And so Markus and Zen proceeded to build a booming business, although Markus was one of little business talent or experiences, he only had to learn the basics since Zen did most of the work.
It didn't take long for Markus's newfound business empire to spread, by targeting provincial nobles and the lands near the borders of the empire that desperately needed food to run their private armies, these people were their number one consumers, this coupled with having a reliable company as their assurance, money quickly flowed into the Silver's pockets and by proxy Markus's pocket.
The seeds of the new crop strain that were sold to the nobles could have their price arbitrarily decided by Markus provided it wasn't too unreasonable so it wasn't hard to see why he could make so much money without the need for mass production.
It doesn't help that that Markus had near unbreakable monopoly on the new super strain of crops as well as the right to distribute it to whoever he wanted since even if the nobles that hired his services knew part of how it worked they wouldn't dare to spread it carelessly since the company that invested in Markus's little agricultural revolution had ties with a lot of influential figures both within and outside of the empire, some even rumored they had ties with the royal family.
Markus was smart with his cash, he secretly payed mercenaries and adventurers to do his dirty work like silencing people who tried to profit off his work or discover his secrets and escort missions behind everyone's backs and ensured that the right people get payed and stay payed.
It's been a 2 and a quarter months since then and the rising popularity of this new business drew the attention and ire of many of the aristocracy and even the royal family, the question on everyone's mind right now was simple, who was the guy who came up with this and how do I scout him?
But even the royal family didn't know as part of the contract that the company signed with Markus was that his identity and involvement is to be kept a secret, although Markus surmised that this wasn't gonna last long since ya know, the FVCKING royal family was interested in him.
((Meh...doesn't matter, it'll be a good opportunity to gain useful connections within the empire anyway))
Markus thought as he did held his sword in an overhead position.
((Eight sword-yataragasu))
Markus's one sword line split into eight and loomed over Syph's figure.
"Impressive, it's even stronger than my yataragasu but using a technique on it's creator is not a smart move you know"
Syph was amused, she prepared her own stance and shouted.
"Second sword-piecing shadow"
10 black shadow like tendrils spewed forth from Syph's slash enveloping and completely consuming Markus's eight strikes nullifying them.
((Another impressive sword skill, as expected of her, she already has the foundation of becoming a [sword emperor] covered...no wonder she was the only other member of the hero's party that could put up with Markus's absolutely broken dps))
Markus's breath was once again taken away by Syph's prowess.
But that didn't stop him from countering Syph's counter when it came at him with full force.
Markus held his sword an iai position.
((Intermediate sword skill: [counter break]))
Without even moving his blade the five shadow tendrils moving towards Markus instantly dissipated, the speed and power of this technique was just that great.
But the downside to this technique was that the recoil was huge causing Markus to lose his balance and focus for about 5 seconds which was all that syph needed since in a real battle, swordsman only need a quarter of a second to decide victory and loss.
Appearing in front of his nose and matching his breath Syph took advantage of the recoil and striked.
"Eight sword-yataragasu"
Eight slashes completely overwhelmed Markus and threw him far away.
...…...
Or at least that was what's supposed to happen.
The moment Syph's blade touch Markus, she felt something strange, the blade she held faced no resistance when it made contact with Markus's body almost as if she was cutting air.
But she didn't need to wait long to get an answer.
((Exclusive [silent assassin] skill: [realistic afterimage]))
Even if Markus wasn't able to use another magic or skill when the recoil kicked in that didn't mean that there was no way for him to use skills, a skill's effect will still be perfectly functional if it's activated before the recoil.
In other words Markus used [counter break] and [realistic afterimage] at the same time and then waited for the recoil period to end before making his move, a feat that would require an unimaginable amount of concentration.
After jumping over Syph, spinning in the air and landing behind Syph, Markus prepared his left fist to strike at his teacher's back.
""Assassination arts: [iron fist of the tyrant]""
Even though Markus disliked calling the name of the attack before doing it, he needed to add some flair to his final attack just to be a little bit more extra.
Driving his clenched fist into Syph's back there was a tearing and breaking sound as the space between Markus and Syph cracked.
((No...it literally cracked! This is...))
Jumping back, Markus put some distance between him and the master swordswoman.
""A barrier!?""
Markus exclaimed, surprised at what he just saw, although as always his tone of voice just sounded very bored and sarcastic, almost as if he had crippling depression or debilitating nihilism (which he kinda does to be honest, although it's more like optimistic nihilism in Markus's case).
"Please don't underestimate me Markus-kun, although I have no talent for magic, being a mercenary and adventurer requires skills that can save your life even in the most dangerous situations, a barrier to protect your body against harm is a natural part of that kind of life"
Syph's said with a mischievous smile plastered on her face.
""Sure...""
Giving a short and overly simplistic reply as always Markus prepared his next attack, responding to this Syph also prepared her stance.
They went at it for about 2 hours more or less and in the end, both of them were battered and exhausted from the constant battles, Markus more so than Syph.
