Answer Carefully
The moment I stepped onto the second floor, I came face-to-face with the prostitutes.
Among them were the women who had been downstairs; they must have fled this way during the fighting.
They had nowhere else to go even if they left the establishment.
“P-please spare us….”
They dropped to their knees, tears streaming down their faces. I asked them only the simplest questions.
“Who hired you? I already know everything, so if you lie, you die. Don’t forget how I found this place.”
“W-we don’t really know either. They just said they’d pay us a lot….”
“All of you?”
“Yes…. But the guide told us that whenever villagers came, we should ask about the state of the territory.”
They didn’t seem to be directly connected to Baron Skallen. If they had been, they would have run to him during the fight and reported everything.
“Until I come back, all of you stay in that room. In the meantime I’ll decide whether to kill you or not.”
I pointed at one of the rooms.
“If any of you run, you all die. I’ll hunt you down to the ends of the earth. Anyone feel like playing tag with me?”
“…We’ll keep that in mind.”
Once every woman had filed into the room, I headed up to the third floor.
“Hmm.”
There were several rooms here as well, but unlike the second floor these looked more like offices than sleeping quarters.
I opened the empty doors one by one until, at the very end, I found myself face-to-face with a man.
Slicked-back black hair and angular glasses.
He sat behind a desk, looking thoroughly exhausted.
“And who the hell are you?”
The man set down the pen he had been holding and answered.
“I am the manager of this establishment, appointed by Baron Skallen. You may think of me as the financial officer.”
He spilled it so readily that I kept pressing.
“Why are you running this place?”
“To gather information on the Luminara Territory and bring the residents under control. The plan was to slowly eat away at the territory from the inside.”
“He must trust you quite a bit if you know all that.”
“Trust?”
He opened and closed his fist.
“Baron Skallen simply holds my life in his hand and uses me. He took note of my abilities and shoved me into this place.”
He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
“As you can see, I have no combat ability whatsoever. Even if I tried to escape, the others would have caught me in no time.”
“Hmm. You’re calmer than I expected. Have you already accepted death?”
The man shook his head.
“No. I’m doing this because I want to live.”
“Give me one reason I should let you live.”
“There is none. But I intend to create one.”
“You’re an odd one.”
I tilted my head and asked,
“So. Don’t you have something to tell me now?”
“Young Mas—”
“Answer carefully.”
I leveled my sword at him.
“If you can’t give me a reason right this second, you die here.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them and spoke in a rush.
“The ones who were watching the village will notice something’s wrong and come. There are six of them in total. They’re strong, but seeing as you made it to the third floor without a single scratch, you should be more than capable of handling them.”
At that exact moment, a sound like a crow landing on the outer wall reached my ears.
When I didn’t move, a bead of sweat slid down his sideburn.
“Haha.”
I let out a quiet laugh.
“A little later and you’d have been dead.”
“…….”
“Stay right here and wait.”
I left the office. Sharp wind began to whirl around my blade once more.
“If you haven’t come up with another reason by the time I return, you die.”
The man who had been sitting in the Pleasure Village office—
Scriben stared at the firmly closed door.
So it’s come to this after all.
Everything had gone smoothly until now.
He had run the Pleasure Village exactly as Baron Skallen demanded, collecting information on the Luminara Territory and binding the residents with gambling debts.
Then the eldest son of House Luminara, who had supposedly been kidnapped, suddenly appeared and swept the entire Pleasure Village clean.
Scriben hadn’t witnessed the fights, but the fact that only Cael remained unharmed made it easy to guess the outcome had been an overwhelming victory.
Was he always this strong?
He had heard the young master could handle a sword, but never imagined it was to this degree.
No. That’s not the issue right now. If I can’t give him a reason to spare me, I die here.
He had crawled through hell just to stay alive this long; he refused to die so meaninglessly.
Outside was unnervingly silent, as though a storm might break at any second.
Creak… creak….
