The Deal (4)
"This is absurd…! How could this happen…!"
Inside a lavishly appointed carriage, Viscount Bjorn roared in fury.
Today was supposed to be the day. The day he finished the magical beast hunt and took the first true step toward swallowing the Evergarden family and their territory whole.
Using the money the Evergarden Count family had borrowed from him as leverage, he had arranged for magical beast trading to take place inside their lands. Then, by blackmailing them with that very fact, he meant to bring the entire Count family under his heel.
Viscount Bjorn still remembered it clearly.
About twenty-one years ago, when the previous head of the Evergarden Count family still held the title, he had been invited to a party held to celebrate the engagement of Darian Evergarden, the Count's third son. Accompanied by his parents—then the heads of their house—and his siblings, he had made his way to the Evergarden estate.
And there, Viscount Bjorn had the encounter of a lifetime.
Freyja Evergarden.
The fourth daughter of Viscount Lindra's house, she was a woman whose white hair stood out at once. The moment he saw that smile of hers—bright and pure as a white lily in full bloom—her image burned itself permanently into Viscount Bjorn's heart.
Love?
It was not love.
It was a twisted possessiveness, a raw lust.
But she was already promised in marriage to the Count's third son. A mere non-heir of a Viscount house could never claim her for himself.
Still, Viscount Bjorn could not give up.
From that day on, he began mixing a mild poison into his father's meals. One by one, he arranged "accidents" for his brothers, until at last he seized the blood-soaked seat of Viscount for himself.
If he became head of the house, he thought, taking the wife of a Count's third son would somehow become possible.
And then—what happened?
Just like him, Darian had climbed all the way to the position of heir and become head of the Count family.
The result was the same, but the difference was that Darian had never intended it. That was why not even a whisper of rumor—"Could Darian have done it on purpose?"—ever circulated inside the Count house.
Because Darian was an idiot.
Bjorn was frustrated, but he did not give up. Even after both of them became heads of their respective houses, he continued visiting Evergarden territory, carefully cultivating a close relationship with the Count and Countess.
The years passed, and in time the Count couple had children of their own.
Even after bearing two children, Freyja's allure had not faded in the slightest. If anything, her figure had grown more mature—especially her chest—and the particular charm of a married woman poured off her in waves, leaving Bjorn drooling all the more.
Bjorn was relentless. He stoked Darian and Freyja's vanity—he knew perfectly well that Freyja's head was an empty tin can, too—and maneuvered them into debt. As luck would have it, his backers were looking for a suitable place to trade magical beasts, and his suggestion that he personally manage Evergarden territory and use it for that purpose was accepted without resistance.
All that remained was to finish capturing the beasts, return to the territory, and use the debt as a lever to devour the Evergarden family whole.
The plan had been going smoothly. He had even been startled to learn that the Bores family—the rulers of the North—were on the same side as his backers.
Under the Bores family's protection, he had hunted magical beasts without trouble and successfully captured their young. After that, all he had to do was head back down to Evergarden territory.
And then this disaster struck.
While Viscount Bjorn was away in the North, a great many things had happened. Namely, the potion developed by the Evergarden family was, quite simply, extraordinary.
"Just drinking it restores mana and stamina… and no side effects? How the hell does something that ridiculous even exist!?"
However little talent Viscount Bjorn had for magic, he was still an Academy graduate. Whether he liked it or not, he could not help but understand just how valuable that potion was.
While he had been capturing magical beast cubs in the North, the imperial capital had already been buzzing with talk of the Evergarden family. The potion's staggering worth had made it far harder to casually lay a hand on them. His own backers had even ordered him to look for a different family entirely, rather than the Evergardens.
But Viscount Bjorn had clung on and persuaded them.
"How…! How can I let go of a chance I worked so hard for…!!"
He could not give up.
Just one step. One single step forward, and he would finally be able to seize those long-coveted, long-yearned-for breasts in his own hands.
"Damn it…! Goddamn it…!"
As the carriage entered Evergarden territory and he stared out the window, Viscount Bjorn kept spitting curses under his breath. The Evergarden lands he remembered from the days when he had lent them money and left—a backwater little village—had developed beyond recognition.
The once chaotic, filthy streets had been cleanly rebuilt, and newly constructed buildings stretched on in neat rows. There was plenty of work, good money to be made, and tax rates had been slashed. Wherever he went, the people of the territory praised the Count and Countess of Evergarden. In the taverns, tales of the Evergarden Count family's eldest son, Felix Evergarden, and of Rosaria Evergarden poured out through the mouths of lively bards and the hands that played their instruments.
The people were full of life, and the merchants' faces were bright with smiles.
The more he saw, the more Viscount Bjorn's expression curdled.
"Hah… Still. If they've poured this much into running the territory, they won't have the cash on hand to pay the debt right away."
"I'll just use that as leverage and sweet-talk them somehow! It's not over yet."
He still had hope. The more a territory flourished and its people grew comfortable, the emptier the lord's coffers tended to become. Medieval nobles were the sort who filled their own vaults by keeping their people poor, competing over whose treasury was more stuffed. By that logic, the Evergarden Count family should have no means of producing the money they owed him on the spot.
So he would play the merciful benefactor, offer a grace period on the debt—and in the same breath bring up the magical beasts. They would have no choice but to take the bait.
