Ch.114Revenge #4

To put it bluntly, I was able to vent my frustrations quite thoroughly.

While setting aside the merchant whom Count Melrod identified as the mastermind, the corruption of the nobles who led this hearing was exposed in detail. Our duchy was fine since we had maintained clean management, and we were able to smoothly gloss over the reason for the elves’ attack. This was all thanks to the king accepting my request.

As a result, I stripped them of their wealth and took their lives as well. I should feel relieved, but unfortunately, I don’t. It’s because of that man named Mercator who came out of the Count’s mouth.

I felt somewhat frustrated thinking about why an Imperial merchant would instigate the kingdom’s nobles against us, and what benefit he was trying to gain through this.

“I’m… truly sorry.”

While I was deep in thought, Luke Killinear bowed his head deeply in apology. It was surprising enough that he suddenly visited while I was preparing to leave the palace, but seeing him bow his head like this was even more surprising.

“It’s not your fault, Duke. It was just done by those blinded by greed.”

Helena, sitting beside me facing Luke, answered while closing and opening her eyes. As she said, it wasn’t Luke’s fault unless he was the mastermind. Though they belonged to the same faction, it would be difficult to thoroughly implicate him.

Of course, if another noble were in this situation, they might think and act differently. It was certainly a situation that warranted such a response.

“…Thank you for saying so. However, I bear significant responsibility for failing to control my people… I will soon send a gift of condolence.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. After all, nobles close to me did wrong. I want to show my sincerity accordingly.”

In a way, it seems like he’s taking responsibility as a member of the noble faction. It feels like there might be more to it than just that, but with such a reason stated openly, it would be awkward to refuse. If I said it wasn’t necessary, he might take it as a sign that I wanted to cut ties completely.

“I understand. Since you insist… it would be discourteous to keep refusing. I’ll accept it.”

“Yes. Once again, I offer my apologies.”

Luke apologized once more with a bow, then leisurely left the room. Though he didn’t appear to be in a hurry, there was a sense of urgency about him. Perhaps it was because he left immediately after saying what he needed to say.

As soon as Luke withdrew, I exchanged glances with Helena and tilted my head. The reason was plausible, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it.

.

“Duke, I wonder if your decision wasn’t too harsh. This will significantly weaken the noble faction…”

“It was a necessary sacrifice.”

Inside the carriage returning to Killinear’s duchy, Luke spoke in a calm tone to his butler, who was facing him with a worried expression.

“Nobles must behave like nobles. And a true noble doesn’t get consumed by greed but knows how to handle it.”

“So you mean they weren’t worthy of being nobles.”

“Yes. Moreover, to attack a duke while being distracted by benefits offered by a mere merchant—there’s a limit to foolishness.”

One might waver when a great prize appears before their eyes. But a true noble must not be captivated by it. From this perspective, Luke thought that those who led this hearing were all incompetent.

“Stupid fools. To call themselves nobles when they lack the discernment to know what shouldn’t be touched. It’s truly exasperating.”

“So that’s why you weeded them out?”

“Those who can’t recognize lines that shouldn’t be crossed are useless to keep around. They only cause harm.”

Luke had known for some time that a plot to corner the Krauser duchy was progressing beneath the surface, but he deliberately left it alone. He even looked forward to seeing how many would get involved. Though his faction would be weakened for now, he believed it would be beneficial in the long run.

“Krauser. It’s best to keep a proper distance from that family and leave them be.”

The butler remained silent upon hearing those words. He knew they weren’t meant for him to answer, but rather words Luke was reminding himself of.

.

It bothers me to just leave it alone.

A few days after returning to the duchy, I was contemplating how to give that damn merchant a taste of his own medicine. While I wasn’t overly stressed about it, it felt unsettling to leave it be. It was like a fish bone stuck between my teeth.

“Jion? What’s wrong?”

Perhaps because my contemplative expression looked serious, Helena, who was standing beside me, asked with concern.

“Ah. I was just thinking about what to do with that merchant.”

“…You mean that despicable Mercator who deserves to be chewed up?”

Mercator, who deserves to be chewed up. Helena’s voice was ice-cold as she spoke his name, and her eyes were sharp. Complete with those abyss-like pupils that symbolize obsession and madness.

However, since this was so ordinary for me, I wasn’t particularly frightened. If that gaze had been directed at me, I would have remained calm, so there was even less reason to worry when it was directed at someone else.

“That’s right. I heard he’s the mastermind, but without concrete evidence, it’s difficult to pursue him.”

Right after I accepted the elves as slaves, the Imperial Trading Company began working behind the scenes to verify the truth, and the result was the hearing that took place recently. They shook up the internal nobles to obtain the necessary information.

However, they only made contact without leaving any significant evidence. According to the former Count Melrod, a messenger with the emblem symbolizing the head of the Imperial Trading Company visited him, but that’s all. There was no evidence of any down payment.

He said they had written a contract and entrusted it to them, but it’s long gone. They probably burned it already. There was no reason to keep it and risk getting caught.

