Chapter 42: Greed
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42: Greed
I left the mansion at once. I was in full armor, patrolling the outskirts of the village. I’m not sure how much time had passed when the sound of hooves reached me from a distance, and soon, a horse and rider came into view.
He was a well-built knight, clad in chainmail reinforced with steel plates and a cloak made from the fur of a gray wolf. His horse was also quite large; if I were any shorter, I would have had to look up at him.
“You there, who are you?”
His voice was hoarse, as if he were drunk. Up close, I saw his face was covered in a shaggy beard. His eyes glinted like a beast's, and I found them quite menacing.
“Shouldn't the outsider be the one to introduce himself first?”
I stared him down, my hand resting on the hilt of my sword. He looked me up and down before letting out a smirk.
“I am Jude Horn. I serve Baron Rasino.”
“Allen Tobalts. But what business does a knight of the Baron have here?”
“You've got a sharp tongue for a young whelp.”
Jude Horn growled threateningly.
“In a situation where I can't even be sure you're truly one of the Baron's knights, is there any reason for me to show you respect?”
Only then did Jude Horn pull a crest bearing the image of a hyena from his coat and show it to me. The Baron's seal was stamped on the bottom right.
“Satisfied now?”
“My apologies. But what is this about? Has something happened to my father?”
I returned the crest and glanced behind him. I couldn't sense anyone following him. That meant he'd come alone.
Is it because the fewer people who know about the plan to seize a vassal's land, the better? Or is it because he thinks he's enough on his own?
Only one thing was certain.
A good deal of time had passed since Sophia sent word to the Baron.
If he had known about Roland's disappearance, he wouldn't have come alone like this. Not even a powerful knight known as the Baron's left hand.
“I will speak in the presence of Lady Sophia and Sir Roland.”
“I am the lord's proxy.”
“Hah, aren't you the heir who couldn't even earn Sir Maxim's approval? Quite famous as a wastrel, I hear? This isn't a matter for the likes of you to accept or decide. Get out of my way.”
Jude Horn's insulting attitude gave me confidence. Still, to deal with the Baron, I needed to know exactly how much he knew. I spoke, putting on a troubled expression.
“The two of them have eloped.”
“Pfft, what? What elopement?”
“They disappeared together as soon as they heard the war was ending. They were probably worried my father would discover their affair. There wasn't a soul in the manor who didn't know about their relationship.”
“Uh, um…”
A flustered Jude Horn darted his eyes about. His plan must have been to take over the manor easily with their cooperation, but things had gone wrong from the very start.
I didn't give him a moment to collect himself before I spoke again.
“Which means I am the sole decision-maker here.”
“I can't believe it. I knew about Sir Roland's womanizing, but he's not the type to abandon his duty.”
“Duty?”
“That's none of your business.”
He still acted as if I wasn't even there. It seemed he didn't doubt for a second that I was a wastrel.
After all, among the things that happened in this small manor, the only unusual event Sophia would have bothered to include in a letter was my debauchery. That must have created a firm prejudice against me.
The Baron who sent Jude Horn must feel the same way. My conviction grew stronger. Wasn't this the perfect situation?
“I've already told you that I am the sole decision-maker.”
“Haha. I can't possibly believe such a ridiculous story about an elopement! I'll see for myself with my own two eyes!”
Jude Horn spurred his horse and took the lead. Anyone watching would have thought he was the lord of the manor.
‘I don't know about his skills, but the man is an idiot.’
If I were Jude Horn, I would have turned my horse around the moment I heard Sophia and Roland were missing. Who knows what other unexpected events might be waiting?
But Jude Horn bravely chose to advance. The prejudice against me as a wastrel must have influenced him, but even considering that, it was hard to deny he was a fool.
“Are you the one who claims to have witnessed Sir Roland's last moments?”
Jude Horn forced the village chief to his knees as if he were the lord himself. The chief kept his head bowed, but he snuck a glance at me standing behind Jude Horn.
I gave him a subtle nod, unseen by Jude Horn. Only then did the village chief speak.
