Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: I Thoroughly Protect What's Mine. (2)
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Oh, not bad.
He had immediately recognized Blackstar's true nature. He clearly had far more experience than that guard from earlier.
'I should be able to take care of the reason I came here.'
I'd assumed this backwater territory would be full of people who knew nothing about monsters, but this was an unexpected bonus.
"Yeah. I've been riding it the whole way here."
I gave a short affirmation before asking,
"Is there a problem?"
A gentle smile spread across my face at the end of the question.
"......"
The guard captain stared at my face, blinking his eyes slowly like a toad. Then he snapped to attention and spoke.
"Ah, no! What a sturdy and spirited horse! It looks tough!"
"Hm."
"Truly befitting of Young Master Abel's reputation!"
......Wasn't that an insult?
Whether he knew what I was thinking or not, the guard captain rubbed his hands together busily.
"So, what are your plans after this? Were you thinking of staying here?"
"That's the plan."
I firmly tied Blackstar's reins to the pillar.
"Don't break this, got it?"
"Prriiing."
Blackstar glanced around with a hint of dissatisfaction but soon settled down obediently in place.
The guard captain watched it with a forlorn expression. He seemed to be praying inwardly that the pillar would stay intact.
"Please, come inside. The lord is waiting."
"Hold on."
I untied the sack from the saddle. When I lifted it effortlessly with one hand, the guard captain extended both of his.
"I'll carry it. Hand it over."
"Oh, will you?"
I chuckled lightly and handed him the sack. After confirming he had a good grip on the top, I let go.
"Wha-what?!"
Along with the guard captain's strangled scream,
Thud!
The sack hit the ground.
"Oof!"
The guard captain clutched his back and groaned. He'd instinctively braced hard to keep it from falling, only for it to slip through anyway.
"How... what's inside that makes it so heavy......?"
"That's the reason I came here."
As I answered, I lifted the sack again with one hand. He watched it rise effortlessly, his face full of shock.
"Is this... the monster Everett mentioned?"
Everett—probably that guard from earlier. He'd explained the situation well in that short time.
Instead of a polite explanation, I responded curtly.
"Seems too heavy for you. I'll carry it myself."
The guard captain hesitated for a moment before opening the door to the hall.
"Please, come in."
The building's interior wasn't luxurious but was clean and cozy.
"This way."
The room at the very back of the building. As we entered, I saw a man sitting at a desk.
"Welcome."
A wrinkled face that couldn't escape the flow of time, topped with a white beard—an old man greeted me.
"Welcome to Bezerc Territory."
Lord Marco Medici.
The lord ruling this Bezerc Territory, and the man who was about to get fleeced by me soon.
I walked over with heavy steps and plopped down into the chair in front of the desk.
"......"
Marco's beard twitched at the sight of me sitting without being invited.
Thud!
I deliberately dropped the sack beside the chair and crossed one leg over the other.
"Thanks for the welcome."
Marco's face twisted unpleasantly.
A young punk speaking so casually from the start—no wonder he wasn't pleased.
But a village chief from some tiny dot on the map versus the son of the lord of a massive territory on the empire's western frontier.
There was an unbridgeable chasm between us.
'And in a few minutes, he'll be trembling before me.'
I wondered what his quivering beard from anger would look like soon.
I stared at Marco with a relaxed smile.
"......So, what brings you to our territory?"
Marco finally changed the subject, not bothering to protest my attitude.
'As expected.'
This was class, this was power. Absolute authority that ignored age.
"According to Everett, it's something to do with a monster."
The guard captain standing beside explained in his place. I narrowed it down.
"More precisely, it's about the bounty."
"Bounty?"
Wariness flickered in Marco's eyes as he repeated the word.
"Yeah. For example,"
As I finished speaking, I untied the sack.
"Gasp!"
The guard captain and Marco recoiled,
Thump!
And I tossed the monster's severed head onto the desk.
"Harfas."
"......"
"A massive monster with a lion's body, eagle's wings, and a snake's face."
I pointed at the Harfas's fangs.
"These long protruding canines are its signature feature."
The guard captain nodded gravely. He clearly knew his monsters.
"B-But how did you kill this thing?"
He couldn't hold back his curiosity.
"I've heard its wingspan matches a man's height when fully spread. And it glides through the sky in circles, only swooping down at the perfect moment to snatch prey. That's why it's so hard to catch."
"Well, yeah."
I crossed my legs deeper and smirked.
"But it was no big deal for me."
Because I had Requiem.
