Episode 98: Special-Class Tax Officer Fluga
◇◇◇◇
Outside Sharr Company, two men were arguing.
“Please, lower the commission! If things continue like this, we’ll be seen as harboring rebellious intentions against ‘Head-Chopping’ Lord Sharka!”
The man speaking, sweat beading on his forehead, was a stout, mustachioed fellow.
“That’s the result of you trying to take advantage of us. You reap what you sow,” replied a large, muscular man with his hair tied back in a scorpion tail-like fashion.
“Don’t say such things! Lord Head-Chopping’s influence now rivals that of the Court of Justice. If this continues, the reputation of our Merchant Guild will plummet!”
“That’s none of our concern.”
“Ugh! Fine! Then how about a six percent discount! Surely you can accept that!”
It was strange for the buyer to be begging for a reduction in commission.
However, judging by the fact that he was proposing it in one percent increments, the stinginess of the Merchant Guild Master was evident.
“It’s not a matter of discounts. We already have a contract, sealed with the Insignia of Orthodox Shackles, stating that we pay the Merchant Guild a forty percent commission. You’re making a profit, so what’s the problem?”
“But then it looks like we’re oppressing you!”
Forty percent was an exorbitant rate.
Sharka had agreed to it because, at the time, he hadn’t considered seriously challenging the Court of Justice.
“That’s because it’s the truth. Besides, that matter is currently under discussion with Lord Sharka.”
“Hmph, what does a noble know about money?”
“Merchant Guild Master, are you insulting Lord Sharka?”
“…! N-no, I’m not! Absolutely not!”
“…”
The Merchant Guild Master shrunk under the glare of the scorpion-haired middle-aged man.
“A-anyway, please accept it as soon as possible! If it gets out that I’m doing this, I’ll be in trouble too!”
“—Merchant Guild Master, you have disappointed me.”
A cold voice echoed from behind.
A Magical Power bullet was released from the source of the voice.
The simplest means of long-range attack.
However, it was a threat to the Dust.
“Guh…”
The Merchant Guild Master became a silent lump of flesh.
“To betray us and fawn over a fool like Sharka… how pathetic…”
“…!”
Suddenly, the one who had taken the Merchant Guild Master’s life was a group wearing curled wigs.
The man at the head of the group wore an exceptionally ostentatious wig—a Stella-Class man.
“I am Fluga, one of only four Special-Class Tax Officers in the Court of Justice! We received a report that you are harboring a Tsujigiri here. Therefore, in accordance with the Special Taxation Act, I am freezing your assets!”
“That’s not true! It’s unjust!”
The scorpion-haired man raised his voice.
“Unjust? That’s not for you to decide. You have a secret here, producing Seedless Cotton, don’t you? Hand it over to us, and we’ll spare your lives.”
“I refuse! I am Chan Guerrero, the General Manager of Sharr Company, led by Lord Sharka! You shall not pass!”
The scorpion-haired middle-aged man, who identified himself as Chan, took a strange stance, like a snake coiling to strike.
“That stance… you’re from the South, aren’t you? Honestly, seeing you refugees living so brazenly in Ortenatris fills me with disgust. We should have wiped you out back then! If we had, trash like you wouldn’t be running rampant in this land!”
Fluga stamped his feet in a fit of rising anger.
“That brat is always getting in the way! It was the same during Bangwall! He made me look like a fool! Damn him! He’s always making a mockery of me!”
The intense impact of his stomping caused the ground to shake, and nearby buildings crumbled.
The market was thrown into utter chaos.
Eventually, his anger subsided, and Fluga returned to a composed expression.
Chan felt terrified by this emotional shift.
“Well, whatever. I’ll kill that brat through the proper channels. First, I’ll take what he’s hiding here. And then, I’ll deal with that damned Tsujigiri… It’s alright, we haven’t made any mistakes yet. If we succeed, everything will be back to normal, everything will be fine. So…”
Fluga muttered words incoherently, his eyes unfocused.
“What you’re hiding… hand it over!”
Fluga instantly gathered Magical Power and leaped forward, kicking off the ground.
Chan resigned himself to his death.
However, that moment never came.
A thick beam of light cut across Chan’s vision.
An overwhelming torrent of Magical Power.
“Gyaaaaaaaah!”
Fluga let out a filthy scream.
Both of his arms were scorched.
