Chapter 202: Everyone’s Enemy (1)

The Infinite Bank’s branch manager was already meeting with someone else. Hearing that, Dork’s expression grew grim.

The only special members of the Infinite Bank in Liqueur are Big Brother and the Godfather... Could it be that the Godfather, who was said to have vanished, is now meeting the branch manager?

Dork shook his head.

No, impossible. It must be the Godfather’s proxy.

If the Godfather was making a move, the ripples would spread whether he wanted them to be noticed or not. Everyone sensed the Godfather’s presence, like how everyone knew the sun was in the sky without needing to look up.

Even though Dork knew the Godfather wasn’t here, he couldn’t relax. It was for good reason, as they had just refused his proposal through Balt.

Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

Dork didn’t know what the Godfather’s proxy was discussing with the branch manager, but he was sure it couldn’t be anything that would benefit Keter.

Joyray gave Keter a glance, as if he was asking what their next move would be.

Keter shrugged and said to the deputy manager, “I’m not waiting. Tell him I want to join them.”

“I will ask the branch manager.”

The deputy wasn’t stiff about it and went into the reception room.

“Seems leaving Liqueur quietly won’t be easy, Keter,” Joyray murmured.

Keter rubbed his ear and replied, “I’d be disappointed if they did let me leave quietly.”

In Liqueur, no one could stand to see another person doing well. Even if it meant harming themselves, they would block someone else’s gain or happiness. Naturally, negotiations where both sides came out ahead were rare—almost nonexistent. One side had to lose everything for the other to feel satisfied. The setting being the Infinite Bank and the opponent being the Godfather’s proxy didn’t change that.

The wait wasn’t long. After a brief exchange inside, the reception room door opened and the deputy manager emerged, though not alone.

“Keter!”

Before the deputy manager could step out, a woman leaped forward and threw herself at Keter. The memory of Elise tackling him in Sefira flashed in Keter’s mind. However, this woman was far more mature, and her voice was incredibly sweet, like a wife welcoming her husband home from war.

But the instant Keter heard her voice, he scowled as if he had tasted bitter medicine and blocked her forehead with his hand to stop the tackle.

“Ahh, I love it when you touch my head!”

“So Balt first, now you, Stella.”

“Keter said my name! I’m so happy!”

Stella had lilac hair and was wearing a gray coat. She fiddled with her fingers shyly like a lovestruck girl, unbefitting her fierce, vicious eyes.

Keter, however, found Stella uncomfortable because she was the Godfather’s daughter, but also because he had rejected her proposal.

“Keter, I really like you. Will you marry me?”

She pulled out a ring with an orange gem and held it out to him. Seeing that, Dork shook his head.

“Congratulations, Big Brother, that’s the one-hundredth proposal from the Empress.”

“Don’t keep count of that, Dork. Makes me sick. And Stella, whether it’s a hundred times or a thousand, my answer’s the same: no.”

“Another rejection, but that’s okay. Father said little strokes fell great oaks.”

“If you’ve hit it a hundred times and haven’t even scratched it, give it up.”

“No. You’re my destined one.”

Anyone seeing this proposal and rejection scene for the first time would be baffled. The Godfather’s daughter was incredibly beautiful. Plus, her title, the Empress, wasn’t just because she was the Godfather’s daughter; she was a six-star Grandmaster. So why would Keter reject her?

However, anyone who paid close attention to Stella would understand. Inside the open reception room, the table, chairs, furniture, and the branch manager seated there all looked ordinary. But behind them, one odd feature stood out: a suspicious flower bed. It wasn’t because it was lush and vibrant, but because it made one wonder why someone would keep that there.

Crumple...

The plants looked like they had been withering for decades, crumbling into dust at the faintest breeze.

It wasn’t that the branch manager had an odd taste for decorating with dried-out plants. Only an hour ago, that flower bed had been green and full of life, blooming beautifully. Now, all life had drained from it. The cause was obvious, since the flowers in the hallway were also suddenly wilting, and only the ones beside Stella.

Stella was peculiar; she had a cursed body that absorbed the life force of everything around her. But that wasn’t the main reason Keter disliked her.

“So, if you’re done with your meeting, will you get lost?” asked Keter.

“I’m not done. I just came to greet you. I even gave permission for a joint meeting.”

“Haa...”

Keter rubbed his temples in thought.

Should I wait for Stella to leave?

He hated both: waiting and Stella.

However, waiting was slightly worse, so he told Dork and Six, “Just the Captain and I will go in. You two stay here and snack.”

Dork nodded without hesitation. Just being near the Empress drained one’s life force, so being in the room would be unbearable. Only people like Keter or Joyray could withstand it; Dork had no chance.

