Chapter 153
My Villains Episode 153
39. gate crasher(2)
Dusk spread from the west.
It was getting dark, but the small estate at the bottom of the mountain was still awake..
The soldiers behind the wooden fence were carrying torches early on, and the tavern and blacksmith shop were also bright with lights. The tanners finishing their work, the workers locking their warehouses, and the peddlers organizing their stalls each held a lamp..
Yeongjugwan also became busier..
Since most of the older maids and male servants were sent to the gate station, only the younger maids were illuminating the permanent residence..
Five or six girls walked in quickly, tiptoeing in, and lit candle holders. The soldiers and vassals also added their help, as if there seemed to be a lack of hands..
When the lord's hall was getting brighter, Daionea and I arrived at the lord's hall..
On the ceiling of the spacious hall, an iron chandelier bloomed like a morning glory, scattering light in all directions. Under that light, the first thing to greet us was a man and a woman..
“Baroness, Lord Poynix.”
“……simos?”
They were the one-eyed female swordsman Simos and the boy wizard Ethan..
When I came into Longville a few days ago, I left my horse, Spotted, with Sea Moss and Ethan. With the order to lure Anupad's army and flee to the mountain lodge..
“How did you get here? The surroundings will still be chaotic.”
“We arrived safely thanks to Atilia joining us in the group..”
“Atili baby?”
At those words, I turned to those gathered in the hall..
On the side of the ring-cross chair, six retainers of Agni Nam were gathered, and on the other side, seven visitors were waiting for Dionea..
The most notable among the visitors was a man who appeared to be in his late 20s. He was sitting at a table in the center of the hall, wearing a purple velvet vest and a luxurious green coat. He had a chubby body and was short, but his white face was quite handsome..
I looked at him and whispered to Simos..
“That guy?”
“……Who are you talking about??”
“That man sitting alone over there. I heard he was the count's son or something..”
“Ah, yes. This is Doyle Mullen, the second son of Count Tristan..”
Doyle Mullen.
Behind him stood three men, each wearing plate armor, chain mail, and a flashy green bliaud..
Come to think of it, the one wearing chain armor was none other than Sir Killian. Why is that guy hanging out there??
I gave him a questioning look, but Sir Killian, who made eye contact, slightly turned his head away..
There were three people standing a little distance away from them. They were all dressed as Nude people; two were old men with black cloaks covering their bodies, and the other was a young woman..
Tight leather armor with arm guards made of steel scales, short pants that expose the thighs, and leather boots that cover the shins... … . It was Atalanta, a beauty with golden eyes..
Atalanta, who was standing with a stern face, noticed me and opened her eyes. She opened her mouth as if to say hello, but then looked at the older people who came with her and closed her mouth again..
Hmm, the expression on his face doesn't look good for some reason. What is it for?.
As my gaze wandered around the hall, Dione, who had been standing silently, opened her mouth..
“Are these people you know, sir??”
“ah. Yes, ma'am. We were in the same group, but we had just split up for a while to go to Long Val..”
“okay.”
Dionea smiled at Simos and Ethan..
“If you are Lord Phoenix's friend, you are also my friend. Do you have anything to say??”
“No, ma'am. We just came to find some company..”
“okay. If you want, I'll give you another room, so you can stay there..”
Hearing Dionea's words, Simos glanced at me. I nodded, and she and Ethan left the hall, guided by the maid..
As Dionea walked towards the ring cross chair, I stood next to training leader Chester and asked in a low voice..
“Are those seven the only customers??”
“Yes sir.”
Chester spoke, covering his mouth, pretending to smooth his beard..
“Minus the guards waiting outside, that's it..”
“What brought you here??”
“I don't know. He didn't even open his mouth..”
The count's second son, who was drinking at the table, suddenly opened his mouth..
“It's been a while, ma'am. “You become more beautiful as the years go by.” Dionea paused for a moment and returned the favor by sitting down on the ringed cross chair..
“……Hello, Prince Doyle..”
“I waited quite a long time. You must have been very busy..”
“I received an unexpected guest..”
Doyle smiled and raised his drink. Then the maid standing in the corner quickly came over and filled the glass..
