I Am The Madman Of This Family

Chapter 71: Stop—Are You Pulling A Fast One on Me? (3)

The first word Gyro remembered was “genius.” He vividly recalled his father and mother always saying that to him.“Wait a minute.”

Keter waved his hand, interrupting the story.

“At this rate, you’re going to talk about your entire honeymoon next. I get it; your life’s been tragic. Now, are you going to Sefira or not?”

“I’ll tell you the rest later, but to summarize, it’s as you said. I stumbled upon this nation’s secrets, and I tried to escape. But I was caught, and my entire family was massacred. That’s when I made my decision to take revenge on the root of it all—Lillian,” Gyro said firmly and without hesitation.

“Even if my soul is devoured by the Demon Sword, even if I have to bow and call a child my boss, and even if I must live as a drunkard in someone else’s household, I will see this through.”

“I’ve never seen someone drag out their decision that long,” Keter said.

“It’s the romance of my times. Hahaha!”

Laughing heartily, Gyro slammed the table and stood.

The massive greatsword on his shoulder knocked over a ceiling beam.

“Ah, I’m still a bit drunk...”

Gyro sheepishly glanced at Joyray as he slinked away.

Keter, despite being the one who would have to pay for the damage, laughed. Though Gyro seemed fine now, once the alcohol wore off, he would undoubtedly cause chaos, something on an entirely different level from the current mess.

“Kekeke, too bad I won’t be able to see Reganon and Panir, those old geezers, struggling to subdue Gyro.”

Of course, no matter how much trouble Gyro caused, he wasn’t entirely out of his mind. It wasn’t as if he was going to commit murder or anything. Plus, his rampages would actually benefit Sefira; they would shake up the complacent knights and rekindle the dormant emotions of violence.

“Keter, you look like a real villain now,” Luke said with a grimace after finishing his meal.

“You’ve finally developed some discernment, huh?” Keter said.

Keter gave Luke a pat on the shoulder before standing up.

As if waiting for this moment, Joyray blocked his path, gesturing toward the ceiling with a nod. The damaged beam Gyro had broken was swaying precariously.

“Luke, wait for me outside. I need to discuss some business with the captain,” Keter said.

“Got it,” Luke replied, leaving the tavern without suspicion.

Keter stepped into the kitchen, followed by Joyray. Without a word, Keter handed him some cash.

“A thousand gold should be a decent consolation… Wait, what?!”

Joyray held the cash up to the light. The bill wasn’t for a thousand gold but ten thousand.

Before Keter could say anything, Joyray tucked the bill into his pocket with a sly grin.

“So, you noticed the historical and monetary value of that beam Gyro broke, huh? Heh.”

“Cut the nonsense, Captain. That beam’s worth a single gold coin at best,” Keter retorted.

“Then why give me all this cash? What’s your deal? Did you steal this money? Is this some laundering job?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. A ten-thousand-gold note doesn’t just go missing.”

“Sure, I know that, man. But you’re the one handing it over, and you’re more than capable of pulling something like this off.”

“Forget it. I’m taking over the Liqueur branch of the Mercenary Association. I’ll need your help.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

Like Joyray said, he was just the owner of a tavern.

Keter, however, nudged Joyray’s arm with his elbow with a mischievous grin and said, “Aw, come on, Master. Don’t be like that.”

“You little brat! How many times have I told you not to call me Master? You stole my techniques without permission!”

“You literally demonstrated them in front of me.”

“I didn’t know you were spying!”

“Anyway, Master, I’m counting on you. That ten-thousand-gold bill is your commission.”

“I don’t know why you’re so interested in the branch, but do you really think you can buy it off with just ten thousand gold? You’re the robber, bandit, and pirate of the century.”

“Master, don’t be so harsh. The branch manager position isn’t exactly prestigious, is it? Honestly, the Liqueur branch manager is basically a demotion.”

“Bwahaha! Oh, Keter. Why are you playing dumb when you know the deal? Like you said, in the past, every branch manager wanted to escape this place. But the current one has stuck around for over ten years. He always looks miserable, sure, but do you think anyone believes there’s no deeper reason?”

Joyray pressed Keter with a knowing grin.

Just then, an impatient voice came from outside the kitchen.

“When’s the food coming out? It’s been thirty minutes, you crazy bastard!”

Joyray casually grabbed a kitchen knife and flung it backward. The blade arced gracefully through the air and embedded itself deep into the shouting customer’s table.

“Whew!” Keter whistled. “As expected of you, Master. That was a flawless trajectory, befitting the originator of Flying Sword Art.”

“You brat, have you ever thought about learning Flying Blade Art properly? If you did, you would become the strongest mercenary alive. I heard you dreamed of being a mercenary back in the day.”

“Becoming the king of mercenaries was my dream, once upon a time. Not anymore.”

“Then if that’s not it, why do you want the mercenary guild branch manager position?”

“For revenge. And… for some personal use.”

“, I don’t know what kind of crap you’re trying to pull now… And why are you even dragging me into this? I’m not a mercenary.”

“It’s getting really hard to pretend like I don’t know anything.”

Suddenly, Keter grabbed a knife and hurled it at the ceiling.

To the naked eye, the ceiling seemed perfectly ordinary. But when Keter’s knife struck a specific spot, the air rippled, and the core of an illusion spell shattered. Joyray’s face hardened.

Keter, on the other hand, gazed up in amazement. The kitchen ceiling was revealed to be packed with an uncountable arsenal of weapons. Each one was of the highest quality and immaculately maintained.

Joyray silently removed the apron from around his neck, revealing six meticulously arranged knives strapped to his waist.

The truth behind Joyray, the seemingly humble tavern owner of Liqueur was…

“The Mercenary King, Ray. Who would believe that the highest power in the Mercenary Association is running a little tavern here?”

Clara's Thoughts

Every time I write about Gyro, I keep thinking about the food... It doesn't help that I'm translating at like 3AM either LOL