The Terminally Ill Young Master is the Mad Dog of the Underworld
Chapter 285

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Chapter 285: Take Some Spirit Medicine

After finishing the long story, the retainers each fell into serious contemplation with grave expressions.

"...Isn't this getting way too big?"

Jeffrey was the first to voice his complaints.

"The fight with Marquis Belorok was already so difficult, and now you're telling us to get involved in the royal succession struggle?"

"Young master, isn't this already a war?"

Peter also asked with a surprised expression.

"It's a war. There's no way around it."

Olivier, who had been deep in thought about something, spoke with a very serious expression.

"The Black Society must have completely sharpened their blades this time. Since even the Executor wasn't enough, just how powerful will the fighters they send be now..."

"That's what I'm wondering too."

I crossed my arms and muttered to myself.

'Maybe I'll be able to meet Ivan there.'

There were certainly no more than ten fingers' worth of strong fighters under the Dark King who ranked higher than Gelberich.

'Amilcar, Ivan, and Gulbark.'

Those were the names that immediately came to mind, but there were surely more hidden powerhouses in the darkness that I didn't know about.

"It seems the time has come to pour out all the connections you've diligently built up, young master, in this one battle."

"Right. It's time to collect on all those debts."

Just thinking about it made my chest swell with excitement—the powerful fighters and allies who would move for my sake.

And at the end of it all, much history would surely be changed.

"It feels like standing at the center of a typhoon."

At my muttering, Olivier smiled slightly.

"It's not just that you're at the center of a typhoon—you yourself are the center of the typhoon."

Is that so? It might be.

I nodded and spoke of a thought that suddenly occurred to me.

"I think we should all have a meal together before we set out."

"Yes? Ah, yes. I'll prepare it."

"What I mean is, I want to gather all the people from the underworld too."

"...!"

Peter asked.

"Would that be alright? If people from the legitimate world and the underworld gather in one place, public opinion and such..."

"We'll have them come through the back door. I'm thinking of holding it quietly in the annex."

"Ah."

"Bring Granduncle Balthazar and Brother Knut, and Tara too. We should bring Zizek and Rob, Moritz and Luen, and Nagan as well."

I counted on my fingers one by one.

"Kreutzel, the Godfather of the Red Mist Alliance, and..."

At this point, I turned to look at Peter.

"Have Bridget and Colin come, and bring your Mother as well."

"Y-Young master! Are you serious?"

"Would I be joking?"

Peter, moved by himself, teared up.

"Huuuuuuh."

"Are you crying again? Good grief."

Peter, who had now acquired some refinement, kept dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief.

"Olivier, deliver this news to Valkenhain and Svaltalfar as well."

"Yes. I'll have someone find the branch manager and deliver it to Svaltalfar."

"And, hmm."

I pondered and then said.

"Should we also invite Sister Ulbhild and Brother Karl, and Barclava and Somerset?"

"...That would be nice, but wouldn't the cook faint while preparing the food?"

"We'll have to request reinforcements for that too."

I grinned.

The thought of gathering all the people I had connections with to treat them to a meal didn't feel bad at all.

"Good. Let's not drag this out and arrange it for tomorrow evening."

"I'll prepare it right away."

* * *

The next day, the annex was bustling from morning.

"Peter! Bring some more plates!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Julia, bring the tableware."

"Yessss."

"Marco! What are you dawdling for! Put in the firewood quickly!"

"Got it."

"I'll handle the stew ingredients."

"Ah, thank you. When you're done with that, next..."

Under the chef's direction, all the annex employees and the personnel sent from Mother's side moved in perfect coordination.

Fires blazed everywhere, aromas spread, and smoke curled up in wisps.

"Wow, it smells so good."

"That's what mountain people like to eat? They use spices in quite a unique way."

Jeffrey and I were wandering around like idle local wastrels, watching the food being prepared.

"Just one bite."

"No."

"How heartless."

Rejected by Peter, I smacked my lips.

"Jeffrey! If you're not busy, please help out!"

"I don't want to."

Somehow dragged along to help with ingredient preparation, Taris grumbled.

"Why am I the only one getting extra work?"

"Shut up. By the way, your knife work is quite artistic. Did you use sword energy?"

"No. Why would I cut through the cutting board?"

"Why are you getting angry?"

Kaimak mocked Taris, who had become noticeably sensitive.

"Right, you insolent fool. Instead of getting angry, how about quietly slicing vegetables?"

Then Taris immediately went after Kaimak.

"Commander. I won't ask you to help, so please assign this guy as my assistant."

"Really? Then good."

"Eh?"

I turned away from Kaimak being dragged off and headed to where Mother was.

"When stir-frying, use high heat and work quickly. The process of infusing flavor is important, and the trick is..."

Mother and her maid Friederun were giving various advice on cooking Eisenach-style food.

"Mother."

"Allen! Come here."

Mother smiled brightly when she saw me.

"Would you taste this for me?"

I accurately evaluated the taste of the food Mother fed me.

"Wow, it's delicious!"

"Uncle will like it, won't he?"

"Of course."

Mother seemed purely delighted to meet her family after a long time and treat them to a meal.

"Ah, they're coming."

A group of dark figures who clearly reeked of the underworld was approaching.

Godfather of the Red Mist Alliance Bazalo and Balthazar, two elder-level figures, led the way, followed by Knut and Nagan, Zizek and Kreutzel, Rob and Moritz, and Peter's family.

"Welcome."

I greeted the guests as the host of this banquet.

"Godfather of the Red Mist Alliance."

The man who had been the king of Grunewald's underworld gave a short bow.

"Young master, it's good to meet you safely."

"The same to you."

