I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 246 Sincerity and Doubt (2)

Yuri and Friends’ Sanctuary.

The so-called Demon King’s Castle strictly refused any visits from outsiders, just as the warning at the main gate suggested.

Among those who had seen the interior of the Demon King’s Castle and still lived, only the residents—Yuri and his group—along with Johan and Segyung remained.

But today, another name was added to the list of survivors who had visited that terrifying Demon King’s Castle: Julia Singh.

“…So, this is the famous Demon King’s Castle, huh?”

Julia, guided by Mucci, arrived at the space that served as a dining hall, meeting room, and a spot for casual conversations within the castle.

She looked around with curious eyes.

‘It’s… no, it’s even better than I thought…’

Julia was impressed.

Who would have thought there would be such a classy and cozy space inside the notoriously ominous Demon King’s Castle?

This place was more like a reception room of a distinguished family rather than the Demon King’s Castle.

It was a space that showcased the exceptional taste of its designer.

‘To think they even made this… inside the Cradle.’

While others were digging caves to live in or even sleeping rough, exposed to the morning dew, these people lived in a place like this.

Julia felt self-pity, wondering what she had been doing for the past two years.

As she was looking around, Yuri placed a wooden cup in front of her.

“Drink.”

“Thanks.”

Julia took a sip of the warm tea Yuri offered and her eyes widened.

“…What is this?”

Despite being in a plain wooden cup, the contents were exquisite.

To think she could drink such aromatic tea inside the Cradle.

‘Where on earth did they get something like this in the Cradle?’

Julia was simply amazed by the situation.

However, aside from Theresia, the others were calmly sipping their tea without any sign of surprise.

Julia cast a subtle glance and asked Theresia softly.

“…Theresia, do you drink this kind of thing often?”

“Not often, just sometimes? It’s a blend Yuri made himself, and he doesn’t have much, so he rarely shares it.”

Julia sighed at the response, which was delivered as if it was no big deal.

“…No wonder you prefer to live here rather than in the living quarters.”

Life in the third-year living quarters was certainly much better than in the first or second year.

They had decent tents where they could live somewhat like humans, and they received simple food like bread once a day.

Ordinary third-year cadets would be satisfied.

But for Theresia, who had been living in this splendid environment of the Demon King’s Castle, it would not be enough.

‘This is… a bit enviable.’

Theresia’s lips, hidden behind her teacup, curled slightly, as if smiling in triumph—was it Julia’s imagination?

As Julia looked at Theresia with a hint of envy, Yuri’s voice cut in sharply.

“So, what about the favor I asked?”

Yuri’s sudden voice snapped Julia back to reality.

The reason she had been formally invited into the Demon King’s Castle today.

It was because Yuri had requested information from her.

Julia, adjusting her expression, turned serious and spoke up.

“You mean the information on Lisa Verfort?”

“Yeah, do you know anything?”

“What do you think of our family’s intelligence network? Of course, I know.”

Julia responded confidently.

“Lisa Verfort, the sole heir of the great Verfort family.”

“A great family? Are you saying it’s a noble family?”

“Well, rather than a noble family…”

Julia trailed off slightly.

At that moment, an exclamation burst out from one side.

“Oh! The Continental Four Great Merchant Houses!”

The voice filled with surprise belonged to none other than Arin.

She looked relieved, as if a memory that had been on the verge of surfacing had finally come back to her.

On the other hand, Theresia and Gunther, who heard Arin’s exclamation, sent her puzzled looks.

“Four great merchant houses?”

“You mean the Three Great Merchant Houses, right?”

Arin blinked at their reactions.

“Huh? Isn’t it the Four Great Merchant Houses? That’s what I learned as a child.”

“I learned about the Three Great Merchant Houses.”

“I did, too.”

Arin, Theresia, and Gunther stared at each other as if they were oddities.

It was Julia’s job to clear up their confusion.

“…Generally, it’s known as the Three Great Merchant Houses.”

“Oh? So what if it’s not general?”

Seeing the curiosity welling up in Yuri’s eyes, Julia quickly continued.

“Generally, the Three Great Merchant Houses refer to the families of Blue Gold, White Gold, and Green Gold… but there’s another color added to that.”

