Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: The Usefulness of a Treacherous Subject
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‘Well, it wouldn’t be any fun if he died without knowing anything.’
Beonald grinned, picked up Malek’s rolling head from the ground, and turned back.
The tide had already turned completely; Valas’s men were either taking the Agrasander group captive or unleashing one-sided violence upon them.
Valas, along with his inner circle, approached the returning Beonald with delight.
“Oho! Truly a martial prowess worthy of the title ‘Knight’! Malek’s head! Hahahaha! Truly incredible. The money was well spent.”
“One must work for what one receives.”
“Hahah, with this, this Teal Slum is practically mine now. Hmm…”
p>
Thud!
Valas, who had been happily laughing while looking at Malek’s head, was suddenly startled by a searing pain erupting in his chest. Beonald’s sword had pierced his heart.
Feeling shock and the fear of death simultaneously, Valas glared at Beonald to demand an explanation, but the young man merely shrugged.
“Sorry about that. But… there’s a place that pays a high price for your head, you see.”
“You… this…”
“Your subordinates included~”
Without even waiting to watch Valas die, Beonald left behind a purple afterimage as he charged, beginning to sweep through Valas’s stunned inner circle.
A few who had already caught on scattered and tried to flee, but they were subdued by the assassins and thieves from Darkthis who had been waiting in the wings.
Darkthis’s executives collected Valas’s and Malek’s heads, then came before Beonald, bowing respectfully.
“You’ve truly worked hard, Sir Knight.”
“I just want my payment.”
“Yes. We will definitely settle half the assets of the Valas organization and the Agrasander group and send them to the location you specified by the agreed time.”
“Good, understood.”
p>
That’s right. In fact, Beonald had not only made deals with Valas and Agrasander, but with Darkthis as well.
And after examining the tendencies and ideologies of the three groups, he judged that Darkthis becoming the master of this Teal Slum would be the quietest outcome, which is why he backed them.
If the Valas organization took over the drug trade, or if Agrasander simply inherited Valas’s operations, nothing would change. However, if Darkthis—a guild of thieves and assassins with different origins—took control, there was a chance the slum would transform into something different from before.
Furthermore, a rough estimate of the corpses littered from this fight suggested that a significant number of thugs had died in the all-out war, meaning Teal Slum wouldn’t be able to wield its former intimidating power for a while.
It would take Darkthis years to solidify its control, and it would take even longer for new thugs to flow in from other places.
‘Besides… since their structure is ruled by five executives, it wouldn’t be strange if they split and fought amongst themselves later. That’s the most ideal scenario.’
A cooperative structure between an assassin and a thief guild. Once they solidified their control, it was highly likely that each of the five executives would want to become the sole ruler of Teal Slum. If they fought each other for that, it would be the perfect cleanup. Even if they didn’t, they would keep each other in check, making this realistically the cleanest way to reduce and manage the power of Teal Slum.
As a bonus, this choice also brought the greatest profit to Beonald compared to the other organizations, so there was no reason to choose otherwise.
‘Well, it’s not completely over yet. Cleanup must be thorough.’
Thus, having sown great chaos in Teal Slum and reaped the benefits, Beonald immediately moved to prepare to receive the assets of the Valas and Agrasander groups that Darkthis would sort and deliver.
Only after this cleanup operation was perfectly finished could one say peace had truly been restored to Teal Slum.
A few days later, in a forest near Viscount Delmain’s territory.
Beonald had asked that the assets of the first group to be cleaned up be brought here by today.
He wondered if they might defy his orders, but whether it was due to witnessing his knight-level power or sensing Beonald’s ability to scheme as well as fight, the Darkthis organization, of course, did not disobey. They arrived with several carts and carriages laden with various treasures, including gold coins and artworks.
“Um… the cost of the horses and carts… is also included in the assets.”
“Hmm, good. Now, off you go. And tell the friends hiding behind that tree over there to go back with you. Otherwise, I might have to kill them.”
“Eek! Y-yes! U-understood.”
“Make sure to deliver the rest properly by the promised date as well.”
It seemed they couldn’t resist sending trackers, but after Beonald’s threatening remark, the Darkthis members finally retreated completely.
Beonald waited until enough time had passed for them to be far away before firing a signal flare. Shortly after, people approached from the direction of Delmain’s territory.
They were Viscount Delmain’s soldiers and knights, who had been briefed by Beonald beforehand.
The knight riding at the forefront was startled upon seeing the carts placed beside Beonald and exclaimed,
“Good heavens, i-is this for real, Young Master?”
“Would I lie? Come on—move them quickly before the others arrive.”
“Ah, understood! Everyone, hurry and load these to the castle!”
“Yes, sir!”
Following the knight’s orders, the soldiers immediately boarded the carts and carriages and began moving them toward Viscount Delmain’s territory.
This too was part of Beonald’s plan. He had no suitable place to store or move such an enormous treasure himself, so he decided to hand half of it over to Viscount Delmain for political use.
Thus, Beonald entered Viscount Delmain’s mansion along with the soldiers carrying the immense treasure and was granted a private audience.
“Hahaha, I have truly received Young Master Beonald’s gift well.”
‘No one in the world dislikes free things.’
Though they were formally from opposing factions, no one would dislike being gifted such an incredible treasure.
On the contrary, Viscount Delmain had no reason to treat poorly a guest who brought him such a valuable windfall.
With a bright expression he hadn’t worn in a long time, he provided Beonald with the finest tea and even assigned a maid, then began asking how he had obtained such enormous wealth.
“As always, maintaining a territory consumes money endlessly, you know. Hahaha. By the way, where did you get such a treasure…?”
“The Count asked me to look into the matter in Teal Slum. I just got slightly involved in the conflict there and obtained this. *Sigh* But in the end, the mission was a failure.”
