Chapter 47 The War Begins
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
To the crazy offer of 400,000 gold coins from Ignazio Valachia, I calmly replied without being moved.
”What if I say no?”
At my words, Ignazio narrowed his cold, snake-like eyes and smiled sweetly.
His thin lips hid a deep coldness.
The man before me was nothing less than a reptile studying its prey.
”Now that’s a proper bit of trouble, innit. I’ve got to have her, no matter the cost. Means I’ll have to start by diggin’ up where the real Leela’s hidin’ out, won’t I. “
Oh?
This merchant bastard had the nerve to openly threaten me, the heir to the House of Margrave Grimlock.
I suspect he plans to find the real one and take her by force.
He’s probably underestimating me because my Mana is zero.
There was that, but more than anything, this man was absolutely obsessed with obtaining the girl named Leela.
I suppose that means she truly holds a value of over 400,000 gold coins to him.
”But see here, Grimlock-sama.1 I’m only lookin’ to settle this business nice and quiet-like. I caught the show today, and them folks in the crowd seemed right chuffed2 with that fake songstress, didn’t they. I’m offerin’ up a clean 400,000 gold coins, I am. Ain’t a bad bit of business for you, surely. You can well afford to let the real Leela go, can’t you?”
With 100,000 gold coins, a local lord could build a splendid castle and still have change left over.
The prospect of buying a single person for 400,000 gold coins was, indeed, not a bad deal.
However—.
I’m just tricking what people see using the [Ring of Transformation]; the girl on that stage is the real Leela.
If she was taken, it would be a big blow to the theater. But getting a huge 400,000 gold coins certainly wasn’t a bad trade to make up for losses.
Still, I had no plan to change the good state of the theater now. Besides, I wasn’t about to hand over a beautiful girl I had already gotten so easily.
In conclusion, I decided to refuse his offer. However—
I would continue to gather information while observing his reactions.
”Then, let us confirm the girl’s own intentions directly. “
”Her own intentions? Ain’t no call3 to go checkin’ on the wants of a slave, is there?”
Ignazio tilted his head in true confusion. In that gesture, the common thinking of this world showed through: slaves were objects, and what they wanted was not worth thinking about.
”Oh, it’s just a little side entertainment. Besides, wouldn’t it be better for you to meet her in person and try persuading her yourself?”
I needed to make the enemy narrow his focus down to the “real” one bought at the auction, rather than the fake (who was actually the real one) standing on stage.
It would be troublesome later if he started digging around at random.
I’ll at least let him know where Leela is. I gave the manager a quickly written note, telling him to bring Pharma and Leela to this room.
I added a note at the end telling them both to remove the [Ring of Transformation] I had given them before coming.
* * *
A few minutes later, the heavy doors of the luxurious VIP room creaked open, and the manager led Pharma and Leela inside.
Their soft footsteps echoed across the quiet room lined with dark red carpets.
The moment Ignazio saw their true faces, his eyes shone with a strange light, like a predator fixing on its prey. I could feel his sticky, long look wrapping around Leela.
”Hey. Sorry to bother you when you’re tired after the show. It seems this corrupt merchant here desperately wants to have a word with you. “
At my words, Ignazio lightly shrugged his shoulders.
”Oi, callin’ me a ‘corrupt merchant’ is a bit rich, innit. Besides, the only one I’m after is the songstress, Leela, her alone. “
Ignazio’s studying look moved over her, from Leela’s thin shoulders down to her shaking fingertips.
It was a scary, complete inspection, as if he were judging a piece of fine art.
I quietly watched both Pharma and Leela.
Under this strange mood and the cold stare of the well-known merchant in front of them, the two had stiffened up like small animals, clearly terrified.
A faint flush appeared on Leela’s pale cheeks, while Pharma kept her eyes down, playing with her fingers.
Their shaking hurt my chest.
”He offered to buy Leela from me for 400,000 gold coins. So, I thought it would be interesting to invite the parties involved and conclude the negotiations here. “
My words only raised their worry.
The air in the room grew tight.
A silence as heavy as lead filled the room for a second.
”Now then, Leela. Will you stay and work at my theater as a songstress? Or will you be bought by that corrupt merchant over there for 400,000 gold coins? You can choose whichever you prefer. “
I made it sound like I was giving her a choice, but I wasn’t.
To begin with, I hadn’t made them my slaves.
Outside of the theater shows, I let them do relatively as they pleased.
There were restrictions, like daily practice and condition management, but other than that, they were no different from normal girls—no, I guaranteed them a standard of living far higher than normal, along with a degree of freedom.
In contrast, how she would be treated after being bought for 400,000 gold coins was entirely unknown. Moreover, she would be separated from her beloved sister.
There was no way she would choose the option of being bought by Ignazio.
”…Umm, I… want to stay right here, and work in this theater, together with my sister. “
With a trembling voice, but with clear eyes, Leela answered strongly. In her voice, a clear will that held back her fear showed through.
A natural result.
”――There you have it. Too bad, Ignazio. I won’t sell her. I’ll have to ask you to leave. “
In that instant, Ignazio’s friendly air disappeared without a trace.
His face froze as if a mask had been ripped off.
