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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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“Why? Am I somewhere I shouldn’t be, Bertio?”
Even acts of debauchery required money. That was the reason I’d been frequenting the warehouse like my own room ever since my father entrusted me with the key.
Bertio’s office was connected to the warehouse, so we often ran into each other. It wasn’t surprising.
“N-no, of course not. I was just lost in thought for a moment. My mistake.”
Bertio offered an awkward laugh and an excuse. It was an uncharacteristic blunder for such an experienced retainer. I pretended not to notice and continued the conversation.
“Well, the mansion has been rather busy lately. With Mother stepping away from official duties, your burden must be even heavier.”
“Indeed, the only one who understands my hardship is you, Master Allen.”
“How did you decide to handle the supply of military rations?”
When Bertio’s complexion returned to normal, I asked pointedly.
“H-how did Master…?”
“A servant informed me that a messenger had arrived.”
Rolland, who was in charge of Sophia’s faction’s military forces, had gone missing. In this barbaric era, the ability to project direct military force made a huge difference. In other words, the balance of power was bound to shift considerably.
Moreover, Sophia, who should have been handling the situation, was preoccupied with the search for Rolland and had neglected her duties in the mansion.
Thus, the servants, sensitive to power dynamics, were quick to switch allegiances. The execution of the head maid, who had wielded absolute power as the second-in-command of the mansion, likely also played a role.
My influence in the mansion now surpassed Sophia’s. If I eliminated one more person, Sophia would be completely isolated.
I continued, looking directly at that “one more person.”
“Why so silent? Surely you have a plan, don’t you? This concerns my father’s honor. Imagine him being the only one without supplies when all the other retainers are gathered. How humiliating! I guarantee you, when Father returns, he’ll flay you alive.”
I wasn’t trying to scare him. Bertio, as the second oldest retainer, understood the situation better than anyone.
Bertio’s face turned pale, his forehead damp with cold sweat.
“Wh-what can I do when there’s no money?”
“Oh, Bertio. Do you really intend to offer that excuse to Father? Why? Has life become so tedious that you don’t care anymore?”
“…!”
That kind of excuse wouldn’t work on Father. On the contrary, he would hold him accountable for failing to manage the finances as the treasurer.
“One strange thing is that while our family fortune isn’t vast, it’s not insignificant either.”
“Y-you know the reason for that!”
I was well aware that my profligacy, Sophia’s extravagance, and the continuous supply of military rations were the causes. But was that all? I narrowed my eyes and stared at Bertio.
“How can a master be questioned for spending his own money? However, it’s a different story if a servant misappropriates it.”
“I-I’m innocent!”
“Is that so? Isn’t it customary for those who handle money to line their own pockets?”
Now Bertio’s face was as white as a sheet. He even took a step back as I approached him.
I stopped him by grabbing his lapels, brushed off the dust on his clothes, and straightened his attire. Then, placing a hand on his shoulder and gently massaging it, I said,
“Ah, don’t worry. I have no intention of harming you. I want only one thing. For you to handle this… well, handle this so that my father’s wrath doesn’t fall upon me.”
Everything I’d said so far led to a single conclusion: I was telling Bertio to replenish the military supplies, even if it meant using his own funds.
Even I thought I looked like a true scoundrel, saying such things with a straight face.
“Master Allen…!”
Bertio’s clenched fists trembled. I smirked and turned my back on him. Before leaving the warehouse, I added one last remark.
“You should have chosen your side more wisely.”
With Sophia powerless, there was no one left to stop me. Bertio would now pay the price for choosing the wrong side. Of course, I wasn’t going to be satisfied with mere money.
I wanted much more than that.
Thump. The door closed, and Bertio was left alone in the warehouse.
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Thud. Thud.. Thud…
As Allen’s footsteps faded away, Bertio’s suppressed rage exploded.
Bang.
Slamming his fist on the desk, Bertio yelled,
“That damned spoiled brat! What? Replenish it with my money? Why should I? You two lovebirds are the ones who spent money like water! Why should I cover for you?!”
As Allen had suggested, Bertio had indeed embezzled a portion of the Tolbatz family fortune under various pretexts. However, Bertio didn’t think it was wrong. Wasn’t it something everyone did?
