Perfect Weather for a Killing
The instant Lüdenburger dropped to his knees, I spoke.
"Get up. Too many eyes."
"...I seem to have lost myself. I was so overcome that one as exalted as yourself would deign to visit such a wretched place."
Whether he'd recovered his senses or not, Lüdenburger calmly brushed off his knees and rose. The moment he turned a cold look on the crowd, the stares that had flocked toward us scattered at once.
Once I confirmed that the squalid lights of the pleasure quarter had gone back to their own business, I let out a faint sigh.
These people really don't know the meaning of moderation when it comes to loyalty...
Why did everyone around Behirith have no concept of holding back? Raphaela was the same, and so was Lüdenburger. I was grateful for the devotion — truly — but I was going to have to make them restrain themselves in front of other people. I held the rank of Grand Duke now, and a man of my station had nothing to gain from drawing too much attention in a place like this.
...So this is Lüdenburger, then.
Through the gap in my mask, I studied the man before me. The eyepatch over one eye and the scattering of scars across his face spoke of countless battles. And then there was the distinctive mana flowing through his body.
As expected. He can use aura.
From what I could tell, he was an Aura User of considerable caliber — definitely above Mathias, on par with a knight commander. He could toy with someone like Lucius the way you'd twist a baby's wrist. Outstanding business acumen that let him run the imperial underworld, plus strength approaching that of a knight commander.
While I was still taking that in, Lüdenburger glanced at the man dangling from my hand and voiced a question.
"If I may ask, what happened with that fellow? His jaw is completely shattered."
"He picked a fight with me on the way here, so I knocked him out. Recognize him?"
"Hmm. Devin Grendal, third son of Count Grendal. To pick a fight with Your Grace, of all people... Shall I wipe out the family?"
He said it as casually as if he were discussing the weather. I waved him off as he glared at Devin with his remaining eye.
"Don't. They're under the Second Prince's protection. Now isn't the time to touch them. When he wakes up, send him home. More importantly, let's talk inside."
"...Understood. I shall escort you at once."
Lüdenburger bowed with impeccable formality, then took the lead. I followed him, setting foot on the stairs that led into a castle built of greed. With every step, Devin's head thunked against the stone, the sound echoing through the building like a drum.
The interior lived up to every expectation of a castle in an underground city. Chandeliers hung in a row along the corridor ceiling, casting a muted glow that suited the place, and the red carpet underfoot concealed bloodstains some nameless drunk had once spilled.
A short while later, following Lüdenburger, I arrived at the reception room. I leaned back into a plush sofa and looked at the prostitutes lined up before me.
...It reeks of women in here.
Gifts prepared by Lüdenburger, who ran the largest brothel in Orbit. I removed my mask and gazed at them, and every last one flushed, rubbing her thighs together as she stared at my face, transfixed.
As I looked them up and down, Lüdenburger stepped in close, baring his jagged teeth.
"What do you think? I selected only the finest merchandise for you, Lord Behirith. Choose as many as you like. All of them, of course, is also an option."
He said it with such pride, as if fishing for a compliment. Well... I appreciated the thought, but honestly, I felt nothing. Perhaps because I'd already seen Eustia, the so-called Treasure of the Empire, and Lucy, a beauty who rivaled her. Nothing down below had so much as stirred.
Hmm.
Objectively speaking, they were beauties. By the standards of my life before transmigrating, they'd have been the campus queens of any university. But the women I saw every day were world-class, so these ones paled by comparison.
"I don't need women. Did Raphaela pass along the plan?"
"Yes. Your grand design to found a new nation — I found it deeply inspiring."
After dismissing the prostitutes, Lüdenburger answered as if he'd been waiting for the question. His remaining eye gleaming, he stroked his chin and continued.
"I also heard of your decision to aid the princess in the succession struggle. However, there is one matter I must report."
"What is it?"
"Not long ago, a confidant of the Second Prince visited this city and hired professional slave hunters. It appears they intend to gift captured elf slaves to the nobility in order to expand their influence."
Lüdenburger said this as he poured wine into a crystal glass. I took the glass he offered with deference and held a sip of the red wine in my mouth.
"They've been expanding their influence rather aggressively of late. How shall we proceed?"
"....."
He asked cautiously, glancing at my expression. Perhaps it was the news he'd just delivered — the wine tasted more bitter than usual.
This was the elf-hunting incident orchestrated by the Second Prince, Albireo. In the original story, Albireo hired slave hunters to capture elves, and the protagonist and Liliana grew closer while rescuing Liliana's younger sibling from them.
Faster than I expected.
Had my presence shifted the timeline compared to the original? I'd thought I was on schedule, but the incident seemed to have arrived a little earlier than it originally had.
That fucking bastard of a Second Prince. I'll castrate him in the name of justice, I swear.
Albireo was a criminal who would stop at nothing to claim the throne. Remembering the filthy sabotage he'd pulled against Eustia in the original story, my blood boiled.
"By now, the slave hunters should be near the Elf Autonomous Region in the empire's southwest."
At that, Lüdenburger pulled a map from beneath the table and pointed to a densely forested area in the southwest. It was Elfen Forest, near the Elf Autonomous Region.
"If we disrupt this operation, we can deal a meaningful blow to the Second Prince's faction. Everything is prepared — give the order whenever you wish."
From Lüdenburger's hip, a pair of gray arming swords leaked an ominous aura. I appreciated the offer, but this was something I had to handle personally. After all, it was Liliana's younger sibling who would be kidnapped. And besides, I was more than enough on my own. I didn't need additional troops.
"I'll go myself. You stay here and prepare for war. Strike the Second Prince's forces throughout the underground city."
"...So you mean to erase the Second Prince's influence from the underworld. Understood. When will you depart?"
Lüdenburger gave a small nod. I stood, pulling my mask back on as I answered.
Taking my word as the signal, Lüdenburger bolted from the room. A moment later, his voice rang out from the corridor.
"Prepare for war! Summon every officer!"
Alone in the room, I ran my hand along the longsword I'd brought from the mansion and made my unhurried way out of the building.
Once I reached the forest and encountered the slave hunters, there would be a fight. I would certainly end up killing people. Not that I was going to balk at murder at this point, or that I was afraid. It wasn't anything like that. I just told myself not to get swept up in rage the way the original Behirith would have.
"Peace like a river within me."
I cycled the mana through my body once, lightly, to reset my mood. This was a world where the sword was closer than words. A land where magic was more effective than law. One way or another, fighting was inevitable.
As I descended the stairs, Lüdenburger's subordinates bustled about, preparing for battle. I walked slowly toward the entrance and found the fellow I'd knocked out earlier already on his feet, somehow conscious again.
Devin, was it?
Whether Lüdenburger's men had given him a proper attitude adjustment or not, his eyes had gone meek. I patted him on the back as I passed.
"Devin Grendal. Be more careful from now on, understood?"
"Hngh! Y-yesh, undershtood, shir!"
I gave Devin a reassuring pat as he stood rigid, speaking through the gaps in his teeth. Would he actually learn his lesson? I'd find out whenever I got around to dealing with House Grendal.
The moment I stepped outside, Lüdenburger was already at my side.
"The sky of the underground city is rather impressive, too."
"Indeed. The lights are especially bright today."
A pitch-black canvas studded with thousands upon thousands of reddish lights. I wasn't sure it qualified as a sky, but it held my gaze for a moment all the same.
"Yes."
A city whose lights never went out, even at night. I took in the tiny lights that made up that city, then set out for Elfen Forest.