Chapter 137 Accountability and Discipline
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”If it’s truly poison-free, then by all means! Drink it right now and prove your innocence!” Violetta declared, her voice sharp with accusation.
”Oh, indeed~! Oh, indeed~! If you didn’t put the poison in yourself, you should have no hesitation in drinking it, should you~!” one of her attendants chimed in.
The weather was spring-gentle and bright.
The tea party, held in the Royal Academy of Magic’s beautiful gardens, should have been a graceful affair – yet it had devolved into an ugly squabble over whether poison had or hadn’t been slipped into the tea.
To bring this pathetic dispute to an end, I quietly picked up the teacup of poisoned tea placed before Violetta.
”Then, I shall drink this in Lady Elisabeth’s stead,” I said, reaching for the cup.
At my proposal, Violetta, her attending noble ladies, and even Elisabeth’s retinue all wore expressions that screamed: “Wait, seriously?”
All eyes were fixed on my hand.
Only the sound of held breaths rang out, uncomfortably loud.
And then, without a moment’s hesitation, I drained it dry.
Every last drop of that tea – which carried an air of ill omen – I swallowed completely.
This was the quickest way to silence their childish protests.
- But, of course.
Drinking this poisoned tea wouldn’t come without a cost.
An intense heat seared my throat.
The sensation of cold rapidly creeping from my fingertips. The unpleasant grinding of my heart, as if crushed in a giant hand’s grip. And then, consciousness fading quickly.
My vision slowly darkened.
And deep within my soul, a spell activated automatically.
Something connected – and it became my “substitute.” I felt that certainty.
The next moment, my awareness was fully restored, as if nothing had happened.
It seemed I had died once, then immediately come back to life.
Because the poison was instantly lethal and extremely potent, the Substitution Sorcery formula engraved into my very being had triggered automatically.
By now, somewhere in the Grimlock Margrave estate’s cage for monsters, a pitiful goblin was likely dying in my place.
(Well now… that was quite a potent poison they brewed up. Good grief – innocence is a terrifying thing.)
I shuddered at the unfathomable cruelty of the beautiful young ladies before me.
”Eh? …W-wait, you’re completely fine?”
One of Violetta’s attendants asked in a voice that involuntarily pitched high.
Her face was one of utter disbelief.
”Yes. Of course I am. After all, there was no poison in this tea to begin with.”
I lied through my teeth, as cool as could be.
From the moment I declared I would drink the poisoned tea, Elisabeth had been watching me with a worried, clouded expression.
To reassure her, I gave her the faintest smile. At that, her rigid expression softened, as gently as a flower unfurling.
Violetta, meanwhile, was glaring at her personal servants waiting at the sideboard – with a gaze as cold as a serpent’s.
She must have convinced herself that those servants had disobeyed her orders and used their own judgment not to add the poison.
In reality, the lethal dose had been thoroughly mixed in.
”See! Look! There was no poison after all!”
”You suddenly start making baseless claims about poison – and then you slander us endlessly! You will offer a proper apology for this rudeness, won’t you?”
Elisabeth’s two loyal attendants seized the moment and launched their counteroffensive.
Violetta’s face twisted in frustration, a sound of sheer defeat escaping her: “Grrrrnghh…”
”N-no! There was poison! I’m certain of it! It’s just that this man is unnaturally resilient, so it merely appears as if it didn’t affect him~!” Violetta insisted, slamming her hand on the table – BANG! – shooting to her feet.
(Well… I suppose the villainess was never going to apologize gracefully here.)
Then I would offer the apology and impose accountability in her place.
”To the representatives of the Adrastea Empire. This is a most grievous discourtesy on the part of the young lady of our Azalea Duke family.”
With that, I gave them an elegant, deep bow.
I had saved them from their desperate predicament – and now I bowed my head. Even Elisabeth’s retainers, formidable as they were, found no further momentum to press their advantage.
”Hey! You – you outsider – what do you think you’re – eh? Kyaa!” Violetta shrieked.
Before she could finish her complaint about my mediation, I seized her slender shoulder in a lightning-fast motion and forced her down onto the table.
Elegant teacups scattered with a loud crash.
She was left bent over the table, and the atmosphere froze instantly.
Even in that position, Violetta glared at me defiantly.
And that beautiful young lady’s generous backside –
I swung my open palm and brought it down hard.
SMACK!!
