Ch.343343. Oh my, it’s not one-on-one after all?

“Hello, everyone. How are you all doing?”

The group I encountered in the second-floor pleasure district.

These were people who normally taught students while emphasizing authority and morality, but here they showed a completely different side.

The Academy Principal and professors, their faces flushed from alcohol they’d apparently consumed earlier, tilted their heads upon noticing me.

“Who might you be?”

“Just a passing mercenary. I noticed you appear to be professors and the Principal from Estella Academy, so I came to pay my respects.”

At that, their faces stiffened.

The person with the most solemn expression at the center of the table appeared to be Principal Giselle.

The one who lent tuition money to students and then trapped them in the pleasure district.

Most of the people currently in the Guardian Corps were victims of that incident.

“…How do you know us?”

I had intended to toy with them slowly, but seeing their faces reminded me of the Guardian Corps members, and anger welled up inside me.

With a bright smile, I opened my mouth.

“I just know that you’re all perverts.”

“W-what did you say!?”

Seeing the professors rise to their feet, I smirked and folded my arms leisurely.

“Hey, you think you can handle someone who’s lived by the sword when you’re just academics who comfortably teach students by day and drink with women by night?”

“You seem to be speaking too harshly. Are you saying we shouldn’t drink at all?”

“That’s not it, but wouldn’t things be different if you were the owners of this pleasure district?”

At that moment, Principal Giselle’s eyes changed to something sinister.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I came here knowing everything, so there’s no need to hide it in front of me, is there?”

*Shing.*

As I drew my Raiden Sword, Principal Giselle calmed the professors and stood up.

“I don’t think we should cause trouble here. Let’s go outside.”

“Ah… worried about damage to the establishment?”

“…Will you come outside?”

“Whatever you wish.”

I followed Principal Giselle and the professors outside.

The street was shrouded in darkness.

The boisterous noise of the pleasure district gradually faded.

Hmm, it seems Jawil Wilson is following well behind us.

It doesn’t look like the Principal and professors are planning to escape anyway.

After all, they’re the Academy Principal and professors.

In other words, they’re the mentors of the current Guardian Corps members.

Being more than mere academic authorities, they wouldn’t be afraid of a single mercenary.

“This place will do.”

Principal Giselle stopped and smiled coldly.

His expression had shed the artificial smile he’d worn in the pleasure district, revealing what seemed to be his true, ruthless self.

“Oh my, not one-on-one, I see?”

I casually scanned the surroundings and saw the professors moving in the darkness, gradually surrounding me.

I smirked as blue light flickered at the fingertips of one professor.

“Lightning!”

As the blue magical sphere flew toward me, I moved without hesitation.

I quickly raised my Raiden Sword and swung it at the magical sphere.

A precise strike.

As I easily cut the sphere in two, the magic shattered and disappeared into thin air.

“I’m envious that you’ve been living comfortably teaching students at the Academy with such pathetic magic…”

“Y-you insolent bastard…”

Though they cursed me, I could see the professors’ shocked expressions after witnessing my swordplay.

I shrugged my shoulders lightly.

“Is that all? How disappointing.”

Provoked by my taunt, one professor grew more enraged and prepared to cast another spell.

However, this time I moved first.

*Slash. Slash.*

My footsteps felt particularly light today, and my blade was sharp.

The professors hurriedly attempted defensive spells, but my movements were faster.

*Slash. Slash.*

I precisely cut each professor’s feet to prevent them from escaping.

As they screamed, blood flowed from their feet, soaking the ground.

*Thud-! Thud-!*

One by one, the professors lost their balance and collapsed.

One professor, realizing something was wrong, tried to retreat cautiously, but his foot was severed by Jawil Wilson’s sword strike from behind.

“Aaaaargh!”

With my Raiden Sword resting on my shoulder, I spoke in a low, calm voice.

“You’d better not think about escaping.”

The professors and Principal Giselle were gripped by fear.

Though they had enjoyed authority and power at the Academy for years through magic, they seemed to instinctively realize that at this moment, no magic could save them.

“…Who are you?”

Only now, feeling his life threatened, Principal Giselle slowly opened his mouth, and I smirked again.

“Earlier you were going to kill me without caring who I was, but now that it didn’t work out, you’re curious about me?”

“I am the Academy Principal. If you let us go now, we’ll keep this matter secret.”

