Chapter 136
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: The Coin-actus
"Hmph... Fine. I admit it. I didn't think this wouldn't work. So, what will you do?"
His only surprise seemed to be that I could move; Gerald quickly reverted to his confident demeanor.
"What do you think? It's time for a changing of the guard."
"An arrogant statement. From a mere A-rank adventurer."
Gerald remained seated. He crossed his legs to get more comfortable, and the butler who had been standing behind him pulled a dagger from his coat.
I had wondered why someone who'd prepared paralysis poison hadn't brought any guards, but it seemed the butler was his protection.
Not only that, but knights burst through the drawing room doors and surrounded us. Though, their appearance was... a far cry from what you'd call a knight.
If a typical knight wore steel armor and carried a longsword, the ones surrounding us now wielded a variety of weapons, from hammers and maces to rapiers and crossbows.
"Are these guys really knights? Not some thugs off the street?"
"They are thugs. Ex-thugs, to be precise."
Why hide it? Gerald admitted it calmly.
"I have a fondness for collecting talent. I hired anyone I found with skill, using money. The butler behind me was once an assassin who killed people in the back alleys. In terms of skill alone, he's at least A-rank."
To think even ruffians like that could become such a respectable butler with just money. I was once again reminded of the greatness of wealth.
"Why go to all this trouble? Because of Hex?"
"...I don't know how much you know, but it's merely a precaution. Would it not be foolish not to prepare when an ancestor suffered such a fate in the past?"
"That's a fair point."
Ahem. After clearing his throat to draw our attention, Gerald spoke as if the small talk was over.
"Now then, the men here are all B to A-rank. Can you, a single A-rank, defeat so many?"
I don't fight battles I can't win. It seemed Gerald before me was the same. When both sides think they can win, the victor is decided by who did more preparation and research. But honestly, I hadn't prepared much at all.
This was where Gerald's lack of research was completely exposed. While I might be A-rank now, it was only a matter of time before I reached S-rank once I met an Alchemist.
In other words, to face me now, you'd need at least the imperial army, an S-rank adventurer, or an S-rank monster.
And yet, he was trying to take me on with some thugs who were good with knives in the back alleys.
Seeing is believing. It's better to see once than to hear a hundred times. I activated Alpha's Presence, rendering all the knights combat-incapable.
A clattering, bustling sound came from all around. That included the butler behind Gerald.
"......!"
Yes. Of course, he'd be stunned. Everyone who had seen this skill had asked me if it was black magic.
Even I, the user, sometimes felt it was like black magic. In a world of magic, I was the only one using a skill that felt like a superpower.
Anyway, that was that. What was important now was something else.
"So. Do you have anything else prepared?"
"...Do you think you can walk away unscathed after killing me, the head of a ducal house?"
"Ah. You mean that?"
In fact, when I asked the emperor yesterday if I could eliminate a noble family, he said it depended on which family it was.
For him to say that meant that, in his eyes, there were a few families that could disappear without causing any problems.
"Unfortunately, he said the House of Winchester must not be destroyed."
At my words, the corners of Gerald's mouth lifted. It was a sneer, as if mocking what a mere adventurer like me could possibly do.
"So we agreed to leave the family and just change its head."
"What...?"
It would be a problem if a family vanished overnight. But what if the family remained, and only the head changed?
It wouldn't be without problems, of course. The head of a ducal house would be dead, after all. But wouldn't the next head take care of the aftermath?
"Why so surprised? Everyone dies eventually."
In the end, people die. Whether this man brought prosperity to his family or drove it to ruin, once he was dead, the head would inevitably change.
"Besides, there's no issue with succession, is there? You've been diligently educating your son to take over."
I don't remember his name, but Liche has an older brother. If Liche is 20 and she has one older sister, let's say she's 21, then her brother must be at least 22.
But that's the bare minimum. Siblings in this era often have large age gaps, so he could be over 30, or at least close to it.
A man like that, raised with the education of a family head, isn't he more than qualified?
"How do you know that......"
"I read it in a novel."
"......?"
This much information is basic knowledge for a reader. If you get transmigrated into a novel you were reading and don't know anything, that's not transmigration, it's just reincarnation.
"The reason you're dying is simple. You're too persistent and annoying."
There was an arc in the original novel that was unnecessarily dragged out. It should have been a simple event, but Gerald had interfered with Arthur. That meant as long as I was with Liche, he would constantly be getting in my way.
