NOVEL WEB Chapter 97
Episode 97: The Deal (Part 2)
Archbishop Lord Hawkins is a man who inexplicably gives off an unpleasant vibe.
His attire is impeccable, and considering his mid-40s age, his physique is well-maintained. He doesn’t give off any unclean impression, yet he still manages to feel unsettling.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
Argus bowed respectfully to Lord Hawkins. The authority of an Archbishop far surpasses that of a mere Viscount, so Argus’s humble greeting didn’t come off as strange.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get straight to the deal, shall we?”
Lord Hawkins spoke to Argus with an arrogant tone, clearly indicating he had no intention of treating Argus as an equal. Argus sensed this and felt humiliated but didn’t let it show.
“Yes. Regarding the 50kg of Eald, could we arrange for payment to be made afterward?”
“What?”
Lord Hawkins’s face twisted in displeasure upon hearing Argus’s proposal.
“You… Are you mocking me?”
“N-no, that’s not my intention…”
Argus’s trembling voice wasn’t an act this time. It came from a different reason entirely. But Lord Hawkins, thinking his intimidation had worked, smirked inwardly.
“As you may know, Archbishop, my family has… well…”
“Ran off with your money, didn’t they?”
Argus bit his lip hard at Lord Hawkins’s mocking tone.
“…Yes.”
“Hmph, and you, a failure betrayed by your own family, dare to ask for deferred payment?”
“B-but… I can’t pay for 50kg of Eald upfront. I’ll sell the Eald and pay 32 million Drado from the proceeds.”
“32 million… That won’t be enough.”
“Huh?”
Argus’s shocked expression only made Lord Hawkins’s sneer grow uglier and more unpleasant. It was almost unbearable to look at.
(Just as Lord Giorg predicted…)
Argus shuddered inwardly. Lord Giorg had foreseen this exact scenario.
(Did Lord Giorg… truly understand Lord Hawkins’s nature and predict this outcome? Next, he’ll raise the price and demand an upfront payment… and then set an unreasonable deadline for the rest…)
“Of course. If you want deferred payment, it’ll be 40 million.”
“Wha—”
Lord Hawkins grinned at Argus’s stunned reaction.
“But at this rate, the deal won’t go through.”
“Y-yes…”
“The man next to you is holding money, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“How much is there?”
“12 million.”
“I see… That’s enough for an upfront payment.”
Argus shuddered at the mention of an upfront payment. Cold sweat ran down his cheek. Lord Hawkins, noticing this, smirked again with that same unpleasant expression.
“Hand over the 12 million as the upfront payment. The rest is due in ten days.”
“T-ten days?”
“What? You have a problem with that?”
“No…”
“Whether you can manage it in ten days is up to you.”
“…I’ll do it.”
“Good. Oh, and since you talked back, it’s now 45 million.”
“Yes…”
Lord Hawkins gleefully raised the price again, but Argus had no choice but to accept it.
(This guy… is a monster…)
Argus couldn’t help but tremble at how accurately Lord Giorg had predicted everything. It was as if Lord Hawkins was nothing more than Lord Giorg’s puppet. No, Argus wished that were the case. To him, Lord Giorg now seemed like a supernatural monster.
“Hey, give the upfront payment to Archbishop Lord Hawkins.”
Argus instructed the man holding the money to hand it over to the man standing next to Lord Hawkins. Argus didn’t know it, but this man held the rank of Bishop and was in charge of this church. The Bishop roughly took the money and began counting it. After a while, he looked up.
“Archbishop Lord Hawkins, it’s indeed 12 million.”
“Good. Hey.”
Lord Hawkins signaled to two other men, who quickly left the chapel. A few minutes later, they returned carrying a wooden box and placed it in front of Argus and his men.
“Check the contents.”
At Lord Hawkins’s arrogant command, Argus silently opened the lid of the wooden box. Inside were solid objects wrapped in paper.
“Hey.”
“Y-yes.”
At Argus’s command, one of his men nervously unwrapped the paper, revealing a white solid substance. The man sniffed it and nodded quietly.
“Good. Ten days. Don’t even think about running. If this deal with Eald is exposed, everyone in the House of Karmais will be executed.”
“Y-yes…”
As Argus replied in a trembling voice, a loud crash echoed from behind Lord Hawkins.
Everyone turned to look, and one of Lord Hawkins’s men was seen collapsing to the ground.
“H-hey, what’s—”
Behind the fallen man stood a group of men who weren’t part of Lord Hawkins’s entourage.
“N-nothing…”
The man who tried to speak was instantly grabbed from behind, his carotid artery compressed, and he lost consciousness in an instant.
It only took a few seconds for Lord Hawkins and his men to realize they were under attack, but those few seconds were more than enough for the assailants.
Lord Hawkins and his men were subdued without any resistance. The attackers then proceeded to do the same to Argus and his men.
“Don’t mess up the timing.”
“I know, I know.”
The Darkness Demon Group, disguised as Argus’s subordinates, muttered as they were subdued.
“Well, that’s everyone.”
“Yeah, we didn’t let anyone escape.”
Cain’s words were met with nods from his fellow Darkness Demon Group members.
“Now, we can give Lord Giorg a good report.”
With that, the Darkness Demon Group carried everyone out of the church.
The sudden disappearance of the church personnel caused an uproar, but no one could trace their whereabouts.
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