WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 105: Crow Company

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Crow Company.

Its predecessor had been the Crow Mercenary Band, founded five hundred years ago by Sword Demon Raikal. After completing his revenge for his father at the age of twenty, Raikal stepped down as commander and handed the position of second commander to Cyrus Rubalt, one of the founding members.

'He was always the smart one.'

Even when Raikal led the mercenary band, Cyrus had handled its actual operations. Reviewing contracts, managing finances, recruiting members, organizing training. Raikal swung his sword, while Cyrus took care of everything else.

Cyrus's sword had been second only to Raikal's within the Crow Mercenary Band, but his true talent had not been on the battlefield. It had been behind a desk.

'Raikal, we need to prepare for the next era.'

It was something Cyrus said all the time.

'Right now, people wage war for dominion over the continent. Far in the future, they'll wage war for the continent's stability too. War never ends. Only its cause and form change.'

Cyrus had constantly pushed plans for expanding their business, but Raikal had not cared much at the time. What mattered to him was swinging his sword to his heart's content, not earning money, growing the mercenary band, or preparing for a future that might never come.

In the end, Cyrus had been right.

The Empire's struggle for the throne had ended at Ruin Alastor's hands, but the world had not become peaceful right away. If anything, it became even more brutal.

With the throne decided, the Empire had to reclaim the territory gnawed away during the Dark Age. It also had to deal with the Demon Tribe who had invaded amid the chaos, as well as the Demihumans who had risen up to establish their own nations.

War had not ended. Its cause and form had simply changed. Just as Cyrus had predicted.

The problem was that the Empire no longer had the strength to wage war. It had the powerful, razor-sharp sword that was Ruin Alastor, but a war could not be fought with one sword alone.

Decades of fighting over the throne had drained the Empire's military power dry. Its regular army was exhausted, and there was not enough money to rebuild it. Territory needed to be reclaimed, but there were no soldiers to dispatch. Knights were scarce, and conscripts' morale lay in the dirt.

Cyrus slipped into that gap.

Other mercenary bands would have exploited the postwar chaos to demand outrageous hiring fees, but the Crow Mercenary Band, already enormous at the time, arranged its troops for the Empire at a bargain price.

In exchange for lowering the price, it received business rights. The right to broker mercenary work within imperial territory. Permission to manufacture and distribute armaments. What Cyrus secured from the Empire was not gold, but rights. He chose a foundation for the future over immediate profit.

The Empire desperately needed troops, so it accepted Cyrus's terms. It likely thought those rights could be reclaimed once things stabilized, but Cyrus did not let the opportunity slip away.

Using its mercenary brokerage rights, the Crows absorbed mercenary bands from all over the continent. It also created a structure where bands it could not absorb had to go through the Crows to obtain contracts.

With its manufacturing permits, it built workshops. As the war continued, demand for weapons never ended. Swords, spears, armor, even magic tools and materials for building fortifications. It produced and sold every kind of supply needed for war.

Then it began raising private troops. Officially, they were soldiers trained to fight for the Empire. Mercenaries and private troops were different. Mercenaries were free people who worked for money, while private troops were dedicated forces belonging to the Crows. With profits from brokering mercenary work and capital built through armament production, Cyrus created the Crows' army.

Naturally, the Crows also fought wars at the forefront for the Empire and pledged it their loyalty.

By the time the wars had died down and the continent entered a period of stability, the Crow Mercenary Band had long surpassed the level of a mere mercenary band. Mercenary brokerage, armament production, resource distribution, private troop training. It was a massive private military corporation dealing in every aspect of war.

Crow Company.

Cyrus Rubalt changed the mercenary band's name to that only twenty years after Raikal's death.

Now, Crow Company had moved beyond the Empire's umbrella. The rights once granted by the Empire had expanded across the entire continent, to the point where even the Emperor could not carelessly provoke the Crows.

That was because the Crows' main stage had changed. For centuries, their headquarters had not been in the continent's central region, where the Empire was located, but in the west, where they conducted most of their business.

'That bastard really was something else.'

With that thought, Kyle looked down at the business card. He understood Central Branch, but what exactly was an Armaments Bureau Director?

"What does an Armaments Bureau Director do?"

He did not know, so he asked plainly. Lentz answered with a cheerful laugh.

"The Armaments Bureau oversees the procurement, distribution, and delivery of armaments."

"Hmm..."