“I understand. No matter how small the territory, ruling it is not something a young widow can handle..”
Hearing his words, Herald Tolummy became enraged and took a step forward..
“Longville is not a small estate, and you are not a widow. Please refrain from speaking to Confucius..”
“……refrain from speaking?”
Doyle burst out laughing and looked back..
“Lord Esselda.”
“Yes, Confucius..”
Only after hearing that voice did I realize that the knight wearing plate armor was a woman..
“If that arrogant old man opens his mouth again, slap him right away..”
“……Do you mean a slap??”
“Yeah, slap..”
40The mature female knight, who appeared to be in her mid to late teens, twitched her eyebrows for a moment and then closed her mouth. Doyle's words were chewed up..
……It's so cool.
My interest arose again, and I took a closer look at the article called ‘Sir Esselda.’.
The plate armor she was wearing was a proper item, not an imitation. It means that it is a luxury item produced at the ‘Royal Dormena Armor Workshop’, like the armor of Prince Ulkar and his knights..
She stood with her helmet at her side and her legs shoulder-width apart. At first glance, she had a well-trained body, was very tall, and had long limbs..
Sharp eyes, angular chin, nose bridge curved like a lightning bolt, short gray-white hair, and flat ears exposed underneath.…….
To summarize, she was a scary-looking woman who looked like she could use a knife..
“‘This is ‘beautiful’ Sir Esselda..”
“……It's beautiful?”
In response to my question, training leader Chester smoothed his beard..
“That's his old nickname..”
“aha. It must be famous?”
“yes. There is no one who does not know this in the Marva region..”
Chester glanced sideways at Lord Esselda and continued to whisper..
“He is a master of hand-to-hand combat, having defeated over fifty knights in duels..”
“……An article?”
I couldn't hear Chester's answer. That's because Doyle's silence ended at that time..
“I feel this every time, but the wine here is really bad..”
He frowned and put down his drink. There was no way to know whether she really didn't like the wine, or whether she was angry at Lord Esselda for ignoring her orders..
Doyle clicked his tongue and gestured towards the maid..
“hey! “Please bring me some cider or mead, if you have any.” Well, I'm unlucky for no reason. Why are you coming to someone else's house and acting like the owner, you bastard??
“ah. Come to think of it, madam.”
“……Yes, Confucius..”
“I saw mercenaries on the way. It looks like he was kicked out of the territory..”
“I didn't kick them out. I'm just recommending you leave because there's a security problem..”
“this.”
Doyle shook his head in disapproval and said in a worried tone..
“Even if the words are the same, words spoken with the authority of a lord have different weight. Even if what your wife said was advice, it would feel like expulsion to the mercenaries..”
“It doesn't matter if you feel that way. They will be given reasonable compensation through certain procedures..”
“It's a reasonable reward.”
As Doyle laughed, Dionea's face hardened..
“I want to know why the Duke came here..”
“Oh, I guess so..”
He made a small gesture, and a middle-aged man with a goatee wearing a loose blouse came out. He opened his mouth to bow to Dionea..
“It's an honor to meet you, ma'am. My name is ‘Hepin’ and I am Count Tristan’s messenger..”
“Nice to meet you, Heffin..”
Lion Hepin placed his hand on his chest with a sad look on his face.
“The Count expressed his deep condolences over the incident that occurred in Longville. The Count's only daughter, Clarissa, decided to fast and pray for two days for the well-being of the good people living in Longville..”
Dionea's face softened slightly at Hepin's polite attitude..
“thank you This is a great consolation. Please convey my gratitude to the Count and Princess..”
“I am honored to have the opportunity to convey the Okum. Oops, and.”
He took out a parchment roll from his pocket, as if he had forgotten. Dionea, who received the scroll from Chester, opened it with a puzzled expression..
“what is this?”
“This is a document for changing the contracting party..”
“……It's a contract.?”
“yes. If you sign that document, a portion of the debt your husband owed during his lifetime will be forgiven..”
After hearing those words and reading the scroll, Dionea looked confused for a moment..
“This, this... … . What does this mean? The amount of debt,”
“……Oh my. I guess you didn't know.”
Hepin the Lion stroked his goatee with a troubled expression..
