If You're Going to Bash the Hero, This Is How It's Done
I heard a frightened voice. "I heard everything. You're a grand mage?"
I neither confirmed nor denied it. I simply stared steadily at the dwarf named Tilla. At the sight, her face grew even more terrified. The same went for Dubalton standing beside her.
"P-please, at least spare her!! She may not look it but she's frail and has a weak heart! Kill me if you must, but please, at least her...!"
"Hic...! N-no, it's fine if I die! Please spare Dubalton instead! He's someone who will achieve great things! Unlike a worthless woman like me!"
"Worthless, she says...! She's truly a remarkable woman. Beautiful, intelligent, and brave to boot. Please spare her in my place!"
"Hup! No! Please spare him!"
The pair were putting on quite the show. I watched them with an expression of pure disbelief. It felt like sitting through a single, overly dramatic play.
"Urk! Tilla!!"
"Dubalton!!"
I could no longer stomach their melodramatic performance. For some reason it filled me with an intense sense of revulsion.
Flash!
I erected a shield between them and forced the two apart.
"Ah, no! Our love...!"
"J-just kill me instead!"
"Stop overacting and listen carefully. I'm not going to kill either of you."
"Y-yes!"
Only after I assured them they would live did the pair finally calm down. After that, I repeated the exact same offer I had given the Farming King.
"......So you're saying we have to pay a protection fee?"
"That's right. It shouldn't be a bad deal from your perspective either, right?"
She pondered with a cool, calculating gaze, as if the earlier tears had never existed. In truth, the offer wasn't bad for her. She was currently a target for many gangs. They only left her alone because she was something of a poisoned chalice. Having a grand mage-level wizard watching over her would be an enormous help.
Yet she still didn't accept my proposal right away.
"Why? Ten percent seems like a reasonable amount, doesn't it?"
"That's true. I know that too. It's just..."
"Just?"
"If that happens, the Red Rose Brothel will no longer be an independent establishment."
I could understand her point. The Red Rose Brothel was currently the only independent brothel left in Trier. Every other one had already been swallowed up by gangs or criminal organizations. She probably took considerable pride in that fact.
Of course... 'What does that have to do with me?'
I felt no particular emotion about it.
"Really? Then there's no helping it."
Whoosh!
Fireballs instantly bloomed and filled the space around me. Dubalton's panicked voice rang out.
"W-wait a moment...! You clearly said you wouldn't harm us...!"
"Ah, I'll spare the woman. But you have to die."
"Th-that... Haha...! If that's the case, it's fine. I can easily die for her sake!"
His voice had become remarkably composed. He was a dwarf, but he was indeed an impressive man.
By the way, I had already figured out her weakness. There was no chance she could defeat me. And my prediction proved correct.
"I-I understand!! I'll pay the protection fee...! Please don't kill him!!"
Yes. Her weakness was Dubalton. And his weakness was her.
'So this is why they say love creates weaknesses?'
Anyway, I smiled with satisfaction. Everything had gone exactly as planned.
"Good decision. The Red Rose Brothel will be safe from now on."
I prepared to leave with a smile that probably looked rather sinister.
It seemed the prostitutes outside had overheard our conversation. Soon their whispered voices drifted through the air.
"H-how cruel..."
"To exploit even the feelings of someone in love..."
"He's truly terrifying..."
I wore an expression of disbelief.
'What? I didn't kill a single person, yet they call me cruel?'
Of course I had no intention of harming the prostitutes. Like it or not, they were my valuable customers(?). 'I'll endure it since they have to keep earning money for me in the future.'
And so I took over the Red Rose Brothel as well.
Naturally, my name spread rapidly through the underworld. Strangely, however, the rumor that I was a bloodless, tearless, utterly cruel man spread even faster...
A few days later.
I once again invested money and effort into distributing magic paper. This time I scattered a far greater quantity than before. The income from the Red Rose Brothel had been substantial.
'As expected of a high-class brothel.'
The Thief Guild didn't earn peanuts, but it couldn't compare to a brothel. The Red Rose Brothel continued pouring enormous sums into its security forces. I couldn't protect every single one of them personally. I told them to handle the small fry themselves as before. Instead, I would step in when a truly powerful opponent appeared. I had already handed over magic items for that exact purpose.
In any case, the brothel spent as lavishly as it earned. Even so, a huge sum still ended up in my hands.
'Five hundred gold per month...'
That was roughly five hundred million won in my original world's currency. Six billion a year. It was by no means a small amount.
I used it to produce a sufficient quantity of magic paper and distributed the sheets. With this, I wouldn't have to worry for a while.
'That was a close call.'
Most of the magic paper had nearly run out. If I had been even a little later, the community would have been paralyzed. It was fortunate I managed to supply fresh stock in time.
'By the way... there's still no news from Robin?'
He was still monitoring the merchant. Being the skilled thief he was, he continued his surveillance without being detected. However, he still hadn't located the site where the magic paper was being supplied.
'Hang in there a little longer.'
Of course I had plenty of patience. I was willing to wait a bit more.
'Alright, shall I take a break now?'
I had done everything that needed doing. Now it was time to enjoy my hobby(?). A person couldn't work nonstop. They'd eventually break down. So I, too, enjoyed my hobby life.
And my hobby was...
'Browsing the community, of course.'
I opened the Study Gallery with a joyful expression. As expected, it was packed with posts viciously criticizing the hero. The man I hated was being cursed out in every direction. There was no way it wouldn't be entertaining.
They were still thoroughly bashing the hero. I wore a satisfied smile. Pierre in particular was proving incredibly useful. He was basically acting as a one-man army.
'Maybe I'll let him act out a little later?'
Of course, that was only my inner thought. If he actually tried it with me, there was a high chance I'd beat him senseless.
By the way, the Study Gallery was currently revolving around a single topic. They were bashing the hero, yes, but not without reason.
'Hmm, controlling the gallery... That's quite the nasty move...'
Surprisingly, the hero had made a choice uncharacteristic of him. It seemed his mentality had grown rather weak. He had blocked all community activity inside the classroom. Of course, the reason he gave was plausible: it interfered with studying. Some students actually agreed with him. The community was so entertaining that it had become a serious obstacle to actual academic work.
But forbidding it even during break times was excessive. Naturally, complaints were pouring in. That was why the community was currently on fire.
Of course, I had stayed quiet while he enforced control. Not because I was afraid. It had actually been helpful. Thanks to his restrictions, Study Gallery paper was being consumed at a slower rate. Otherwise the gallery would have been paralyzed by a paper shortage long ago.
'And now that doesn't matter anymore.'
Magic paper was being supplied in abundance once again. There was no longer any need for such control.
I began my community activities in earnest.
I ignored the greetings and continued with my main point.
I still didn't know who the paper thief was. But I planned to use this to attack the hero.
It was the classic method used when stirring up a topic in online communities. Take a real fact, mix in a plausible-sounding story, and use it as an attack. It was an advanced technique that required quite a long time in the community trenches.
And many people reacted to my bait.
Most light users didn't swallow it immediately. Even so, a huge stone had been dropped into the community pond. Users quickly began rolling the topic around, turning it over and over. It was far more lethal bait than simply cursing him without reason.
'If you're going to bash someone, this is how you do it.'
I wore a pleased expression. I hoped UltimateGenius would learn a lot from watching this.
It was then that a username I had never seen before posted.