3 – Master of the Dark Sword 1

“Ugh… heh heh heh… Heo-eok… ”

The villain Isolda Evergarden gasping for breath with unfocused eyes.

Her whole body was soaked in sweat, and her stamina was showing the floor. It was the mental part, not the physical part, that gave her the most pain.

‘I.. got dirty.. and ended.. uh… ‘

The sense of loss of having been thoroughly trampled on what had been cherished so far was too great beyond imagination.

The burning sensation still felt from below was eating away at her mind along with the flowing blood.

‘Where did it go wrong… from where…’

In the eyes of others, she had done more dirty things without hesitation.

She had been accusing the innocent, misappropriating their property, and, if necessary, getting blood on her hands.

You can do anything for success.

Even if it is stained with lies and trickery in the process, in the end, only the victors are always left.

With that thought in mind, Lee Solda has lived her life to the fullest until now.

That too, which she really considered nothing.

By the man she considered, nothing more, nothing less, simply a dog to use for her leap.

It never occurred to her that the dog that had thoughtlessly waggled its tail in front of her would bite her at the scruff of the neck like this.

‘Sir..no way..that man.. knew everything from the beginning..?..and then..as I showed an opening, he struck a blow like this in one breath..’

Suddenly, considering the circumstances so far, the thought that this might be the case began to settle in Isolda’s head.

Otherwise, there’s no way that Bahamut, who usually showed only a less falling and stupid appearance, would be able to commit such a terrible thing.

Just as Lee Solda approached Bahamut pretending to be naive, Bahamut might have accepted her as if he didn’t know anything and looked for an opportunity to take everything from her at this decisive moment.

‘… I.. misunderstood the person.. the fact that I put my hand in the mouth of a wolf, not a dog, from the beginning… Küu!’

Isolda, who was thinking about that, had no choice but to stop thinking for a while due to the sudden burst of pain.

The thick blood and flesh that flowed out like vomiting the next moment.

The pain of being deprived of the beginning began to shake her once again, both mentally and physically.

Trembling in such agony, Isolda began to shed tears, recognizing once again her hopeless reality in which only darkness was visible.

However, even in the midst of that, her eyes were still unblurred.

Monster-like red eyes full of hatred and anger.

Slowly burning the life contained in it, Isolda gathered her heart once again.

‘I’m not giving up.. someday this debt.. must..’

*

A small study located inside a luxurious mansion.

There, Bahamut was wrestling with the papers stacked in front of him.

‘I expected it to some extent, but… this is a lot harder than I thought…’

As the basic tasks for the operation of the guild were completed to some extent, Bahamut began to feel a little tired.

Bahamut, the original owner of the Beden Merchant, was a character like a symbol of incompetence in the original work.

A man who went out hunting and fishing while entrusting the basic duties to the subordinates whom Lee Solda had planted.

However, Bahamut, who defeated Isolda with his own hands and purged all the humans she planted in the process, could not enjoy such leisurely time, and he did not even want it in the first place.

‘After all, what’s really fun is making money. Oh, and playing with girls is also added.’

Before purging Isolda, he had to show some incompetence, but now that there was no need for that, Bahamut was learning what he could and should do in earnest.

Unlike when I was a job seeker who had basic knowledge about management and investment, but had no opportunity to use it at all. Now he is the owner of a large group with a huge amount of money.

In addition, as the background was a medieval fantasy he was enticing to set up, Bahamut, reading the documents, was feeling intense excitement in anticipation of the future.

‘Currently, I’m staying in Schwyz, the base of the Beden Merchant Merchant. It would be fun to visit places like the Holy Empire in the north or the Dragona Empire in the east.’

If I do well, I can meet the characters from the novel in person, so my expectations as a fan were very high.

Of course, there are many villains that make you frown throughout reading the work. Like Isolda, who was thoroughly trampled by her hands last night, it might be another pleasure on its own.

‘Even for that, you have to roll a snow ball steadily. Anyway, since I know a little bit about who will rise and fall later, so first of all…’

While thinking about that, Bahamut began to think about the investment destination he had been eyeing the whole time, even while cosplaying Hogu next to Isolda.

