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Chapter 84

Despite returning to his estate, Kane did not meet with the envoy from the Tegelo family.

He went straight to his quarters.

Daniel, anxious, came looking for Kane.

“What is the Young Master doing inside?”

“He started bathing as soon as he returned.”

“Preparing to meet the guest, I suppose.”

Daniel waited outside the door until Kane finished his preparations.

However, even after some time had passed, there was no news from inside.

“Go in and check on him.”

“Yes sir.”

The maid opened the door and entered.

A moment later, she came out and spoke to Daniel.

“The Young Master invites you in.”

“Understood.”

When Daniel entered, Kane was leisurely sipping tea.

“If you’re here, why didn’t you come in? What were you doing outside?”

“This is not the time to be drinking tea, Young Master.”

“I heard an envoy from Tegelo has arrived?”

“What did you do in the Imperial City? They say you severely injured, or rather, nearly crippled, Beno Tegelo.”

“He pointed his sword at me, so I put him in his place.”

Daniel tightly shut his eyes.

This was a matter far beyond the scale of Dyer.

Tegelo is one of the four great vassal families of the Fresia Empire.

The family of the Wind Fox once stood shoulder to shoulder with the Rehinar family.

Now, they have grown so powerful that even the Emperor cannot touch them.

The difference in strength between Rehinar and Tegelo was like night and day.

Even with Cedric, a high-tier 7th-class knight, facing Tegelo would be a challenge.

Of course, this was merely Daniel’s opinion.

“The second son of the Tegelo Family was an exceptional talent who would’ve become one of the Twelve Star Lords of the Continent! They’ve come to declare war because such a person has now become a cripple.”

Daniel spoke fervently, feeling frustrated by Kane’s calm demeanor.

He knew well how extraordinary Kane had become.

Not only was he a genius at high-level construction magic, but he also possessed immense strength, enough to massacre Dyer’s forces.

That made this situation even more dangerous.

Tegelo would stop at nothing, they’d try all schemes and tricks to kill Kane Rehinar to stop Rehinar’s rise.

“This was an inevitable war. It just happened a bit sooner.”

“Are you serious?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Kane and Daniel stared into each other’s eyes.

There wasn’t a hint of humor in Kane’s gaze.

There wasn’t even a trace of a smile.

Daniel groaned.

“You’re serious.”

“If you’re so concerned about the family, why don’t you take up the Chief steward’s position again?”

“I’m sure there’s someone more capable than I am.”

“I haven’t seen a steward more capable than you yet.”

“Flattery won’t work. I want to live a long life.”

“You’re not going to die anytime soon.”

“I can’t tell if that’s an insult or a compliment. Anyway, are you not going to meet the envoy?”

“I’ll call them when I want to meet them.”

“…I don’t understand what you’re thinking, Young Master.”

Blata, who had just woken up and pricked up his ears at Daniel’s muttering, and spoke up.

“No one knows what Kane is thinking.”

“Just ignore him.”

“Heh heh, you shouldn’t tease your elders,” Daniel said, flicking Blata’s nose with his finger.

“Ow! Kane, this insignificant human hit me!” Blata exclaimed.

Blata never showed any hostility toward those close to Kane. He was like a well-socialized puppy in that regard. Seeing Blata’s feeble reaction, Daniel could only laugh.

“Are you planning to stay with the family?”

“I think I’ll need to stay until the Tegelo envoy leaves.”

“I appreciate it. With the Guardian Knights around, they won’t be able to act recklessly.”

Kane stood up from his seat.

“Where are you going now?”

“To the estate. The cadets from the Royal Military Academy will be arriving soon, so I need to welcome them.”

“So much is happening all at once.”

“That’s why I’m busy. I wish I had two bodies.”

As Kane was about to leave the room, Blata pointed to the ‘gauntlet of shadow’ which looked a lot like white gloves.

“Aren’t you going to wear those?”

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

Kane went to the table in front of the sofa and grabbed the pair of white gloves. His mana fluctuations vanished in an instant.

Daniel blinked in surprise.

