Chapter 99: Procrastination
◇◇◇◇
Sharka and the others returned to Ortenatris Castle in a carriage.
“As expected, Lord Sharka is in a league of his own compared to other nobles.”
“Indeed. Despite being a noble, he has a commoner’s sensibility and a peculiar sense of economics.”
Chan’s question was answered by his beautiful secretary beside him.
“I’m glad Roze is here. I didn’t understand the proposal from earlier at all, but it seems Lord Sharka understood it.”
“No, I can’t say that I fully understand Lord Sharka’s profound thoughts either.”
“Really? I don’t even know what a GM (General Manager) does. The only reason I was chosen as GM was because I looked scary.”
“…That may also be a necessary quality for someone in a leadership position.”
Roze’s words were ambiguous.
Chan usually has the face of an excellent businessman, but in reality, Roze supports him a great deal behind the scenes.
“…What on earth does that man see?”
“Perhaps it’s a time for accumulating power.”
“Accumulating power?”
Chan tilted his head.
“Yes. Historically, great rulers have always placed importance on the value of money. The hero Seymore, the first emperor, and currently the chairman of the Federal States are examples. Perhaps it’s—a running start before a leap.”
“A running start before a leap, huh. Hmm.”
Chan nodded as if groaning at the words of his beautiful secretary, Roze.
“Lord Sharka’s idea of Ortenos gaining its own power independently is closer to the spirit of self-reliance of the Lioris Federation than the empire, which aims for centralization.”
“…My homeland.”
“Ah… I’m sorry, that was insensitive.”
Roze apologized awkwardly.
She had forgotten that Chan was an exile from the Federation.
However, Chan suddenly raised his face as if he had thought of something.
“No, so that’s it… I understand Lord Sharka’s true intentions!”
“…What is it?”
Roze asked back, feeling a slight sense of foreboding.
“Lord Sharka is trying to spread it to the world—the ideology of the Muscle Ripple Style!”
“…Huh?”
Roze was perplexed by Chan’s outlandish idea.
“The real reason Lord Sharka made me GM is because I am one of the ‘masters’ of the Muscle Ripple Style. That was a message to spread the name of the Muscle Ripple Style and the Muscle Apostles to the world! Damn it, why didn’t I realize it until now! What regret, what regret!”
“…”
“Roze, gather the muscle employees. We will strictly select personnel suitable to accompany Lord Sharka to the Imperial Capital through ‘Muscle Ranking’!”
Roze ended up holding her head at the GM’s absurd proposal.
◇◇◇◇
The time was evening.
The sun had already set, and the curtain of night was about to fall.
“Nicoletta, I’m going to report the details of this incident to my father. When we return, send out a messenger.”
“Understood.”
“Also, I’d like to have Ferris, the maid from this morning, take care of me tomorrow. Is that alright?”
“…Why? Was there something lacking in my service?”
Nicoletta’s expression didn’t change, but she seemed somewhat sad.
“It’s not that, I just want to change things up a bit. Well, give her a day for the sake of gaining experience.”
“…Understood.”
Nicoletta replied reluctantly.
Ferris is a tall, model-like maid with an unrefined feel, and a subtle loveliness that slowly grows on you.
She’s a maid with a mysterious presence that makes you slightly curious at times.
(I’m glad I was able to inspect the castle town to some extent today.)
After all, the acquisition of Bangwall and the truce with Naia seem to have had a positive impact on the people.
Festivals seem to be held day and night in various places.
Thanks to the economic boom, purse strings have loosened, and people are in a festive mood.
“Lord Sharka, about the Tsujigiri incident from earlier…”
“Ah, it seems like we should investigate it a bit.”
“What will you do?”
“Well, let’s use Neoneph. It’s a good opportunity to see his intelligence capabilities.”
“Understood.”
Currently, I am building an intelligence organization in the shadows, centered around Neoneph.
We should test it out before going to the Imperial Capital.
As we proceeded further, we saw a crowd of people ahead.
“What’s going on?”
“I wonder what it is.”
As I was thinking that, the carriage suddenly stopped.
I dove into Nicoletta’s chest due to inertia.
Unavoidably, I ended up groping her well-shaped breasts.
“…!”
Nicoletta’s face turned bright red without any resistance.
On the other hand, I behaved calmly.
You lose if you worry about a lucky pervert moment.
“What’s wrong? Did some drunk idiot jump out?”
“I-I’m sorry, a suspicious person suddenly jumped out.”
The coachman reported in a flustered manner.
Jumping out in front of a noble’s carriage is a capital offense.
Looking at the front from the window, a suspicious figure wrapped in a black robe was obstructing our path.
“Sharka de Ortenos.”
The suspicious person held a Kusarigama in both hands.
Blood was dripping from the Kusarigama.
(Indeed, a suspicious person.)
A neutral voice that was hard to tell if it was male or female.
It’s probably a Perception-Blocking Robe.
“Lord Sharka, please be careful.”
“Yeah.”
I got out of the carriage and faced the suspicious person.
