Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Minu's Proposal
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He figured wandering around looking like himself would draw too much suspicion, so Dun transformed his body into a form that was hard to associate with him and headed down toward Ludio Territory.
The alias he was using this time was Minu.
“Call me Minu, nice and easy.”
The man called Minu stirred the soup that Kalian—Melena’s husband—had handed him, then spoke up.
Melena, the representative of the territory’s residents, set down her luggage with a bewildered look and glanced at Kalian as if demanding an explanation.
“Who’s this guy?”
“No idea. He just showed up and shared some food.”
Melena sat down warily and took a sip of the soup Kalian had made.
She’d been so exhausted and desperate earlier, but the simple warmth and nutty flavor of the soup melted her heart.
“It’s delicious as always. Thanks for making it so good.”
“Nah. My legs are like this, and you’re working twice as hard out there—I feel bad that this is all I can do.”
“I told you not to feel bad. You got hurt pushing yourself for our family. That’s nothing to apologize for.”
As the couple’s harmony made him feel forgotten, Minu cleared his throat with an irritated expression.
“Ahem. Hey, focus here.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. Who are you? We’re grateful for the food, but we don’t have anything to offer right now.”
“It’s fine. Just considering my proposal is payment enough.”
“Ah, yes. That proposal you mentioned. What is it? The food we just got—is that ours regardless of whether we accept or decline?”
“Exactly, so relax. I’ve got plenty of money; I’m not gonna make a fuss over a bit of food. I just gave it because you looked hungry.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. But I’m not the type to hand stuff out for free forever, so if you want more food going forward, you’ll have to hear me out. Oh, right—what I gave you is just a taste, like a free sample. Service, you know.”
Minu kept rambling on with explanations.
“……So, what’s the proposal?”
Melena asked tensely.
Truth be told, tomorrow’s meals were the priority right now, so this wasn’t the time to nitpick, but grabbing the hand extended in their hardship could lead to regret far down the line.
Even the count who ruled them wasn’t generous with food supplies. There was no reason for a total stranger to be this generous without some ulterior motive.
“Let’s betray the count!”
*Pffft!*
Minu’s cheery declaration was so shocking that both Melena and Kalian spat out their soup mid-sip.
“C-Cough, cough! What? What did you just say?”
“Let’s betray those Altoid bastards. Following them will just leave you starving.”
Melena frowned, clearly not grasping Minu’s point.
“These are tough times, but he’s doing his best for us. I’m truly grateful for the food you’ve given us, so I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. But please don’t say that to the other residents. We could report you to Count Altoid and get food as a reward.”
Melena spoke carefully. Count Altoid was a scary man.
With his thick ties to the emperor, crossing him could bring the imperial knights, straight to the imperial prison—and the execution grounds.
Minu watched Melena’s face as she forced out the words, lips tight, then suddenly spoke up.
“Don’t you feel suffocated, even if you can’t put your finger on why?”
“Pardon?”
“Your suffering right now feels so unfair, you know something’s wrong, but you can’t pinpoint the reason, so it’s eating at you.”
It hit right at the core.
The question peeled back her insides so sharply that Melena stared piercingly at Minu, at a loss for words, then silently shoveled soup into her mouth.
“Do you…… know the reason, Minu?”
“I do. They hide the truth so you can’t verify it, then spout all these pretty words.”
“Pardon?”
“The results they show are always disastrous, but they claim they’re doing their best. Dig for the cause, and they never explain exactly what’s what. They seem to show the source of the problem, but in the end, reveal nothing, leaving you circling in agony without grasping the point. No villain to blame, the situation’s dire. Maddeningly frustrating, right?”
It perfectly nailed why she felt so stifled.
Melena didn’t openly agree, but inwardly, she nodded vigorously at Minu’s clear breakdown.
“And in that frustrating mess, Count Altoid and his cronies are stuffing their own faces. They talk a good game, too. So you can’t just lash out at the ones causing the pain.”
Hearing Minu out made it seem like the count was deceiving them.
But she didn’t have hard proof yet to fully side with him.
Before concluding she’d been swayed by a count hiding the truth, she needed confirmation that Minu’s words weren’t just manipulation.