“Th-that's right, sir. I saw him clear as day with my own two eyes. Around these parts, the only knight who rides with a navy blue surcoat and a flowing cloak is Sir Roland.”
“How dare you spew such lies to my face!”
Jude Horn drew his sword and pointed it at the chief's neck. The chief's deathly pale face was reflected on the well-maintained blade.
“H-how could I lie before a knight, sir! I wasn't the only one who saw him, please, ask the others!”
The chief had no choice but to lie to the end. Thanks to me, he had bought the previous chief's property for a pittance and gained the position of chief himself. His daughter had become my mistress and seized power within the mansion.
Quite a handsome profit for a lie, wasn't it? On the other hand, if he told the truth, he'd have to worry about his own neck first.
This knight, who brandished his sword without a second thought, would never let him go for lying. Perhaps if Jude had tried to win him over by promising an even greater reward than what I'd given him, he might have told the truth.
“This bastard, you dare…!”
Jude Horn was really about to cut the chief down.
“Sir Jude, this is a manor of House Tobalts. The authority to punish its people belongs to me.”
I couldn't let that happen. If I stood by helplessly and watched an outsider kill the village chief, no one would follow me in the future. Even Mari's loyalty would waver.
Besides, I had stalled for enough time, just as planned.
The sword aimed at the chief's neck froze. Jude Horn turned to face me, a look of contempt on his face. His lowered sword was ready to be brought into action at any moment.
“So, you intend to stop me, the Baron's messenger?”
“Even the Baron himself would not have that right.”
Jurisdiction within the manor was the sole right of its lord. Not even a liege lord with whom one had a vassal contract could infringe upon it.
Jude Horn's face twisted. The muscles in his sword hand twitched, as if he were about to swing at any second—
“You seem to have forgotten your place.”
“Sir, you are here representing the Baron. How can you not see that your unreasonable actions will bring shame upon the Baron himself?”
“What? Does this clueless wastrel dare to lecture me?!”
Jude Horn was about to swing his sword. And he would have, if not for the villagers who had begun to appear one by one.
Each of them held a weapon—pitchforks, clubs, and the like—and among them were members of the militia holding loaded crossbows. The finishing touch was the horse and rider parting the crowd to approach.
Piole, in full armor including a helmet with a face guard, came to a stop behind me, her hand on the sword at her hip.
In an instant, a crowd surrounded us. Jude Horn was a rat in a trap. Realizing this too late, he broke into a cold sweat and took a step back.
“What is the meaning of this! Do you ignorant peasants dare threaten me, the Baron's messenger!”
So much for his arrogance. The moment the situation turned slightly unfavorable, Jude Horn was quick to hide behind the Baron's name. This man was the Baron's left hand? It spoke volumes about the Baron's own caliber.
I raised my hand. The villagers forming the encirclement stopped in perfect unison. Seeing their disciplined movement, Jude Horn swallowed hard.
Shing.
I drew my sword.
“Foolish, so foolish. Did you really think you could come to my domain, disrespect me, and act so arrogantly without consequence?”
“I am the Baron's messenger! Pointing your sword at me is the same as pointing it at the Baron! This is treason!”
Jude Horn tried to intimidate the surrounding villagers with the Baron's authority. They didn't waver in the slightest.
The law is distant, but a fist is close at hand. To them, I, who had seared my presence into their minds with all sorts of tyranny, was a more fearsome figure than a baron they had never even seen.
I let out a smirk.
“Let's get one thing straight. The Baron was the one who betrayed us first, wasn't he?”
“What…”
Jude Horn's eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
“Did you really think I wouldn't know why a knight called the Baron's left hand would come here as a mere messenger?”
“…It was a trap! You lured me here on purpose!”
“Lured you? Weren't you the one who took the lead, saying you'd find out the truth for yourself?”
As if finally recalling his own actions, Jude Horn's expression crumpled in fury.
“You…!”
“When a plan goes awry from the start, you should have been more cautious. But to walk right into the lion's den? Don't you think your standards are a little too low?”
“You!”
Jude Horn could take no more. He aimed his sword at me and kicked off the ground. It wasn't an emotional decision. Until the last moment, he had been darting his eyes about, searching for a weak point in the encirclement.
