The Baron's Deal, All the Better!
The conversation continued. Winz occasionally lightened the mood.
I mostly asked questions, while the baron focused on explaining the state of the world. That was only natural.
Eventually, the topic turned to Allen—the very person I was most curious about.
“Allen is a renowned fixer active throughout the southern empire, including our territory. I was suspicious of him at first, but his skills are the real deal.”
“How does a fixer know so much about the law? And he submits reports right away, too.”
“I don’t know much about his past. With that refined appearance, I’ve wondered if he might be a fallen noble.”
I glanced at Alex for a moment.
Was he lying?
Truthfully, I had been suspicious of Baron Alex Womanchester all along. Maybe he was using Allen to scheme something behind the scenes.
But he genuinely seemed to know nothing. Instead, he kept casting greasy looks around the room, making the atmosphere even more uncomfortable.
Disgusting.
Alex ran a hand across his forehead while sipping his tea.
“Since we’ve met like this, it must be fate. Shall we strengthen our alliance?”
His intentions were obvious. He wanted to use me to solve his problems.
All the better. I could use him right back.
If things went well, I might even get to meet that hidden something.
“Tell me what you need.”
I lifted my chin and gave him a look that said, Go on. Alex extended his hand.
As if on cue, a butler approached and spread out a map.
Usually a soldier or the captain of the watch would do that. Interesting.
Alex pulled out a pointer and tapped a spot on the map.
It was the Womanchester territory.
“There’s a problem I’d like the successor of Wednesday to handle. What do you say?”
“You want me to prove my skills?”
“You already proved them plenty yesterday. But this one is a little different.”
How different could it be? As long as it wasn’t dealing with the likes of Vile, I was confident.
Curious, I asked anyway.
“Your territory has a lot of problems, doesn’t it?”
“Hah, of course not!”
People with strong pride were always sensitive to even the slightest jab. Alex was no exception. He tried to hide it, but his eyebrows twitched.
Even so, he had to maintain his image. Being a lord really was an extreme job.
“It’s the area beneath our territory that’s the issue.”
“Beneath…?”
I looked down. Just fifty meters below us lay the vast underground passage. It was home to everything from sewer rats to all kinds of monsters.
Given the world we lived in, that was hardly surprising.
Was he really asking me to go into that smelly, damp place?
Alex shrugged and looked away.
“As you know, the Ysgard continent is divided between the surface and the underground. The passages are often called nothing more than a stinking shelter for vagrants, but they can also serve as excellent diplomatic routes when needed.”
“True. In the deeper sections, you could even sail a small boat through.”
“Exactly! With the Life Tree competition approaching, I was thinking of easing the supply lines. The problem is, we don’t know what’s lurking down there.”
He didn’t know what was down there.
In other words, he couldn’t afford to waste his precious soldiers. So he was asking the adventurer—me—to go instead. Of course, there was a catch.
If he lost soldiers, it would be his own loss. But if an adventurer died, it wouldn’t cost him much at all.
Not that Alex was the only one benefiting. Soldiers had to report anything they found immediately. I didn’t. After all, I was an adventurer—a hero.
Right on cue, a quest appeared as if the system itself wanted to inform me.
A Good Day for Monster Hunting
Objective: Defeat as many monsters as needed in the underground passage.
Reward: Corrupted Ringwoodite ×1, Random Limited Edition Grade Item ×1
Never mind the rest—the rewards alone made my mouth water. Besides, this was the quest’s reward, not something Alex was offering.
I smiled openly, as if I already knew everything.
“Then I’ll tidy up the underground passage so you can sleep soundly, my lord.”
“That’s the spirit! As expected of the successor of the Wednesday family. Sharp as ever.”
“You flatter me, heh heh.”
I couldn’t help but laugh wickedly. Alex grinned back, clearly pleased.
“Do well and I’ll make sure the reward is more than generous!”
“Understood. I’ll get started right away. It’s not like it’s difficult.”
Should I ask for land while I was at it? This job seemed big enough to warrant it.
But Alex’s expression turned serious.
“Ah, one of my soldiers will guide you to the passage. Butler, prepare a soldier.”
Once the butler left, he added,
“It’ll be quite unpleasant down there.”
“What, you think I’m going for a bubble bath?”
“That’s not what I meant. There are many failures down there—people who couldn’t even manage their own lives on the surface.”
His meaningful words made me look at the lord.
Alex sighed and shook his head. Anyone could tell he was referring to the vagrants.
“You can ignore them or cut them down if you like. It doesn’t matter.”
“Aren’t those people the residents you’re supposed to protect?”
