Chapter 06
Calyx’s eyebrows twisted at once, and he turned his head and shouted.“I told you to practice using your sword more. Don’t you know you’ll die if you go into real combat like that?”
At the loud, rough voice, I flinched and looked at Calyx. His sharply furrowed eyes were fierce, but his straight nose looked as if it had been carved by a god.
Handsome, but scary. Especially his cold, rational gaze—it felt like it could freeze someone in an instant.
‘If I get on his bad side, I’m really done for.’
Just then, Calyx turned to look at me. His brow creased slightly.
“What is it…?”
At that moment, a sword clattered to the ground again. Calyx closed his eyes briefly, then spoke toward the soldiers.
“If you’re going to handle a sword like that, go home. Someone like you won’t last long here before dying.”
Every sentence was filled with curses. For no reason, I felt myself shrinking. Thinking it might be better to speak when he had a bit more room, I carefully opened my mouth.
“Um, when might you have time? If you’re busy, I can—”
Calyx turned back. His face was extremely calm. It was so clean and composed, as if he hadn’t been cursing just moments ago.
He roughly ran a hand through his hair. His indifferent gaze settled on me.
“Now is the least busy time.”
“Ah, I see. Then—”
“I have something to discuss anyway. Follow me.”
What a surprise. Calyx had something to say too. Holding onto the faint hope rising inside me, I followed him. When I looked at the sword at his waist, it gave off no light.
‘At least for now, this isn’t a dangerous situation.’
That thought made my earlier hope grow even more.
Calyx led me inside the fortress. His legs were long, so I had to hurry to keep up.
Looking at his back, I noticed that even in light combat gear, his presence was different. His broad shoulders and back stood out clearly.
‘No wonder everyone wanted to see him.’
Just as I was admiring him inwardly, there was a loud thud and I stopped in surprise. A door quietly opened, and Calyx pushed it fully open.
When I followed inside, it looked like his usual office. Luggage bags, still unpacked, were neatly arranged around the room.
Calyx pulled a cord on the wall and sat in the chair behind the desk. The documents on the desk were perfectly organized, as if disorder was not allowed.
Then his low voice sounded.
“I heard you did very well yesterday.”
Is my life finally starting to turn around? Smiling, I nodded eagerly.
“Yes! I handled the work of fifty people—”
Just then, there was a knock on the door. I stopped speaking and looked over. A moment later, an old man with completely white hair entered. With trembling hands, he placed a teacup precisely in front of Calyx, then one in front of me, and left.
Steam rose from the dark red liquid.
‘It looks like blood.’
Calyx lifted his teacup. When our eyes met, he said,
“Drink.”
But my hand didn’t move easily. I asked carefully,
“What kind of tea is this?”
“It’s Berok blood boiled together with medicinal herbs.”
When I stared without blinking, Calyx continued calmly.
“It’s good for relieving fatigue.”
Calyx took a sip and set the cup down. I forced myself to look away from the teacup. Berok blood—no matter how tired I was, I didn’t want to drink that.
Ugh.
I was getting goosebumps when—
“How was it?”
“…Pardon?”
“Working here.”
“Oh, it suited me really well! As you heard, I seem to have a talent for killing Beroks—I did the work of fifty people!”
I smiled brightly, though my heart was miserable.
‘Please, just hire me properly.’
I glanced at him cautiously. Calyx leisurely lifted his teacup again.
Wiping my sweaty hands, I watched him.
‘Should I say it again?’
Just as my anxiety was rising, I heard the teacup saucer clink. Our eyes met. Calyx gestured toward the teacup in front of me.
“You’re not drinking the tea.”
Caught off guard, I couldn’t answer right away.
“If you work here, you’ll need to get used to things like that.”
Even hearing that, I still couldn’t bring myself to touch the cup.
‘How am I supposed to drink that? Unless you give me a billion.’
If he paid me a billion, I could drink it. But for free? No way. Meanwhile, I could feel Calyx’s persistent gaze.
Feeling I had to say something, I forced my mouth open.
“I don’t usually drink this kind of tea in the morning.”
“If you work here, all your old habits will disappear. It’s that tough of a place.”
The phrase “if you work here” kept bothering me. With a small hope, I carefully spoke.