“What’s that?”

“Black Gold.”

Theresia, Arin, Poppy, Gunther, and Mucci wore expressions that suggested they were hearing this for the first time.

In contrast, Yuri’s interest was piqued further.

“Black Gold… sounds like it reeks of corruption.”

Julia smirked at his words.

“Precisely. Black Gold, in other words, the Verfort family’s Black Gold, isn’t money that circulates in the light. They launder dirty money that shouldn’t be visible, charge fees for it, engage in high-interest loans through loan-sharking, and trade in forbidden goods to make profits. In short, they monopolize the funds that flow in the underground world.”

“Monopolize? They actually monopolize that?!”

“Yeah, monopolize.”

“Holy crap, that’s insane! How much is that even worth?!”

“Of course, it’s astronomical. Our family estimates that even if the other Three Great Merchant Houses combined, they wouldn’t match up to Verfort.”

Having explained up to that point, Julia turned her gaze toward Arin.

“…And there aren’t many who know this. Verfort operates dozens of fake merchant houses in a point-organization structure to thoroughly conceal that they are in charge. It’s information that’s hard to grasp without considerable intelligence…”

Her gaze suggested, “How do you know such information?”

Arin scratched her cheek awkwardly and laughed nervously.

“I-I just learned it that way as a kid. Hehe.”

“A family that teaches such secretive information in their education…”

Descendants of noble families were typically educated about famous families around the world from a young age.

It was an essential education, especially for those entering the Cradle.

However, even then, they wouldn’t teach such secret information to children.

Not unless it was an extraordinary family.

“Ha… Hahaha.”

Arin subtly turned her head away from Julia’s gaze, which seemed to pierce through her thoughts.

Shifting her attention away from Arin, Julia turned back to Yuri and asked.

“So, why did you ask for information on Lisa Verfort?”

Yuri shrugged lightly at Julia’s question.

“Oh, that’s…”

With that opening, he recounted everything that had happened with Lisa without hesitation.

Yuri might not have shared this with anyone else, but his audience was Julia Singh.

Since entering the Cradle, she was the only person he acknowledged as an equal in terms of strategy.

He was sure that her insight would be valuable in analyzing Lisa.

After Yuri recounted his conversation with Lisa down to the last detail, Julia’s expression turned serious.

“…She’s definitely not an easy opponent.”

“Right? I felt something was off, but I never imagined she’d be the heir to one of the Four Great Merchant Houses.”

“If she’s the heir of the Verfort family, she’s bound to be skilled in underhanded tactics. Don’t let your guard down.”

“Do you think you could help me? I’d like to hear your thoughts on the meaning behind her words…”

“For that, of course! For starters, I think the moment she covered her face and withdrew as soon as she saw you… that was where her plan started.”

“Oh, I kind of had a hunch about that part too.”

“How?”

“That’s…”

Yuri and Julia began carefully analyzing Lisa’s actions and words.

Throughout their discussion, countless speculations flew, and those listening nearby shook their heads, overwhelmed by the complexity.

For the others, it was impossible to keep up with the level of calculation Yuri and Julia employed.

Except for one person.

“Uh… excuse me…”

Mucci, who had been quietly listening to the intense conversation, cautiously raised his hand.

As Yuri and Julia’s conversation paused and all eyes turned to him, Mucci glanced around nervously before speaking.

“Well… maybe she didn’t have any hidden agenda and just really wants to live around here?”

Mucci’s words made Yuri and Julia look at each other blankly before turning back to Mucci, both asking simultaneously.

“Why?”

“Why?”

Their baffled response caught Mucci off guard.

“W-Why, you ask? Maybe she just wants to live nearby… So, that’s why, right?”

Hearing this, Yuri and Julia scoffed.

“Are you spouting nonsense?”

“There’s no way.”

From birth to the present, and even within the Cradle, every day was a series of competitions for Yuri and Julia.

Analyzing their opponents’ actions and words and deciphering the intent behind them had become second nature to them.

To them, Mucci’s suggestion was laughably naive.

“Come on, that’s ridiculous. This is the Cradle we’re talking about. Could someone survive here with such lukewarm intentions?”