In fact, Bertio believed it was too little considering his long service to the Tolbatz family.
It was excellent self-justification.
The problem was that the facts were irrelevant. That lunatic would get his way, even if it meant using force. He was even more dangerous because reasoning with him was impossible.
“Damn it, does he think I’ll just take this lying down?!”
Allen’s threat solidified Bertio’s resolve to find another way out.
Bertio began to gather anything of value in the warehouse. Although it was nearly empty, the accumulated items amounted to a considerable sum.
The problem was the bulky size of some of the items. Taking them out openly was too risky. If he valued his safety, he should only take small, easily concealed items. However, if he were truly concerned about his safety, he wouldn’t be robbing the warehouse of a knightly family in the first place.
“Alright. It’s come to this, so it’s all or nothing.”
Bertio ended up packing a large amount of goods. Even then, his greed wasn’t satisfied.
“Wait, the real treasure trove is that bitch, Sophia.”
As the treasurer, Bertio knew that most of Sophia’s extravagant purchases were easily convertible jewelry. They would be worth more than the goods he’d scraped together from the depleted warehouse.
Bertio’s eyes gleamed with avarice as he finished his calculations. Having crossed the line, he couldn’t control his greed.
The moment Sophia left her room for dinner, Bertio slipped inside. He opened the jewelry box on her vanity and the drawers of her dresser, revealing a dazzling array of jewelry.
Gulp.
Perhaps it was because the amount was greater than he anticipated, but a sense of unease finally overcame his greed. Bertio hesitated to sweep up the jewels, checking the surroundings first. However, the hesitation was brief.
“Damn it. While I was struggling with the underlings to make ends meet, this bitch was indulging in such extravagance? That damn bitch! I shouldn’t have trusted her in the first place. Yes, this is my rightful reward for all my hard work.”
As if trying to make up for lost time, Bertio’s hands moved frantically as he gathered the jewelry. He then struggled to carry the now full sack out of the mansion.
Fortunately, he didn’t encounter anyone on his way out. Considering there were more than ten people in the mansion and his pace was slowed by the weight of the sack, this was odd. However, blinded by greed, Bertio simply considered himself lucky.
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“Honey! Pack your things quickly! Hurry! Hans, you too!”
Returning to his cottage in the village below the hill, Bertio urged his family. Time was short. He needed to take everything he could and flee the Tolbatz estate before Sophia returned to her room.
For a moment, the thought that he might be acting too hastily crossed his mind, but having already set things in motion, there was no other option.
“Dear! What’s going on all of a sudden!?”
“Dad? Why? You’re scaring me!”
Naturally, his family, unaware of the situation, was bewildered.
“Just pack your bags! If we’re late, we’re all dead!”
Only after Bertio’s stern warning did his family, realizing the gravity of the situation, begin to pack.
“Just the essentials! Just the essentials! We can buy the rest later!”
After instructing his family, Bertio headed straight to his study. He heaved the large desk aside and lifted the carpet beneath it, revealing a wooden door with a handle.
Descending the stairs beyond, he entered a small, attic-like basement where a chest sat in the center. He opened the lid, and the dimly lit basement, illuminated by a single candle, was instantly bathed in light. The chest was overflowing with gold and jewels, the lid barely closing.
This was the fruit of Bertio’s embezzlement during his more than ten years as a retainer of the Tolbatz family. His eyes, fixated on the gold and jewels, shimmered with greed.
“Heh heh, with this much wealth, I can live comfortably without worrying about anyone else, right? Maybe I can even become a powerful figure in a free city and wield even more power than I do now.”
A glorious future seemed within reach. Bertio closed the chest and struggled to carry it back upstairs. However, the house, which should have been bustling with activity, was eerily silent.
“This woman doesn’t understand the situation…! Jenny! Jenny-!”
There was no reply. His son Hans also didn’t answer. Had they already been discovered? But how could that be, so quickly? The silence of the house filled him with unease. Even the mice were unusually quiet today.
Gulp.
Bertio quietly set down the chest and grabbed a sword from the wall-mounted display rack. It was a one-handed sword, less than a meter long. The drawn sword trembled slightly, but Bertio didn’t notice.
