At that moment, Zachary's expression had turned utterly grim.

  Because Caius had taken a shot from a Mithril-ranked archer—completely unscathed.

  And Okot, whom he had hired as a guard, had lasted less than thirty rounds in Caius’ hands before collapsing.

  What terrified Zachary the most was that Caius clearly knew there was a Mithril-ranked powerhouse stationed here—yet he still dared to speak with such threat-laden arrogance.

  Could it be… that Caius himself was Mithril-ranked?

  Of course not.

  The reason Caius had emerged unharmed from that arrow was primarily because of his warhammer—Angel—and its sheer durability.

  That old man’s hammer could crush even Diamondrock, let alone a mere arrow.

  As long as the projectile could be blocked, its power no longer mattered.

  That was one of the flaws of archers. Although they possessed Mithril-level killing power, they were heavily reliant on the quality of their arrows. If the arrow wasn’t tougher than his warhammer, as long as he could intercept it with the hammer, it wouldn't harm him.

  Sure, some archers could fire magical arrows. But even those couldn’t pierce through Angel, his warhammer.

  “Okot was a guard under my employ. You killed my man in my own manor. Don’t you think that’s… inappropriate?” Zachary said grimly.

  But Caius nodded. “You're right. It was inappropriate. I apologize.”

  As he spoke, he lowered his hammer and bowed toward Zachary.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve caused trouble for you and your guests. That was my mistake. I’ll reflect on it—and compensate for the damage to the manor wall in full.”

  Zachary and the surrounding guests were stunned.

  This arrogant brute… actually apologized?

  Was this a sign of weakness?

  But the next second, Caius straightened up again, hefting his hammer.

  “Now that I’ve apologized, can I kill him?”

  Zachary: “…”

  “You—” Zachary felt utterly humiliated. But before he could respond, Caius' expression darkened.

  “I’ll say this just once: if that fellow behind you dares to shoot another arrow at me—whether you ordered it or not—I will treat all of you as enemies.”

  “And I promise—none of you will leave this manor alive.”

  “That includes the mercenaries you just hired.”

  Caius spoke flatly, his tone devoid of emotion. The entire scene fell into dead silence.

  Then, like an executioner preparing to deliver the final blow, Caius raised his hammer.

  “If you don’t believe me… you’re welcome to try.”

  With that, the warhammer swung down.

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  BOOM— The ground trembled. A sickening crunch echoed—like a watermelon exploding.

  Before hundreds of stunned onlookers, he smashed Okot’s skull to pieces.

  Throughout it all, Zachary said nothing, his face pale.

  Because he had chosen not to act. The final decision, he had left to the Mithril-ranked archer.

  Yet even as Caius pulverized Okot’s head, the archer did nothing.

  That could only mean one thing: even the Mithril-ranked archer was afraid.

  Archers had incredibly keen senses. They could instinctively detect danger. And this time, the danger Caius presented was real.

  “Aah~ Vengeance feels so good.” Caius chuckled, resting his bloodstained warhammer against the ground. Leaning on it like a tired farmer, he wiped sweat from his brow and flashed a guileless smile.

  “Thank you, Baron Zachary. You may have lost a garbage bodyguard—but you’ve gained the friendship of a quality mercenary.”

  He laughed heartily as he spoke.

  “Heh heh…” Zachary let out a hollow laugh. Caius’ words sent chills through his heart.

  “I’m sure we’ll have opportunities to cooperate in the future, won’t we, Baron Zachary?” Caius grinned.

  “O-of course,” the Baron nodded, heart filled with bitterness.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to kill Caius.

  Caius had utterly humiliated him—he wanted nothing more than to tear him apart.

  But Okot was already dead. Though they had a good relationship, it was only as friends.

  And trusting a profit-driven man like Okot with friendship? What a joke.

  At this point, there was no way he’d offend someone who might well be Mithril-ranked over a dead man.

  So now, not only could he not touch Caius—he had to win him over. That was the only way to minimize his losses.

  Which was precisely why Caius had acted this way.

  He was arrogant—but with strength to back it up, arrogance wasn’t a flaw. It was a tactic.

  And of course… it was also part of who he was.

  Killing someone in another’s territory was against common norms.

  But Caius… was someone who operated outside the rules.

  Why else would he love being a mercenary?

  “Looking forward to working with you, Baron Zachary!” Caius said brightly. Then, right in front of everyone, he looted Okot’s “remains”—his spatial ring and the two broken serrated blades.

  Once done, he strolled forward, picked up an unbroken bottle of liquor from the ground, gave it a shake—still half full.

  He chugged it straight.

  After wiping his mouth, Caius called out to the little Catgirl.

  “I’ll be off now, Baron Zachary. If you need anything, just post a job at the Iron Tavern. Raymond will take care of it.”

  “Oh—and send the invoice for the damages to him too. I’m heading back for some sleep.”

  That was his way of reminding the Baron—he had a good relationship with Raymond.

  And Raymond was a big name in Ocean City.

  “Y-yes, of course…” Baron Zachary nodded, swallowing hard.

  Before leaving, Caius gave Manasa a playful wink. Only then did the stunned girl snap out of her daze, a blush blooming on her face.

  Then Caius left, humming a carefree tune.

  Zachary gazed upon the ruins of his party, bitterness flooding his heart.

  What a mess…

  Naturally, the party couldn’t continue after that.

  Still, the mercenaries didn’t leave. They simply camped in the courtyard—there was still work to do tomorrow.

  Zachary, drained in both body and spirit, returned to the manor.

  It was then that a figure emerged behind him.

  “Why didn’t you fire?” he asked—not a scolding, but seeking solace. A reason.

  “I sensed mortal danger from him,” came a steady male voice.

  “If I had released that arrow—even if I had won… you would’ve died.”

  The speaker wore a hood, his face hidden in shadow.

  Zachary sighed.

  If even a Mithril-ranked archer said that—then his decision had been the right one.

  He nodded and said no more.

  This loss—he would have to swallow.

  He’d been in Ocean City long enough to know exactly which kinds of people could and couldn’t be provoked.

  Someone like Caius—immensely powerful and utterly unrestrained—must never be trifled with.

  And worst of all…

  He had a feeling his precious daughter might be interested in the man.

  That was the real nightmare.

  Of all the men in the world, she had to like a mercenary…

  And someone who had just smashed Okot’s skull in with a hammer…

  If she ever toyed with his feelings… the guy might just wipe out the entire family.

  And if she was serious about him… he didn’t want his daughter marrying a mercenary who lived every day with his blade licking blood, no matter how powerful the man was.

  So, it was safe to say that Zachary probably wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.

  Caius, on the other hand, was sleeping like a baby with a kitten in his arms.

  After trading blows with Okot and tanking an arrow from a Mithril-ranked powerhouse, his magic condensation progress had increased by another three percent—now sitting at five percent.

  If only more idiots like Okot would show up—he’d be leveling up like crazy.

  But alas, fools of that caliber were a rare breed.

  After all, tonight’s incident would soon spread throughout Ocean City. And when that happened, there’d be even fewer people daring enough to provoke him.