The Villainous Noble’s Father - Chapter 13

“Here. This should be enough to cover it, right?”

I tossed a check, well, it’s basically a check even in this world, with a bunch of zeros over to King Carlisle. 

Right after that meeting, I tried to go home quickly, but the king caught me and dragged me into his room to demand payment first. He may be family, but he’s seriously sneaky.

“Much appreciated. Still, is it the bank you run? Looks like you’re making a fortune.”

King Carlisle held the check up to his mouth, trying to hide a grin but he wasn’t fooling anyone.

“I’d like to say of course I am, but honestly, not as much as you’d think. The bank was originally set up for post-war recovery, so making money isn’t its main goal.”

I said it casually as I sipped my tea, but inside, I was quietly freaking out over the unexpected expense.

I really hope this doesn’t throw the budget off… I’m running the only bank in the entire continent, not just the country. Yeah, it’s a cheat from my past life knowledge. It’s not like I wanted to play financial genius, I had to. After the war, we needed to quickly move funds all across the kingdom to rebuild the north.

Ten years ago, using my influence as a duke, I created a bank so big it even reached into other nations. Honestly, I was aiming to be the Rothschilds of this world, but that level of profit is still out of reach.

Sure, the money coming in is huge but what’s going out is way more than I expected.

Ugh, why did I say “five years”? I should’ve said “three” at most…

“Hah! You’re raking in enough to hand over this kind of cash without blinking!”

I glared at the king, who was waving the check in the air like a fan.

“That’s not free money, alright? I gave you that in exchange for the treasure we took from the demons, especially those two swords.”

“You mean Brave Blade and Northern Cross? What are you even going to do with those?”

Exactly. In the game, Brave Blade was the sacred sword given to Alan after he was officially recognized as a Hero. Also known as the Hero’s Sword.

Northern Cross was supposed to be the Demon Lord’s sword in the game.

By the way, despite its ominous name, the “demonic sword” isn’t cursed or anything. It’s just black, edgy-looking, and one of the most powerful one-handed swords, basically the dark counterpart to the holy sword.

Why do we even have these legendary swords lying around? Well, things turned out very differently from the game.

First, the Great Demon War ended differently.

In the game, it was more of a draw, slightly favoring the demons. As part of the truce, the kingdom only got the Brave Blade. Naturally, relations with the demons stayed terrible. Frankly, it’s a miracle peace lasted 15 years.

But in reality, humans won the war.

Specifically, the Kingdom of Valient, our country.

So, we didn’t just get the Brave Blade, we got the demonic sword and a ton of other treasures. Thanks to the Oath of Dies Irae… yes, it’s a bit embarrassing to bring up my own name, demons are treated relatively fairly in our kingdom.

I hope we’re not heading into another war…

“I’ve got my reasons. I plan to give them to my sons.”

“To Leonard and Edward? Are you sure about that? Those swords require specific magical affinities, light and dark, just to use them.”

That’s covered. I already confirmed it using my knowledge from the game. Alan, obviously, can use the Brave Blade. And if things go the same as in the game, Leonard can handle the demonic sword just fine.

Leonard and Alan have been getting the hang of using their Red Eyes lately. Once they master that, their next need is weapons. But with the power those eyes give them, normal weapons won’t cut it. They’ll need something huge and insanely durable.

Big weapons are cool, sure, but lugging them around is a pain.

Leonard’s been giving it his all. I want him to have a proper weapon to match. That’s where Northern Cross comes in.

The Brave Blade? That one’s honestly a bonus. In the game, it was Alan’s exclusive weapon anyway, and since he and Leonard get along, it’s better to give it to him early.

Alan’s been working hard, too.

“They’ll be fine. Leonard will get the demonic sword. The Brave Blade goes to a commoner kid we’ve been looking after recently.”

“Oh? A commoner with magic?”

“Yeah. Apparently, he broke the record for highest magical output during the Royal Academy entrance exam.”

“Hah! There it is again! The talent hoarder strikes again! You always scoop up all the good ones!”

King Carlisle threw his hands in the air and flopped back onto the sofa.

“Speaking of that commoner, it reminded me of that duel you mentioned. You should be careful.”

Huh? What does he mean? I gave him a questioning look, and he just continued calmly.

“Our royal intel division picked up some troubling activity. Looks like demon factions are stirring again, some radical group pushing for independence and even the Demon Lord’s return. I think they called themselves…”

“Odim. It’s a terrorist group made up of demon war survivors.”

“As sharp as ever, I see.”

Carlisle shrugged, but my mind was already racing. Odim, they were a major villain group in the game. Short for Organisation for Daemon Ideal Members. Their goal was to create a perfect world for demons.

They were likely inspired by real-life groups like ODESSA, the Nazi escape network. So… they exist in this world too.

In the game, they kept launching terror attacks, eventually succeeding in reviving the sealed Demon Lord.

If I recall correctly, they even manipulated Leonard, who’d been disowned at the time, into betraying the kingdom. The game never explained how they did it, but from how the story played out, it had to be them.

Which means they might be operating in our kingdom right now. At the very least, I have to protect Leonard myself as his father.

“Thanks for the info. Sounds like I need to stay sharp.”

“Glad to be useful. Still, if you’ve found such talented commoners, maybe it’s time to seriously consider the policy changes you’ve always pushed for, like hiring more commoners and giving them real social standing.”

King Carlisle was now in “ruler mode,” thinking things through. 

I’ve always said there are exceptional people among the commoners. Maybe now he’s finally taking that seriously. Sure, nobles have an advantage in physical abilities due to their magic, but that’s no reason to look down on commoners.

That belief definitely comes from my past life experience.

“I’ve been saying it all along, talent doesn’t care where you’re born.”

“Oooh! Spoken like the mightiest noble in the land! Such generosity, Your Grace!”

He grinned mockingly, full of sarcasm.

I oughta punch him…

“Hmph. Generosity? I’m more of a villain, really.”

If a war breaks out, I’ll send anyone with the ability to fight, noble or commoner.

“Right now, commoners are under our protection. They may have limits, but they live in peace thanks to the nation and the nobility.”

They’re kept inside a system, yes. But some of them see those walls not as cages, but as protective barriers. And yet, I’m planning to break those walls.

“I’ll probably be seen as a villain by those very people.”

“Well, as long as you know what you’re doing. Still, don’t worry. If history calls you a villain, I’ll make sure my name is written right next to yours.”

Carlisle said that with an annoyingly confident smirk.

We’re both pushing 40, you know? When’s he gonna stop acting like my big brother?

Idiot king…