Chapter 178
Chapter: 178
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 178
>Chapter Title: The Ledger of Contracts (4)
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
Collins, the director in charge of logistics distribution in the eastern sector, was utterly bewildered by the sudden request for a meeting.
“Sir Masain? Why me all of a sudden?”
Of course, they had a superficial acquaintance. Masain might currently have no claim to succession, but he was still a full-fledged member of the Holy Imperial family.
As such, Collins never neglected to show his face to him at official gatherings. He also never hesitated to offer the customary invitation to visit Regina whenever time permitted.
But didn’t most people just see that as polite small talk?
In any case, given his status, Collins couldn’t very well refuse to at least offer him some tea.
Soon, a tall knight entered the office, guided by the secretary. He flashed a smile so bright it outshone his characteristically radiant golden hair of the Holy Imperial lineage.
“Director Collins. I heard you left right after the first banquet at this year’s birthday celebration. I didn’t even get to say goodbye, so I’m glad we could meet like this.”
“That’s because I had so much work to do, Sir Masain.”
It was a direct jab at why he was bothering a busy man.
Yet despite Collins’s curt response, the knight didn’t lose his sociable smile. Considering his noble birth, it was a remarkably unpretentious attitude.
“Then you’ll be even busier from now on. We might be seeing a lot more of each other soon.”
“What do you...?”
“Prince Mores has recently taken an interest in the salmon business. The eastern Ortona mountain salmon are currently supplied through the Cyprus Union. Everything related to eastern logistics distribution, including Cyprus, falls under your purview, doesn’t it, Director Collins?”
Business? Was that the reason he’d come?
Collins eyed him suspiciously.
“Is this an official initiative from the Imperial Palace?”
“Not quite. It’s still His Highness’s personal idea for now.”
“Then have you brought a specific business proposal?”
“It’s still in preparation.”
“......”
Collins didn’t hide his discomfort as he glared at Masain, who sipped his tea.
No matter that he’d once been a candidate for the throne—now demoted to Clanor, it was all meaningless. Treating him as a member of the Holy Imperial family out of courtesy was already more than he deserved.
On top of that, word was he’d even thrown away his position as captain of the Imperial Guard knights. So wasn’t he now just a worthless figure who offered no real gain, even if one humored him?
By contrast, Collins himself wielded real economic power in the east. He belonged to the most powerful interest group on the continent, one that could make or break nations.
There was no need to cater to the whims of some young man with an empty title.
‘...Should I just chase him off?’
Collins twitched the fingers he’d kept hidden under the table.
‘Are you here, Lord Raam?’
[I’m listening, Contractor. Heh heh.]
A rasping voice, like metal scraping metal, echoed in his mind.
It went without saying, but Collins was a demon contractor. He had climbed to this position by easily dispatching the countless enemies he’d faced along the way, all with the demon’s help.
[This one bears faint traces of primordial blood. Tricky to touch.]
‘So it’s impossible?’
[Of course not. Heh heh.]
Collins’s demon, Raam, was particularly skilled in mental manipulation. It could induce hallucinations, cause nervous breakdowns, or even deliver a sudden shock to the mind strong enough to cause unconsciousness.
Just as he’d done to so many others before, Collins planned to use the same trick on Masain.
A shock followed by subtle brainwashing to make him leave quietly would be perfect. There might be some minor aftereffects, but nothing to disrupt daily life. All it would take was a snap of the fingers to unleash the demon’s power.
Clink. The knight quietly set down his teacup just as Collins was about to tense his hand.
Knock knock.
Suddenly, someone rapped on the door.
“Sir Masain. If you’ve finished your business, would you please come with me to the branch manager’s office?”
It was the secretary of Branch Manager Schmidt who had come to the office. Collins quickly dismissed the demon and glanced warily at the secretary.
‘That arrogant branch manager? Why him all of a sudden?’
But the mystery was soon resolved.
“Prince Mores is urgently looking for you, sir.”
“His Highness?”
“Yes, Sir Masain. He said thanks to you, he was able to handle what he needed to, so stop by the branch manager’s office on your way back together.”