"Once they stamp the contract, it's over…!"
Whether the territory was thriving or not, as long as the magical beast trade went through, everything would work out somehow.
Cold sweat beading on his brow, Viscount Bjorn wore a thin, oily smile as the carriage rolled on toward the Count family's manor.
"My, my~ Viscount Bjorn~ It's been so long~"
"It has, hasn't it? Been well?"
"Uh… b-both of you…!? H-how did you…?"
The moment Viscount Bjorn set foot in the manor and saw the couple, his eyes went round as saucers. From their clothes alone to the glittering jewels and brooches draped all over them, they were dripping with extravagance.
Th-they should be broke… How the hell did they buy all that…!?
He had expected the territory's development to leave the couple themselves quite poor. Instead, the jewels they wore alone could have covered a third of the debt they owed him and still left change.
"W-well, the reason I've come to see you today is—"
"Oh, right, darling. Viscount Bjorn here—the money! He lent us money, remember?"
"Ah… did he? I completely forgot. Hey! Butler!"
"Yes, my lord. You called?"
"How much did we borrow from Viscount Bjorn?"
"Yes. Principal of 1,720,000 Dinars, interest of 8,790,000 Dinars… for a total of 10,510,000 Dinars."
Gordon answered Darian's question with perfect diligence, stating the full amount of the debt. A principal of 1.72 million with interest alone at 8.79 million—it was usury so vicious it might as well have been loan-sharking. Converted into Korean won, it came to roughly fifteen billion. The interest had even grown since the amount their family had first confirmed upon transmigrating.
Right… Even so, there's no way they could pay that kind of money all at on—
"What? That's all it is? Bwahahaha! This guy—you came all the way here for pocket change like that?"
"…Excuse me?"
"Hey, butler. Go fetch that money."
"Understood."
"…What?!"
But Darian heard the sum, snorted as if it were nothing, and immediately ordered Gordon to bring the money.
Bluff. It has to be a bluff…! There's no way they can produce that kind of money in one g—
"Here. A check valued at 10,510,000 Dinars."
"Ah, ha…? Wait… a ch… what?"
Even as Viscount Bjorn spun happy little fantasies that this, too, had to be a bluff, Gordon shattered them on the spot by handing over a check with an enormous figure written on it.
"A-an Imperial Bank check…?!"
Not only had they paid the full amount—they had done it with a check. Bjorn reeled. In the Empire, using a check required depositing at least ten million Dinars in the bank in advance. He himself still dealt in platinum coins rather than checks. For the Evergarden family he had assumed was penniless to casually settle accounts with a bank check left him speechless.
It's real…! This is genuine…! A real Imperial Bank check…!
He checked it carefully, half hoping it was a fake—but the check he held was unmistakably authentic.
"My lord. Now that the debt has been repaid, the promissory note—"
"Ah, right… right… that charyong note? Jjaryong note? Whatever it is, bring it over."
"…Yes."
"Huh?"
While Viscount Bjorn was still reeling from the check, the paperwork confirming full repayment of the debt was drawn up as well—leaving him with no room whatsoever to wriggle free later.
"I-if I may ask… how did you come by such a large sum…?"
"Ohoho! Well, you see? The potion our eldest made is just so good that people are lining up to buy it in advance even though we haven't started selling yet~"
"Raised one hell of a son! Kwahahahaha!!!"
"…………"
Grit—
That damn potion…! Potion…! That cursed eldest brat…!
Learning that every last bit of this fortune came from the potion Felix Evergarden had created—or so the world believed—Bjorn clenched his fists under the table, trembling with rage. With even his last remaining method cut off, he was one step from losing his mind entirely.
"Still, having money is nice, isn't it?"
"Of course~ I'd love to buy a brand-new dress for this year's New Year's banquet~"
"By the way, Bjorn. You… wouldn't happen to know about that, would you?"
"…Pardon?"
"Magical beasts. Magical beasts!"
"Magical beasts… you say?"
"Yeahhh! I hear they're all the rage among the rich nobles these days? That you're not a real noble without at least one magical beast."
"…Yes! Yes, yes!!! That's right!!! Exactly!!!"
"What's with you?"
This is it! This is my chance!!
Just when he thought the sky had fallen, a way out opened right before his eyes. He had been planning to bring up magical beasts through threats and persuasion over the debt—and instead, they had brought it up themselves.
"…Ahem. Forgive me… Might the two of you… have an interest in magical beasts?"
"Of course! A proper noble keeps at least one, don't they? Me! As head of the Evergarden Count family, I can't fall behind!"
"That's right! We mustn't fall behind. I already have one adorable little dog, but I don't have a magical beast, and I've been wanting one!"
"Haha, I understand completely! These days, any noble worth the name is said to keep at least one magical beast."
Stupid fools. Digging their own graves!
"But… if you get caught, it's over, so there's no real way to get one… tch…"
"It's such a shame, darling… I really want a magical beast…"
"W-well, if you're interested in magical beasts… I happen to have a rather good proposition…"
"Really?!"
Hehehe… At last. I'll make that woman mine…!
In his heart, Bjorn mocked the foolish Count couple as he let his gaze settle on Freyja's chest. Already, vivid images of cutting off Darian's head and the filthy things he would do with Freyja in the bedroom were playing out in his mind.