I Became God of War’s Youngest Disciple - Chapter 340



Only Krnovel

Episode 340

Hatem Goodspring.

The master of Goodspring, one of the two families known as the two wings of the Imperial House.

Although he is a famous figure known to everyone in the Empire, I actually do not know much about Hatem Goodspring.

In reality, I’ve only seen it once from a distance.

But based on the rumors I’ve heard a few times, let’s make a guess about this man… … .

A person who spreads bad rumors in a different way than the Iron Blooded One?

Unlike the Iron Blooded, who has an overwhelming reputation and a bad reputation, Hatem is said to be popular and kind at first glance… … .

There are also many strangely ominous rumors going around.

Or the political enemy that had been at odds with you disappeared without a sound.

In every business he touches, his rivals suddenly falter and go bankrupt, or merge…

Of course, I don’t know more than that.

This is true even though Goodspring is not a particularly mysterious family like the Badnikers.

The reason is simple: I wasn’t particularly interested in Goodspring.

So naturally, I never imagined that the day would come when I would have a one-on-one meeting with the behemoth that is Hatem Goodspring.

“… Nice to meet you. My name is Luan Badniker.”

“… … .”

Of course, there were chairs prepared in the meeting room, but this person was not sitting.

Instead, I was standing in front of the window, caressing the flowers in the vase… … .

Even though he heard my voice, he didn’t look back.

You’re not completely absorbed in viewing flowers, are you? Or are you already getting into a fight?

Actually, it didn’t really matter to me, since I also needed time to observe this man closely.

Hatem Goodspring may look like he’s only in his 30s, but he’s probably twice that old.

It was a long time ago, but when I think about my father’s appearance, it’s not that surprising.

“Delak.”

When he asked me while still looking at the flowers, I answered indifferently.

“The master is currently out, so I will serve in his stead. Please understand.”

“You?”

“Yes. First of all, it’s Sogaju.”

Because it sounded like a question about my qualifications, I also revealed my identity.

Only then did Hatem, who had been looking at the flowers, look at me. His pure white teeth were visible between his lips, which had a faint line drawn on them.

“… … .”

For a moment, I felt as if the surrounding atmosphere had brightened up.

“Luan Badnicker. He’s been very active in various places recently. I’ve also found some of the stories quite interesting.”

I briefly looked at Hatem’s hand, and there were a few petals stuck to it, as if he had handled the flowers rather roughly.

“thank you.”

“Heero and Nero, Hector and even you… … This is for sure, Delak is completely defeated when it comes to raising children.”

Hatem smiled faintly as he passed by.

“I too am envious of your talent. What do you think? Reviving the marriage proposal with my daughter even now.”

I never thought Seren would be mentioned here.

I was secretly embarrassed, but I answered without showing it.

“Thank you for your kind words, but.”

“Thank you, but?”

“… That’s a bit.”

Hatem let out a low laugh at my words.

It didn’t feel like I was laughing because I was truly happy.

It felt more like I was forcing myself to laugh at this part.

“That’s right. Compared to you at this point, our youngest daughter’s value is quite low. She has other uses. Excuse me.”

“… … .”

I really don’t understand what kind of mind a person has to have to be able to say something like that about his own blood-related daughter.

Unlike the Iron Blood clan, who placed special importance on blood ties, Hatem seemed to judge even his own children based solely on their value and utility.

Hatem smiled brightly and continued speaking.

“It is rare for Delak to break a promise. Has something happened to your father? If so, I would like to say hello as his old friend.”

I got goosebumps when I heard the detailed voice.

I thought that if I didn’t know this man’s true nature, I might have just left it at that.

Anyway, since he was clearly a man who had boiled and eaten hundreds of snakes, I said with a slight smile on my face.

“Thank you for your words, but regarding matters within the family… … I have nothing to say about the actions of the head of the household.”

“okay?”

“But it’s a bit surprising.”

“What.”

“I’ve rarely heard a word from my father about the Duke’s lowliness. Well, I understand since he’s a man of few words.”

“… … .”

So, I was just poking him by saying, ‘I said we were old friends, but Iron Blood never mentioned you even once.’

Hatem remained silent as if he was a smart man and immediately understood my sarcasm.

And he looked at me with his unknowing eyes as if trying to understand me… … .

Strangely enough, my mind was very peaceful.

I know this guy’s mentality is not simple, but that’s about it.

Come to think of it, none of the people I’ve met in my life are worse than this man.

Even if we put aside the existences outside the norm, such as the Master, the Four Great Brothers, and the Demon King, the Emperor of Purgatory, known as the Sun of the Empire, Theon, the Commander of Heros, and his father, the Iron Duke, they were not at all inferior to Hatem in terms of their presence.