By the way..

“Sniff… ”

“?”

The next moment, Bahamut turned his head at the sound coming from his side.

The person there is a middle-aged butler in charge of managing the Beden Merchant Merchant.

In the novel, he was a loyal servant of Bahamut who appeared briefly at the beginning of the novel, and was a minor role without a name, who was killed by Isolda while trying to lead the incompetent master correctly. Lee Solda was a person who automatically extended her life when she was in that state.

The fact that such a person was making a thrilling expression with tears streaming down his face for some reason while looking at him, Bahamut felt a slight doubt and asked.

“what? Is there something wrong?”

“Ah… no, Master. It’s a problem. There is no such thing at all. only..”

“only?”

Bahamut’s question must have intensified his emotions, so the butler took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Sir…excuse me. My belief… It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you sit at a desk for such a long time while bringing my master. I was so moved…”

“… .”

The thought that I was thrilled with something so trivial passed by. Bahamut was able to judge that if he suddenly took a step back and thought about it.

‘Well… because the person called Bahamut was originally an incompetent hugu itself…’

A person who inherited a huge fortune, but left it unattended and was robbed by Lee Sol-da, and then collapsed together.

The fact that such a person had finally cut off his relationship with Isolda and was sitting at the bookshelf working was something that the butler, who had been rotting his stomach for half his life, would shed tears.

If I had to compare it, it would be the same situation as when my son, who was like a woman in the corner of the room, finally grew up and got a job.

“Well… I have to admit I’ve been doing a lot of stupid things in the meantime. Regarding that, I want to apologize to you, who has been suffering because of me all along.”

“master… ”

The butler bowed his head at Bahamut’s words and was even more impressed.

To be honest, it was strange to see such an old man trembling in the spirit. As he is a competent person who will become his limb in the future, Bahamut decided to put a little more wedge into it.

“But in the future, don’t worry. This Bahamut, inheriting his father’s wishes, he will surely grow this Veden Merchant Corps into a large group that commands the continent. For this, I hope you will support me well in the future as you have always done.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Master. This Ashbel Custer, I will give my life for you.”

‘Ashbel Custer.. that’s the name..’

While keeping the butler’s real name he had come to know for the first time in his head, Bahamut stood up with a benevolent smile.

“Well then, I have a place to go right now for that reason, so please prepare it, Ashbel.”

“Yes, master. Where do you plan to go?”

In response to Ashbel’s question, Bahamut began to show an expression of both seriousness and anticipation.

“There is an investment destination that I have been eyeing all the time. I’m going to go and check the situation myself. Would you like to accompany me too?”

“Ah yes! I will, Master!”

A smile filled with joy bloomed on Ashbel’s face, as if the story from earlier had worked quite well.

*

A medieval fantasy world where the concept of magic exists.

To talk about the exact time, when the Middle Ages ended and went to the modern era, weapons such as firearms and cannons were gradually commercialized, and trade with the East began in earnest due to the development of navigation. It was also a time.

actually a novel. Even in ‘Fallen Warriors’, most of the figures who appeared at the pinnacle of power along with the nobles were merchants.

Immediately, Isaac, the main character of this novel, also often appeared in scenes that caused incidents while intertwined with ‘high merchants’.

In such a world, Kim Jin possesses the body of Bahamut, a target that dominates the commercially developed Schwyz region, although it is a small country.

This was obviously a great fortune for him, but that did not put him in a position where he could just enjoy it.

‘The first death flag is gone. The world view of this novel is not so peaceful to be in a daze…’

In the first place, the original novel, Fallen Warrior, was a dark fantasy.

A novel in which a protagonist who has lost his humanity crawls on the floor in a series of disasters.

Most of the characters in it are terribly killed regardless of good or evil, and Bahamut, too, had a good chance of being swept away by the coming storm of disaster and going to hell as a set if he was dazed.

It was like that in my previous life, but especially in the situation like now when I became a rich man, I absolutely wanted to decline such a futile death.

