Chapter 31: The Red Nose
I had heard that the layout of a lord’s mansion was generally similar, but this place was vast. Originally a viscount’s residence, it was larger than the marquis’s estate, but with Transfer Magic, size didn’t matter much.
I jumped from the street into the grounds, making my way to the side of the building, and then leaped next to a room that had its lights on. I sensed the presence of someone in the adjacent room, but since there was no sign of life, I decided to intrude.
It turned out to be a lady’s chamber, so I quickly excused myself and jumped to the next room, but it was empty… perhaps they were out.
Every room I targeted was a miss, and it seemed I had no talent for thievery. As I stepped outside, pondering whether to try my luck with the unlit rooms, I noticed a light flickering in one of them, and I caught a glimpse of a man by the window.
If this was another miss, I would just have to go through them one by one, so I steeled myself and jumped in. I overdid it and landed right in the lit room, catching the two guards off guard. I promptly unleashed a soft Stone Bullet into their stomachs.
The soft clump of earth, traveling at an estimated 200 km/h and the size of a softball, sent them retching and convulsing. I also gifted a bullet to the nobleman, binding all three of them.
Just as I finished tying them up, there was a knock at the door. Gritting my teeth, I called out, “Come in,” but I wondered if my voice sounded too young to avoid suspicion.
The man who entered, looking every bit the butler, was taken aback by the sight of the fallen guards. Before he could react, I shot a Stone Bullet into his stomach as well.
I approached the bound nobleman and playfully slapped him with the marquis’s letter before opening it to show him the contents. The count was aghast as the masked man in adventurer attire presented him with a letter that bore no sender’s name.
I spoke gently to the shocked count.
“You know who this letter is from, right? Killing is not my job, so I’ll let you live. The conditions are to cure the illness of Nabal’s daughter and hand over 200 gold coins. You are to have no further dealings with Nabal and his family. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
The count nodded desperately.
“I hear nearly thirty knights have died, and your heir has sustained serious injuries. He has vowed to settle this himself, so be prepared.”
I took the count’s ornate sword and stowed it in my Magic Pouch before leaping out the window. Just before hitting the ground, I jumped again to land beside the wall, making my escape from the mansion.
The next day, the four of us quickly left Herman and returned to Egdra.
After the intruder leaped from the window, the count was freed by his butler, who had been kicked awake in a panic. The clever butler listened intently as the count recounted the events, trembling at the thought of retaliation from Marquis Hamawar.
The butler was shown the remaining letter, which contained a brief message: “Your son’s life has been spared. The price for your meddling will be paid with your life and that of your family.” There were no details about who, when, or where, leaving only the recipient to understand the implications and tremble in fear.
The butler could only sigh.
Nabal had been sent as a spy to House Hamawar, not for assassination, but for information gathering. He didn’t know whose idea it was, but now, having attempted a sloppy assassination against someone who had become a marquis, he realized too late that the one he had underestimated was a wolf.
“My lord, the one who delivered this letter claimed to have appeared suddenly in this room,” the butler said.
“Indeed. He appeared right where you are standing now, took down the two guards and bound me,” the count replied.
“That must be the Transfer Magic I’ve heard about. You’ve made an enemy of Marquis Hamawar. The person sent to House Hamawar was meant for information gathering, not assassination. It seems your sloppy attempt at murder has revealed your connection to the count.”
“I do not wish to die… what should I do, Oiger?”
The count had described the appearance of the intruder, but he was a small, adventurer-like figure with his face hidden beneath a hood, leaving no clues. There was one person who came to mind, someone associated with Marquis Hamawar who could use both Transfer Magic and Earth Magic. However, I had heard that he could only use Earth Magic and would quickly run out of mana, collapsing as a result. Sneaking in with Transfer Magic and attacking with spells before escaping was impossible for someone with such low mana.
“My lord, how do you plan to deal with someone who attacks using Transfer Magic? If he said, ‘Killing is not my job,’ then he might send another assassin. If he could take down the messenger, how do you expect to handle someone like that?”
“That’s why I’m asking you what to do! I do not wish to die!”
“The only option I can think of is to plead for intervention from the royal family.”
