Chapter 28
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Ultimate Scoundrel's Plan
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TERN sulked and left, and the majin escorting Chris to the Tiramin County approached him.
"Let us depart."
"Alright."
Chris spurred his horse.
And a few days later.
He arrived at the Tiramin County.
* * *
"It's quite bustling."
Chris remarked, looking at the county's castle.
The castle was even larger than the one in the Cazar County.
'In terms of prestige among the branch families, the Tiramin County is honestly a cut above.'
The three branch families.
Among them, the County of Cazar was the newest.
Having become independent in the current generation.
In contrast, the other two families had been independent for a long time, possessing their own history and traditions.
"So, are we just supposed to wait like this?"
"Well... someone from the Tiramin County was supposed to be here to greet us."
The majin who had come with him looked bewildered.
Typically, when a noble made a scheduled visit, it was common courtesy for someone to be there to receive them.
But no one was there, leaving them to wait blankly at the castle gate.
Time passed.
But still, no one came out.
The majin's faces grew increasingly red.
This was clearly a deliberate attempt to insult Chris.
"How dare they be so rude."
"What of it? They're probably ignoring me because I'm a scoundrel. Calm down."
Chris yawned and spoke nonchalantly.
'How cliché. Well, this is good.'
He thought to himself meaningfully.
'For my plan to work, it's better if the Tiramin County acts this way.'
A plan.
He hadn't come here simply to show off his skills.
Not only did he have to prove his right to participate in the Sacred Black Ceremony, but he also had to smuggle out the Black Dan.
'It won't be easy.'
That's why he had come up with a plan.
And for that plan, the meaner the Tiramin County acted toward him, the better.
After a long wait, someone finally came out to greet them.
"Sniff, sniff, are you perhaps Young Master Christian from the County of Cazar?"
A dwarf with a shabby face and a hideously crooked nose.
It was a hobgoblin!
"And you are?"
"Sniff, sniff, I am a servant of the Tiramin County. Sniff, sniff, I've come to greet the Young Master."
The majin with Chris scowled fiercely.
The Magitech Empire does not discriminate against demi-humans. They even train demonic beasts to use as laborers.
However, even within the Magitech Empire, hobgoblins are classified as the lowest class.
To send such a hobgoblin.
It was an immense discourtesy.
"This..."
"...How dare they."
The faces of the majin who followed Chris turned red.
Chris had already captured the hearts of the majin from the Cazar County.
That was why they felt the insult to Chris as if it were their own and burned with rage.
To make matters worse, the Tiramin County's rudeness didn't end there.
"Lead us to the count's residence."
"Sniff, sniff, there's no need to come to the count's residence."
"What?"
"You can find your own accommodations within the castle walls. I just came to let you know so you wouldn't be waiting unnecessarily."
"!!"
The majin's faces flushed as if they were about to explode.
He was a guest, yet they were telling him to find his own place to stay.
Such inhospitable treatment was unheard of.
"How dare you!!"
"Such disrespect!!"
Chris raised his hand.
"Calm down."
"But Young Master! We can't just let this insult slide!"
"First, I'll punish that goblin bastard!!"
When his subordinates couldn't quell their anger, Chris spoke softly.
"Did I not tell you to calm down!"
"!!"
His subordinates fell silent.
His voice was even and calm, but for some reason?
His subordinates froze, unable to utter a single word.
They had unknowingly felt an immense pressure from Chris.
The majin stared at Chris with surprised eyes.
'How can the Young Master possess such an aura?'
'No, it's not an aura. This is... pressure?'
Powerful majin could release their aura onto others. It was the art of emitting intangible magi. A skill possible only for those at 4-Star or higher.
But the aura felt from Chris was different. He wasn't emitting magi.
It was a pressure that emanated from his very being.
"......."
The area fell silent, and this time, Chris looked at the hobgoblin with an indifferent expression.
The hobgoblin also stiffened.
Just as the hobgoblin's face was turning pale under his crushing gaze.
Chris broke into a grin.
The pressure bearing down on the hobgoblin vanished as if it had never been there.
"So you're telling me to find my own lodgings?"
"Yes? Yes? Yes!! That's right!!!"
The pressure he had felt from Chris lingered like a shiver down his spine, so the hobgoblin answered in a hurry.
"Is this Count Tiramin's opinion?"
"N-no, it's not! Count Tiramin is currently away. The third young master gave the order."
Chris nodded.
The third son of the Tiramin family.
The one who would be the protagonist of this Black Dan Hunt, and the one who had opposed Chris's participation in the Sacred Black Ceremony.
He had acted just as childishly this time.
'Just as I expected, he's acting cute. This is good.'
This was good.
He meant it.
Chris smiled to himself.
The hobgoblin spoke cautiously.
"I-if... you find this inconvenient, I can guide you to the count's residence."
"No, that's fine. I wouldn't want to be tactless. Instead, the Tiramin County will be paying for my accommodations, right?"
"Yes, yes!! Of course. You can bill it to the Tiramin County!!!"
Chris shrugged.
"Alright. I'll be on my way."
As Chris left without protest, the hobgoblin let out a sigh of relief.
The hobgoblin watched Chris's retreating back with a somewhat surprised expression.
