Chapter 31

Both sides had been capable of ruining everything.

Iiria could have asked Kururu to blow away the entire company with magic, and Nodon could have thrown Jirenu Territory into political chaos by loudly shouting Dorasutel’s true identity to all and sundry.

But for the sake of a fleeting instant of exhilaration, Nodon was far too clever to act without thinking of the consequences.

And so, realizing there was no longer any chance of turning things around, Nodon allowed himself to be quietly taken into custody by the priest’s hand. Those who had lost Nodon as their commander were told to quietly await judgment for the disturbance, and then dismissed.

But of course, reality was not so kind as to let this be the end of the matter.

“I know nothing about any taxes!”

Inside Nodon’s company building, after clearing everyone else out, Iiria, the priest, and the rest of us gathered to press Nodon over his wrongdoing, but Nodon stubbornly refused to admit any guilt.

Even at this stage, Nodon had a firm grasp of our weak points.

Because if we appealed to the higher authorities in Roran, the provincial capital, then with Iiria’s authority as lord, it would probably be possible to have him formally tried and hanged. Possible, yes, but if it became public that a merchant like Nodon had been allowed to do whatever he pleased for so long, then criticism would surely fall not only on Iiria’s ability to govern, but also on the priest who had overseen the town’s church.

Taking all that into consideration, the discussion became whether Nodon’s punishment could be handled privately, but Nodon saw through the fact that we could not resort to the hardline measure of a formal trial, and having realized he could not win, he steeled himself to lose as advantageously as possible.

Even in a small town, the man who had held complete control over its economy was no easy opponent.

If this is how a merchant ought to be, then I had to admit, in all seriousness, that Nodon was impressive.

“I do not know what Eder is claiming, but he was obviously threatened into saying things that never happened! Oh, pitiable and foolish Eder! To think he would forget the debt he owes me for raising him!”

He shouted furiously, insisting his own claims were entirely correct and refusing to yield in the slightest.

When a person like this had both money and connections, and the judicial system was immature, I could keenly feel how frightfully difficult it would be to realize justice in this world.

Even if Iiria and Kururu had somehow discovered Nodon’s wrongdoing before meeting us, I did not think they could ever have stood against him.

“Then you are determined to deny the accusations made by Lord Iiria and the others?”

At the priest’s words, as he attended this interrogation alongside Iiria and the rest of us, Nodon widened his bulging eyes theatrically and snapped back.

“Of course I am! I cannot understand why a priest like you would believe the ravings of such a little girl!”

Nodon seemed furious at the priest for changing sides after having once shared in the profits, but he did not say anything about the priest having been involved in the wrongdoing as well.

Because the moment he said that aloud, the priest too would have no choice but to take a hardline stance to protect himself.

Both sides were effectively fighting to secure as much ground as possible, each using appearances as a weapon.

“Lord Iiria. Are you accusing an innocent man?”

Like a weathercock, the priest feigned neutrality as he put that question to Iiria.

“No, Priest-sama. I know for certain that this man has been reaping enormous profits by abusing his tax collection rights.”

“Hah! And what proof do you have of that? Are you going to say you sniffed it out with that vaunted nose of yours?”

At that contemptuous remark, Kururu’s eyes, standing by at Iiria’s side, narrowed sharply, but Iiria kept smiling.

However, in a world without fingerprint analysis, surveillance cameras, or even bank transfer records, we had to show Nodon’s wrongdoing in a form he could not talk his way out of.

That was why I had needed to go with Kururu and the others to Eder’s place and threaten him into cooperating.

“Yes, my nose works very well. Sniff, sniff. Is it this way, perhaps?”

With a theatrical gesture, Iiria sniffed the air and walked around the inside of the company building.

The sight must have been so unexpected that even Nodon faltered a little.

Then Iiria slapped the shelf behind the raised counter where Nodon sat.

“The smell is coming from here.”

“……”

Nodon pressed his lips together and shot us a glance for an instant.

His look was not that of a betrayed subordinate who had revealed the location of the vault, but rather one of confusion, as if asking what this meant.

Nodon simply did not understand.

He could not fathom why we were so confident that we could prove his wrongdoing.

“Kengo-san, if you would.”

