Time to Wrap Up the Shopping
The Rosenberg family, the house of Count Purcus, was a great noble house that owned vast lands in the Eastern Region. Their rise to such prominence was thanks to the previous head of the family, who had earned both territory and authority through great contributions in a war against a neighboring kingdom, then managed those gains with remarkable skill.
But after the previous head passed away, his son Purcus inherited the count title and the expansive lands, and he did nothing but enjoy them. He never achieved anything more. Of course, incompetence itself wasn’t a crime. Purcus’s real problem was that his greed was simply too great.
He wanted more money, more land, and to build a reputation that surpassed even his father’s. Using the power of his house, he had managed some results. Purcus believed those successes were entirely his own doing, and he was convinced he would continue to succeed in the future.
But in the end, his involvement in the tulip speculation essentially shattered the family. Half of their farms had been taken by Kyle Lorend of the Lorend Guild, and the remaining half had been reclassified as direct territory under the Eastern Governor, their crops now decided according to the tastes of those in charge.
Still, as the saying went, “Even a ruined rich man lasts three generations.” The power that came with the title of count was not something to be underestimated. Having sworn revenge on Kyle Lorend, Count Purcus summoned them.
“Steward… call the Black Bears.”
“Yes… understood, my lord.”
Every noble had regular guards, and the Rosenberg family was no exception. But ordering guards to do dirty work could create problems later that were impossible to contain. For that reason, Purcus had cultivated a separate group of problem-solvers.
Bandits, criminals, and fallen knights—they had become his faithful blades, operating in the shadows to support Count Purcus. So far, they had carried out his orders many times, delivering all kinds of misfortune to his political enemies.
Families suddenly attacked by bandits, houses that just happened to catch fire and wipe out entire bloodlines—those filthy incidents were all their handiwork. The last weapon in Count Purcus’s arsenal was precisely the Black Bears.
Akam, the leader of the Black Bears, had been called to the count’s residence after a long time. Looking over the documents containing information on Kyle, he spoke.
“So this guy’s the target this time?”
“That’s right.”
Akam scratched at his scarred face as he continued. Thinking this was just another job in the same vein as the others, he opened his mouth.
“What do you want us to do? Burn his house down again?”
“All you need to do is capture him.”
“Just capture him?”
Usually the count’s orders were indirect. Something like, “It would be such a shame if they could no longer walk,” or “What would happen if their house caught fire?” But this time, the count was being brutally direct.
“Yes. I will kill him myself. Very… very painfully.”
Akam was surprised by the count’s words. The man who had only ever schemed from behind the scenes was burning with this much rage… Well, when it came to Kyle, Akam figured it made sense. He had ears, after all, so he knew roughly what had happened to Count Purcus.
Looking at the man, who now resembled a dried-up mummy, even Akam felt a twinge of unease about the payment.
“Well… got it. As long as we get paid, that’s all that matters to us… But are you sure the compensation you’re offering us is adequate?”
At Akam’s words, Purcus’s eyes filled with displeasure. It was the look of a man wondering if even these lowly thugs dared to disrespect him. The count shouted.
“Who do you think I am? I am Purcus of the Rosenberg family. I have more than enough money to grease your filthy palms. Steward!”
At Purcus’s command, his steward handed Akam a pouch. It contained gold coins that could be considered an advance payment. Akam’s expression brightened immediately.
“Whew… Looks like we’ll get to let loose for the first time in a while. We’ll prepare right away.”
Watching Akam rise from his seat, Purcus burned with even greater fury. To think he was being humiliated even by the Black Bears… Grinding his teeth, he prayed for the day he could finally take revenge on Kyle.
When people are consumed by rage, their vision narrows. Count Purcus was no exception. The Eastern Region was currently in a state of emergency. Eyes were everywhere, and the slightest unusual occurrence was reported to someone.
Purcus’s movements had been caught by none other than the eyes of the Eastern Margrave, Albert.
“Count Purcus is showing strange movements?”
“Yes. What should we do, Lord Albert?”
Upon receiving the report that Purcus’s subordinates seemed to be investigating Sir Kyle, Albert’s expression hardened. Under normal circumstances he might have dismissed it, but with the chaos caused by the tulip incident, the situation was different. He judged that something quite serious could happen and spoke to his subordinate.