“I don’t know who you are, but could you refrain from causing a ruckus in front of my company?”
The one who had unleashed the magic was a black-haired boy.
Fluga’s face twisted hideously as he looked at the boy who had appeared.
◇◇◇◇
I heard there was trouble in front of the company, so I rushed to the scene, only to find a man wearing a Bach-like wig attacking our General Manager.
I immediately fired a Meteor Ray in the man’s path.
The man, shouting “Wha… whaa,” couldn’t stop his momentum, and both his arms and one side of his wig were scorched.
That distinctive appearance… he’s probably from the Court of Justice.
Even so, that Bach-head… I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before…
“Hah… hah… guh… y-you’re, Head-Chopping Sharka! W-why are you here?!”
The man said, healing his arms with Healing Magic.
He seemed greatly agitated by my presence.
Besides, it seems I’ve been given another strange title.
“This is my company, after all. It’s not strange for me to be here, is it?”
I am the CEO of Sharr Company, after all.
“Attacking without warning, you coward! Who do you think I am! I am Special-Class Tax Officer Fluga! You are suspected of murdering First-Class Tax Officer Uzelashi and others in Bangwall, as well as multiple tax officers in Ortenatris! How dare you show your face before us, you heinous criminal!”
The Court of Justice man, who identified himself as Fluga, spluttered as he ranted.
“The former is certainly true, but I don’t know about the latter. Besides, I only returned the day before yesterday. Don’t make things up.”
The latter was probably the work of the Tsujigiri mentioned earlier.
I don’t know their motive, but it’s probably someone who holds a considerable grudge against the Court of Justice.
“Hmph! So you admit to the crime! Then, are the Tsujigiri your subordinates? You probably ordered them to attack, didn’t you?!”
“No, it wasn’t me… You seem awfully fixated on the Tsujigiri, is something going on?”
“…That’s none of your concern.”
Fluga’s words were evasive.
(Something’s fishy.)
He seems more concerned about the Tsujigiri than me, a wanted man.
He’s probably furious about the tax officers being killed, but I have a feeling it’s more than that.
“Head-Chopping Sharka, you dare show no remorse after laying your hands on our comrades! You deserve to die ten thousand times over!”
“Then, why don’t you try to condemn me here and now?”
I began to gather Magical Power.
I had decided to deal with the Court of Justice before going to the academy.
It’s rather convenient that one of their top members has come out here alone.
“…You’re full of bravado. I’d love to torture you to death right now, but… I won’t kill you yet.”
“?”
“—Do it, all of you.”
The men from the Court of Justice activated the ‘Insignia of Orthodox Shackles’ on their right hands.
As if in response, dark black chains were densely engraved on my right arm as well.
(A debuff, how troublesome.)
A binding by those belonging to the Lanecki Family.
It can be stacked, and the strength of the binding is proportional to the Magical Power Capacity of the one using the Insignia.
“Now you can’t do anything. You resisted me five years ago, but we’ve increased the binding more than back then.”
“Five years ago? …Ah, I remember. You’re that tax officer from back then.”
The tax officer I let get away.
If I had dealt with Fluga back then, the Court of Justice might have responded even more harshly.
That’s why I put on a show and desperately tried to protect the people.
“You… you had forgotten about me all this time! You impudent brat… Oops, dangerous, dangerous. I almost lost myself in anger. Well then, we’ll take our leave.”
“…Are you perhaps, planning to retreat?”
“We will surely kill you when our preparations are complete. Be grateful that today is not that day.”
“…”
It was anticlimactic.
Even though it would disgrace the Court of Justice, it would be strange to back down here.
(…Should I try provoking him a little?)
“For someone who’s supposed to be a Special-Class Tax Officer, it’s pathetic to see you tucking your tail and running away.”
At my words, Fluga twitched, a blue vein throbbing on his forehead.
“I’m not running! I’m merely showing you mercy by letting you live!”
“Hmm, speaking of which, isn’t your wig looking rather miserable? Are you alright?”
As I said that, I pointed at Fluga’s burnt wig.
Fluga touched his wig and noticed that one of the hair bundles had disappeared.
“Huh? …Kieeeeee!”
Fluga exploded with Magical Power in anger, letting out a strange scream.
“How dare you do that to my Hairpeace’s… how dare you!”
So, he’s finally motivated?
I thought that for a moment, but Fluga’s anger suddenly subsided.