“Leave it to me.”

Kengo, whom Marks had called a human beastfolk, shoved aside the large shelf from the side.

What appeared was the vault, stacked high with rugged wooden boxes.

“Let’s see.”

Iiria swished her tail leisurely as she went around sniffing each wooden box, and this was no joke at all—she really was searching by scent for the box that had been sent from Eder.

“This one.”

Kengo hoisted the box Iiria indicated and carried it over to the counter.

It was an utterly ordinary wooden box, of course bearing no brand mark from the Eder Company or anything of the sort.

As expected of him, Nodon did not let his expression change, but his bewilderment was plain to see.

There was no way these people could possibly prove where these gold coins had come from.

Because gold coins did not have the owner’s name written on them or anyth—

The clever Nodon must have realized it then.

His body suddenly trembled as though struck by lightning, and his eyes flew wide open.

But if he were the sort to give up at that point, he would have done so long ago.

So even when Kengo opened the box and Iiria and Kururu used their noses to pick out the coins and line them up on the table, he did not let the strength leave his face.

Drawing up his brows, twitching his cheeks, and growling like a beast, he forced out these words.

“So what if there’s a signature?”

Before Nodon, gold coins had been lined up.

Each one was small enough to rest easily on the pad of a little finger, and together they had been arranged in the shape of a synthetic magic stone.

We had already shown that small fragments of magic stone could be assembled into a large one.

So the idea of arranging tiny gold coins to resemble a single sheet of paper and writing large letters on it was child’s play to us.

“It is a written confession from Eder-dono, admitting his sin and asking God for forgiveness, is it not?”

Looking at the arranged coins, the priest murmured those words.

When Nodon had received this box from Eder, he had probably thought nothing more than that a few of the coins looked slightly dirty.

And when you ran a large company, payments came in one after another, so there was no time to inspect every single coin carefully. Even if someone set a trap like this, it would not be easy to spot.

Even so, Nodon still did not break. Because—

“And? How can you say that ingrate over there didn’t secretly write this himself?”

He jerked his chin toward us as he said it.

“You still intend to deny everything, you bastard?!”

Kururu exploded in anger and lunged at him, but Nodon looked no more bothered than if a fly were buzzing nearby. He had concluded that so long as Iiria and the others did not appeal to the higher authorities, he could minimize the damage by brazening it out.

And the reason so-called decisive evidence draws out a confession from the culprit is because the culprit realizes there is no point in staying silent, and that only works when the judicial power is solid or when you are holding a longsword to their throat.

If you tried to settle matters quietly by patiently piling up evidence, it would simply turn into an endless argument.

Nodon’s thin smile, despite the cold sweat on his brow, was probably because he sensed victory.

Soft-hearted fools who could neither take the matter to a formal trial nor resort to violence.

Nodon’s eyes gleamed with the certainty that there was no way a man like him could lose—when that was.

“Well, well, what have we here? It looks like something of a commotion.”

The intruder came strolling in with an easygoing air, paying no mind to the guards posted at the entrance.

Nodon’s face instantly lit up with the look of a man who had won.

“Cole-sama!”

“Ah, Nodon. I received your letter and hurried right over.”

Cole of the Bax Company said that while straightening the collar of his finely tailored clothes.

“Well now, Priest-sama. And Lord-sama as well.”

Cole bowed with exaggerated politeness not only to the priest but also to Iiria, but it was probably precisely because he had not the slightest respect for her that he could behave like that.

“Oh, Cole-sama, please look! These fools are trying to strip us of our business by stirring up Priest-sama against us!”

“Hm?”

Having caught wind that Iiria and the others were trying to reclaim the lord’s authority backed by magical power, Nodon had sent word to the person he could rely on most.

The Bax Company, which conducted large-scale trade in the provincial capital, was one of the major powers in the Empire’s provinces, with nobles among its executives. A lordship occupied merely as decoration by a by-blow born from a beastfolk dalliance was no match at all for such an opponent.

The only way they could overcome the backing of the Bax Company was by appealing to the senior court in the provincial capital.

But that would expose the scandal within Jirenu Territory, so Iiria and the others could not choose that option. Which meant that unless they secretly killed Nodon and buried him, Nodon’s victory would be assured the moment Cole arrived here.