“hmm.”

Hatem nodded, his mouth slightly closed.

“This is such an unnecessary misunderstanding. I just hope my comrade is safe. The Iron Blooded Lord is the hero representing the current Empire… … If something goes wrong with him, it’s a crisis not just for Badniker, but for the entire Empire.”

“… … .”

For a moment, I almost twitched my eardrums.

That was because the word ‘crisis’ sounded strangely replaced with the word ‘opportunity’.

Of course, I didn’t show it and this time I politely replied, “I understand. Thank you.”

“We don’t have much time, so let’s talk about business now. If you are the head of the household, you have the right to judge the big and small matters of the household on behalf of Delak, right?”

“Most of them are.”

“Okay. So, have you heard why I came here today?”

“yes.”

I said, recalling what I had heard from Assad before I came here.

– Badnikker and Goodspring are, to be frank, enemies, but they often work together to carry out missions as the two wings that protect the empire.

– That was the mission this time. The Iron Blood Knights of the main house and the Chrysanthemum Knights of Goodspring were to cooperate in the mission to subdue the religious order and the demons… … .

I didn’t have time to listen to it in detail, but to summarize, this is what it says.

Decide how to distribute the mission rewards… … .

Assad said he must secure at least 60 percent of the total compensation.

That’s because the Iron Blood Knights were the ones who eventually defeated the sect and the demons’ interference and killed their leader.

‘But they wouldn’t think that way, would they?’

The number of people involved is greater on the Goodspring side.

To begin with, the number of knights under Badniker is not that large, as one of the principles of the Iron Blood Lord, the head of the family, is to have only a small number of elites.

Of course, the existence of a knight is in itself an elite member, but the standard of ‘elite’ that the Iron Blooded Ones think of is a bit excessive.

Naturally, the number of people is too small to be considered a knighthood.

But Hatem smiled slightly and said something unexpected.

“Then the conversation will be quick. Let me ask you first. Do you have a ratio in mind?”

I pretended to think for a moment and then opened my mouth.

“… If you calculate this and that, it seems like you should bring at least 70%.”

Assad insisted that we should get 60% if possible, or at least 50%, but I insisted from the very beginning.

This was because they judged that this side would be advantageous in leading future negotiations.

however.

“Let’s do that.”

“yes?”

As I looked at him with a puzzled expression, Hatem smiled and continued speaking.

“Why are you so surprised? The leader of the demons was eventually killed by Luke, the commander of the Iron-Blooded Knights, so it’s only natural that Badnikker would take a larger percentage. If that guy hadn’t been active, there’s no telling how much more damage there would have been.”

“Oh, yes… … .”

That’s true, but it’s a bit awkward for it to come out so easily.

Don’t be fooled by that soft-spoken exterior. He’s a veteran who’s been in politics for at least a few decades.

‘… It’s clearly a trap.’

So what’s the real goal?

Since I wasn’t used to talking to this type of person, I had no choice but to confront him head on, even though I knew it was obvious.

“… Is there anything else you would like?”

“Ahaha. Your tone is a bit like that. Today is not a place for business, but rather a place for negotiation, so don’t be nervous. It looks like you heard some caution from your family, so it means that you don’t need to be so cautious. If Delak were here, it would be different, but isn’t it too ugly to grit your teeth and try to take advantage of your junior, who is as young as your son?”

The expression and tone of voice were so gentle that for a moment I almost believed it.

You need to come to your senses.

If Hatem had this much recognition, Assad wouldn’t have made such a stern face and made such earnest demands on me.

‘There’s no chance of winning with just words.’

So, we need to change the direction of our thinking.

I assumed that the conversation we are having now is not just an exchange of words, but a duel. In a battle of words, Hatem is clearly a stronger master than me.

So, why did this man accept my offer in the first place?

‘Intentional gaps, and to induce complacency.’

In that case, I have two tactics to choose from.

First, pretend not to know.

And secondly, respond from the front.

Pick I burst out laughing.

Because of my personality, I have no choice but to choose the second one.

“I am grateful for your concession. If something comes, something must go. This is also the Badniker family motto.”

“Is that so? Then I can speak a little more comfortably.”

Only then did Hatem smile and reveal his true colors.

“Actually, this operation is still ongoing. The Chrysanthemum Knights and the Iron-Blooded Knights are still carrying out their missions in the forbidden area. However, there was something that caught my eye during the last operation.”

“The part that catches your eye?”

“I guess it’s an inefficient part. I think we need to rearrange the areas in charge and adjust the number of personnel.”