“…Guh! That was close, I almost fell for the provocation. But remember this, I will definitely avenge this humiliation someday! Until then, you better wash your neck and wait…”
Surprisingly, Fluga suppressed his anger and turned on his heel.
(This is strange after all.)
To suppress that much murderous intent, there must be something else going on.
He had a purpose in coming here, but fighting me was probably unexpected.
I can’t fathom the Court of Justice’s intentions, but they’ll probably come after my life with proper preparations later.
–Well, so what?
I refined my Magical Power.
“What! You!”
Fluga was surprised by my actions and turned around.
Why did he think I would hesitate to attack just because I had slightly restrained my authority?
Why did he think I would silently let someone who would come to kill me in the near future get away?
(I really can’t understand it.)
I use a lethal spell as a matter of course.
“Thunderbolt.”
It suddenly came flying from the sky — a giant pillar of lightning.
It poured down on the head of the Special-Class Tax Officer, burning his body.
His eyeballs burst, and the moisture inside his body evaporated in an instant.
Immediately after, a roar and shockwave passed by.
“It helped that you all gathered in an easy-to-shoot location.”
It’s a very peaky Lightning Magic with quite limited usage conditions.
I don’t usually use it because I can’t hit the enemy if they’re moving.
Since he turned his back on me and started walking away, it was as if he was asking me to shoot him.
“Oh, you’re still alive?”
“Why… why… did you attack?! We… had no intention of fighting?!”
Fluga was barely alive, his whole body charred black.
He must have put up a Magical Barrier the moment it hit.
Well, that wouldn’t be enough to defend against it.
“I intended to fight from the start. That’s all.”
“Huh…? I’m… a Special-Class Tax Officer of the Court of Justice…? Why… would you defy us…? Besides, we… had restrained your authority! Why… do you have so much power…”
Fluga must be wondering.
Why would anyone defy him, who should be part of the privileged class?
And why is he crawling on the ground now?
“Are you wondering? But I’m not wondering. You guys just forgot. There are many things in this world that don’t go as planned.”
“Hae?”
Fluga makes a confused face.
Because he doesn’t understand that, he miserably shows his back to the enemy and dies without showing even one Stella-Class power.
“Ugh… I’m from the Court of Justice!… Stop, don’t kill me!… Stop!”
“Indeed, there is nothing more fragile than the authority of those who have forgotten how to fight.”
…Gubyo
I dropped his head with a chop.
I managed to dispose of a Special-Class Tax Officer so easily…
I’m a little curious to see how the Court of Justice, the Lanecki Family, and the Tsujigiri will react.
◇◇◇◇
“Lord Sharka, your hands.”
“Hmm, please.”
Nicoletta rinsed my hands with water.
“…Was that alright?”
“Yes, in order for Ortenos to regain its authority, we have to deal with these things one by one.”
“Yes, that’s right… I will follow you anywhere.”
Nicoletta said with a sense of tragedy.
It’s not something to be so serious about…
“O-oh… So, are there any injured?”
“There are no injured, but the head of the Commercial Guild has been killed.”
“Ah, is that so.”
That’s utterly irrelevant information.
According to the middle-aged manager, he was a worthless guy.
“Lord Sharka, please leave the selection of the new head of the Commercial Guild to me.”
That was said by GM (General Manager) Chan, the scorpion-headed man.
“Hmm, what do you mean by leave it to you?”
“There are many people in the Commercial Guild who are friendly to us. I’ll pull some strings from behind the scenes and get someone chosen who will be advantageous to Sharr Company.”
Chan said with an evil smile.
As expected of the GM, he’s a reliable man.
“I understand, then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Oh, that’s right. Chan, I’ve decided to set things up in the Imperial Capital.”
“Oh, so the Cotton Road Project is finally starting!”
There are many areas where Ortenos is inferior to other territories.
One of them is financial power.
First, we need to open up the market and bring it up to the level of other territories.
Then, we will increase market competitiveness and grow Ortenatris into one of the leading commercial cities on the continent.
“That’s right. For the time being, Chan, please find some suitable people to take to the Imperial Capital.”
“Understood! Leave it to me, Chan!”
After all, it’s best to proceed with fundraising early.
It would be foolish to be forced to deal with poverty after spending my life with a lovely bride.
I’m going to steadily accumulate wealth from now on.
After finishing our business dealings, we set off on the road back to Ortenatris Castle.