Chapter 408: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (11)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 408: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (11)
Ever since Ivril became a shadow knight, she began to act in strict accordance with her new role.
Normally, she would loiter around my office in her maid uniform, pretending to clean or bring me tea, always staying close by my side.
“My Lord, the man who just left the room… is highly suspicious.”
Ivril spoke quietly, referring to the southern noble who had just left the drawing-room.
“Is that so? What about him was suspicious?”
I put on a serious expression, deliberately playing along with her over-the-top roleplaying.
Ivril narrowed her eyes and spoke in a low voice, like a secret agent who had just completed an intelligence analysis.
“His body was tense, and he was excessively wary of you, my Lord. It was more than simple nervousness… his eyes held a hidden agenda. I am certain he is harboring ulterior motives.”
“Indeed. An impressive observation, worthy of my shadow. I was thinking the very same thing.”
I nodded, speaking in the most dignified tone I could muster. Internally, of course, I was struggling to hold back my laughter.
In truth, the southern noble who had just left was from an old vassal family that had sworn loyalty to the Marquisate of Alcladion for decades. He was a man who, like me, had inherited his title at a relatively young age and was simply a bit nervous in the face of my reputation and authority. There was nothing suspicious about him at all.
This level of immersion is practically a sickness.
“Very well. You will personally monitor the man’s movements. For a set period, I want you to record everyone he contacts, his manner of speech, and his travel routes.”
“As you command, my Lord.”
Ivril’s eyes flashed as she bowed her head deeply.
If I leave her like this, she’s going to cause an incident one day.
I took a quiet sip of tea, watching Ivril’s serious profile in her maid uniform.
Just then, she spoke cautiously.
“My Lord…”
“What is it?”
“…I have finished reading the book you gave me. I was wondering… if I might ask if there is a next volume…”
The way her voice trailed off revealed a strange mix of anticipation and thirst.
“Hah, you’ve finished it already? Your passion is remarkable.”
“I believe it is only natural for a junior to follow in her senior’s footsteps.”
“Good. I will spare no effort in helping you grow into a shadow worthy of the name.”
Ivril nodded, her eyes growing slightly feverish.
“Take this.”
“Thank you, my Lord!”
Ivril received the book with both hands as if it were a priceless treasure.
I continued to humor Ivril while meeting with the endless stream of nobles who came to see me.
*
Beyond the forest, where even the moonlight was faint, something was approaching a village.
Hundreds of glowing eyes swayed as they cut through the deep darkness of the woods. They were too unnatural to be human.
They were goblins—the height of elementary schoolers, with vile, distorted features and sickly green skin. There were at least several hundred of them. In a massive horde, they swarmed toward the distant human village.
“Kirrrk! Human village, spotted!” shrieked a goblin at the front, its trumpet-shaped ears flapping.
In an instant, dozens of nearby goblins turned their heads in its direction.
And in the very next moment, that goblin’s head was lifted into the air.
“Kieek?!”
The one who had snatched the goblin’s head was a massive orc. He possessed an intimidating presence unlike that of ordinary orcs. Bizarre patterns were carved all over his body. His bulging muscles, reflecting the reddish moonlight, writhed like a living beast.
With him at the center, other orcs began to emerge one by one from all corners of the forest.
“…Krrk. Human village. Time to spread our seed.”
With a deep growl, the orc tossed the goblin’s head aside. It bounced off a tree with a thud and rolled away. The goblin whimpered, but no one paid it any mind.
This was clearly no ordinary orc; his aura of intimidation was on a completely different level from the others.
The orc watched the goblins and his kin advance toward the village, then lifted his head to look at the sky. As if meeting someone’s gaze, he whispered quietly.
“…Mother’s command, I will now carry it out.”
And at that moment…
Beyond the forest, a blue shadow perched on a tree branch smiled.
“Fufufu, yes. Do well, my son, Graz. The women of the village… impregnate them and sow your seed, leaving not a single one behind.”
At her words, Graz nodded with a blank expression. He turned his massive body and began to stride toward the village.
Thump, thump, thump.
The goblins followed, cackling, while the orcs split into groups and began to surround the mountain ridge and the village outskirts.
And that night…
The quiet western village was swallowed by flames and screams.
“Aaaaargh—!! He-help me…!”
“Nooo… Don’t…!! Kyaa—!!”
Crash! KABOOM!
A swarm of goblins smashed through a wall, grabbing women by the hair and dragging them out. The orcs who followed threw their spears, impaling the men who tried to flee.
“Krrrr… A female…”
“Save… Ugh—!”
Their brief resistance only served to further incite the creatures’ savagery. The women, their skin exposed through clothes torn to rags, wailed and screamed.
Graz watched the scene quietly before raising a hand and giving an order.
“Impregnate them. It is what Mother desires.”
In that instant, crazed laughter echoed throughout the village. The goblin horde immediately fell upon the women, while the orcs, as if performing a ritual, calmly seized their arms and legs.
