episode_0013

What would happen if I were to take him in front of her and reveal the truth?

Toliso would undoubtedly be discarded by the princess without a second thought.

“T-That’s not possible!”

The merchant finally showed his true colors.

Forcing a smile, he whispered nervously to me.

“Isn’t there another way we could settle this?”

“Settle-?”

Settle for what?

I looked down at him with an indifferent expression.

“In reality, I am a merchant who procures military supplies for Princess Leia. If you help us this time, I will make sure to repay the favor through the princess.”

Cornered, he began to sell out the princess.

However, I know.

If the perfectionist princess were to see his flaws,

She would never help Toliso.

He must have known her character well by now.

So, he definitely wouldn’t report this incident to the princess.

He would try to cover it up within his limits by resorting to all sorts of dirty tricks.

“Is that really so?”

“Whether it is or not! If things go well, you might even become the princess’s guard.”

He confidently replied as if this statement alone was the truth.

But I was rather amused by his sweet proposal.

Becoming the princess’s guard.

“That’s getting old now, buddy.”

I strolled casually towards the center.

Then, lightly clapping my hands, I addressed everyone.

“Well, it seems both sides are showing remorse. Therefore, for the sake of everyone, I intend to make an on-the-spot judgment on this matter.”

In a tense moment,

Both Toliso and I turned our attention to my words.

“It would be more convenient for everyone this way. Shall we all agree?”

I placed my hand on the carriage.

And covered the illegal protection stone back with silk.

“We will conclude by refunding all the protection stones purchased by Lady Yeongae.”

At the mention of a refund, Toliso, who thought he had won, widened his eyes.

He exclaimed frantically, his face filled with confusion.

“A r-refund! Sir, what on earth are you talking about?”

I simply shrugged at his words.

Then, I looked at the chubby Irina and smiled slyly.

“What are you saying? You bought something, but there was an issue with the contents. Isn’t it natural to ask for a refund then?”

The merchant reached out roughly with both hands, starting to plead.

His thick fingers trembled noticeably, perhaps from the heat of the moment.

“All the items here are custom-made orders! If we refund them, we’ll have nowhere to sell them again!”

Well, he did have a point.

If the items were customized, he couldn’t sell them to anyone else.

“Yes. Of course, paying for ‘proper’ goods is only fair.”

I approached Irina in agreement.

And politely asked her.

“I’m sorry, Lady Yeongae. You must pay the value of the gems you ordered.”

“Oh… I see. How much do I need to give?”

Perhaps due to extreme nervousness,

She stuttered with a trembling voice.

To her, I extended my finger, showing the number 5 kindly.

And with a very regretful expression, I said,

“Unfortunately, you must pay ‘5 gold.’”

However, the moment she heard those words,

Her blue eyes widened like a rabbit’s.

“5 gold…? Is that really the amount?”

“Yes, that’s correct. It’s exactly that amount, no more, no less.”

It’s the price of a hundred baguettes bought this morning.

How much money that is!

“What on earth are you talking about? 5 gold…?”

Toliso’s lips parted in disbelief.

He approached us as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Lady Yeongae only ordered one protection stone, so she should only pay for one.”

“This is outrageous! They’re all replicas of the same item, what’s the difference…?”

The merchant’s protests were cut short as he realized his own scam.

‘Yes, you’ve fallen into your own trap.’

A single sample protection stone was provided.

Irina ordered only identical replicas.

However, the arrived replicas varied greatly in effectiveness.

Ultimately, there is absolutely no issue with refunding other products.

“Both the replicated protection stones and the samples have different compositions, right?”

“Yeah, some of them had no effect at all!”

I replied as Ilina chimed in.

“So, since all 200 are not the same protection stones, they can’t be considered replicas in the first place.”

I approached Tollyso slowly.

Then, I personally tucked the 5 gold coins received from the princess into my chest pocket.

“Well, this should settle things since you received one as a sample, right?”

“…”

His taut skin prickled.

With his face contorted, he glared at me.

I grabbed his shoulder.

And gently warned him while patting him.

“Now get lost with that damn cheap imitation.”

The sound of his patience shattering reached my ears.

Seemingly unable to contain his anger any longer, he grabbed my jacket.

“Hey, can you handle this?”

The merchant pressed down hard on my shoulders.

And vehemently threatened, spitting as he did so.

“Do you think you can handle touching a knight of the empire?”

His spit landed on my face, gradually moistening it.

I counted each unpleasant sensation meticulously.

“Three times… No, was it four times?”

At my sudden mention of a number, he furrowed his brow.

“What do you mean by five times…?”

“It refers to the number of times you dared to touch the body of an imperial knight for the sake of a mere foreign merchant.”

Tollyso chuckled at my words.

Then, shrugging his shoulders, he sneered at me.

“Hah, what’s this about five times just for grabbing a shoulder once?”

I seized his sneering head.

And with a sly smile, I said,

“It includes the spit that landed on your face.”

I struck his head that I held onto.

Bam――!!

