Chapter 93

“The first method: we cut off the distribution of the drugs.”

Avenger raised his voice, relaying my words to the room.

Almost every official in the fief, including Avenger himself, had gathered in the Great Hall where he was speaking.

One official stepped forward and asked a question.

“I beg your pardon, my Lord, but I cannot help but ask. We still haven’t properly identified the nature of this drug. Can cutting off the distribution route truly function as a viable solution?”

“It is possible,” I answered.

The official who asked the question remained silent, his eyes urging me to explain how.

“We will torture the captured prisoners to find the informants.”

The moment I finished the first sentence, a stir broke out among the officials in the hall.

But it’s too early for that.

This is only the first stage.

“Based on that information, we will root out those considered to be the executives of the drug distribution. Mr. Izack calls them the ‘Underground Council.’”

This time, an officer from the military council raised his hand.

I pointed to him, granting permission to speak.

“But to do that, we would have to deploy most of the remaining guard forces from Denabi Castle to the Lower District.”

“And?”

“Naturally, such a large-scale military action against the Lower District will be met with backlash. It won’t just be a minor protest; we’ll face full-scale resistance. However…”

“I am aware. To execute this method, we would effectively have to wage war against the Lower District.”

At that, the officials shouted in unison.

“War against the Lower District? That’s madness! They are also rightful subjects of Denabi!”

The commotion lasted for a while.

It was an elderly vassal who finally silenced the noise.

“That’s enough. Everyone here knows the policies the Young Master has implemented regarding the Lower District. He is merely discussing the possible options, not saying he will definitely carry out that specific method.”

Only then did the officials’ excitement cool down a bit.

“Thank you for the timely assistance, Hormis. However, there is one error in your point,” I said.

“If I must, I will gladly carry out this method.”

“Young Master…!”

“If those people in the Underground Council truly intend to sicken Denabi because they cannot bear to lose their profits, then we must cut out that disease by any means necessary.”

“But…”

“Drugs aren’t made from dew falling from the sky. There are bound to be production facilities or farms. I intend to find them and burn them all to the ground, even if I have to tear them limb from limb to get the location.”

A war against the Lower District.

Even if it was for their own sake, did I truly have the resolve to start such a thing?

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure.

But I had to push myself.

All of this was my doing.

The ambition to absorb the Lower District into the official system—it was my will alone that provoked the Lower District and the Underground Council with that ambition.

I couldn’t leave the decision in someone else’s hands.

Hormis bowed his head, showing his acceptance of my resolve.

“…I understand.”

However, he soon looked up at me.

“But you said this was only the first method. I would like to hear the second. Perhaps it might be a better course of action.”

“Very well.”

I glanced at Avenger again.

Avenger spoke on my behalf.

“The second method: we accept Malik’s proposal.”

Avenger’s voice sounded somewhat gloomy as he spoke.

And that damp energy spread through the entire Great Hall in an instant.

-If it’s Malik’s proposal…

-Doesn’t that mean the Young Master has to go to his den personally…?!

They looked like they wanted to object immediately.

But this time, no one gave an answer that sounded like an absolute refusal.

How could they?

If they rejected the second method, they’d have to return to the first.

“Is there no other way…?”

The timid question from one official was crushed by Avenger’s shake of the head.

The Great Hall fell into silence.

Would they let the flames of war swallow Denabi, or would they throw me into Malik’s arms?

‘There’s no way any subject could easily answer a question like that.’

The only one who could answer was me.

I stepped forward, trampling over the silence.

“Then it’s settled.”

I had already made up my mind in the briefing room.

“I will follow Malik’s proposal.”

Looking at the officials’ faces, it seemed like relief and horror were swirling together.

‘How could I not understand you all? Of course you’d feel that strange conflict.’

Common sense says you shouldn’t choose the first method.

But as a subject, approving the second method is an act of disloyalty.

That’s why I have no choice but to choose it myself.

“On the day and time Malik specified, I will go to his mansion alone.”

A few hours ago, immediately after I had finished talking about both methods.

The atmosphere in the briefing room was exactly the same as the Great Hall would be later.

Except Adele was there.

“I absolutely won’t allow it.”

“I am the current administrator of Denabi Castle.”

“I’m still one of the Emperor’s Hunters. I don’t need to listen to your orders, and I don’t want to.”

“Adele.”

“How is that any different from saying you’re going to commit suicide? You want me to hand you over to the bastards who are dying to kill you? Even if it were the Emperor’s command, I wouldn’t follow it.”

Then, Avenger backed Adele up.

“She is right, Young Master. Even if we must choose the second method, Malik’s request didn’t say you had to come alone. I will organize an escort unit. If we do that…”

“If we do that and a physical conflict breaks out.”