“Yeah, exactly. Even if we give her the benefit of the doubt a hundred times… how could that Lisa girl be so blindly friendly toward Yuri? Unless it was a deliberate act, there’s no way.”

With Yuri and Julia’s resolute stance, the rest, except for Mucci, nodded in agreement.

Mucci realized then.

‘Ah, these people… their distrust of others is off the charts.’

Mucci found the Cradle even more frightening.

What kind of life must these people have led to the point where they couldn’t accept genuine intentions as they were?

In that moment, Mucci felt a sort of mission.

He needed to show these individuals, plagued by distrust and suspicion, that genuine feelings still existed.

So Mucci spoke with conviction.

“If Yuri senior just goes and assigns her a spot, I think she’ll move there. She’d probably even thank him!”

Naturally, Yuri responded with a cold sneer.

“Hah? You think she’ll just obediently back off? What nonsense are you babbling?”

—

“Yes, this is the closest place to the sanctuary. I understand. We will set up our residence here. Thank you for your kindness, Yuri.”

Watching Lisa bow courteously and step back, Yuri’s lips parted in disbelief.

“W-What?”

His eyes filled with confusion.

Mucci, who had fervently insisted on his perspective, had argued so passionately, thumping his chest in frustration, that Yuri tried out Mucci’s suggestion just to humor him.

And then… surprise!

“…Is this really happening?”

What seemed like a nonsensical idea turned out to be true.

As Mucci had said, Lisa bowed and agreed to move without fuss.

She even thanked him.

Yuri stood there dumbfounded, and Julia, who had come to watch, dropped her jaw in disbelief.

Theresia and the others had similar reactions, but only Mucci puffed out his chest triumphantly.

Meanwhile, unable to grasp the situation, Yuri called out to the retreating Lisa.

“Hey, Lisa Verfort.”

Lisa trotted over to Yuri, fidgeting as if she didn’t know what to do with herself now that Yuri had addressed her directly.

“Y-You called for me?”

“…Why are you just leaving?”

“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, why are you just doing as told? Why are you following orders like that?”

Lisa tilted her head, puzzled.

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s an order from Sir Yuri.”

Her sincere gaze conveyed that it was the most natural thing in the world, as if questioning why he’d even ask.

With absolute certainty in her voice, Lisa stated her actions as if they were completely justified.

Yuri then realized.

All of Lisa’s actions so far were driven by pure intentions, devoid of ulterior motives.

And so, Yuri was even more baffled.

“You… do you know me? Are we close?”

“Aren’t you Yuri Holland? And as for being close… I’ve never thought of it that way, nor do I intend to.”

“Then why are you so compliant? Why do you obey without hesitation, even though you don’t intend to be close?”

To this, Lisa offered a serene smile.

“Simply because your existence alone is my salvation, Sir Yuri.”

Lisa looked directly at Yuri, only to quickly avert her gaze as if blinded, wearing an expression of ‘Ah, so dazzling!’.

Yuri, lost for words, fell silent.

“……”

Quietly, Yuri made a decision.

If he ever wrote an autobiography decades from now, he would list Lisa as the most incomprehensible being in the world.

Unable to make sense of her, he decided to throw out a question on a whim.

“Hey, I heard your family’s rich.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then lend me some money. About a million gold.”

Yuri’s look suggested, “Let’s see if you can handle this without flinching,” but Lisa gently shook her head.

“No, I cannot do that.”

“See…?”

‘As expected, that’s more like it!’ Yuri’s expression seemed to say.

But then it changed abruptly.

“I won’t lend it. I’ll give it to you.”

“…Really?”

“Of course, what could be more precious? Everything that is mine is yours.”

“…?!”

Yuri found it impossible to understand why Lisa Verfort placed such blind trust and showed such kindness toward him.

Perhaps he would never understand, even after decades.

But there was one thing Yuri did understand.

His years of experience and instincts were telling him something.

And that was…

‘I found it, my golden goblin! You were here all along…’

He knew he had to seize this opportunity.

“…My purse!”

Yuri’s golden eyes shone brighter than ever as he gazed at Lisa.