“How could they have twisted their tongues so well that not a single noble has a contract?”

“As a successful merchant, he must be quite persuasive. That makes him all the more unforgivable…”

Crack! Perhaps she applied too much force unconsciously, but the fountain pen Helena was holding snapped in half. The fragments from the broken end scattered to the floor, showing how forcefully she had broken it.

“It’s really frustrating.”

If there was evidence, I could use it to take action, but with nothing left behind, I couldn’t find any leverage. Moreover, since he was from the Empire, not the Kingdom, there was a possibility of creating a major conflict.

Clearly, he was the one who started the trouble, but it was a frustrating situation where taking action was difficult.

I sighed in frustration, but then,

“Then… why don’t we secretly visit him and shake him down? As long as we don’t leave evidence, it should be fine, right?”

My eyes lit up at Ellen’s casually thrown comment. Just as we couldn’t take action now due to lack of evidence, we could retaliate without leaving evidence.

There might be some chance of getting caught… but I couldn’t just let this slide. I wanted to teach him that if you hit someone first, you should be prepared to get hit back.

“It’s a good idea, but… the problem is how to get close to him without being detected.”

Many people don’t know a noble’s face except for those in their territory or other nobles. This isn’t a modern world where you can search for photos online; news from distant regions relies on rumors and written accounts. That’s why my disguise worked easily when I went to hire Ellen.

However, now that I’ve become a Grand Duke, my face is probably more recognizable than before. I needed to approach with more caution. Attacking his trading company’s caravans to cause property damage seemed too much like banditry, and too large-scale.

Hmm. I pondered, letting out a sigh. Before departing, I needed an external identity with little connection to me. This could be a simple traveler, mercenary, or a small-scale merchant.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind. I wasn’t sure if it would work out… but it seemed possible.

.

“What… what did you just say?”

“If you didn’t hear me, I’ll say it again. Please lend me the identity of Killinear’s scout.”

A scout. Most affluent nobles have one or two, people who search various regions to find and purchase luxury items that would please their noble masters. Therefore, it was a job requiring a keen eye for art or a sharp palate. Finding rare delicacies to present was also part of luxury.

Duke Luke Killinear, sitting across from me, asked with undisguised surprise.

“Asking to borrow a scout’s identity without compensation… what’s your intention?”

“I want to approach the Empire without arousing much suspicion.”

“The Empire… you don’t mean Mercator!”

Luke, being quite sharp-minded, immediately grasped my intention and was shocked. Moreover, the ease with which Mercator’s name came up suggested that he too knew who was behind this incident.

I don’t know why he hid it despite knowing… but it probably wasn’t significant. So I could dismiss my concern about it.

“Yes. He must know that our Krauser duchy can’t take any meaningful action against him. Since he left no evidence.”

“…Indeed. There may have been testimony, but he could simply feign ignorance. He might even get angry and accuse us of falsely charging him.”

“Yes. But my pride won’t allow me to let this slide quietly. I also need to fix the mindset that thinks one can mess with a duke of a country and get away with it.”

When I appropriately mentioned noble pride, Luke nodded as if it made sense. As the leader of the noble faction who values nobility and its pride, I seemed to have inadvertently evoked his sympathy.

“You’ve made a dangerous decision. But I understand.”

“Thank you. If the plan fails, you can blame us for coercion.”

“You’re kindly providing an escape route as well.”

However, Luke firmly replied that there was no need for that. His response was so resolute and strangely confident that it naturally made me tilt my head in question. It was enough to raise doubts in anyone facing him.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s just my intuition, but… I don’t think you’ll fail. That’s the reason. Additionally, there’s also the meaning of repaying a debt.”

“By debt, do you mean the incident involving Roth?”

Luke Killinear had used Roth’s plan to his advantage, and in the process, had previously coordinated with our duchy. If that could be considered a debt, it was indeed one, but was he more value-oriented than I thought?

“That’s part of it, but what’s much more significant is your appointing me as duke. Thanks to that, I gained the qualification for a challenge I never expected… and as a result, I now sit in the duke’s position.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. Regardless of the reason, it’s a clear fact that you provided me with a major stepping stone to become a duke. I’m truly grateful for that.”

If it were me, I might have thought it was just a headache, but do ambitious people see it differently? I had the feeling that he might have stirred up trouble later even without our intervention. It might just be a baseless speculation, but…

“Anyway, since you’ve come to me discreetly like this, it would be impolite to refuse.”

Clap, clap. As Luke lightly clapped his hands, the butler who had been waiting outside entered the office as if he’d been expecting it. Then he whispered something in his ear. It seemed he was instructing him about what I had requested.

“…Yes. I will prepare the documents and bring them right away. Please wait a moment.”

The rather elderly butler bowed politely, then nimbly left the office. After a brief moment, he returned with an envelope that likely contained the documents he had mentioned, and held it out to me.

“Here are the identification papers and information for a scout belonging to the Killinear duchy. Please take a look.”