“… … .”

At this point, I couldn’t help but click my tongue inwardly.

What Assad and I were most worried about has now happened.

If you go into the in-depth details of the operation outline, there’s nothing I can say.

Of course, it was because I didn’t know anything.

Opening my mouth hastily could have resulted in much greater damage, so I had no choice but to keep quiet, but that wasn’t the best policy either.

Ultimately, the operational outline will be modified to suit Hatem Goodspring’s taste.

‘This is a bit dangerous.’

Adjusting personnel and reassigning areas of responsibility are major issues.

Since I don’t know where and what kind of enemies are lurking, my hasty choice now could lead to someone being cornered and killed.

Hatem continued.

“The operation to recover the remains of Imir that took place in the North.”

“… … .”

“I heard that many people died. It must not be a pleasant memory to witness the death of a fellow hero.”

Hatem said with a faint smile.

“I understand your position. It must be awkward to leave everything to me, Goodspring. That’s understandable. But let’s say you argue with me here, clash with me, and as a result, you secure the right to assign personnel. What if you make a mistake in a minor matter? Or what if you miss something?”

“… … .”

“If Badnikker’s men are deployed to the place you insisted on and secured, and it results in their deaths, then you will be the one who killed them. Can you handle the consequences?”

At this point, I felt a pressure that made my hair stand on end.

Perhaps this man was releasing an invisible aura… or maybe he was mixing mana into his voice.

“… … .”

But that momentum disappeared the next moment. Hatem said with a soft smile.

“Your position is Sogaju. Even if you were to be pushed aside by me in terms of words today, no one would blame you. And I am also a person with a conscience. Goodspring will gain a little more advantage in the deployment process, but it will not exceed the limit. I promise this in my name.”

‘Wow… … . So this is the kind of person he was.’

What should I say? He is a person who is good at dealing with people with words.

Even though I am a promising young hero who is performing brilliantly, it is difficult for me to be mentally sound at this age.

That’s the part that Hatem dug into.

The death of a comrade, which any inexperienced hero would feel a sense of responsibility, guilt, and pressure, attacked me.

In fact, it must have been an unexpected variable for Hatem to meet me, who is not an Iron Blooded One, but it seems he had perfectly planned to pressure me during that short period of time.

‘It’s scary to think that this plan was hatched while I was picking flowers.’

A thorough opportunist.

The biggest problem here is that, in reality, it would be best to just take Hatem at his word… … .

“… … .”

Of course, when I was pressured so openly, I couldn’t just say, “Oh, I guess so.”

It really felt like the rebellious spirit within me was rising for the first time in a long time.

However, it was difficult to remain silent for a long time, so I opened my mouth.

“We can discuss adjusting the number of people here, but deciding on the distribution of areas is a bit much.”

“Why?”

“For accurate placement, precise geographical information about the location is required. Excuse me, sir, do you have a map?”

This is the most rebellious thing I can do.

The key is not the number of people, but which seat to occupy, so at least that should be postponed to a later date.

“There is no map.”

“… … .”

“But don’t worry.”

The moment when Pick Laugh snaps his fingers.

A bluish halo of light began to gather in the air, soon forming a translucent shape.

And in the blink of an eye, a model of some gigantic place appeared before my eyes.

“This is where we’re carrying out our joint mission. It’s safe to say that there’s almost no margin of error with the actual location. How is it? Isn’t it much more intuitive than a map?”

I watched the scene with a somewhat blank expression.

“There are 17 locations to occupy, classified by location and risk level. Here-.”

“This place.”

Then he rudely cut off Hatem.

In fact, it had to be that way.

This is because the shape of the [Mana Model] that Hatem saw looked strangely familiar.

‘no way……?’

Actually, if you think about it, there were several hints.

The devil and the dark cult are lurking together.

A place dangerous enough for Badnikker and Goodspring to undertake a joint mission.

Plus, the empire is banned.

“…What is your place name?”

When I asked with a bewildered face, Hatem answered nonchalantly.

“Jewel Mountains. One of the four forbidden places in the Empire.”

It was only then that I learned the starting point of this joint operation.

Last winter.

I crossed the Jewel Mountains on my way to Badniker, but along the way I got entangled with some cultists, and while I was beating them up I managed to get my hands on a few valuable items.

Among them was a map showing the cult’s strongholds in the mountains.

Somehow or another, I ended up handing it over to the Iron Bloods… and the two families were dividing the information on the map and carrying out operations.

‘I see.’

We see the Jewel Mountains rebuilt with mana once again.

While Hatem looked at me with somewhat questioning eyes, I ended up chuckling.

This will turn the tables.