“Jenny…?”
His wife was not in their bedroom. The room was in disarray, as if a thief had ransacked it. It looked like they had been hurriedly packing but had been interrupted for some reason.
The sword in Bertio’s hand trembled more violently.
“Hans! Hans-!”
Bertio dashed upstairs to his son’s room. It presented a similar scene to the bedroom. He couldn’t find either of them in any of the other rooms. Now Bertio’s whole body began to tremble.
He was about to go back downstairs to the bedroom and start searching again when he heard a noise outside. The front door was slightly ajar. Had he left it open? He couldn’t remember in his haste.
“They must have gone out for a moment to prepare the carriage. That must be it.”
Come to think of it, securing a carriage was more important than the luggage. Possessions could be replaced with money. Jenny was a clever wife. Surely, his wife and son would be waiting outside the front door, ready to depart. Bertio clung to that belief.
However,
What awaited him as he opened the front door was a group of villagers surrounding his house, torches in hand.
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“Jenny! Hans!”
“Mmmmph!!”
They had his wife and son restrained.
“You bastards! What is the meaning of this! How dare you treat the family of a Tolbatz retainer this way! Do you want to die?!”
Bertio pointed his sword at them and shouted. But none of them showed any sign of fear. Instead, they silently stared at a single point. There, parting the crowd, was a figure approaching. Bertio’s face hardened when he saw him.
“Master Allen…?”
Allen grinned at Bertio.
“Bertio. Did you tidy up your finances?”
“Wh-what…?”
Bertio involuntarily took a step back. His instincts were screaming. The spoiled brat in front of him was not the one he knew. This was something more dangerous, more cruel, something on a different level altogether.
“A man who handles money shouldn’t be so slow-witted.”
At Allen’s signal, two young men emerged from the house, carrying the chest filled with gold and jewels and the sack of goods stolen from the mansion. Forgetting the gravity of the situation, Bertio tried to rush at them.
“How dare you! What do you think you’re doing! That’s mine!”
The villagers quickly grabbed his arms and restrained him. At Allen’s nod, they forced Bertio to his knees. Allen looked down at him, now completely immobilized.
“It’s mine now.”
“N-no way…”
Bertio had beautifully packaged his entire fortune and presented it to Allen on a silver platter. Only then did he realize he’d been playing into Allen’s hands all along. The realization came too late.
“Anyway, Bertio. Thank you for your service. I hope you like my last gift to you.”
At Allen’s gesture, the villagers parted to the left and right. Revealed in the village square was a gallows, erected at some point unbeknownst to Bertio. The villagers dragged him towards it.
“N-no-! You can’t kill me! I’m a retainer who served Lord Maxim for many years! Do you think he’ll let this go! Sophia, where is Lady Sophia! Lady Sophia!”
Allen raised his hand. The villagers leading Bertio stopped. A flicker of hope appeared in Bertio’s eyes, but it was instantly extinguished by Allen’s mocking laughter.
“Oh, Bertio! Do you really want that? After stealing from the family and your mistress? I wonder if they’ll be satisfied with a mere hanging. Especially Father, isn’t he more… hands-on than I am? Perhaps he really will flay you alive.”
Bertio’s face turned ashen. Allen’s words were neither lies nor exaggerations.
“Master A-Allen! Please, please spare my life! I was wrong! I was foolish!”
“If you’ve committed a wrong, you must be punished. Isn’t that how the world works?”
“Ah, then please spare my wife and child! Allen!!”
Allen shook his head.
“How can I spare those who might seek revenge? Take them away.”
“N-no!!!”
Despite Bertio’s struggles, the entire family was dragged to the gallows.
Click.
Their continuous screams were cut short as the supporting platform beneath them dropped away. Three figures plummeted, ropes tightening around their necks. Their bodies went limp before they could even register the pain, their necks broken by the fall. It was an anticlimactic end for someone who had held a position of authority within the manor.
Allen turned his back and looked up at the mansion. With this, Sophia had lost both her hands and feet. How would she react? Would she give up? Or would she make a futile attempt at resistance?
Whatever she did, it would be entertaining. In the end, she couldn’t escape the palm of his hand.
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Shit
CRASH THEM