"Senior Brother."
At my words, the man screamed.
"What are you saying all of a sudden! You have no authority to do that, Young Master Sung Yujin!"
He was right.
Sub-Baron Dolon, standing before me, wasn't a commoner. He was a member of the lesser nobility, holding a rank higher than that of an ordinary knight. I couldn't execute him on my own authority.
In a month, I'll become the Lord of Tevra, and things will be different... but not yet.
For now, I wasn't the Lord of Tevra, nor did I hold the title of Baron. I was merely the third son of a great lord. If Dolon had been a commoner, it wouldn't have mattered, but he held the rank of lesser nobility.
"The evidence is conclusive. I can tell Mother later and kill him here and now without consequence."
After-action report. It's not ideal, but the evidence is solid, so Elaine won't have grounds to reprimand me. Besides, this territory will be mine to govern in a month anyway.
"Ugh... P-please wait, Young Master. Let's think calmly first."
"Calmly? I've been perfectly calm ever since I cooled off in the carriage earlier. I'm practically a sage right now."
I swung my fist at Dolon. Whack! A tooth flew from Dolon's mouth, clattering onto the desk and rolling away.
"Now then, Yuria. Is the ledger the only thing in the vault?"
"There's money and magic stones too. About 500 million Neru in cash."
Yuria stepped aside from the vault. Inside lay gold coins, magic stones, and what appeared to be ledgers.
The ledger was both evidence and a weapon. The reason it was stored in the vault must be out of fear of betrayal by the Black Tiger Merchant Guild.
"Including the magic stones, it should be around 1 billion Neru. He's amassed quite a fortune for one man."
It was less than I'd expected. Baron Gultian, the former lord of Tevra, had died twenty years ago, meaning Dolon had ruled Tevra for two decades. 1 billion Neru in twenty years? That's far too little.
...No. With Tevra's population of only 5,000 and its lack of development, 1 billion Neru might not be a small sum after all.
For someone like me, who can easily earn money, 1 billion Neru seems trivial. But from Dolon's perspective, it's anything but.
"Y-Young Master Sung Yujin... would you consider a deal?"
"A deal?"
"I'll give you half of what's in the vault!"
"Half? That's barely 500 million Neru. Is your life only worth 500 million?"
"Barely 500 million?! That's a fortune, Young Master Sung Yujin!"
"Haa..."
I sighed.
I hadn't expected Agent Youngdu to offer only 500 million Neru for his life. Seeing this fool, I was once again reminded of how utterly pathetic Tevra Port City truly was.
"If you want to make a deal with me, you'll need at least 10 billion."
"10 billion...?"
"You've got more hidden money, right? Where is it?"
"I have no hidden money! Everything I own is in that vault!"
"You keep your entire fortune in your office vault? Of course you have some at home too."
Is the money in the office safe his entire fortune? What idiot would believe that? Of course he'd have money hidden at home. Maybe he even entrusted some of his assets to someone else he trusts.
That would probably be around another billion. Two billion total? Still not enough.
I planned to find it and take it. My definition of "not enough," that is. To others, it would be a substantial sum, impossible to ignore.
I turned to look at Yuria, who was already scanning the books and parchments on the bookshelf.
"Young Master Sung Yujin, I've found the tax ledgers. There are several discrepancies compared to the records at Prucus Mansion."
"Ah."
I glanced back at Dolon. He was sweating profusely, his face on the verge of tears as he avoided my gaze.
"So you've been tampering with the taxes too?"
Tevra doesn't have a proper lord. Sub-Baron Dolon is merely the Lord Regent.
In other words, the taxes from Tevra are collected by Count Prucus's House, and the Count's Household also sets Tevra's budget. Tampering with taxes is an undeniable capital crime. A ruthless lord might even execute the entire family, including relatives.
"Y-Young Master! Please spare me! I'll give you all the money! Just... please spare my life!"
"Why wouldn't I just kill you and confiscate your assets?"
Dolon's face turned deathly pale.
