Chapter 126
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Scene 126 Infiltration
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Forgive my grievous sin.
Wendys father, Henry, bowed his head to the dirt floor.
I didnt realize you were my daughters master.
I looked down coldly at Henry, who trembled as he begged for mercy.
Speak freely. Didnt you say youd say everything and live?
N-No, sir! I-I want to live a long, long time! Please, just spare my life.
S-Sorry! Im sorry! My lord!
Wendy bowed her head alongside him.
She must have felt responsible for her fathers slip of the tongue.
And beside her, the youngest, Luri, adorably bowed her head before me.
Fwank you?
Hmm. This one seemed to be doing it without knowing what was going on.
I glanced around the house.
It wasnt much of a hut, even without expectationstruly rundown.
Dirt-caked furnishings and clothes little better than rags were scattered about.
This impoverished home was where they had been scraping by.
I sighed inwardly and opened my mouth.
Thats enough apologizing.
B-But.
I wont say it twice. A patient should lie like a patient.
Y-Yes, sir!
Henry lifted his head hesitantly.
If I was going to forgive him anyway, it was better to do it quickly.
The sight of a sick man begging for forgiveness was uncomfortable, after all.
Thank you. Cough, cough!
D-Dad! Are you okay?
Wendy supported Henry and laid him on the straw.
So thats why there was straw insideit was their bed.
Wendys voice cracked as she asked, wondering if it had been this bad when she lived here.
Dad. Why are you living in a place like this? What about our house?
We got evicted for not paying rent. Cough, cough. After I fell ill, taxes piled up, but its a blessing we werent chased out of the village.
W-What about the money I sent you?
Money? Cough, cough. What are you talking about? Its been a while since your last letter.
W-What??
Henry spoke with a baffled expression.
With no letters, I worried something had happened to you. If you were just healthy, I wouldve gone to see you.
From this, I could roughly guess the situation.
Id need to investigate, but clearly, someone had been intercepting the money Wendy sent.
Might as well steal from a fleas liver.
Thinking of some vermin pocketing the money Wendy earned through blood and sweat made my stomach churn.
But now wasnt the time for anger. I had to save this rage until I knew exactly who the culprit was.
Um. My lord.
.
Im truly sorry for receiving you in such a shabby place.
Misreading my dark expression, Henry spoke up.
Cough, cough. Theres nowhere proper to sit. Let me explain the situation and borrow a chair from next door.
Dont worry about it. We barged in uninvited.
I waved him off, but then felt a prickling gaze.
Looking down, Luri was staring right at me.
.
Our eyes met, and she spread her arms wide.
As if asking for a hug.
Dont throw a tantrum.
Not a tanwum! Hug!
Thats what a tantrum is.
Wah!
Luri puffed her cheeks and fussed, unafraid of me.
..
.
Ordinary kids would be busy crying just at the sight of Tristans face.
L-Luri! Thats rude to my lord!
Wendy tried to intervene, but Luri ignored her and kept reaching out.
Hug!
Insolent little thing.
In the end, I clicked my tongue and picked up Luri.
At that moment, I couldnt help but be a little shocked.
The girl, barely more than an infant, was far too light.
Looking closely, Luris limbs were stick-thin, like the starving children on TV.
Malnutrition, no doubt.
Insowent!
Yet Luri smiled at me so brightly, it belied any suffering from hunger.
That smile seemed so fragile, ready to shatter, that I passed her to Helga nearby.
You hold her.
M-Me? Oh, yes.
Helgas expression turned pitying the instant she took Lurijust like mine.
Sickly children evoke sympathy from anyone.
Then, Henry muttered dazedly.
Youre not like the rumors at all, my lord.
Rumors?
Yes. When do serfs like us ever get to see you? We only know what we hear.
Id like to hear them.
Pardon?
Those rumors. What they say about me.
W-Well.
Henry trailed off, looking troubled.
From what hed said earlier, the content was obvious enough.
They say youre a fat tyrant who treats underlings like bugs. B-But thats just rumors! I never thought that.
Enough. No need to defend me.
It matched the old Tristan before I possessed him, from what Id heard.
The countryside just hadnt caught up on my recent changes yet.
But that was for the best.
Wendy.
Y-Yes?
You stay here and tend to your family. Helga and I have somewhere to go.
W-Where are you going?
Whewe?
Wendy and Luri tilted their heads in unisonquite cute.
Having two daughters must feel like this.
But regardless, I answered with a stern face.
Somewhere kids dont need to know about.
Riharts tavern, Golden Sheaf.
For a backwater like Rihart, it was an unexpectedly lavish place.
Charlie glanced around furtively.
It was a fairly antique-styled tavern.
Chandeliers on the ceiling bathed the second floor in crimson light.
Below them, young and pretty servers in revealing outfits flitted about.
Unlike the first floor, run as a normal tavern, the second floorwhere Charlie satwasnt for just anyone.
It was frequented by rural nobles with more money than sense, so-called parvenus.
Im out.
Charlie shook his head and tossed his cards.
Kehehe.
The bald noble across from him chuckled as he raked in the pot.
The moment Charlies bet vanished.
Fed up, Charlie stood.
