Chapter 43. The Smell of Money (3)

Yukhar’s house was located slightly off the center of Seor, by the riverside. This area, positioned along the river that ran through Seor, was a hub for logistics and a pleasure district frequented by many visitors. His house was the largest there.

“Yukhar… he has the biggest organization around here. And I’ve heard he’s also close with the market of Seor.”

Given that Seor was one of the Golden Idol Guild’s trade hubs, the market itself was under the influence of the Golden Idol. Doubts started to arise regarding the independence of this whole situation from the Golden Idol Guild.

Jacquette seemed reluctant about Isaac’s actions. However, having seen the trick Isaac pulled off, it was hard to tell which of the two she found more terrifying.

Ignoring Jacquette’s words, Isaac looked straight at the front gate of Yukhar’s mansion.

Despite the late evening, guards and patrolling soldiers around Yukhar’s mansion seemed unusually alert. Unlike the Barbaryian bandits, these guards were properly armed, and it seemed rather tricky to mess with the soldiers.

What to do when visiting the den of a major underworld figure who dominates the black market?

Isaac had options: sneak in through Jacquette, use stealth to infiltrate under the cover of night, or even use traitors to capture and drag him out.

Isaac did not ponder for long.

It was not befitting of a Grail Knight.

True to his title, Isaac kicked down the front gate of the mansion.

Bang.

A loud noise shook the mansion in the early dawn.

“What’s going on?”

Even though it was a pleasure district, it was still deep into the night when everyone was asleep. Guards rushed to the courtyard, aghast at the sight of the giant iron gate toppled over. The loud noise was indeed from the gate falling. And now, Isaac was stepping over it.

“An intruder!”

The guards quickly grasped their weapons and surrounded Isaac. Not only because they assumed anyone who could knock down such a massive gate must be powerful, but also because they feared more intruders might follow through the broken main gate.

“What are you waiting for! Attack!”

A man, seemingly a superior, shouted. A few guards lunged at Isaac with their spears, but Isaac easily parried, striking the spears aside and stomping them to the ground.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

“He must be at least of knight level! Inform the nobleman right away!”

At the mention of “knight level,” the soldiers kept their distance, surrounding him but not coming too close. “Swordsmanship” was not exclusively a knight’s prerogative; anyone could train in it. Knights referred to those who had mastered such skills, typically far surpassing the abilities of ordinary people.

Isaac waited until enough soldiers had spilled out into the courtyard. People dressed for a banquet or some party inside began to emerge, wondering what was happening.

Soon, a man with a formidable aura and a sharp-looking middle-aged man appeared. Isaac could tell from the way the guards made way that this man was Yukhar. Being wealthy, it was natural for him to have knight-level guards.

“Who are you…”

“I am Grail Knight Isaac.”

Isaac raised his voice when he judged enough people had gathered. Though his voice was not loud, everyone’s attention was on him, making his words clearly audible.

The eyes of those surrounding Isaac flickered with uncertainty, and murmurs spread.

“A Grail Knight? Are there still Grail Knights around?”

“But why would a Grail Knight be here…”

The title of Grail Knight was often mentioned in legends, so it was natural for the guards to be taken aback. However, Isaac’s name and deeds were not yet widely known.

But at least one person here would think differently.

Isaac closely observed Yukhar biting his lip. However, the captain of the guard misinterpreted his silence and shouted aggressively.

“What lunacy brings someone to create havoc in the middle of the night? Archers!”

Archers on the terrace prepared their bows. However, Yukhar raised his hand to stop them. While the captain of the guard was perplexed, Yukhar approached.

“I am Yukhar Leven, the nobleman. Even if you are a Grail Knight, does that allow you to break into a civilian’s home at night?”

Isaac smiled slightly.

If Yukhar was so well-connected in this underworld, he would have already known about Isaac being a Grail Knight. But he couldn’t use his guards to kill him.

‘A knight cannot be killed in the middle of the city.’

Seor was under the influence of the White Empire. As a nobleman, Yukhar had to behave as if he were a follower of the Codex of Light, whether he was a believer or not.

If a follower of the Codex of Light kills a Holy Grail Knight of the Light, it’s a direct ticket to hell. If one does not wish to die and go to hell, the only options are apostasy or becoming a barbarian, but Yukhar, who possessed much, and the other bodyguards could not afford to do so. In other words, even if Isaac blatantly reveals his identity upon entering, Yukhar could do nothing about it.

‘If I had to act, I should have used a barbarian, but that chance was missed.’

Therefore, Jacquette’s ambush must have been particularly thorough, as Yukhar would have strongly advised.

However, on the flip side, the only guarantee here is Isaac’s life.

What’s important starts now.

“I came knowing that you’re hiding a heretical relic. Return it immediately.”

Isaac’s purpose had been this from the beginning.

***

Isaac entered Yukhar’s mansion barefoot, without killing or being restrained by the guards.

The mansion, which was in the midst of a banquet, was scattered with guests and foods, and cups of alcohol as if they were invited. Yukhar went out to the banquet hall, trying to manage the atmosphere.

“It’s nothing, everyone. It seems there was a misunderstanding with the order, and that’s why the commotion occurred. Please continue to enjoy the party.”

The guests, dressed in fine clothes, exchanged uneasy glances, but shared drinks upon seeing that no further commotion occurred. Now, their eyes turned from unease to interest, mostly towards the young paladin, Isaac, who entered with Yukhar.

