Chapter 67
A Flower Blooming in Early Winter (4)
Feigning ignorance hasn’t changed, now or in the past. Well, I suppose it can’t help but be consistent. Resting my chin on my hand, I asked as if reciting something I had memorized.
“You keep poached rare animals imprisoned in the basement of the guild, right? There must be quite a few live ones. This will come out even without an investigation.”
“That… that’s. But everyone does that to some extent.”
“Well, let’s say that’s true. But recently, you’ve acquired quite a number of very large cages. I doubt you’re planning to capture animals that big.”
I waved the documents I had asked Therion to retrieve. Since these documents were the kind of ‘unknown secrets,’ they fell under Therion’s purview.
“……”
The guild master’s eyes vacantly followed the fluttering papers I was waving.
“So if I had come a little later, those iron cages in your basement would have held humans…”
“Su, such evidence…”
He seemed to still cling to the hope that he could deny it. I extended a final act of mercy.
“I heard that the two siblings kidnapped from Crowell Castle overheard your entire plan. You should have been more careful with your words.”
“I-I was wrong.”
Only then did the guild master admit it.
It seemed his calculations concluded that the situation was already over if I had obtained testimony from the previously kidnapped siblings.
“You must have thought that the Crowell family didn’t care about the safety of their people. Or perhaps you thought we were an easy target.”
The guild master let out a groan, “Ughhhh.”
“But… you’ve destroyed the guild building. Isn’t that enough…!”
He was grinding his teeth. He might have been enduring the pain of being pinned to the wall, or he might have felt wronged about being retaliated against for something that hadn’t even happened yet.
Perhaps it was both.
But I remember clearly.
That time when I was too late.
That time when I didn’t arrive fast enough.
Or that time when my power wasn’t enough yet, and I couldn’t save anyone.
I remember that despair and those sad screams.
There were dozens of such moments.
I was lost in thought for a moment. The now-empty iron cages came to mind.
In an environment so harsh it seemed impossible for any living being to endure, there were people whose eyes, dim like flickering candles, looked up, declaring ‘I’m still alive here’ with their gaze.
My life’s failures weren’t mine alone. The responsibility for those I couldn’t save always weighed heavily on my shoulders.
But this time… I saved them all.
I closed my eyes tightly, trying to shake off the lingering images of the lives I couldn’t save, then slowly opened them.
I don’t know what my expression was like, but the guild master’s face hardened.
“Is that so? You’re saying there’s no crime since the plan hasn’t been carried out yet.”
“……”
“Unfortunately, I’m not that righteous, so I’m thinking of using you in the same way you were planning to use others. You’re okay with that, right?”
“W-What….?”
The guild master asked back in a trembling voice, as if he didn’t understand what I meant.
“You’ll understand soon enough.”
I got up from my crouched position without hesitation. Therion whispered in a tone that hinted at disappointment.
“You’re not going to kill him “this time”?”
“No.”
I had killed that guild master easily a hundred times. Because nothing good ever came from deciding to let him live.
Therion, who would know my memories, curled his lips up with interest.
“Won’t you regret it?”
“Of course not.”
Though his life might be worthless, there was one way it could be useful.
I pulled the guild master’s wrist and firmly pressed his seal on a magic contract.
The guild master, who had suddenly stamped a contract without even checking its contents, became frantic.
“Wait…!”
“This is the price for your life. Well then, I’ll be going.”
Ignoring the guild master calling out, “If, if it’s the price for my life, could you at least get me out? Hey! Lady! Lady Crowell!” while still pinned to the wall, I stood up.
“Are we going to the Academy now?”
“Yes, we should. If we return to Crowell Castle, we’ll have to pack…”
At that moment, from behind came the Red Scorpion guild master’s very aggrieved and desperate cry.
“It’s not just me—!”
…Right. It’s not just that guild master.
I suddenly stopped in my tracks.
“……”
Then I turned my gaze to Therion and Ethan, staring intently at the two of them. Ethan tilted his head.
“What’s wrong?”