Then the wooden floorboards warped under what must have been Cael’s footsteps.
A moment later, a sharp crack! rang out, followed by the clash of weapons echoing through the Pleasure Village.
- Gyaaah!
That was probably one of the watchers screaming.
Cael was a beast—a wild animal whose next move no one could predict.
It wouldn’t be strange at all if he abandoned killing the watchers mid-fight, smashed through the door, and cut Scriben’s head off.
- Gyaaaaaah!
So think, and think fast.
A reason Cael absolutely had to keep him alive.
“…….”
The commotion outside died down almost as quickly as it had begun. The winner had been decided.
Scriben forced a calm expression onto his face while his legs trembled violently under the desk.
Creeeak….
The door opened and the victor stepped inside.
Blood dripped steadily from the tip of his sword. A tall frame and sharp features.
At first glance he looked refined, almost noble—yet the madness swirling in his eyes devoured every scrap of that elegance.
“Have you prepared a reason?”
Cael flicked the blood from his blade so he could paint it with fresh crimson.
Scriben swallowed hard and rose to his feet.
“You must be tired, Young Master. Please, have a seat first.”
Cael smirked.
“That just bought you thirty seconds.”
I dragged a chair over, sat down, and planted my sword in the floor.
The man with glasses knelt before me.
So there really were watchers after all.
I had felt sticky gazes when I entered the village, but since no one followed me I hadn’t paid them much mind.
Fortunately none of them posed a real threat, so cleaning them up had been simple enough.
“What’s your name?”
“Scriben, Young Master.”
“Alright, Scriben. Why should I let you live?”
He answered at once.
“You can use me as a witness when you take down Baron Skallen. I know the details.”
“I don’t need that. I can catch him without you.”
“…….”
“Is that all? Three, two, one….”
Scriben spat out his next words in a hurry.
“I will serve as the financial officer of the Luminara Territory.”
“Financial officer?”
“Yes. The Luminara Territory is populated mostly by farmers; there is no one truly capable of administering it. Because the affairs within the territory are relatively simple, the lord has been handling nearly everything alone.”
“…….”
“So leave it to me. Running the territory will become far easier.”
I crossed my arms and muttered,
“You know an awful lot about our situation. Makes me want to kill you even more.”
“…….”
“I get that you’re competent. But why should I bother keeping you on as financial officer?”
“Because I’ll work for free. And talent like mine isn’t exactly common.”
“There’s also the chance you’ll betray me.”
Scriben shook his head firmly.
“No. That will never happen.”
“Why not?”
“Because I wanted to escape Baron Skallen. As I said earlier, he simply holds my life in his hand and uses me.”
“But if you come under me, nothing really changes for you, does it?”
“No. It does.”
“How?”
Scriben looked me straight in the eye with complete seriousness.
“At least while I’m under you, Young Master, I can stay alive.”
That sheer audacity left me speechless.
“This bastard’s talking about betrayal with a straight face?”
“Ah—that’s not what I meant.”
“Like hell it isn’t. You trying to die?”
I smacked him upside the head.
“Anyway, there’s a reason I can’t forgive you.”
He lifted his head as if he were used to being hit.
“What is it?”
“You killed an entire family.”
“An entire family?”
Scriben narrowed his eyes.
I couldn’t tell if he was pretending not to know, so I explained.
“There was a man who was heading to the manor to report this place’s existence. He was caught on the way, and he and his entire family were slaughtered.”
“Is that true?”
“It is. Isn’t that reason enough for you to die?”
“Young Master.”
“Speak.”
Scriben answered with complete seriousness.
“I received a report that the man had been captured. I told them a light roughing-up would be enough.”
“So killing them was the guide’s own decision?”
“Yes. Until just now I didn’t even know they were dead. I can’t leave this office, after all.”
“Hmm.”
Scriben continued.
“More importantly, I made it clear from the beginning that I would refuse this work if it meant killing innocents.”
