The great Swordmaster Maximus had personally come to her house, carrying a direct order from the king. For someone like him to move on a matter involving Ketal meant that whatever Ketal had done was no small feat. To Milayna, the connection between routine mercenary work and royal interest was utterly baffling.0

When she asked about it, Ketal answered casually, “I just did the usual mercenary jobs—clearing Dungeons, patrolling villages, escorting people.1

“I see,” Milayna said, though her confusion lingered. His description sounded far too ordinary to warrant the involvement of a Swordmaster.0

The more she thought about it, the more questions arose, but this was a matter tied directly to the king. It was not something she could—or should—dig into further. Shaking off her curiosity, she forced herself to move on.0

“I was just curious. Now that we have finished here, let me show you around. Is there anything specific you’d like to see?” Milayna asked.0

“Something specific…” Ketal repeated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. After a moment, he nodded. “Your family’s involved in a lot of different work, right?”0

“Of course. We’re a merchant family.”0

“I’d like to see how those operations work. You mentioned running a bank—let’s visit that too.”0

“The bank…?” Milayna blinked, momentarily caught off guard. “Are you sure that’s what you’d like to see?”0

“Why wouldn’t I?” Ketal asked, raising...0