Chapter 122
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Translator: Xrecker
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Chief Financial Officer Patrasche
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The Ozma Governorate was now headquartered in the royal castle.
While we had initially planned to build a new building for the governorate, we decided to occupy the castle instead, as it would otherwise be an empty, useless building.
As we rode our carriage to the governorate, we were greeted by a group of protesters from the pro-restoration faction.
“There they are! Governor-General Ozma and that son of a bitch!”
“WAAAAH!”
One of the protesters pointed at us, and the others surged forward, their voices a roar of anger.
The guards, who had been standing by, finally intervened.
I told Ozma to go ahead and then approached the protesters.
“Sir!”
“At ease.”
A soldier, his posture ramrod straight, saluted me. I returned the salute and, scratching my head, approached the protester who had called me a son of a bitch.
“How much are you getting paid for this?”
The man’s face flushed red, and he spat at me.
“Ptooey! I’m a patriot, fighting to restore our country! How dare you… ugh!”
The spit, deflected by a protective spell, flew back into his face. Seeing that words wouldn’t work, I decided to use a simpler method.
“Tell me who hired you.”
The man’s eyes glazed over.
“Baron Wiesbaden.”
“That bastard. How many times has it been?”
I muttered, a familiar name escaping my lips.
I had tried to be patient, but this was the last straw.
I had sent an auditor to his estate, but he had repeatedly refused entry, citing private property. I had let it slide, but now he had crossed the line.
I ignored the bewildered expressions of the other protesters, who had overheard the truth, and addressed the soldiers.
“If I see these guys causing trouble again, they’ll answer to me. Understand?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Now, disperse the crowd.”
After giving the soldiers a good talking-to, I entered the governorate to clock in.
Even at this early hour, the building was bustling with activity.
As the former royal castle, it was unnecessarily ornate.
I waved at the people who greeted me and headed to the finance department, of which I was the head.
Clang!
“Welcome, Chief Financial Officer!”
As I opened the door, one of the male employees, who had been cleaning, greeted me with a loud voice.
His name was… Gordon, I think.
“Gordon, you’re here early.”
“Not at all, sir!”
I patted his shoulder, his military-like posture a stark contrast to the civilian setting, and said to the others, who were busy cleaning the office,
“We’re going to pay a visit to Baron Wiesbaden. Anyone want to come?”
The employees, who had been diligently cleaning, all raised their hands.
“Me! Me!”
“I want to go!”
“The last time I went there, the guards kicked me out!”
While most of them wanted to come, I decided to take only three.
The last one, in particular, had a look of pure malice in his eyes. I liked him.
I threw my bag onto my desk and prepared for the trip.
A gentleman's essentials: a silk top hat, a robe, and my orichalcum knuckles.
Ah, the heavy, cold feel of them. It's been a while.
I flexed my fingers, getting used to the feel of the knuckles, then tucked them into my back pocket.
“Gear up.”
“Yes, sir!”
I led the way, with my three subordinates in tow.
Our destination was the estate of Baron Wiesbaden, the former Count of the Court.
He seemed to think he could get away with his political machinations, but I was about to teach him a lesson.
***
Baron Wiesbaden’s estate was in the suburbs.
About a thirty-minute ride from the capital of Oz. Since he couldn't build a large mansion within the city, he had chosen a cheaper, more spacious lot outside the walls.
The four of us rode on horseback.
The horse I was riding was Gold Run.
I had been forced to leave him behind when I left Oz, but the clever horse had found its way back to its original stable.
I was surprised to see him when I returned to the city after its capture.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.”
We slowed our horses as we saw a blue-roofed mansion in the distance.
As we entered the estate, one of the guards pointed a sharp spear at us.
“Who goes there?!”
I showed him my identification.
“Patrasche, Chief Financial Officer of the Ozma Governorate. Is Baron Wiesbaden here?”
The guard’s eyes widened, and he quickly lowered his spear.
“Uh, no. The Baron is not at home. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to come back later.”
I ignored him and pulled on Gold Run’s reins.
The horse slowly walked towards the gate.
The guards inside rushed out.
“Even a high-ranking official of the governorate cannot enter this estate without an appointment. Are you looking for a fight?”
“Fuck off. Move.”
“GAAAAH!”
I blasted the threatening guard away with a gust of wind and then, my fist wreathed in Whirlwind Bone Cutter, I punched the gate.
“Warm Breeze, Gentle Sun.”
Dozens of projectiles shot out from my fist, denting the iron gate.
The other guards charged at me, but I met them with a flurry of punches.
BOOM!
The gate finally gave way and fell backwards.
I leaped over the groaning guards and continued forward.
My subordinates, who had been watching from behind, said,
“As expected of the Chief Financial Officer! He’s ruthless!”
“I should have learned magic when I was younger.”
“Serves them right, the bastards. They gave me the stink eye when I came here last time. Ptooey.”
Hearing the commotion, Baron Wiesbaden’s personal soldiers rushed towards us.
Let’s see…
There were quite a few of them for a private army.
He didn't even have a territory, so he must have known that maintaining such a large force was illegal.
Considering his usual behavior, he was clearly a rebel.
A pro-restorationist, likely with his eyes on the throne.
I fiddled with my mask and waited for the soldiers to approach.
About two hundred of them surrounded us, their expressions menacing.
“Who do you think you are, causing a ruck-us here?!”
“And who do you think you are, speaking to me so boldly?”
The guard captain, seeing my calm demeanor, flinched.
“M-May I ask your name, sir?”
“Patrasche, Chief Financial Officer of the Ozma Governorate.”
“The… the second in command of the governorate!”
“Now that you know, get out of my way. The owner of this place is suspected of treason.”
“T-Treason! Please, go ahead!”
Even a muscle-bound fool knew what happened to those who got involved in treason. The guard captain quickly cleared a path.
We entered the estate without any further trouble and approached the mansion.
Baron Wiesbaden was probably enjoying a cup of tea inside, oblivious to our presence.
He had never been caught before, after all.
I didn't feel the need to enter the mansion. I used a magnification spell and said,
“Ah, ah, a warning to Baron Wiesbaden. Come out and bow your head, or I will vaporize the west wing of your mansion. I’ll give you five minutes. Anyone in the west wing, get out now if you don’t want to die.”
We waited for five minutes.
But the Baron didn't appear. Only the people in the west wing rushed out.
Is he really going to defy me?
I decided to show the Baron, who seemed to be unaware of the danger he was in, the harsh reality of his situation.
“Hoi.”
I shot a sphere of condensed aether and fire mana from my fingertip, and a large sphere of light appeared in the west wing of the mansion, then disappeared.
Explosion, a fourth-tier spell.
The only aether-based spell with practical combat application. It was relatively powerful and had a short casting time, making it easy to use.
The west wing of the mansion vanished, as if it had never been there. Then, someone rushed out from the main building.
His white hair, fluttering in the wind, confirmed his identity. It was Baron Wiesbaden.
“Welcome, our guest has arrived.”
I muttered, putting on my orichalcum knuckles.
I hoped he would deny the charges.
I was itching for a fight.