Chapter 41: How the Young Lord Recruits (5)
Chapter 41: How the Young Lord Recruits (5)
Despite the brief commotion over the glasses, I managed to reach the dungeon safely with Amy in tow.
"Who the hell is coming in here at the crack of dawn and lighting the— H-Hieeeek...!"
"Y-Young Lord Ruji Fermaton...!"
Right.
That was the look I usually got.
It was the same look people give a massive, abandoned stray dog—one that prowls the neighborhood scavenging through trash, baring its teeth and growling, without so much as a leash or a muzzle to hold it back.
"Young Lord."
"I have no interest in the thieves. Where is she?"
"She is further inside."
I followed behind Amy.
Unlike the common cells where prisoners were crammed together, she was held in a 'solitary cell' behind a heavy steel door.
"Hmm."
Silver hair that shimmered even in the flickering torchlight.
Put her in a swimsuit, and she’d be a woman I knew all too well; but right now, she wore armor that concealed her skin so thoroughly it felt stifling just to look at.
"Sword Maiden. Correct?"
"...Greetings, Young Lord."
She was polite, at least.
Even while imprisoned, she maintained the upright posture of a knight.
"I’ll call you by your name."
She’d made a name for herself as the 'Sword Maiden' since she was young, but as she aged, she found the title awkward and tried to change it. Instead, she became known as the 'Sword Virgin,' and to protect that title—and avoid being mocked as the 'Sword’s Non-Virgin'—she had eventually taken a vow of chastity.
And currently, she was a powerhouse who had single-handedly retrieved a gem suspected to be a Mythstone.
"It seems you caused quite a stir last night."
"I have no excuse."
"'I have no excuse.' A fine answer. Does that mean you will graciously accept whatever punishment is dealt?"
"...Is this a trial?"
"Indeed."
Every criminal must, of course, stand trial.
And this was something I had already confirmed beforehand.
"What kind of verdict do you think I’ll hand down?"
"...I was under the impression that Countess Fermaton would be the judge."
"My will is my mother’s will. You shouldn't be looking for someone to persuade her; you should be trying to persuade me, right here and now."
Trials were conducted by the Lord.
While someone else would handle a Lord’s own transgressions, within the borders of Fermaton, the trial was the responsibility of the Lord—Zenith Fermaton.
"My mother merely reads the final verdict. The one who sifts through the evidence and decides the sentence is none other than me."
"...I was not aware of that."
"Because you likely never had a reason to know. Everyone is like that until they cause trouble."
Serica had probably lived a life that never required a trial until now.
The fact that she hadn't killed or even drawn her sword against the countless people who mocked her as the 'Sword Virgin' spoke volumes about her character.
The Saint of the Sword.
In both heart and conduct, Serica was a good woman in every sense of the word.
...To the point where I felt genuinely guilty about locking her in a dungeon and acting like a piece of trash.
‘But I have to do it.’
I had to harden my heart. I couldn't let Serica slip away.
‘I’m the man who just had an undercover maid slapped.’
Technically, I wasn't the one who did the slapping, but it happened on my orders. My conscience pricked at the thought of acting recklessly toward Serica, but for the sake of my own survival, I had to stand firm.
"Serica. Do you know your crimes?"
"Pardon?"
"...Ahem. I’m asking if you are aware of the charges that brought you here."
"...I understand them to be assault and property damage."
"Right. And this was the weapon."
I picked up an object stored as evidence across from the solitary cell.
"A bat studded with nails. Quite the violent choice, wouldn't you say? Did it never occur to you that hitting someone with this might actually kill them?"
"...If I may speak freely."
Serica straightened her posture.
"I controlled my strength with enough precision to ensure they would not die."
"......."
"In fact, there should be no fatalities. ...At least, not among the thieves I struck."
"Hmm. That is true."
Those thieves were currently locked in a group cell nearby.
"The problem is that you struck them while reinforcing those nails with Aura."
According to the report, most of the thieves' injuries were 'contusions.' However, instead of broad bruises, the wounds looked as if they had been struck by a blunt iron rod.
In other words, she had channeled Aura into those nails and used them to beat them.
For someone so kind-hearted and polite, her actions were remarkably aggressive.
"Why did you do it?"
"That is..."
"Was it to relieve the stress caused by those who speak recklessly to you?"
"......."
Sword Maiden, Sword Virgin.
"Or was it a vent for your anger at having your belongings stolen by a thief?"
"......."
Serica remained silent.
‘It’s stress relief.’
I knew.
Specifically, I knew of a certain manga based on Serica.
Righteous Knight vs Delinquents.zip
It was a common story where Serica, attempting to take down some thugs, gets caught by a well-endowed delinquent and subjected to all sorts of wicked, unspeakable things. The art style was the kind that made a man want to blow off some steam, so I’d glanced at it once in passing. In that story, Serica had definitely entered the back alleys to take down thugs.
In other words.
Serica frequently visited the back alleys.
To punish those who committed evil deeds.