Hey, Charlie. Quitting mid-game?
Aigoo, Im done.
It was just getting fundont be like that. Eh? Thats no fun.
Damn. Of course its fun when youre winning my money.
But a mere serf overseer like Charlie couldnt mouth off to a noble.
Come on, cut me some slack. Its the weekendI gotta grab a girl or two, right?
You bastard. What kinda stunner are you chasing to ditch the game already?
Yeah, I found a real knockout. This guys raring to go today.
Charlie pointed crudely at his crotch and grinned lecherously.
The bald noble got it and snickered.
Kuhahaha! Fine, Ill let you off this time. Bring her next time. Better not be some ugly hag, got it?
Yes, sir! Thank you!
Charlie bowed deeply and turned away.
Considering his position managing village serfs, this wasnt a place he belonged.
He could come thanks to his recent windfalls, probably.
However.
Sip.
Charlie sat at the bar and ordered a drink.
Hed bluffed about it to escape the poker table, but it was true enough.
He scanned the women milling about.
The skimpy outfits exposing servers rears stirred his pent-up lust.
Harvest season had kept him too busy for women lately.
Charlie checked his remaining cash.
Roughly five million kaels. Enough to buy a bunch of decent whores and party till morning.
He sipped his drink, eyes roaming.
Even the servers here were the cream of the local crop.
But none satisfied Charlie.
Huh?
While hunting for a catch, something odd caught his eye.
Every woman nearby was staring at one spotone man.
Charlies first impression: disgustingly handsome guy.
A black-clad young noble sat there, suit neat, demeanor calm.
Up close, his aura was chillingly cold. Almost untouchable.
New face?
Charlie tilted his head.
He looked barely out of his teens.
Golden Sheaf was the go-to for rich local nobles to booze and gamble.
This guy didnt fit.
Huh?!
Charlies eyes widened as he spotted the woman beside him.
In a uniform-like outfit, she had a face blending girlish innocence with womanly allure.
Even in the dim light, she stood out. Her catlike, graceful gestures and expressions drew gazes.
And above all, the most beautiful woman Charlie had ever seen.
To spend a night with her.
Thats when it happened.
Mr. Charlie?
A server approached the staring Charlie.
What?
Um. The young lord over there is asking for you.
Me?
Coincidentally, it was the man hed been watching.
The man fixed Charlie with a cold stare.
Damn, caught ogling his girl.
Charlie scratched his head and approached the table.
What is it?
Are you the one managing the village?
But the mans question differed from what Charlie expected.
Pardon?
I heard you manage the village. Is that right?
Uh? Well. Not the village exactlymore like the serfs?
I see.
The man gestured for Charlie to sit.
Unsure what was up, Charlie sat anyway.
He seemed noble-ish, at least.
I heard you know this area well.
Yes, sir. Like the back of my hand. What do you wanna know?
Yeah. Got a lot of questions.
If Charlie hadnt been distracted, he mightve sensed the danger from the man.
But even then, he couldnt tear his eyes from the woman beside him.
The more he looked, the more stunning she was. Her mysterious odd eyes watched him.
Her coquettish smile led his gaze to her seductively crossed legs. Her impossibly short skirt let the light gleam off her smooth thighs.
At the erotic sight, Charlie swallowed unwittingly.
Judging by her outfit, probably a high-class whore this young noble brought.
Places like this meant he wasnt highbornjust some minor noble playboy.
God, I cant hold back.
He wanted to drag her to an inn right now and make her do all sorts of filthy things.
His boiling urges sparked an idea.
Sir, you said you had questions?
Yeah.
From what I see, youre not from around here. Right?
Yeah.
Then I cant just blab. I hold an important post managing local serfs. Cant spill to outsiders carelessly, can I?
With that, Charlie subtly formed a circle with his fingers.
Makes sense.
The man nodded easily at the bribe hint and asked back.
Then is this enough?
Charlies eyes bulged.
Hed expected cash from the mans pocket, but it was a gem.
Not huge, but definitely.
A diamond.
D-Dia?!?
A strangled yelp escaped Charlie.
Thought he was a regular parvenu, but this guy was loaded differently.
That outstripped the petty sums hed skimmed from serfs.
Swallowing greedily, Charlie paused.
No. Somethings off.
What noble hands a fortune like that to a serf overseer so freely?
Hed seen plenty of overflowing parvenus, but never like this.
Which means.
Either the gems fake.
Or this guys a foreign spy.
Rihart lands were vital granary for the great Ruelverta house.
This area supplied the fierce Aslan soldiers under Ruelverta.
Could be a young spy disguised as a minor noble.
Either way, bad news for Charlie.
He wanted to refuse and bolt, but that whore nagged at him.
A woman like that wouldnt show up in this backwater twice.
Fine. Just some playboy or hidden spy. Ill milk him dry.
Charlie smirked inwardly.
Ahem. Not that I dont trust you, sir. But an ignorant slob like me cant tell real gem from fake, right? Pulling that out in a rural spot like thisits tricky, sir.
Understood. What else do you want?
Less than that gem you just showed.
Charlie licked his lips, glancing at the woman.
But Id rather have the beautiful gem you brought along.