Volume 3, Chapter 3: Kidnapping Incident②
Since Gansas’ destination happened to be the same city Lambert was heading for, Kraan, Lambert decided to tag along with the peddling merchant.
In fact, Lambert was truly grateful for this situation since he couldn’t ride on Nightmare near settlements as doing that would only make things difficult for him.
The same applied for Gansas, who lamented his bad luck for not hiring any bodyguard. He was also grateful since Lambert could act as his escort.
According to Gansas, 「No one is going to come to such a rural place unless they’ve got business in Kraan」.
Even from Gansas’ perspective as a peddler, Kraan, the biggest city in this area, wasn’t an ideal place to do a business.
The feudal lord, Viscount Le Gael himself didn’t do anything to improve the condition in the territory except for raising the amount of tax. As a result, the amount collected from the tax fell.
「He keeps promoting his political measures every once in a while, leaving so many unemployed people and unmanageable plots of land… The event in the mining city, Tetomburgh, sounded like a practical project, but it ended up a huge failure. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. 」
Gansas spoke with a wry smile on his face.
According to Gansas, Le Gael was amongst the worst nobles in the Regios Kingdom.
Some nobles were the kind of vicious and greedy nobles, but as the worst amongst them, Viscount Le Gael was often used due to his greed and stupidity.
「Even with many rumors about sly feudal lords conducting their shady business, I can’t think of anyone but Viscount Le Gael who is a laughing stock due to his eccentricity.」
「He’s that bad, huh… Yet you still come to his territory.」
Lambert stated so as if it was the most natural thing to say.
During the Eight Countries Unification War era, there was no leeway to allow such incompetent heirs amongst the noble. Permitting such an incompetent heir would spell their doom after all.
The royal family also couldn’t get too involved in each of their problems since they soon would die due to the incompetent heir unable to cope with the foreign country’s invasion. It was that or they would get their territory and rights devoured by the other nobles. It was survival of the fittest.
Due to the long-lasting peace, strong influence of the royal family, and the lack of need to keep brainstorming against all kind of possibilities that could be used by the foreign nation to invade Regios Kingdom—all of these factors gave birth to an incompetent person like Le Gael.
「Hehe, you can find people with money everywhere. This is a chance since the market circulation of goods in this territory isn’t that good… Instead of that, the public order is worse than I expected, but I survived by a hairbreadth. It seems an escort is truly indispensable.」
Gansas spoke with a trembling shoulder.
「I mean, you’re strong. You even turned the table in a battle against five bandits… Are you by chance an inspection soldier sent by the royal family?」
After Manzi’s attack on Barreira City, Regios Kingdom’s royal family found traces of that secret organization and increased their vigilance toward 『Devil’s Piper』.
After the revelation about Earl Aubock investment in 『Devil’s Piper』, the royal family started a large-scale investigation in secret, looking into the rumors from the peddlers.
Gansas, who witnessed Lambert’s overwhelming strength, then draw a conclusion that the only reason for such top-class swordsman to come to such backwater place was because the latter was an inspector from the royal family.
「…No.」
「Hahaha… well, it’s not like you can say such a thing to me. All right, I won’t tell anyone that I met you in this place. You saved my life after all!」
「You’re misunderstood though.」
「Yeah, let’s say that I misunderstood! Trust is equal to a merchant’s life after all. And I’m amongst the most tight-lipped.」
「…Uhm.」
Although Lambert had no idea what Gansas was talking about, Gansas had long since misunderstood Lambert—whose sword arm was clearly a cut above the rest—as an expert swordsman belonging to the royal family.
Nevertheless, Lambert, who lived in tumultuous era as one of the Four Demon Generals and stood at the summit of Regios Kingdom’s army in the Eight Countries Unification War era, had to agree with Gansas since he was right.
「…Viscount Le Gael’s private soldiers were walking around as if they owned the place, pillaging and eating without paying their bill in broad daylight. And even though I’ve never gone there before, the situation in the slums of the viscount’s territory is even worse. There’s a rumor that an insane private army of the viscount kidnapped the slum dwellers and beat others to death as a diversion. Well, it’s not like I believe every single rumor, but… there’s a saying, “there’s no smoke without fire.” If you, by chance… No, if you really are the royal family’s inspector… Please, can you do something about that idiot of a viscount?」
Gansas lowered the tone of his voice and spoke as if he was pleading to Lambert.
「…」
Lambert couldn’t give an answer to Gansas’ plea.
But a plan had already formed in his brainless head. The first thing to do upon arriving was investigate the slums.
‘The subordinates of the noble who should be protecting the citizens are using their authority to kill or kidnap the ones who they have to protect… Unforgivable. If this turns out to be true, only one end will be awaiting the viscount… Death.’
His first priority was investigating the incident caused by the viscount’s private soldiers in the slums.
But there was one thing that made him disappointed.
‘My original intention of coming to this place was to investigate 『Devil’s Piper』’s base and yet… I ended up getting myself involved in a completely unrelated matter.’
So rather than finding a clue about 『Devil’s Piper』 after hearing the bad rumour so far, it turned out to be nothing more than the oppression of the incompetent Viscount Le Gael.
Killing that kind of rotten insect who damaged Regios Kingdom from inside was one of Lambert’s goals in the way of reforming his motherland.
But 『Devil’s Piper』 wasn’t the kind of problem that could be postponed. Their influence would only grow the more time he wasted.
Their raid in Barreira City caused a considerable amount of damage after all.
Although one of their Eight Sages, Manzi, was only a small fry in front of Lambert, the reason he had so much trouble subjugating Manzi was that Manzi had Guiref’s Grimoire, the book created by the worst alchemist in the Eight Countries Unification War.
If he failed to subjugate Rawnpoop back then, Barreira City might’ve been completely obliterated.
And if Manzi could summon a spirit whose rank surpassed that of Rawnpoop, Lambert wouldn’t have been able to win the battle by himself.
「Look over there. That’s the central city of this territory, Kraan.」
Lambert snapped out of it when Gansas called to him.