“There is no way Baron Mallory would have decided such an important matter arbitrarily..”
He muttered that and glanced sideways at the gods of Longville. While everyone was confused, an old woman sighed deeply. It was Selma, the butler of Baron Agni..
“……Selma. do you know anything?”
“ma'am••••••
Selma approached Dionea at a slow pace and whispered something to her ear. As I quietly stretch my hearing, I can clearly hear a small voice..
“……For this hunting festival, the Baron owes you a debt..”
“How much, how much?”
“that is……
“Selma, come on..”
“……It's 1,000 gold coins and 5,000 silver coins..”
“oh my god.”
Crazy, me too. When I asked where this little barony got all that money, it was all debt.?
Dionea, whose face became pale, stammered and asked again..
“How much is left now??”
“There are no gold coins, only three hundred silver coins..”
“……What about the estate’s property??”
“It'll be less than that, ma'am..”
Dionea closed her eyes tightly at Selma's assertion..
“So what should I do now?‘?”
“You have to hold on, ma’am. Give me time and I'll pay you back..”
“What if I hold on? Is there any way to pay it back??”
“yes, there is.”
“How??”
“……I'll tell you about that later..”
I guess that old lady knows about gold mining..
Going back from memory, the place where Akanku Karamek opened the rift was inside a gold mine. To be exact, it was the last mine of a gold mine at the top of Mt. Graduil..
Simos said that the profitability must be ridiculously high, looking at the large chunks of pure gold scattered here and there. If the guess is true, you could easily extract a few thousand gold coins..
It must have been in that context that Butler Selma insisted that they had to endure at all costs..
Daio Nea, who was looking at Selma blankly, quickly nodded. When the old steward withdrew, Dionea turned to Hepin the lion..
“What happens when I sign this document??”
“It is as I said before. All interest on the debt will be written off, so your wife only has to repay the principal..”
“……If you don't sign?”
“oh. Horrible words……
Hepin looked surprised and spoke in a low voice..
“It is a great disgrace for a noble to abandon a contract. Furthermore, Baron Malorie is a lord and vassal of Count Tristan. In a master-servant relationship, breaking a contract is a clear betrayal. “Not only will you face the wrath of your lord the Count, but you will also face legal disadvantages and criticism from everyone, regardless of whether you are noble or not.” Dionea kept her mouth shut at Hepin's words, which were calm in tone but practically threatening. The dark green eyes were busy flipping through documents, but they didn't seem very practical..
“As you can easily tell from the content and format, this is a document prepared after seeking advice from several lawyers in Multingham. Oh, of course, the author is Lord Jeremiah, the judge of Marva. You are a scholar who served as a Supreme Court Justice in the royal capital.……
……But does that guy have a long tongue? what?
When I saw Dionea fiddling with her signet ring, unable to hold back my frustration, I ended up stepping forward..
“Ma'am, may I take a look??”
“……Sir Phoenics?”
Dionea looked at me in surprise. She quietly made eye contact, then closed her mouth and nodded..
“……Lord Phoenics.?”
The Count's second son, Doyle, who was sipping a glass of wine, showed interest in me for the first time, as if he was intrigued..
“The Lord is ‘the’ Lord Phoenics.?”
“……‘What is Lord Phoenix??”
“A bloody prosecutor. King Ulkar's knight.”
I approached Dionea and nodded roughly as she handed me the documents..
“you're right. I am that Phoenix.”
“Indeed, haha-!”
Doyle was pounding on the table and laughing, then turned to his subordinates and pointed at me..
“Haha! As expected, I recognized it at a glance! Just by looking at it, I thought it was nothing out of the ordinary, so I was keeping an eye on it. Indeed, it was the Silver Prince's red knight.!”
When I looked at the scroll, I found that the debtor, Baron Malorie, was in default, so the contract was to be handed over to Dionea..
The creditor, as before, is Count Tristan... … . Well, it seems like the change in contracting party itself is something that can't be helped..
“I was very impressed by the story about you. An eight-legged witch, a leader of a band of demons, and even a crawling dragon had their heads cut off by your sword.?”
When I looked again, I was able to easily notice something strange. The contents of the previous contract were included in their entirety in a document with the simple purpose of changing the contracting parties..
