Chapter 211: Schemes
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 211: Schemes
“There was a time I worried about the consequences.”
I had been gazing at the scenery passing by the window, but I turned my attention to Baron Allanton.
He was leaning back in the carriage seat, the smile on his lips combining with his posture to exude an air of complete leisure.
“Isn’t Count Valliere the type to hold a terrible grudge, as great as his greed? I was sure he would seek revenge after suffering such an unexpected humiliation.”
After I had defeated Sir Pamel and Sir Odensa in succession, Baron Allanton, who had been jumping for joy, quickly came to terms with the cold reality and began to tremble with anxiety. He had realized that Count Valliere would never let it go.
“And there were signs of that, weren't there?”
His worries hadn't been unfounded. Count Valliere had been procrastinating on the transfer of territory promised as the prize for the duel, while at the same time resuming the petty pressures he had applied to force the Baron into accepting the duel in the first place.
Having invested his entire fortune in this duel, Baron Allanton had no strength left to resist and could only endure it.
Then, exactly one week later, the situation changed.
“Just yesterday, Count Valliere was acting like he was going to bleed me dry. When he suddenly changed his tune and fulfilled his end of the bargain, I thought he’d gone mad.”
After Count Valliere paid his dues with lightning speed, the pressure on Baron Allanton vanished in the blink of an eye.
It was as if it had never happened. At the time, the Baron had even slapped his own cheek, thinking it was all a dream.
“Didn’t I tell you not to worry? I said Count Valliere would no longer have the luxury of paying attention to us.”
“How was I supposed to believe that? It’s not like you’re a prophet. Count Valliere may have a bad reputation in high society, but he’s still one of the most powerful lords in the South, isn’t he? So how could he be attacked by other nobles?”
The reason Count Valliere had been forced to hastily conclude his dispute with Baron Allanton was that he had found himself in a difficult position.
“It is precisely because he is a powerful lord that he is more vulnerable to attack the moment he exposes a weakness. It means there’s more meat for the wolves to tear into.”
In the first place, there were more than enough pretexts to attack Count Valliere. They could simply challenge him to a duel over a fabricated dispute, just as he had done to weaker nobles.
Having enjoyed considerable success with the same tactic, he had no grounds to refuse. The fun he’d had was now coming back to him as karma.
‘He who seeks to kill another must be prepared to die himself.’
And it was none other than us who had provided the catalyst. The only reason no one had attacked him before, despite having just cause, was that Count Valliere’s champions were too strong.
However, through my duel, one of the two champions he prided himself on was dead, and the other was wounded and had to recuperate.
A temporary power vacuum had been created. The other nobles did not miss that opening.
“Heh heh, I can’t tell you how happy I was every time I heard news of Count Valliere suffering a major blow! It felt like a weight I’d been carrying for ten years was finally lifted.”
Count Valliere had scrambled to hire new champions to replace Pamel and Odensa, but by then, all the decent ones had already been snatched up by other nobles.
As a result, Count Valliere’s power was severely shaken—so much so that he could no longer be considered one of the top powers in the South.
“That’s only the beginning.”
The important thing was that it wasn't over. As Count Valliere, who already had a poor reputation, saw his power wane, more and more people turned their backs on him.
Nobles, of course, but also the cities that had paid him enormous taxes, declared their independence. The crony merchants he had invested heavily in were quick to jump ship.
The champions he had managed to hire with great difficulty left without a second glance when it became impossible for him to pay their promised exorbitant fees.
It was only natural that the nobles’ attacks, which had briefly paused, resumed.
Count Valliere was trapped in a vicious cycle, and as rumors of his family’s downfall spread, that cycle only intensified.
“Heh heh. It’s all karma. Karma.”
In short, he was now too busy trying to save his own skin.
“What surprised me more was your own resourcefulness, Baron.”
What I hadn't anticipated was Baron Allanton’s next move.
Once he determined that Count Valliere was no longer a problem, he began to move with vigor. Realizing that the dueling stage was profitable, he became a duel tournament organizer.
The numerous dueling stages held in the South after the duel with Count Valliere were all born from his hands.
As a result, he reaped enormous profits, as did the nobles who outsourced the work to him.
‘I, too, rode that wave to gain fame.’
The result was the title "Star of the South" and an invitation to the duel tournament hosted by Duke Babel.
According to Pompiné, only five people from the South, including me, had received an invitation.
“Heh heh, it’s all thanks to you!”
He wasn't just being polite. Without me, how would Baron Allanton have reclaimed Monju? And what about the duels with the Taliang and Valliere families?
Furthermore, he wouldn't have achieved his current success if he hadn't used me—the rising dark horse of the South—as his main attraction after transforming into a tournament organizer.
“It was a stroke of luck that you were able to seize, thanks to your excellent eye, Baron.”
“Hahaha, you think so?”
In any case, Baron Allanton had become the shrewd businessman who sparked a dueling boom in the South, and as a result, he had earned considerable recognition in southern noble society.
“We have arrived.”
It was thanks to this that he was able to rent a magnificent villa in Arihan, Duke Babel’s capital city.
It was a stylish three-story mansion that would not have been out of place even by modern standards. Beyond the iron gate and hedge of garden trees lay a proper garden.
“This is Count Ohohena’s villa…!”
“I hear he owns several such villas in Arihan.”
“His family is on a completely different level from Count Valliere’s.”
Baron Allanton’s eyes glazed over as he looked around the villa. Standing right next to him, I took in the same sight and whispered.