She didn’t want to be played anymore.
“If you know the truth they’re hiding, tell me. If you do, I’ll gladly accept your proposal.”
Minu pulled out an image orb as if he’d been waiting and held it out to Melena.
Clamorous chatter.
This appeared to be a meal with Gesen, the count’s proxy.
“You call this cooking? The puff pastry’s crumbling all over.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll make it again.”
“Dear, what did you do with the excess food that was rotting?”
“Fed it to the dogs in our territory, hahaha! Those dumb mutts were so grateful.”
Melena and Kalian’s eyes widened in shock.
“What about the count? Got any proof Altoid’s trash too?”
“Couldn’t get an image orb from the count’s side. He’s got detection gear for magic-sensing items everywhere. You know he’s tight with the imperial mages.”
“Ah…….”
“So I snuck into the count’s house myself and checked things out. They’re in cahoots. If anything, he’s even worse.”
Unlike Gesen, who looked the villain part, the count’s tall, upright image made it hard to buy without solid proof.
Count Altoid really seemed kind on the surface.
“Not sure if this convinces you, but he’s running a massive slave trading operation. Never seen anyone run slaves without a conscience and still be a good person caring for others. ‘Necessary slave trading for the territory’s revival’? Bull. He’s the type who sacrifices others to lift himself up—think he really cares about you? Tsk, too bad I couldn’t capture the count’s true face. Ah, throat’s dry. Water, please.”
Explaining and persuading wasn’t his forte, and it was wearing him out. His mouth muscles were twitching.
Minu, who’d been chattering away, waved his hand asking for water.
While Minu gulped down the water Kalian offered, Melena sank into thought to make her decision.
The rage from finding answers screamed to follow Minu right away.
Once he’d quenched his thirst and regained his voice, Minu tossed one last line at the pondering Melena.
“They mock your loyalty and trust, see you as inferior idiots. Pour your passion into them, and what’s left but emptiness? For now, play along lightly on my side, report lightly to them. Okay? Once you’re convinced, come fully over.”
“…….”
So much had happened so suddenly that her mind couldn’t sort it out.
It might be emotional, but the anger and resentment urged her to choose Minu now.
Melena idly stirred her soup with her spoon for a moment, then took a bite.
She hadn’t asked for much.
Show loyalty, and protect our comfortable lives.
The warm, savory soup filling her mouth.
Melena finally reached her conclusion.
“Alright. What do we need to do?”
The territory’s representative seemed to have come around.
She was playing neutral, not fully committed yet, but that was as good as all in.
Dun spoke brightly.
“Sell Mazia fruits in Adventurer Village and get food.”
“The count won’t like that…… What about the fallout? If he reports us to the emperor for breaking the law and brings imperial troops, then what?”
“Keep pretending Mazia farming isn’t working and hand over just 10% of production. If it comes out, we’ll handle it.”
* * *
Emperor Luisa arrived at the training grounds and led the adventurer brigade recently provided by the adventurers into a mock monster subjugation.
[Adventurer Minwoo 2]
An adventurer stuck right by the emperor’s side recited the lines he’d memorized from the email before logging in.
“How do you like the adventurer brigade we provided? Each one’s got the power of a small army.”
“Indeed. What remarkable folk…….”
Emperor Luisa watched in admiration as the brigade’s mages effortlessly unleashed bombardment spells, crushing the monsters.
Were they blessed by the gods? They grew so easily, far stronger than regular mages.
The mana each had dwarfed that of normal soldiers.
Luisa had heard rumors that Prim was scouting strong adventurers to build an army, so instead of stamping adventurer contracts, he was pleased with the powerful brigade he’d gained.
Of course, profit-driven adventurers like mercenaries would prefer attaching to Emperor Luisa over barren Prim.
“We plan to periodically train strong adventurers and provide them to you, Emperor Luisa.”
“Hm. You’re not doing it for free—what do you want?”
“We’ve built an adventurer village lately for training strong adventurers. We’d appreciate official recognition for it.”
“Very well.”
And just like that, the adventurer village built without permission on foreign soil gained official village status.