His cold, reptile-like eyes went right through me.
Even the flames in the fireplace seemed to flicker in fear of that scary feeling.
”…You best not go treatin’ me like some everyday stall-keeper, boy. In this Royal Capital, a man can get his hands on anythin’ if he’s got the coin. Proper top-tier muscle, sharp assassins… the lot. “
His sharp voice echoed through the room, as if squeezed from the back of his throat.
It sounded exactly like the hiss of a poisonous snake.
There was clear backing and confidence behind those words.
I realized this bastard was completely serious.
”Look at yourself, what’re you gonna do about it, ‘Zero the Loser’? The Grimlock Knights, your only real backup, are caught up in some row at the border way out yonder. You ain’t got a shred of military force to keep you safe here in the Royal Capital. I know for a fact you ain’t even got the funds to hire a bit of help, neither. And above all else, your bleedin’ Mana is absolutely zero. You’re completely useless in a proper scrap. “
Well, this is a surprise.
He finally showed his true colors and resorted to threats.
And he was accurately stabbing right at my weak points.
”――I’m tellin’ you this for your own good, mate. Leela, you say ‘I want to be bought by you’ right now. Do that, and I’ll let this business slide. If you don’t say it… well, you know what’s targetin’ your sister, don’t you?”
This was no longer a negotiation.
It was just barefaced, violent extortion.
Ignazio made a gesture, tracing a pale finger in the air toward Pharma’s trembling back.
His gaze was frozen solid, devoid of all mercy.
I felt anger boiling up from the depths of my chest.
I completely ignored the bastard’s words.
Instead, I gently wrapped my arms around the waists of Leela and Pharma, who were twisting their faces in terror and trembling beside me.
Through their silk-like costumes, the icy coldness of their skin transmitted to me.
I pulled them tightly against my chest.
Their faint tremors passed into my chest, making me reaffirm the weight of the things I needed to protect.
For the sake of these two, I swore firmly in my heart that I would repel this bastard no matter what it took.
”Unfortunately, I have absolutely no intention of letting go of these two. “
Saying that, I gently placed a kiss on Leela’s cheek. The soft sensation and faint sweet scent tickled my nose.
In that exact moment, the murderous intent radiating from Ignazio’s entire body reached its absolute peak.
The air in the room vibrated, and a pressure that made my skin crawl assaulted us.
”…Are you, an idiot. You bastard. “
A low voice, crawling along the earth.
Mixed within that voice wasn’t just anger, but the shock of witnessing something incomprehensible, paired with a bottomless malice.
Ignazio’s expression had completely lost its humanity.
The negotiations had broken down—.
Right at this moment, the two of us entered a state of absolute conflict.
The war with Ignazio Valachia begins here.
—
Summary:
Ignazio Valachia escalates the business meeting into a hostile situation by aggressively threatening the main character when his massive financial offers are rejected. Leela actively voices her desire to remain at the theater alongside Pharma, providing the MC with a moral obligation to resist the extortion. Ignazio retaliates by exposing the MC’s lack of mana and isolated political position, leaving the immediate safety of the sisters dependent on an unresolved defense strategy.
—
Trivia:
The standard economic baseline reveals that 100,000 gold coins is enough for a local lord to construct an entire castle with surplus funds remaining.
The main character does not hold a master-slave contract over Leela and Pharma, intentionally allowing them exceptional personal freedom and high living standards outside of standard scheduled theater performances.
Ignazio reveals that the Grimlock Knights are currently deployed far away at the territorial border, deliberately establishing that the MC is completely isolated from his family’s military power in the capital.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Valachia – The Valachia family name, carried by Ignazio. The family name carried by Ignazio.
• Ignazio – The ‘White Snake’ is a gaunt, cold-eyed tycoon with slicked-back white hair and a predator’s gaze. Leading an underground intelligence empire behind a polished merchant facade, he exudes a lifeless, mask-like composure. Driven by an obsession with victory, he is a corrupt, ruthless operator who aggressively pursues targets through threats and illicit transactions, currently fixated on obtaining Leela.
• de – A particle used in the aristocratic name of the Margrave Albion de Blanchefort.
• Leela – A silver-haired elven songstress from Zahara, she performs at the Star of the Desert theater with her older sister, Pharma. Though timid, she is resolute in staying at the theater despite being a target for high-stakes underworld acquisitions. Using a transformation ring to mask her past as an auction captive, she weaves magic through her voice, protected by her devoted sister from their shared past.
• Grimlock – Xenos, heir to the influential House of Margrave Grimlock, manages his family’s assets and military legacy from the Royal Capital alongside his father, Gaius. Behind this prestigious facade, the mana-less protagonist exploits his knowledge of the game’s script to manipulate others. Using tactical falsehoods, spatial magic, and the Collar of Submission, he maneuvers through dangerous social circles.
• Pharma – An elven performer at the Star of the Desert, she is a beautiful dancer who works alongside her sister, Leela. Initially won at an underground auction, she now masks her identity with a magical ring to protect them. While she appears timid and trembling, she is a fierce guardian, delivering passionate performances in glittering costumes to ensure their safety while keeping their past hidden.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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