Chapter 66

“Haah…”

Iscar slumped down in the hallway, muttering under his breath.

“I can’t take this anymore… I want to quit being a lord.”

The Margrave—Iskar von Tristein.

He thought of himself like this: I am not fit to lead others.

“I like money. I like fine food. I like luxury. I’m glad I was born a noble. But…”

Leading people was exhausting. And more than anything, it was terrifying.

“It would’ve been better if I were the second son. I’d be happy just getting some allowance. But… why was I the eldest? Because of that, I had to inherit the house, look after the citizens, and now…”

He cast a trembling gaze down the hallway.

At the meeting room within the mansion.

Representatives from various merchant guilds had just arrived there.

“…Now I have to deal with those money-grubbing vultures…!”

These were the very same people who once tried to poison him—a group he utterly despised.

Because of them, Iscar’s stomach was in constant pain. And as if that wasn’t enough, another ‘unpleasant monster’ had shown up, making matters worse.

“Haah… If only that damn brat, ‘Dark Lady Sarah,’ hadn’t interfered, I could’ve been finished ten years ago…”

Ten years ago, Iscar had been mass-producing drugs with the intent of spreading them throughout his domain.

He had told Sarah that he was struggling with governance and facing financial difficulties—but that was just part of the reason.

In truth, he wanted to end it all.

He wanted to plunge his domain into chaos, succumb to the drugs himself, or be killed.

He didn’t have the courage to commit suicide. Facing fear was too much, so he wanted to die quickly as the ‘worst lord’ imaginable.

“But then…”

In the dead of night, in his office, with the moonlight behind her, a silver-haired monster descended before Iscar.

“Damn that Sarah… She suddenly appeared, ruined my plans, and started bombarding me with all sorts of strange knowledge and inventions. Thanks to her, the territory has flourished!”

As a result, everything ended in success rather than failure.

The frontier city had transformed into a metropolis on par with the ‘Holy Capital.’ Iscar himself was hailed as a ‘rare and virtuous lord,’ a ‘saintly noble who saved the people.’ It was all incomprehensible, a complete mess.

“Damn it, damn it! This isn’t what I wanted! And now, for over ten years, I’ve had to deal with these merchants!”

Fear gripped him.

Even now, as an adult, he trembled.

It brought back the trauma of his childhood, when the maid he adored was used as a puppet to poison him.

Every meeting with the merchants made him feel nauseous. And yet…

“Damn it, I’ll do it! Even if I tried to self-destruct now, that brat would just stop me again!”

Shaking, Iscar moved forward. Eventually, he reached the meeting room. He placed both hands on the door and flung it open with a bold gesture.

“I’ve arrived! Now, let us begin, gentlemen!”

Wearing a false bravado, Iscar, the lord, entered the room.

And in response to his imposing figure, the elderly merchants offered emotionless smiles.

“Oh, my lord. It is a pleasure to see you in good health.”

“My, my. As manly as ever, I see.”

“You’ve grown so much… quite different from when you were a child.”

Their collective gaze fell upon him.

It was a gaze that completely saw through Iscar’s bravado, calculating how to best manipulate him.

Beloved by his people like a god, Iscar’s reputation held no sway over those who had known him since childhood, those consumed by greed.

“Time is money, as they say. Come now, please take your seat.”

One of the representatives urged him to sit, effectively stripping him of control over the meeting.

“…Very well, let us discuss the division of rights concerning the ‘Great Lakeshore’…”

Iscar sat down quietly.

With only his lips moving, he whispered a single word, help me.

It was a plea no one could possibly hear.

◆◇◆

“To take down even the older ones… That’s beyond the realm of ‘animals’… Is His Majesty unbeatable, even in matters of lust?”

“What are you even talking about?”

I walked down the hallway, accompanied by that fool Baji. Our destination was Iscar’s mansion, where the meeting room was located. It seemed the members were already gathered. I could sense everything.

“Haa… I’ve had terrible luck since yesterday. First, getting kicked out of the inn, and now getting roped into politics.”

“Ugh… one of those is my fault, isn’t it? I’m really sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it.”

That’s right. There’s nothing to worry about. After all…

“I am the strongest.”

We arrived at the door to the meeting room. I placed both hands on it.

“Thirteenth Rank Magic Cannon—’Flame of Oblivion, Dea Providence’.”

I released a minuscule portion of the annihilating black flame. With a massive explosion, the door and the surrounding wall were obliterated.

“Wha… what just happened?!”

Amid the swirling black flames, I entered the room. The people inside were petrified, some even collapsing in fear. Good.

“I’ve seized control of the meeting.”

“You—what do you think you’re doing, Sarah?!”

Oh, Iscar was shouting at me. How rude.

“You were the one who said it, weren’t you? ‘Help me,’ or something like that.”

“How do you know about that?!”

“Who knows?”

I stood beside Iscar.

“Honestly, I don’t get why you’re whining.”

What’s there to be afraid of?

“You have the strongest business partner on your side, don’t you?”

“…Sarah…”

Now then.

“Hey, you lot.”

I shifted my gaze to the representatives of the merchant guilds.

Most of them were elderly. They were still shaken by the explosion, but as expected from seasoned veterans, a few were already composing themselves and sitting upright.