“Then does that mean…?”
“I will hire you formally.”
My eyes widened instantly. The anxiety in my chest vanished like smoke.
“There’s more work besides Beroks.”
I had debts to repay anyway. I wanted to pay them off as fast as possible, no matter the work.
“If you tell me to do it, I’ll do anything—”
“You’ll be doing miscellaneous work under me.”
For a moment, I couldn’t speak. Miscellaneous work?
“Don’t you want to do it?”
“No, it’s not that! It’s just so sudden, and I’ve never done that kind of work before, so I don’t know if I’ll do well—and I’m worried I might make you uncomfortable, Duke…”
I wanted to cry, but I held it in. Please reject me! Miscellaneous work—that was servant work.
A servant. It felt like my pride was being torn apart.
“I won’t be staying here permanently. When it’s no longer Berok season, we’ll return to the estate. The period is two months.”
I listened blankly to Calyx’s words.
“Mr. Lerit Bin.”
“Yes?”
“If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to. You just need to repay twenty billion within a month.”
I answered quickly.
“No! I’ll do it. Then if I do your miscellaneous work, you’ll clear all twenty billion?”
Careful, but curious, I asked.
“That depends on how well you do.”
“Then that means…?”
“I’ll reduce your debt as I see fit.”
I was speechless for a moment. My debt disappearing depended entirely on his mood.
‘What kind of situation is this?’
My face stiffened briefly, but I forced a smile. Calyx’s eyes were fixed on me without a break.
“I’ll work hard.”
That was all I could say. As I stared gloomily at the Berok blood—
“There’s another way to repay the debt.”
My ears perked up immediately.
“What way?”
Calyx slowly rotated the teacup. The blood-red liquid swirled inside. Then he took a sip and set the cup down.
The clinking sound echoed loudly in my ears.
I looked at Calyx, tense. He spoke calmly.
“If you teach swordsmanship posture, I’ll cut the debt in half.”
Swordsmanship posture. It was my trade secret, refined since childhood.
‘If I teach this to someone else…’
My position would clearly be threatened. I had worked so hard to develop it.
But half the debt—ten billion. Money I might never repay depending on his mood. And I’d have to work as a servant…
Still, swordsmanship was practically my entire life. If I sold it for ten billion now, I might have no future later.
I clenched my fist and spoke.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t teach that.”
A faint line formed at the corner of Calyx’s lips.
“I didn’t expect it to be easy, but you’re more firm than I thought.”
His ash-gray eyes locked onto me—deep and challenging.
I swallowed and said,
“I have to think about the future.”
“So you think there’s no future here?”
“No! It’s not that, it’s just—”
Calyx smiled strangely and rotated the teacup again. He didn’t seem angry, but the air felt suffocating.
In ten years at Rollend, I’d met all kinds of people, but this was the first time I’d been overwhelmed by someone’s presence alone.
Calyx leisurely lifted his teacup.
“Anything else to say?”
I almost stood up quickly, but something bothered me. A contract. When working as a mercenary, I always used contracts. Verbal promises were dangerous—there was no proof.
Just then, Calyx set down his teacup with a clink.
“Um…”
Calyx frowned slightly, as if annoyed. I spoke quickly.
“Could we write a contract?”
His eyes sharpened.
“Do I look like someone who would lie?”
“No! But since people are involved, it’s better to have a contract. And wouldn’t that make our relationship clearer?”
Outwardly, I spoke calmly, but I couldn’t trust the Duke of Demerut completely. After being scammed so badly, even a famous duke needed confirmation.
“Make the relationship clearer… That almost sounds like you’re saying I’d scam you.”
“That’s not what I meant—”
“Unless you’re the one scamming me.”
“…What?”
“You already did, on a large scale.”
“Duke, that’s—”
“Even if you say you didn’t scam me, it’s just words. There’s no clear proof.”
“Then do you still think I’m a scammer?”
“Yes.”
I was speechless. Something rose inside me, but I barely managed to speak.
“Of course, I don’t have proof that I didn’t scam you, but that doesn’t mean I—”
“I’ll write the contract.”
If he was going to write it, fine. My heart sank endlessly, but I stayed silent.