"What. Thanks to the Second Young master's change of heart, we've had no hardships except losing a few nights' sleep."

Balthazar also greeted me.

"I heard it was a very perilous battle. I'm proud of you."

Knut also showed his competitive spirit.

"Was that Gelberich fellow really that strong? I didn't get to have much fun, which is disappointing."

"I'll tell you the story slowly. Anyway, you'll get to rampage to your heart's content soon..."

"Hmm, I'm looking forward to that."

As soon as I made eye contact with Zizek, I automatically started giving him a hard time.

"Hey, you've been living the sweet life, haven't you?"

"Why do you always do this when you see me?"

"You just look like someone I want to mess with."

"I'm really upset about this."

Zizek grumbled and then glanced at my retainer group.

"Oh, so that's Commander Jeffrey of the personal guard."

"What Commander? Just call him Mr. Jeffrey."

"Isn't that kind of title usually decided by the person themselves?"

"Shut up, it's my choice."

While I was exchanging nonsense with Zizek after a long time, Peter's family approached me.

"Bridget, it's been a while."

"You've gotten even more handsome, young master!"

"Have I? Your eye for detail is certainly excellent."

"I'm studying hard to work under you, young master."

"Good. Once this turbulent time ends, there'll be a special hiring."

"Wow!"

Peter's mother, who now had much better color in her face, kept bowing deeply.

"Y-Young master. I'm meeting you for the first time. Thank you for always taking care of my inadequate son..."

"Please raise your head. Peter is waiting, so go have your conversations."

"Yes, yesss."

"We'll escort you, madam."

While Rob and Gareth took care of Peter's family, more guests appeared from the other side.

"Eldest Young Master Karl and Young Lady Ulbhild have arrived!"

This time, the direct line of Grunewald had appeared.

As the two people of noble blood appeared, the employees and underworld people rolled their eyes with slightly tense expressions.

'Anyone would think they committed crimes.'

Anyway, Karl approached the Godfather of the Red Mist Alliance with a dignified attitude befitting the eldest brother.

"So you're the Godfather of the Red Mist Alliance."

"Are you the Eldest Young Master? It's a pleasure to meet you."

While the two exchanged courtesies...

"Ho?"

"Hmm?"

The two martial fanatics, Ulbhild and Knut, who had confirmed each other's aura, lit up with gleaming eyes.

"So you're the famous Knut from the underworld?"

"And you must be the second seat of Ete Nistyrnur, as I've heard."

"Now I'm third seat. I was overtaken by Allen."

"Hahaha! But judging by your aura, you seem to have crossed the barrier of the 7th tier. You're definitely a master above me."

"It's just a difference of one barrier, so you don't need to be so modest."

The two looked at each other with eyes full of competitive spirit.

"I heard Master Knut is an expert in fist techniques, and indeed your external cultivation level is remarkable. Would it be alright if we had a sparring match?"

"Not bad. I've also been curious about the combination of ice techniques and sword techniques."

It was surprisingly Rudgarda who stepped between the people who were thinking of fighting as soon as they met.

"I understand, but let's eat first, shall we?"

"Shall we?"

Looking at it this way, it was an absolutely mind-boggling combination.

'Is this right?'

Even though I had gathered them, it was quite a rare spectacle you'd be hard-pressed to see anywhere else.

But the most unexpected guests were definitely separate.

"Wait, Young master Somerset?"

"Young master Barclava has come too!"

Barclava, who appeared with the 2nd Battalion of the Special Operations Division, and Somerset, who appeared with the Security Guard, awkwardly approached us.

"...Allen... vert."

I grinned seeing that some sharpness had returned to Somerset's eyes.

"Brother, your complexion looks much better."

"Does it? I've been up for several nights."

"You must have had a lot on your mind."

"Something like that."

Somerset hesitated and finally spoke.

"...Would it be alright if I had a meal?"

It was a courageous statement.

I grinned and nodded.

"As long as you earn your keep."

Somerset readily fell into the net I had casually cast.

Not quite a big catch, but about a decent-sized fish.

* * *

We sat around a very long circular table and shared a meal together.

"Wow, this smell is really..."

"It's strange. It's pungent but why is it addictive?"

"The grilling on this meat is artistic."

Among them were guys like Zizek and Kaimak who were peacefully wolfing down their food, but most just rolled their eyes in this suffocating atmosphere.

"Is there any alcohol? Something strong."

Knut ordered drinks like an uncle at his regular restaurant, while Tara secretly tried to steal a sip next to him and got smacked on the back of his hand.

"That brat is getting too cheeky."

Zizek clicked his tongue.

"By the way, Zizek, have you gotten much stronger?"

"Ah, me?"

Zizek had already reached the early stages of the 5th tier, which was a level where he could hold his own anywhere.

"It's thanks to Brother Knut's teachings."

"That's right. Don't forget the favor."

'The back-alley knife-wielder who wasn't even 3rd tier has really grown.'

Zizek's talent that I had recognized early on, combined with the opportunities and teachings he'd received, and the new martial arts he'd learned from Knut.

They had nurtured Zizek like a downpour on thirsty vegetation.

'It's still awkward though.'

These were people who would never have met in their lifetimes if not for me as a connection point.

Somerset especially couldn't even look toward the Eisenach people, perhaps because of his clan's crimes.

'I'll need to talk with that side after everything's over.'

Now was the time to discuss more important matters.

"Everyone."

All eyes turned to me.

"Before we get into the main discussion."

I knew how to elevate this awkward atmosphere.

"I'm going to serve each of you a special stew."

"A special stew?"

"A stew packed with precious spirit medicines. Just eating it will be enough to raise your tiers."

"...!!!"

At that, madness... no, a devilish gleam flowed from people's eyes.

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]