Return of the Fallen Volume 11 Chapter 75
“You’re right. Asking you to help me crush my enemies is a difficult task but it’s not an impossible one. I watched how you two fight. Lady Marty, you’re strength is above the average Demigod and Sir Jentson, you did something I once thought was impossible. You defeated not just one but two Demigods and you’re still only at the 7th stage. The convergence stage and the Demigod stage may be separated by a single layer but the difference is worlds apart. What you did should not be possible but I saw it with my own eyes. If there was anyone who could help me, it is you two.”
Kazuki shook his head.
“Why not just get your father to help? He’s a God, isn’t he? Not just him, for your Cortail family who has wealth and power in multiple places, he should easily be able to deal with his rivals. Why do you, his child need to do anything at all?”
“It’s not so simple.”
“Make it simple.”
Samuel shook his head.
“My family does indeed have influence in many places but our rivals are the same. They have just as much power if not more in certain places. My father is busy for a reason. I’ll tell you now, he is currently fighting in a separate domain.”
Marty’s ears perked up.
“A duel!”
Samuel nodded. Kazuki though was unsure.
“A duel, like a duel duel between two people?”
“Yes, sir Jentson. You aren’t from the Higher Realms so I guess you wouldn’t know and it very may well differ from the duels held in Lower Realms. When two Gods have a disagreement and can’t come to a peaceful resolution a duel is issued by one or both parties. If accepted, then three factions come together. The two opposing parties and a third neutral party as witness and mediator. They go to the neutral party’s domain and the two duelists fight one another until either death or the other party surrenders. Once this is over the winner is granted rights or whatever else was put up for the duel.”
“I get going to a third part but is there a reason they must enter that God’s domain specifically?”
“Yes, inside of a God’s territory, their domain, they can control certain aspects in that domain. For example, the owner of that domain can prevent the death of another as the domain itself will follow the owner’s will and protect or attack whom they wish.”
Kazuki suddenly recalled Orberus’s throne room. He had attacked and immediately several chains erupted from the pillars and they stopped him in his tracks.
(That must have been grandfather’s domain. Now it makes more sense.)
“So this rival of your fathers, he’s connected to those in the city we are nearing?”
“Adigus, my father’s main rival and the man he’s currently fighting with. He too has a vested interest in Gauldriss city. I mentioned it earlier but my family has recently created a new type of weapon, something similar to divine weapons. These can be used by those at the 7th stage like yourself. Adigus knows that if these weapons come to market, his business will crash and burn.”
“So the prize of this duel is the manufacturing process of these new weapons. So then what did Adigus put up for the bet?”
“All of his businesses. This is something he cannot afford to lose. His business is his life and his legacy. So much so that he would use underhanded methods like kidnapping a rival’s son to use as a bargaining chip. With me, in his hands, he could potentially make father lose by threatening me.”
“Isn’t the solution to this problem easily solved then? You only need to go into hiding and wait for the duel to be resolved. Once the victor is clear, threatening you would mean very little as your father can come and protect you.”
Samuel disagreed.
“Again, it’s not so simple. A duel between Gods out in the wilds could be over in a flash. A single move could determine life and death but a duel inside another God’s domain…Under the neutral party’s watchful eye and power. A duel could last months, possibly even years before it’s officially resolved. How long could I hide before I’m found? Not only that, if I’m gone for too long the business in Gauldriss will fall into the hands of my enemies. No, this has to be settled and settled swiftly. As for backup from anyone else, that is not coming, not for me. My brothers do not care about me, only father does. That is why I need help now.”
Marty shook her head.
“Getting involved in such troubles and for what. If we do help ya, and your enemies are no more, ya get their leftover businesses. In the end though if things really do get tricky, ya can simply get back on your ship and race away. I doubt they would have something that can catch up and with no more saboteurs, ya could easily fly around and wait for your father. Even if those businesses fail your father could simply retake them after his victory. We only seem to be risking our lives for a few divine crystals. Not worth it in my opinion.”
“You are mistaken. You assume that it will be my father who is the victor.”
Marty’s eyes widened.
“That’s some confidence in your father ya have there.”
Samuel shook his head.
“I am simply being a realist. My father is strong undoubtedly so but so too is Adigus and he has been alive for well over a million years longer than father. Father is a new God and is barely a hundred thousand years old. The gap between experience alone is a dreadful thought. There is a real possibility that my father will die.”
Even without his soul reading ability just by looking into Samuel’s eyes he could tell the kid was speaking the truth. There was a hint of sadness coming from the boy but there was also pride. Pride in his father, pride in his family name, and so on. Kazuki wondered how he would have reacted were he the same age as this kid knowing that his father could die at any moment. At that time he was still naive.
(Before I went through everything, if the roles reversed and I was he, I would have fallen apart under such pressure.)
Kazuki admired the kid a bit.
“If your father dies, then would any of this matter anyway. At that point, they could simply find a time to kill you and then take everything anyway.”
“Not necessarily. In the Higher Realms, there is one safe haven for me. If father does not survive, then I can join one of the factions in the city. In that way, I will be under an umbrella of protection of that faction.”
“Why not do that now then? Why try and get our help?”
“If I join a faction, do you think I will be allowed to keep all of what is mine? If father dies, his properties and businesses will be split equally among me and my brothers. If I join a faction they will claim 90% of it. Joining them is the last resort believe me. However if I hire you two and we defeat my enemies then I will basically be untouchable. As I said inside cities there are rules. Gods can not just go around slaying as they want. Instead, If he wanted to deal with me he would issue duels but since he is a God and I am not he would have to send a representative and I am not a fighter, so I would also send out a representative. If I have Lady Marty and Sir Jentson by my side, who at your level can beat you?”
Samuel was making a lot of good points but there was still something that was missing.
“So as long as ya stay in the city and we protect ya from the duels, you would be able to live in peace but how long would that last? Ya can’t expect us to stay by your side forever.”
“True but I wouldn’t need you forever. With my new product, it will outsell all of my competitors. I could amass a fortune never before seen in Gauldriss city. With it, I could create my own faction if need be and hire an army of Gods and Demigods. At that point, Adigus would no longer be a threat to me.”
“That sounds good and all but what me and Jentson. Fighting duels for ya protecting your ass everywhere. What do we get?”
“Simple. I will give both of you a share of the profits. For every weapon I sell, you two will get an 1/8th of the profit. You will be beyond rich in no time. Then you two could do whatever you want after I have my army in place.”
Marty grew excited and was ready to take such a deal but Kazuki took a step forward.
“That’s it. Risking our lives for an 8th when you don’t even own the product yourself. It belongs to your father and if he does pass there’s no guarantee that this new weapon will be split in your favor. It may go specifically to one brother thereby cutting our so-called profit to zero. How about this? 50% of the business goes to us and you keep the other half. That way we have a real stake in the business’s future.”
Samuel quickly shook his head.
“Too many things could go wrong to where I end up with nothing but a bad end and you two could then take what is mine.”
He was quiet for a moment before countering.
“10% of the business and you two get 20% off the top of every weapon we sell.”
Kazuki smiled and the two went back and forth until finally it was settled.
“So it’s agreed. Sir Jentson and Lady Marty shall receive 30% of the business and 40% of all profits from not only weapons but from everything we sell. I will retain ownership of everything else and you two will not only protect me and the business but will also help me create a faction and build it up until it can withstand Adigus.”
With a grin on her face, Marty’s hand shot forward and shook Samuels as if she was possessed. Kazuki had to pull her off before he too shook Samuel’s hand.
“It’s a deal.”
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