“…It’s best to be careful at night, your life is being targeted.”
The suspicious person said something that sounded like a warning.
If there was a “You Shouldn’t Be the One Saying That Championship,” their words would likely win first place.
Magical Power Detection doesn’t register a Stella-Class.
However, it’s hard to tell because there are too many people around.
“Are you the Tsujigiri that’s been in the news lately?”
“…”
“I’ll take your silence as a yes. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to restrain you.”
As I was about to move to capture them, the Tsujigiri threw the Kusarigama upwards in a circular motion.
At the moment it reached the top, they pulled it down all at once.
The Kusarigama crashed into the ground with great force, creating a cloud of dust.
(A smokescreen, huh.)
“I don’t intend to be caught until I’ve finished hunting the Court of Justice. I’ll take my leave now.”
“I won’t let you escape.”
They intend to disappear, but I won’t let them.
No matter how much dust they create, there’s no way I’d let them escape at this distance.
I went to the other side of the dust cloud.
“Huh?”
But there was no one there.
I turned around again, but they were gone.
“Lord Sharka, where’s the suspicious person?”
“…They disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
“Yeah, they disappeared like a mist.”
No, that’s too strange.
I lost sight of them for a moment, but there shouldn’t have been any place to hide right away.
It’s impossible unless they turned invisible.
“Ahead, a man from the Court of Justice was found murdered with his head cut off. I believe it was indeed the Tsujigiri.”
“I see.”
Their presence is faint, but they’re still nearby.
However, that presence gradually faded away.
(Damn, they got away.)
Who on earth are they to escape from me?
It wouldn’t be bad if the Tsujigiri just hunted the Court of Justice.
However, as a ruler, it’s difficult to turn a blind eye to a murder case within the territory.
“Things are getting fishy…”
I was troubled by the ominous situation ahead.
◇◇◇◇
Lanecki Consulate.
Luxurious decorations that went above and beyond, numerous Magic Lamps, and lavish meals were lined up on a long table.
Sitting at the table were three Stella-Class men and women.
All three wore extravagant curled wigs and sat with serious expressions at the dinner table.
A bearded man sitting on one side of the table suddenly trembled with anger and slammed his fist on the table.
The table shattered, and the sound of dishes breaking echoed through the room.
“Why! How did this happen!”
The bearded man shouted.
“Isn’t this some kind of mistake? That Fluga was killed…”
“The rumors are credible, zamasu wa. The fact that Sharka killed him, considering the Bangwall incident, is highly plausible, zamasu.”
A man with a monocle and a woman hiding her mouth with a fan replied.
“What is it, what is that brat! Why does he defy us! We are the ones maintaining the foundation of Ortenos! We should be thanked, not hated!”
“Calm down, Giovanni. There will always be people who cannot understand our noble ideals. We can only quietly nip the buds of rebellion in Ortenos.”
“I know, I know, Giacomo…! But I can’t forgive the cunning and tyrannical brat who took the life of my comrade…! Uwoooo…”
The bearded man, Giovanni, sobbed at the words of the monocled man, Giacomo.
“We all feel the same, zamasu! Sharka must be killed by our hands. However… we must deal with the Tsujigiri first, zamasu ne.”
“Exactly, Glenda. With that thing stolen by him, we’ll look foolish, and the Lanecki main family’s position will be jeopardized. If this becomes public, we’ll lose our current status. Moreover, it could escalate into a situation where the three families in this Ortenos region raise a rebellion…”
Glenda, holding a fan, and Giacomo, with his monocle, spoke with grave expressions.
“But according to the reports so far, we don’t know the purpose or identity of the Tsujigiri.”
“…No, that’s precisely what reveals who the Tsujigiri is.”
Giacomo spoke as if he already knew the identity.
“…What do you mean, zamasu?”
“The skill to avoid our grasp for a whole month. It’s unlikely they’re from Ortenos. Then there’s only one possibility…”
“I see—a Hero?”
Giacomo nodded at the conclusion Giovanni reached.
“Considering they can’t be detected by magical tools, the Tsujigiri’s identity is likely—a Beastman Hero.”
“Troublesome, zamasu. Is there a way to lure them out?”
Giacomo wore a wicked smile in response to Glenda’s question.
“The Tsujigiri started their activities a month ago. And it was a month ago that we sent tax collectors to Sharka’s base. In other words, if there were someone related to the Tsujigiri among those we attacked, wouldn’t we be able to understand the Tsujigiri’s motives?”
“Retaliation against us, or an attempt to eliminate the source…!”
“How insolent, zamasu! Unforgivable, zamasu!”
Glenda and Giovanni raised their voices in anger.
“But now that we know their objective, dealing with them will be easy. I honestly didn’t want to resort to it, but there’s no choice but to use the final measure.”
“The one the main family presented as a last resort, huh? Well, it’s the most realistic. Gu-fu-fu-fu.”
“I can already picture the Tsujigiri’s face in despair, zamasu! O-ho-ho-ho.”
Giovanni and Glenda twisted their faces hideously with delight.
