Step By Step! (3)

Since they had come all this way, I had to go out to greet them. He was a high-ranking noble of the empire.

If he caused trouble in my domain, then by imperial law I could do whatever I wanted to him—duke or not—but I figured he had not come here without a plan.

While I was throwing on some presentable clothes, Vincent ran to the lord’s castle and told me Duke Balsen had arrived.

“I know. I saw from above and was getting ready.”

“Why would he come?”

Judging by Vincent’s tone, he did not welcome Duke Balsen’s visit either. Well, only certain kinds of nobles were welcome…

After preparing properly, we headed together to the lord’s official residence.

Duke Balsen had gotten down from his carriage and was nosing around. He was mostly watching the Beastkin working, and when I approached, I saw a man who looked like his aide whisper something into the duke’s ear.

Duke Balsen turned toward me. He looked at me with a rather arrogant gaze, and when I stepped in front of him, I asked,

“Welcome, Duke Balsen. You’ve gone to the trouble of coming all the way to this humble domain.”

Duke Balsen’s expression twisted—apparently my greeting did not please him. The other nobles nearby, several attendants, and even the men who looked like aides stared at me as if they wanted to kill me. In that moment, Demina, who had been behind me, stepped forward and drew all of their gazes onto herself.

Then Demina warned them in a low voice.

“You should remember where you are before you do something insulting.”

As if Demina had done something, everyone nearby went pale—everyone except Duke Balsen, who calmly looked around and spoke.

“This is why, when a Free Citizen becomes a noble, education is necessary. If you knew it was a humble domain, you should have come out earlier. Do you expect me to be made to set foot on this dirt?”

“Hmm. I never asked you to come, and I am not a noble who follows you—so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t speak down to me. We’re both nobles. Shouldn’t you keep at least the bare minimum of courtesy?”

Balsen was the head of the noble faction, sure—but there was no noble faction around here. In other words, I had no reason to watch my tone or grovel with forced politeness.

And on the surface, I was an imperial noble.

Even if he raised a fuss, I was in a position where I had almost nothing to lose.

“Hah… Are you thinking of committing insubordination?”

“Insubordination? I haven’t done anything. If anything, isn’t the problem your attitude, Duke Balsen? And as the lord, I’m exercising my rightful authority. Imperial law clearly states: ‘Resolve the matter under the laws of the domain where the incident occurs,’ doesn’t it? So I can simply make laws that favor me. That’s what being a lord is, isn’t it?”

“Exceptions exist. I am a high-ranking noble who falls under such an exception.”

“Then let me ask you just one thing. Please answer sincerely. The imperial princess also shows me proper respect here—so does that mean your status is higher than Her Highness’s?”

Duke Balsen’s face contorted, and I continued.

“If you say yes, I will serve you with the utmost respect. I dislike insubordination too. So what will you do? If what I’m saying is false, it will be exposed easily—so think carefully and give your answer.”

He could have tried to nitpick my “bad attitude,” but Duke Balsen was in too deep with me to pretend this was only about manners. I sold liquor, and among the nobles with him were those tied to running the Pharmacists’ Guild.

Meaning I was destined to clash with the noble faction head-on. And I remembered once looking into the domain they had tried to foist on me—it was a barren land, boxed in on all sides by the noble faction’s territory.

This place had Beastkin, at least. That place had only humans—and a massive mountain range, meaning it was a region where you could be isolated day after day under constant fear of death, practically doomed to be killed by monsters.

In other words, they had planned to drag me there, break me thoroughly, and squeeze me dry.

That was the kind of relationship we had—one where only sharp answers could come out.

“And you think you can still survive in Terakan after acting like this?”

“Survive? The Terakan Empire isn’t some harsh wilderness. And do you think Ingrad Domain is a joke?”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Exactly what I said. This is a domain where surviving is harder than anywhere else. And I’ve done this much here—yet you’re worried about what will happen to me? Your concern moves me.”

“You’re relying on those Beastkin for this? Just one person—”

Duke Balsen trailed off and looked around, puzzled. If he had spoken this far, the knights guarding him from behind should have reacted—but when I caught the grim look on their faces, I spoke to him.

“I’m not in the habit of throwing out guests, so I can host you—but unless you have urgent business, I’d like you not to stay long. Please, don’t force me to make the lord’s final choice.”

