Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Assassination (1)
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The way one senses the seasons changes depending on one's environment.
Lian realized this fact around the time he first recalled his previous life after reincarnating into this world.
In his previous life, it had been through information, of course.
With all the talk of abnormal weather, the seasons becoming harder and harder to distinguish as the climate went haywire.
A calendar you could check at a glance just by looking at your phone screen.
And all sorts of news and information sources that detailed the subtle shifts in seasons for you.
But after reincarnating as a serf, a calendar was something he could only check by going to the Village Head's house.
For him, nature itself—the changes in plants and trees—served as the calendar.
And now, he was sensing the shift in seasons in yet another way.
"Hmm. Seeing the timber prices drop so sharply, it really must be spring now."
Lian muttered softly to himself as he checked the price list sent from the trading post.
A calendar hung on one wall of his office, but it was an artistic mess made by some priest with a flair for the dramatic—completely illegible.
For Lian, these market fluctuations were far more intuitive for gauging the seasons.
"It is spring, yes. The streets near the harbor are already starting to bloom with flowers."
Letty, the apprentice accountant sorting ledgers at the desk beside him, looked up and responded to Lian's soliloquy.
She was an accountant and secretary whom Lian had personally hired not long ago.
"But Lian, sir... Don't firewood demands usually spike in autumn? People stock up before winter hits."
"Yeah, that's right."
"So why do timber prices start dropping in spring?"
The connection between seasons and timber.
Letty, who could only link it to firewood, seemed puzzled by the phenomenon at first glance.
"Large-scale construction projects mostly happen during the off-season for farming, so demand for timber and building materials rises in winter."
"Ah...!"
"Plus, timber only ships out from the drying yards once winter ends."
"Aah!"
There were several other reasons why seasonal changes affected price fluctuations.
These weren't things anyone had taught him.
They were insights he'd gained himself through statistics.
"Impressive! To be as capable a merchant as you, Lian sir, you must know all sorts of knowledge like that!"
Of course, statistics weren't foolproof—they could lead to errors if mishandled.
But he had a reliable verification method at his disposal.
Lian handed Letty the ledger from which a stuttering whisper emanated, audible only to him.
"Focus on not making calculation errors first. I've told you time and again to develop the habit of double-checking."
"Ah, y-yes...! Understood!"
By actively utilizing these whispers that only he could hear, he was growing ever farther from mistakes or failures.
"A merchant, huh..."
Lian touched the slave collar around his neck and drifted into thought for a moment.
It had been a year already.
Now, hardly anyone paid attention to the fact that he was a slave.
But if he asked himself whether it was truly no longer an obstacle...
Well?
In any case, the important thing was that the time he'd promised with Isabel was drawing near.
Click.
The intricately shaped key turned, unlocking the collar he'd nearly grown attached to.
"A bit early, but happy birthday, Lian."
The long-felt sensation of freedom.
Lian rubbed his now bare neck with an awkward smile.
"Melting this down for a ring wouldn't be all that romantic, would it?"
"This big thing? Planning to give it to some giant?"
Even knowing full well his intent, Isabel pretended ignorance and smiled back teasingly.
"In a way, she's no different from a giant to me."
Lian gave a wry smile as he gazed at Isabel.
He'd finally removed the collar and shed his slave status...
Yet she remained close at hand, but oh so distant.
"Well, I trust you've handled the paperwork properly."
"Yes. Got the official certificate issued and tore up the sales contract. Now I'm a taxpayer instead of taxable property."
"Oh? Congratulations on your taxpaying obligations."
Who'd have thought the day would come when paying taxes felt joyful?
Despite his year of devotion to the merchant house, Lian hadn't pocketed a single coin.
But now he could finally claim the fruits of his labor with pride.
"I'll leave the merchant house operations to you, just as they are."
"Really?"
"Even I couldn't double the assets in just a year."
Besides, it was less a merchant house now and more like a proper company.
Isabel taking back control would mean Lian had come too far.
"Here's a signing bonus, to start."
Clink.
Isabel set a pouch of coins before Lian.
It looked far lighter than the price he'd fetched as a slave.
"Salary's ten gold coins a month."
"Fixed pay?"
"Depends on your performance."
It was on par with a low-ranking official's annual salary—decent, but a tad disappointing.
Considering how much he'd earned for her...
Still, it would all come back to him someday if he married Isabel.
No need to push now.
"Then, looking forward to working with you again."
Lian reached for the signing bonus Isabel had given him.
"Oh, right. What are your plans now? Thinking of moving out of the mansion?"
"No. If possible, I'd like to keep living as I am."
"Good. Then consider this as your deposit for the mansion."
With that, Isabel took back the pouch she'd just given him, in full.
She was ruthlessly thorough when it came to calculations.
Still, he should be grateful she hadn't even brought up living expenses.
On the other hand, he couldn't shake the suspicion that she'd already deducted it from his salary.
"What can I say? Aside from a few formalities, becoming a freeman hasn't changed much."
"Oh? Disappointed?"
Isabel stretched out languidly on the sofa, a faint smile playing on her lips.
That smile somehow felt mocking, though it surely wasn't his inferiority complex talking.
To her, it was merely shifting from keeping a leashed dog to letting it roam free.