“If you keep working hard, your family will prosper just as much, Baron.”
“Hmph. Of course, it will.”
There was still about a week until the tournament began. Baron Allanton announced his intention to greet the central nobles and left the villa first. I also had business to attend to in Arihan.
Arihan was a clean city. The roads of a city were usually caked with mud and filth, but despite its size, the roads here were immaculate. The same went for the alleys.
Drainage channels built along the roadsides suggested the presence of a sewer system. Indeed, in the corners of alleys, there were public toilets connected to the sewers.
What surprised me even more was when I came across a massive structure.
“A colosseum…? No, it’s a little different.”
Though not as grand as the Colosseum from my modern memories, a proper circular arena stood at the edge of the city.
Guards and managers were stationed at the entrance, seemingly to collect admission fees, and a professional gambling den was operating in a separate building nearby.
A large clay tablet even listed the names of the competing champions and their betting odds. It was far more professional than Baron Allanton’s operation.
“Duke Babel is a remarkable man. He began construction on this arena even before he issued the order for all disputes to be settled by duel.”
“You mean this was planned from the start.”
“One thing is certain: this wasn't done simply to prevent his own power from diminishing due to internal conflicts.”
“Boatman.”
“It’s been a while, Balak.”
Boatman, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, greeted me with a smile in his eyes.
“Your attitude is different from before.”
“I can’t treat the champion who earned the title ‘Star of the South’ as casually as I used to.”
His expression was much more relaxed. It must have been uncomfortable for a mere merchant to keep speaking informally to me. Since he wasn't wrong, I nodded.
With a brighter face, he led me inside the arena.
The arena, capable of seating at least several thousand people, was packed to the brim. It was so far beyond capacity that one had to worry about an accident.
Unexpectedly, a team battle was unfolding on the central stage. Noticing my glance, Boatman quickly spoke up.
“Recently, there has been an increase in matches that deviate from the typical duel format. Team battles or fights against captured monsters. At first, they were just a few experimental matches, but now they are almost as common as duels.”
“Under Duke Babel’s orders, of course?”
“Most likely. Flies always swarm where money gathers, and the fact that not a single thug comes near this place makes it certain.”
This was practically a state-run enterprise. It meant this tournament wasn't held merely to select the strongest champion.
Was my guess that Vivian had sought refuge with Duke Babel wrong? Or was he simply trying to gain additional benefits while he was at it?
“What about the information I requested?”
Boatman shook his head.
“Security has been tightened ever since the duel tournament was announced. Without proper identification, you can’t even enter Duke Babel’s castle.”
“It certainly looks like they’re guarding against an assassination…”
The probability that Vivian was still under his protection remained high. Boatman muttered with a genuinely apologetic look.
“If only I had a connection to the advisory council, I could be certain…”
If I could learn the stance of Duke Babel and his key officials toward the Western Continent, I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble.
If Vivian had taken refuge with him, the advisory council meetings would be filled with hostile talk.
“It seems I have no choice but to confirm it myself.”
“I apologize.”
“Lift your head. You are doing well. Better than I expected.”
I decided to think positively. It had been quite some time since I started operating on the Southern Continent, yet my identity hadn't been discovered, and I had even gained an opportunity to approach Duke Babel, hadn't I? It was just a little more effort, but in the end, I would get what I wanted.
I instructed Boatman to keep up the good work and returned to the mansion. Baron Allanton, who had left earlier, was waiting for me.
“What took you so long! Everyone’s already gathered!”
“Everyone?”
“This is a nationwide tournament, isn’t it? It’s our chance to put those who sneered at us as southern country bumpkins in their place! There’s a party being held for the champions and patrons from the South who are participating in the tournament. And it’s tonight!”
There was no time to ask for details. Baron Allanton finished his rapid-fire explanation, immediately pushed me into a carriage, and we set off.
The place we arrived at was a mansion even more splendid than the villa we were using as our lodging.
“Damn, it’s already started!”
Sweet music drifted over the fence, and thanks to the candles and torches placed everywhere, the mansion was as bright as day despite it being the middle of the night.
Elegantly dressed men and women mingled from the garden to the mansion, and the champions, the only ones wearing swords, were surrounded by crowds.
It seemed the champions participating in the tournament were the stars of the party.
“Aren’t you going in?”
Despite having rushed me here, Baron Allanton now hesitated at the mansion gate, as if an invisible line were blocking his path.
“Do you know? There isn’t a single noble gathered here with a lower title or less power than me. The gap is so vast that if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have even dared to think of mingling with them.”
He seemed to be struck by how much things had changed. Indeed, compared to before he met me, his position had changed astonishingly.
However.
“You, Baron, are the one who is most qualified. You didn't get here by luck, by having parents with high titles and wealth, or by building power through them. You came to this place solely through your own abilities, did you not?”
If Baron Allanton hadn't possessed an unexpected talent for business, he would never have reached this level, even with me by his side.
The only problem was his love for gambling, but in this day and age, such a disposition seemed to be viewed as a strength rather than a weakness.
So, wasn't Baron Allanton the luckiest one of all? Unaware of my thoughts, he looked quite moved.
“Ahem…! Let’s not dally, let’s go in!”
Baron Allanton, flustered, took the lead. I followed behind him. The moment we stepped through the gate, all eyes immediately fell upon us.
Among them were the gazes of the five southern champions who, like me, would be participating in the tournament. The moment our eyes met, smiles formed on their lips.
Pfft.
It was a sneer.