Chapter 236: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (29)
Chapter 236: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (29)
In the slums, "Swindler" was a term used to describe a certain type of loan shark.
Naturally, it wasn't a name they called themselves; it was a derogatory label given to them by the people of the slums. Their primary source of income involved deceiving illiterate country folk to extort their money.
They were a parasitic organization, the kind found commonly anywhere.
However, as evidenced by the fact that I hadn't known of their existence, they were a rising power that had only recently settled in the Percus Territory.
Money lending was, fundamentally, a business targeting those in need of cash. It was customary for merchants facing imminent deadlines to visit them for quick loans.
Therefore, a prerequisite was necessary for a loan shark to appear.
That was the existence of a market.
If a market isn't formed, the money-lending business doesn't thrive. And permanent markets usually only existed in territories of a certain scale.
This was because a permanent market required enough demand to sustain it.
There had been no reason for loan sharks to expand into the Percus Territory, which was nothing more than the countryside.
However, as Ria actively engaged in commerce, several changes occurred.
Supplies were systematically provided, and proper jobs were created. Through Ria’s various efforts, a currency-based economy gradually began to take root in the Percus Territory.
As a result, a permanent market, albeit a small one, was established.
Of course, this was a very recent development.
The economic situation of the Percus Territory was still poor, and the scale of the market was small. However, the mere fact that a market existed drew the attention of a few flies.
Even if it was small now, it was a place that was steadily developing.
It wasn't a bad idea to stake a claim early.
The ones called "Swindlers" were of a particularly foul sort. They were an organization that kept a separate headquarters and ran their lending business across several territories like branches.
Naturally, their influence and capital were on a different level compared to ordinary street thugs.
Though, in the end, a punk was still just a punk.
Nevertheless, Ria had left the "Swindlers" alone for several reasons.
First, from a short-term perspective, the influx of capital has a positive impact in some way. Above all else, money needs to circulate in a market.
In the long run, one would have to worry about capital outflow due to high-interest loans, but the Percus Territory was currently in desperate need of a jumpstart.
They didn't have the luxury to worry about such a distant future.
Furthermore, the unavoidable reality that the Percus family lacked the spare capacity to deal with the "Swindlers" was one of the main reasons they were left alone.
If they truly set their minds to it, they could have handled them.
The laws of the Empire were solemn.
It was unthinkable for mere neighborhood thugs to oppose a noble lord. To do so would mean facing the harsh judgment of neighboring high lords or the Imperial Central Army.
However, the "Swindlers" simply hadn't caused enough trouble to warrant such a reaction.
They had spent years in the back alleys.
They were well aware that nothing good came from messing with nobles.
And so, the "Swindlers" kept a wary eye on the Percus family while greedily exploiting the naive residents of the territory.
I had heard that dozens had already fallen for their tricks and become slaves to debt.
This wasn't bad news for me.
If things went south, I could just step in with the mindset of performing pest control.
But whether by luck or misfortune, the "Swindlers" immediately took a humble stance upon my sudden visit.
"Oh, young master! If you had told us you were coming, we would have prepared a more proper welcome..."
The man stealing glances at me was a hairy middle-aged man.
Likely the branch manager, he had rushed out like a bolt of lightning upon hearing the news and guided me to a reception room. It was a shabby building, but the reception room was surprisingly clean.
Probably to instill confidence in those taking out loans.
Or perhaps to give a good impression when entertaining VIPs like me.
Either way, I didn't like the reason.
I asked point-blank.
"There have been frequent disappearances in the slums lately."
"...Pardon?"
The middle-aged man tilted his head at the sudden question.
His face was a mask of total ignorance.
Regardless, I plopped down on a chair at the reception room table. The middle-aged man, who had been staring blankly at me, snapped out of it and sat down opposite me.
At a gesture from the man, one of the thugs standing guard scurried out.
It didn't take long for a cup of reasonably high-quality tea to be served.
"Do you happen to know anything about it?"
The middle-aged man's expression turned peculiar at the blunt follow-up question.
My way of speaking was quite direct for a noble.
To begin with, I wasn't a clever person like Reto or Ria. I didn't have the capacity to employ sophisticated political rhetoric like Senior Delphine or the Saintess.
Therefore, my speech was always faithful to a straight line.
Ironically, this made it harder for the opponent to discern my true intentions. Because my words were so plain, the only information they could deduce was the question I had thrown at them.
After a moment of thought, the middle-aged man broke into a lavish smile.
"H-how could that be? Though we are lowly men who live like thugs, we haven't forgotten the grace of the Percus family. But human trafficking? Perish the thought!"
I nodded, expressing agreement with his words.
Relieved, the hairy middle-aged man continued his passionate speech.
"We don't do such excessive things! You can even ask the other members of the Percus family about this..."
"I understand."
The middle-aged man looked somewhat flustered by my easy acceptance.
Regardless, the words flowing from my mouth remained simple.
"In that case, could I perhaps see the information on your debtors? Since people in the slums often don't have their personal information officially registered..."
"O-of course!"
The man hurriedly stood up and pulled a stack of documents from a drawer. I read through them without a word.
Many of the people on the list provided by Arthur, the Administrator of the Empire, were included.
It meant there were many missing persons.
Of course, this alone wasn't enough evidence. The man likely produced the documents knowing this.
However, there was one thing he didn't know.
"...There are many people listed as missing."
"Well, isn't that expected? Naturally, those with debts they can't handle tend to flee in the middle of the night."
