Chapter 20: Chapter 20
Chapter 20 - The Carrot and the Stick
"Is this a Monster?"
Zed looked down at something with a face full of disgust.
It was the Monster that Count Consilus’s soldiers had brought back.
A bear-type Monster confined inside a sturdy, thick stone container.
It had been tightly bound with chains, its joints broken and sealed, completely neutralizing it so that even if it regenerated, it could never recover its full strength.
"That’s right."
"So this is a Monster... It’s my first time seeing one. Since I’ve never had anything to do with them, I didn’t realize they were this disgusting."
"You sound like some noble young lady."
"I may not look it, but I was raised like a precious child. Back among the Red-Eyed Clan..."
As he uttered the words Red-Eyed Clan, Zed wore a bitter expression.
His gaze shifted toward Ferda.
"So why did you call me?"
"I called you here to do your job as my attendant."
"Does it have something to do with this bear?"
Ferda tilted his head slightly as he looked down at the Monster.
"...What are we supposed to do with this thing?"
"Even tied up like this, it keeps growing larger. We’ve suppressed it, so it looks harmless for now, but in about an hour its heart will start beating again."
"Huh..."
"And when it feels its life is in danger like it does now, it’ll grow several times faster than usual."
"So?"
Ferda sliced sharply through the air with his index finger.
"Every three hours, you’ll cut away its flesh. Tendons and nerves included."
Patting Zed on the shoulder, Ferda continued,
"You’re the one who’s going to do it."
"...You mean I have to keep cutting it every three hours? Then when am I supposed to sleep?"
To that question, Ferda simply replied,
"I’ve heard that the faithful in the Southern Region pray every three hours. Every single day without fail."
"But I’m not even from there! How can anyone realistically do something every three hours?"
"If they can pray every three hours, then you can do this every three hours as well."
"Then... can’t I take turns with that little Maid?"
"As I said, she’s not my loyal Attendant. If you can persuade her, I won’t stop you."
"..."
Zed tightly shut his mouth.
Even Zed, who believed he could charm women as easily as eating cake, found a Dragon Spawn difficult to deal with.
"No need to worry. I’m not asking you to do it forever. Just until Vernel produces some research results."
"Until the research is finished... How many days will that take?"
"It could take several months."
"Several months..."
A hollow laugh escaped him automatically.
Keep hacking at a Monster every three hours?
Grrrk... Grrrk...
The bear Monster let out revolting breaths.
He hadn’t even started cutting it yet, but it already seemed as though a nauseating stench was rising from it.
"...Did you recruit me just to make me do something like this?"
"When else would I ever have a chance to make use of you?"
"Sigh... Understood. I just have to endure until the research is over, right?"
He asked in a meaningful tone.
"Of course."
"Haha... Thank you for that."
Though he said he was grateful, rage burned fiercely within his eyes.
His irises had turned crimson, radiating a sinister glow.
Even Ferda couldn’t predict what kind of future awaited Vernel.
Nor did he care.
He’ll figure it out somehow.
***
Two days later, a horse carrying a rider returned to Valdrova Castle.
It was Vernel, who had been recuperating under Count Consilus’s care.
The man who had nearly died from Mana Burnout had returned.
"Today’s me is different from yesterday’s me."
Vernel was overflowing with exhilaration.
He truly believed his new experience had elevated him to a higher level.
"From now on, I’ll stake my life on my research."
If he wanted power capable of changing the world, then he had to work just as hard.
He would cast aside his former complacency and prepare himself to burn his own body for his work.
That was how one reached greater heights.
After leaving his horse at the stable, Vernel noticed someone standing before the castle gate.
Other than Luri and Ferda, it was the first stranger he had ever seen inside Valdrova Castle.
"He’s handsome..."
Brown hair tied into a ponytail.
Tall stature.
Even another man couldn’t help admiring how strikingly handsome he was.
Seeing that the man was smiling at him, Vernel approached him.
As he drew closer, he noticed something he hadn’t seen from afar.