As Collins remained dumbfounded, Masain rose from his seat, smoothing his attire with one hand.
“It seems His Highness’s business talk will be handled at the branch manager level. I suppose our meeting ends here.”
Somehow, Masain seemed much larger than when he’d first arrived, making Collins blink in surprise.
The knight had always been a sturdy young man, but now it felt like he was looking down from a height well above Collins’s own head.
‘...An illusion?’
But Collins soon realized the reason. At some point, a menacing aura had begun seeping from Masain’s entire body. Even Collins, who wasn’t an aura user, felt an intense pressure from it without knowing why.
The knight’s firm jaw still held its habitual smile, but the eyes glaring at Collins were fierce—almost like flickering flames.
“Thank the branch manager’s secretary, Director Collins. The only reason your hand is still attached is because he interrupted what you were about to do.”
Only then did Collins notice that the knight’s hand had been resting on his sword hilt the whole time. He had been ready to draw at any moment.
‘Damn it...!’
Masain was an advanced knight expected to reach Decaron Knight level within a few years.
Even if he hadn’t sensed the demon’s presence, he could easily detect the hostility of someone intent on harming him.
“I’ll overlook that insolent attitude toward a member of the Imperial family this time. Consider it repayment for letting me linger at the logistics relay station until now.”
With those icy words, the knight turned and left without so much as a farewell.
Staring at his resolute back as he followed the secretary out of the office, Collins finally felt the tension release, breaking into a cold sweat. He realized how close he’d come to losing an arm.
That was when the demon in his head suddenly started making a fuss.
[Eek?! Look at that! The sword he has! That’s a holy relic!]
‘A holy relic?’
[Yes! If he’d drawn that, we both would’ve been in big trouble! Did you know?]
A chill ran down Collins’s spine.
It belatedly hit him that the Holy Emperor had gifted his nephew a holy relic as an academy graduation present, a sign of great favor.
‘Who... who the hell did I just pick a fight with?’
His legs suddenly gave out, and Collins staggered, barely making it back to his chair.
As he sat there collecting himself for a while, he suddenly realized he wasn’t alone in the office anymore and jolted in shock.
At some point, a dark figure had appeared, leaning against the wall like a shadow.
Black hair partially covering a pale face.
Silver-gray eyes that occasionally gleamed with an eerie light.
“Wh-who are you?”
As Collins stammered the question, the demon Raam screamed in his mind.
[Damn it! When did he get here?]
‘W-what’s wrong?’
[The Holy Emperor is here! Get out of here, Collins!]
The panicked director leaped to his feet, but the figure who had been silently watching spoke.
[Matthew Collins, director of the Merchant Union’s Northern Branch. Multiple counts of tax evasion, dozens of thefts, and likewise dozens of murders. More than enough to warrant judgment.]
‘What the hell? Lord Raam! Lord Raam?’
Sensing the ominous atmosphere, Collins frantically called for the demon. But Raam had vanished somewhere and gave no response.
“Ah......”
Drained of color, Collins backed away step by step. The woman fixed him with a chilling gaze and slowly spoke.
[For now, I leave his disposal to you, Lady Sharon. What will you do?]
The exorcist then let out a eerie, sobbing laugh.
“I receive Your Majesty’s command. Immediate execution is fitting for a sinner who contracted with a demon.”
Immediate execution?
Before he could even grasp the words, whoosh. A sharp silver curved sword suddenly flew toward his face. And that was the last sight Collins ever beheld.
Slash!
A long silver line trailed through the air, splattering purple blood across the office wall.
* * *
While waiting for Sir Masain, Seongjin curiously poked around Schmidt’s office.
He’d expected a demon’s workplace to be different somehow, but instead of blood-drawn summoning circles, it was crammed full of miscellaneous documents covered in numbers.
The demon branch manager seemed to actually do proper work, surprisingly.
“By the way, why’s it so quiet out there? There was that huge tremor just a bit ago.”
“They probably didn’t sense the disturbance, Your Highness. This office has a fairly sturdy barrier.”
