episode_0004

A note delivered through a butler.

There are only two words written in it.

「Holy blood, counterfeit product」

The reason the Duke gets so upset over just two words is simple.

The sacred blood has been stored deep in the underground vault of Duke Winfred’s residence for centuries.

This is because the treasures of the long-standing duke family are not genuine but counterfeit.

Precious blood.

Blood containing the power of a god.

One of only five unique grade items on the continent.

It’s a story that doesn’t have to be complicated.

Since this is a world where all the people of the empire believe in God, the value of the Precious Blood is something that cannot be put on a high level, and it is a common story that a operative who was blinded by its value created a counterfeit of the Precious Blood that was lost hundreds of years ago.

Of course, given its scale, it is a fraud that would be impossible without the help of the imperial family.

‘It’s a historic secret between the imperial family and Winfred.’

I slowly raised my head.

“… ”

The duke opened his eyes and glared at me.

It’s worth it. Winfred’s secrets, which no one should know about, were revealed to an illegitimate child.

“He sent me a message.”

After a while.

His angry voice hit my eardrums.

“The sacred blood is counterfeit.”

Kwasik—

The note in his right hand was cruelly distorted.

“Let’s hear it. What made me think like that?”

He looks like he’s going to hit my head with the sword he’s holding at any moment, but there’s no need to be scared.

Because I am a strict person in this position.

“I found it.”

“You found it?”

“Yes, I found it. The real product, not the counterfeit product stored in the safe.”

“… ”

I found the Precious Blood.

And it’s the real thing, not a low-grade counterfeit.

The duke’s pupils shook violently at the shocking content.

“… Bullshit.”

He denied it.

No, more accurately, he doubted me.

He gave me a look that said I couldn’t believe anything about a trivial illegitimate child.

It might be hard to believe.

In a way, it was a natural reaction to find a legendary item that could only be found in an old book.

However, from my perspective, having experienced possession and even a return, it is just funny.

“Aren’t you hoping it’s nonsense?”

I made eye contact with the Duke and smiled.

His eyes shone fiercely.

I could read his murderous intentions that he was going to kill me at any moment.

“The reason why I was convinced that the Precious Blood stored in the safe was a counterfeit product is simple. Recently, for some reason, I discovered Precious Blood, and I verified that the Precious Blood I discovered was genuine several times over the course of several months.”

I continued speaking while staring at him clearly.

“Two Precious Bloods cannot exist under the same sky. In short, doesn’t that mean that the sacred blood kept in the duke’s residence is a counterfeit?”

The duke gritted his teeth as if my words had touched something.

However, no significant movement was seen.

He seemed to realize that I wasn’t here just to brag.

“Who knew? No one would have thought that Winfred conspired with the imperial family to commit fraud in the name of God.”

The liver is also big.

I swallowed my words.

“… ”

A heavy silence lingered inside the study.

He let out a short sigh and asked me.

“… Where did you find it?”

“Who told you that you were asking that?”

“I guess life isn’t a waste. Is there an option to kill you here?”

“Would I have walked into this position on my own without taking such action? Let’s try it. If you want to be exterminated for blasphemy soon.”

Kyle Winfred is a coward.

He is stupid, mean, and arrogant in everything he does.

If it were normal, I would have cringed at threats like that and exposed all the cards I was holding.

Of course, this is a ridiculous story now.

I plan to take as much of the duke’s back as possible through this deal.

“Ha, fun.”

The duke’s voice was calm, without any emotion, but I know.

He was quite taken aback by Kyle Winfred’s sudden change in appearance.

“Kyle, if the sacred blood you found is not genuine… ”

That won’t happen.

Are you afraid that I, who has experienced possession and even returned, would be confused about even such a simple thing?

“… You’d better be prepared then. It won’t end with just dying.”

“So.”

“Do I sound like a joke?”

“That’s it. Since we don’t have time, let’s hear the answer first. Would you like to trade?”

I asked with bright eyes.

The duke tapped the floor with his toe and was lost in thought.

After a while.

“So.”

His tightly closed lips opened.

“What do you want?”

Finally, the main point.

This is a problem that doesn’t need to be worried about.

I had already decided a long time ago what I would get in return for the blood.

“Breaking off engagement.”

“… ”

“I want to break off the engagement with Isabel.”

First things first.

Needless to say, the engagement with Isabel is broken.

“Okay, I accept it.”

The duke also nodded quietly.

Listening to his softened voice, I can clearly see his true intentions, saying that breaking an engagement in exchange for blood is a free trade.

Of course, this is unreasonable.

I’m not stupid enough to be satisfied with just breaking off the engagement.

“Blank check.”

“What?”

“Please issue one blank check in Winfred’s name.”

The price I chose was money.