Kyle tucked the business card into his clothes and nodded.

"I don't have a business card, so I have nothing to give you in return."

"Ha ha! I gave you one to introduce myself, but there is no need for Sir Kyle to do the same. Is there anyone gathered here today who does not know who you are?"

Lentz smiled, showing his white teeth. His broad smile looked strangely kind and open, but that did not mean his true nature was the same. He was the director of a department responsible for procurement, distribution, and deliveries. That meant Lentz was a merchant.

[Let us continue this conversation later.]

Muheok's voice sounded in Kyle's mind. It was not that he thought Lentz could eavesdrop on their conversation, but it was difficult to keep talking in their minds while including someone unrelated in the spoken conversation.

"Sir Kyle. It was a pleasant conversation. I learned a great deal about you."

"Ah... yes."

"You may eat plenty, but make sure to chew thoroughly. You do not want indigestion."

Muheok intended to wrap up their existing conversation properly, so it would not seem suspicious. Kyle gave him an uncomfortable look, yet nodded.

"Yes... I'll chew thoroughly."

"Ahaha!"

Soha, who had been clutching her stomach and laughing, finally managed to calm down. She wiped away the tears that had seeped from her eyes with a finger, then gave Kyle a bright smile.

"Little brother, let's meet again after the party. I would like to greet the Thunder Emperor as well."

She likely meant they should speak together with Julius included.

"Yes."

Kyle wanted that too. The Emperor was using Ludmia or other imperial family members to maintain his youth... and perhaps the Emperor had even been involved in the accident Lavian suffered.

It was fortunate that Kyle had not told Julius about those suspicions beforehand.

'To think the Emperor could even listen in on voice transmission.'

Then again, a figure like the Emperor of the Empire would have to guard against assassination and rebellion from the day he was born until the day he died. It made sense for magic like that to cover the entire Imperial Palace.

'More precisely, it is not magic. It is holy arts.'

Magic and holy arts were different. Kyle watched the Izelion father and daughter walk away, then turned his gaze back to Lentz. Though Lentz was smiling with his white teeth showing, his eyes held a faintly troubled look.

"Hmm, it seems I interrupted your conversation."

"No. We had just finished. It was not a particularly meaningful conversation."

At that, the troubled look disappeared from Lentz's eyes, replaced by the eyes of a merchant once more.

"Then my timing was good."

"Central Branch Armaments Bureau Director... It sounds like a very high position. What business do you have with me?"

"Ha ha, the title only sounds impressive."

Lentz laughed heartily.

'The Crows...'

Helenas had warned him about them.

[They use a peculiar power, not swords or magic. It is not dangerous to me, but it felt ominous. It will be dangerous to you.]

Just as Lentz studied Kyle, Kyle studied Lentz. He was fairly tall, but not large in build. He did not have a martial practitioner's trained body, nor did he possess the mysterious air of a mage.

Lentz looked ordinary to Kyle. He did not feel the ominousness Helenas had mentioned. Were the executives Helenas had met simply different from Lentz? Or was Lentz's power so subtle that Kyle could not sense it?

'Direct Sight...'

It meant seeing through the truth. Aware of the necklace on his chest, Kyle held out his hand to Lentz.

"I cannot offer you a business card, but we can exchange a handshake."

"Ha ha ha! The honor is mine."

Lentz immediately removed his glove and took Kyle's hand. By grasping someone's hand, Kyle could get a rough sense of what kind of person they were. If they were a martial practitioner, he could read them more accurately.

Lentz's hand was not the hand of a martial practitioner. It was a hand that had held a pen for a long time. Their brief handshake ended. As Kyle withdrew his hand, he focused on the necklace again.

The necklace did not react. Could even the Power of Direct Sight dwelling within it not see through this? Was Lentz really just an ordinary person? Or was the Power of Direct Sight not omnipotent either? As Kyle kept the possibilities open, Lentz spoke.

"I have heard much of Sir Kyle's reputation for some time."

"Well... I imagine everyone at this party has."

"Ha ha, of course. You were famous even before you began your serious exploits."

Lentz put his glove back on and smiled brightly.

"But to be honest, we began paying close attention to you when... you took hold of Fenris. At Alastor's exchange tournament a few months ago, you became Fenris's wielder."

"I have heard that the Crows are very interested in Fenris."

"Yes, naturally."

Lentz's gaze moved to Kyle's waist.