There's no reason to keep this man alive.
If I hadn't come to Tevra today and had arrived a month later, he would have destroyed all the ledgers and evidence, then greeted me with a sickeningly ingratiating smile, showering me with flattery. I'm certain of it.
"Yuria, who else is involved with this bastard? Is the Black Tiger Merchant Guild the only one?"
"I'm not entirely sure yet. We need to investigate further. I suspect there are at least two more..."
We'd been here less than ten minutes. Only Yuria could grasp the situation so quickly just by skimming the ledger.
"Grrr..."
Dolon, who had been watching me nervously, seized the moment while I was distracted by Yuria to slip out the window and flee. I stood still, watching him go. He was moving so slowly that I didn't even feel like chasing him.
"What shall we do, Master?"
I hesitated for a moment.
Should I kill him now, or try to use him?
Judging by how he's running away, he's a lost cause. He doesn't seem particularly competent either.
If he were truly competent, he wouldn't have amassed only 2 billion gold coins in 20 years as Lord Regent.
"Kill him. Then sever his head and display it in the city center. I need to show everyone what kind of ruler I'll be in a month."
"Yes, ma'am."
Yuria drew a dagger from her skirt pocket and darted out the window after Dolon. Using the footwork of the Youngcheon Style, she closed the distance in an instant and slashed Dolon's neck with the dagger, its blade blazing with blue Aura.
I saw her move, but the strike was too fast to follow.
Yuria was stronger than me. Her current level was likely just short of advancing from lower-tier to mid-tier Aura Expert.
"What's even more shocking is that she's mastering both the Youngcheon Style and shadow magic simultaneously."
I watched as Yuria retrieved a box from her shadow. With gloved hands, she placed Dolon's head inside.
"If she had focused solely on the Youngcheon Style, she would have reached the mid-level Aura Expert stage long ago. Her talent is truly terrifying."
That day, three city officials, including Sub-Baron Dolon, were killed, and their heads were displayed in the city center.
The Guild Master of the Black Tiger Merchant Guild, the largest merchant guild in Tevra City, visited the city hall.
While I was reviewing documents in my office, I found myself sitting across from the Guild Master of the Black Tiger Merchant Guild.
Guild Master of the Black Tiger Merchant Guild: Bekan Drok.
He was a tall man with bulging muscles, his face and body covered in scars.
The Black Tiger Merchant Guild had originally been a mercenary group. They established themselves in Tevra Port City ten years ago and transformed into a merchant guild, a fact I learned from a city hall employee.
"I never expected you to come here yourself. That's quite unexpected. I thought your guild would have fled by now."
Yuria brought out black tea. I sipped it leisurely, savoring the perfect brew.
"So, you ordered the guards to monitor our guild?"
My plan had been to uncover all the Black Tiger Merchant Guild's illegal activities, confront them at night, expose their crimes, seize their assets, and execute them.
But Bekan came to me first. Perhaps it was his experience as Guild Master that led him to make the right choice. By coming to me directly, he gave me a reason to spare him. Seeing how shrewd he was, I thought it would be a waste to simply kill him.
"What's the purpose of your visit?"
"...Please spare me. I don't want to end up like Dolon."
"Saying something like that without any context will only irritate me."
"I know that Young Master Sung Yujin will become the Lord of Tevra in a month. Our Black Tiger Merchant Guild is the largest and most influential guild in Tevra. We can establish a mutually beneficial relationship with you."
"How did you find out I'm becoming the Lord here?"
I've never said anything like that to anyone since coming here, not even to Roc, the captain of Tevra's guard, or the coachman who drove me here.
"This is information the Black Tiger Merchant Guild has gathered independently."
"What's the source of this information?"
"...We used the Information Guild."
I chuckled.
"So, information you bought with money."
That made sense. If it was the Information Guild, it wouldn't be difficult to uncover the fact that I was becoming the lord of Tevra. The Prucus family's retainers and even the servants at the main estate would likely know.