The only thing you can trust in this damn world is money.

His poker face fell when I told him to hand over a blank check.

“I refuse.”

“Why?”

“There is no blank check to issue to a fool like you. Especially the check with Winfred’s endorsement.”

“Huh.”

This is ridiculous.

I can’t believe you’re talking nonsense like that even in this situation.

I’m so shocked that I burst out laughing.

There’s nothing I can do when it’s like this.

There is no choice but to revive the villain’s experience accumulated over the years in previous episodes.

“Do you want to be destroyed?”

“… What?”

The duke blinked his eyes blankly, as if wondering if he had heard wrong.

“Do you want to be destroyed?”

“Your guy has finally gone crazy.”

“You are the one who is crazy. If it is revealed that a prestigious operative family deceived the people of the empire by creating a counterfeit of the Holy Blood, do you think the imperial family will admit to their complicity and take their side? There is no way. Why bother considering the option of exterminating the Winfred family and replenishing the national treasury? The flower garden in my head is just as good.”

The duke laughed as if it were absurd at my crazy threat.

Either way, I was stuck.

If you don’t agree to the deal, I will erase the name Winfred from the continent right away.

“Blank check.”

“… ”

“There is no compromise.

Belzer Winfred, I still get irritated just looking at that damn face.

That’s because he’s the one who threw Kyle Winfred’s life into the gutter because he was an illegitimate child.

‘Thanks to you, I had a hard time in the previous episode.’

That’s probably why the words come out so harshly.

Because there were more than one scenario that was ruined because of that person.

He is an extremely calculating and mean person who only cares about his own safety.

The choice he will make is ultimately decided.

That’s it…

“… Good.”

Yes, this is it.

I nodded and focused my gaze on him once again.

“Let’s start with the contract.”

“Contract?”

“Yes, for any transaction, shouldn’t a contract be drawn up first?”

How can I trust you?

I shot him a skeptical look.

“Let’s do it with Geass.”

“… ”

“Please use the highest grade Geass. I think that way I can do business with you with confidence.”

Geass.

It is a kind of contract ritual performed by mutual magical power.

As the oath is made with magical powers, there are harsh consequences if the contract is violated.

Because it is issued exclusively by the Vatican, the price is what is called.

Even the highest level of Geass is notarized by the Archbishop himself, so it is impossible to obtain it even with a decent status.

“… ”

The Duke’s face turned bright red.

I sat still and slightly raised the corners of my mouth.

“Let’s think about it slowly.”

Think about it for a hundred days.

Is there any other answer?

****

The transaction was completed smoothly.

I received confirmation of the breakup of the engagement directly from the duke’s mouth.

I even succeeded in ripping off the blank checks that would later fund my activities.

The duke left the mansion immediately that evening with a small group of elite personnel.

This is to go in search of the Precious Blood at the place I pointed out.

Thanks to this, the inside of the mansion was quite quiet.

I also stayed in my room and enjoyed my time until the duke came.

Yes, everything is perfect like this.

Except for one thing.

[Scenario progress: 3%]

“Why is this going up again?”

The full-scale scenario hasn’t even progressed yet.

In other words, the damn progress rate shouldn’t go up at this point.

The cause is also unclear.

Because until now, I have never left the mansion.

“Could it be that the scenario went wrong?”

There is a strong possibility that the scenario went awry because Hara was looking for a sacred relic instead of cosplaying as a villain.

Or there may be another scenario route that I don’t know about.

All possibilities must be kept open.

Because this damn system doesn’t feel weird no matter how hard you try.

“Phew.”

I looked at the food prepared in front of me.

The food, which looked quite appetizing, stole everyone’s attention.

However, you should not be fooled by its flashy exterior.

To modern people’s taste buds, medieval food tends to have something missing, such as lack of seasoning or dry texture.

Still, shouldn’t you fill your stomach first?

I moved my body and continued eating.

Until the old butler’s urgent voice was heard beyond the door.

— Do, master… !

Unlike his usual calm voice, his voice is quite high-pitched.

As I got up to open the door, I started hearing strange noises coming from beyond the door.

– no matter how… Even if it’s a young girl… It would be difficult if you behaved so recklessly… !

Occasionally, the old butler’s panicked voice rang in my ears.

I just walked over and opened the door.

and.

“… !”

The person who appeared through the open door was none other than Isabel.

I glared at the butler standing next to Isabelle.

He made an expression of shame and avoided eye contact.

I turned my head and looked at Isabelle.

Tangled hair and red, bloodshot eyes.

I don’t know what was going on, but it felt quite different from her usual dignified appearance.

She lowered her head and held my sleeve carefully.

“… Kyle.”

Her thinly trembling voice was weak and desperate.

As if regretting the past.