‘commoner’.
‘He should have just kept his mouth shut.’
When he was at the Great Wall, he had wondered what the hell this guy did for a living to be so tight-lipped.
Now that he saw him again, he understood why.
“Since you have made such a great contribution, I grant you, a commoner, special permission to dine with me, a noble.”
Allen continued.
Wickliffe bowed his head deeply as if he was truly honored and sat across from Allen.
Even if it wasn’t Wickliffe, any other new noble would have done the same. It was like having a sparkling prey dancing in front of them, asking to be caught.
After a while of pointless conversation.
Thud—
The food from this restaurant, where even the sound of the dishes touching the table was pleasant, was served.
Since Mytilene was an island in the southern sea of the empire, Cain thought that seafood would be the main dish, but it wasn’t.
Perhaps it was a restaurant that catered to the tastes of those who came from the land.
“This sauce tastes delicious.”
The sauce that was served with the properly cooked meat was different from other barbecue sauces.
It was a deep green sauce with a subtle fishy taste that wasn’t unpleasant, and it had a slightly thick, creamy texture.
Cain also tried it for the first time and dipped his meat in it.
Wickliffe smiled as he watched Allen and Cain.
“We boil the seafood caught here to make a broth. Then, we chop the seafood finely, put it back into the broth, add other ingredients, and simmer it for more than a day to make this sea sauce.”
“Oh.”
Allen was very satisfied.
Unlike the Enges barony, which always served the same food, the Mytilene Auction House was different, even in its food.
Of course, the food here was a bit difficult for Allen, who had always eaten food from the land, but he liked it because it was new and delicious.
“You are very knowledgeable for a commoner.”
The words continued.
‘This is it.’
Wickliffe’s expression hardened.
The escort troops who had been following him and eating in the corner of the top floor also put down their forks and spoons.
They all reacted in unison, and it was Allen who was flustered.
Even more so because this was the second time.
“W, Why are you doing?”
“Young Master Allen. I am not a commoner. I am Wickliffe of the Codin Merchant Guild, officially registered as a new noble in the empire.”
Allen tilted his head as if he genuinely didn’t know.
“Yes, Red Hands. That’s a commoner, how can it be a noble—“
Thump—
Codin threw the glove he was holding in his arms at Allen’s face.
The tip of the white glove touched the sauce and turned deep green.
Wickliffe rose from his seat and said.
“I have treated you with nothing but kindness from beginning to end, Young Master Allen, but I cannot overlook the fact that you have insulted even our family!”
“Th-that, that……”
Allen began to stammer.
He knew he had done something wrong, but he didn’t realize what he had done wrong.
Allen looked at Cain, who was sitting next to him, with trembling eyes. Hoping that the hero would do something about it.
Slurp.
However, Cain didn’t seem to care and was sipping the clear seafood soup with a spoon.
“Cain—.”
Still, Allen was sensible enough not to add the modifier ‘hero’.
Wickliffe laughed at Cain and Elena’s attitude. They might not know if they were brought from his territory, but they would know if they were hired in Mytilene.
“Young Master Allen, you should stay still for now since you’ll be working with us for a while.”
“……!”
Allen’s eyes widened.
He finally realized why Cain had told him not to attack after hiring mercenaries nearby.
“If you just sit there and eat quietly, I’ll give you each a handful of money later.”
Cain and Elena nodded their heads in gratitude and began to eat in silence as if they hadn’t heard anything.
And Wickliffe.
Step.
“Let’s have a duel, Young Master Allen.”
“I, I.”
“Even if you call me a commoner, Young Master, I am a new noble, so I can duel you. Moreover, this is neutral territory, so it is not against imperial law, and we can bet anything.”
Gulp.
A murderous intent poured out.
He began to realize what it meant to be a noble hunter.
Wickliffe, who had been groveling until just now, was gone, and in his place stood a guy who looked like he could be a thug from any neighborhood.
Behind him, the men who had been sitting far away began to take their places.
A silent pressure directed at Allen.
“Young Master Allen. Will Lord Baron Enges be more upset if I send him just your head, or if I cut off your limbs one by one and send you back alive?”
“……!”
“I would like you to wage war with our Codin Merchant Guild as soon as possible.”
“The Baron Enges is strong! How dare a mere merchant guild.”
“A mere merchant guild, you say. We always have the Seven Wise Men and the merchant cities behind us.”
Wickliffe’s deep smile.
Rustle, rustle.
Allen hurriedly tugged at Cain’s clothes.
Wickliffe sneered at the sight.
He felt sorry for him, not even realizing that he had been abandoned—.
“Hero!”
“I told you not to call me that.”
Cain, who had tasted enough of the food, slowly rose from his seat.
“He… ro?”
Wickliffe quickly remembered.
It was said that the newly emerged hero had black hair and purple eyes. Black hair was fairly common, but purple eyes were very rare.
And it was even rarer for the two to be together.
“Purple eyes……”
Wickliffe, who had only been paying attention to Allen, now saw the color of Cain’s eyes.
Cain smiled and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“You said the Seven Wise Men are behind you?”
The bait he had caught wasn’t a big fish, but it was a pretty good one.
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