The Time for Persuasion (2)
I had been too greedy. I had been swept up in the arrogance of believing I could reconcile two nations locked in conflict. Through Emilia, I would inform the Kingdom’s intelligence bureau of my usefulness, slowly persuade them, and so on and so forth…
Fuck that. Looking back now, it was utter nonsense. They say if you lack strength, your brain suffers. From the beginning, I should have just crushed them with force.
By making Hurtlocker, who oversaw the bureau’s entire combat capability, my servant.
“The spell you planted in my heart. I learned something good from it. So I planted a self-destruct spell in Emilia’s heart as well.”
“What?!”
I had never done any such thing. Emilia barely slept, so there was no way I would have had the chance to plant anything.
“If I so much as twitch a finger, Emilia dies. Even if you tell her, the girl will die. Of course, if I die, the spell will automatically detonate. So? Are you feeling a bit more inclined to obey me now?”
“You son of a bitch…!”
“Keep talking. I’ll make you watch a corpse with its ribs spread out like an angel’s wings.”
“Ugh…”
Hurtlocker bit his lip so hard it seemed he couldn’t contain his rage. Yes. This was it. I never should have treated this villain-like bastard as a person in the first place.
“Just kill me! Kill me and let Emilia go!”
“Sorry, but I can’t do that. I need you.”
“What the fuck do you want?! Tell me! I’ll do anything! Anything, so please, at least spare Emilia!”
“First. Cut off the Kingdom’s support for the Southern Colony rebels led by Duke Lorraine Philip.”
Earlier he had been screaming no matter what I said, but now he seemed to be listening properly. His posture—kneeling politely—was excellent too.
“Second. Gather and report all information regarding Marie Ale’s son.”
“Marie Ale? You don’t mean…”
“That’s right. The innocent housekeeper you people killed.”
“……”
It was perfect timing. Using Hurtlocker, I could obtain information about Marie’s son without worrying about the intelligence bureau’s surveillance. That pocket watch. I had to deliver it no matter what. I had promised.
“And third. Let’s get along nicely from now on.”
“What?”
When I casually extended my hand, Hurtlocker, who had been listening seriously, looked up at me with an expression like he had bitten into shit. Ah. I hadn’t released his restraints yet.
I snapped my fingers and completely dispelled all the spells binding him. In an instant, Hurtlocker tore through every restraint with raw strength and stood before me.
Damn it… Was this guy always this tall? He looked at least ten centimeters taller than me.
“What did you just say?”
“I’m on your side. The intelligence bureau’s side. So let’s get along.”
I couldn’t just keep cracking the whip. I needed to offer some carrots too. I gave the kindest smile I could muster to reassure him and extended my hand once more.
Hurtlocker stared at me with a face that looked ready to snap me in half at the waist, then—
“Fine. I will… obey your orders.”
He grasped my hand. The grip was so crushing it felt like every joint in my hand would shatter, so I quickly pulled it back. Crazy bastard. His strength was disgustingly monstrous.
“Don’t move out. I’ll come find you whenever I need you.”
“……”
I had already gotten Hurtlocker’s home address from Jean.
“Then take your time finishing those dumplings. I’ll be going…”
“Wait!”
As I turned to leave, Hurtlocker’s booming voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Emilia… Emilia is everything to me. She’s my only family. So…”
“Emilia’s fate will depend on how well you perform. So do your best. Got it?”
“……”
After giving him plenty of motivation, I left the house. With this, I had successfully brought Hurtlocker under my control. Of course, that was assuming he believed the spell was planted in Emilia’s heart… But since he hadn’t smashed my face earlier, it seemed he believed it completely.
I could use him quite effectively until the truth came out. Though hiding it forever would be difficult.
“Hmm.”
Now that I was outside, I realized this house was in quite a good location. It was hard to imagine there was a home underground here.
“Impressive place, isn’t it?”
“……”
When I turned my head, the beautiful boy from earlier was grinning. It was Jean after all.
“It was decent. Is it yours now?”