“I can’t feel your mana at all, Young Master.”

“It’s because of these gloves.”

“Remarkable artifact.”

Daniel had seen many artifacts in his time, but he had never encountered one that could completely suppress mana. And the design was impressive too, it was impressively flexible, more like gloves than a gauntlet. It seemed like an incredibly valuable artifact.

‘Where does the Young Master find such things?’

The more Daniel learned, the more curious he became about Kane.

* * *

As Kane leisurely walked down the main road after leaving the estate, he noticed Gillip waving energetically at him from a distance.

“Young Master!” Gillip called out.

‘Why is he acting so familiar?’ Kane wondered as his eager business partner hurried toward him.

“What is it?” Kane asked when Gillip finally reached him.

“Where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Gillip replied.

“Why?”

“Instead of standing here, why don’t we move somewhere more private for a detailed conversation?”

“I’m busy.”

“Please, just spare a moment. I have something to show you.”

“Hmm.”

Kane pretended to think it over, already guessing what Gillip wanted to discuss. It was likely about the jewel he had crafted.

“Just for a moment,” Kane conceded.

“Thank you! Please, follow me,” Gillip said, leading the way.

He guided Kane to the commercial district in the western part of the estate, where a large building was under construction next to the mill.

“A building has sprung up while I was away,” Kane noted.

“This is the jewelry store you mentioned, Young Master. The Black Crow Exchange financed the entire construction.”

“Already? Your efficiency is impressive.”

Gillip eagerly rubbed his hands together at Kane’s praise.

“It’s all thanks to your support, Young Master.”

“Enough flattery. You didn’t seek me out just for this, did you?”

Kane’s piercing gaze made Gillip’s heart skip a beat.

‘He’s like a mind reader! It’s as if he can see right through me,’ Gillip thought, trying to steady himself before revealing his true reason for seeking Kane.

“Actually, I have a proposal for you, Young Master.”

“Speak quickly; I don’t have much time.”

“Would you consider granting me exclusive rights to sell your gems for just one year?”

Gillip’s tone was humble, but his eyes were determined.

“Under what conditions?”

“We’ll handle all sales, distribution, and marketing through our organization.”

“Not bad.”

“And! In addition to the purchase amount, we’ll pay you 15% of the sales revenue as royalties.”

“Hmm.”

It was an attractive offer. As a jeweler, Kane would only need to supply the products; all other costs would be covered by the Black Crow Exchange.

“Furthermore, we’ll supply all the mana stones needed. After the year ends, we can renegotiate the contract.”

“So, all I have to do is craft the gems?”

“Designing the gems is the most crucial part, isn’t it? We’ll take care of everything else.”

“You’re making such an attractive offer because you’ve realized the true value of the gem I gave you, haven’t you?”

Gillip nodded vigorously at Kane’s remark.

“I was truly amazed. You engraved the ‘Water Veil’ skill in the gem… It’s going to revolutionize the jewelry industry.”

Gillip’s praise was no mere flattery; he was genuinely impressed.

“I like your response. You have a good eye.”

Even when Kane was Ray Hatzfeld, Gillip had successfully sold the gems he crafted, causing a stir across the empire. The revolutionary enchanted jewelry had become the talk of the empire, as magic engravings had previously been limited to only specific types of jewelry.

Even when a jewel had an engraving, it was usually just a simple, ornamental spell with no real protective magic like the ones Kane created.

Thanks to this, his gems sold like hotcakes. But above all, what stood out the most was the design!

Kane’s aesthetic sense was so exceptional that noblewomen went crazy for his creations. The same was true for young noble ladies.

For the high-end line, customers had to wait anywhere from a few months to over a year to get their hands on one. This success was the result of Kane and Gillip\'s collaboration.

“The ones I gave you were practice pieces. Distribute them freely to the noblewomen,” Kane instructed.

“W-What? The jewels you gave me were practice pieces?” Gillip stammered.

“Of course. That’s why I gave them to you.”

“Oh no!”

“Is there a problem?”

“H-How good will be the quality of the real ones?”

“Do you want to see?”

“Of course!”

