[123] Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated in a Count's Family [29]

"You're sentenced to death."

At my words, the man's face twisted in horror.

"What are you talking about all of a sudden? You don't have the authority to do that!"

He's right. 

The man in front of me, Baron Dolon, is not an ordinary commoner. He's a quasi-noble, holding a title higher than that of a regular knight. I can't execute him on my own authority.

'In a month, I'll become the lord of Tebura, so the situation will change… But not now.'

Right now, I'm not the lord of Tebura. I don't even have the title of Baron. I'm just the third son of a great lord. If Baron Dolon were a commoner, it wouldn't matter, but he holds the title of a quasi-noble.

"The evidence is clear. Even if I report it to Mother later and kill you here on the spot, it won't be a problem."

A post-report. It's not ideal, but since the evidence is solid, I won't be reprimanded by Elaine. After all, this territory will be mine in a month anyway.

"Ugh… P-Please wait, Young Master. Let's think calmly first." 

"Calmly? I just came here after getting rid of something hot in the carriage, so I'm as calm as can be. I'm practically a sage."

I swung my fist at Dolon.

Thud!

One of his teeth fell onto the desk and rolled away.

"Let's see. Yuria, is the ledger the only thing in the safe?" 

"There's money and mana stones inside. The money amounts to roughly 500 million Nerl."

Yuria stepped aside from the safe. Inside were gold coins, mana stones, and what appeared to be ledgers. 

The ledgers are both evidence and a weapon. The reason he kept them in the safe is likely because he feared betrayal from the Black Tiger Trading Company.

"Including the mana stones, it's probably around 1 billion Nerl. You've saved up quite a bit on your own."

It's less than I expected. The previous lord of Tebura, Baron Gultian, died 20 years ago. This means Dolon has been ruling Tebura for 20 years. 1 billion Nerl in 20 years? That's too little.

'...Wait. Tebura has a population of 5,000, and it's not particularly developed, so 1 billion Nerl isn't that small.'

For me, 1 billion Nerl is pocket change, but for Dolon, it's no laughing matter.

"Y-Young Master, how about a deal?" 

"A deal?" 

"I'll give you half of what's in the safe!" 

"Half? That's only 500 million Nerl. Is your life worth only 500 million?" 

"Only 500 million?! 500 million Nerl is a huge sum! Young Master!" 

"Sigh."

I let out a sigh. 

I didn't expect this guy to offer a mere 500 million Nerl as the price for his life. Looking at him, I was reminded of just how pathetic the port city of Tebura is.

"If you want to make a deal with me, you'll need to bring at least 10 billion Nerl." 

"10 billion?!" 

"Do you have more money hidden away? Where is it?" 

"I don't have any more money! What's in the safe is all I have!" 

"You're keeping all your wealth in the office safe? You must have some at home too."

All his wealth in the office safe? What kind of fool would believe that? Of course, he must have money hidden at home. Maybe he even entrusted some of his wealth to someone he trusts.

'That's probably another 1 billion Nerl or so. Combined, it's around 2 billion. Still too little.'

I plan to find it and take it. It's not that the amount is small, but for others, it's a sum that can't be ignored. 

I turned my gaze to Yuria. She was already flipping through the books and parchments on the bookshelf.

"Young Master, I've found the tax ledger. There are a few differences compared to the records at the Pruckus mansion." 

"Ah."

I looked back at Dolon. He was sweating profusely, avoiding my gaze, looking like he was about to cry.

"So you've been tampering with the taxes too?"

Tebura doesn't have an official lord. Baron Dolon is just a temporary lord. 

In other words, the taxes from Tebura are collected by the Pruckus Count family, and the budget for Tebura is also set by the Pruckus Count family. Tampering with taxes is an unforgivable crime. A ruthless lord might even execute the entire family, including relatives.

"P-Please spare me, Young Master. I'll give you all the money! Just please spare my life…!" 

"If I kill you and confiscate your assets, that's the end of it."

Dolon's face turned pale. 

There's no need to keep this guy alive. 

If I hadn't come to Tebura today and instead arrived a month later, this guy would have destroyed all the evidence, including the ledgers, and shamelessly flattered me. I'm sure of it.

"Yuria, who else is involved with this guy? Is it just the Black Tiger Trading Company?" 

"I'm not sure yet. We'll need to investigate further. There are probably two more people…"

We've only been here for less than 10 minutes. But it's Yuria, so she can roughly figure things out just by skimming through the ledgers.

"Ugh…"

Dolon, who had been watching my reaction, took the opportunity while I was looking at Yuria to jump out the window and start running. I stood still and watched him. He's too slow to even bother chasing.

"What should we do, Master?" 

I pondered for a moment. 

Should I spare him and use him?

'Seeing him run away like that, he's useless. He doesn't seem competent either.'

If he were competent, he wouldn't have only saved up 2 billion Nerl in 20 years as a temporary lord.

"Kill him. And hang his head in the city center. Let the people know what kind of person I am, who will become the lord of this city in a month." 

"Yes."

Yuria took a dagger from her skirt pocket and chased after Dolon out the window. Using the Yeongcheon Style's footwork, she closed the distance to Dolon in an instant and beheaded him with a dagger glowing with blue aura.

'...I could see her running, but her dagger swing was too fast to see.'

Yuria was stronger than me. She's probably at the peak of a low-level Aura Expert, about to break through to mid-level.

'What's even more astonishing is that she's mastering Shadow Magic alongside the Yeongcheon Style.'

I saw Yuria pull a box out of her shadow. She placed Dolon's head inside the box with her gloved hand.

'If she had focused solely on the Yeongcheon Style, she would have reached mid-level Aura Expert long ago. Her talent is truly terrifying.'

