Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Even a Treacherous Subject Has Its Uses
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"Hmm... We're not on such good terms that you'd drop by without notice... What brings you here?"
"What's the problem with a son coming to see his mother?"
"Hoo~ Right. Formally, even a mongrel like you is an adopted son, so I suppose I must treat you as one. So? Get to the point quickly. Even sharing the same air as a mongrel is unpleasant."
"You're being quite openly hostile. Though I understand you must be displeased, being the reason your dim-witted son was confined to his room... Anyway, I had no choice but to come due to an important matter."
That damn brat!
Irritated by Beonald's blatant sarcasm, Lady Meira wanted to order Sir Jed to subdue the wretched mongrel immediately, but she held back.
It wasn't that she doubted Sir Jed's martial prowess, but that boy was, after all, a 'blood relative' of the Callermain family. She couldn't openly touch him, so for now, she had no choice but to let him be.
"Anyway, what's the matter?"
"Well~ It's about the gift you sent. I came to give my response."
"A gift? I never sent such a thing..."
At that moment, six rings rolled out from Beonald's pocket onto the table between them.
Each ring was set with a small gemstone, bearing a family seal all too familiar to Lady Meira.
The crest of the Royen Viscountcy. These were seal rings, not given to just anyone, but bestowed upon Royen blood relatives or knights who had sworn fealty.
p>"Wh-where did you get these?"
Lady Meira, and even Sir Jed, trembled slightly, panicking inwardly.
Could they be forgeries? The thought crossed her mind, but counterfeiting a noble family's seal was a grave crime, and one of the rings on her own finger was identical—she couldn't possibly fail to recognize them. It was reasonable to ask their origin.
"Where? Are you trying to deny it now, after sending them yourself? Miss Sae-in explained it quite clearly."
"Wh-what... I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hmm, denial. Fine, then. A mere maid's testimony won't be treated as evidence anyway. But what about this?"
Clink.
Beonald pulled another item from his pocket and placed it on the table.
A small dagger. Adorned with gold, diamonds, and various other gemstones, one could see the Royen Viscountcy's seal engraved upon it as well.
Seeing it, the eyes of Lady Meira and Sir Jed shook once more, even more violently.
"This dagger... It's clearly a custom-made piece, isn't it? The kind specially presented to a knight who achieved remarkable feats or served the family with long-standing loyalty... Will you still deny it?"
"...Kuh!"
"The owner of this dagger, and the other knights, have already spoken. Ah~ Why don't I mention their names? For the sake of those knights' honor, I'm deliberately keeping quiet. After all, they must be sent back. If their identities were revealed, wouldn't it be troublesome for them even after returning? Their honor would be tarnished, you see."
"...So, what do you want? Are you planning to blackmail me with this? Report it to the Count, perhaps?"
"No. Hahaha, what blackmail could there be? I'm already fully aware of your desire to get rid of a mongrel like me as soon as possible. I just didn't expect you to act so directly. Anyway, what I seek is reasonable. The ransom for the Royen Viscountcy knights I captured."
Upon hearing his conclusion—that he came to receive the knights' ransom—Lady Meira and Sir Jed looked at Beonald with surprised eyes.
Even though they themselves had joined hands with the Count and could report this to him without issue, the fact that he wasn't telling the Count about their scheme to kill a blood relative of the Callermain Earldom was strange.
For him, this could have been a card leading directly to becoming the 'heir,' yet he was ignoring it.
Is he aiming for something else?
"First, the captured knights total four. Four out of the six knights who came for me. The list includes Sir Bent and Sir Karal, and..."
...What's his scheme?
"One is a mid-tier knight, and the other three are low-tier knights. If you pay the ransom, I'll send them back with nothing but the clothes on their backs, so please understand. Surely~ you're not thinking of telling me to go collect it from the Royen Viscountcy? In that case, I'll simply eliminate them all and return. If you're confident you can bear that resentment, you may refuse to pay the ransom."
With a smile, Beonald spoke about the knights' ransom, bringing Lady Meira and Sir Jed back to reality.
Well, aside from the heir assault issue, dealing with the aftermath of requesting knights from the Royen Viscountcy was no small problem either.
"The amount, well, it should be generous. They are knights, after all?"
"Hmph, but if you kill them, you'll make an enemy of the Royen Viscountcy. Can you handle that?"
Negotiating the ransom was fine, but Lady Meira had no intention of simply yielding.
Not wanting to waste a large sum on that mongrel, she tried to use the Royen Viscountcy's prestige to make Beonald back down, but he remained utterly unfazed and spoke calmly.
"Handle it? I'm leaving this place anyway, so there's no need to consider such things."
"...What?"
"The river's already been crossed the moment I eliminated two Royen Viscountcy knights. Of all places, the Royen Viscountcy—the knights from where you, Mother, hail from. Feelings are already hurt, so I intend to take my share and leave. Whether I eliminate two or six, it's all the same, isn't it?"
You can't easily obtain what you want by wielding only the whip.
You must also subtly show the carrot.
Of course, the problem was that this carrot wasn't just a simple carrot but one laced with threats.
Beonald leaving this territory meant the obstacle in the succession struggle would disappear, but it also meant the target for the Royen Viscount's resentment over losing six knights would vanish.
There's no choice, I suppose. For them, losing two knights and losing six are different matters.
"Kuh, how much are you planning to demand?"
"Since they're knights... it won't be cheap, right? Especially with a knight who received a dagger adorned with gold and gemstones like this among them. I have to return this too... You know it's not a small sum, right?"
Grind!
