Ian was guided to a quiet corner by the madam and waited. Shortly after, the alcohol was brought out.
“How much is this?”
“Why the sudden curiosity about the price?”
“I asked how much it is.”
It was an unusual question coming from Ian, but his eccentric behavior was nothing new.
The madam answered.
“It’s 3 gold and 20 silver.”
“……”
Hearing the price, Ian couldn’t help but be stunned.
‘The maid who taught Sera to read earns 60 shillings a month…’
It was an amount that would take a lifetime of work to afford a single bottle.
Of course, this calculation was based on the fact that labor costs in this world were far lower than Ian could imagine.
Still, it was an huge sum.
‘How could he drink this without feeling guilty?’
The territory was poor, and every penny was precious.
Ian couldn’t understand how the original Ian could spend such an exorbitant amount without a second thought.
If it were him, he would have felt guilty spending money in a place like this.
‘…He probably didn’t.’
If he had been capable of feeling guilt, he would have reformed long before earning the title of “tyrant.”
“By the way, there’s a guest who recognized you and wants to meet you.”
Ian looked at the madam curiously and pointed at himself.
“Me? Who?”
“Yes. I don’t know who they are, but they said they work at the lord’s estate. They said you’d know them when you meet.”
Someone wanted to greet him personally.
‘Even though my reputation has improved a bit, who would go out of their way to meet me?’
There were still people who avoided him, whether openly or subtly.
“What should we do? Should I send them away?”
He had come here to drink quietly, but now he felt like his peace was being disturbed.
“No, let them in.”
Ian decided to meet them.
If they worked at the lord’s estate, they probably wanted to pay their respects.
Soon after, the people who wanted to meet him entered his room.
There were two of them.
“Greetings, young master!”
“I didn’t expect to see you here!”
Ian tilted his head as he looked at their faces.
He didn’t recognize them.
‘Should I pretend to know them, or ask who they are?’
After a moment of thought, he chose the latter.
“Who are you?”
He figured it didn’t matter since he was known as a troublemaker anyway, and that turned out to be the right move.
They didn’t seem surprised that Ian didn’t remember them.
In fact, they seemed to expect it.
“I’m Klins, young master. One of the officials assisting the lord at the estate.”
“I’m Luther, working in the finance department.”
They knew well that Ian rarely remembered people unless he took a special interest in them.
Moreover, he was often out and about when others were working, and he spent more time outside than asleep.
Even though he had changed and now woke up and slept at the same time as everyone else, he was often at the training grounds these days, so they rarely saw him.
“Ah, now that you mention it, I think I’ve passed by you in the hallway once or twice.”
That wasn’t a lie.
Their faces did seem vaguely familiar.
“It’s an honour that you remember us.”
“So, what brings you here to meet me?”
“We wanted to hear about your heroic deeds.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you share your story? In return, we’ll cover the cost of the drinks.”
Ian didn’t refuse their approach.
In fact, he was pleased.
‘People are starting to want to get closer to me!’
It was proof that the perception of him as a tyrant was rapidly improving among the household.
Even the servants, who used to avoid eye contact and always seemed tense around him, were changing.
‘They still avoid eye contact, though.’
Given what they’ve been through, that was understandable.
He could only hope time would heal that.
Still, they weren’t as tense as before when they were near him.
The usual behavior of lashing out at subordinates with fists and kicks had also disappeared.
And he even made sure to reward them for their achievements.
At this point, they were starting to believe that he had truly changed.
‘Of course, most are still in a wait-and-see mode.’
But even this much was a significant improvement.
‘Well, thank you. For reaching out.’
Ian was determined to show them that he was no longer a bad person.
‘They’ll spread the word to others who know me, and it’ll gradually spread.’
It might not have an immediate dramatic effect, but it would slowly improve his reputation.
After all, everything starts small.
“Ahem! If you want to hear my story, I don’t mind sharing.”
He wasn’t usually one to talk at length, but this time, he was happy to oblige.
Clearing his throat, Ian began to recount his adventures in Vilcen with enthusiasm.
They responded enthusiastically, and Ian’s story grew longer.
Before they knew it, the night had deepened.
“Ahem, it’s gotten late.”
Ian hadn’t realized how much time had passed while he was engrossed in his storytelling.
By now, several empty bottles were lined up beside him.
‘I drank a lot, but I’m surprisingly fine?’
He had finished six bottles by himself.
He was only slightly tipsy.
‘I guess this guy could hold his liquor.’
Even though the alcohol was quite strong, he was still relatively sober. No wonder he could blow through his allowance in one night.
Fortunately, this time, the others covered the bill, so it wasn’t a big issue.
Still, he felt a bit guilty. Even though they had offered to pay, the bill for this one drinking session was close to 20 gold.
That was no small amount for them either.
“Today was enjoyable. It was truly an honor to hear your story directly, young master.”
