Chapter 19: The Scum’s Demise Part 3 (Scum’s Perspective)
“Wait! Alessandro-san!”
“Hahaha, you came chasing after me? What a terrible man you are. Leaving your fiancée and your mistress behind. And Elanda-chan was pregnant, wasn’t she? So you abandoned your future child as well. Ahahahaha!”
Shut up. I’ve always backed the winning horse.
Like hell I’m going to die in a place like this!
Besides, you made Claire, who was a slave to money and pleasure, your mistress, and you abandoned all your own damn employees in the first place!!!
“Then, you shall be my coachman.”
“Yes.”
It seemed he was going to take me with him.
But why was this guy alone? If he’s a noble, shouldn’t he have at least an attendant or two…?
But that was none of my concern.
I got into the carriage Alessandro had prepared and fled the city of Riophendal.
As expected of a Duke’s son, it was a finely crafted carriage, and the horses pulling it were excellent too.
Losing both Elanda and Claire, who were so good to hold, was a waste, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Right now, I needed to get away from the Stampede as quickly as possible.
I’m not finished yet.
As long as I’m alive, I can make anything happen.
My Item Box, which inherited the assets of the “Senko” party, is packed with gold coins, weapons, and items.
It’s a shame I couldn’t snatch the assets Elanda inherited from that Lux, but I still managed to get some of the swords and items.
It should be a substantial fortune.
Roughly 1,000 gold coins…
With this much, if I can just escape this current mess, I can live the rest of my life in leisure.
After putting some distance between us and the city, we rested the horses.
Honestly, my heart urged me to flee as far as possible without a care for the horses, but if Alessandro said to rest them, I had no choice.
It was undoubtedly faster this way, even with breaks, than running on my own.
“I’ve finished what you instructed. Let’s go.”
“Ah. That’s helpful. It would have been a pain to do it myself.”
His condescending eyes. It pissed me off, but I had to endure it as part of dealing with these troublesome nobles. He was the kind of person who’d kill you just for displeasing him.
“I forgot to mention one thing, but the carriage fare is 1,000 gold coins, you know.”
“Huh???”
What did he say?
What did this guy just say?
“It’s not ‘huh?’. I don’t care if you’re coming all the way to the capital of Duke Hoherneld’s domain or getting off midway, but since I’m letting you escape the Stampede, the fare is a given, right?”
“Wh-what… You told me to be the coachman.”
“Ah. Of course, that’s helpful. I’m saying I’ll let you off with 1,000 gold coins, that service included.”
This guy… He definitely knows about my assets and is saying this on purpose…
Damn it… A guy like this.
I clenched my fists.
He’s alone. If I do it now…
“Oh? What’s wrong? I thought I named a price you could probably afford. Don’t tell me you don’t have it on you? What on earth did you spend it on?”
“…”
This bastard… What an infuriating smile.
“You’re making a scary face~. Surely an insect like you isn’t thinking of harming me, are you?”
“…”
I won’t forgive him. I clenched my fists and endured. I couldn’t forgive him, but punching him here wouldn’t change anything. No… if I killed him, perhaps…
“Oh, are you serious? Do you really think you can kill the third son of Duke Hoherneld and live to tell the tale?”
“…Damn it.”
“Ahahahaha. How foolish. For someone who abandoned his fiancée and unborn child to flee, isn’t it good enough that you’re still alive, even if you become penniless? Ahahahahaha!”
“…You bastard!”
Don’t you dare underestimate an adventurer!
I swung my fist with all my might.
Driven by pure rage.
However…
“Gyaaaaaah!”
“Ahahahaha. Didn’t you think I’d be wearing some kind of protective item? Hilarious. Ah-hahahahaha!”
The arm I’d attacked with was severed in an instant.
“Foolish. It’s a basic negotiation tactic, isn’t it? Use everything you have to gain the upper hand. Crush your opponent while using the cards you hold. Make them lose their composure and obtain what you desire. To fall for it so easily, both you and Elanda-chan are such utter fools.”
“…Elanda too?”
What did that mean?
“Elanda-chan inherited Lux’s money for me, you know. Even though she had no right to. Well, I was the one who instructed Guildmaster Gundos to say it was inheritable. It’s Elanda-chan’s fault for not checking just because she was cornered, right? Ahahahahaha!”
“…”
It was irrelevant to me, but I listened while glaring at Alessandro. In that brief moment, I took a healing potion from my Item Box and applied it to the wound, but it didn’t heal…
“Ah, some opponents attack without caring about wounds, you see. Naturally, it inflicts status ailments, the pain is amplified, and there’s a curse on it so it won’t heal quickly. Also, if you try to attack again, the same effect will trigger. Still want to go? Pfft-kukukukuku.”
Damn it, my body’s becoming immobile. Is this the end? In a place like this.
I’d survived this long by ingratiating myself with despicable merchants, vicious bandits, hypocritical adventurers, and foolish nobles.
I’d do anything to survive, to get better conditions.
When Lux protected me, I thought I’d won.
I was supposed to have made that detestable Elanda—who not only didn’t fall for my advances but also looked down on me, a member of “Senko”—mine, and my future should have been secure.
And yet, to end in a place like this? Like hell!
Damn it…
Damn it…
Damn it…
“Well, whatever. By the way, even if you get off here, the 1,000 gold coins fee doesn’t change~. Oh, you’re not moving anymore. How boring. Struggle more. Elanda-chan was still worth toying with, but you’re over too quickly, it’s no fun~.”
Muttering something, this guy rummaged through my clothes.
“Found it, found it. Well then, I’ll be taking this. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll survive?”
Saying that, this guy who stole my Item Box moved away from my body.
Having lost too much blood, and perhaps due to the status ailments, I couldn’t get up.
I couldn’t even move my neck anymore.
“Eh…?”
That faint sound, the whimper of scum—my own—reached my ears.
What was that?
Suddenly, the surroundings darkened. It wasn’t night yet… A shadow?
And it was hot.
It was getting hotter and hotter.
What? What’s happening?
Something came falling down… on the area where we were…