“…Such a lawless man…”

“Oh, since we’re already being lawless, there’s one more thing I should tell you— you can’t use the lord’s official residence right now. I have far too much information to share with another lord in the same line of work. And I can’t give you a tour either—please understand. There should be good lodgings near the residence, so you can stay there—”

“You bastard!!!”

Duke Balsen finally snapped, shouting. So I answered with equal bluntness.

“What! Were you expecting to be treated like royalty?”

“Y-You… you…!”

Duke Balsen trembled with rage. Then his aide stepped close and spoke.

“Viscount Ingrad, I am Count Belfes. Do you realize how improper your behavior is right now?”

“Then may I ask the reverse?”

“What is it?”

“You come to a lord’s domain you don’t even share a faction with—what do you expect? And on top of that, I know you tried to dump me in a barren domain and exploit me. Am I supposed to laugh and smile?”

“It seems you don’t know how to do politics.”

“I’m not interested in politics. And… even dogs and pigs can tell who they should follow.”

It could have sounded like I was saying Duke Balsen was not someone worth following—and that the people who followed him were worse than dogs and pigs. Which was true. I drew the line clearly.

Only then did Count Belfes seem to understand why I had to act this way. He stepped back and whispered something to Duke Balsen.

The two of them spoke while looking at me. A moment later, the one who opened his mouth was Duke Balsen—wearing, unexpectedly, a calm expression.

“I will state the condition under which I came here. I had no intention of staying long anyway. But you should listen to my proposal and think carefully.”

“What proposal?”

“I want you to run the Terakan Empire’s Pharmacists’ Guild. It is a guild rooted widely across the entire imperial territory. In your position—having to sell medicine on your own from the start—you know how difficult it is to establish a foundation.”

I did not like the proposal. I already wished I had two bodies just to handle what I had now—manage that too?

It was blatantly a scheme to steal my manufacturing methods; anyone could see that.

And Duke Balsen’s eyes showed it too clearly—I could feel deep fury and greed living together in them.

‘This old man is definitely an idiot. And those so-called nobles around him are probably hopelessly stupid too…’

There was a saying that greed made people stupid. Meaning you could only see one thing. There were many reasons, sure—but seeing Balsen bring this as a “proposal” made me want to laugh.

I wanted to mock him, sneer, and kick him out—but since I couldn’t, I spoke around it.

“Thank you for the proposal, but I’ll think about it. And what I said earlier still stands, so I won’t see you off far. Take care on your way.”

I had no intention of selling him anything, so I ended it firmly. Watching Duke Balsen and his hangers-on return to their carriage with a “just you wait” look, I had to let out a sigh.

‘To lose control from anger…’

He was a duke. Even rotten fish was still fish, and a ducal title was—no matter how I thought about it—a title that could threaten my life here, even in my own domain.

I had acted boldly, so I judged this was the right place to stop.

And I realized that if Demina had not been beside me, I might have been humiliated or cowed. Then I recalled Balsen’s purpose—so it really was the Pharmacists’ Guild.

‘What happened to Doriyan…?’

The Pharmacists’ Guild in the Terakan Empire should have been so thoroughly under his control it wouldn’t be strange. So what was going on—what was about to happen?

I was watching the carriage make a wide turn through the residence yard and head out when Duke Balsen’s carriage window opened. His head stuck out, and he threw a final line at me.

“Think carefully, and send someone within fifteen days. And… if you want to become my man, send me that bitch.”

At the words “that bitch,” I followed Duke Balsen’s gaze—Demina was standing there, glaring at him with an incredulous expression. I could only shake my head.

‘He looks like a man working hard to get himself killed… And there’s no medicine for stupidity…’

There was no recipe for a medicine that cured stupidity.

Duke Balsen left me feeling like I could hardly breathe. Today he had come and gone lightly, but I judged he had a reason for coming all the way out here.

And while Balsen was an idiot, I doubted his aides were.

Count Belfes—there were things I picked up from that short exchange. And the aides kept looking around as if surveying something; maybe they were assessing the domain’s state.

Not even knowing what I should be preparing for, I could only scratch my head, thinking it was too much pressure for such an unpleasant man to be taking interest.

‘I want a talisman or something. A talisman that keeps high-ranking bastards from coming here…’

It was the moment I truly felt how much excessive attention I was drawing from the Terakan Empire’s high nobles.