“Do you think that’s possible? To beg the royal family for help after failing at assassination?”
“Then what will you do? It seems he intends to send another assassin in addition to the Transfer Magic user. There’s no way to defend against them; even the Transfer Magic user cannot be stopped. The only remaining option is to directly apologize to Marquis Hamawar and seek reconciliation, but with nearly thirty knights dead, it won’t be easy. Moreover, you were told to cure Nabal’s daughter’s illness and provide 200 gold coins. If you were told to have no further dealings with him, it seems the count is watching to see what you will do.”
“Then cure the daughter’s illness and cast her aside!”
“That’s fine, but how will you do that?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t think anyone can handle an assassin when they can’t even deal with a Transfer Magic user. If you apologize to the marquis and seek forgiveness…”
“Are you telling me to apologize to a mere viscount? To a child who can barely use magic?”
“Even so, he has been promoted and is now a marquis. You have no chance of winning.”
Just as the count was on the verge of being abandoned by his butler, he finally decided to apologize to Marquis Hamawar and seek reconciliation.
Count Dalasl visited the capital of Hamawar, Egdra, a month after Kaito’s intimidation. To his surprise, he checked into the Egdra Hotel and sent word ahead to the marquis’s residence.
Receiving this, Marquis Hamawar was left speechless in disbelief but replied that he would be waiting the next day.
Kaito was contacted, and I asked him to give Count Dalasl a little scare since he was staying at the same hotel.
When the manager was informed of Count Dalasl’s room, he reported that the count was holed up with eight guards, having his meals brought to him. I requested that they ignore any commotion that might arise in the count’s room.
Dressed in my adventurer attire and masked, I jumped into Count Dalasl’s room. There were six guards by the walls and two flanking the count, but they all writhed in agony from the Stone Bullets I had unleashed into their stomachs.
I pulled out the longsword I had previously taken from Count Dalasl and pointed it at him. Approaching the trembling count, I asked if he had forgotten that he was supposed to cure Nabal’s daughter’s illness.
“You can’t cure her?”
I kicked the count’s nose in frustration.
“Bring Nabal and his mother to Egdra! You did bring the 200 gold coins, didn’t you?”
Seeing the count gulp nervously, I kicked his nose again.
“I’m not here to kill you, as I wasn’t asked to. However, I have no intention of showing mercy to someone who breaks promises just because they’re a noble. You have one more month to comply.”
The count nodded desperately, and I delivered a third kick to his nose before vanishing from sight.
The next day, Count Dalasl, with his nose swollen and bright red, arrived at the marquis’s residence in a carriage.
Guided to the marquis’s office, Count Dalasl knelt before him, stammering out his apologies.
“You’ve come, Dalasl, but your apologies are unnecessary! After mocking me thoroughly, you tried to have my son and knights killed. What good is your bowing now? I was just about to prepare to slaughter you and your entire family in the depths of hell.”
The marquis’s cold voice echoed like it came from the depths of the abyss, and Dalasl begged for forgiveness in a posture resembling a dogeza.
“Since you’ve come here to apologize, can you provide compensation for the knights and your son who have perished? You thought that just bowing your head would suffice because you underestimated me?”
After being thoroughly intimidated, Count Dalasl was forced to pay 350 gold coins for each of the 34 deceased knights and to pay Hyalda 500 gold coins annually for ten years as compensation.
Aside from that, I had to apologize to the Marquis and was made to promise to pay him 1,000 gold coins over the next ten years. After signing a document detailing the events and the terms of our reconciliation, I returned home accompanied by Fiene’s carriage and forty members of the Hamawar Marquisate’s knight order.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
The carriage, whether as a mere escort or a cunning wolf sent to follow, returned with Fiene, carrying a magic bag filled with 13,400 gold coins.
As we were leaving, Fiene turned to Count Dalasl and smiled, saying, “It’s a lovely mansion, but if you forget our agreement, it might just burn down.” The count, having nearly depleted his savings, realized he would have to pay 1,500 gold coins every year for the next nine years. Understanding the terrifying implications of the words he had dismissed, he hung his head in defeat.