She'd never intended true freedom for him in the first place.
"As I said, as long as I can stay by your side, Isabel, nothing else matters."
"Such a good boy."
Some monk in his previous life had said that the attachment to escaping worldly desires was itself a worldly desire.
Lian had never been fixated on freedom to begin with.
Rather, watching Isabel take pleasure in trapping others...
It almost seemed like she was the one bound by her own twisted desires.
In Lian's eyes, she increasingly resembled a spider caught in her own web.
The south harbor held special markets a couple of times a month, separate from the regular ones.
On those days, stalls lined the avenue from the plaza to the harbor.
And it was one of the rare days housebound Isabel ventured out.
"Take a look at this! Rare fruit shipped from far south across the continent!"
"Desert artisan here! Carpets woven with the traditions and history of the Star-Gazer Tribe—don't miss out!"
Stalls brimmed with goods from across the continent.
And with them came a diversity of races and species.
Elves and dwarves from the eastern reaches, rarely seen otherwise.
Even beastfolk merchants from the distant sand deserts had set up shop today.
"Elixir to rejuvenate even a hundred-year-old! One bottle holds the elves' secret to immortality!"
Of course, plenty looked like obvious scams.
If he focused just a bit, eerie whispers—like static noise—drifted from here and there.
"Hmm. Nothing but junk again today."
Isabel strolled through the market center, surrounded by a wide guard detail.
At her appearance, the bustling crowd parted like the Red Sea.
As if watching a queen's procession.
"Shall we head straight in, then?"
"No. Since we're out, we should browse them all once."
The hawkers, zealous moments before, now timidly fell silent.
With guards glaring all around and fearing eye contact, no one dared lift their heads.
Yet they still desperately arranged their wares to catch Isabel's eye—rather pitiful.
'Hm? Something just...'
Suddenly, an alien whisper tickled Lian's ear.
A sinister twang, like a string about to snap.
"Oh. That one looks decent."
"Oh my! Such discerning eyes! Let me explain this glassware— Eek!"
As Isabel began inspecting an item that caught her fancy,
the guards tightened their circle around her, forming a wall.
But to Lian, the real threat wasn't that merchant.
'Over there. It's getting closer.'
Along with the ominous whisper came the real cackle of children's laughter.
Three kids, distracted by tag, were charging straight this way.
"Hey, kids. Watch out—"
As Lian tried to warn them,
a sharp whisper pierced his ear like a taut string snapping.
In that instant, he spotted the glinting blades hidden in the children's hands.
"Everyone! Protect Isabel!"
Shing!
Lian drew his sword from his waist and lunged at the first charging boy.
"Tch! Out of the way!"
Clang!
Sparks flew as blades crossed.
"Ngh...!"
His wrist throbbed.
Incredible strength from a child's body—hard to believe.
How was this possible?
No time to question their nature, though.
A warning whispered from his waist.
Lian twisted his body in a somersault.
"Gahk...!"
Simultaneously, he smashed the sword's hilt into the girl's occiput, sending her crumpling forward.
"The others!?"
Confirming the boy unconscious,
Lian turned to the remaining two who'd rushed past him.
Fortunately, Isabel's guards had blocked them safely.
"Stay down, you brats!"
"Agh! Let go!"
"Eek! Toby! Toby's down...!"
"Ngh! What kind of kid has this much strength...!"
But these kids possessed unbelievable strength too.
Even with two adults pinning each, the guards struggled.
Three more lay bleeding on the ground already.
"Isabel. Are you alright?"
"...Yes. Just a bit startled."
"Good. Let's hurry back to the mansion."
Meanwhile, he focused harder on the whispers in his ear, preparing for more threats.
Thankfully, these three seemed to be all—no other whispers from different directions.
"What are you kids? Who sent you?"
Lian approached the subdued children cautiously, sword tip poised.
The fainted boy there.
And faint whispers from the other two as well.
Like the mumbling of a shy child he'd heard somewhere before...
"W-will you let us live if we talk?"
"Idiot! Don't say anyth—!"
In that moment, the whisper twisted into a chilling shriek.
Lian instinctively clapped his hands over his ears and staggered back.
But it pierced through his palms, stabbing his eardrums relentlessly.
"Krrraaagh...!"
"Kehehek!"
"Guhk...! Kek!"
Veins bulging across their bodies, the children writhed in agony.
Twisting so violently their joints cracked ominously.
Even the fainted one.
"Wh-what's happening!? Why are they...?"
Shock spread across the guards' faces pinning them.
And soon,
it turned to horror.
"Grk...!"
"What the—!? Blood!? Poison!?"
The three children were hemorrhaging from every orifice.
An unbelievable volume from such small bodies.
"Lian sir! Are you okay? Did they poison you!?"
"Huh? Ah... I'm fine."
Only then did Lian notice the warm liquid trickling from his philtrum.
Wiping it with his hand, it was a nosebleed.
But he didn't feel poisoned or anything.
Rather, the cause was probably...
"Investigate those bodies thoroughly. Coordinate with the security force."
Lian grimaced, pressing his temple against the oncoming headache.
Whispers lingered around the children's corpses like a curse, echoing relentlessly.
The unfamiliar sensation gnawed at him so intensely he couldn't tear himself away for a long while.