“…Krrrk, it stinks. But I’ll fuck it…”
“Hee— No… Don’t… Nooo…!”
And so, the village descended into a hell from which no one could be saved.
*
Lately, there had been no end to the nobles requesting to see me. Invitations to banquets were a given, and some were even brazen enough to propose marriage alliances.
…This is getting tiresome.
I could ignore most of the lower-ranking nobles. The problem was that there were powerful figures mixed in, people who were difficult to dismiss.
Ignoring them would have serious repercussions, but entertaining them would eat up my time. Thanks to this, I had been stuck at my desk for the past few days.
Reports piled up relentlessly, meeting requests increased daily, and letters poured in from all over. If this kept up… I felt like I might actually die from overwork.
“Seriously, there’s no end to it.”
I quietly reached out and lightly shook the bell on my desk.
A moment later, the door opened and Alfredo bowed his head.
“You called for me, my Lord.”
I sank deeper into my chair and said in a low voice, “Alfredo. For the time being, I will see no one.”
“…No one at all, my Lord?”
“That’s right. Whether they’re a northern noble, a southern noble, or the king’s nephew. Make up whatever excuse you need, but I am not available for any meetings. Tell them that.”
“Understood.”
As Alfredo quietly closed the door behind him, I leaned back in my chair and let out a long sigh.
“Finally… I can get some rest.”
My body slowly relaxed in the long-awaited silence. I closed my eyes for a moment, but a knock came from the door.
—Knock, knock.
“Marquis, I’ve brought you some tea~”
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Eira carefully entered with tea and refreshments. Her expression had been noticeably brighter these days.
According to Alfredo, thanks to the rumors that I favor her, neither the knights nor the other maids dare to touch her.
That was likely why she had been acting with such confidence around the estate lately.
She was subtly using that privilege, but—
The interesting thing is, she never crosses a certain line.
When I first saw her, I thought she was just an empty-headed country girl. But it turned out she had a surprisingly good head on her shoulders.
While I watched her quietly, Eira placed the tea and refreshments on the desk with a subtle smile.
“You look very tired again today.”
“I am. Dealing with these nobles lately has been completely draining.”
“Shall I massage your shoulders for you?”
“I won’t refuse.”
Eira skillfully moved behind me and began to gently massage my shoulders with both hands. It wasn’t particularly effective, but the simple fact of her soft touch wasn’t bad.
As we spent a moment like that, Eira brought up a rather random topic.
“Wow… Are the taxes collected from the territory really this much?”
I cracked my eyes open slightly.
“You can read?”
“Yes. My father taught me when I was young. He used to be a merchant.”
“Oh? Then I suppose you’re decent with numbers as well?”
“I can do simple calculations.”
I pulled one of the ledgers from the pile next to me and handed it to her.
“Then, have a look at this.”
Eira’s eyes sparkled as she took the ledger.
“Let me see.”
She seemed to struggle a bit at first, but soon she was flipping through the ledger with a practiced hand. She quickly scanned the income and expenses, even the tax rates for each item, her finger tapping on a few entries.
“This entry… it’s a bit strange. The amounts are slightly different.”
I narrowed my brow.
“…Explain in detail.”
Eira pointed at the ledger with her finger and said, “Look here. This is the grain tax entry. It says last year’s harvest yield increased by 15% compared to the previous year. But the actual tax revenue only went up by 8%.”
I leaned forward to examine the ledger more closely.
“Continue.”
“And here, the commercial tax is the same. It says the market size has grown, but the tax revenue has actually decreased. Isn’t that strange?”
Eira’s finger moved from entry to entry as she explained. The more I listened to her analysis, the harder my expression became.
This… means someone is skimming off the top.
“Eira.”
“Yes?”
“Are you certain about these calculations?”
“Yes, I’m certain.”
“Is that so…”
Seeing my expression turn cold, Eira grew slightly frightened.
“Could you check the other ledgers and see if there are any other similarly suspicious parts?”
“Yes, I’ll check right away.”
Eira immediately went to the pile of ledgers and began flipping through the pages with practiced hands. She scanned each number quickly, making simple notes and pointing with her finger at important entries.
I watched her quietly and muttered to myself.
I should have had her do this sooner.
Before long, Eira closed the ledger and looked back at me.
“I found a few more suspicious parts. These entries here…”
Eira began to explain, pointing to several pages with her finger.
“Here, the land tax section is also strange. It says the amount of newly reclaimed land has increased, but the tax revenue is the same… And this part, the calculation is just plain wrong.”
Listening to her explanation, I became more and more certain. Someone was definitely embezzling tax money.
“Roughly how much do you think it is?”
“Hmm… From what I’ve seen, it’s at least 300 gold per year. There might be more if we investigate further.”
300 gold was a significant amount. The annual salary of a common knight was about 5 gold.
“Well done, Eira.”