The branch manager politely answered Seongjin’s question. In that short time, his demeanor had become impeccably deferential.
He was personally sorting the documents Seongjin had requested, occasionally handing selected files to his minions.
A goat demon with a large lump on the back of its head would then glare resentfully at Seongjin before stacking them neatly to one side.
“What about the priests? You released demonic energy so openly—does no one notice?”
“Priests don’t come around here much. All the major churches in the city were relocated far away long ago.”
Seongjin raised an eyebrow.
“Relocated?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Even if we hide our demonic energy well, priests are still very uncomfortable for us.”
According to Schmidt’s explanation, separating the logistics relay station from the churches had been relatively simple. By mobilizing the Merchant Union’s capital to donate land and funds, new churches sprang up without fail.
It had cost a fortune, of course, but there was hardly any opposition. Everyone wanted the churches farther away. After all, many high positions in the Merchant Union were held by demon contractors.
Seongjin was dumbfounded.
“The empire’s economy is dancing in the palm of demons’ hands, and this is really okay?”
Schmidt shook his head.
“Surprisingly, demons themselves don’t encourage contractors to cause mass harm. Unless it’s some shadowy cult in the boonies offering sacrifices in special rituals, that is.”
“Why not?”
“They have to avoid crossing the line to stay alive. His Majesty the Holy Emperor’s eyes reach every corner of the empire.”
According to what was called the ‘Successful Demon Life in the Empire Guideline,’ as long as demons avoided a few taboos, the Holy Emperor didn’t interfere much in their activities. It had something to do with a strange rule called the [Accord] from a few years back.
In the early days of his reign, the Holy Emperor had no such restraints.
He’d driven demons out of the capital in the blink of an eye and executed every demon contractor he found on sight.
He took a friendly stance toward vassal states but was ruthless in rooting out demons hiding deep within their societies.
And that wasn’t all. He frequently teleported across the continent, and whenever the chance arose, he invaded the demon realm itself, slaughtering demons and instilling terror.
Then, a few years ago, after the [Accord] came into being, he suddenly stopped. Since then, the Holy Emperor hadn’t left the capital, and he only dealt with demons if they caused major trouble.
“The Accord? What the hell is that?”
Seongjin frowned, and Schmidt shook his head.
“Even demons don’t know the specifics.”
However, through years of accumulated experience, demons had established their own boundaries for what was permitted.
First: Use demonic power to harm humans, but don’t exceed human capabilities by much.
Demonic power could easily eliminate one or two rivals. You could achieve the same by carefully hiring assassins anyway.
But summoning demons openly in public view or causing blatantly supernatural harm would draw the Holy Emperor’s punishment.
Second: Don’t use demonic power to disrupt society.
It was fine to use demonic power for economic gain. However, suddenly manifesting a demon for mass slaughter or triggering supernatural disasters that disrupted continental logistics would inevitably bring retribution.
‘So that’s why the empire runs relatively stably despite so many demon contractors.’
As Seongjin thought that, Schmidt’s expression turned grave.
“And finally, the most important rule of all.”
Third: No matter what, never, ever touch the Holy Emperor’s children carelessly.
“...Children?”
“You probably know better than anyone, Your Highness.”
Schmidt countered Seongjin’s question with one of his own, adding meaningfully,
“Like what happened to that dark cult that tried to kidnap you as a child. Not a single bone fragment of those in the Order of Rest was left intact that day, was it?”
...Kidnap?
Seongjin was about to ask more when—
“Argh! Guards! Guards!”
“Murder! There’s a dead body here!”
“Priest! Call a healer and a priest quick!”
Then came crashing footsteps thundering down the hall.
Seongjin and Schmidt exchanged glances and rushed out of the office. The chaotic hallway was filled with panicked guards rushing about.
“Where? Where is it?”
“Director Collins’s office!”
“Hurry!”
Pushing through the crowd heading one way, they saw the secretary and Masain approaching. Masain’s face, looking at Seongjin, was full of bewilderment.
“Why all of a sudden? Director Collins? That’s the office I just left, Your Highness.”