“Then what about our residents?”
“Pardon?”
I smacked him on the back of the head again.
“Did it never occur to you that running this place would eventually get every innocent resident of the Luminara Territory killed? You’re the starting point, you bastard.”
“Th-that’s….”
Scriben hung his head.
In truth, the attack on the Luminara Territory had begun right here. The territory had already been rotting from within, so of course it collapsed quickly.
After a long silence, Scriben spoke again.
“I am partly to blame for that family’s deaths. And I acknowledge that many more would have died if things had continued this way.”
He lifted his head and looked up at me.
“So now I want to work for them. To atone for my sins, even a little.”
“Not bad for something you just made up on the spot.”
“Whether I made it up or not is for you to decide, Young Master. Whatever decision you reach, I will accept it.”
Scriben stood.
“What are you doing?”
“One moment.”
He walked over to a bookcase and began straining to push it with both hands. The bookcase slid aside, revealing a hidden door.
“Please take a look inside, Young Master.”
After a brief hesitation I drew my sword and followed him into the room.
It looked like an ordinary bedroom, yet a middle-aged man sat blankly on the bed.
“Y-Young Master?”
The haggard man stared as though he were seeing a ghost.
“Is this your boyfriend?”
“…No. He’s the original owner of this establishment.”
The shopkeeper hurried to explain.
“Young Master, he’s telling the truth. The others originally planned to kill me and take the place, but he kept me alive here in exchange for watching me.”
Come to think of it, constructing a building this large would have required considerable materials and labor. That would inevitably have reached the lord’s ears, which meant the building had already been standing here.
“Ambiguously bad, ambiguously good.”
At the very least, Scriben showed no intention of returning to Baron Skallen’s side. Whatever else he might be, his hatred for the baron was genuine.
“Do you want to live that badly?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because I was born. I simply have a stronger survival instinct than most people.”
“I see.”
I crossed my arms and said,
“I’ll keep you alive for about a week. By then you’d better have come up with more reasons for me to spare you. Confident?”
“Of course, Young Master.”
“But if my father refuses to accept you, it’s over.”
“Yes.”
Scriben nodded with a tense expression.
Now that I think about it, what happened to him in my previous life? There’s no way I wouldn’t remember someone like this.
Perhaps after the attack on the territory they silenced him permanently.
If Scriben truly possessed even a shred of conscience, what must he have thought when he saw the burning territory and the corpses?
There was no way to know now, and no point in asking him.
“Come out. It’s over.”
“Y-yes…. Thank you, Young Master.”
The dazed shopkeeper scrambled to his feet.
As we headed downstairs, Scriben glanced at the corpses on the third floor and asked,
“What happened to the women, if I may ask?”
“Why? Was one of them your wife?”
“No. They were simply doing their jobs.”
“I didn’t know that. But they came at me, so I had no choice.”
“Them? That can’t be….”
I didn’t bother answering and simply continued down the stairs, walking the second-floor hallway.
When I opened one of the doors, the women were huddled together in complete silence.
“Come out.”
“Yes….”
They nodded and filed out.
As I turned away, Scriben stared at me with a baffled expression.
“What? Thought I killed them?”
“Yes….”
“I only kill complete idiots. You’re an ambiguous idiot, so watch yourself. You’re walking a very thin line.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
Scriben swallowed hard as he eyed my scabbard.
Judging by his reaction, it was now certain the women had no direct connection to Baron Skallen.
I gave him an order.
“From now on, take these people, gather every last coin this place earned, and bring it outside. If you try to skim anything, you’re dead.”
“Yes.”
Scriben went upstairs with the others while I stepped outside.
There was a cart nearby; we could load the valuables onto it.
Then again, a Pleasure Village in a backwater like this probably didn’t have all that much wealth.
“Young Master, we’ve gathered everything.”
After a short wait, the others emerged carrying large sacks and valuables.
“Load it all onto the cart.”
“Yes.”
