Chapter 323: Today, I'll Just Have to Try It
If Steven knew how this Grand Knight was evaluating him right now, he'd probably burst out laughing on the spot.
What kind of mysterious figure could he possibly be? Wasn't it just moments ago, right in front of her, that he strung up that whole bunch of crooked merchants onto the streetlamp? And now she's acting like she doesn't recognize him anymore?
But at this moment, Steven simply played the part of a good, law-abiding citizen, claiming that this was merely what he ought to do.
"Sir Steve, there's not much I can say to you—at your current position, you hardly need to listen to me. But I still want to give you a word of warning."
After exchanging a few polite words with Steven, the old Grand Knight reached out and clasped his hand earnestly, her eyes gazing into his with heartfelt sincerity.
"Oh? Please, go ahead."
Steven hadn't expected this grandmotherly figure to suddenly reveal such an expression. All he could do was put on the look of someone ready to listen carefully, nodding as if to encourage her to continue.
"I don't know what you've gone through in the past, nor how you managed to acquire all this wealth. But from here on, as someone who now sits at the head of the Chamber of Commerce, please—remember not to follow in their footsteps."
She pointed toward the streetlamp behind them, where that grotesque little scene still remained on display. This old woman genuinely didn't want to see such a brave and responsible youth end up repeating the mistakes of the previous Chamber of Commerce leaders.
She had already witnessed too many people whose minds and hearts were corroded by money and power. This man might not look like someone who'd take that path—but people change.
And she sincerely hoped he wouldn't become one of those who wound up hanging from a lamppost. After all, she had a nagging premonition that the warning left behind by that knight before he departed hadn't been empty words.
What she didn't notice, however, was the subtle expression flickering across Steven's face.
He understood perfectly well why she was telling him this, and he even appreciated the meaning behind her words. But suppressing the laugh that wanted to escape his throat was… rather difficult.
Did she not realize who had been the one to string up that entire lot in the first place? If he really wanted to follow in the Chamber of Commerce's footsteps, would that mean he'd have to hang himself up there too?
A Minecrafter couldn't exactly suffocate from a rope around the neck, so Steven figured he'd probably never get the chance to experience such a thing anyway.
Still, since she was kindly risking offending him just to offer this reminder, he forced the corners of his mouth down, swallowed back the laughter, and gave her a solemn nod to indicate that he understood.
After that, the Grand Knight had to leave to oversee the aftermath of this whole mess. She departed with the Silverlance Pegasi at her side. To Steven's surprise, even the Candle Knight Viviana followed along—it seemed their relationship was rather close.
A pity, really. He had originally planned to catch up with her, maybe exchange a greeting or two, but now that chance was gone.
As for the unconscious Blood Knight, he was carried off to the hospital by a group of concerned comrades. Among those who remained here, the only person Steven still recognized was Margaret, who was now being surrounded and celebrated as a hero by the other knights.
Everyone had witnessed her fight with their own eyes. They all knew that if not for this knight's desperate resistance against the Demon King, and for her declaration of what it truly meant to be a knight, the Grand Knight Territory might have been reduced to rubble.
Though she had ultimately been unable to defeat that terrifying enemy, her valor shone through nonetheless.
"Defeat with honor"—perhaps this was what it truly meant.
Thus, no one had any objections when she was treated with such honors. Even Młynar, who had only coldly observed from the sidelines earlier, now found himself surrounded by a gaggle of new fans.
Unfortunately, as someone naturally poor at socializing, all he could do was meet them with a frosty glare. Yet ironically, that very look only made the crowd even more excited.
When Steven saw that they seemed unable to break away, he could only shake his head. Soon after, he noticed the members of the Pinus Sylvestris walking toward him.
After he had exposed the K.G.C.C's dirty dealings, all the troubles that had been directed at them vanished into smoke. And now, with the agreement they had reached with the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi, they were able to once again stand in this city as ordinary people.
Sona and the others knew very well that everything they had at this moment was thanks to the boy standing before them.
"That was really close. The moment I saw you appear, I almost thought you were going to fight that guy. His aura seemed really strong—I can't believe you actually held back and didn't strike."