'I thought he'd throw a tantrum like a scoundrel, but he's different from the rumors.'
He wasn't just different from the rumors.
The hobgoblin thought.
'That pressure from before.'
The memory still lingered like goosebumps, and the hobgoblin shivered.
In truth, he was no ordinary hobgoblin.
He was a Hobgoblin Lord.
A superior goblin species endowed with exceptional intelligence and powerful strength.
Even within the Tiramin County's 'Demonic Beast Unit', his rank was not low.
Yet, he had been overwhelmed by the gaze of a young boy who looked to be no more than fifteen.
'Has he changed?'
The hobgoblin tilted his head in confusion.
He thought that perhaps Christian might show a side completely different from his infamous reputation as a scoundrel.
However.
Late that afternoon.
Chris immediately caused trouble.
The Tiramin County was thrown into an uproar.
The 'accommodation fee' billed by Chris had arrived.
It was 100,000 Rupee.
...For reference, 100,000 Rupee was enough to buy a small hotel in the countryside.
The reason such an enormous amount was billed as an accommodation fee was simple.
Chris had bought an entire high-end mansion within the castle walls as his lodging and billed the cost to the Tiramin County.
The plan Chris had prepared.
The beginning of the 'Ultimate Scoundrel' plan.
* * *
Chris relaxed leisurely in the newly purchased, newly built luxury mansion.
The majin who had followed him stammered in bewilderment.
"Y-Young Master."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Is this really alright?"
"What's wrong with it? They told me to find my own place to stay."
Chris grinned.
"How could I, the eldest son of the great County of Cazar, stay in a mere hotel? I need at least a luxury mansion like this to stretch my legs and rest."
"......."
"You guys shouldn't just stand there. Relax. Actually, I'm thirsty. Go into town and get some alcohol."
"A-alcohol? But Young Master, your age?"
"We're not at home, so who cares? Just keep your mouths shut. And when you get it, buy the finest stuff. If possible, some Belut whiskey would be nice. You know to bill it to the Tiramin County, right?"
Belut whiskey.
An incredibly expensive whiskey, with a single bottle costing at least 1,000 Rupee.
"Get some for yourselves to drink, too. Since the Tiramin County said they'd foot the bill, let's take this chance and spend freely without holding back."
Chris's voice was filled with excitement.
He was genuinely excited.
'It's not often I get a chance to spend someone else's money so freely, is it? I should enjoy this properly.'
As it happened, the Tiramin County was famous for its hedonistic pleasures.
This was the moment Chris resolved to fleece the Tiramin County for all they were worth.
Kwang!!!
The mansion's door was thrown open violently.
"Who's there?!"
The majin assumed a defensive stance.
"Hah. Who's there, you ask?"
The one who appeared was a boy.
He looked to be around the same age as Chris.
He had blond hair, red eyes, and a strikingly irritable expression.
"I am the third son of the Tiramin County, Allos van Baron Tiramin."
Allos!
The protagonist of this Black Dan Hunt, the very person who had slandered Chris behind his back, had appeared.
"Where is that scoundrel bastard, Christian?"
"Your words are harsh."
"Harsh?"
Allos growled fiercely.
"You have the nerve to call me harsh after spending 100,000 Rupee on 'accommodations'?"
For the record, the bill for the mansion Chris bought was sent to Allos.
Allos, who had suddenly been handed a bill for 100,000 Rupee, sounded furious.
"That scoundrel bastard Christian, right now..."
"I'm right here."
Christian said, descending the stairs from the upper floor where the bedrooms were.
"You, you bastard..."
Chris's eyes briefly scanned Allos.
'He certainly seems to hate me a lot.'
A gaze that glared fiercely at Chris.
A look of not just dislike, but of hatred and contempt.
'Good. This means I can crush him without any reservations.'
First, Chris offered a greeting.
"It's been a few years, hasn't it? It's good to see you after so long."
The County of Cazar.
The County of Tiramin.
Both were branch families of the Dark Magic House. In other words, they were blood relatives who shared the same lineage.
Assuming they must have known each other from before, Chris deliberately spoke in a friendly manner.
"Good to see me? Are you serious right now?!"
"Hmm, we're relatives, but you don't seem very happy to see me. I'm happy to see you. Could it be you're being petty and sulking over a little money?"
"What? What?"
"I never imagined the honorable Tiramin County would get so worked up over a few coins. Especially toward a relative they turned away at the door instead of offering a place to stay."
For a moment, Allos was speechless.
Chris was a guest visiting the Tiramin County and also a blood relative.
Not letting him into the residence and turning him away was clearly a breach of etiquette on the Tiramin County's part, no matter how notorious Chris's reputation was.
Since they were the first to be in the wrong, his grounds for argument became weak.
"To not even know how to treat a guest. The Tiramin County's upbringing seems to be quite poor."
"You, you..."
"Am I wrong? If it were me, no matter how much I disliked someone, I would never do something so classless. I wonder what kind of education you received growing up."
Allos gritted his teeth.
His pale skin could be seen flushing bright red.
"...Shut your mouth before you regret it."
The air grew tense, on the verge of exploding.
An atmosphere where something could happen at any moment.
But Chris didn't stop.
Instead, he let out a sneer, crossed his arms, and spoke in an obnoxious tone.