Chapter 031: An Audacious Conspiracy (2)
…What did you say?
…It’s not just kids.
There were quite a few withered old folks too.
Of course, you can’t judge just by appearances, but most of them seemed kind-hearted. Criminals? Well…
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Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
…Don’t get worked up, Bihen.
For now, the opponent is a woman who doesn’t know how to wield a sword.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
I was crossing the corridor of the Gunbel Trading Company’s lodging.
‘Jewel.’
A woman who, for some reason, had set up her office at the top of the building.
The more stairs I climbed, the more my irritation piled up.
“Right now, the Deputy Leader is in a meeting…”
“Move.”
Bang!
I flung the office door open with enough force to break it.
Four people seated around a round table with Jewel at the center, and Maserin standing behind her, all turned to look at me at once.
Crack—!
I drew my sword and struck down in a single motion.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Maserin couldn’t even react.
Split.
The round table split in two.
Only then did the seated men jump in shock, and Maserin belatedly drew her sword.
Step, step.
Jewel was seated directly in front of me.
Even as startled gasps erupted from either side, she maintained that characteristic smug attitude.
Grip!
I seized Jewel’s throat.
At the same time, the blade Maserin thrust forward approached my neck.
Do it, or don’t…
I twisted the corner of my mouth like Jewel.
“Keep smiling.”
“W-What… is the matter…?”
I tightened my grip.
Jewel’s face gradually flushed red, and Maserin shouted from the side.
“L-Let go of her right now!”
“Go ahead and stab. I’ll send you before your master.”
The tip of Maserin’s sword trembled.
This novice didn’t even realize the sword in my other hand was aimed at her abdomen.
I shifted my gaze back to Jewel.
“Jewel. Answer only what I ask.”
Since I was choking her just enough not to kill, no sound should come out.
Jewel nodded with difficulty.
“The Imperials loaded by the Gunbel Trading Company. Are you certain they’re serious criminals certified by the Imperial Family?”
Jewel’s eyebrows knitted together.
Her expression screamed that this was utterly out of the blue.
She shook her head desperately, trembling.
“I came here to kill you today. So spill everything.”
As soon as I loosened my grip, Jewel retched.
I shot a warning glance at the men trying to approach and help.
“W-Where… did you hear such a thing… cough! I don’t know, but…”
Wiping the drool from her mouth, her bloodshot eyes glared up fiercely.
Well, they say even a worm wriggles when stepped on.
“…You’re making a mistake, Young Master Bihen. Cough!”
“A mistake? You should watch your words, no matter what.”
I brushed her disheveled hair with the back of my sword.
A gesture to snap her out of it and talk.
Jewel, as if summoning the patience of a lifetime, squeezed her eyes shut once and opened them.
Her ragged breathing and the rage in her pupils subsided slightly.
“…Hoo. I swear on everything I have, Young Master Bihen, I have never lied to you. They are all criminals. Shall I show you the records?”
“I heard there’s a refugee village in Ludglen made up of Imperials. A wide range of ages, from infants barely weaned to old folks on death’s door.”
“Ludglen…?”
“What kind of heinous crimes could they have committed? My head just can’t wrap around it.”
I pointed the tip of my sword at Jewel’s throat.
“I’ll find out when I go there myself. But I couldn’t hold back my anger, so I came here. I want to hear it from your mouth.”
“Young Master, my words…”
“Choose one. Confess everything and die cleanly here, or I’ll return and make you pay a price proportional to my patience.”
“…”
“The latter will be quite painful.”
They say the eyes reflect the heart.
The reason my tongue lingered… Jewel’s eyes were brimming with suppressed fury, as if she were swallowing unbearable injustice.
“It was the previous leader’s doing…!”
Jewel’s head whipped around first, and as I watched her, I followed her gaze.
Jewel, unable to hide her shock, and Maserin, who looked on the verge of tears.
Both appeared so unfamiliar, it felt jarring.
“The trading company’s expansion into the Kingdom… it’s been ongoing for a long time.”
“W-Wait! Maserin, what are you saying…!”
“Deputy Leader, Bihen Benkou is truly radiating killing intent right now. This isn’t just intimidation with words.”
I don’t know if she was guessing, but she was right. I immediately cut into their conversation.
“Maserin, keep going.”
“…The Deputy Leader inherited the expansion project only after the Imperial Family began to intervene in earnest. The human tributes before that were led by the previous leader. The Deputy Leader wasn’t involved back then.”
…So that’s the full picture.
The pieces fell into place in an instant.
The Gunbel Trading Company had been independently carrying out this insane scheme for a long time.
Once a foundation was established and potential was evident, they boldly proposed it to the Imperial Family.
‘Invasion of the Kingdom.’
The conquest war proceeded smoothly as the Empire desired, and the head of the Gunbel Trading Company was granted a title, immense wealth, and honor by the Emperor.
‘At the cost of countless innocent lives.’
…In my previous life, that’s how it was.
“That previous leader, is he in the Empire?”
“…Yes.”
“He won’t die peacefully. Not as long as I’m alive.”
Clank.
I sheathed my sword and stood still, looking down at Jewel.
She hadn’t lifted her head since Maserin’s confession.
