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Chapter 666
Chapter 666
Time to Finally Learn Some Magic? (1)
The root cause of House of Larks’ crisis lay in Baron Magrel’s greed, but what had truly driven them into direct peril was the Chief Overseer’s betrayal.
Because of that incident, Rio’s father collapsed in shock and completely lost his will to carry on.
Deneb had tended to him briefly using divine power, but compounded by his old age, he couldn’t properly recover his vitality.
No matter how gentle Rio might have been, this was a problem he couldn’t simply overlook. Without punishing the traitor, he couldn’t hope to properly lead the house.
Е nu mӑ. і d̀
Most crucially, traitors still remained within the merchant guild. The only one who might know their identities was the Chief Overseer.
The Chief Overseer, who had been staying in the lord’s castle, was captured before he could even attempt to flee thanks to Ghislain’s lightning-fast response.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“P-Please spare me! I only did it because the lord threatened me!”
The moment he was brought in, the Chief Overseer sobbed and begged at Rio’s feet.
He hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. After all, he knew House of Larks well.
But the sudden appearance of mercenaries had thrown all his plans into disarray.
Wё bṅо́ v е l̊ Ѐ ǹŭma
Wearing a bitter expression, Rio asked:
“Tell me who the remaining traitors in the merchant guild are.”
“I-I don’t know them all!”
“Weren’t you the one managing the servants? Even the traitors who went along with you were your people.”
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“The only ones I know are them. As for whether there are other traitors still inside… I don’t know!”
“Hmph…”
Ёń u̇ mӑ
The Chief Overseer desperately tried to keep the identities of the traitors hidden. Not out of loyalty.
‘I need at least one ally left on my side!’
The House of Larks had seized control of this territory. As a traitor, his life was already forfeit.
But the Chief Overseer had watched Rio since he was a child. Rio had grown up thinking of him like an uncle. Knowing Rio’s personality, the Chief Overseer believed he would be spared.
If that happened, the other traitors would have no choice but to protect the Chief Overseer in order to safeguard themselves.
He had no other options. Even if he survived, he’d likely become a slave or lose everything.
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‘There are too many people involved in this! I won’t die alone!’
Some of the retainers here had been actively involved in the plot not just helping, but scheming to carve up the merchant guild for themselves.
Naturally, those very people now hoped he wouldn’t talk. For now, they would have no choice but to protect him.
Though deep down, they likely wanted to kill him on the spot and silence him.
‘I’ll think about what comes after later. I just need to survive!’
And so, the Chief Overseer clung to Rio’s compassion.
Еn̆ǔ mа̌. і̂ d̊
“Young master no, my lord! Please, just this once, forgive me for the sake of our past ties. I may have betrayed you, but didn’t we spend twenty years together?”
“……”
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“I swear I’m innocent. I only did what the former lord ordered me to do. And I truly don’t know if there are more traitors.”
Rio let out a sigh. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe the Chief Overseer didn’t know more.
There were likely more people involved in this than he had thought. And with his naturally gentle disposition, he wasn’t confident he could root them all out.
‘W-What should I do?’
Е̂ n u mа .ĩ d̃
It was a truly frustrating situation. Having just become a lord, he still felt awkward in the role. He didn’t know how to issue commands properly.
In fact, he wasn’t even sure if he had the right to issue commands at all.
He had lived his whole life powerless of course he lacked confidence.
A few of the retainers watching cautiously spoke up.
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“Since he claims the former lord ordered him, wouldn’t it be better to investigate further?”
“If he starts talking carelessly, innocent people might get caught up in it.”
Е nu̇ m̄.а
“This kind of matter should be handled carefully. Take your time with it.”
The moment objections began to rise, Rio panicked. Cold sweat streamed down his face.
He didn’t have the confidence to persuade them or to push through with force.
The retainers were all watching Ghislain closely. Had he not been there, they would’ve pressured Rio aggressively as a group.
They were merely obeying out of fear of Ghislain. None of them had truly accepted Rio from the bottom of their hearts.
In the end, Rio turned to Ghislain and asked,
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Brother, what should I do in a time like this? Please, teach me your wisdom.”
If it was Ghislain, who resolved problems so effortlessly, surely, he would offer a wise solution.
Ghislain nodded. He had already been smirking at the retainers’ behavior.
“There was a time when I was called the King of Wisdom.”
That had never happened. Despite receiving many titles over the years, not a single one of them had included the word “wisdom.”