In previous lives, I didn’t have enough power on my own to overturn multiple guilds, so I only smashed the Red Scorpion guild.
But with this current power…
I carefully asked,
“…Are you perhaps interested in annihilating slave-trading guilds?”
🥀
With just an affirmative answer, seven guilds that formed the backbone of the North were destroyed within half a day.
They were all guilds that had been secretly trading slaves.
Most had hometowns, but those who couldn’t immediately return home, like the elderly or different races separated from their families, were decided to be taken in by the Crowell domain for now.
And after this day, a story began circulating among the northern guilds.
It was said that the Crowell Barony had a monstrous young lady who feared nothing, whose hands showed no mercy, and who never forgot a grudge.
“The calamity that has befallen the world is not just one thing. Slave traders are as terrifying as gigantic monsters. How can it be possible to buy and sell a person’s life with money?”
“It’s been years since that was banned. I can’t believe it still remained in the North.”
“You think it’s only left in the North?”
I glanced at Ethan with my chin resting on my hand.
Indeed, it would be harder to find a large guild that didn’t conduct slave auctions.
Finding evidence wasn’t difficult with Therion around, and because Ethan Behemoth, the son of a duke’s family, was present, the guild masters had no choice but to bow their heads helplessly.
They wouldn’t even be able to demand separate compensation from the Crowell baronial family for the guild buildings I destroyed.
If this commotion were properly investigated, they themselves would be more severely punished for having engaged in slave trading.
The guild masters saved their lives on the condition of signing magical contracts, promising never to engage in slave auctions again.
They would have been sentenced to death if brought to a central trial anyway. It seems they judged this to be the better deal.
Merchants, indeed.
Well, that’s what I was aiming for.
While the seventh and final guild master was signing the contract with a sniffle, Ethan asked me a question.
“But why not hand them over to the central court or the kinghts?”
I glanced at him and replied matter-of-factly,
“If we report this, it all becomes merit, doesn’t it?”
“That’s why I’m asking, why are you refusing the merit?”
He thinks all merit is good, doesn’t he?
Turning to him, I explained in more detail.
“There’s nothing good about gaining merit. If I stand out for trivial things like exposing illegal activities, it’s perfect for being misunderstood as having an interest in politics.”
It’s the same logic as during the subjugation practice. Don’t stand out.
“The checks from other nobles are tiresome.”
I was extremely tired from going around seven places in succession, interrogating guild masters and freeing the imprisoned people.
While patting my heavy shoulders, I talked about the next task:
“Anyway. Let’s quickly hand over these contracts with the guild masters’ personal information as collateral and finish this job.”
“He-here it is…!”
“Good. Thank you. Let’s not meet again.”
“Yes…!!”
I rolled up and tucked away the magical contract obtained from the seventh and final guild master.
Therion, who had been diligently massaging my shoulders, asked:
“Hand them over? Aren’t you going to keep them, Lady Edith?”
Therion had been singing about wanting to go back to the castle and play with Diana since the third guild master, saying their excuses were predictable.
When did those two become so close?
“What would I do with these? It’s not like I’m going to start a guild.”
“Then is there a trustworthy person to entrust them to? There didn’t seem to be any decent people among the guild masters.”
I rolled my eyes.
“No. Well… there is one.”
“You hesitated?”
“No.”
I was just debating whether to say ‘three’ instead.
🥀
Finding our way through the desolate streets of the North wasn’t difficult.
The flow of people was already low, but now not even a flap of clothing could be seen, perhaps due to the rapidly spreading rumors of a crazy young lady smashing guilds while accompanied by a knight.
When I knocked on the door of a dilapidated three-story building, a cowering voice was heard from inside.
“Bl-Blue Bird Guild here…?”
“Eek! What do we do! Has that young lady come for us too?”
“Why? But we…”
Sensing from the three similar voices that we had come to the right place, I pulled the door wide open without asking. Something fell over inside with a crash.
“Waaah!!!!”
“……”
Was I too forceful?
Looking inside, two thin women and one man with short blue hair were tangled up on the floor after falling.
🥀
Thank you for reading! ♡