"He looks exhausted..."
Dark circles faintly shadowed the man’s eyes.
There was no doubt he had been suffering through something recently.
"It’s our first meeting. My name is Zed."
The man introduced himself with a refreshing smile.
"Oh, h-hello. I’m Vernel."
"Yes, I’ve heard about you. May I ask your age?"
"Uh... I-I’m twenty-seven..."
"Oh, then you’re older than me. I’ll call you big brother."
"Ah... alright."
"Let’s head to the laboratory, big brother."
Zed guided him onward.
"T-To think someone this handsome would call me big brother!"
Perhaps they really were right when they said joy comes after hardship.
After suffering because of the bear Monster and nearly losing his life, someone was now respectfully calling him "big brother".
The resentment he’d briefly felt upon coming here had completely disappeared.
"Here’s the captured bear Monster."
"Ah, that’s right. It’s still alive, and it’s been well maintained..."
"Of course. Who do you think’s been taking care of it?"
"So it was you, Mr. Zed? Thank you."
"Haha, there’s no need to thank me."
Still smiling, Zed dragged over a nearby chair.
Scrrrape...
For some reason, the sound resembled that of an executioner climbing up from hell.
Vernel wondered where he was taking it, but Zed simply placed it directly in front of the entrance.
He sat down heavily, crossed his arms, and folded one leg over the other.
As though blocking the doorway.
"Go ahead. Begin."
No...
He really was blocking the entrance.
"...Pardon?"
"Your research. Time is precious, so please begin immediately."
His figure flickered in the candlelight.
It hadn’t been noticeable under the sunlight, but those dark circles stretched deeply beneath his eyes.
"Because of your research, big brother, your little brother here has to wake up every three hours and use this dagger—"
Bang!
"Eek!"
"—To carve up that damn Monster."
"Uh... I-I... I’m sorry...!"
"Oh, there’s nothing to apologize for. If this little brother can help with anything, just ask."
"I’ll bring you anything."
"So don’t worry about anything and devote yourself entirely to your research."
Within Zed’s eyes burned the flames of the Scorching Hell.
The dagger embedded in the table emitted the frost of the Frozen Hell.
"And as for sleep... I can sleep after I die, right?"
Only one phrase echoed through Vernel’s mind.
No Taking It Back!
***
An army marched along the main road.
At the front rode two Knights on horseback.
Immediately behind them, a standard-bearer carried the family banner, its crest fluttering proudly.
Surrounded by soldiers, an ornate carriage moved forward at a slow pace.
Baron Giyot was traveling on official business.
His destination was Valdrova Castle.
Even from a distance, the fortress standing halfway up the lonely mountain in the Eastern Region was clearly visible.
"Ghhh..."
Baron Giyot felt his stomach twisting into knots.
The closer they came to the castle, the worse it became.
"Damn it... My father said I’d never have any reason to come to this place. He lied through his teeth..."
"Master, take a deep breath."
"Right... Deep breaths... Hoo..."
"I’m the third son of House Giyot. I can’t let something like this scare me."
"Exactly! That’s absolutely right!"
Baron Giyot took a deep breath.
Although he was now overweight and sluggish, he had once been a Knight.
A Knight who had never once set foot on a battlefield.
With no heroic exploits and no medals to his name, it was only natural that he had been relegated to the position of a frontier baron.
"Don’t be so frightened just because that red lizard bastard is your fiancée’s fiancé. House Giyot has powerful connections, doesn’t it? Blood is thicker than water!"
"B-But... Didn’t that bastard even kill someone from House Wolcher?"
"Nothing came of that, did it? House Wolcher could’ve been wiped out entirely without anyone finding it strange. He wouldn’t dare provoke House Giyot."
"Right...? Yeah... That’s got to be it."
Encouraged by his servant’s words, Baron Giyot desperately hypnotized himself into calming down.
Before long, the carriage entered the castle grounds.
The carriage door opened.
A red carpet stretched out before Baron Giyot.
