Volume 7 Chapter 5 The Chubby Noble And The Mad Girl
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Milly tugged at my sleeve, shaking her head.
She probably wanted to tell me not to go.
But if I upset Aldo and he decided to reject my apprenticeship with Keith, the fallout would be massive for me.
”Well then, I’ll be joining you along with Milly.”
”Ah, bringing the lady along is not a good idea. This is a place for men to enjoy themselves. It would really help if Kent could come alone.”
”Kent! No! You can’t go without protection!”
Milly advanced on me fiercely, her eyes blazing.
”I-I’m sorry! Milly… I need to wrap things up with Aldo and Mr. Keith. So, I’m going alone. This is a master’s order!”
”Kent… are you serious!?”
I pulled Milly close and whispered in her ear.
”I just need a shadow guard. I’m not that reckless. Milly, back me up. I want to reassess Aldo. He might not just be another foolish noble.”
”…Alright. If it’s a master’s order, I suppose I can’t argue.”
”I didn’t expect that from you, Kent. I heard you were whipped by Ms. Miriallia, but giving a master’s order that a succubus can’t refuse? Impressive.”
Aldo seemed surprised as well, looking at me with wide eyes.
”Milly tends to worry a lot. I didn’t think we’d actually be going out drinking, just the two of us, with a noble we’ve never met.”
”Well, whatever. Since we’ve got your wife’s approval, let’s go have some drinks. My family will provide the carriage. Butler, get ready.”
After parting with Milly, I hopped into the Dracul family’s carriage and headed toward the entertainment district on the outskirts of Capital City.
* * *
When we arrived, it seemed like Aldo had reserved the entire place; I didn’t see any other customers inside.
A line of beautiful women in revealing outfits stood waiting inside the establishment.
”Thank you for coming, Sir Aldo. Please, Lord Blackdagger, have a seat.”
A long-haired woman with golden locks cascading to her waist gestured for me to take a seat.
”Kent, let’s relax and enjoy our drinks.”
”Come on, this way please!”
A Minotaur girl led me to my seat, her grip playful and light.
”Ah, my apologies for intruding. But, you have quite the collection of beauties here. Sir Aldo, you have excellent taste.”
I was amazed by the level of the women inside.
There were girls from various races, but each one had a beautiful face and a body that would make any man drool.
”This establishment is my investment, you see. These ladies are like my collection, a priceless one at that. Kent, that Minotaur beside you, Milna, I forced her into debt and made her mine. And Tiffania, that Dragonia, I jokingly proposed to her, and she took it seriously and is now working in my store. Oh, and that succubus back there, Karen? She’s from a vassal family, a beautiful girl, so I persuaded her father to make her my retainer.”
Aldo began explaining the women present.
The women in this establishment were all gathered by Sir Aldo’s authority as a noble.
”Ah, that girl over there was a sex slave to another noble, but I wanted her so I bought her from him. And those 2, the mother and daughter, their husband was troublesome, so I had him ‘accidentally’ die with a little help from some medicine. Now they work here as maids.”
Sir Aldo’s boasting continued, but each story made me feel increasingly disgusted.
…What a pathetic excuse for a noble.
To open a place like this with women he gathered through such dirty means…I almost wanted to kill him.
How corrupt are the nobles of the Capital City?
”In this Kingdom, everyone but a noble is beneath us. Peasants are nothing but livestock. I might keep the pretty ones as pets, though. What do you think, Kent? I’d like to add another South District girl to my collection… Maybe we can trade? You have plenty of mistresses, right?”
I snapped.
Aldo’s words pushed me over the edge.
I grabbed the portly Aldo by the chest.
The smaller kicked his legs wildly.
”Sir Aldo! You’re a scum bag! I’ll kill you right here! You call peasants livestock! Who do you think you are!”
”Please stop. If you hurt Sir Aldo, he’ll be… “
Tiffania, the Dragonia, used her strength to crush my hand.
”What the hell! Why are you doing this! This guy is the root of all your suffering!”
My hand came loose, and I ended up sprawled on the floor.
Milna, the Minotaur, rushed to Sir Aldo’s side.
”No, that’s not it. Sir Aldo is the one who saved me. All the other women were also rescued by Sir Aldo from that corrupt noble.”
”I beg to differ. I’m serving as a retainer because I admire the young master’s talents. Though, I wish we hadn’t had to use such roundabout methods this time. The young master was merely testing Lord Blackdagger’s true intentions.”
A red-haired succubus lounged back with an air of arrogance.
”Cough, Kent really hates corrupt nobles, doesn’t he? If you were to kill a member of the Dracul family, it could lead to all-out war with the Kingdom.”
I remembered being taught that the Dracul clan, always by the side of the powerful, ruthlessly suppressed anyone who dared to murder a member of their family for reasons other than power struggles.
