“U-Impossible? No way… Ah, you mean you caught that ‘merchant’ and made him spill the beans…?!”
“Sorry about that.”
The fury shifted dramatically. Elder Albert crumbled. Poor guy.
“Hahaha…! Actually, I was just joking about the poison and all that, I mean, uh…!”
“That’s pointless.”
He was trying to say something with a forced smile, but after revealing so much, the gazes of the ten merchants were cold.
“Y-You bastards…!”
“Sorry, Albert. I had already sensed the existence of that ‘merchant.’ There are scoundrels out there passing around cursed poison that affects nobles…”
It was good that we dealt with Lord Brae. Thanks to that, we learned about the existence of suspicious individuals, and I could also recognize the scent of the cursed poison.
Finding out that the three of them, Albert and his accomplices, were the culprits was also thanks to that.
“There aren’t many people who would spread dragon’s poison. I thought I’d take a gamble, and it turned out to be right.”
“Guhhh…!”
Elder Albert glared up at us. To him, Zolt and Fnar, his subordinates, rushed over, saying, “What should we do, Lord Albert?! We need your wisdom!”
The three culprits. I addressed the gathered old fools.
“Hey, you lot.”
You selfishly threw your desires around.
You picked on a young boy, Iscar, who was still just a child.
“How dare you bully my business partner…?!”
“ッッッ――?!”
…Oops, I let out a bit of my dragon aura.
Thanks to that, it seems like not just the old men, but the other merchants are feeling intimidated too. Sorry about that.
“W-What was that presence just now?! It felt… not human…!”
“It’s none of your concern.”
Because.
“You’re already finished.”
I snapped my fingers. In an instant, a sound like Bariiiiin echoed, and the windows surrounding the conference room shattered.
Then the guards stepped in. They quickly surrounded Albert and the others.
“Nuuuh?! Who are these guys?!”
“—Under Lady Sara’s orders, I have summoned them.”
From the broken door, the old butler Sebastian appeared.
“So you three are the culprits. I guess I need to mix poison into the next tea I serve.”
“Butlerrrrrrrrr…!”
Sebastian glared sharply at Albert, who returned the glare with bloodshot eyes.
They were two men of similar ages. They probably had known each other since the time of the previous lord and had shared conversations. That relationship shattered completely in that moment.
“And you, Albert…”
“W-What?!”
It’s not a “what” situation.
“Before you get caught, you might die.”
I was a bit late in saying that.
In an instant, a whirlwind passed by my side. The sound of air breaking, a sonic boom resonated as it went.
“—Die.”
One person first. Merchant Zolt was killed. His aged face was smashed by the noble Iscar.
“Z-Zolt?!”
“Hiiiii?!”
Albert and Fnar trembled in fear, albeit too late. You all had already acted.
“You… how dare you make me ingest poison…?!”
Iscar looked down on the culprits.
There was no trace of the comical demeanor he had while playing with me.
Because his “race” is noble. In a sense, like me, he is a dangerous being beyond human.
“Let’s talk!”
“Shut up.”
Merchant Fnar was killed. Iscar’s rough kick sent his head flying at subsonic speed, crashing against the ceiling and bursting, creating a bloodstained canopy. The other merchants screamed.
“Ahh. This conference room is no longer usable. What a waste.”
“…You blew up the entrance with some mysterious technique. What are you saying…?”
Crap, I was glared at by a furious Iscar.
Thinking I was about to be attacked, I posed, saying, “You wanna go?!”, but he let out a sigh and turned his face away. What gives?
“You terrible business partner. Let me be clear: I dislike you.”
Oh, is that so?
“………But.”
Without turning to face me, he spoke.
“—I thank you, Sara. Because of you, I was saved.”
…Oh, is that so?
“Hmph. If you’re going to thank someone, thank Sebastian, who has been worried about you all this time. Right, Sebastian?”
“Whooooooaaaaaaa! You two have finally recognized each other as ‘romantic partners’!!!”
“Huh?!”
Iscar and I exchanged glances. What the hell is this butler talking about?
“Iscar has always been a business partner. His personality is… well, but he is a reliable man.” “Indeed. His personality is what it is, but as a business partner, he is more than adequate.”
“WOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”
“Shut up.”
I decided to ignore the wailing butler. He’s old anyway; he probably isn’t quite right in the head.
“…Now then.”
Iscar and I simultaneously looked down at the criminals.
The elderly Albert, trembling with a pale face, was surrounded by the bodies of the headless dead.
“What do we do with this guy, Iscar?”
“Hmm… Since you drained the poison from him, let’s give him a choice.”
Iscar asked the old man, his voice devoid of any interest.
“Choose. You can either die at my hands here or be captured and executed quietly.”
“U-Uuh…?!”
Death. It’s no longer about whether to live or die. The moment you touched a noble, the only future left is how to die.
“Now, make your choice quickly. I’m busy.”
Iscar said, sounding indifferent.
It seemed he already considered this matter finished.
“…I need to go to a diner afterward. As promised, you’ll accompany me, Sara?”
“Of course. Unless you’re still scared of others’ cooking, you can get used to my home-cooked meals? I can actually cook quite well.”
“Hmm. That might be good. I still trust you more than those other folks…”
Just then, while I had already forgotten about Albert’s existence and was chatting away.
“U-Uuuhhhhhhhhhhh…!”
The old man let out an eerie groan.