At that moment, Isaac’s eyes met someone in the banquet hall.

It was Caitlin, the branch manager of the Golden Idol Guild, from Seor.

She looked at Isaac with surprised eyes. However, Isaac, putting a finger to his lips, followed Yukhar.

“Come this way.”

Yukhar led Isaac to the reception room and immediately ordered the servants to prepare the finest wines and a table of drinks. Perhaps the alcohol might be poisoned, or it could be a signal for armed soldiers to intrude.

However, Isaac was unconcerned with either possibility.

Yukhar sat opposite Isaac.

“I’ve heard of your reputation, Sir Knight of the Holy Grail.”

“I haven’t achieved anything noteworthy yet.”

“I heard you survived being hunted by the human hunters of Wallachia all night and even single-handedly defeated a knight of the Briant Paladin Order.”

Yukhar had to be polite to Isaac, not because the rank of a viscount was considered low, but out of respect for the authority of the order that recognized Isaac. In this world, the order’s authority was overwhelming.

“I’m not here to listen to flattery, Yukhar.”

But Isaac maintained a high-handed stance. It might have been possible to show courtesy, but currently, it seemed advantageous to adopt an attitude of superiority. Such people quickly cause trouble if they perceive you as weaker than them.

However, contrary to Isaac’s expectations, Yukhar did not seem particularly intimidated. Isaac frowned. It was either because Yukhar had nothing to fear or he sensed a background powerful enough to overwhelm a Holy Grail Knight.

Isaac decided to probe Yukhar’s secret.

“You have it, don’t you? The Shepherd’s Crook.”

Yukhar was remarkably good at hiding his inner thoughts. However, Isaac’s eyes could not be deceived. Suddenly, his left eye turned into the Eye of Chaos, tinged with purple. Invisible tentacles that crawled up from chaos began to probe Yukhar’s innermost secrets.

[‘How did he know?’]

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

Yukhar acted with a calmness that could even surprise Isaac. Whether it was because of his wariness towards Isaac or because the walls around his mind were so solid, Isaac couldn’t delve deeper, but the fragmented information was enough. Looking any closer, he feared tentacles might start crawling out from behind his eyelids.

Isaac withdrew his Eye of Chaos and spoke.

“I came to Seor in the first place to look for the Shepherd’s Crook. I was planning to ask around slowly about its whereabouts, but I noticed that the city was in turmoil because of Loracus.”

“…”

For the first time, a slight unease appeared on Yukhar’s face.

Of course, Isaac could not remember all the relics in the Nameless Chaos. He only remembered those that were essential for completing the game or were very powerful. The Shepherd’s Crook was neither essential for game completion nor powerful, but it had a special function.

It could manipulate the emotions of beings with a certain level of mental strength or lower.

Typically, true to its name, it was used to control animals or make hostile monsters friendly. It was an item used like a shepherd controlling a flock of sheep.

However, it could not control beings with high intelligence, like humans.

“At first, I didn’t connect this situation with the Shepherd’s Crook. Humans can’t be controlled by it. But then… I wondered, why Loracus?”

“Why indeed?”

“It’s simple. Loracus has the effect of lowering magic resistance.”

Magic resistance affects not just magic but also divine power.

Yukhar started by buying up Lorocus in large quantities at high prices, artificially spreading its trend. Of course, he didn’t have enough money to manipulate the market price by himself.

But greed is like dominoes.

As rumors spread that someone was buying up Loracus in large quantities, all sorts of rumors circulated. New effects of Loracus were discovered, or it had started to become hugely popular overseas.

Sensitive merchants also joined in one by one, and various types of Loracus flooded into Seor. The innate ability of Loracus, the weakening of magic resistance, didn’t matter whether it was in bulb, bloomed form, dried and crushed, or brewed into tea.

As Seor filled with the scent of Lorocus, the city’s overall magic resistance naturally weakened.

That means even those who wouldn’t normally have joined in such folly began to participate a little. And with the Shepherd’s Crook, it was easy to stir greed in the collective consciousness.

But the real step to explode the trend was next.

Involving the Golden Idol top brass in this trend.

Then, the door opened, and a maid brought in a bottle of alcohol and two glasses. Various snacks were placed on the table, but neither Isaac nor Yukhar paid them any attention.

“Should I wait outside?”

“It seems it will be cleared up soon, so wait.”

Following Yukhar’s command, the maid waited by the door. However, Isaac closely observed the maid. Her movements and the heavy tension peculiar to someone trained suggested she was prepared for both poison and soldiers.

But Isaac calmly poured the wine into Yukhar’s glass.

“The party seemed quite grand?”

“…”

This top-quality wine, along with all the beverages served to the guests, was mixed with the sweet-scented Loracus. The real targets Yukhar wanted to incite were not the crowd but the wealthy magnates and power brokers. They were specifically fed alcohol mixed with Loracus to significantly lower their magic resistance and incite their greed.

As a result, Yukhar could open the prelude to a skyrocketing trend that could swallow Soer, and even the entire empire, without much effort.

“Now, here’s the problem.”

Isaac said, tapping on the table with a glass full of alcohol.

“What if it was revealed that there was no reason for the trend of Loracus and that it was merely manipulation by a relic?”

Isaac’s finger flicked, pushing over and toppling the glass.