Time of Vengeance
The moment I returned to Crescent, my movements would be restricted for a while.
That's why I was checking off a list, inspecting each item my subordinates had gathered to make sure nothing was left behind.
Tungsten, manganese, sulfur, pyrite, platinum...
Everything I had asked them to collect was already gathered.
As a bonus, they had collected various miscellaneous metals I hadn't even thought about, so it seemed I wouldn't need to visit Spencer County to gather materials for quite some time.
Impressive.
The Black Hawk mercenaries originally established their base in Spencer County.
Because of that, they had connections with local merchants, which made gathering these items smoother than expected.
Their performance was so good that the 300,000 shilling expenditure seemed like a bargain.
Grandfather will arrive at least a month from now...
"Sir, is there anything lacking that you'd like to mention?" Jack asked cautiously, watching my expression.
"Nothing. It's perfect."
"...Is that so?"
Jack nodded with a somewhat doubtful expression.
"What's the matter?"
"You don't look particularly happy, so I was wondering."
When Jack said this with a slightly frustrated expression, the subordinates who had been keeping their distance began chatting among themselves.
"Did he get rejected after confessing?"
"The lord confessing? No way. I heard he's devoted to one person."
"For someone like that, the mood between them seemed pretty good..."
"Logan, you bastard... Just because you have good eyes, you're peeping? What a complete trash."
"Waaah! I'm telling Sophia about this."
"As expected of Logan the female hunter!"
"Hey, you sons of bitches!"
Since I hadn't disciplined them for a while out of consideration for Lady Scarlett, their old mercenary habits were starting to resurface.
I split a piece of pyrite they had collected in half with my mana-infused hand chop.
Immediately, they shut their mouths and pretended nothing had happened.
They were truly consistent fellows.
It's just dopamine deficiency, that's all...
For a modern person who used to enjoy VR games, this world lacks stimulation.
So I had been pursuing small but certain sources of dopamine.
But then the Apostle of Plague, a psychopathic prince under royal protection, and beyond that, the shadowy presence of the Empire.
These figures started appearing to interfere with my small but certain happiness.
Thanks to them, my blueprint for farming small joys had gone awry, and I was currently suffering from a serious dopamine deficiency.
Perhaps that effect was subtly showing on my face.
"Are you very busy, my lord?" the captain asked.
The last thing left is to confirm the power.
After finishing my outing with the princess and Lady Scarlett, I used the fifth power again.
But what I saw in my left eye was the same vision as before.
Until now, whenever I used a power, its usage method would immediately come to mind.
However, with the fifth power, although I understood how to use it, I couldn't quite grasp what ability it actually was.
The Apostle had always given me powers that would be helpful.
So there must be a reason why this power was bestowed upon me.
I needed to examine it more closely.
"Well... what is it?"
The captain carefully observed me and my subordinates before speaking again.
"If you have some time, would you care to join us for a while? It might help you change your mood."
The captain made a drinking gesture with his right hand as he spoke.
A tavern, huh...
It's not a place Loyd the master and nobleman would frequent.
But it would be a place that Loyd from the bad ending route, who was expelled from his family, might visit.
Few places gather as much information as taverns.
It would be a good place to check the Apostle's fifth power.
So I decided to go along with his transparent suggestion.
"That doesn't sound bad."
"Woohoo!"
"As expected of our lord!"
"We're all going to get wasted today!!!"
The mercenaries who had secured a sponsor cheered with joy.
Despite having received plenty of bonuses recently, they seemed delighted at the prospect of free drinks.
I glanced at them sideways and then purchased a hood from a nearby shop.
"That's... ah, of course."
My face had become quite recognizable by now.
So I thought a light disguise would be appropriate.
My subordinates seemed to understand when I covered my right eye with the hood.
I just need to wrap some cloth around the pommel and that's it...
"Let's go."
"Yes!"
The place my subordinates enthusiastically led me to was a tavern with a decent exterior.
Looks expensive.
Spencer County is a territory of high nobility.
As such, there were quite a few wealthy merchants, and I could see people who appeared to be well-off entering and exiting.
"Logan should stay out, right?"
"Yeah, don't you feel bad for Sophia?"
"That's right! That's right!"
As we approached the establishment, the subordinates began teasing Logan, the married man.
This seemed to be a familiar situation for Logan, who sighed and subtly moved to my side.
"Sir, would you honor me by sharing a drink with you?"
It seemed the blessing of the Three Divine Olivia Dream was still with him, even in retirement.
I gave Logan a small nod and entered the tavern with my subordinates.
It's like a medieval pleasure house.
Pretty women were walking around the establishment, serving drinks.
