“Shit!! Why is the young lady of the Blood family getting along with the scum of the Hamilton family!?”
“Eek!!”
I, Vassago Ingray, slammed the table in irritation and shouted. A girl dressed in a ragged, plain cloth-like garment screamed in terror. Seeing her terrified expression eased some of my frustration. Of course, she isn’t a maid—she’s a slave.
“Vassago-sama… please calm down… your drink…”
“Shut up! When did I ever say you could talk back to me!? If it spilled, clean it up quickly! Besides, the Hamilton family has always been beneath us Inkreys for generations! Yet not only has Aegis become friends with them, but Gustav and Barbaro—whom I helped by brokering their slave trade routes—have also been captured because of that guy! Thanks to him, my plans are completely ruined!”
I yelled at the slave who was frantically wiping the table with the tattered cloth she was wearing. Slavery may be banned in this country, but slaves are still useful. No matter how you treat them, they never complain.
And there are plenty of nobles who want similarly convenient slaves. That’s why I set up a base for the slave trade in the Hamilton territory—to shift responsibility onto them if anything went wrong. But because of that guy…
As I lamented my misfortune, the door opened. Not many people know about this mansion where I keep my slaves. The man who entered, hood deeply pulled over his face, was my collaborator.
“Oh dear, what’s the matter, Vassago-sama? You seem especially upset today…”
“You… You said that if I followed your plan, I could safely conduct the slave trade, and if anything happened, I could pin everything on the Hamilton family! And yet…”
“Yes… I didn’t expect the lord of the Hamilton territory to be so competent. I assumed he’d just be a corrupt noble, bending to Gustav and the others’ will…”
Even as I shouted at him, the hooded man remained cool and collected. Moreover… he called Weiss “competent”…? His words only irritated me further.
“Competent? That guy just got lucky! And besides, your plan was just sloppy!”
“Yes… I apologize for ending up with such results despite receiving your assistance, Vassago-sama.”
Though he bowed his head, he didn’t look the least bit remorseful, unlike the slaves. It was infuriating. However, this man still had plenty of uses—slave trading routes, drug supply lines, and more.
Besides… thanks to the untraceable poison he gave me, I was able to poison that detestable father and younger brother of mine and become the lord. He does deserve some credit.
Well, no matter how capable he was, it was only natural that my idiotic father and clueless younger brother would die. My father was a fool for wanting to make the son of a concubine the next lord.
“So, what brings you here today? I was about to have some fun with this one…”
“Hii…”
Seeing the slave flinch at my words stirred both my sadistic tendencies and a sense of relief.
“My apologies for interrupting your enjoyment. I’ve come to inform you that the church in your territory, which we’ve been using as a front for our slave training facility, has come under suspicion. There’s a possibility investigator from the capital might come.”
“What!? What do you mean!? You said it would be absolutely safe!!”
I couldn’t hide my unease at his words. If the slave trade in my territory were exposed, it would be troublesome… I could cut loose those responsible, but covering up evidence would be difficult.
But why is this guy so calm? If we get caught, he won’t get away unscathed either…
“I was surprised too that someone would suspect us. But even so, it won’t interfere with our plans. We have an unpopular priest there. If anything happens, we’re prepared to pin everything on her.”
“Ah… that woman, Astesia, right? She was beautiful, but I didn’t feel like wooing her…
In fact, she was someone I wanted to avoid altogether…”
I recalled the face of the woman I’d seen from afar once. She was indeed beautiful, but there was something about her that gave off an instinctive sense of revulsion.
“And… we’ve stationed one of the Twelve Apostles there undercover, so rest assured. Though their personality may be difficult, their skills are reliable. They’ll easily handle any investigators from the capital.”
“One of the Twelve Apostles…”
I’d heard rumors about them. Like Zeus’ Twelve Apostles, these twelve individuals received special blessings from Hades. So one of those powerful people is working for me…
The thought made my chest swell with pride. Sensing my mood, the man before me smirked.
“That’s how important you are to us, Vassago-sama. We look forward to continuing our cooperation… May the blessings of Hades be upon you…”
With that, he bowed and left. The Hades cult… suspicious as it may be, they value me highly. I don’t dislike it. As long as they’re useful, I can keep them close. If they ever become a nuisance… I can use them and discard them when necessary.
I watched the man walk away and smirked to myself.
