Chapter 48
“All of you are here.”
“Y–Yes, my lord!”
The audience chamber was lavishly decorated with fine furniture.
A long table stretched through the room, and the people in uniform sat stiffly along its sides.
At the far end of that table, I rested my chin on my hand and studied them one by one.
Some looked as if they’d just bitten into dung; others were pale as ghosts.
“Impressive. So this is what a proper count’s mansion looks like.”
This used to be the residence of Count Venner.
But Venner was dead.
Now, the master of this land was me—Ian Imperada.
The old Impera estate was far away, and frankly, it was pathetic.
In contrast, Count Venner’s mansion was the epitome of luxury.
The walls were adorned with ornate decorations and artifacts.
Leaving such a place empty would’ve been wasteful, so I simply decided to move in.
“Aemon will manage the territory beyond the mountain range, and I’ll handle the newly gained lands.”
It had been several days since I absorbed the Venner domain.
The chaos had mostly settled down—time to strengthen my foundation.
To rule over a larger territory, I needed capable people.
But until just a few months ago, I was infamous across the kingdom as a good-for-nothing delinquent.
No one of talent would willingly gather around a man like that.
Rumors would change in time, but to keep things running, I had to make a decision.
“For now, I’ll have to use the ones who used to serve Count Venner.”
I didn’t like it, but there was no helping it.
They’d only followed orders from above—they weren’t truly wicked.
Besides, their new lord was Ian Imperada: a man known for drinking, gambling, and beating people for fun.
From an objective standpoint, serving the Venner family made more sense.
“But that doesn’t mean I’ll accept all of them.”
I’d weed out the ones who needed to go—keep only those who would truly serve me.
Whether their loyalty came from admiration or fear didn’t matter.
“Priyana.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Priyana was present as well.
Even those who had once served Venner knew who she was—she had fought for him in the trial by combat and even single-handedly stopped the soldiers who tried to cross the Cranic Mountains.
“For the time being, you’ll also handle the position of guard captain. My personal knight duties will be limited to afternoons.”
“Yes, my lord.”
These were unstable times.
The old master was dead, and a new one had taken his seat.
That always brought bandits looking to exploit the power vacuum.
With Priyana overseeing security, they wouldn’t dare to run wild.
“And another thing.”
I swept my gaze lazily over the rest of the officials.
They all avoided my eyes, trying desperately to read the room.
“Heh.”
Not long ago, these same people wouldn’t have even acknowledged me as a noble.
This was why power mattered.
“…Hmph!”
Then one of them snorted.
“Oh?”
It was a man named Larc, the overseer of the Endello Mines.
He’d once also managed the Baldig Dungeon, but after losing the trial by combat, he’d been stripped of those duties.
“What’s your problem, Larc?”
“Hmph! You just got lucky inheriting this land, and now you’re acting like you’re someone important! How could I not be angry watching this farce?”
The other officials gasped—he had actually said that to my face.
Priyana immediately placed her hand on her sword.
Sweat poured from the officials as their eyes darted between me, Larc, and Priyana.
I smirked.
“Actually, this works out nicely.”
Even though I had reached Sword Rank 4, my accomplishments had been overshadowed by Priyana’s presence.
This was a good opportunity to show them who their lord really was.
I whispered quietly, “Stay out of this, Priyana.”
“…Understood, my lord.”
“Y–You fool, Larc! Have you lost your mind?!”
“Lost my mind? You’re the ones who’ve lost yours! We all served Count Venner loyally, and now you act like that never happened!”
“Ah…”
“That’s enough.”
“M–My lord…”
“You must be frustrated, aren’t you? You lived comfortably polishing Count Venner’s boots, and now that’s gone. And worse—being ordered to serve the man who took your dungeon? Yeah, I’d be angry too.”
I rose from my seat and drew my sword.
Larc flinched but barked even louder, “Ha! So you’d draw a blade against an unarmed man now?”
“No, that wouldn’t do.”
Clang!
I tossed the Dragon-Scale Sword onto the floor before him.
“…What’s the meaning of this?”
“Pick it up. If you’ve got that much resentment, show it.”
“Hm…”
He glanced toward Priyana.
But she stayed seated, just watching.
A thin smile crept over his lips.
“So, a duel then?”
“Yeah. I can’t fight you barehanded, after all.”
I reached for a small letter-opener lying on the table.
A crude little knife that barely qualified as a weapon.
“This should be enough.”
Veins bulged on Larc’s forehead.
“Ah, right—he was a mercenary once.”
“You bastard!”
He grabbed the Dragon-Scale Sword and charged.
A faint trace of aura gleamed along his blade.
He would’ve beaten any ordinary noble.
Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t one.
Clang!
I deflected his sword with the letter-opener, then immediately smashed my fist into his jaw.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
He staggered; I caught his arm, twisted it, and slammed his head down onto the table.
Boom!
In an instant, he was pinned—his face buried in the wood.
Chzzzzt!
I poured aura into the letter-opener; it shrieked with a chilling hum.
Then I drove it straight into his left hand.
Crunch!
“AAAAAGH!”
Blood spurted from the rune-marked hand.
A small twist of the blade, and the hand would be severed—he’d become one of the Blanked, the god-forsaken.
“I–I was wrong, my lord! Please, not the Blanking!”