Men who appeared to be merchants were seated with these women by their sides, drinking.
As I looked around the place, a lavishly dressed woman approached us from the second floor.
"My, it's been a while, Captain."
The woman seemed to know the captain and greeted him warmly.
"It has been a while."
The captain lowered his voice differently than usual and gestured solemnly as if asking her to guide us to our seats.
His manner seemed quite familiar with the place.
The woman smiled gently and divided my subordinates into groups of two or three.
Normally there might not have been enough seats, but since it was a bit early for dinner, there seemed to be plenty of space for us.
The counter would be better.
I took a seat at the counter with Logan.
This was a place that provided an atmosphere closer to a bar.
Logan asked if I wanted to drink, and I nodded, indicating he should order something appropriate. He ordered mead with practiced ease.
"Is Sophia doing well?"
"Yes, sir. Thank you for your concern."
Just as I took a sip of mead while chatting with Logan—
Knock, knock.
A woman lightly knocked on the table and winked at me.
"May I have a drink, honorable knight?"
I briefly looked her up and down before nodding casually.
She wasn't particularly interesting to me.
Hehe.
The woman, however she interpreted my response, sat down next to me with a gentle smile.
"If it's not too presumptuous, could I be your lady for today, Sir Knight?"
She was being quite forward, suggesting she could be the lady of a master.
I ignored her confident flirting and simply continued drinking.
What was important to me was confirming the new power I had acquired.
Let's try using Insight first.
Since my right eye was covered, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Indeed...
Power Level 4: Insight
— See through everything.
In a way, this was the most appropriate power for the voyeuristic Apostle.
"If you would allow me—"
The woman leaned forward, deliberately showing her chest as she stared at me intently.
"I could share my intimate secrets with you, Sir Knight..."
I glanced at the woman and then looked around the tavern.
That's when I noticed that she and several other women had the same tattoo.
Apostle of Plague...
In this world with terrible hygiene, prostitution was a center for all kinds of diseases.
So it made sense that they would be acquainted with priests who served as something like doctors.
They would be especially close with the Apostles of Plague.
While ordinary priests condemned prostitution, the Apostles of Plague would welcome prostitutes as comprehensive disease centers.
I see them everywhere, plague.
"This is a place for married men, my lady," Logan interjected cleverly.
"Ah, you're..."
The woman seemed to recognize Logan sitting near me.
Since the captain knew the madam of this place, Logan must have visited here a few times as well.
"Tsk! I thought a good man had finally come along..."
The woman said this and then left after giving me one more lingering look.
I watched her for a moment and then used the fifth power.
Then I saw a man arm-in-arm with the departing woman.
He was about 10cm shorter than me and generally smaller, but—
It's me?
It was clearly Loyd.
The phantom Loyd headed to a room on the second floor with his arm linked with the woman's.
Normally, I would need to follow that phantom directly, but I had a way to see what was happening in the second-floor room from where I was.
Insight...
I sat there sipping my drink while watching the other Loyd's actions.
Ahh, Sir Knight...♥
Loyd began intertwining bodies with the prostitute.
It was a disgusting sight that ruined my taste for alcohol, but without a fast-forward function, I had no choice but to endure.
After enjoying their tryst for quite some time, Loyd lay naked in bed with the woman.
Then, holding her in his arms, he began pillow talk.
Most of the conversation was useless, but—
Count Spencer? I don't know the details, but on charges of royal assassination... Sir Knight?
It's nothing. Don't worry about it.
I-I'm sorry...
Some very useful information emerged.
This mark? Hmm! It's a proof that I'm under the management of the order!
Proof?
Some picky men refuse service without it.
The mention of charges of royal assassination suggested this was from a time after the vision I had seen before.
And then there was the talk about that mark.
Priests who are genuinely devoted to prostitutes whom other priests avoid—that's evidence of serving the Apostle of Plague.
I thought it was strange.
Contracts with Apostles were hit or miss.
If a player controlling Loyd made a contract with an Apostle focused on combat power, what basis would the player have for tracking the Apostle of Plague?
I could find clues about that here.
About the newly appointed lord? I don't know the details, but it seems a manager dispatched from the royal family will be handling affairs for the time being...
Do you know the name?
I don't know. But if you come back tomorrow, I can tell you.
Didn't you say you don't know?
I can ask Father Basque!
This could work.
The hedgehog prince was good at cutting his tail like a lizard, making it difficult to catch even his shadow.
So for now, I could only strike at his underlings to narrow the prince's range of action.
But with this ability, it wouldn't be impossible to track the prince's traces.
No matter how thorough the prince might be, how could he control information obtained from another world of possibilities?
Just watch, Olivia Dream!
It was time for revenge.