“What secret? You’re the one who brought me here.”

“It seems you don’t actually intend to kill us. What do you want? If it’s money, I can give you as much as you need.”

It seems he misunderstood me as a robber after I cut their ankles to prevent them from escaping.

I slowly raised my head.

“I don’t need money.”

“You don’t need money? Are you really saying you’ll kill us? If we die, you’ll be hunted for the rest of your life!”

“Who would hunt me?”

“The Academy is protected by the Imperial Family.”

“That damn Imperial Family… if I hadn’t married into it, they might have been quite troublesome.”

As I muttered quietly, Principal Giselle perked up his ears, not having heard clearly.

“What did you say?”

“Never mind, you wouldn’t believe it even if you heard it.”

*Slash. Slash.*

Once again, I swiftly cut the professors’ ankles.

I seemed to have become quite skilled at it, as the cuts were even more precise.

All the professors were writhing in pain on the ground.

Now only Principal Giselle remained?

“Why are you doing this to us? What grudge do you have?”

At Principal Giselle’s question, I twitched my eyebrows and curled up the corners of my mouth.

“Revenge for my subordinates.”

*

“Sir Selden Alphonse, thank you for your hard work.”

A simple drinking session with the Poison Lady of Honghua Tower.

Leaning back in my chair, I smiled faintly.

“No, you’re the one who worked hard, keeping an eye on Principal Giselle all this time.”

“What shall we do with them now?”

“I think you can hand them over to the Imperial Family without needing to go all the way to Lake Territory.”

“Well, they’re tied up with ropes made from Fail fruit and their ankles are cut, so there’s no worry about them escaping.”

“That’s right.”

The Poison Lady smiled gently toward me.

“You’re making very good use of the transformation leather I brought you.”

“Ah! The transformation leather? I could have managed without it, but I didn’t want rumors spreading about me frequenting the pleasure district.”

“Ah… congratulations on your marriage. That’s giving us quite a headache too.”

“Huh? A headache?”

“Everyone’s demanding information from us about what kind of person Sir Selden Alphonse is, marrying the Imperial Princesses…”

“I don’t mind if you tell them.”

At my words, the Poison Lady put her glass down on the table and continued.

“I don’t particularly feel like sharing information.”

“Well, I appreciate that.”

“And we’re compiling a list of people trying to find out your weaknesses.”

“Weaknesses?”

“Since you’re marrying the Imperial Princesses, there are people trying to get leverage on you.”

Even without any personal feelings toward me, it seems there are people trying to find weaknesses to prepare for any situation.

Well, not that there are any weaknesses for them to grasp.

I adjusted my posture toward the Poison Lady.

“Send me the list when it’s ready. I’ll talk to Padericks too, so don’t worry and collect your information fee.”

“…Understood. But how did you end up marrying two Imperial Princesses?”

“Even the great Poison Lady doesn’t know everything?”

“I have information on His Majesty the Emperor, but not on you, Sir Selden Alphonse.”

At the Poison Lady’s words, my eyes flashed.

“Don’t you have any weaknesses on Emperor Malius? If I had some leverage on that old man, it would be easier to deal with him.”

“O-old man?”

“I misspoke. Old snake.”

As I showed an indifferent expression, the Poison Lady chuckled.

It seemed like the first time I’d seen her laugh so openly.

“You already seem very close with Emperor Malius.”

“Close… I’m in this situation because of him.”

“Hasn’t Emperor Malius made things much easier for you?”

That’s true.

If I hadn’t had connections with Emperor Malius, even with Principal Giselle’s wrongdoings, I would have struggled to find evidence.

As annoying as he is, he’s a useful father-in-law.

“Well, that’s true. Though he sometimes turns my insides out, in some ways he feels more comfortable than my father.”

“More than Baron Byron?”

“Probably because I see him more often.”

“But surely you’ve seen your father more often?”

“…Just saying.”

“I see.”

Before my possession, the original Selden Alphonse might have known differently, but now I’ve met Emperor Malius and Baron Byron about the same number of times.

Of course, there remains some inexplicable bond with Baron Byron due to our shared blood.

Having emptied the bottle of alcohol, I rose from my chair, and the Poison Lady tilted her head.

“Leaving already?”

At the Poison Lady’s question, I hoisted a thick sack onto my shoulder and raised my voice.

“I need to hurry and share this good news with the Guardian Corps members.”