Chapter 35: The Beginning of the Downfall

Numerous shops were suddenly listed at the Land Registry Office in Munhel.

Without exception, these seemingly well-established and unproblematic properties commanded high prices upon sale and were immediately put on display after purchase.

“How much are those listed properties worth in total?”

“It appears to be around 1,000 talents.”

While 1,000 talents was an astronomical sum that ordinary people could scarcely hope to touch in their lifetimes, for the registry accustomed to accumulating wealth, it wasn’t an exorbitant amount.

The peculiarity lay in the fact that all these numerous properties listed over the past day or two had no apparent reason to be offered for sale at this time.

Harboring minor doubts about this, the registry employees proceeded according to protocol.

And as Lipton gazed upon the immense pile of gold coins received in exchange for ‘borrowing’ and selling those building documents, a desirous smile began to form on his face.

‘This… This is truly all mine? I never imagined experiencing such a dream-like event… That I would handle such an astronomical sum in my lifetime!’

Having amassed this staggering amount within a mere two days, far surpassing the meager savings he had painstakingly accumulated over time, Lipton found himself overwhelmed with excitement, unable to collect his senses.

It was an amount that an ordinary person could never hope to accumulate through a lifetime of labor, now within his grasp.

Of course, to secure it fully, he would need to mobilize mobs to demolish the buildings, followed by repurchasing the worthless building documents.

However, from Lipton’s perspective, these were merely concluding steps…

He essentially considered the matter concluded the moment the cash entered his possession.

Paulo, a merchant in Munhel, received a peculiar letter.

It stated that three days from now, he would be accused of heresy and attacked.

With no sender identified or markings of any kind, Paulo initially found it difficult to believe the letter’s contents.

‘But… I just leased my building to the bishop the other day. This is preposterous…’

Naturally, even for a devout believer, a certain level of faith was required to undertake such an act.

To agree to lend one’s most valuable property, a building, necessitated trust in the Church, despite contracts and assurances.

For Paulo, an anonymous letter warning of being branded a heretic and attacked was challenging to accept at face value.

Nevertheless, as a merchant attuned to urban rumors, he couldn’t easily dismiss it either.

The ‘heretic purges’ had been intensifying alarmingly in recent times.

Even from Paulo’s perspective, they appeared excessive.

Particularly concerning was the fact that even those seemingly uninvolved with heresy were being branded as such, suffering and dying.

Thus, Paulo couldn’t help but dwell on the anonymous note, ultimately choosing to temporarily relocate with his family on the specified third day.

And this was a remarkably similar reaction from nearly everyone who received such a note.

After all, it merely required staying elsewhere for a day or two.

Particularly on that day, which happened to be a birthday, stores were officially prohibited from opening, so there was no need to worry about business losses.

And when the day in question had passed, they all came to realize the profound wisdom of their choice.

“This… This couldn’t be…”

In their absence, their shops had been thoroughly demolished.

Their properties, branded as heretical, were pillaged and desecrated by mobs, reduced to smoldering ruins.

As a result, they fell into deep despair, yet paradoxically found solace in having preserved their lives and those of their families.

‘The loss of our possessions is agonizing… but it was truly perilous. If someone hadn’t warned us…’

Thus, Paulo felt gratitude and trust towards the anonymous warner who had alerted him in advance.

However, before these feelings could fully settle, another letter arrived for him in the same manner as before.

And its contents were…

“What… What does this mean?”

“I’m… I’m sorry… There’s none…”

Dumbfounded by the unexpected report, Lipton’s bewilderment began to show.

Although he had succeeded in amassing a vast fortune following Cazeros’s method…

At this final stage, he had unexpectedly stumbled upon an unforeseen obstacle.

The building documents he was contractually obligated to return…

Those worthless scraps that were supposed to remain unsold…

Had all been purchased, without exception.

“This… This makes no sense… Who in the world bought them?”

“Well… I inquired, just in case…”

“And… what did you find out?”

“The original owners of the building documents purchased them. They expressed outrage over their properties being sold without consent and stated their intention to formally report the matter to the Archbishop and the Lord…”

“What… What did you say?”

Lipton’s face drained of color at the thunderous revelation he had never anticipated.

‘How… How did this happen? There’s no way they could have discovered it so quickly… They… They should have been holed up in their homes, accused of heresy, until this matter was resolved! But… But how did they learn that I had sold their documents to the registry?’

Utterly blindsided by this unexpected turn of events, Lipton was gripped by profound bewilderment.

Even at a paltry price, having the building documents he was supposed to purchase and return seized posed a grave risk, as he had stipulated compensation if anything went awry.

At this rate, he might have to forfeit the entire sum he had painstakingly accumulated, in accordance with the contract.

Or worse, if the Lord and Archbishop had already been notified, the consequences could be truly irreversible.

‘Did I become too greedy? Damn it… But it’s not easy to obtain documents from devout believers, is it? No… But even so, for things to go awry at the very end like this…’

In this unanticipated predicament, there was only one recourse for Lipton.

To seek out Cazeros, who was still staying at the Gasthaupt tavern.

As an experienced individual, she was sure to know how to resolve this issue.

With that thought, Lipton hurriedly made his way to the tavern.

For some reason, the tavern’s atmosphere was unusually subdued, but he was in no state to take notice as he frantically searched for someone.

“Po… Polena! Where is Polena?”

Polena, the tavern employee and mascot who had served as the intermediary between him and Cazeros.

However, no matter how much he looked, Polena was nowhere to be found, with only the bartender’s regretful voice reaching his ears.

“Ah, Polena left this place two days ago.”

“What? What… What do you mean?”

“I don’t know the details, but I heard she returned to her hometown.”

The owner’s voice carried a tinge of sadness.

In response, Lipton urgently asked him, “Then… Then where are those guests? Cazeros… The Inquisitor from another region…”

“Those guests also left here quite some time ago. I don’t know where they went.”

“Kuh…”

Of course, since they had never specified how long they would stay, Lipton had no grounds to question their departure.

However, losing those who could provide assistance in this emergency was a critical setback.

As he floundered, unsure of how to proceed, that was when it happened.

“! What… What’s going on?”

“There you are… Inquisitor Lipton! By order of the Lord, I’m placing you under arrest!”

“What… What is the meaning of this? What crime have I committed?”

“You’ll find out the details later. Take him away!”

“Let go! Let go of me, you bastards! Release me! I’m an Inquisitor! Do you think you’ll be forgiven for this outrage?”

The soldiers who had suddenly arrived forcibly restrained and apprehended Lipton despite his futile resistance, dragging him away to the Lord’s castle.