In that case, rather than kicking out Liche who was trying to follow me by force, killing the source of the problem was the most peaceful way to end things.
"Liche. Is it okay if I kill your father?"
"Ah... Ugh..."
What kind of paralysis poison did he use that she couldn't even speak? But you'd prefer for this man to die anyway, right? I turned my head back to face Gerald.
"Well then, any last words before you die?"
"......"
"Are you sulking? You were talking just fine a moment ago, why the sudden silence? You're about to die, say something. The fact that I'm giving you a chance for last words is an incredible act of mercy, you know?"
Had I ever listened to the last words of anyone I'd killed before? No, I'd usually killed them before they could even speak, considering it a waste of time. So, giving Gerald a chance for last words was, in itself, an immense act of mercy.
Still, it seemed he had something to say. Gerald's lips moved quietly.
"...If you travel with her, you too will one day be cursed and die."
"Such funny last words."
To say something like that before dying. You seem to be a natural-born clown. How about becoming a streamer in your next life?
"But you want to know something interesting?"
I continued, looking at the resigned Gerald.
"I have status effect resistance, so I don't get cursed."
"......"
You know, Gerald, aren't you curious about how you're going to die?
"Gerald. Do you know what it means to be beaten with money?"
"......?"
Back on Earth, you could often see people talking about getting hit with money. As it happened, my inventory was still full of the copper coins I'd withdrawn for the slot machines during the tournament.
"You tried to control people with money, so you'll die by money."
I picked up a copper coin with my fingers and took a stance.
A fully charged Meso Explosion with Gerald as the target. The accuracy was more impressive than I thought. I threw it randomly, and it lodged right in his eye.
"Guhk?!"
"Nice shot, boss!"
Next, like a magician, I placed copper coins between all five of my fingers. After wiggling them a few times, I snatched them all up like I was playing jacks and threw them like scattering beans.
The copper coins flew like a shotgun blast. Some hit Gerald's face and bounced off, while others embedded themselves in his skin.
"Gaaahhh...!"
Don't streamers who get hit with money look happy despite their struggles? Gerald is getting money, so why is he so sad instead of being joyful? I can't understand it.
If someone threw money at me, I'd thank them and snatch it right up. This is why rich people don't know the value of money. You have to be a commoner like me to get it.
I continued to throw copper coins at Gerald's face. His body was covered by clothes, so they didn't stick well, and it was more fun to watch when I aimed for the face.
"Mission: Be ugly."
I looked at Gerald's face.
"You succeeded, so here's your money."
I kindly embedded a copper coin right in the center of his forehead. After that, I stepped back a bit to look at his face, and it seemed to have turned out quite well.
The human version of a cactus. A Coin-actus.
Seeing it, Liche's eyes widened as far as they could go. Her pupils were trembling, and her limbs were shaking as if she wanted to run away at any moment.
But due to the paralysis poison, her gaze was fixed on Gerald, whose head had become a coin-actus. In the end, she chose to close her eyes and escape from reality.
***
After it was all over, I realized that a person really can be beaten to death with money.
The knights who had surrounded us surrendered after realizing they couldn't win. No matter how much you're hired for money, your life is more important.
The three paralyzed individuals were laid on the drawing room sofa to recover, while I went out to the garden for some fresh air.
Gerald's funeral couldn't be held right away. There were preparations to be made, and first, they had to control the rumors and quell the commotion.
As I was admiring the garden,
"Isn't it beautiful?"
A man's voice came from behind me. I turned my head to see a handsome, well-built man standing there.
"My apologies for the late introduction. I am Duke Winchester. Liche's older brother."
"That's unexpected."
"What do you mean?"
"Your father's killer is right in front of you, yet you don't seem to have any thoughts on the matter."
"Ah... you mean that."
Duke let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"It was something someone had to do."
Well, that's a relief. It would have been a pain if he'd come at me yelling about avenging his father, giving me one more thing to kill.
"You should have done it sooner."
"Haha..."
He turned his gaze back to the garden.
"This garden... my mother used to tend to it, but after she passed away, a caretaker was hired, and only this flower ever bloomed here."
A thin, long stem, with a small white flower at its tip. Unlike a normal garden, this one was strangely filled with only one type of flower.
"It's the shepherd's purse flower. Its language means 'piercing longing,' 'I offer it to you,' and so on."
Another piece of trivia for the collection. Though I don't know how long I'll remember it.
"But you must have heard the commotion in the drawing room earlier. Why didn't you come to check?"
"It wasn't the first time something like this has happened."