The fight between me and the monsters on the mountain wasn't even worth calling a battle.
They withered into dried husks the moment they approached, drained of life.
Severing heads from the corpses littering the ground was easier than lying down to sip soup.
"E-Easy......?"
The guard captain stared at me in disbelief. His gaze swept over the longsword at my waist.
"With that sword......?"
Instead of confirming, I chose an ambiguous silence.
The sword at my waist was the one I'd used against Diego at the restaurant back then. And naturally, it couldn't have slain all those monsters.
'Not unless it was just beheading them.'
Hiding my thoughts, I merely wore a faint smile.
"......"
The guard captain and Lord Marco exchanged uneasy glances. Their eyes furtively peeked at the sack full of monster heads.
"Ahem, as expected of Diego Kindriel's one and only son. Such valor."
Lord Marco tried to sound bold, but it was pointless with his philtrum quivering faintly.
"So, which bounty are you referring to?"
Lord Marco feigned complete ignorance with a hazy look.
Oh, playing dumb, are we?
"There was a notice issued long ago. About monsters coming down from the western mountains."
"Hmm. As one ages, even yesterday's events fade."
"Is that so? Then let me refresh your memory."
I grinned and recited in a reading tone.
"Overview: The above monster primarily inhabits the western mountains and has a habit of eating corpses, occasionally raiding villages."
Lord Marco's face stiffened.
"Monster name: Harfas. Body length approaches two meters, with a snake's face, lion's body, and eagle's wings."
"......"
"For threatening the peace and safety of imperial citizens, it is ordered to be exterminated upon discovery."
I finished and rested my interlocked hands on my knee.
"Surely such a notice came down. Stamped with the imperial seal."
For a split second, Lord Marco's eyes flicked to my side. It was brief, but it didn't escape my dynamic vision.
'Must be in that desk drawer.'
Guessing inwardly, I asked slowly.
"The bounty for slaying the monster would have come with it, right?"
"Well, that... I don't quite remember."
Lord Marco stubbornly played dumb to the end. The guard captain standing by crossed his arms behind his back and looked away.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
'Already swallowed it whole, huh.'
The western mountains were so deep and rugged that even monsters could lose their way, let alone people.
But attacks on travelers happened often enough, so the empire issued wanted posters to the only nearby territory—this one.
'Must be over ten documents sent by now.'
Tempting enough. When had a rural lord like this ever held such a sum?
Plus, Bezerc Territory saw few visitors due to its location. Add the condition of hunting monsters, and the odds plummeted.
A massive bounty going unclaimed for years.
'No wonder it was easy pickings.'
I'd anticipated this. And that's why I could manipulate them even more easily.
"So, you're saying no such documents arrived?"
At my question, Lord Marco nodded calmly.
"Seems that way. Robert, do you recall anything?"
"Hmm...... No, I haven't seen any either."
"Then it looks like the documents must have gone missing."
"Oh dear. Must be a mistake on the imperial side. That's troubling."
"Indeed. To think we were unaware of such a notice."
The two embezzlers bantered back and forth like a theater play.
Ah, that's how you want to play it.
"Yeah?"
I twisted my lips into a smirk and stood. I strode over and flung open the drawer.
"What are you—!"
Ignoring the guard captain's protest, I yanked out one side of the drawer entirely.
Lord Marco's eyes bulged.
"What insolence is this?!"
But the moment I upended the drawer onto his desk,
Rustle.
The documents nestled inside spilled out. Lord Marco's mouth snapped shut with a click.
"Hmm."
Flutter.
I picked up one sheet and waved it lightly.
"Here it is."
"N-No, that's..."
Lord Marco stammered, glancing between me and the paper.
*How did he know it was there?*
His face denied reality.
"Then let's do this."
I tossed the document onto the desk and sat back down, crossing my legs arrogantly.
"I'm planning to rest here in the territory for a day."
"......"
"Get that swallowed bounty ready somehow in the meantime."
Lord Marco drew a sharp breath.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden..."
"Cut the act. I know you've pocketed it all."
I spread my fingers toward him.
"Fifteen documents in total. Bounty adds up to 500,000 gold."
In the original story, after the protagonist Cain swept the western mountains clean, exposing this territory's corruption was one of the top satisfying scenes.
'Nothing says I can't recreate that scene myself, right?'
I wore a sly smile.
"If it's not ready by the time I leave, you'll face His Majesty the Emperor's wrath."
"His... His Majesty the Emperor?"
At the unexpected term, Lord Marco's eyes went wide.