The man who’d been shouting moments ago now trembled and begged.
I smirked and twisted the knife slightly.
Scarlet blood streamed down.
“AAAAH! P–Please, spare me!”
“…If I wanted you dead, I would’ve aimed for your throat.”
Thunk!
I withdrew the blade, stopping short of cutting his hand off completely.
His left hand was shredded but still attached—enough to heal later.
“Take him away.”
“Yes, my lord!”
The guards dragged Larc off. Once treated, he’d serve nicely as an example in the dungeons.
I sat back down as if nothing had happened.
“Well then. The position of Endello Mine overseer is vacant. Any volunteers?”
After witnessing the fight, no one spoke a word.
I shrugged.
“No one? We’ll fill it later, then.”
“Y–Yes, my lord…”
“Oh, and—if any of you ever feel dissatisfied with me, you’re free to challenge me anytime. Just know I won’t be as lenient next time.”
“Y–Yes, my lord!”
“That should do it.”
Thanks to that fool Larc, things had gone smoothly.
Now the rest wouldn’t dare to defy me.
I threw myself onto the soft bed.
A real noble’s house truly was something else. Compared to the Impera estate, it was like lying on a cloud.
With Aemon across the Cranic Mountains, I was the sole master of this land.
“Hmm…”
The only issue left—who would manage the mines now?
“My lord.”
“Ah, Islin.”
Lost in thought, I turned as Islin bowed her head and approached.
She, too, had followed me into this new domain along with Priyana.
“I wonder how Ilene’s doing.”
I remembered her eyes welling up when we said we’d live apart for a while.
Once things settled down, she’d come here with Aemon, but for now she had to maintain the old estate.
“The task you assigned me earlier is complete.”
“The jewels and the magic sword, right?”
“Yes. I sold all the jewels for full price—some even fetched extra since they’re rare these days.”
“Good work.”
I’d entrusted her with the gems we’d taken from the Root Giant’s lair.
She might be wearing a maid outfit now, but she once led a bandit clan.
Selling a few jewels was child’s play for her.
“But where did you even find such jewels, my lord?”
“Oh… just picked them up along the way.”
“Hehe, you’re quite lucky, then.”
I dodged the question—explaining would’ve been a hassle. She seemed to understand and didn’t press further.
“So, how much did we make?”
“A total of 2,300 gold.”
“Hm. A decent sum—but still far from enough.”
My debt to the Golden Bank was 12,000 gold. Still a long road ahead.
“Even so, my lord, that’s impressive. You raised several times the estate’s usual income overnight.”
“Heh.”
She smiled, shrugging lightly, flattering me just enough to lift my mood.
“Oh, by the way.”
“Yes, my lord?”
“That Endello Mine Larc used to manage—who do you think would be best to put in charge?”
“Hmm…”
As the leader of a thief clan, Islin had wide connections. Better to ask her advice than ponder it alone.
“I do have one question first.”
“What is it?”
“Is there anyone in particular you want for the role?”
“Someone I want…?”
I had a feeling what she meant.
I was still a noble, after all. Nobles usually refused to associate with anyone of low birth.
“So she’s asking if I care about social rank.”
But I wasn’t in a position to be picky.
“As long as they’re clever and trustworthy, I don’t care who they are.”
She smiled knowingly.
“Hehe, just as I thought. In that case, there’s someone I’d like to introduce.”
“Someone you’d like to introduce?”
“Yes. If you wish, I can bring them right away.”
“Oh?”
The sooner, the better. Leaving a gold mine idle did no good.
“Alright. Bring them in. But keep my reason for meeting them secret for now—it’s too early to decide anything.”
“Yes, my lord. I’ll tell them you requested their presence urgently.”
“Good.”
She bowed deeply and left.
Still, for her to speak so confidently—it made me wonder just who this person was.
I waited, slightly intrigued.
This would be my first meeting with the candidate. Just in case, I had Priyana stand by.
“What kind of person do you think they’ll be?”
“No idea. But since Islin recommended them, they must be worth meeting.”
“I see.”
After a short wait on the plush sofa, Islin returned—bringing someone with her.
“My lord, this is the person.”
“H–Hello, my lord.”
“…Hmm.”
The one she brought immediately prostrated on the floor before me.
Not quite what I’d imagined.
Small build, no presence, trembling hands.
“Well, given my reputation, I can’t blame them.”
The name Ian Imperada alone was enough to terrify commoners.
Especially since they had no idea why I’d called them here.
They must’ve been wondering if they’d done something wrong.
“Raise your head.”
“Y–Yes!”
The person lifted their head, shaking like a wet puppy.
“…Hm?”
I tilted my head.
Half their face was wrapped in white bandages, covering the right eye.
They looked frail—so thin it was hard to tell if they were male or female.
If their hair were shorter, I might have mistaken them for a man.
“Wait… are they even a woman? Maybe just a long-haired guy?”
Their skin was unusually pale, but that alone didn’t mean much.
“Hard to tell when half their face is covered.”
“…Hm?”
Then it hit me. Something about them sparked a strange sense of familiarity.
A character from a novel came to mind—someone who also kept half their face hidden.
There was only one person like that.
A madwoman whose swordsmanship rivaled even Croad the Swiftblade.