The sharp sound rang high and clear across the lovely spring garden.
”KYAAH!!”
Violetta let out an undignified shriek.
She had used despicable poison, tried to frame an innocent person, and even attempted murder. This was, if anything, a lenient punishment.
”I trust this will suffice as an apology.”
I said that quietly to Elisabeth.
”…I have been unjustly accused without cause. But I will accept Grimlock-sama’s generous mediation,” Elisabeth replied, lowering her gaze.
She seemed willing to withdraw her hostility in alignment with me.
Violetta remained face-down on the table, her face crumpled with shame, regret, and a trace of fear – flushed bright red.
Her attendants looked equally dissatisfied – but they made no further fuss.
And so, the dangerous tea-party disturbance – a villainess’s attempted poisoning of the heroine – finally came to a close.
That night.
I dispatched my servant Ashraf to the Azalea Duke family’s residence.
Not an official visit, of course.
I had him infiltrate the villainess’s mansion in secret, to enable a Teleportation directly into Violetta’s bedroom.
I should handle demons with care – but for Elisabeth’s safety and to uproot this matter entirely, it was unavoidable.
(It’s so convenient, I keep using it. Well, for something this small, no problems should arise…)
I teleported to Violetta’s room, tracing the presence of Ashraf’s mana.
It was a lavishly decorated room full of girlish tastes, with a faint hint of sweet perfume hanging in the air. And in that room, a one-sided interrogation of the servants was about to begin.
(Just as I expected.)
Violetta, whose supposedly flawless plan had failed, seemed intent on taking her frustration out on her unfortunate servants.
In her white hand, she held a supple riding whip.
And before her stood several servants who had served at that day’s tea party – lined up rigidly, like criminals awaiting judgment.
”I am quite certain I ordered you to put the poison in that tea~. And yet, you used your own judgment to omit it. Just what exactly were you thinking?”
Not a single servant answered.
They simply waited for the unjust punishment that was about to come.
I silently dispelled my Presence-Concealing Magic from the deep shadows of the room.
And from behind her unguarded back, without a sound – slowly – I closed in.
—
Summary:
The protagonist neutralizes a poisoning accusation by drinking the poisoned tea himself and surviving via pre-engraved substitution magic, then publicly spanks Violetta to enforce accountability and close the matter. Elisabeth accepts his mediation, and the tea-party crisis ends. That night, the protagonist infiltrates Violetta’s mansion via teleportation, using his demon servant Ashraf as a conduit, and observes her preparing to punish her servants for the failed plot.
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Trivia:
The protagonist’s substitution magic uses a goblin in a cage at the Grimlock estate as his replacement – this is a pre-prepared failsafe.
Violetta genuinely ordered the poison; the protagonist’s lie about it being poison-free is a face-saving cover for Elisabeth.
Ashraf is not a normal servant – he’s a demon (魔人), which the protagonist acknowledges as risky to employ.
The protagonist frames the spanking as “light punishment” compared to attempted murder, signaling the genre’s exaggerated morality scale.
Elisabeth’s expression softening at the protagonist’s smile is the chapter’s romantic beat – she trusts him completely.
The protagonist’s internal reaction to the poison is wry humor and genuine fear – he’s not invincible, just prepared.
Violetta’s attendants remain silent and submissive during the spanking – they don’t defend her, indicating she has no real loyalty.
The title “けじめと躾け” contrasts accountability (public, moral) with discipline (physical, hierarchical) – the protagonist enacts both.
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Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Violetta – Daughter of Duke Azalea. The orchestrator of the tea party trap, using poison to frame her romantic rival. Displays refined superiority and honeyed cruelty. Possesses a sharp, calculating mind wrapped in elegant manners.
• Elisabeth – Princess of the enemy Adrastea Empire, Prince Liam’s fiancée, and the game’s main heroine. Dignified and diplomatic even when cornered or falsely accused, she is targeted by Violetta’s assassination plot. While Xenos exchanges opinions with her, her heart has shifted from Liam to the protagonist, showing visible relief at his arrival while unconsciously avoiding relying on her fiancé.
• Grimlock – Xenos’s family name.
• Azalea – Violetta’s family name. The villainess of the world.
• Ashraf – A Teleportation Demon who serves as the guardian of Xenos’s mansion, protecting it against potential attacks. They possess presence-concealing magic, which the protagonist copies and uses to infiltrate the tea party.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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