That day. 

Three city officials, including Baron Dolon, were killed, and their heads were hung in the city center.

***

The head of the largest trading company in Tebura, the Black Tiger Trading Company, came to the city hall. 

I was reviewing documents in the city hall when I sat down with the head of the Black Tiger Trading Company in the office. 

The head of the Black Tiger Trading Company, Becan Drock.

He's a tall man with rugged muscles. Scars covered his face and body. 

Originally, the Black Tiger Trading Company was a mercenary group. They settled in Tebura 10 years ago and transformed into a trading company. This is according to the information I got from a city hall employee.

"I didn't expect you to come here yourself. I thought your company would run away."

Yuria brought out some black tea. I sipped it leisurely. It was exactly to my taste.

"So you ordered the guards to keep an eye on our company?" 

I had planned to investigate all the illegal activities of the Black Tiger Trading Company and then visit them at night. My plan was to confront them with their crimes, seize their assets, and execute them. 

But Becan came to me first. Perhaps it's the experience he's gained as the head of the company, but he made the right choice. By coming to me directly, I decided to give him a chance. Seeing that he's quite sharp, I thought it would be a waste to just kill him.

"What's the purpose of your visit?" 

"...Please spare us. I don't want to end up like Dolon." 

"Saying that out of the blue will only annoy me." 

"I know that Young Master Eugene will become the lord of Tebura in a month. Our Black Tiger Trading Company is the largest and most influential trading company in Tebura. We can build a good relationship with Young Master Eugene and support each other." 

"How did you know I'll become the lord here?"

I haven't told anyone here about that. Not even Locke, the captain of the guard, or the coachman who drove the carriage here.

"It's the information network our Black Tiger Trading Company privately maintains." 

"What's the source of that information?" 

"...We used an information guild."

I smirked.

"So it's a paid information network."

An information guild makes sense. The fact that I'll become the lord of Tebura is known by the vassals of the Pruckus family and the servants of the main house, so it's not hard to find out.

"According to the ledger Dolon kept in the safe, you've been involved in unauthorized smuggling. Do you have anything to say about that?" 

"...No. We just wanted to save on taxes. We didn't expect it to backfire like this. If you give us a chance, we'll pay five times the overdue taxes." 

"The trade taxes over the years would amount to about 800 million Nerl. It doesn't make sense to bribe someone just to save that much. What were you smuggling? Drugs?"

At the mention of drugs, Becan was startled. In this world, drugs are a serious crime. Possession is illegal, and trafficking is punished even more severely.

"No! We're not that kind of company!" 

"Then what?" 

"...Weapons. Swords, spears, and armour." 

"In large quantities?" 

"...Yes." 

"To whom?" 

"...."

I was relaxed. I'm the one holding the sword. Even if Becan tries to hide it, I'll eventually find out when I raid his company. He won't be able to hide it completely. There's not enough time for that.

"We sold them to Viscount Galliard." 

"...A vassal of our family. How much did you sell?" 

"We've been trading continuously. Over the past year, we've sold about 800 swords and spears, totalling 3,000. About 1,000 sets of armour."

I recalled information about Viscount Galliard. He's not a character from the original story and is the lord of a city in the far north.

'It's not treason. That's impossible.'

In this world, treason is extremely difficult due to the existence of knights whose power far exceeds that of ordinary humans. Even with 1,000 soldiers, a single skilled knight order can overwhelmingly crush them.

'Did he sense that a war is coming? He's good at reading the political climate. His goal is likely self-preservation or hoarding.'

When war breaks out, the prices of all goods skyrocket. Especially weapons and armour, which at least double in price. As the war intensifies, steel becomes as precious as gold, and the prices of daily necessities like food also rise.

'Viscount Galliard isn't aligned with Zent. He's neutral. I'll have to keep that in mind.'

I'll try to recruit him first. If that doesn't work, assassination it is. It's better to eliminate someone as capable as Viscount Galliard from the start rather than let him become an enemy.

"Alright. I'll spare you. As long as you follow the conditions I propose." 

"...What conditions?" 

"First, taxes. You'll pay them on time, no matter what I say." 

"As I said earlier, I'll pay five times the overdue amount. There won't be any delays in the future." 

"That's fine. Second, hand over your company to me." 

"What? What are you talking about all of a sudden…! That's absurd!"

Becan's face twisted as he jumped up from his seat. 

Yuria moved. The blade of her dagger, glowing with a blue aura, was pointed at his throat. Becan froze. The slightest movement would send the blade into his neck. 

Becan's eyes wavered. He seemed shocked that a maid had the skill of an elite knight.

"I won't kill you. You seem useful, so I'll have you manage the company. I'll pay you according to your work." 

"The Black Tiger Trading Company is a company my comrades and I built! Do you think I'll just hand it over like that?! Young Master Eugene, you're underestimating us too much! You're making a mistake! You'll regret this!"

He spat out the words at me. I shrugged.

"It's you who'll regret it." 

"...Ahhhh!"

Becan's left arm was severed at the forearm and fell to the floor with a thud. Blood dripped from the severed end. 

It was Yuria's doing. She had cut off his left arm so fast that Becan didn't even notice.

"Master is not someone you can speak to so rudely. Please watch your tone. Next time, I'll gouge out your left eye." 

"Ugh…!"

Becan gritted his teeth and grabbed his severed left arm with his right hand. It seems he wasn't lying about being a former mercenary, as he skillfully stopped the bleeding and picked up the severed arm. The clean cut means a mage or priest could reattach it.

"The third and final condition is... Hmm. If you don't want to hear it, say so now."

***

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