“Through you, I feel like the future of Schrantz is bright.”
“It’s just my duty as a member of the family.”
“Indeed.”
They exchanged glances and nodded. Then, they pulled out a box and handed it to him.
“Would you accept this as a token of our appreciation?”
“A token?”
Inside the box were expensive-looking accessories and jewels.
Seeing them offer such an extravagant gift, Ian paused to think.
‘Is this…?’
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like what he suspected.
‘Why are they bribing me?’
He couldn’t understand why they would offer a bribe to someone like him, who held no authority or significant power.
“To be honest, we see potential in you, young master.”
“What do you mean?”
Ian tilted his head in confusion.
Potential? What potential?
“Are you satisfied with your current position? Doesn’t it feel unfair that your younger brother unjustly took the position of heir?”
Hearing their words, Ian finally realized what they were getting at.
‘Are these guys serious right now?’
They were trying to curry favour with him, thinking that since he had achieved a great feat, he might become the heir.
They wanted to show their loyalty to him in advance.
But to Ian, this was like throwing dirt at him.
And not just any dirt—a huge pile of it.
“If you desire it, young master, we can help you secure that position.”
Ian had been desperately trying to avoid becoming the lord.
‘And these guys are thinking of putting me on the throne?’
He hated dealing with headaches.
He wanted to leave everything to his younger brother and live a comfortable, easy life in a modest position. Yet here they were, trying to rope him into some grand scheme.
This was something Ian hadn’t anticipated, and it was the last thing he wanted.
Moreover, this posed a significant problem.
If these people formed a faction around him, all his future plans would be ruined in an instant.
At worst, it would become a major threat to Hubert.
Hubert would gather his own forces, and at that moment, internal strife within the family would be inevitable.
It would become difficult to unify opinions for the upcoming Schrantz Raid.
If that happened, the Schrantz Raid would be doomed to fail.
Even if they managed to fend it off, the aftermath would be a disaster.
‘What’s happening in the imperial family will play out in Schrantz as well.’
They would be cutting into their own flesh.
So, this had to be stopped beforehand.
Before it got to that point.
“Alright, I understand what you’re saying. You want to lend me your support and help me surpass Hubert, right?”
Their faces lit up.
They had planned to coax him gently, thinking he was clueless.
But it seemed he wasn’t as foolish as they thought.
“You didn’t come up with this on your own, did you? There’s someone higher up pulling the strings, isn’t there?”
‘Oh ho.’
Klins was impressed.
He hadn’t expected this troublemaker to be sharp enough to figure that out.
“Who is it?”
“That’s… It’s difficult to discuss here…”
“You didn’t seem to have trouble bringing it up earlier. There’s no one else here anyway. And I need to know who it is to decide whether to go along with this or not. If you won’t tell me, I’m not going to drag this out any further.”
As Ian made to stand up, Klins wore a troubled expression.
“I apologize. It’s truly difficult to disclose that information right now.”
Their defenses were stronger than expected.
Still, this confirmed that there was indeed someone higher up behind this.
‘I don’t know who it is, though.’
There were plenty of ways to make them talk.
“Is that so? Then let me tell you something, you who claim to support me.”
“Yes, young master. Please go ahead.”
They were filled with anticipation.
And why wouldn’t they be?
They were the first to show him their “loyalty.”
Surely, as a human, Ian would have ambitions to rise higher.
And he was a man full of greed and insecurities.
If they could fulfil his desires, the seeds they had sown would bear fruit!
“You guys.”
They listened intently, thinking he was about to promise them something in return for their support.
“Let’s start with you taking a beating from me.”
“Huh?”
They blinked in confusion at Ian’s completely unexpected response.
‘I thought they were here out of goodwill, but they’re just trying to fill their own pockets.’
He felt ridiculous for having enjoyed their company and chatted so happily with them.
And he could roughly guess what they were aiming for.
‘They want to use me to fatten their own wallets.’
If Ian were as foolish as they thought, they could easily manipulate the territory as they pleased.
Their intentions were crystal clear.
‘And that’s why they let their guard down.’
If it were the Ian they knew, he would have eagerly taken their hand without hesitation.
Perhaps they hadn’t even considered the possibility of failure and approached him recklessly, hoping to achieve their grand ambitions.
And the old Ian would have fallen for their sweet temptations.
But the current Ian, while outwardly the same, was not the man they thought he was.
“You think you can meddle with Hubert, of all people? You’re already in over your heads.”
“What do you mean…?”
Whether they questioned it or not.
“Let’s not make this complicated. I won’t stop until you tell me who sent you. Got it?”
Ian clenched his fist and stood up.
‘Before worrying about external threats, let’s make sure the internal ones are thoroughly dealt with so they never dare think like this again.’
He was determined to ensure no one in this territory would ever entertain such foolish ideas again.
Leave a Reply