"Does that cancel the debt?"
"No, of course, we collect from their families. We have to make a living too... Hahaha."
They would harass not just the family, but anyone with a connection to the debtor.
I knew their methods all too well.
The Academy wasn't a bed of roses, and there were often fools who fell in with the wrong crowd through gambling and debauchery and went bankrupt.
Even so, I didn't pretend to doubt the middle-aged man's words.
I simply nodded and set the documents down on the table with a thud.
"...Did you get the information you wanted?"
"Yes, more or less."
A sigh of relief escaped the man's lips.
He soon began to flatter me in a groveling tone.
"They say the second son of the Percus family is a pacifist, and those words are exactly right. Usually, those who come looking for us tend to shout and threaten..."
"What need is there for that?"
At my indifferent reply, the man gave a beaming smile as if in agreement.
And as he carefully reached for the documents on the table, my sharp senses caught a change in his expression that lasted only a fraction of a second.
It was a sneer.
A smile filled with the joy of having deceived a green brat. The unfortunate fact for him was that I hadn't come here for the purpose of interrogation in the first place.
I was already certain.
The "me" from the future never gave useless information.
Furthermore, I had already gathered enough circumstantial evidence that the disappearances were related to some kind of criminal activity. Trying to excuse it as people fleeing their debts wasn't going to work.
The connection existed.
It was just that a more "peaceful means" was required to hear it.
A hand axe slammed down, the hairy middle-aged man shrieked, and the table shattered, sending wooden splinters flying in every direction.
The hand axe had already crushed the shoulder of one of the thugs surrounding me.
My body lunged like a beast through the flying wood fragments.
The first man I caught was the one directly in front of me.
I channeled the momentum of my run into a punch to his face. With a sickening crunch, the man's face buckled at the point of impact.
A dull thud, like the striking of a leather drum, echoed through the room.
"Guh-!"
And with that, blood and bits of teeth sprayed, staining my vision in shades of red.
The thugs didn't just stand there.
The reaction of the two thugs charging at me was immediate.
It meant they weren't just random rabble.
At the very least, they were former mercenaries—not the kind of people a mere loan shark in a rural territory would normally hire.
That must be why Ria had left a warning that they were dangerous.
But they were no match for me now.
Thwack! A hand axe flying from the side buried itself in one man's forearm. His body couldn't withstand the force and tilted sideways.
The man's eyes were wide with disbelief.
It was understandable, considering the hand axe that had been lodged in his comrade's shoulder had moved on its own.
It was the Secret of Stillness in Motion.
It was a secret art of the Sword Circle that, though it could only be done once, created new momentum by twisting a trajectory. It was a high-level martial art that a back-alley thug couldn't possibly know.
Three of the thugs collapsed helplessly.
For the remaining one charging at me, it was enough to duck and avoid his swinging club. I just had to strike his solar plexus from within his guard.
Crack! My fist, wedged into the gaps of his skeletal structure, delivered a terrifying amount of impact internally.
A surge of blood erupted from the mouth of the man doubled over my shoulder. Using only raw strength, I lightly flipped the massive man over.
Three thugs left.
I pulled the hand axe from the shoulder of the thug who was about to collapse with a scream. Since he seemed to be in a lot of pain, I didn't forget the kindness of striking his temple with the blunt side of the axe.
The thug collapsed with a thud, without even a scream.
My hand shot out like a bolt of light without hesitation.
A groan of pain escaped along with a spray of blood. The hand axe, which had changed trajectory before he could even react, instantly took out another man's knee, dealing with two of them.
The last one rushed forward in a panic and pulled a dagger from his coat.
A blade. He used a real sword even though he wouldn't be safe after touching a noble.
It meant he felt that I was just that threatening.
Of course, I had no intention of letting him hit me.
My vision mapped out the space. The space was being decomposed like threads.
My hand pulled at those threads as if tearing them away.
The trajectory of the thrusting stab was twisted along the path of the torn space.
The arm of the bewildered man naturally fell into my grasp.
As I pressed his arm down and drove my knee upward, a scream erupted from his mouth along with the sound of crushing bone.
"...Aaaargh!"
"Shut up."
With that indifferent remark, I drove my elbow into the back of the neck of the man doubled over in pain.
His body convulsed once and then went stiff as he collapsed.
It hadn't even taken a few minutes for all seven men to be taken down.
The hairy middle-aged man was trembling in sheer terror.
No matter if they were just a gang of thugs, they were an organization that included many former mercenaries. It must be bewildering to see them neutralized without even putting up a proper fight.
I pulled the hand axe out of the knee of one of the thugs.
Only then did the blood that had been trickling out spray forth. The eyes of the thug clutching his knee were filled with unmistakable horror.
Since he didn't seem to have any intention of resisting, I didn't bother with an additional strike.
"...P-peace!"
At the word shouted by the hairy middle-aged man, my gaze shifted to him.
I waited for his next words.
I wanted to see what he would say.
"You said you were a 'pacifist'!"
The expression on the man's face as he shouted was one of profound grievance.
Only then did I let out a soft "Ah."
Now that I thought about it, that was my nickname.
A dry chuckle escaped my lips as a blunt answer followed.
"...It's peaceful now, isn't it?"
I had thrown out the joke to lighten the mood, but the middle-aged man's reaction was different from what I expected.
His face turned deathly pale.
The look in his eyes as he watched me was one I hadn't seen in a long time, so I couldn't help but wear a bitter smile.
It was the look one gives a madman.