“Then, let’s proceed accordingly. The execution date specified by the main family is—the day of the meeting.”
The dinner at the Lanecki consulate was a vortex of conspiracies by the powerful.
◇◇◇◇
That night, I was in my father’s office.
Upon hearing the whole story, my father held his head in his hands and rubbed his abdomen.
“Haa… you’ve caused me trouble again.”
The atmosphere was no longer one where I could tease him with “Looks like you had fun yesterday.”
“Well, if I deal with the remaining three at this rate, we can eliminate the influence of the Court of Justice from Ortenos for the time being.”
“Sharka, you’ve been acting a bit erratic since your First Campaign. I told you to wait three years before clashing with the Lanecki.”
“We’re not in a situation where we can afford to be so leisurely. My base was attacked, after all.”
Although it didn’t actually happen, all I had to do was appeal to the injustice of the Court of Justice.
“Indeed, thanks to your Sharr Company, was it? Ortenos is experiencing unprecedented prosperity. I can understand your reasoning… Haa, indeed, it seems the Court of Justice is foolish in this matter.”
“Father, I’ve said it many times, but the current situation where the Lanecki are puppeteering Ortenos is strange to begin with. Although they were originally allies, they are, after all, nobles, so it’s understandable that the Lanecki would show ambition. However, I can’t understand the thinking of the first lord who allowed this curse to continue to future generations.”
The Lanecki probably hope that Ortenos and Naia will fall together.
If that happens, the yoke from the kingdom era will be removed, and they can rightfully become the leaders of this region.
And it’s an objective fact that the first lord created this distorted situation.
Continuing to fight the Court of Justice and the Lanecki without understanding how this happened makes me feel uneasy.
“Sharka, you mustn’t speak ill of the first lord. …The first lord also had various hardships. But this isn’t something I should tell you. It would be better to hear it directly from the person involved.”
“The person involved, you say? Ah… I see, I understand.”
There’s one person who knows the situation at the time.
“The meeting is scheduled for the day after tomorrow, but it will be turbulent again this time.”
“Well, I did deal with one of the Lanecki’s relatives. By the way, I have no intention of showing mercy to the Lanecki, so keep that in mind.”
“…”
I’ll state my stance at the meeting in advance.
(I don’t want to go through the same kind of maneuvering as during the Ceasefire Talks, it’s too much of a hassle.)
I’m thinking of dealing with the remaining three Stella-Class members of the Court of Justice soon, but I’ll keep that to myself for now.
I don’t want to cause my father any more worry.
He’d stop me anyway if I told him, so I’ll just report it after the fact.
“So, have you made up your mind to become the head of the family?”
“…No, not yet.”
“Sharka, the more you worry, the harder it will be on Elmia.”
My father said in a slightly reproachful tone.
“…What do you mean?”
“That child is still working hard to become the head of the family. Recently, she’s been so engrossed that I’m a little worried.”
“I see…”
(Cut it off sooner rather than later, huh?)
There’s no doubt that I’ll hurt Elmia by becoming the head of the family.
If I postpone that decision, what kind of repercussions will there be…?
“Stay by Elmia’s side. No matter what decision you make, she shouldn’t resent you.”
“Yes…”
Thus, I ended my conversation with my father.
◇◇◇◇
When I left my father’s office, Elmia was waiting.
“What were you talking about with Father, Sharka?”
“About future plans.”
“Why don’t you ever include me? I’m your master, after all.”
Elmia had a sulky expression.
She seemed dissatisfied that I had gone straight to my father.
If Elmia knew that my father was trying to make me the head of the family…
“I’m sorry, it was a rather complicated matter…”
“What, is there something you can’t tell me?”
“…”
“…Don’t be silent, tell me everything. I won’t hate you no matter what you say, Onii-sama.”
I don’t want to worry Elmia.
I don’t want to involve Elmia in the conflict with the Lanecki.
I don’t want to hurt Elmia.
Those feelings make me hesitate to make a decision.
“Elmia, can I come to your room now?”
That’s why I took advantage of it.
“H-huh? O-of course, you can.”
—Of Elmia’s goodwill.
“Then, milady, excuse me.”
“Kyaa!”
I picked up Elmia in a princess carry.
Her miniskirt flipped up, revealing her light blue underwear.
“Shall we go, Princess Elmia?”
“Oh, Onii-sama!”
I couldn’t bring myself to make a choice that would sadden Elmia.
I also understand that my indecisive attitude is making Elmia anxious.
Because of that, Elmia has no choice but to make desperate efforts to become the head of the family…
Frankly speaking, it’s unhealthy.
I spoke to Elmia in bed.
“Elmia…”
“What is it?”
I feel like the problem would be solved if I took it on.
But I—
“…No, it’s nothing. Let’s go to sleep.”
“…Okay.”
—Postponed that decision.
Both Elmia and I felt a vague sense of discomfort growing.
Each other’s true intentions were locked away in the depths of the sea.
While feeling that discomfort, we skillfully hid it and fell asleep while glossing over it with innocent physical contact.