The Invincible Young General by Kerr Temple
Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“How come you’re not crippled?” Sebastian repeated the words in his head.

He rolled his eyes even harder. Why did Markus sound like he was hoping that someone would beat him hard enough to cripple him?

“You just want to see me suffer, don’t you?”

Gritting his teeth, Sebastian clenched his fists as if he was about to punch Markus hard.

Markus didn’t dodge.

When Sebastian’s fist was about to hit Markus, it became a light bump instead.

Then he turned around. Instead of closing the door, he opened it and walked in. “Come on in.”

The bar seemed messy and desolate.

Even though Sebastian had cleaned things up, there were still a few crushed tables and chairs, as well as wine bottle fraginents, on the floor.

Markus looked around. “Have you been robbed?”

He had a gloating expression on his face.

Sebastian rolled his eyes grumpily. He took out two stools, one for each of them.

He also went to the wine cabinet to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses.

“Drink. Tonight is the bar’s last night.”

Sebastian seemed decadent but one could tell that he was just forcing his carefreeness.

It was obvious that he cared very much about the car and didn’t want to close it.

In all honesty, Markus could tell even without looking. The fact that he had come to the bar as soon as he returned to Riverside was proof of his relationship with Sebastian.

How could he not know Sebastian and the Leaky Goblet well?

Sebastian used to be a low-class gangster. He was a player as well as a free spirit.

He was good-looking and mischievous when he was young, so he was popular with the girls.

In his early twenties, he was always flirting around.

Unconstrained. Indulgent.

This was the kind of person Sebastian was.

Until… one day, someone sent a baby girl to his door.

It was his daughter.

After that, he sold the house that he inherited from his deceased parents and opened the Leaky Goblet.

Ten years had passed since then.

How could he not care about the bar?

“What happened?”

Markus poured most of the wine in his glass into his mouth and asked seriously.

He could tell that someone had broken Sebastian’s leg. The injury wasn’t that bad, so Sebastian was fine.

But the sign at the door had obviously been smashed.

So was the inside of the bar.

Plus, Sebastian had decided to give up this bar.

There must be a story behind it!

“I’m not telling you.”

Sebastian also took a sip of wine.

“Do you consider me a stranger now?”

It’s because you’re not a stranger that I’m not telling you! Mark, you’ve been wandering alone for so many years. I’m happy enough to see you come back! Don’t get involved in this. It’s just a bar. I wouldn’t die on the streets just because I don’t have

Chapter 4

this bar anymore, would I?”

But that wasn’t even the crux of the matter.

“Not Markus said. “You’re not catching my drift. Now that I’m back, I need a job. I was going to rely on you and bartend here. You know that’s the only thing I can do. But since you’re not planning to run the bar anymore, you have to at least tell me who the next owner is, right? So, I can… apply for a job.”

Sebastian was speechless.

He understood what Markus meant.

This kid had always liked to joke around.

But out of everyone who worked for his bar, no one was more loyal than him.

But loyalty wasn’t actually a good thing.

“Fine, I’ll tell you. Even if I don’t tell you, you can ask someone else. Besides, it’s not a big deal. It’s just that Pablo Montague has been doing very well in recent years. He’s planning to run a bar, so he’s got his eyes on mine. I’m an easy target, after all.” “Pablo Montague? That’s a familiar name…

Markus grinned as memories of his youth surged into his mind.

Pablo Montague, the young master of the Montague Crime Family.

They used to go to school together.

Back then, he had smashed Pablo’s head in, and Pablo forced him to drop out of school.

Their grudges couldn’t be explained in just a few words.

Pablo also had something to do with the fact that Markus left Riverside and joined the Legio Fenricus Commandery.

“So, just forget about trying to get a job! Pablo is notorious for holding grudges!”

Maybe the reason why Pablo wanted to occupy the Leaky Goblet was that Sebastian had protected Markus in the past. “I guess I’ll have to try somewhere else.”

Looking unperturbed, Markus asked curiously, “What’s Pablo doing now?”

“He runs casinos and loan shark businesses! He’s quite the dark horse among the underworld figures in Riverside City. Both the rising stars and seniors show him respect! He’s also the focus of the City Watch’s investigation!”

In other words, he did every dirty crime possible.

“So, a loan shark is occupying your bar?”

“Can’t a loan shark run a bar?”

Markus was stumped.

That made sense.

“To be fair, he’s not really occupying my bar by force. He promises 20,000 dollars as a symbolic fee.”

Markus snorted.

Sebastian was the one who owned the bar.

The value of the bar had skyrocketed over the past ten years. It was worth more than one million now, at the very least.

20,000 dollars? Who did Pablo think he was?

He was just trying to bully Sebastian.

“Wait, that’s not right!” Markus suddenly raised his voice and said teasingly, “When did you become such a coward, Mr. Harrington? Are you really willing to give the bar to Pablo for free?”

After all, there was virtually no difference between selling the bar for 20,000 dollars and giving it away for free.

Markus wasn’t familiar with how things were in Riverside these days.

But ten years ago, Sebastian was able to open a bar in Riverside because he was capable!

Morcover, Sebastian was influential enough to help Markus enter the Legio Fenricus Commandery in the Northern Garrison eight years ago. He had his connections, that was for sure.

Moreover, the bar had just been refurbished.

Sebastian wouldn’t be willing to hand it over unless he had no other choice.

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Chapter 4

‘Olivia is already eleven.”

Markus fell silent.

He understood Sebastian’s reason now.

His eyes narrowed into a thin line.

Pablo’s men had broken Sebastian’s right leg.

And the real reason why Sebastian was forced to give up the bar was Olivia.

Olivia wasn’t just Sebastian’s bottom line.

She was also Markus’s!

Thump!

They heard footsteps in the distance.

Two men with fashionable hairstyles and obnoxious clothing came in, one fat and the other thin.

The fat one was tall and burly, and he walked toward the middle of the bar without any care in the world.

“Sebastian, I’m here to ask you some questions on Pablo’s behalf. When are you moving out? Pablo needs this place soon to make money!”

Furious, Sebastian stood up and said, “Some of you came this afternoon, and now here you are again! Won’t you guys give it

a rest?”

“Rocky, did Pablo send someone already?”

Albert Humphreys looked at the thin man in a floral shirt behind him in confusion.

“Maybe?” Rocky, the thin man in a floral shirt, wasn’t sure.

“Then… Let’s ask again! Sebastian, can you hand over the bar tomorrow? If you can’t, I’ll beat you up and ask again! Pablo says we can’t kill you because the City Watch has their eyes on us, but if you insist on being stubborn, you’ll only have yourself to blame!”

“Bastard! Then let’s fight it out first!”

Pissed off, Sebastian grabbed a stool.

Albert sneered and stepped forward fearlessly.

He was such a large man that he wasn’t afraid of Sebastian at all.

Suddenly, they heard a relaxed voice.

“Hey, Albert. It’s been years since we met, but I see you’re still working as Pablo’s lackey. Why haven’t you… made any progress?”

Naturally, the person who spoke was Markus.