“Young Master, I also packed a few bottles of liquor that still looked drinkable.”
The shopkeeper approached with several bottles cradled in his arms.
“Oh, well done. Give me one of those and load the rest.”
“Yes.”
I took a bottle from him and downed a mouthful.
Then I grabbed a coin pouch and tossed it to the shopkeeper.
“Take it.”
“This is…?”
“You’ve probably already heard, but circumstances force me to burn this place down. And who would visit a shop that reeks of blood?”
“That’s true.”
“So use that money to open a new place. Get good materials and hire honest workers. But if you waste it, I’ll burn the new one down too. You along with it.”
“…Yes.”
The shopkeeper wiped his eyes with his sleeve and sniffled.
“Thank you, Young Master….”
He must have spent who knows how long trapped in a windowless room, never knowing when he might be dragged off to the slaughterhouse.
The fact that he was still breathing at all was remarkable.
I took another swig to wash away idle thoughts, then splashed the remaining liquor across the doorframe.
“Anyone have a match?”
“Ah, here….”
I stared at the woman who handed it over and said,
“Cut the act. I already spared you.”
“Yes….”
I struck the match and tossed it onto the door. The flames caught the liquor instantly and raced outward in every direction.
Before long the entire building was ablaze, a massive pillar of fire rising into the night sky.
“Damn, it burns well.”
We watched the spectacle in silence. Judging by the others’ faces, each was lost in their own thoughts.
Then a murmur reached my ears. I looked around and saw villagers gathering one by one.
“Young Master?”
“Why is he here…?”
“I heard he left on a pilgrimage….”
“More importantly, that building….”
I raised my voice so everyone could hear.
“Listen up, all of you!”
Every eye fixed on me at once.
“I’ve dealt with the parasites that were eating this place from the inside! From now on you can walk the streets without fear and work hard! I’ll turn a blind eye to everything that happened until now!”
Even though it was night, the flames lit the surroundings as bright as day. Relief and joy bloomed in the villagers’ eyes.
My holy power surged as well—because they felt even a shred of reverence toward me.
With this I should be able to use that new technique.
In any case, this would delay the attack on the territory considerably.
But of course I had no intention of stopping here.
Loose ends needed to be cut quickly. Especially since Baron Skallen was connected to the Evil Book Society.
“Scriben. We’re heading back to the manor.”
“Yes.”
Just as we were about to leave, one of the women called out to me.
“Um, Young Master.”
“What?”
“What are we supposed to do from now on?”
The women looked at me pitifully, wearing nothing but thin clothes.
“Go help the farmers who are short on hands. Don’t try to make easy money and end up ascending to heaven the easy way. You need to pay back what you took, don’t you?”
“Do you think we can manage it?”
“You’ll do it because you have to. If you don’t want to die, do it. I’ll drop by every now and then.”
“Yes….”
I climbed onto the cart and looked back at Scriben.
“Let’s go.”
I had ridden a horse here, but I planned to set it free. I had Scriben now, after all.
Scriben asked in a flustered voice,
“Am I… supposed to pull this all the way to the manor?”
“What, you expect me to pull it? I cleaned out the thugs on the first floor, burned the place down, and even spared your life. How much more do you want from me? Should I hold your hand while you take a piss too?”
“N-no….”
I patted the side of the cart.
“Then get moving. We need to arrive by morning, so pull like a proper ox.”
“Yes, understood.”
“An ox that can talk. Fancy that.”
Scriben made no further complaints and simply gripped the handles of the cart.
“Moooooo….”
With a bovine bellow the cart began to roll.
I sat on the edge and watched the building that was still burning.
Crackling—
It looked almost like a grand banquet, so I took another swig of the liquor beside me.
As the alcohol spread through my body and loosened my mind, random words slipped out.
“The no-good wastrel who only ever caused trouble… returning to the manor dragging a single ox and some loot….”
Father will be pleased, won’t he?