“I’ll make one soon and send it to you. Meanwhile, you distribute those jewels to the noblewomen right away.”

“All of them? It seems like such a waste…”

“Then choose twenty and distribute them to them.”

“I’ll get right on it,” Gillip responded enthusiastically, feeling confident that he had secured a great deal with Kane. Inside, he celebrated what he believed to be a victory over the Young Master.

‘Heh heh, I’m a genius. It may look like I’m giving away everything, but that’s not the case. The jewels you create are worth far more, and they’ll make me the richest man in the empire.’

Gillip couldn’t shake the feeling of satisfaction, thinking he had finally outsmarted Kane. But Kane silently watched him, thinking the exact opposite.

‘He’s happy now, clueless about how he’s been taken for a fool… A year from now, he’ll be regretting these terms and wishing he had secured a higher royalty and a ten-year exclusive deal.’

Kane recalled how Gillip had once expressed this exact sentiment, bitterly regretting being outsmarted.

‘That damn Ray,’ Gillip had fumed back then, and Kane knew it would be no different in this life.

‘Soon enough, he’ll be cursing, ‘That damn Kane, bastard,’ just the same.’

* * *

Kane parted ways with Gillip and made his way to Mikhail\'s forge. Uncharacteristically, Mikhail wasn’t hammering away but was instead examining a sword.

“What’s this? Taking a break from forging?” Kane remarked.

“It’s too easy,” Mikhail replied.

“What is?”

“Making weapons from iron.”

Kane chuckled at Mikhail’s confident tone, though he could sense some dissatisfaction beneath it.

“Considering you’re the blacksmith who forged the Bloodsky blade, working with iron must be a breeze.”

“I’ve finished all the weapons you requested,” Mikhail said, gesturing around the forge. Swords were piled up everywhere, and though they were made from regular iron, most were of 2-star quality, each with top-tier perks.

[Iron Sword for Soldiers]

- Type: One-handed Weapon

- Grade: ★★☆

- Description: A mass-produced sword forged with the breath of a True Dragon.

- Perk: +60% Attack Power

“What do you think about making weapons with mana stones?” Kane suggested.

“I was thinking the same. I’ll need to go gather some elemental mana stones soon.”

Before refining the ‘Blood Star’, Mikhail had practiced with normal mana stones. Later, he forged iron weapons for the soldiers. Elemental mana stones were rare minerals, difficult to obtain unless one had access to a large supply from mutated monsters. Rehinar family estate, located just beside the infamous demon forest , had ample opportunities to hunt these monsters, making it seem easier to acquire them than it was.

“No need to go anywhere. I have plenty here,” Kane said, pulling out a large quantity of elemental mana stones from his spatial pocket, easily over 200.

“Where did you get all these?” Mikhail asked, astonished.

“I raided a hidden territory.”

“When?”

“While you were busy making those swords.”

“You should have taken me with you.”

“I needed some training.”

“You? Training?”

“Don’t I need it?” Kane grinned.

“Well, I’ve heard the more blood a blood knight sees, the stronger they become. I thought you’d already reached your peak when you fought Dyer….”

“Do I look weaker now?” Kane asked, glancing down at his shadow gloves.

Mikhail nodded. “Yes, you do.”

Kane murmured, “The Shadow Gauntlets really are something,” recognizing that the artifact could even deceive Mikhail’s mana-sensing ability.

He picked up a 3-star fire mana stone and handed it to Mikhail.

“Can you forge a 4-star weapon and armor with this?”

“Do you need more weapons besides what I’ve already made?”

“I’m planning to give it as a gift to my sister.”

“I didn’t realize you were such a caring brother.”

“I intend to be from now on.”

“Let me see what I can create,” Mikhail said, accepting the fire mana stone and using Red dragon’s breath. The stone melted almost instantly, and Mikhail poured the molten liquid into a mold.

As Mikhail began his work, Kane sat in a corner and took out a carving dagger and started crafting. This was preparation for Sara’s advancement. Kane intended to elevate Sara to a 4-star grade before she entered the Rehinar Military Academy.