But Ghislain firmly believed he knew many of life’s ultimate truths. He had the experience of someone who had seen it all.
Ẁе̂ b̊ nоvе̇ l̂ Ё ṅ ú ṁ а
He squatted down in front of the kneeling Chief Overseer.
“Now that you’re a lord, watch and learn. There are many ways to make someone talk. Among them, ‘empathy’ is undoubtedly the most effective.”
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“Empathy?”
“Yes. When people empathize with each other, there’s no secret they won’t spill.”
Ghislain habitually reached behind his back toward his waist. And then he realized.
“Ah, damn. I forgot my ‘empathy’ today.”
Ŵeb̊ ň оv̇ е̌l Е n ŭ m̆а̃
There was no way Astion would be carrying around something like a hand axe. Ghislain gestured to a nearby knight and said,
“Bring me a hand axe.”
“Huh? Y-Yes, sir!”
The knight hurriedly fetched one. Ghislain took it, spun it around a few times in his hand, and without warning, struck the Chief Overseer in the thigh.
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Thud!
“Gaaaaah!”
Ė n̄ ǔm̈ а̊ .і́ḋ
The Chief Overseer let out a scream. He hadn’t seen Ghislain in action before, nor did he know who he was.
So, he couldn’t have imagined anyone would do something so brutal right in front of the lord.
“Wh-What are you doing?! Who even—”
Thud!
“Guhhhk!”
Ghislain didn’t say a word. He just kept striking parts of the Chief Overseer’s body that wouldn’t be fatal.
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Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Aaaaaaaagh!”
The Chief Overseer’s screams echoed through the audience chamber, and the onlookers went pale.
No one dared to stop him. Everyone knew how terrifying Ghislain was.
The Hero’s party had agreed, for this matter at least, to follow Ghislain without question.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Ӗ n̊ u m̊а̊
Ghislain just kept slamming the axe down. It didn’t look like he cared whether the man talked or not.
Finally, the Chief Overseer grasped the situation and began wailing for mercy.
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“Aaaagh! S-Stop! Please stop! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”
Having lived comfortably in the merchant guild his whole life, he’d never experienced pain like this. The sudden brutality broke him immediately.
Several retainers turned pale at the sight. They had helped falsify records and even used poison, they were part of this.
When the Chief Overseer agreed to talk, Ghislain lowered the axe. But the man couldn’t endure the pain and passed out right then and there.
E ṅ uṁа. іd̃
“What the? Why’s he so frail?”
Ghislain lifted the hand axe again. He clearly intended to wake the man up with another shock.
“B-Brother. W-Wait a second.”
Rio, whose face had gone pale after witnessing the blood, stopped him.
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“Hmph.”
Ghislain looked back at Rio, then stood up from his place.
Ёn̈ um а̀ . і d
In truth, this was the right moment to stop. For the sake of the lord’s authority, the final resolution had to come from Rio for it to be meaningful.
Still, Ghislain had more than created an atmosphere where no one could dare challenge Rio now.
He moved and stood behind Rio, then gently placed both hands on his shoulders and spoke quietly.
“You are now the lord of this place. That means you must be firm with those who have clearly committed crimes. That’s the only way to protect the innocent in the future.”
“Y-Yes…”
“Listening to your retainers’ advice is, of course, important. But in this case, the rights and wrongs are already crystal clear, aren’t they?”
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“Y-Yes, that’s true.”
“So, there’s no need to be swayed by the retainers’ words. It’s alright, you can start learning everything one step at a time. For now, your first order… Have that man dragged away and make sure he confesses everything before the day is over.”
Rio turned to the one he had appointed as the temporary Knight Commander and gave the order.
“Uh, drag him away and before the day is over…”
“There you go, that’s it.”
“…Make him confess everything.”
En̆ u m̀а̇ . і̃ď
“If the day ends and he hasn’t, you’ll take the punishment in his place.”
“I-If the day ends and he hasn’t… I’ll take the punishment in his place.”
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“That’s it. Good job.”
Rio’s back was drenched in cold sweat. It felt like a demon was whispering behind him.
Regardless, once the command was issued, the Knight Commander straightened up and responded at once.
“U-Understood!”
Е̌ ǹ u mā..іd̀
He was already terrified after witnessing Ghislain’s display of violence.
The other retainers no longer dared to voice their opinions either. They were so scared, they were even holding their breath.
As the knight prepared to drag away the unconscious Chief Overseer, Ghislain whispered again to Rio.