Standing before Steven, Sona looked at him with some concern.
When she had seen him appear in the broadcast, she had almost imagined a scene where two great powers fought until even the country itself was obliterated. Yet in the end, he had restrained his violent methods and merely negotiated with the man instead?
Though Sona had never faced that person directly, even through the broadcast alone, his strength was clear. While she was confident in Steven's abilities, compared to that man, it was hard not to feel worried.
"It's not about being strong or not strong. If you can reason with someone, why fight? Besides, I had no reason to clash with him. We… could never truly come to blows."
Steven gave her a playful smile, not explaining further, merely meeting her gaze with a calm look.
"Now that you're free, you can fulfill your promise and work for me. Don't worry, the job won't be too difficult. All you need to do is keep an eye on my subordinates… of course, you'll probably see quite a few familiar faces among them."
He explained the task he had in mind—it was actually simple. The specialized matters could be handled by the Armorless Union and Czarny. As for the Pinus Sylvestris before him, all they needed to do was monitor the others' actions.
As knights who were themselves infected, it was unlikely they would collude with those people, and they could effectively prevent any shady dealings. They would also be able to notify him immediately if something went wrong. After all, his trip to Kazimierz was nearly over. He certainly couldn't stay here forever, so he had to leave behind a few trustworthy people to watch over his subordinate consortiums.
"Is that so? Well, that doesn't sound too bad. And looking at things now, it seems like the Majors probably won't exist anymore. If we really can find such an easy profession in the future, that actually sounds pretty good."
Thinking of Steven's vast financial resources, Sona knew that following him meant they would never have to worry about being taken advantage of. At the very least, the ordinary infected among the Pinus Sylvestris would now have secure livelihoods, instead of having to rely on the team's matches to scrape by like before.
Right now, in the Grand Knight Territory, people had all but stopped mentioning the so-called Kazimierz Major. Everyone knew full well that the whole event had been orchestrated by the K.G.C.C—it was the true culprit behind angering that knight. And if anyone still wanted to go around calling themselves a "competitive knight" at this point… weren't they just asking to end up hanging from the streetlamp like those poor souls before them?
What's more, people had already realized that this so-called tournament was nothing but an exploitation of former glory, a desecration of what true heroes once stood for. Hardly anyone still dreamed of becoming a "competitive knight."
If one had such ambition, it would be far better to just get a proper job. Or better yet, join the campaign knight—that might not be such a bad choice.
"Still… what I want to know," Sona asked Steven with a faint frown, "is what exactly you're building this conglomerate for. Do you intend to turn it into another K.G.C.C?"
Back when Steven had first mentioned starting a corporation, she thought he'd just been joking around. Who could've guessed he would really go through with it—and in doing so, end up creating the single largest conglomerate in the entire nation?
"No," Steven smiled, "the very reason I hired you all is because I don't want my consortium to become another K.G.C.C. My idea is simple: why must a corporation abandon its conscience just to make money? I intend to test it for myself—to see how long my consortium can last on this land without doing so."
This wasn't only about the world around him—it was also about himself.
Must merchants always abandon their conscience in order to profit?
He refused to believe it.
But when Sona heard his words, she only gave him a strange look. After making sure he wasn't joking, her expression grew even stranger.
"To be honest, after living in Kazimierz all these years, my common sense tells me that the answer to your question will only disappoint you."
She didn't want to throw cold water on him, so her tone was gentle, but all she could see in this boy was an unshakable confidence.
"Why not? All I want to know is this—can this make money here?"
Steven tapped his temple lightly, looking straight at the red-haired girl before him.
"It can," Sona admitted, "but only at the cost of your conscience."
"And this—can it make money here?"
Steven pulled out his Netherite Sword and stabbed it into the ground before him.
"It can… but it's illegal."
Curious about how he had managed to conjure such a weapon from thin air, Sona blinked and gave her honest answer.
"Then what if I put this"—Steven placed one hand on the sword—"together with this"—he tapped his temple again—"can I make money legally, and without abandoning my conscience?"
The boy stood there, hand on his Netherite Sword, his other hand at his temple, brimming with confidence as he faced the young woman.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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