“Watch your dangerous words. Many of them are refugees who flowed in from outside. Am I supposed to care for all of them? A lord is a noble, not a volunteer. Remember that.”
Alex spoke firmly. He wasn’t wrong.
A lord wasn’t a volunteer. Their job was to develop and manage the territory and create policies that benefited its residents. The noble authority just made it look less democratic.
In truth, their work wasn’t much different from that of civil servants.
Still…
A lord is a noble, sure. But they’re not all useless. In times like these, finding a use for them would help the territory. Haa. Typical of someone who just abandoned the west.
Alex’s incompetence was showing. He might pass as average if evaluated, but that didn’t make the disappointment any less real.
After saying goodbye to Winz, I left the mansion. If I was going to work, I preferred to start immediately. It suited my taste.
I looked back at the mansion.
If it were me, I’d try to make the most of the vagrants. It’s never too late to discard them later.
You never knew if something was useful until you tried using it. Throwing it away just because it was troublesome was a waste.
Well, that only proved Alex Womanchester was a shut-in noble to the core.
As we walked through the garden, Winz asked,
“My lady, what will you do?”
“Let’s see. We still have plenty of funds, right?”
“Yes, we do!”
“Then it’s fine.”
Our funds were still sufficient. I’d have to give more to Renoir later, but money could always be earned again.
Soon we’d be heading into the underground passage, which was basically a dungeon anyway.
While we were walking, a young knight approached and saluted.
“C-Charging loyalty! New recruit Barneta, reporting for duty! All clear!”
“No need to salute me just because I’m a hero. You’re here to guide us, right?”
“Huh? Yes! Please speak casually!”
He was the very picture of a stiff new recruit.
I waved my hand.
“We just met. No need for that. Before we go to the underground passage, let’s stop somewhere first. You can help us out too. How about it?”
“Huh? You mean… together in the passage?”
“No, no. Before that. Just follow me. You’ll see when we get there.”
I headed straight for my destination, leaving the knight who was supposed to guide us now being guided instead.
How strange.
The knight followed without a word. Maybe it was because we’d just met, or maybe he was just the quiet type.
We arrived at a bakery.
The soldier asked, confused,
“What exactly are we doing here…?”
I walked inside, looked around, then pulled some funds from my ring and approached the owner.
“See that display case from here to there?”
“Yeah. From the left: pizza bread, brioche, chocolate bread, carrot cake… All fresh out today!”
“Good. I’ll take everything I pointed at.”
“W-What?! Are you joking?!”
The sudden thunderous declaration must have startled him. After all, it sounded like I was about to shut down his business for the day.
But I had more than enough money.
Money really was everything. What was pocket change to me could be precious to someone else.
As a noble, I intended to make full use of that fact.
“Does this look like a joke?”
Whoosh, thump!
I tossed one money pouch. The owner caught it and looked surprised.
I tossed another.
And another.
When he checked inside, his eyes nearly popped out.
“Hik… Is this real? Haa, just wait a moment! I’ll pack them in bags. Uwahaha, we’re gonna need a lot of bags! Jensen, you useless bastard, come help!”
The bakery owner bustled about.
After a short wait, we watched as he and his son stuffed three large sacks—big enough to hold a pile of straw—full of bread, cakes, and pastries.
Each of us carried one sack.
With those in hand, we arrived at the underground passage.
Near the entrance, many vagrants were gathered.
“Soldier, let’s match our stories.”
“How? Be careful with those people. They’re stubborn and won’t move easily.”
Even this new recruit seemed to have heard something. The tension between the vagrants and the lord was obvious.
“To make things easier, I’ll get them to clear out.”
“Are you going to kill one as an example?”
“My hands are itching, but I won’t kill anyone. I’ll get plenty of blood later when I toy with the monsters.”
“Hik…!”
Why did he react like that to something so obvious?
Anyway, I met the soldier’s eyes, then set the sacks down in front of the vagrants.
“Everyone! The lord has sent food!”
The sudden announcement made the vagrants eye us suspiciously—until their faces lit up all at once.
“What? Is he serious?”
“That bastard?!”
“Check it first—Erim, look at that!”
“Is it food?!”
Realizing the sacks were full of food, the vagrants cheered and swarmed forward like a pack of dogs. Their momentum alone rivaled that of monsters.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The wall of vagrants collapsed in an instant.
The soldier stared in shock.
“Uh… this is…?”
“When people come, make sure to share it properly. Winz? Let’s go clean up.”
“Yes! Cleaning time~♥”
Just like that, we easily entered the underground passage.
Time to begin the blood festival!