"Of course, our company is interested in outstanding armaments beyond Fenris as well. Gladiheim's Sword Garden in particular feels like... a land of gold to us."

"Did you approach me because you want to buy Fenris?"

Kyle asked abruptly. The reason an executive from the Crows, who were interested in Fenris, had approached him was obvious. Even though Kyle had suddenly asked about the heart of the matter, Lentz did not look flustered in the slightest.

"Of course."

"As I understand it, the Crows have made dozens of offers and been turned down every time."

"Ha ha. Fenris is a sword left behind by Alastor's Founding Ancestor, Ruin Alastor. It has been enshrined in the Sword Hall for five hundred years and revered as a symbol of the family, so I understand why it was not sold."

Lentz scratched his head with a bitter smile.

"But circumstances have changed this time. Fenris left the Sword Hall after five hundred years and acquired a new wielder. It is no longer an ornament in the Sword Hall, but a real sword being used once more. That is why I came to make another offer."

"Hmm."

"Our company can negotiate on any terms you wish."

Lentz's voice was polite, but his words carried an eagerness beyond politeness. Kyle stared at him for a moment before speaking.

"Let me correct one misunderstanding. I am not Fenris's owner."

"Pardon?"

"Fenris belongs to the Alastor Family. I am only borrowing it as a member of the family. If I die, Fenris will return to the Sword Hall."

Even then, Lentz's smile did not waver. If anything, he looked as though he had expected Kyle to say exactly that.

"That is precisely why I am making this offer to you. Whatever the arrangement may be, you are the one currently holding Fenris. If you would make a recommendation to your family..."

"I have no intention of doing that. Fenris is a symbol of Alastor, and I respect my family's wishes. Though I do make good use of it as a sword."

"Hmm, I see."

Lentz let out a deep sigh and shook his head. It sounded fairly sincere, but Lentz's nature was that of a merchant. Kyle remained alert.

"I expected to be refused. Today, I suppose I must be satisfied with making your acquaintance and conveying our wishes. It is not as though I approached you solely because of Fenris."

"May I ask something?"

"Please, ask anything."

"Why does Crow Company... want Fenris?"

Kyle lightly tapped Fenris's hilt.

"For centuries, you have made offers to buy it and been turned down every time. Fenris is certainly a fine sword, but it is not the only fine sword on the continent. A company as large as Crow Company should have no trouble obtaining another fine sword, or even making one yourselves if necessary."

"Ha ha..."

Lentz's smile changed subtly. A layer of the merchant's smile peeled away, revealing another expression beneath it.

Passion.

"To us, Fenris is not simply a fine sword. It was the sword that Sword Demon Raikal, founder of the Crow Mercenary Band, carried with him throughout his life."

Still holding his glass of water, Lentz lightly wet his lips.

"To the Crows, Fenris means more than a fine sword. Just as it is a symbol of the Sword Saint to Alastor, it is a symbol of the Sword Demon to the Crows. As you know, Sir Kyle, Sword Demon Raikal destroyed the Leberto Family five hundred years ago and claimed Fenris as spoils of war."

"Yes, I know well."

"It was for revenge on behalf of his father. After achieving that long-held revenge... Sword Demon Raikal stepped down as commander of the mercenary band. Cyrus Rubalt, a founding member and Raikal's closest friend, became the second commander of the Crow Mercenary Band. That was where the history of Crow Company began."

"Well, yes."

"Our first chairman did not wish for revenge on Raikal's behalf. He said Raikal died fighting the battles he wished to fight. But he wanted his friend's beloved sword returned at all costs."

Cyrus and Raikal had grown up together in the mercenary band since childhood.

'That sounds like something he would say.'

Cyrus knew Raikal's true nature very well. That was why, when Raikal suddenly said he would hand over the mercenary band and leave, Cyrus had not desperately tried to stop him. That night, as they drank together, Cyrus had noticed a different fire burning within Raikal, a different thirst stirring in him.

Afterward, Raikal wandered as the Sword Demon and occasionally stayed at the Crows' nest. He reunited with Cyrus a few times. Each time, Cyrus told him he could return whenever he wished.

[I will not avenge you even if you die.]

Cyrus had said something like that once, when Raikal lay heavily wounded at the nest.

[If you die miserably and disgracefully, I will avenge you. But if you die any other way, I will not. You are the one who ran off saying you wanted to fight while swinging your sword to your heart's content. If you die on a battlefield, you will be satisfied.]