And just as Nodon expected, Iiria and the others were nothing more than soft little girls who could not bring themselves to take such a bold step.

Gambler Nodon’s eyes flashed sharply as he ran them over Iiria and Kururu in a licking, appraising way.

How best to avenge the humiliation of having his face dragged through the mud by them?

First he would put collars around the necks of those two girls and break them like pets, and as for those strange fellows from the mine who had supposedly come back to life, he would tear them to pieces and feed them to dogs so they could never revive again!

Seeming to burn with his habitual sadism and thirst for revenge, Nodon rose from his chair with a face full of greed.

“Cole-sama, these insolent wretches—”

The instant Nodon said that.

Cole stepped in front of Iiria, took her hand, and pressed it to his own forehead.

“Thank you for the consideration you have shown us in this matter.”

“——Huh?”

Left speechless, Nodon looked utterly like an actor who alone had mistaken the timing of his entrance.

“No, Sir Cole of the Bax Company. To do anything that might tarnish your good name after you have long handled the magic stones of this territory would be to repay a favor with ingratitude.”

Looking straight into Iiria’s eyes, Cole wore a face unlike Nodon’s—one befitting a merchant of a much higher station, with cold eyes and a gentle smile.

“Co… Cole… sa…”

At last Cole turned his gaze toward Nodon, who was too stunned to continue speaking.

It was a contemptuous gaze, the look one might give an incompetent fool who had made a disastrous blunder.

“Nodon, you got far too full of yourself.”

“Wh- h- what?”

“To bite down so eagerly on such an obvious hook.”

Cole picked up one of the coins arranged on the desk, flicked it with his finger, and sent it striking Nodon on the forehead.

“I received a secret letter from that capable young man Yorinobu over there. It said that the Eder Company, no longer able to endure Nodon’s tyranny, had laced the gold coins with poison.”

Nodon’s eyes turned to the coins on the desk, and then he let out a strangled groan.

As Kengo had said, there were no credit cards here, no electronic money, and bank transfers… might possibly exist, but aside from something like the prototype of a bill of exchange, I had never seen the Nodon Company use anything of the sort.

And the magic stone deals by which Cole lined his own pockets were, just like the dirty dealings of villains in every age and place, settled in cash. In other words, the fact that such gold coins had been lined up right in front of Nodon meant one more thing as well.

“Nodon, what exactly were you planning to do if gold coins bearing words that cursed God had turned up in my own purse as well?”

Cole’s face twisted into an eerie smile.

To show anger while smiling was a trick permitted only to the strong.

Nodon’s face turned bright red, then went pale with astonishing speed.

That was where the true value of the hook we had set by threatening Eder lay.

The one and only person who could put a rope around Nodon’s neck and feel no hesitation in pulling it.

That was Cole.

“Ordinarily, I would have fed you to the fish.”

Cole smoothed back his hair and smiled at Iiria.

“But this lovely lord here does not desire that. And Priest-sama as well says that God’s mercy ought to be shown. As for me, how could I possibly defy them?”

With a small laugh, he added that it was regrettable.

“So the Bax Company is thinking of settling the matter by cutting off all trade with the Nodon Company.”

At that moment, Nodon’s lifeline was severed.

“As for what becomes of him afterward, I should like to leave that to your noble selves. That is acceptable, yes?”

“Yes. I am sorry to trouble you.”

“What are you saying? We shall be partners in the magic stone trade for a long time yet.”

Even rats fled from a sinking ship.

From Cole’s point of view, there was nothing to gain by angering Iiria, who had the priest on her side.

His profits would probably be lower than when dealing with Nodon, but if he lost the magic stone trade entirely, his position within the Bax Company would become precarious. Cole had calmly run the numbers and come to that conclusion.

After exchanging another handshake with Iiria, Cole said, “Then I shall be going,” and strode out of the company building as briskly as he had entered.

Once Cole had disappeared, Iiria spoke.

“Now then, as for what is to be done with you.”

All the swagger Nodon had shown until moments ago was nowhere to be seen.

Slumped in his chair, he flinched violently.