“Also, grant Baron Magrel’s family a small house and have them kept under watch within the estate for five years. After that, their status will be reevaluated based on the state of the domain.”
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“Also, grant Baron Magrel’s family…”
“And finally, imprison all of Baron Magrel’s retainers. Their treatment will be determined individually after an investigation into their respective crimes.”
Е n̄ ú mа . іd
“And finally, imprison Baron Magrel’s retainers…”
Rio parroted everything Ghislain said like a talking bird.
“Sigh, good job.”
With every command repeated, Ghislain offered a compliment.
The Knight Commander even placed a hand on his chest and answered crisply.
“Understood!”
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He didn’t even think to question or resist the orders. The sight of Ghislain hammering the Chief Overseer’s head without hesitation was still vivid in his mind.
The fear of Ghislain had grown so great that even Rio seemed terrifying by association.
Thus, even the retainers who had been trying to act innocent were quietly dragged away.
With the follow-up actions wrapped up in an instant, Rio blinked in bewilderment. Seeing this, Ghislain clicked his tongue and said,
“Getting the picture now?”
“Huh? Y-Yes?”
Ẽ nůḿ а̃
“Being a lord isn’t about enjoying power. It’s a position where you take responsibility for the entire domain. That’s why you must make judgments quickly, precisely, and with conviction.”
“Ah, I understand.”
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“From now on, you should be issuing commands like this without hesitation. A lord decides the direction of the domain. The actual work will be handled by the experts. This is your domain now, so don’t overthink it. You’ll get used to it with time.”
“Y-Yes… Understood.”
Rio gave a slight shiver. He still felt incredibly uncomfortable in this role. He didn’t believe he could ever be as decisive and capable as Ghislain.
‘I-I don’t think I’m even fit to be a lord…’
W̊ е̌_ḃ n̈о̄ ve̊ l̈ Е̃ň u ṁà
Just surviving the crisis felt like enough. Rio couldn’t understand why Ghislain had given him this position in the first place.
Ghislain had deliberately threatened the Chief Overseer in front of everyone. That alone had frightened the others so thoroughly that no one dared to defy or think otherwise.
Through that display, Ghislain kept reinforcing to everyone that he stood behind Rio. Because of that, people began to associate Rio and Ghislain as one and the same.
A short while later, the Captain of the Guard was dragged in, looking completely dazed.
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“Huh? Huh? What’s going on…?”
He still couldn’t grasp the situation. House of Larks had won the power struggle and taken control of the estate? Wasn’t the outcome already predetermined, no matter who won?
Е̌n ú m а. і d
But somehow, all the knights and key forces of the territory had aligned with the House of Larks. As the Captain of the Guard, he couldn’t make sense of it.
Ghislain grinned and rolled his shoulders.
“I told you I wouldn’t let you off, didn’t I?”
“W-What? Huh?”
“It’s not the place for it here. Let’s have a quiet talk somewhere else.”
He didn’t intend to kill the man. The captain’s curses could be dismissed as mere childish outbursts. Still, a wrong was a wrong, so Ghislain planned to teach him a small lesson.
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Soon, the Captain of the Guard’s screams echoed from outside.
“Kyaaaaah! I’m sorryyyy! I’ll never curse againnnnn!”
Those remaining inside the audience chamber broke out in cold sweat.
It became clear that the true master of this territory was someone else entirely. It felt like a dragon had whimsically taken over the estate and was now using a proxy to rule in its place.
From then on, following a similar process, all the officials and military forces pledged loyalty and fell under House of Larks’ command. The news spread quickly, and even the territory’s people welcomed the outcome.
Since the estate hadn’t been seized through war, there were no major hurdles in stabilizing it.
Еn̈ù m̆ а
Ghislain, noticing Rio still feeling awkward, asked him,
“So, what are you going to do now?”
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“W-Well…”
“Wasn’t there anything you wanted to do if you ever became a lord?”
He had never considered such a thing. Becoming a lord had always seemed like an impossibility to begin with.
“I…”
Е̂ ñ ŭm̊а
He had suffered through tremendous injustice. Had it not been for the Julien Mercenary Corps, he would have lost everything including his life.
Rio had learned many things through this ordeal. Chief among them: those with power must use it righteously.
And now, even if still faint, he had gained some power of his own.
As that thought took hold, something came to mind what he wanted to do.
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It was to turn this territory into a place worth living in.
Rio took a deep breath and slowly opened his mouth.
Ѐ n úm̆а̂
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