‘Especially, the biggest crisis in the future is five years. The extra 1, who has no main character buffs at all, has to prepare thoroughly to survive in that hell. We need a greater amount of funds and connections that no one can ignore than now, and above all, military force that can be used directly.’

On this floor, a fantasy world where magic exists, it was not impossible to have a nuclear bomb-level power according to individual capabilities.

In order to survive in the chaotic world, such practical power is an essential part.

However, even so, Bahamut had no intention of directly developing military power like Isaac, the main character.

As it was Kim Jin, who never stopped going to the gym, he wanted to refrain from doing that kind of thing first, and even if he trained, it was questionable how strong he could become even if he became stronger with the body of an extra hogu character.

‘Because being strong is greatly influenced by talent. There is no need to waste time on things that may or may not be effective.’

Jae with such thoughts, now Bahamut was heading somewhere in a carriage.

In order to execute the best way to obtain the ‘power’ he wants.

‘I don’t need something grand like an army right now. Is there such a cheap and efficient way here?’

Even if it was not the military, there was a way to supplement the armed forces.

In this world, there was no means of transportation such as trains or airplanes yet, and navigation skills were not even up to the tip of the toe compared to modern times, which drag large container ships.

As a bonus, there is no way to move funds with just your fingers, just like stocks with a mobile phone.

In order to trade and invest in such a world, they had no choice but to pull horses and wagons, or to move on foot, which naturally entailed great risks.

If they met bandits or were attacked by beasts on the way, the trade and everything could be in vain in an instant.

In this respect, merchants needed a small force to protect themselves, not a large scale like the army, and there was a supply in this world that could satisfy such a number.

It was a type of combat mercenary called the so-called ‘adventurer’.

Small armed groups that make a living from fighting and move for money.

Although the cost of employment was a little high, it was quite natural to accompany adventurers for safe trade.

In addition, unlike the real world where individual strength is limited, this is a fantasy world where one strong adventurer can wipe out thousands of bandits.

In other words, it could be said that which adventurer to hire could be directly related to the success of trade.

Sign contracts with competent adventurers, and use them to conduct stable trade to generate profits.

However, the cost of hiring famous adventurers belonging to the so-called high ranks was not too expensive, so it was necessary to pay attention to the balance between the cost of hiring adventurers and the benefits of trade.

In that respect, the best way was to find an adventurer whose name was not yet known but had great potential and preoccupy it with a contract.

A way to make a competent adventurer at a low price by signing an exclusive contract with investment as a premise. As a bonus, the adventurers’ loyalty to their employer was different from that of those who hired them as a one-off.

Of course, as it is an investment based on possibility, this side only suffered losses and the probability of failure was also quite large.

If the adventurer’s capacity is at the level of a mediocre soldier 1, of course, from the investor’s point of view, it is a back goal.

However, it was worth it as it was enough to easily lead the entire guild operation even if only one talented adventurer was discovered, and because of this, the mercenaries who could afford it were young adventurers who showed their qualities even in the face of failure. I used to make investments in .

In fact, it is common for famous colossus on the continent to have a few talents who have been nurtured in such a way.

And now, Bahamut, the owner of the Baden Merchant Merchant, was interested in investing in this adventurer.

‘Looking at it like this, it feels a bit like watching a soccer or baseball team run…’

Invest in talented prospects and generate profits. In addition, if necessary, it recruits outstanding talent even at a high price.

The only difference was that the method of generating revenue was trade and sports, but the process was actually not much different.

‘A strong adventurer could soon become a practical force. i need a sword A strong and faithful sword that can surely protect me in this harsh world…’

With such thoughts in mind, Bahamut slowly got off the carriage.

In front of him was the head of the association who manages the adventurers.

‘From the story, it must be in here, right? That guy too…’

Even though Beden was a top tier that dominated a region, it had never had much fun in the adventurer investment side.

In addition, due to Isolda’s tyranny, even the least useful adventurers were kicked out.

But now, Bahamut had the means to reverse Veden’s failure against these adventurers.

In order to preoccupy the strongest sword hidden like that before anyone else, Bahamut entered the guild while receiving guidance.