I Like Villains, so I Reincarnated as One
“Good day, Lord Weiss. You seem to be in high spirits today. It seems we can expect a positive response from you.”
“Ah, thanks to you…”
The next day, I found myself sitting across from Gustav in the office. By my side stood Rosalia, while Gustav had brought along his bodyguard from before. He was staring at me with a mocking smile, clearly underestimating me, thinking I couldn’t possibly repay the debt.
Hahahaha, what a fool. I was putting on a desperate expression, but I wondered if I was pulling it off convincingly. To check, I glanced at Rosalia, who gave me a subtle nod, her face expressionless. She even mouthed the words, “Don’t forget our promise,” reminding me of our plan.
“Now then, Lord Weiss, shall we proceed with the repayment as agreed? If you cannot repay the debt, I will have no choice but to take your territory immediately… But I’m not a heartless man. I’ll give you one more chance.”
“A chance? What do you mean?”
“I would like you to sell me this maid as interest. Surely, serving a master like me would be her true calling, no?”
As Gustav spoke, he beckoned Rosalia with a lecherous grin. You’ve got to be kidding me. Yesterday, he only wanted her for a night, but now he’s trying to take her completely. Rosalia hesitated for a moment, glancing at me with a pained expression before reluctantly stepping toward Gustav.
“Rosalia, why…?”
“Lord Weiss, I’m sorry… This seems to be the best course of action…”
“Hmph, you should have done this from the start. Kukuku, I’ve always wanted to take good care of her. What a waste on a man like you. Heehee.“
Just as Gustav was about to touch Rosalia’s waist, she twisted his arm with lightning speed. She looked down at him with cold, disdainful eyes as he tumbled from his chair, screaming in pain.
“To think you would dare… Your earlier remarks were an insult to the lord. And to lay a hand on me, who belongs to the lord, is another crime altogether.”
“You… damn it…”
“As for you, drawing a weapon in front of the lord is a crime. But our lord is merciful. If you put away your weapon now, he might forgive you. What will you do?”
The bodyguard, who had moved to help Gustav, found a dagger pressed against his throat. Rosalia, you’re amazing! The bodyguard, valuing his life, immediately dropped his weapon. Seeing this, Gustav’s face twisted in anger.
“Lord Weiss!! You can’t just resort to violence because you can’t repay your debt! Everyone knows you owe me money. If you arrest me without paying, your reputation will only get worse!”
“Ah, what are you talking about? I have the money. You’re the one who jumped the gun and tried to lay a hand on my Rosalia.”
With that, I pulled out a leather bag of gold coins from under the desk and slammed it onto the table. Gustav’s face turned pale with panic.
“How… How did you get this much money…? There shouldn’t be any gold left here…”
“What are you talking about? Didn’t you just say I looked like I was doing well? If you don’t listen carefully, you’ll never succeed as a merchant. Don’t worry, I’ll repay your debt to your guild. Of course, by then, you’ll be in a cell.”
“Th-that’s… I may have been rude, but surely this is going too far?”
“True… if it were just that, I wouldn’t go this far. But you see, I believe in repaying what I owe. Did you enjoy toying with my ignorance? I’ve done my research. You bought up goods in advance, drove up the prices, and sold them to me, causing significant damage to my territory. And then you planned to use my debt to force me into committing crimes, didn’t you?”
As I spoke, I spread out documents detailing the failed ventures Gustav had pushed on Weiss. The bitter look on Gustav’s face confirmed my suspicions.
Of course, I hadn’t uncovered all his misdeeds in just one day. In the game’s main story, he had done the same to the protagonist. Fortunately, the protagonist had allies well-versed in business, but Weiss, who had just become lord, likely had no one to turn to. That must have been what led to this situation.
“Insulting the lord and attempting to lay hands on my precious maid, Rosalia. You’ll have plenty of time to reflect on your actions in a cell. In the meantime, I’ll make sure to expose all your crimes.”
“This can’t be…”
At my signal, soldiers entered and took Gustav and his bodyguard away to the dungeons. Watching Gustav being led away with a look of despair, I couldn’t help but smirk.
He had deceived and mocked my favorite character, Weiss, and even tried to lay hands on Rosalia. There was no way I could let that slide.
And his crimes didn’t stop there. He was also involved in the trade of drugs and slaves, both of which were banned in this country. He must have planned to do as he pleased once Weiss was too indebted to object. While he’s locked up, I’ll gather evidence for those crimes too. It’s what you might call a pretextual arrest.
To improve the territory’s security and gain the people’s loyalty, I can’t afford to be picky about my methods. It’s a tactic even the police use in Japan. There’s no problem with that. Besides… if I, who am not the protagonist, want to survive, I’ll have to resort to some underhanded tactics…
“Rosalia, you saved me. But please, don’t put yourself in danger like that again…”
“Lord Weiss, you worry too much. I twisted his arm before he could touch me… Besides, after receiving this ring, it would be unbearable if I couldn’t be of use to you.”
For once, Rosalia argued back. Her request had been to use herself as bait to create an opportunity to capture Gustav. Of course, I had opposed the idea, but her words had convinced me. This is bad… If I were ever in danger, she would sacrifice herself to protect me. While it’s touching, I need to prevent that from happening.
To do that, I need to become stronger, not just as a person but as a lord. First, I need to assess and improve the current state of the territory. And… using my knowledge of the game, I’ll need to eliminate potential threats before they gain power. There’s so much to do.
But I’ll make it happen. After all, I earned the right to save my favorite character…