No wonder. He was so calm despite such a disturbance.
"May I ask... how much did you hear from Liche?"
"About what?"
"About our family's affairs."
I hadn't heard a single word from Liche. I knew because I'd read the novel.
"I know everything."
"Is that so......"
There was no need for a long explanation. It was a common enough story: when Liche was young, she secretly went to play in the forest alone, ran into bandits, and her mother, who noticed the danger too late, died while saving her.
The only difference was that Gerald, who had been a doting husband, blamed his daughter for everything and became twisted ever since, as was evident from the current situation.
"Luke. Forgive my impertinence, but may I ask a favor of you?"
"I'll hear it first."
"Please take good care of Liche......"
"That depends on Liche."
"I will take care of all the arrangements for what happened today."
"Well, I'll consider it."
***
Time passed, and I heard that Liche, no longer paralyzed, had gone to her room, so I headed there as well. But where was her room?
"Is this it?"
-Click.
"Kyaaah?!"
When I opened the door, a woman I didn't know was changing her clothes inside.
"Nice view."
I closed the door again. Damn it, how am I supposed to find Liche's room in this huge mansion when they just tell me "Liche's room"? People here never give you the full story, always leaving out the important parts.
And so, I stumbled upon Liche's room by accident. When I opened the door and went inside, her room, unlike the others I'd seen, was simple and plain. A modest bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and a nightstand. That was it.
Liche wasn't lying on the bed, but squatting in front of it, slumped over the corner.
"Are you okay?"
"...No."
Yeah, you look it. I was just asking to be polite. Liche's voice was hoarse as if she'd been crying.
"If you resent me, why not take revenge? The object of your revenge is right in front of you."
"...Never mind. I'm sure you'd just say you told me to take revenge, not that you'd just stand there and take it, and fight back."
Wow. She knows me too well.
"Why are you here......?"
"I'm staying here for one night, then leaving for the capital tomorrow."
"...Alright."
"......"
"......"
A brief silence followed.
"You know what? Everyone in our party is an orphan."
Luke was, for all intents and purposes, an orphan. Luna's entire family was dead. I wasn't sure about Yui, but since she never mentioned any family, it was safe to assume she was an orphan.
And Liche had just become an orphan today. I hadn't planned it this way, but it just happened.
"Are you trying to comfort me right now?"
"Nah, no way."
It just popped into my head. I'd sworn off ever trying to comfort anyone. I think it was when I was in elementary school in my past life. A friend's parents had died in an accident, and I told him it must be nice not having anyone to nag him anymore. I made him cry.
'Comforting someone is a talent.'
I have a knack for provocation, but I'm a complete amateur when it comes to comfort.
Now that I was done talking, I was about to head back to the guest room where Luna and Yui were, when—
"Hey... why did my father have to die?"
She stopped me with her words.
"Was my father a demonic human, too? Is that why you had to kill him...?"
"Nope. Just a normal human."
"Then why......"
"Because he was trash."
He was someone who could pop up at any time and interfere with every little thing. Was there any reason to keep him alive?
"By that logic, shouldn't you be dead too, Luke...?"
"I'm alive because no one strong enough to kill me has shown up yet, right?"
I don't deny that I'm trash. Honestly, I wouldn't mind dying, but if not, I'll just live on. The reason I'm alive is that no one who could kill me has appeared yet.
The Headmaster, Lucia, or the Weapon Master, Gideon, could have killed me long ago if they'd wanted to, but neither of them was the type to kill unnecessarily.
"Do you regret it? You don't have to come with me if you do."
That's why I told you. If you're looking for justice, you should follow a toilet bowl. If you had, you might have faced interference, but Gerald would still be alive and well.
She's dropped out of the academy, and the source of her trauma is gone now. It would probably be better for her to just live a life of leisure in her family home.
"...No. I don't really regret it. My father was not a good person, not even by a stretch of the imagination......"
"I know."
"Still, it's like... I wasn't mentally prepared yet, I guess."
I don't know what would change even if she had been mentally prepared.
"Luke. Can you come to my room tonight?"
"Why?"
"Hold me when I sleep......"
Asking the man who killed her father to sleep with her. Is she in her right mind?
"Is this a ploy to assassinate me in my sleep while pretending you want me to hold you?!"
"...It's not like that."
True, how could she assassinate me? A knife wouldn't kill me in one hit, and neither would magic.
I shrugged and replied.
"Alright."
That evening, I ate Liche, and she was delicious.