* * *

The branch manager of Infinite Bank was fully armored, likely as a safeguard against Stella’s life-draining ability. There wasn’t a speck of exposed skin, making it impossible to discern their appearance, sex, or any other detail.

“Welcome, Solver Keter.”

There was, however, some room to guess their age. Judging by the voice alone, the armored branch manager sounded like a middle-aged man in his fifties.

“No, you are now the branch manager of the Liqueur Mercenary Guild? Or perhaps you prefer to be addressed as the Bow of the South?”

The branch manager seemed to be implying that even though he was in Liqueur, he was still well-informed about the outside world.

As he took the seat across from him, Keter replied, “Call me whatever you want. I’m here to propose a partnership. I’ll help revive Liqueur’s economy, and in return, you support the Mercenary Guild.”

“The fact that the Councilman is here with you means you share Mr. Branch Manager’s opinion, I presume?”

Joyray, who had accompanied Keter, gave a small nod, prompting the Infinite Bank’s branch manager to let out a hearty laugh.

“Well, now, isn’t that a coincidence? The Empress here has made me the opposite proposal.”

As the branch manager glanced at him, Stella crossed her legs in her own bone chair and gave a coy smile.

“Keter. I really like you, but I love my father just as much. This time, I don’t think I can yield to you.”

“What did you propose to the branch manager?” Keter asked.

“I’ll tell you,” the branch manager answered. “The Empress offered to help Infinite Bank withdraw from Liqueur.”

That made Keter frown. The intention was far too clear.

“Are you trying to turn Liqueur into a complete den of beasts?”

Liqueur was certainly a place filled with deranged psychopaths. Yet it was called the city of lunatics precisely because it still had a minimal level of order and an economic system—a bare minimum of structure that allowed humans to remain human. Destroying even that would be no different from turning it into a den of beasts.

“Why now? Why destroy the order of Liqueur you have kept for hundreds of years?”

The question was more rhetorical, but Stella still answered, “Father says it’s the best move.”

“Best move for what?”

“That, I don’t know. Really.”

Keter was frustrated because he had no guesses either, but there was only one possible conclusion.

“So, what will you do, Mr. Branch Manager?”

It all came down to the Infinite Bank’s decision: leave Liqueur or attempt to restore its economy. Without a bank, neither Keter nor anyone else could rebuild or maintain it.

The armored branch manager rested his chin on his hand.

“Hmm... that’s not an easy question. As you know, Infinite Bank’s sole concern is money. Whether it’s more profitable to cut our losses and withdraw from the destruction and chaos that will follow here, or to risk failure by attempting to restore the economy... That is the dilemma.”

On the surface, it sounded like he was asking for time, but that wasn’t the real meaning. What he was really saying was: “Convince me.”

He was demanding that both Stella and Keter make their cases.

Stella spoke first, but she didn’t bother to persuade.

“Mr. Branch Manager, our suggestion to withdraw was purely out of goodwill. At the very least, it means we wouldn’t stop you or get in your way. But if you stay here as Keter suggests, you’d not only be rejecting our goodwill—you’d be ignoring it entirely.”

It was not persuasion, but a threat. She didn’t raise her voice or threaten to kill him; she just calmly told him the truth. It was a threat from none other than the Godfather, but the branch manager wasn’t scared or angry. He simply nodded in acknowledgment and looked to Keter.

Keter was just as calm.

“If Infinite Bank leaves Liqueur, I’ll make the Mercenary Guild act as a bank. Without that, there’s no way to keep order in Liqueur.”

“I see...”

It wasn’t a threat, nor even much of a proposal. It wasn’t anything beneficial to the branch manager.

“I understand the Godfather’s intention to obstruct any attempt to stop the withdrawal. That’s unfortunate,” the branch manager first said, after turning to Stella. He then looked at Keter. “We don’t allow the founding of other banks... but if we withdraw from Liqueur, we can’t interfere. On the other hand, staying here without functioning as a bank—just to prevent the Mercenary Guild from becoming one—would mean enormous losses for us.”

As the branch manager pondered, Keter and Joyray both turned their heads toward the window.

The next moment, Keter smiled, and Joyray sighed. Something was happening outside.

Stella, however, was too busy gazing at Keter’s face.

“Ahh, even your smile is so lovely...”

Knock knock.

“Sir, there’s a problem,” the deputy branch manager said, stepping into the room.

For someone announcing trouble, he didn’t look all that concerned.

“Is this a problem I need to stand up for?”

“It might be... A large group has surrounded the area around Infinite Bank. There are easily over a thousand of them, and the number is still growing by the second.”