“I heard what happened today. To chase away the rough mercenaries in one go. It's a shame I missed out on this great sight, yeah.”
Why did you do such a bothersome thing??
It would have been easy to just write down the reason for the change in the contract, the basis for it, and the time of application, and simply state that the contents are “same as the previous contract,” but why go through all this trouble and use expensive ink??
“Multingham's knights are all stuffy people, so hearing your exciting performance makes me happy.,”
“Let's look at the original version of this..”
Doyle frowned as he stopped talking, but I ignored him and waved the scroll to Hepin..
“Can't you hear? Let’s look at the original version of this..”
Hepin the Lion stroked his goatee and narrowed his eyes..
“…… I'm sorry, but you don't have the authority to make such a request. Isn’t Kyung an outsider? It could be a problem that you even saw the document in the first place.,”
“Is that so??”
I asked Dionea politely..
“As a proud knight and your wife's servant, I want to protect you. Would you please accept my request??”
“Uh... Dionea's eyes were shaking violently, as if she was momentarily confused. Pale skin turned red in the flickering light..
“Me, I, *hehe*.”
Dionea must have heard something while speaking, but she cleared her throat three or four times and nodded..
“Huh... … . Yes, um, I will accept your request. Uh, willingly..”
“Thank you, madam..”
After politely bowing, I left the blushing Dionea behind and looked back at Hepin..
“Now your wife is ‘My lady.’ Now, show me the original.” "her……
Hefin, who was laughing as if he was shocked, shook his head..
“Unfortunately, the original copy of the contract is in Multingham. It's not here.”
This guy is like a dog.
I swallowed my curse and looked back at the old butler..
““Then Selma, can I see the contract that Baron Mallory received?” She closed her mouth and studied for a moment. Selma brought the contract from somewhere only after Dionea gave her a wink..
I unfolded the two parchment scrolls and compared them carefully. After rolling my eyes until my head heated up, I was able to notice that one word had changed..
“Ha, indeed.”
It's one thing to say so many words for no reason, and another to fill up the scroll so tightly, it's definitely a smoke screen to hide this one word..
“X-arm, these scammers.”
The voice must have been a little loud, so the people gathered in the hall were startled and turned to look at me. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled..
“I was talking to myself.”
Then he gestured towards Hepin the lion..
“Come here and take a look. There's a strange part in the contract..”
“……You mean the weird part??”
“The principal and interest repayment period was reduced from 5 years to 5 months? Anyone who sees this will misunderstand. It's a petty and low-quality scam..”
Hepin responded calmly to my sarcasm without even blinking..
“It's misleading. But please, look at the article below. It will be written that the principal and interest repayment period can be adjusted by mutual agreement..”
“Is this an agreement now? It would be common sense to explain changes to the contract to the other party.?”
“Is that so? “This is common knowledge that I have never heard of before.” It must have been planned from the beginning to deceive you..
As I was contemplating whether or not I should pull out this damn tooth, Hepin continued..
“And, there is a good reason why the repayment period has been shortened..”
“……good reason?”
“yes. Didn't the debtor change from Baron Mallory to his wife??”
“But?”
“From experience, it is clear that women have less will to fulfill contracts than men. Accordingly, it is relatively common to quickly end a debt relationship by advancing the due date instead of canceling the interest..”
Your tongue is getting longer again, you bastard. And this time, they're just talking bullshit..
I didn't feel it was worth answering, so I shook my head and handed the document to him..
“Okay, go back and tell Count Tristan. This can't be stamped.”
“kyung. Why do you want to ignore my wife's consideration for removing the heavy burden placed on her??
“……Ha, really.”
The overwhelming burden he was talking about was, of course, Longville itself. Baron Mallory put his land up as collateral..
“If you buy it, go ahead and tell them..”
“This is so reckless-”
I made eye contact with him and forced the document into his hand..
“The guy who wrote this document is clearly a fraud, so it would be best to kill him right away..”
“uh, what is that.”
“If you want, I will help you. I'm an expert at that.”
“••••••Uh, uh,”
Hepin, the lion who was shaking his legs, got kicked in the butt..
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