The final score was Syph with 15 wins and 5 losses and Markus with 5 wins and 15 losses.
((I have been able to gradually pull off more wins recently but as expected this woman's just ridiculous when it comes to her prowess with the sword))
Markus crouched in a very tired state as he could collapse on the ground at any moment now.
Even though it's just a practice match, constantly being pitted against an enemy that is vastly superior to you is going to destroy your endurance and if this was someone other than Markus they would've been broken by now.
"You're improving at an alarming rate Markus, but there still seems to be a core problem with your swordsmanship...hmm...how do I put this? Well to be frank, you have no instinct when it comes to battle, all your actions are driven by well thought out plans and calculated analysis, though this gives you a very big advantage in a fight since you are completely unaffected by fear and can keep a level head in even the most dire situations it also makes your attacks somewhat monotonous and predictable, often resulting in a back and forth battle that is needlessly tiring, you need to be more creative in your approach, there is a reason why humans are born with both thoughts and emotions and even though they're troublesome and annoying at times, emotions are very important in your development as a swordsman, there will be times in life where thinking your way out of a problem isn't possible, when that time comes, following your heart is your best and only option"
Syph gave Markus some pointers on how to improve even more.
""I understand...thank you for your guidance, master""
Markus respectfully bowed.
((However following your heart means your susceptible to outside manipulation and unfortunately, I don't have a heart to follow or manipulate...))
Markus once again took a good self derisive look at himself which has become a like a habit for him.
((I am neither Kazuki nor Markus after all, I am both and none at the same time, and neither of them had much of a heart to begin with, so how do you expect me to understand what a "heart" is?))
Putting his practice sword back where it belongs, Markus quietly returned to his daily routine.
This has been going on for months now everyday was all about progress and planning for Markus, constantly and obsessively preparing for anything that the world might throw his way.
As a result he gained 2 other class which was [chronomancer] and [poison assassin].
Despite singlehandedly saving the Silver house in one swift move, the relationship between Markus and his "father" Aidan was still awkwardly formal with the two rarely interacting with the other.
That is until one day...
Making his way to a certain room, Markus's heart was momentarily filled with worry.
Despite this he calmly walked with long strides towards his destination.
Why was he so calm? Because he's currently using the [eyes of the puppeteer] to look into the future and what he saw wasn't really that bad, at least not yet.
Arriving at the door Markus mentally prepared himself before knocking.
"Enter"
That calm soothing voice that Markus heard from the first time he met his "father" came from the other side.
Markus did as he was told and got into the room.
What greeted him was the sight of a luxurious office with heads of hunted monsters hanging on the walls along with multiple decorative weapons.
In the middle was a table filled with official papers and the one doing the paperwork was none other than the head of the house, Aidan Silver.
Markus stood there and waited for Aidan to finish with his work in much the same way that Zen did for him.
"...aren't you going to ask why you're here?"
After a while Aidan spoke first, breaking the silence.
""That would interrupt your work, lord Silver...and I'm smart enough to know that it's not wise to interfere in someone's business especially when it comes to official work, besides you're already been aware of my presence and it's not like I'm in a hurry""
Markus explained his actions in the most respectful way possible.
"Lord Silver huh?..."
Aidan had a melancholic look on his face, his eyes seemed to look at somewhere far away.
((Hey you're the guy that couldn't keep it in his pants okay!? Don't blame me for being born this way))
Playing into the fiction of him being Aidan's son Markus thought.
"(Sighs)...never mind let's get this over with, are you aware of the thing called "apprenticeship"?"
Jumping straight to the point, Aidan asked.
((Is this what I think it is?))
Even though he saw this coming through his foresight ability, Markus couldn't help but get excited.
""Yes, if what I've heard is correct it's where children of knight houses are obliged to undergo a minimum of 1 year of service to a higher noble's house once they reach a certain age, according to the empire's laws this process is compulsory""
Markus answered with only the minimum facts and he used his fake child's voice in order to not rouse suspicion in Aidan.
"...good enough, the reason I've called you here is to inform you that you are now in that age range and so it is required that we send you to a higher noble's house the following year"
Aidan just dropped a bombshell on Markus (not really).
""I see""
Not showing any particularly powerful reaction, Markus responded.
"You don't seem surprised"
Perturbed at Markus's lack of care for the information that was just dumped on him, Aidan said.
""I was already prepared to do whatever, when I first came to this house...""
Markus gave a neutral answer about this, showcasing his "go with the flow" mentality.
((After half the sh*t I've went through, nothing really fazes me anymore...))
Markus thought, looking back at everything he did for the past 1-2 months.
"...well anyway..."
Aidan coughed and continued explaining.
"The location that you will be sent to has been decided..."
((Here it comes...))
Seeing something like this coming, Markus waited patiently for the future he had foreseen to actualize itself.
"The Rosewood house"
The expected words came out of Aidan's mouth.
((Jackpot..))