Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: A Very Small Helping Hand 3
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Kazeros wore a flustered expression at my suggestion that we leave together.
In response, I began pulling in some realistic arguments to persuade her, even if just a little.
“You know as well... The Archbishop won’t just let you off the hook after you helped me. No matter how I think about it, I can’t leave you behind to face the consequences.”
“Mr. Santana...”
Kazeros hesitated at my words.
I couldn’t tell if her reaction was positive or negative, but at this point, I judged that I needed to press a bit harder to convince her.
“On top of that, it’s always pained me to see you subtly discriminated against just because you’re from another country. Why stay in a place that mistreats someone as wonderful as you? Come with me instead. At least... at least, though I’m not much, I can take care of one person like you with my own hands.”
“!....”
Kazeros lowered her head slightly and fell silent at my words.
Watching her, I realized that from her perspective, this was something that required serious deliberation.
The proposal I was making right now was, in other words, asking her to abandon her position as a Holy Knight and everything she currently had—to start her life over from scratch somewhere else.
It was obvious that giving up everything she knew wouldn’t be easy.
But honestly, at this moment, this was the only realistic option I had to save her.
‘Who knew lacking talent in this area would hurt so much...’
If I had more charm in the masculine sense, or if I were skilled at handling women, I could have persuaded her in a smoother way.
But whether in my previous life or this one, I’d always kept romance at arm’s length, so all I could manage now was this blunt plea based on practical realities.
Feeling a bitter mix of emotions from my standpoint, I cautiously waited for her response.
Then...
“Those words... Are they sincere?”
‘Huh?’
Kazeros asked me in a trembling voice.
Her reaction seemed free of any rejection, so I answered her clearly, infusing my voice with as much confidence as I could muster.
“Yes. Though... I’m lacking in many ways, I’m at least confident I can protect one person.”
“Ah...”
Originally, I hadn’t planned on saving just one person—I’d aimed to rescue the Holy Knights charging into hell and save the church itself.
Now that those plans had fallen through, I wanted to protect at least the person standing before me, no matter what it took.
And so, with all the sincerity I could muster, I spoke to her—unaware of the life-or-death crossroads she faced.
In response, her face flushed red, and for some reason, her eyes began to glisten with tears.
Kazeros stared straight at my face, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling.
And then... she spoke to me in a trembling voice.
“...Yes... yes. Alright... If it’s with you... with you, Mr. Santana, I’ll go anywhere!”
Her answer carried a deep sense of joy.
Hearing it,
I began to think that she, too, had lived a hard life here all along and probably wanted to escape if the chance arose.
‘Makes sense. Being a Holy Knight in this filthy pit is tough enough. Especially when you’re already discriminated against on the regular, and now you’ve been marked by the higher-ups...’
Just like that, Kazeros agreed to my wishes far more easily than I’d expected.
Feeling a profound sense of relief and gratitude at her actions, I cautiously extended my hand toward her.
“Thank you so much. Please take care of me from now on, Kazeros.”
“I’m the one who should thank you... Though I’m lacking, please take care of me, Mr. Santana.”
As she took the hand I offered, a radiant smile bloomed on Kazeros’s lips.
It was a smile so breathtakingly beautiful...
* Thanks to Nune and Tine’s carelessness, Santana had gained the opportunity to liquidate his assets.
However... Archbishop Maxim wasn’t particularly worried about it.
‘Right now, that fool Santana is probably scrambling to sell off his wealth as fast as his feet can carry him... Fat chance. No matter how much he thrashes around, that vast fortune of yours will end up in our hands anyway.’
She’d have to let the cash slip away, but more than ninety percent of the considerable wealth he’d amassed consisted of land and buildings.
Santana had always shown an unusual obsession with land and property, though she didn’t know exactly why.
And she knew full well that he had no quick way to unload those kinds of assets right now.
Once the six days were up, all his holdings in the city would automatically become the church’s. Even if he bolted with the deeds, they’d lose all legal validity and turn into worthless scraps of paper.
Moreover, acquiring anything but a trivial amount of land or buildings required enormous sums of money—very few in the city could manage it.
One might think he could just dump them at rock-bottom prices, but that wasn’t possible either.
The reason? Tax laws.
When high-value assets like land or buildings changed hands, they had to be reported to the authorities, and taxes paid.
The rates scaled with the transaction amount—for instance, selling a 10-talant (gold coin) building meant paying 5%—5,000 silver coins—in tax. But a 100-talant building? Thirty percent—30 talants.
The lower the declared value, the lower the tax; the higher, the exponentially greater.
The principle: take more from those who earn more.
In the past, to evade taxes, people had resorted to tricks like declaring artificially low prices for sales, then settling the real amount through back channels.
To counter this, the lords and rulers overseeing local laws had enacted regulations banning sales of land or buildings below a certain price threshold.
In short, even if Santana tried to spite the church by fire-selling his assets, the law forbade it.
And if he went through legal channels or fudged the books only for it to come to light, the buyer couldn’t legitimately claim ownership either—no one would take the risk.
Especially not now, with the Archbishop and the church side glaring daggers—dealing with a man already slated for excommunication was burden enough.
Having grasped all these facts in advance before setting things in motion, the Archbishop pictured the arrogant man who’d rejected her offer and began to smirk in triumph.
‘I even highly valued that fool’s talents and planned to make use of them indefinitely... I offered him mercy, saying he could keep everything as long as he handed over just 40% of his profits, and he still dared refuse?’
Santana had shown a heavenly knack for making money even as a Holy Knight, so Archbishop Maxim had once plotted to exploit him for massive profits.
But her scheme had backfired when he flatly rejected her “benevolent proposal,” bruising her pride. From that moment, she’d decided to gut the golden goose named Santana.
She knew all too well that a capable talent who refused to submit to superiors was the most dangerous kind.
Talent was a shame to waste, but when it was time to cut them down, you did it decisively to avoid trouble.
And as a bonus in this purge, she could satisfy her long-standing greed for his fortune.
‘Even the finest steed must be slaughtered without mercy if it refuses to bear its master. You foolish brat, ignorant of the world’s dangers and rampaging as you please—quietly turn into a tender hunk of meat that melts in my mouth and vanish.’