"According to the ledger Dolon kept locked away, you've been engaging in unauthorized smuggling. Do you have anything to say about this?"
"...No, sir. I only tried to save a little on taxes. I never imagined it would come to this. If you give me a chance, I'll pay five times the back taxes."
"The total trade taxes over the years couldn't have been more than 800 million. It doesn't make sense to bribe officials just to save that much. What did you bring? Drugs?"
Bekan flinched at the mention of drugs. Even in this world, drug trafficking was a serious crime. Possession was strictly prohibited, and distribution carried even harsher penalties.
"No! We're not that kind of merchant guild!"
"Then what was it?"
"...Weapons. We brought swords, spears, and armor to sell."
"In bulk?"
"...Yes."
"To whom?"
"..."
I remained calm. I held the hilt of the sword. Even if Bekan tried to hide it, I would eventually storm his Merchant Guild and uncover everything. He couldn't possibly conceal it all; there simply wasn't enough time.
"I sold them to Viscount Galliard."
"...A vassal of our family. How many did you sell?"
"We've been trading continuously. Over the past year, I've sold about 800 swords and spears combined, totaling 3,000. Armor sales amount to approximately 1,000 sets."
I retrieved Viscount Galliard's information from my memory. He was a character who didn't appear in the original story, a lord who ruled a city at the northernmost edge of the realm.
"It's not treason. It's an impossible scenario."
In this world, treason is exceedingly difficult. This is due to the existence of knights, who possess power far surpassing that of ordinary humans. Even a thousand soldiers could be utterly crushed by a single skilled Knight Order.
"He must have sensed that war is imminent. He's clearly well-informed about the continental situation. His motives are likely self-preservation or hoarding."
When war breaks out, the prices of all goods will skyrocket. Weapons and armor, in particular, will surge to at least double their current value. As the conflict intensifies, steel will become as precious as gold, and even essential supplies like food will become increasingly expensive.
"Viscount Galliard isn't a vassal aligned with Gent. He's neutral. I need to remember that."
First, try to recruit him. If that fails, assassinate him. A capable man like Viscount Galliard would be a troublesome enemy, so it's better to eliminate him from the start.
"Very well. I'll spare your life, provided you adhere strictly to the conditions I propose."
"...What conditions are those?"
"First, taxes. You must pay them promptly and in full, even without my reminders."
"As I said earlier, I'll pay five times the overdue amount, including the penalties. There won't be any more tax arrears in the future."
"That's settled. Second, you must surrender the Merchant Guild to me."
"What? What does that mean?! That's absurd!"
Bekan's face twisted in fury as he leaped to his feet.
Yuria moved. The blade of her dagger, shimmering with azure Aura, pressed against Bekan's throat. He froze, knowing the slightest movement would drive the blade deeper.
Bekan's eyes darted nervously, clearly shaken by the maid's elite knight-level skill.
"I won't kill you," I said. "You seem useful enough to manage the Merchant Guild. Your salary will match your performance."
"The Black Tiger Merchant Guild was built by me and my comrades!" Bekan spat. "Do you think we'd just hand it over on a whim?! Young Master Sung Yujin underestimates us. You're making a mistake! You'll regret this!"
He glared at me, his words like venom. I shrugged.
"I think you're the one who'll regret this."
"Aaaaaaah!"
Bekan's left arm, severed at the forearm, dropped to the ground with a thud. Blood dripped from the clean cut.
It was Yuria's doing. She had severed his arm with such speed that Bekan hadn't even noticed.
"My master is not someone you can treat so carelessly. Please mind your tone. Next time, I'll gouge out your left eye."
"Grrrk...!"
Bekan gritted his teeth and clutched his severed arm with his right hand. True to his mercenary background, he skillfully applied pressure to stop the bleeding and retrieved the severed limb.
The clean cut meant that with the help of a mage or priest, the arm could likely be reattached.
"The final, third condition is... hmm. Speak now if you don't want to hear it."