"Oh, that's right. I just remembered—inside the secret chamber of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, I happened to find this..."
As Aven spoke, someone immediately brought in a wooden box. When the box was opened, a pile of account books was revealed before Viscount Kilton's eyes.
"These are… the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild's account books?!"
Before Viscount Kilton could speak, the Treasurer behind him cried out in shock.
"That's right. These are exactly the account books of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild."
Aven looked at the Treasurer with amusement and asked, "Mr. Treasurer, could you tell me how much tax the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild has paid in the past few years?"
Upon hearing this, Viscount Kilton immediately reacted, and his expression changed drastically.
All transactions within a territory must be taxed by the lord. This is a major source of income for the territory's finances.
Likewise, every year, subordinate lords must pay taxes to their liege lord. The annual financial report of a territory determines how much must be paid.
Underreporting finances to reduce tax payments was no secret—it was an open secret in many territories.
However, unspoken rules are still rules. If hard evidence was ever found, it could still lead to being tried in the Taxation Court—and in severe cases, it could even result in losing one's title and lands!
Clearly, Keystone Town's financial reports must have been fabricated every year, which was exactly why the Treasurer was so nervous now.
"The Gilded Fang Merchant Guild… they must have evaded a lot of taxes!"
The Treasurer paused for a moment, then carefully pondered Aven's words. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
That's right! It was the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild who had evaded taxes! That's why Keystone Town's finances looked so poor—this was all the Guild's fault!
"Lord Aven, may I ask… these account books..."
"Could we… possibly take them back to study in detail?"
"I believe they could serve as powerful evidence for the trial of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild..."
The Treasurer chose his words carefully, but his intentions were crystal clear. He even used the word evidence.
"Of course."
"However, I don't think it's necessary to mention this in the verdict itself."
"Once the trial is over, I will naturally hand all of these books over to you."
Aven nodded, and the Treasurer nodded along repeatedly. He then turned his gaze toward his own lord.
Viscount Kilton still had his eyes closed. At this point, he knew he had no way out. If he refused, he would only lose more.
"Earl Aven, I would like to speak with you privately," Viscount Kilton said, taking a deep breath.
Aven naturally had no objections. He nodded at Sutter, who led the officials out of the room.
Once everyone had left, Viscount Kilton's face darkened. "Congratulations, Earl Aven. You've achieved your goal."
"I don't know what you mean," Aven replied as he sat back down and picked up a cup of nutritious fruit juice. "Is Viscount Kilton implying that I threatened you?"
Viscount Kilton fell into silence. Indeed, Aven hadn't uttered a single direct threat during their conversation. But every sentence was laced with veiled threats!
He didn't know whether his subordinates understood the underlying meaning—maybe they did, maybe they pretended not to.
"What do you want me to do now?" Viscount Kilton asked. After a moment, he added, "It's just the two of us now."
Hearing this, Aven let out a long breath. Truth be told, pretending throughout the conversation had been far more exhausting than expected. If he could just speak plainly, he wouldn't have needed to disguise his intentions so much.
"Very simple. I want you to immediately execute the key members of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild."
"Don't worry—I've already arranged for the witness testimonies during the trial. When the time comes, all you have to do is read the verdict aloud during the execution."
"As for your safety, I can guarantee that. The goal of this entire operation is to showcase the strength of Fruitvale Village!"
"If we can't even guarantee your safety, then this operation cannot be called a success!"
"Furthermore, your involvement in the attack on Fruitvale Village—everyone knows it happened. So I expect you to show enough sincerity."
Aven spread out his hands, clearly laying all his cards on the table. Deep down, he certainly didn't want to let Viscount Kilton off the hook.
But after this incident, Aven had essentially placed himself at odds with both the Ironblood Fortress and the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild. If the Viscount showed sufficient sincerity, he could still be spared.
Hearing Aven's words—especially that final sentence—Viscount Kilton finally let out a sigh of relief.
If it hadn't been for that last line, he might still have had doubts. But now that the other party was asking for sincerity, it was essentially like paying a ransom. It made him feel like Aven wasn't lying.
"I don't know what you want. I hope we can discuss it clearly."
"In addition, I hope to receive long-term protection from Fruitvale Village. I'm willing to pay enough gold for that," the Viscount continued. Since he had already made his choice, he had to prepare for whatever might happen next.
"Serfs. I want all the serfs in your territory."
"As for the cost of long-term protection, you can pay it in food. I'll need a lot of food to support all those serfs."
Aven didn't hesitate. "In exchange, I'll arrange for a Pokémon tribe to migrate and reside in the nearby Black Forest of your territory."
Upon hearing these terms, Viscount Kilton only hesitated for a moment before nodding. Serfs could be bought again as long as he had the money.
"Alright then. It's settled."
"I'll have someone make the arrangements immediately. I hope you won't disappoint me!"
After giving his instructions, Aven waved his hand, signaling Sutter to escort Viscount Kilton away and keep a close watch on him.
Until the public execution was completed, this matter couldn't be considered truly resolved. But once that moment came, it would essentially be over.
And this time, as the victor, Aven had reaped enormous rewards.
Not only did he seize gold, jewels, and a large number of Pokémons from the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, the harvest was huge.
Moreover, he had completely made a name for himself. From now on, all the magical beast hunters in the region would tread carefully around him.
In fact, it was likely that the entire eastern territory of Aspiration City would see fewer magical beast hunters in the future. After all, being caught now meant potential execution—that was a risk no hunter would dare take.
With the fall of the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild, the sale of Pokémon in the eastern territory of Aspiration City would also take a massive hit.
Other lords would surely be more cautious. Even if there was still trading in their lands, they would no longer dare do it openly.
After all, Keystone Town was now a warning example. If Aven decided to target them next, it would be a huge problem.
This time, Aven had made his stance very clear. And with the conclusion of this incident, word would soon spread across all of Aspiration City.
Of course, the challenges weren't over yet. The biggest issue ahead was the Ironblood Fortress.
Their reinforcements were still on the way. The only question was whether they would still attack after learning what happened in Keystone Town.
Even if no direct conflict occurred this time, the struggle between Fruitvale Village and Ironblood Fortress—whether open or hidden—was sure to continue.
Of course, all of this had been within Aven's expectations. From the moment he chose this path, both the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild and Ironblood Fortress became unavoidable enemies.
But history has shown—he was walking the right path. A world where humans and Pokémon coexist peacefully would one day come true. The Gilded Fang Merchant Guild was merely a larger-than-usual obstacle on that road.
"Phew… That's it for now," Aven exhaled once more.
Seeing this, Petilil and Froslass came over to comfort him. Petilil even used life energy to help him relax.
"Ralts~"
Ralts let out a soft cry.
"Ralts, are you starting to see me in a new light?" Aven asked hesitantly.
Ralts was stunned.
Indeed, the tense atmosphere earlier had made it quite uncomfortable. It closed its eyes and thought for a moment, then shook its head. At the very least, the warm and soothing aura Aven always carried had never changed.
"Lil-lil, lil-lil~"
Petilil thought for a moment, then walked quickly over to Ralts. The two Pokémon began to chat.
No one knew exactly what Petilil said, but Ralts's expression shifted several times. In the end, it nodded seriously, clenched its fists, and looked very determined.
Then, Ralts ran to Aven's side and used telepathy:
"Aven, let's work hard together. I also want to see that world—a world where humans and Pokémon live together in harmony!"
(End of Chapter)