“Yep. Some insane family built it underground in preparation for the apocalypse. I was the first to discover they all died suddenly from drug addiction, and after that I swallowed this underground house whole.”
“I’ll buy it.”
“Sure. Even if you said no, I was planning to tack it onto your commission fee anyway. I don’t need it anymore.”
“……”
This kid’s mindset was really… Well, I couldn’t say I didn’t understand. There was no way I could keep using a house that Hurtlocker had already discovered.
“Shall we settle the commission fee then? Here!”
“……”
No wonder she looked so cheerful. When I took the paper Jane handed me, it unrolled endlessly downward. This wasn’t a receipt, it was more like something from a company dinner… When I saw the total amount written at the very bottom, I nearly fainted.
“Would this perhaps not be enough?”
“Aww. This old ring won’t cut it. Now if you brought ten thousand of them, maybe.”
“……”
Of course. There was no way this kid would recognize the Miracle Ring. In the end, I had no other choice. I didn’t have this much money. If I withdrew all the investment funds from the Holy Knights and the Shaden Company, it would be more than enough, but that would be truly idiotic. I had no choice but to ask a reliable ally.
“Will you be paying in full or in installments, dear customer?”
“Bill it all at once to Irene von der Lichtenburg.”
“Huh? To the Lichtenburg Countess representative?”
“Yes. If you say it’s money I’m spending, she’ll pay.”
“Hmmm…? Alright. I’ll trust you on this.”
Jane stared at me with suspicious eyes for a moment before her smile returned. When she had come to report the completion of the request, she hadn’t looked happy at all, but now she seemed downright cheerful. Bipolar disorder?
“Schluss Heinkel. At first I really couldn’t stand you, but now I kind of like you.”
“I don’t remember doing anything to make you like me.”
“Sure you did. Saying you’d pay the full amount without even haggling. That’s my favorite type of client.”
“……”
I had forgotten. Crows were known for quoting ridiculously high commission fees. Even clients who knew this would try to haggle, so the price usually dropped to about half the initial quote… I had completely forgotten that setting. Which meant I had been ripped off for double the normal amount. Since Jane said she had overcharged even more, it might have been closer to ten times. But it didn’t matter. I wasn’t the one paying. If anything, it was good—I had spent someone else’s money and gained Jane’s favor. Or rather, maybe I just looked like an easy mark? Eh, same difference.
“Huuuuu… I can’t concentrate…”
In a dark room lit only by an oil lamp, Iris had taken off her glasses and was slumped over her desk. Midterms were right around the corner, yet she couldn’t focus on studying at all.
“Is it because something feels missing?”
She brought a hand to her chest, but all she felt was her collarbone. Perhaps she couldn’t concentrate because the cross she had worn for over ten years was gone. It probably had some effect, but Iris knew that wasn’t the real reason.
“Haa…”
It was because thoughts of Schluss kept coming to mind. She had said terrible things to him. She had made him angry. She might have even made him hate her… Of course, she didn’t regret it. They were words that needed to be said eventually. But she didn’t have the courage to be hated by Schluss. That was why she had left the cross behind. So that he would remember her. So that he might recognize her, even if belatedly.
But she knew it was pointless. If he was going to recognize her, wouldn’t he have done so the first time they met? Iris knew full well that he wouldn’t remember her because of one small cross that could be found in any souvenir shop.
“I really am such a coward…”
Back then, she had thought that since she was doing it as the Saintess, it would be fine even if she was forgotten. No, in fact, she had thought that way until quite recently. She had never once expected any reward from those she had helped. But now, she desperately craved that reward. Just one person’s recognition. If he remembered her, she would be so happy she wouldn’t know what to do with herself. She would be so happy she could fly. But that would never happen. Because he was far too busy to remember such a trivial thing. Because he had lived such a difficult life.
All she could do was silently watch over him from behind and cheer him on. Occasionally, if he strayed toward the path of death, she could only correct his course… If that was all she could do, she would even accept his hatred. She had definitely thought that way. But why did her chest hurt so much right now…?