If Aldo were to die… it would trigger full-scale war between the South District and the Kingdom…
Even though I had momentarily forgotten, cold sweat poured down my back, soaking my clothes.
”But now, I’ve managed to read Kent’s true intentions. Ms. Miriallia in the South District is notoriously hard to gather intel from. I thought this was the perfect opportunity being here in Capital City, so I decided to put on this act.”
Aldo tossed aside his earlier lax demeanor and wore a sharp, serious expression.
”Is what you said true?”
”Yeah, I’ve been hunting nobles. My father and the Capital City are just overrun with stinking, corrupt noble houses. I want to rid the Kingdom of this corruption. I was looking for support when I heard rumors about Kent implementing good governance in the South District. So, I did some digging.”
Aldo had a significant look on his face.
”I know you possess a unique skill set that allows you to dominate women, and I know you’re one of the ‘Lost Ones’ from another world. Plus, you carry the mark of a top ability user.”
Aldo had just exposed my secret.
Just then, Milly and her shadow guards, who had been hiding in the ceiling, silently appeared behind Aldo and pressed a dagger to his neck.
”””Sir Aldo!”””
”Milly! You can’t kill him!”
”But! He knows Kent’s secret! If we don’t get rid of him──”
”So, you’re going to kill everyone here…? That’s not going to fly…”
Milly shot a warning glance at her underlings, signaling them to put away their daggers.
Her expression was tinged with frustration.
”It’s alright. I’m not planning to spill any secrets, and the girls here know how to keep their mouths shut.”
Aldo brushed off the dirt clinging to his clothes with a soft slap, slap.
”Aldo… what’s your endgame? What do you want me to do?”
”I’m asking you to back me up. I want to eradicate those corrupt nobles. Those foolish nobles who’ve forgotten what it means to fight for their people and their nation… They need to be eliminated. To do that, I need military support. I want Kent to be my bodyguard. We’ll start by taking over my father and brother’s territory. The Dracul estate borders the Nolans territory, after all.”
”So, you want me to lend you troops for a coup?”
Aldo shook his head vigorously.
”Toppling my father will be easy──I’ve already made the preparations. Once I execute my plan, I’ll become the head of the Dracul family in no time. The real challenge comes afterward. If I want to rise in favor with His Majesty, having an ally like Kent will be immensely helpful. And as a reward for your assistance, how does power in the Blackdagger South District sound?”
”Wait, are you trying to make Kent a king?!”
Milly exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise.
”If I serve directly under His Majesty, I can secure Kent the autonomy of the South District. I can even arrange for your father-in-law, Lord of Arbalest, to get a post as Commander of the Kingdom’s army.”
Aldo was brimming with confidence, certain that serving at Your Majesty’s side would earn him trust.
But for now, he was merely seen as the useless third son of the Dracul family.
To an outsider, what he was saying probably sounded like the ramblings of a madman.
”I’m not convinced Aldo can earn His Majesty’s trust. What are we going to do when Gwain and Fabulanova return?”
”In that case, we can escape with His Majesty to my territory or the South District. The one who holds the Demon Lord holds the reins of the Kingdom, after all.”
Aldo answered my question nonchalantly.
Take His Majesty and run? That’s like carrying a live bomb!
”This guy’s out of his mind. To pull the Demon Lord out of the Capital City….”
Milly looked at Aldo as if he had sprouted another head.
”It’s my job to lay the groundwork so it doesn’t come to that. His Majesty seems tired of being a puppet to Gwain’s policies. If I can suggest reforms to revitalize the Kingdom, then the gem that is the Demon Lord will be all but secured.”
”So you need my help for that?”
”Exactly. I can’t help but sense that His Majesty made you a companion for that very reason. You’re definitely plotting to break free from Gwain’s grip. And it looks like you’re even trying to charm Fabulanova with Lord Veris.”
It was true; I could feel from Your Majesty that there was a desire to escape Gwain’s control, and an expectation directed toward me, who had recently risen in prominence in the South District.
”…Got it. I’ll cooperate. But only if you become the head of the Dracul family. I have no interest in a foolish third son. I’ll demand the independence of the South District and your appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom’s army within a few years as compensation. If you cross me, I’ll just take the Dracul territory by force.”
”Kent… are you serious?”
”Yeah, if I keep being hesitant, I’ll end up being cornered someday. With Gwain lingering around Your Majesty, it’s definitely safer to rely on Aldo over here.”
I decided to ride the strange ambition of the young man standing before me.
If I could drive Gwain away from Your Majesty’s side, my life would no longer be in danger, and by keeping Aldo close to Your Majesty, all those corrupt nobles would be swept away.
And more importantly, it would greatly increase the chances of fulfilling South District’s long-held wish for independence from the Kingdom.
”A token of the pact… isn’t necessary.”
”Yeah, it’s fine without one.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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