His face contorted.

Soon, white teeth fell out from his thick lips.

However, I didn’t stop there.

Perhaps it was due to irritation from the guy who dared to trust only Princess Leia.

I then struck his abdomen forcefully.

Thanks to that, he was impaled on a rotting cart left in the alley.

Birds perched on nearby roofs were startled and flew away.

Only one remained, standing erect, witnessing the scene.

“You scoundrel… a mere knight… Have you truly gone mad?”

Struggling to rise between the carts, Tollyso, with eyes full of rage, signaled to the mercenaries.

“Who has gone mad will become clear after a few blows.”

I casually extended my hand.

And dumbfoundedly addressed the former Ekinan mercenaries.

“If you want to fight, any number is fine, but…”

The knight insignia clenched in my outstretched hand.

Seeing the golden lion mark engraved on the insignia, they flinched.

“Know that the moment you fight me here, you’ll be considered enemies of the empire.”

I immediately exploited their fear.

“You know what happens when you become enemies of the empire, right? Even if you flee, we will track you to the ends of the continent.”

The mercenaries, former Ekinan soldiers defeated by the empire, knew the terror of the imperial pursuit.

“What are you doing, you lot! You’ve taken my money. You should work as much as you’ve been paid for!”

Despite the merchant’s berating, the mercenaries did not attack me.

Instead, they began to retreat further.

“We were simply hired as escorts. Fighting against knights of the empire is a bit…”

“I told you! I am the trading partner of the princess! She will surely cover for me!”

Approaching the grumbling man calmly, I seized his thick lips.

“Do you really think you can trade with the princess?”

Tollyso, just a mere merchant.

Unlike the mercenaries who had directly fought with the empire, he knew nothing about our knights.

“Do not misunderstand. You are nothing but a bug in their eyes.”

As even the mercenaries failed to communicate, Toliso’s body began to tremble.

It was as if he finally realized his situation.

However, it was too late, far too late.

He almost tap-danced on thin ice.

Bam!

The one-sided beating commenced.

In that sight, Dasha covered Irina’s eyes with her palm.

“Get up. You haven’t even paid back a fraction of your filthy debt yet.”

Toliso’s face was covered in blood.

Only now did he realize he had encountered the wrong opponent.

“I’m sorry….”

He whimpered in a crawling voice.

But I paid no heed.

I had seen enough of his antics over time.

“Speak up.”

Raising a fist stained with blood, he swung it towards empty space.

In reflex, Toliso grabbed my ankle and pleaded.

“I’ll do anything. Please forgive me just this once….”

Hearing his pleading tone, I halted the fist.

Then, I grabbed his tattered collar and lifted him up.

“Anything?”

“Yes, anything….”

Satisfied with his response, I dragged him along.

And threw him in front of Irina.

“Then, apologize to Lady Yeong-ae first.”

Regardless of his disguise or influence.

She is a princess of the empire.

I will show clearly that he is not someone to trifle with.

“Please forgive my rudeness. I will ensure such an incident never occurs again….”

Toliso crawled beneath Irina like a beast.

His neat silk clothes dirtied by military boot marks, his body covered in blue bruises.

Irina gazed at him with a disdainful expression.

I nodded decisively, allowing her to do as she pleased.

“….”

Thanks to that, Irina returned to her cold demeanor, much like during the appointment ceremony.

Arms crossed, she glared fiercely at the merchant.

“For insulting my subordinates. For treating dealings with nobles lightly. Punishment is in order.”

Speaking eloquently like a descendant of a great emperor.

I watched her with satisfaction.

“However, judging by your current state, it seems you have reflected enough.”

Irina glanced briefly at Dasha.

Then gestured for her to approach.

Though Dasha couldn’t understand English, she complied.

The princess positioned her in front of Toliso and spoke firmly.

“Apologize to my attendant. Then we will conclude by canceling the transaction.”

Facing the white skirt before him, Toliso hastily raised his head.

“Me? Apologize to your attendant?!”

Even if he didn’t know the princess or the knight, bowing to an attendant was too much.

The merchant looked up at Irina with a resentful gaze.

“Why do you dislike it?”

Irina retorted sharply, her expression stern.

At her question, Toliso coughed awkwardly and averted his gaze.

Then suddenly, our eyes met.

‘Dislike?’

I silently asked him with my mouth.

In response, the merchant’s hair stood on end as if electrified.

Learned fear,

Eventually, he hurriedly crawled towards Dasha and bowed his head.

“I apologize… for my rudeness….”

He kept bowing until Dasha accepted his apology.

Yet, no matter how long he waited, her forgiveness did not come.

Perplexed, Toliso raised his head slightly.

And in that moment, the merchant’s eyes trembled.

“Miss, you must move on to your next engagement soon.”

Since Dasha treated the merchant as if he were invisible.

“I haven’t bought today’s provisions yet.”

Internally, I suppressed a laugh at his plight.

Indeed, as a former intelligence operative, I knew well what embarrassed people the most.