“Judging by the amount of taxes you embezzled, hanging you a hundred times over would still not be enough.”

If one added up over the long years the difference between the amount Nodon had paid for the right to collect the taxes due to Iiria and the amount he and his men had freely extracted, it would surely come to hundreds of thousands of gold coins.

And on top of that, Nodon had scorned Iiria as a mere little girl and committed every outrage he could imagine, so he was probably now imagining just how cruelly he might be executed.

“However, I do not believe all of the profit you siphoned away was used solely for your own selfish desires.”

Though Iiria had once all but given up on standing as lord, as a noble who had drifted from place to place, she understood to some degree how the world worked and what those in power had to do in order to maintain that power.

So she could also understand, to an extent, the circumstances of Nodon, who had ruled Jirenu Territory in place of its decorative lord who lazed in a hammock.

“To protect Jirenu Territory from outside forces, including the Bax Company, you must have spent money here and there. Those can be regarded as legitimate expenses, and it can be said that the taxes collected were used for that purpose.”

At those words of defense, words he could never have expected, Nodon looked as if he had seen a dragon in broad daylight.

“Though, of course.”

At once Nodon shrank back before Iiria, who folded her arms in front of her chest.

“All of it was done under the delusion that Jirenu Territory belonged to you.”

No matter how fully he had ruled this land, Nodon was still no more than the master of a trading company.

If matters were taken to the proper place, Iiria possessed the authority of the rightful lord.

“Then, Lord Iiria, what will you do?”

The priest asked Iiria.

As the bearer of the legitimate authority that governed this town.

“If it were up to me, for the sake of the many people this man harmed so terribly, and for their daughters as well, I would like to tear out the nails from both his hands and feet, pull out his teeth, slice off his nose and ears, and then not even kill him, but keep him locked in a cave for the rest of his life.”

“Gh…!”

“But if I did something like that, a great many people in town would fall into utter chaos.”

After all, the town was full of people who had done the same sort of things as Nodon.

If they fled the town, or in desperation took up arms and rose again, then this town that I had finally resolved to rule as lord would be thrown into ruin.

But neither could we simply let Nodon go unpunished, so we had somehow tried to find a point of compromise.

“So, we thought we would make you an offer.”

Iiria smiled at Nodon, who looked like fat left out to melt.

Standing before the huge Nodon, it was only because he remained seated that their lines of sight met at all.

And yet that same Nodon was so frightened by Iiria’s gaze alone that his body seemed to warp.

“Today, you received a sudden revelation from God and repented.”

“…?”

Nodon stared at Iiria and swallowed hard.

“You will cast aside your company, your wealth, and your good name, and set out on a pilgrimage.”

“—!”

He had probably been about to say something like, Don’t be absurd, but arguing back would do nothing to improve his situation.

Nodon desperately kept his mouth shut and waited for the rest, breathing heavily through his nose.

“Of course, we will not cast you out naked. You will be given a proper sum of money sufficient for your pilgrimage, and Priest-sama will kindly lend his blessing to your departure. Enough that whichever town you go to, you will be welcomed as a wonderfully devout man of extraordinary faith.”

No stealing.

And no killing, either.

But it was not out of mercy alone that Iiria would not kill Nodon.

From now on, Iiria had to take hold of power in this territory. Those throughout the town with guilty consciences would surely judge that surrender was the wiser choice if even Nodon was shown mercy.

Of course, if someone bearing a grudge against Nodon chose to follow the trail of the exiled man, that would be no concern of ours. Nodon would be pursued forever by the consequences of his own deeds, and whether he survived would depend on either his own talents or else God’s protection.

“Do you have any objections?”

At the words of Iiria, who more than anyone else probably wanted to see Nodon hanged, Nodon swallowed once more, his lower jaw quivering.

I could not see her face from where I stood, but surely Iiria wore exactly the kind of expression suited to making Nodon react like that.

“…I… I acce… no…”

Nodon corrected himself.

“As… as you command… my lord…”

“Wise of you.”

With one broad swish of her tail, Iiria lightly turned away.

“Priest-sama, then please proceed accordingly.”

“May God’s protection be upon this pitiable sinner.”

Saying so, the priest signaled the guards waiting outside the company building and had them pull Nodon to his feet.