'What a cold thing to say to a friend.'

[I would say I have done my duty as a friend just by protecting and treating you like this. Or how about this? Stop wandering around alone and come back to the Crows. Have you not done enough to be satisfied? You know it too, the fires of war are beginning to die down. From now on, there will be fewer wars and battles in this world for you to enjoy.]

'Should I cross the sea, then?'

When he said that from his sickbed, Cyrus's expression had remained vivid in his memory even now.

[Are you planning to go to Erebos? There is no need. Astaroth Erebos is plotting to advance onto the continent.]

'What? Then there will be another war. You lying bastard, what happened to wars and battles becoming scarce?'

[That is decades away. Do you think you will still be alive and swinging a sword by then? You barely survived this time.]

'I barely survived. I did not die. My arms and legs are still attached, so I will recover if I rest a while. Then I can fight again.'

[You idiot. After fighting that much, you are still not satisfied?]

'No, I am not. I want to swing a sword until I die of old age.'

[Mad bastard.]

That had been the last conversation he ever had with Cyrus. As Cyrus had said, the fires of war subsided, then Ruin Alastor suddenly appeared and decided the Empire's Emperor.

And Raikal died at Ruin's hands.

"But Alastor's Founding Ancestor did not hand Fenris over to our first chairman. In the centuries since, we have continued to use the name Crow, and our first chairman's wish has continued as well."

"So you want to buy it?"

"Yes. Fenris is the Crows' root."

Anything with a long history tended to cling to tradition and symbols. Kyle looked down at Fenris for a moment.

'Cyrus.'

He understood why Cyrus had wanted Fenris returned. Not because it was a symbol of the Crows, but because it was Raikal's sword. Because it was his friend's sword. Cyrus had been cold-headed, but his blood had not been cold.

'He wanted his friend's beloved sword returned at all costs...'

He would not seek revenge, but he would reclaim the sword. Cyrus really would have said that.

"Our first chairman's wish..."

Kyle murmured quietly. Lentz did not miss the change in Kyle's expression. A sensitive, passionate fifteen-year-old who had declared Black Sword to be his own epithet. Perhaps this emotional story had gotten through to him.

"Yes, it is his wish. As I said, our company can meet any terms you desire..."

"I understand wishing to respect the first chairman's wishes, but is Crow Company not too practical a corporation to cling to a wish alone for five hundred years?"

Kyle snickered and cut Lentz off.

"Even if the first chairman's wish was pure, five hundred years have passed. Do you not want Fenris for another reason?"

"Ha ha... Our company may be enormous, but the ruling family has remained direct descendants of the Rubalt line for generations. It is only that descendants wish to fulfill their ancestor's aspiration."

"Then I too have no choice but to follow my ancestor's wishes. Our Founding Ancestor never handed Fenris over to the Crows."

"I see..."

Lentz composed his expression. Securing Fenris was the Crows' wish, but they were not in a position to force the issue. At least, Lentz Adigan, the Armaments Bureau Director of the Central Branch, did not have that authority.

"It is unfortunate, but it cannot be helped. To be honest, I did not expect I would be able to purchase Fenris on my own authority."

Lentz gave a bitter smile and shrugged.

"If an opportunity arises someday, let us speak again then. Of course, it will not be a low-ranking executive like myself at that table... The ruling family will be there in person. Perhaps Duke Oun himself may even come."

"It seems he did not come today?"

"Ha ha, the work on the western dark frontier is too demanding. The company's main force, including the ruling family, is concentrated there. In that respect, a low-ranking executive like me has it easy. The Central Branch is peaceful as well."

Lentz took another sip of water and continued.

"I said earlier, did I not? I did not seek you out solely because of Fenris. If you are willing, I would like to propose another business arrangement."

"What sort of business?"

"First, let me confirm this. Is it true that you... became the wielder of Baal, Astaroth Erebos's beloved sword?"

"It is the same as Fenris. I am only borrowing it for as long as I live, with my family's permission."

"But as with Fenris, is it not your decision whether to wield Baal as a sword?"

"That is true."

"In fact, this is more my main point than Fenris. Our Central Branch would like to formally propose cooperation with Sir Kyle Alastor."

"What sort of cooperation?"

"To put it in a way that is easier for you to understand, we would like to request a job from you."

Lentz lowered his voice.

"Our Central Branch wishes to borrow the sword of annihilation."

Footnotes:

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