"You assaulted members of the Thief Guild. Do you do this often?"
"......."
"Are you taking out the stress you get from other adventurers on them? Since you can't just hit regular people, you settle for disciplining the thugs who pick fights with you."
"That is..."
"Don't ask me why I'm arresting you only now. Regardless, you were caught in the act of assault. Furthermore, since you assaulted multiple people, you must face aggravated punishment."
Even if they were people who stole and fenced stolen goods, they were still residents living within the walls of Fermaton.
"The crime of assaulting a resident is heavy, Adventurer."
"But...!"
"Self-defense? Well, I’m not so sure. The fact that you controlled your strength just enough to keep them alive makes the nature of the crime even worse. Don't you think there's a problem with the fact that you intended to inflict maximum pain while stopping just short of death?"
"...I admit it. However, there is one thing I must say."
"What is it?"
"They stole the spoils I risked my life to obtain on the 50th floor. I only fought to reclaim what was mine."
"I see."
There was nothing to find fault with there.
"Then let me ask. Was that item perhaps that gem?"
"......!!"
"It wasn't the gem I was looking for, but there was one similar to it."
Now.
From here on.
I would recite the script exactly as prepared.
"I sent someone after hearing that the Thief Guild had secured a certain gem. I was about to make a deal when you showed up and caused a riot."
"......."
"I paid the Guild Master the full amount. Of course, the Guild Master is currently..."
Thwack.
I brought my hand down like a blade onto my clenched fist.
"No longer among the living."
"Then..."
"Fortunately, the Thief Guild has a Sub-Master. I just finished obtaining a 'confession' from her on my way here. Coincidentally, she said it was a stolen gem. Stolen from you."
I felt a bit bad for Yurdias, but a fact was a fact. Even if Serica gave her a piece of her mind later, Yurdias had to take responsibility for her actions.
"The Thief Guild intended to sell the gem to us, and I bought it. The ownership now belongs to me."
"That is..."
"I know. It was stolen, so it was fenced goods from the start, and I bought it knowing that. That gem is simply too important to me."
"Then..."
"Of course, your imprisonment is a separate matter. You were brought in for simple assault, so it would be proper to lock you up with the rest of them over there, but throwing you in with those beasts would be dangerous."
I spoke as if locking her in a solitary cell was an act of immense generosity.
"At any rate, I cannot simply return a gem I paid a vast sum for just because it was stolen property. So, I have a proposal."
"A... proposal?"
"Yes. If you pay me just half of what I purchased it for, I will sell it back to you."
"That is..."
"I’m sorry, but the payment I gave the Thief Guild is gone. While someone was busy causing a commotion, I couldn't find the bastard who ran off with the money."
"Urgh...!"
It was a lie. But if there was no one to call me out on it, repeating a claim until it fit the circumstances often made it feel like the truth.
"Amy. What is the status of the payment trace?"
"...We have yet to find it."
"I see. How unfortunate."
Of course we hadn't found it. I never told anyone to look for it, and I never handed over any physical payment in the first place.
"So, my money has vanished into thin air. Completely gone. Who knows? Maybe they jumped off a cliff with it. Or maybe they fled into the Infinite Labyrinth and got eaten by a beast."
In truth, I had handed over the payment. It was just that the Sub-Master of the Thief Guild had swallowed it all up into her belly.
"Fine. Then how much was that payment?"
"Two hundred million gold."
".......Pardon?"
For the first time, Serica’s expression froze.
"Did you not hear me? I said two hundred million gold."
"I-I must have misheard you?"
"Were you in the military? Then I should speak clearly. Two hundred million gold."
Since a golden wave of two hundred million had rippled into Yurdias’s womb, it was two hundred million gold. I was just spouting nonsense, but there was a logical and scientific calculation behind it.
It wasn't the value of my sperm. It was the appropriate price to hire a max-level adventurer like Serica.
"Can't pay? Well, it’s not exactly the kind of money an adventurer has lying around. In that case, let’s do this."
I pointed upward.
"I’ll release you from the assault charges under the guise of self-defense. In exchange, become the Technical Advisor for my knight order."
I could feel a gaze burning into my back. Amy was likely looking at me with eyes that said, 'So that's why you had her caught.'
...She probably thought I’d come down here just to rape her.
"What do you say?"
"A knight order, you say..."
"My knight order, formed to find the gems. Since you’ve already found a gem similar to the one I seek, you would be a great asset. What do you say?"
"......."
Her violet eyes wavered. She seemed shocked by the monetary value of the gem and equally surprised by my offer of a plea bargain.
"If we find one of the gems, I’ll either give you the original or give that one to you. Naturally, you will be treated with the respect due to a Technical Advisor, and the compensation will be generous."
Serica. She wasn't someone who could be won over through ordinary sex.
In that case...
"What do you say? If you’re interested, have a drink with me tonight."
I’d get her drunk and take her then.
"Do you like wine?"
Not through force, but through seduction.