Absolutely Perfect
Hmm, perfect. "Huh?" Pestford still couldn’t fully grasp the situation. The guards swarming in and Bernobe Pars, who was presumably watching everything unfold with complete leisure from behind.
"Huh? Huh?" Even as the guards clamped handcuffs on him and wrapped his body in ropes, Pestford stared around with hollow eyes. Getting caught like this? This actually works? What the hell is going on?
But soon he slowly came back to his senses and spun his brain into overdrive.
Since I came with a noble, they’ll drag him along too.
Pestford made a desperate last stand right before being hauled to the tax office, trying to pull everyone down with him.
"The person I came with! The one who dragged me here enjoyed illegal gambling too! This is all nonsense lies! He tricked me! His name is Bernobe Pars! He said he’s from the Pars family!"
"...What are you talking about?"
"Huh?" Seeing the guard’s face that clearly asked what kind of bullshit he was spewing, Pestford looked behind him. The middle-aged man with the long beard who had come with him should have been there, stroking it casually, but for some reason a boy who looked barely old enough to be out of school stood in his place.
The boy was presenting his ID with perfect naturalness, having his identity confirmed by the guards. The noble who had warned him not to trust people so easily—that acting stupid would leave him looking exactly like this—had vanished without a trace.
"Identity verification complete. You’re a Mirinae Academy student. You’ve done us a truly great service."
"Thank you. He really seemed like a nasty piece of work."
"Yes, he’s been causing quite a lot of trouble lately. As expected, Mirinae students really are on another level."
"Haha, you’re too kind. Then can I leave the rest to you and head out?"
"Of course! We’ll take care of everything from here."
Normally they would have needed a full witness statement, but the fact that he had personally brought in the criminal and that he was a Mirinae Academy student skipped the entire procedure.
The boy finally unleashed the mocking smile and applause he had been holding back, venting his emotions from behind Pestford.
The moment Pestford saw that scene, everything clicked perfectly into place. He immediately spilled every single fact.
"You’re all being deceived! That guy! That bastard is the one who impersonated the Pars family, came to the gambling house, took all the money! Yes, that’s right! He cleaned them out and reported me so he could drain every last coin from the place!"
"Money? What money? The ledger and cash are all right here, aren’t they?"
This isn’t getting through at all. The ledger and ready cash in the guard’s hands. As long as he held those two things, nothing Pestford said would carry any weight.
I was thinking too small. They planned to submit the ledger and cash to the tax office to completely ruin me.
You think I’ll go down that easily?
This was exactly why people said kids were sloppy. Pestford decided struggling here was pointless and let the guards take him away quietly.
They were low-level grunts who didn’t understand their own position, which was why this was happening. These bottom-rung guards who knew nothing of adult complications were nothing more than stupid puppets following orders.
The people inside the tax office were the ones actually worth talking to.
The guards led Pestford to an interrogation room inside the tax office, and the person he had been waiting for most followed them in.
"Lord Gace! How have you been! Look, I ran into some trouble this time. I think I got stabbed in the back pretty badly. It seems I need to investigate that guy more thoroughly… I saw his face—"
Smack!
"Can’t you shut your mouth? Where do you think you are, throwing my name around like that?"
Smack!
The tax office chief’s double punch shattered all of Pestford’s expectations and left him stunned. The man had swung the moment he entered the room, moving the instant Pestford opened his mouth.
It meant only one thing: there was no need to listen to anything he had to say.
"We have the ledger and all the illegally gathered assets. What more could a nobody like you possibly do by running your mouth? Your mouth!"
"...!"
The moment Pestford heard Gace’s words, his body shuddered as if lightning had struck his skull.
There’s no bribe money left to offer.
Since he had handed over all the ready cash and the ledger to that kid, of course there was nothing left. Pestford frantically rummaged through his pockets, but not even the sound of a single coin could be heard.
If there was no money to slip him to get out of this, then his connection with Gace was as good as gone. And Gace, who already knew that, had punched him before he could speak in case it created any complications.
If this guy starts talking, the mood could turn sour.
With Mirinae Academy so close by, every eye was already sensitive. If it came out that he had taken bribes here, the chance of it ending with him quietly stepping down was extremely low.
End this as quickly and cleanly as possible.
Repeating similar phrases, Gace immediately contacted the security station and reported the location of the underground gambling den at Sweet Dessert.
The reason Pestford had been able to run his business so boldly was because he had skillfully buttered up high-ranking officials and treated them as honored guests. But that only worked when it stayed in the shadows and wasn’t exposed.
"A Mirinae Academy student personally brought you here with the ledger and all the money. But if nothing happens and you just get released like some happy ending? That’s something I’d rather not even imagine."
The fear of unknown power. People fear giants not because they’ve fought them, but because their souls already recognize that strength. When facing a giant whose actions you can predict without fighting, the smart thing was to avoid offending them at all costs.