The sound of Lady Meira grinding her teeth was loud enough for Beonald to hear.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She wanted to explode in fury and cause a scene, but she held back and shot a glance at Sir Jed.
Having served alongside her for over ten years, Sir Jed understood what that glance meant.
'Subdue this mongrel immediately and restrain him! I can't stand to look at him any longer! ...That's what she seems to be saying. Anyway, there's no one else outside, so I must handle this carefully.'
Sir Jed began moving slowly, targeting Beonald.
Thinking that to subdue him, he must cut off his consciousness in an instant—a moment where he couldn't even make a sound—he adjusted his breathing and signaled Lady Meira with his eyes to draw Beonald's gaze.
And Lady Meira, pretending she couldn't contain her anger, exploded perfectly, trying to completely seize Beonald's attention.
"Eeeek! You damn mongrel! How dare you... to me...!"
"I'm trying to resolve this amicably, but you're getting so angry..."
Now...!
Sir Jed's body, having instantly drawn up his aura, swiftly lunged to subdue Beonald.
A blue afterimage covered Beonald, and simultaneously, the chair he was sitting on was toppled.
However, Sir Jed felt no sensation of contact on his hands or body and was puzzled.
What?
"Whoa, I didn't expect it to go this far."
"Wh-what? How? Huh!"
Before the astonished Sir Jed, Beonald now held the Royen Viscountcy dagger against Lady Meira's throat.
How such a thing was possible was explained by the faintly glowing purple aura enveloping his body.
Only then did Sir Jed realize Beonald had reached the knight's realm and drew his sword from his waist, pointing it at him.
"Could it be... Young Master was a knight? How on earth were you hiding it? Sir Maldrov clearly said you weren't...!"
"Well, if I'm too high a mountain, Ralt would despair, wouldn't he? A loyal subject like Sir Maldrov would endure being vilified for the sake of the heir's education, so cooperation was easy, you see? Of course, from my perspective, it was good to hide a joker card. Anyway, the meaning of this action now is... I can take it as you refusing to pay the ransom, right? And since you aimed for my life, are you prepared to die?"
"W-wait! Hold on! I understand! I understand! We'll do as you say! Sir Jed! Step back! And drop your sword!"
Is it said that the more one-sidedly a villain dominates others, the more they fear being hurt themselves?
As the dagger Beonald pointed left a slight cut on her neck, Lady Meira, frightened, restrained Sir Jed.
Yes, having only harmed others one-sidedly without ever confronting anyone herself, she couldn't help but be afraid of getting hurt. The loyal Sir Jed had no choice but to drop his sword and retreat at her command.
"I'm glad we can finally communicate. Now then~ Sir Jed, please face the wall in the corner and raise your hands. If your posture wavers even slightly, your master's life is forfeit. As a proper mid-tier knight, you can manage that much, right?"
"...Understood."
"The money can be arranged through the butler and maids. So... please prepare the ransom for four knights quickly. I don't care where or how you get it."
In the end, Lady Meira called her personal servant brought from her family home and urgently began gathering all available funds.
Occasionally, thinking Beonald might not know the exact market price for ransoms, she tried to subtly lowball the amount, but Beonald, having planned everything long ago, had long since learned the market rates from the currently active mid-tier knight, Baron Zelkerd, and Heidi.
"You keep trying to play tricks. Should I cut off a few of your fingers to make you behave?"
"Ah, I understand! I said I understand!"
Cowed by Beonald's threatening aura filled with killing intent, Lady Meira finally gathered the ransom for four knights—including a mid-tier knight, making the sum considerable. She used all her own money, went into debt with merchants, and even secretly dipped into the earldom's vaults and warehouses behind her husband's back, barely managing to fill the amount.
Satisfied, Beonald then prepared to leave Lady Meira's room, carrying the now-heavy large bag.
The threat remained valid, so Sir Jed stood facing the wall, hands raised, unable to do anything.
"Then I'll return the knights before the moon rises tonight. I'm not a coward like some who negotiate and then stab you in the back. I swear upon the Goddess's name and the name of this Callermain Earldom."
"Grrrugh! Fine, I get it, now get lost. Never show your face here again!"
"Yes, yes. Ah! Right. There's one more thing to settle."
"What now?"
"The debt regarding Sae-in and Sae-in's mother."
"What debt is that?"
Completely unexpected, Lady Meira looked at him with an expression of disbelief.
A debt over a mere owned maid and that maid's mother? Seeing her bewildered look, Beonald chuckled softly and opened his mouth with utmost dignity.
"As a noble... wouldn't you be very displeased if someone damaged your artworks or treasures? You entered my garden and inflicted irreparable damage upon the body and mind of Sae-in, who became mine. So, as the owner of the garden, this is a very unpleasant matter. She said there was no need, out of concern for me, but as a noble who tends his garden, my pride is at stake... You understand, don't you? Mother."
"Th-that...!"
Lady Meira trembled, feeling an indescribable terror at the sight of Beonald smiling down at her, her complexion turning pale.
The one she had considered a mongrel until now was looking down on her with the most noble of reasons and dignity-filled arrogance, crushing her spirit.
Just like long ago, when her father and grandfather scolded her severely, and she couldn't even think of resisting, trembling in fear, Lady Meira's body stiffened and shrunk back.
Eeek! How can I? How can I, to such a mongrel?
And yielding to that pressure, she felt that she was now lower, more base, than the mere mongrel Beonald.
Similar to the feeling when other high nobles or imperial family members looked at her in the capital, she felt another wave of humiliation, but Beonald's judgment was only just beginning.