“Deliver this news to Sir Kyle.”
“To Sir Kyle, my lord?”
“Yes. It appears to be his problem, so it would be best to prepare for any contingency.”
“Understood! I will relay it immediately.”
Albert recalled the gift Kyle had given him. Thanks to that gift, Adler had fortunately escaped with only a light punishment. Although he was the Eastern Margrave and had to act fairly, he saw no issue with giving a warning to an acquaintance about a potential crisis. So Albert sent a messenger to Kyle.
“To think you would share such important information… Please tell Lord Albert that Kyle will never forget this kindness.”
“Yes!”
At the news shared by Margrave Albert, I thought, Here it comes.
In the original story, Count Purcus was ruined by the tulip incident. At that time, he had targeted Adler—the margrave’s own son—as the object of his resentment, only to be crushed by the Brabant Knight Order. His entire house had been decapitated. Don’t ask me how a sane person could possibly challenge a margrave’s family. When someone is filled with rage, they can’t see anything in front of them.
The problem was that he was moving faster than I expected… This could have gone very badly if I hadn’t known. Heh! As expected, connections really were the best thing in this world. Thank you for giving me such good information in advance, Margrave! I’ll remember this!
Thanks to Albert’s tip, I was able to prepare for the ambush in advance. A danger known ahead of time was no longer a danger. In fact, if used well, it could be turned into a massive profit.
“Young master… If you give the order, I will eliminate him immediately.”
“Whoa, whoa, calm down, Elina.”
“There is no need for concern. I still remember the full layout of the mansion. I will not fail.”
Please… Just give me the order once! Elina’s red eyes were practically screaming that at me. But I had a reason for calming her down.
“If Purcus dies now, we won’t get anything out of it.”
It would be incredibly easy for Elina to eliminate Purcus right now. But if that happened, his death would be treated as a sudden passing, and his assets would be distributed among the Rosenberg family members. That wasn’t the picture I wanted.
When you eat, you eat thoroughly! My style was exactly like the magma boss from that pirate manga I loved—when it was time to devour something, I left not a single drop behind.
“Alright then, let’s set the stage, Elina. We’ll make sure the count’s final journey isn’t a lonely one.”
“Understood… I will follow your will, young master.”
I began preparations with Elina. It was time to wrap up the shopping in the Eastern Region.
About three weeks after the Black Bears received the commission, information reached Count Purcus. It said that in three days, Kyle would be leaving the Eastern Region and returning to the capital.
The news that urgent business had come up in the capital and that he would be traveling with only a minimal escort sounded like an absolute golden opportunity to Purcus.
“What should we do, my lord?”
“That’s the day! On that day, I’ll turn that brat Kyle into a roasted pig!”
At Count Purcus’s command, the Black Bears began preparing for the ambush. There were only so many roads from the Eastern Region to the capital. The count had spent a fortune to determine exactly which route Kyle would take and prepared the attack accordingly.
Purcus was greedy, but he wasn’t a complete fool. He made every possible preparation to ensure the ambush would succeed. He had even gathered information on Elina, Kyle’s maid and bodyguard. Knowing from a past incident that she possessed tremendous combat ability, he had selected the most skilled members within the Black Bears to deal with her exclusively and placed them on standby.
And then the day arrived.
It was a night so dark that even ghosts would be invisible against the Eastern sky. The count mounted his own horse and waited at the ambush site alongside the Black Bears. Time passed, and the appointed hour came.
Then a single luxurious carriage appeared on the road.
“Is that Kyle?”
“I will confirm.”
One of the Black Bears took out a telescope and checked. He examined the carriage carefully and confirmed that the black-haired young noble, Kyle, was indeed riding inside.
“It is Kyle. It’s him.”
“Akam!!”
Finally, he could have his revenge. The thought made the count shout. Akam pulled up his hood.
“Then we begin the operation. Everyone, surround that carriage!”
“Yes!!!”
The core of this commission wasn’t murder. It was to support the count so he could finish his revenge personally. Following their leader Akam’s command, the Black Bears burst out from the forest.
Dozens of mounted bandits moved in perfect coordination, charging toward the carriage carrying Kyle. Another ambush was about to befall him.