‘…’
Swoosh.
As I turned my back on Jewel, I saw the trading company’s guards surrounding the office entrance.
They looked ready to pounce at a single command.
“If you don’t want to die, clear the way.”
Kingdom riffraff might be different, but Imperial swordsmen should recognize the gap.
No matter how many there were, they couldn’t match me.
Yet they didn’t back down easily.
Their anxious glances darted to their master behind my shoulder.
“…Young Master Bihen.”
I turned my head to look.
Jewel was still staring at the floor.
“Are you… planning to turn your sword against the Empire…?”
“That’s not your concern.”
“…”
I returned my gaze forward.
The men blocking the entrance slowly parted to either side.
* * *
“Ah, Bihen.”
Janson was waiting outside the building.
He handed me the reins of one of the horses he was holding.
“You, uh, okay?”
“What’s there to not be okay about?”
Janson subtly glanced up at the building, his expression one of distaste.
“The rumor about tributes being offered to some village knights… I thought it was just nonsense. Whenever they arrived in Easton, they always brought only supplies.”
“…”
“Scary, the Gunbel Trading Company.”
His words suddenly brought to mind the Empire’s top-tier masters from my previous life.
Starting with Griem Igraine, the commander of the 4th Corps I served under, to the ruthless swordsmen who thoroughly trampled the Kingdom’s lands.
And…
Above those who reached the pinnacle of mastery stood the Gunbel Trading Company.
‘I need to get stronger.’
The road ahead is long.
For now, my priority is to go to Ludglen and hear their situation.
“How long will it take to get to Ludglen?”
“Ludglen is on the Conwell frontier. It’s a village bordering the Theodore region. If we ride full speed all day, about five days?”
“I’d have gotten lost if I tried following a map alone.”
“That’s why the captain sent me along, isn’t it?”
I’d said I’d go alone, but he insisted on sending Janson with me, citing the need to handle various contingencies.
“…Sorry for dragging you into this.”
“Sorry? Nah, it’s good experience for me.”
Janson was dressed differently to conceal his identity as an Easton guard.
Perhaps because of that, his demeanor felt different from our first meeting.
“Kind of thrilling, too.”
Janson grinned, reaching over his shoulder.
He had a spear wrapped in white cloth slung across his back.
‘He called it a pike, didn’t he?’
I’d noticed in my previous life, but the Kingdom has a lot of spearmen.
I’d heard their spear-based weapons are categorized in various ways.
The same went for their mastery levels.
‘Spear Master.’
According to Janson, there are more Spear Masters than Sword Masters… but he didn’t know much about how their skills compare to swordsmanship.
I asked casually.
“Spear Beginner, huh?”
“Haha… Well, the general vibe is that you’re acknowledged as one once you’ve mastered the basic manual.”
Janson scratched his head, shy but with a spark in his eyes.
This was after the Canchester uprising.
Since that day, something had gotten into both Jayden and Janson, and they’d thrown themselves into training.
“…Alright, then. If you need a sparring partner, just say the word. I’ll help out anytime.”
“W-What, you as my sparring partner…! Nah, no way. Later, maybe. Haha.”
“Now that I think about it, I couldn’t ask for better company. A Spear Beginner and a camping expert by my side.”
“Bihen, you… Turns out you’re a guy who can crack jokes.”
As we bantered, the anger that had built up earlier was gradually evaporating.
If I could find calm like this without even using my heart technique, it wasn’t half bad.
Clop, clop.
Easton’s city streets were fairly well-maintained.
The stone-paved road in the center was wide enough for a carriage to pass through.
Pedestrians seemed accustomed to sticking to the dirt paths on either side.
“What’s that?”
Janson, riding alongside me, grumbled.
I looked and saw two people standing in the middle of the road, directly in our path.
Both were wearing long, hooded robes that hid their faces, but I got the feeling they were staring at us.
“What are they doing, not moving?”
Even as we got closer, they didn’t budge. It was as if they were waiting for us.
“…Tch.”
Janson, glancing between them and me, finally dismounted and strode toward them, exasperated.
I stayed seated on my horse, just watching.
Not out of arrogance, but because I didn’t want to get tangled in petty trouble in a foreign land.
“Hey, something wrong? Why are you blocking the road?”
Janson leaned in, trying to peer into the shadowed face under one of the deeply pulled hoods.
“What, you can’t hear me…?”
When there was still no response, he waved his hand in front of their face.
Whoosh—Thud!
“Argh…!”
In an instant, Janson’s wrist was grabbed, and he was flipped through the air, landing hard on his backside.
They’d stayed still when he waved at their face, but the moment he reached toward the other person, the one who swiftly executed a grappling technique finally revealed their face.
“Insolent!”
It was a young boy. Around my current age.
His refined features seemed out of place with his shabby attire, and as I was thinking that…
Rustle.
The other person, who had been standing still, slowly lifted their hood.
My eyes widened.
“Jor, if you make a scene like that, what’s the point of moving in secret?”
“But this guy was about to touch you, my lady…!”
“Shh. Be quiet.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am.”
Adeline, placing a finger to her lips, glanced up at me.
And just like that, we… exchanged a wordless greeting with our eyes.