I cut Avenger off.

“If I do that, isn’t it the exact same as executing the first method? The second option is called a ‘proposal’ to make it sound nice, but in reality, I’m offering myself up to go and beg Malik. ‘Please stop the drug distribution, and please return the kidnapped people from the Upper District!’ Do you think a plea like that would even hold weight if I show up dragging soldiers behind me?”

“……”

Avenger was left speechless.

He likely already knew as much. However, he was my man now. His days as a mere talent of Denabi were in the past; his concern for my safety clearly outweighed the prosperity of the fief.

I turned my head toward Adele.

“Adele, if you follow me, it’ll truly turn into a mess.”

“I have no interest in the success of the negotiations. To be honest, I couldn’t care less if everyone in this fief becomes a drug addict. You are far more important to me.”

Avenger looked at Adele with a fervent gaze, as if she had taken the very words out of his mouth.

Still, what’s impossible is impossible.

“Do you truly have the confidence to protect me in a place surrounded by nothing but enemies?”

“…It’s not impossible. If I fight with the intent to kill everyone.”

“You say that stubbornly, but you and I both know how difficult it would be. If you come with me, it will inevitably become a battle rather than a negotiation. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to just leave me be and bet on the possibility that Malik will let me go safely?”

“There’s no way such a possibility exists—”

“There is.”

I looked Adele straight in the eye.

“Trust me.”

Finally, the day arrived.

The footsteps of the citizens passing through the gates just before curfew were the same as any other day. However, the gazes of those watching the gates were somewhat tense.

Some cast curious looks at the carriages gathered near the entrance. I was watching everything from atop the gate’s ramparts.

Soon, the voice of the guard captain rose from below.

—Three minutes until gate closure!

Hearing that, I tightened my shoelaces.

“It’s time to go.”

“Understood.”

Avenger, who had been sticking close to me, shouted down toward the gate.

“Now! Prepare yourselves!”

—One minute until gate closure!

Just before the gates shut, when the crowd of citizens had thinned out significantly, the movement finally began. As I stepped outside the gate, a line of carriages followed me.

The unexpected procession drew the attention of the Lower District residents. I spoke out to all of them.

“I am Shane, the third son of the Astrier family and the current administrator of Denabi Castle. I have gladly accepted the request for a meeting from Malik, the nominal ruler of the Lower District, and I will attend this meeting personally and alone. Furthermore, to commemorate this meeting, I wish to grant a small gift to the residents of the Lower District.”

—A gift?

—Granting us something? What is it?

Pointless questions wandered through the gathering crowd. But I knew. I knew they already had the answer to those questions.

Suddenly, a voice cried out.

“It’s the carriages! Carriages full of fruit and grain!”

I smirked.

Come on, everyone, brighten up. You haven’t forgotten my donations already, have you?

“Now.”

At my signal, the drivers pulled back the cloths covering the cargo beds simultaneously. The scent of fruit and barley erupted into the air instantly.

“Whoa!”

The people swarmed forward.

And then, the carriages—carrying nothing but me and the drivers—began to roll down the slopes of the Lower District, cutting through the throngs of people.

“You’re going to use the bribery tactic again?”

Avenger rubbed his chin, looking troubled.

I told him:

“I’m making the risk of killing me greater than the risk of keeping me alive. The bribes are merely the medium for that.”

I had already gained support this way near the second gate of the Lower District. That rumor must have already spread to the upper neighborhoods of the Lower District by now.

“Doing this won’t necessarily increase my personal approval rating. After all, the last donation wasn’t done in my name either. However, it will create a justification for a hardline response if I am killed in the Lower District.”

“Ah, I see…”

“The Upper District has consistently implemented friendly policies toward the masses of the Lower District over the past few weeks. If the youngest of the Lord’s family, who visited the Lower District unarmed under such circumstances, were to die, the aftermath would be something even the Lower District couldn’t ignore.”

If I truly died like that, I would become—to exaggerate a bit—a martyr. There are countless great figures who put the finishing touch on their achievements through death. There are also countless cases where history was changed using such a death as a justification.

“Avenger, Adele. You can rest easy. The Underground Council cannot kill me. Not unless they intend to canonize me and hand over every ounce of ruling legitimacy to the Upper District.”

Malik sipped on some cheap distilled liquor.

He had just heard from Bard about what Shane had pulled in front of the gate. Malik leaned back into his chair and propped his feet up on the table.

How should he express this feeling?

After some thought, Malik realized there was no suitable way. Instead, he lit a cigarette and held it between his lips.

A satisfied smile hung on his face.

“You really are a genius. Shane Astrier.”