“Ahh! Is that so? But why give this to us…? Even if you had offered it all to the Earldom, you wouldn’t have received a bad evaluation.”
As Viscount Delmain said, even if he had failed the mission given by the Count, offering such a treasure to the Earldom would have only raised Beonald’s standing.
On the contrary, obtaining such immense profit from the Teal Slum, which had only caused losses, and enriching the territory’s finances was a great merit anyone would acknowledge.
However, Beonald shook his head, refuting Viscount Delmain’s opinion.
“At best, I’d get a few words of praise, and my own position would only become more precarious. I thought it would be better to use this to build friendly relations with you, Viscount Delmain, and clear up any misunderstandings between us.”
“Misunderstandings? Haha, what misunderstandings could there be between you and us?”
Though Viscount Delmain answered with an innocent smile at Beonald’s words, the gazes of both men were intently observing each other, engrossed in calculating their own gains.
The perspective of nobles. Beonald continued his explanation.
“You see, Viscount. I am very well aware of my own standing. I carry the blood of Count Callermain, but I also carry the fact that half my blood is that of a lowly mercenary. And while the Acting Family Head may not mind, that is something you and other nobles cannot tolerate. Isn’t that right?”
“Ahem! Well… I cannot say it isn’t so.”
“You can be honest. After all, I too agree that the heir to the Callermain Earldom should be Ralt.”
The unexpected statement from Beonald’s mouth made Viscount Delmain’s eyes widen.
But Viscount Delmain was not one to take such words at face value.
Such words usually carried an underlying intent, and as a noble, one had the skill to speak untruths as if they were genuine.
“Oh? Are you serious? Then why did you accept the Acting Family Head’s proposal to adopt you?”
“Because I thought Young Master Ralt shouldn’t become the heir as he is now, Viscount.”
“Hmm… I wonder. Even if he’s somewhat lacking now, wouldn’t it be rude not to consider his future potential?”
“Of course, incompetence might be good for you, Viscount, but shouldn’t he at least reach a certain level? Even a parasite cannot live without a host.”
“Are you calling me a parasite now, Young Master?”
Beonald had deliberately mixed in a derogatory term to provoke Viscount Delmain. Succumbing to the provocation, Viscount Delmain’s eyes sharpened as he glared fiercely at Beonald, but Beonald, like a sly fox, bowed his head in apology while not stopping his speech.
“My apologies. I couldn’t find an appropriate expression. Then let me ask you this instead: If the Callermain Earldom were to suddenly fall, could you, Viscount Delmain, unite all the other nobles and forces beneath it and take its place?”
“Grrr!”
Though he threatened to get angry at Beonald’s impudence, Viscount Delmain had nothing to say in response to the following statement and could only close his mouth.
Yes, he had formed the largest faction under Count Callermain, but that didn’t mean he could freely wield his entire faction as he wished.
Just look at Lady Meira and her maternal family—they were part of the same faction, but depending on the situation, they could even outpace him, couldn’t they?
“It’s clear to anyone that Lady Meira and her family would take that position. Her family may be considered a step below yours, Viscount, but Lady Meira has Young Master Ralt, who possesses the ‘legitimate’ ‘bloodline.’ Lady Meira has the qualification to grasp a part of the Callermain Earldom.”
“…So I cannot, but Lady Meira could become the new master of Callermain?”
“It won’t be smooth, of course, but in the end, she would be the victor. As long as she holds that legitimacy, even Senior Knight Sir Maldrov would follow her. Then you couldn’t win, could you?”
‘What an arrogant thing to say. He’s just a 15-year-old with the lowly blood of a mercenary…! No, wait—is this really a rural young master who just came of age?’
Calming his excited heart, Viscount Delmain suddenly remembered that the person he was currently conversing with was merely a 15-year-old boy from the countryside.
Yet the boy before him, elegantly sipping from a teacup, was a ‘noble’ whose dignity was evident in every aspect.
‘…I’d forgotten without realizing it. That Young Master Beonald is only 15!’
What was he like at 15? Following his father, the family head, clumsily correcting his behavior one by one—it was a world of difference. The boy before him was negotiating and coordinating opinions with him on equal footing.
At the same age, he could barely raise his voice to the merchants and laborers within his own territory!
Feeling a chill and cold sweat running down his back, Beonald continued to convey his opinion.
“Anyway, my goal is singular. A peaceful future without great turmoil in the Callermain Earldom. Only then will my birth parents be safe. Therefore, Young Master Ralt must grow enough not to be swayed by Lady Meira, and someone must possess the power to check her so she cannot wield the power of the Callermain Earldom alone. You, Viscount Delmain, are the most suitable for that.”
“I… see. But the wealth you brought would hardly be enough to achieve such an enormous plan.”
“Of course, it would be difficult for you alone, Viscount. The opposing side has two families. Callermain is, after all, an Earldom, with connections to the capital. And many houses follow them. So, to balance the scales, you’ll need to join hands with Baron Zelcard.”
“Baron Zelcard, you say?”
“Yes.”
Viscount Delmain looked at Beonald with startled eyes at the unexpected statement.
Baron Zelcard. The leader of the opposing faction, different from his own.
p>
A man whose family was nothing special, but who obtained his title solely for being a ‘Knight’ and a commander. If Sir Maldrov was the pure guardian of the Callermain territory, Sir Zelcard was closer to a military faction belonging to the Callermain Earldom.
In any case, he was a man who obtained his title in these troubled times with nothing but his ‘sword,’ and whose noble values were not properly established, making him disliked by traditional nobles like Viscount Delmain. Naturally, Viscount Delmain felt displeased at the sudden suggestion from Beonald to join hands with him.