Part of that was surely the meaning of his arrest, but it was also because preparations had to be made to lend plausibility to the story that Nodon had awakened to faith and was setting out on a journey.

However, without Iiria and the others knowing, Yorinobu had privately spoken to the priest about one other matter. There was no doubt Nodon was scum, but as a direct employer, he had not been hateful enough for me to utterly despise him. Out of gratitude for having hired me, I had asked whether he might be allowed more money than Iiria’s group had proposed, enough that Nodon could start trading again in some other town.

Whether because he was imagining what he himself might do if ever placed in such a position, the priest answered my request by swearing before God.

Thus, when the giant Nodon was carried away, it felt as though a hollow had suddenly opened up in the company building. Those left behind filled that hollow with silence.

The one who broke it was Iiria.

“Now then, our savior who appeared in this land.”

Turning to face me, Iiria said that with a smile overflowing with mischief.

“Your throne is right over here.”

What she indicated was the seat at the raised counter where Nodon had sat.

Just as executing Nodon carelessly would have thrown the town into great chaos, dismantling the Nodon Company recklessly would have paralyzed the entire economy of Jirenu Territory. It was the same sort of thing as how failed banks and the like could not easily be allowed to collapse in my previous world.

So it had been decided that someone had to take over the running of the company—but who was suited for that role?

After all this commotion, there just happened to be someone who wanted to continue the magic stone trade and who had also been entrusted with the Nodon Company’s account books, so the conclusion came naturally.

But it still felt like too great a position for me, and more than that—

“Iiria-sama, please stop calling me a savior…”

“Fufu. I will not stop as long as you keep calling me Iiria-sama.”

I let out a sigh at Iiria, who swished her tail back and forth.

Then suddenly, someone tugged sharply at my sleeve.

“Come on, it is practically a decoration from Iiria-sama. The proper thing is to accept it gratefully.”

“W-wait, hey—”

Kururu forcibly dragged me up the raised counter, which stood several steps high like a throne.

And just as I was about to place my foot on the final step, Kururu hugged me from the front.

“……”

Over Kururu’s shoulder, I could see Iiria covering her mouth and making an exaggerated show of surprise, Kengo laughing uproariously, and Marks watching with sharp eyes that made it impossible to tell how much was a joke.

I was too stunned to say anything, and when Kururu pulled back, she was looking at me with a smile that seemed on the verge of tears.

“…You looked like you were about to stumble, so I just caught you.”

Just as I was about to think, what a ridiculous excuse, she pressed a hand to my chest, and I staggered back into the chair.

“I am glad I chose to trust you.”

The hair ornament made from the fur of beastfolk children swayed together with Kururu’s hair.

Her pointed canine teeth showed beneath her lips as she smiled happily.

“All right! To our new company master!”

Kengo shouted at the top of his lungs, and Marks, his younger brothers, and the beastfolk children who had given their fur for Kururu’s ornament all came flooding into the company’s loading area. Beyond that crowd I thought I caught sight of Dodol for an instant, and I knew it had not been my imagination when I saw that Iiria and Kururu had both looked that way and exchanged a nod.

Kengo busily passed out drinks to everyone and threw me a clumsy wink.

Since I had been the one to hatch the plan in the first place, I had no choice but to take responsibility for it.

And I was the one who had said, Why not start a business?

Still, I had never imagined it would turn out like this.

“Come on, give us the inaugural speech of the new company master!”

Urged on by Kengo, I gave up and accepted that this sort of thing was important too.

I gripped my drink tightly and raised it high like Kengo did.

“Uh… well, before coming here, I was just about to quit my old company, but after various things happened, I decided to start a business in this world.”

I remembered the poster I had glanced back at from the front door that morning.

Back in university, I had been the one to say we should make a game, and in the end that dream had fallen apart.

I had not abandoned that dream, and I believed that this time, I could make it work.

No—I had to make it work.

If I wanted to make my dream a reality.

“To the launch of our new company—cheers!”

“Cheers!”

Everyone raised their drinks high and echoed the toast.

Incidentally, the fact that I could not come up with even that short speech and had to cling to Kengo in tears to help me think of it was a secret.