“O-oh my… such a doll-like beauty… So you must be the famous ‘Lady Sarah’.”

“That’s right. And you are?”

“Hahaa, I am Albert from the Wagner Merchant Guild…”

An elderly man with a gentle smile appeared. Could he be the one who had earlier urged Iscar to take a seat? Ah, I see—after all, Wagner Trading Company is one of the largest firms.

“My name is Zolt,” one of them introduced himself. “I am Fnar,” said another. “I am Roge,” the next added. “I, I’m Mime,” a fourth stammered.

One by one, the representatives introduced themselves. Thirteen in total. Quite the gathering.

“This remote region has grown, hasn’t it? The environment here has always been favorable, though.”

The land was moderately cool and bountiful with nature’s gifts. That was likely why the Evil Dragon had been able to sneak in unnoticed.

“Haha, all of this is thanks to Lady Sara’s assistance. That’s why I, Albert, wished to form a bond with you.”

“Don’t grovel. Weren’t you even more blatant with Iscar?”

“W-What do you mean…?”

And, by the way, I apologize.

“I have no intention of getting along with you.”

The reason being…

“Albert, as well as Zolt and Fnar. It was you, wasn’t it? You’re the ones who poisoned Lord Iscar, right?”

“Whaaat!?”

All three of them gasped simultaneously. Bullseye, it seems.

“W-What are you talking about…?”

“Hah. Your calm façade is starting to crack. Well, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

This was no ordinary situation. For them, having their “perfect crime” from over ten years ago dredged up was far too much to cover up now.

“My nose is quite keen. If I lift the limitations of my skill Sense Manipulation – Isolation, I can detect even the faintest scent of poison.”

“W-What nonsense are you spouting…!”

Albert gave a troubled smile. Ha, what an unmistakable ‘victim’s face.’ To think he could still pretend to be calm—what an actor.

But how about his comrades? Zolt and Fnar were glaring at me with raised eyebrows.

“Y-You dare to spout such nonsense, Lady Sara! Your words are utterly outrageous!”

“Indeed! Insulting us in front of this esteemed gathering—this is a matter for the courts!”

The two shouted out in exaggerated outrage. Albert cast a brief reprimanding glance at them before again showing a weak smile.

The other representatives, meanwhile, looked at me with eyes that showed disbelief.

“Ugh, this is tiresome.”

I hate talking so much. So let’s finish this quickly.

“I captured that ‘merchant.’ He confessed. The one who sold you the Evil Dragon’s poison.”

“Wha—!?”

This time, their faces all turned pale.

“W-What… what are you…!?”

“A noble’s body is strong. Ordinary poison won’t even faze them. So, you sought a poison that could kill even nobles, didn’t you?”

A perfect example is Lord Brae von Constantino, whom I aided some time ago.

Nobles are strong. They have continually incorporated highly talented skill-holders into their bloodlines, evolving beyond normal humans.

“Your aim was intimidation. You wanted to make them understand that, even if they’re nobles, you held a card that could kill them. You wanted to bind them in fear.”

“Ugh…”

“And the goods provided by that merchant were exactly what you needed. The poison of the Evil Dragon could kill even a noble. And it was so rare, you assumed no trace could be found.”

“Grr…”

There are only a few people who possess it, and if someone did, it would be clear who had sold it.

But if nobody was supposed to have it, then no investigation could even start.

“So, did you enjoy yourselves? Showing up before Iscar, that half-dead child, acting as if nothing was wrong?”

“……”

“You understood your victim was frozen in terror, yet you played the role of superior, trying to manipulate him. What a bunch of scum.”

“……”

“It’s downright disgusting. You’re filth. You deserve to die. Ugh, I’m feeling nauseous. Funny, isn’t it? Despite knowing you’re humans, you feel like insects to me. I think I’m going to be sick. Could it be morning sickness?”

“Shut up…!”

And with that, Albert finally opened his mouth.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up! You insolent brat! A child who doesn’t even have hair yet dares to insult us like this!?”

Oh, so the mask finally fell off. And underneath… oh, how ugly. The bloodshot eyes of a bitter old man.

“Ready to confess to your crimes?”

“Crimes!? As if! It would’ve been best if you had just handed over the rights to me!”

And now he’s ranting.

“Our Wagner Trading Company has supported this town for ages! We’ve always been at the top! I taught Zolt and Fnar how to do business! So you should’ve just handed everything over to me and trusted my experience! But the former lord went on about ‘sometimes nurturing the younger generation’ during that meeting…”

“So, you admit it.”

There was no escaping now.

Albert, the elder of the great trading company, once respected by many merchants—he’s finished.

The other ten representatives now looked at him as if he were a common criminal.

“Don’t look at me like that! You want to drink poison, too!? You ungrateful wretches! Some of you wouldn’t even have your businesses if it weren’t for my support!”

“Hey, Albert.”

I called out to the raving old man. He yelled back, “What!?” Ooh, scary.

“Thank you for confessing. But… sorry.”

“What…!?”

Because.

“I made up the part about capturing the ‘merchant.’”

“Wha—?”

His face turned ghostly pale.

Ah, that was a good look to see.