He had made his judgment. It would be easier to take me down than to break through the encirclement. If he could just capture me, their focal point, he could turn the tables. After all, what was I but a worthless wastrel?
That must have been why, even then, his gaze lingered more on the militiaman with the crossbow and Piole standing behind me.
That was his fatal mistake.
Whoosh—
As if he'd been waiting for it, he parried the arrow aimed at him and used the momentum to charge me.
“Die!”
Beyond the blade that whistled through the air as it swung down at me, I could see his eyes shining menacingly. They were the eyes of a man certain his sword would overwhelm me.
I smirked. My world had already slowed to a crawl, and even before he swung, my eyes were tracking his every last movement.
I raised my sword. Well before his blade reached its target, I blocked it with the base of my own, deflecting the force.
Clang—
Sparks flew. As his sword stopped, I stepped forward with my left foot, turned my body diagonally, and pushed his blade outward. Then, I twisted my sword, aiming the tip at his neck.
The sequence was as fluid as flowing water, as if the block had been nothing more than a preparatory move for the thrust to his throat.
“…!”
He stared at me with a look of disbelief. It lasted only a moment before he pulled back on his locked sword, putting more force into it.
He had the advantage in strength. My sword wavered, its direction forced aside. The tip scraped across the steel plates of his chainmail, creating a shower of sparks and a grating sound.
“Allen!”
Jude Horn had no time to feel relieved. Seeing him attack me, Piole had charged.
Even from horseback, Piole's sword aimed precisely for his neck. It was a strike that would have been impossible without mastery of both horsemanship and swordsmanship.
“Shit!”
He hastily raised his sword in front of him to block. But the force of her charge far surpassed his own strength. His sword was driven back, slamming into his own body.
If he hadn't been wearing chainmail, that single blow would have severely injured him. His ordeal was just beginning.
While he was dealing with Piole, I moved behind him and aimed for the back of his shin, unprotected by his chainmail.
He wore thick cloth padding underneath, but my well-honed sword pierced it with ease. I couldn't cut deep as I dodged his desperate swing, but it was enough to bring him to one knee.
“Kuh, you…!”
Down on one knee, he glared at me as if he wanted to kill me. If looks could kill, this would be it. But that glare didn't last long.
Whoosh—
Another arrow flew from a crossbow. It came from the direction of his injured leg, and his reaction was slow.
“Gah.”
The arrow pierced his chainmail, embedding itself in his thigh and exiting through the other side. Only after one of his legs was rendered completely useless did fear finally creep into his brutish face.
“Y-you! Do you think you'll get away with this?! When the Baron finds out, he'll send an army to crush you all!!”
He pointed his sword at me, Piole, and the villagers, shouting. The villagers flinched at his desperate cry. I gestured to the militiaman with the crossbow.
Whoosh.
“Aargh—!”
This time, an arrow struck his other thigh. Now forced completely to his knees, he trembled and swung his sword wildly.
“Fuck! Stay back! I'll kill you all! I'll kill you!”
I waited until his stamina was depleted and his swings slowed before snatching his sword away. At my command, the villagers rushed in and tied him up so he couldn't move an inch.
“Wh-what are you going to do to me?!”
He looked up at me, trembling. It seemed he had finally grasped the situation. But it was far too late for that, wasn't it?
“Relax, I'm not going to kill you right away. There are many, many things I want to ask you.”
To deal with the Baron, I needed to know exactly how much he knew. From now on, a single small mistake could cost me my life.
“Not right away…? Do you think the Baron will stand by and do nothing if you kill me?!”
“If my plan works, he will. Because I intend to offer him something far more valuable than you as compensation. A greedy baron would never refuse. Am I wrong?”
“What…”
“For now... yes. Shall we start with some waterboarding?”
In the memories of my past life, there were torture techniques that the people of this world couldn't even imagine. I had only experienced them indirectly, but I intended to try them out myself to see just how effective they were.
As he was dragged toward the cellar I'd found in Bertio's old house, the color drained from Jude Horn's face, leaving it deathly dark.
“N-no—!”