“I’m not a saint at all…”
A saintess who should not desire reward was desperately waiting for one. She was disqualified as a saint. In truth, she wanted to throw away the title of Saintess right this moment. She wanted to tell him everything and steal his heart. She was confident she could do it. Objectively speaking, she had quite an attractive face and body, after all. But she couldn’t do that.
“Hup… Haa… Let’s study.”
There were still so many people on this continent who needed help. Besides, he already had someone who suited him… For everyone to be happy, she just needed to grit her teeth a little. Iris gave a bitter smile and picked up her pen again.
‘Is this guy actually crazy?’
At the Lichtenburg mansion, Erika crunched on cookies while repeatedly checking her report card. It was a chart summarizing all her test and practical scores so far. Among them, one person stood out overwhelmingly: Schluss Heinkel. He had taken first place in every single practical and exam. The weight of these scores was much lower compared to midterms, so it wasn’t that significant, but it was still an astonishing record.
‘He really must be insane.’
She had heard that he had taken first in nearly every combat magic class as well. There was one monster in that department who was on a completely different level, so he hadn’t gotten first in everything, but even considering that, it meant Schluss had comprehensively mastered both theoretical magic research in elemental magic and martial combat using mana in combat magic. This wasn’t simply being well-rounded in both academics and martial arts—it was reaching the pinnacle in both.
‘There’s only one way to overtake him.’
If Schluss failed his midterms, she would have a chance. But for someone as flawless as Schluss to fail his midterms would be strange in itself. Even the students who had ignored him at the beginning of the semester must have sensed that much by now. Still, there was a way. To make it so that Schluss had no choice but to fail his midterms. For example, by kidnapping him on the day of the exam and releasing him the next day…
“What am I even thinking…”
Erika messed up her hair after such a terrible idea occurred to her. She couldn’t do that. As the proud daughter of the Lichtenburg family, how could she do something so vulgar?
“Someone else might, though.”
The fact that she had thought of it meant others could easily think of it too. The mid-tier mediocrities who saw Schluss as a thorn in their side would definitely try something. Well, that was all something Schluss would have to deal with himself. Since a commoner had entered the Imperial Academy, he should have been prepared for at least this much.
“Ugh… Is this really right?”
After thinking it over once more, Erika let out a groan. Was it okay for him to be attacked just because he was a commoner? Of course it was unfair, but did he really have to endure it all by himself? Maybe she could help him a little. Of course, she didn’t have any ulterior motives; it was simply because, as a noble, she had to eliminate injustice…
“Eeeek?!”
At that moment, a sharp scream echoed down the hallway. It was her mother’s voice. Erika jumped to her feet and cautiously peeked into the room where the sound had come from.
“Mother, are you alright?”
“Eh? Y-yes. I’m fine.”
“Is it because of Schluss?”
“…!”
She saw her mother’s body flinch. It seemed she had hit the mark.
“Mother…”
“Why are you suddenly bringing up that child’s name? Ho ho, it’s nothing. Really, it’s nothing.”
“I see.”
There was no way her mother would tell her the truth even if she said that. Erika ground her teeth and closed the door as she left. That bastard Schluss had definitely said it. That he would play with her mom a little and then throw her away.
“That son of a…”
Thinking about it again, there was no reason to help a guy like that.
Meanwhile, in the countess’s office, Lady Lichtenburg—
“He really must be crazy…”
—couldn’t stop her body from trembling as she looked at the commission settlement statement. Fifty million Tirion. With just a little more, she could buy a luxury house in the new city district of the capital. She was dying to know what insane request he had given to a Crow to end up with a price like this.
“This son of a bitch…”
With tears in her eyes, the countess sniffled and scribbled her signature. At first it had started with light humiliation, but the demands kept growing larger and larger. She wondered what he would demand next… Just imagining it made her future look bleak.
“Sniff.”
The countess’s pitiful sniffle echoed through the room.