That was why Gace planned to respond as decisively as possible before this matter could reflect poorly on Mirinae Academy.
...
Pestford, who had survived his whole life by reading the room, could tell exactly what Gace was thinking from his expression alone.
I’m finished.
This is the end. Everything is over. His plump cheeks suddenly sagged, and he felt every ounce of flesh on his body shriveling up.
At that moment, as if making one final desperate attempt, he spat out his resentment.
"I gave you all the money! Gace, you son of a bitch! And that guy really did impersonate a noble! He was selling the Pars family name! Bring the guards! I’ll describe his appearance properly this time! He had long blue hair down to his waist! Check the name too! You must have it recorded somewhere!"
"Yeah, we checked it all. Name: Poripopo Buz. We wrote down the description too. You think we wouldn’t know that?"
And didn’t I tell you not to run your mouth?
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Gace focused every blow on the jaw to knock Pestford unconscious. Pestford went limp like a squid pulled from the water.
"That son of a bitch just..."
Shaking off his fist, Gace turned his gaze out the window.
Poripopo Buz, huh...
It really seemed Mirinae Academy was different after all. Coming out on the weekend, creating irrefutable evidence, and forcing the guy to turn himself in.
I can just say this guy was the one impersonating the Pars family too.
Operating an illegal gambling den, bribery charges, impersonating a noble, and more. Catching this one man wouldn’t be the end of it. The consequences would spread like a spiderweb and catch every noble’s ankle. That much was already obvious.
If that happened, it would naturally come back to bite him as well. In times like these, the best move was to wag your tail first and cut it off before you got caught.
"Is anyone outside!"
Oh right, I was using the sound-erasing magic.
Gace opened the door and shouted again.
"Is anyone there!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Contact the White Blade right now!"
"But isn’t that the knight order with authority to punish nobles…? What we caught is just a small-time gambling criminal..."
"Don’t talk back! If I tell you to contact them, then contact them!"
Stupid fool.
Click.
Closing the door, Gace sat down in his chair, thinking about creating as many escape routes as possible.
A bloody wind is going to blow through.
He could already picture the nobles being charged with bribery and marched off to prison one after another.
Tap tap tap tap.
First things first.
I tossed the beard, oversized robe, blue wig, and forged ID I had prepared for the disguise into the nearby brazier and burned them all thoroughly.
The disguise tools, pre-soaked in oil to burn well, turned to ash in an instant. The moment I confirmed it, I immediately ran toward Sweet Dessert.
A double disguise is guaranteed to work no matter what.
The Mirinae Academy student ID had been difficult to forge properly, so I had to make it roughly, but that alone had been more than enough. No matter how many IDs the guards had seen, they had never properly examined a real Mirinae Academy one, so they had no choice but to fall for the forgery.
Since students rarely came outside in the first place, when would guards ever get a chance to see one? Most of those who did come out were nobles anyway. Would a mere guard dare to inspect a noble’s identification? That would be ridiculous in itself.
For that reason, even with a crude fake, the guards had naturally accepted it as genuine. On top of that, the unusual blue long-haired wig had added even more credibility. Wearing clothes that made me look like I meant serious business automatically raised my trustworthiness.
Enough stray thoughts. I quickly put on the next set of disguise tools.
Who would have thought the subspace pouch I obtained after catching the warden would come in so handy.
Eyepatch, purple wig, and an outfit that makes me look like a thief.
It took some time to change clothes while running, but it couldn’t be helped.
The security forces arriving is only a matter of time.
I quickened my steps and headed straight for the Sweet Dessert basement.
Unlike before, I mostly broke through using force instead of complicated procedures. I entered the room, smashed through the wall, and knocked out the guards in front of the gambling den with clean blows to their jaws. Then I quickly entered the VIP room and slammed my fist into Stulight’s face as he sat there stupidly waiting for Pestford, knocking him out cold.
Hurry. I have to hurry.
Once the security forces arrived, it was obvious all the nobles here would be rounded up. So before that happened, I needed to squeeze out as much cash as humanly possible.
The wealthy patrons enjoying their gambling were still dazed by the sudden outbreak of violence.
"Listen up. From now on, hand over all your money—in cash. If I find out any of you hid some and I discover it during the search? You’ll end up just like those guys over there."
I took advantage of the chaos to quickly deliver my prepared lines.
In front of this miraculous one-day transformation show—going from a coveted Mirinae Academy student that everyone wanted to enter, to a noble, to a robber hitting up a gambling den—the patrons all fell to their knees and bowed deeply.
"P-please spare us."
Hmm, perfect.
I couldn’t help but admire the performance. It was good enough that I might have made it big as an actor.
Maybe I should join the drama club.
I meant it sincerely.