Standing at its center was a silver-haired little Maid.
Valdrova’s Dragon Spawn.
"You’ve arrived?"
"Y-Yes."
"This way."
Luri led the way.
Baron Giyot followed across the red carpet with his trusted Knights accompanying him.
The castle was well maintained, without any gloomy atmosphere.
Yet because the castle lacked the caretakers and soldiers that should have filled it, the eerie emptiness only made Baron Giyot feel even more uncomfortable.
It felt as though he were crawling into the belly of Leviathan itself.
Don’t think about it... Don’t think about it...
At last, a great door blocked his path.
A massive gate engraved with tales of dragons’ glorious deeds.
At eye level, one inscription stood out clearly.
—Stand in awe before the Primordial Flame and the Master of Power.
The doors opened.
Inside, a man stood up from his seat to welcome Baron Giyot.
He flinched and trembled.
"You’ve had quite the journey coming here."
Gray hair.
Blue eyes.
Those eyes were like gazing into a deep, bottomless lake, making it difficult to breathe.
It was Ferda Valdrova.
"You’re sweating quite a lot. Was the journey difficult?"
"N-Not at all. Haha..."
"I see. Then I suppose you’re simply lacking exercise. You should lose some weight. Obesity tends to lead to an early death."
"Thank you for your concern about my health."
"Come over here."
Ferda gestured to the seat across the table, inviting Baron Giyot to sit.
The sweat pouring from Baron Giyot’s body showed no sign of stopping.
"You’ve been working hard all the way out here in the far eastern frontier."
"It’s hardly worth calling hardship! Compared to the burden Your Grace bears as Grand Duchess, it’s no more than a drop in the ocean!"
"Indeed. The work you people do amounts to little more than a drop in the ocean."
The conversation had flowed naturally until that moment.
Then Ferda’s tone suddenly changed.
The atmosphere shifted.
Even Baron Giyot could clearly feel it.
He had walked right into Ferda’s trap.
"I wasn’t particularly interested in verifying it before, but after becoming Regent, I found myself paying more attention."
"So I took a brief look through your documents."
Thud.
Ferda placed the "briefly examined" stack of documents before him.
"I found quite a number of signs of forgery."
Baron Giyot swallowed hard.
Under normal circumstances, anyone would demand to know why such matters were suddenly being brought up.
But Baron Giyot couldn’t.
He simply let Ferda continue speaking.
"There isn’t just one or two inconsistencies."
"Do you know how much money disappeared because of them?"
Ferda pointed to a figure in the documents he had organized.
"Three thousand Golden."
Golden was the unit used to count gold coins.
"It appears you’ve pocketed three thousand gold coins—wealth that ordinary commoners might never even touch once in their entire lives."
"W-Well... I wasn’t the one who wrote those..."
"Of course you weren’t."
"How could someone like you produce handwriting like this?"
The elegant penmanship practically screamed,
"Written by someone else."
Ferda had already known that much.
"You probably took a modest share for yourself while giving some to your subordinates, making them accomplices."
"Those subordinates then shared a little with the people beneath them as well."
"So naturally, the amount you actually kept was less than three thousand Golden."
"But what are nobles?"
"The more luxuries they indulge in, the heavier the responsibility they should bear."
Without hesitation, Ferda moved on to the next document and began listing its contents one by one.
"The charges are embezzlement, forgery of official documents, conduct unbecoming of a noble..."
With every offense Ferda recited, Baron Giyot’s face seemed to age another year.
"...According to Imperial criminal law, depending on the severity of the offense, the minimum penalty includes a fine of ten thousand Golden..."
Ferda’s blue eyes fixed upon him.
"And at the most severe..."
"You could be beheaded and your head displayed above the city gates."
In that instant, the end of Teshalos Wolcher flashed through Baron Giyot’s mind.
His face turned deathly pale as he collapsed to his knees.
"P-Please! Just this once! I swear it will never happen again! Never again, Your Grace the Regent!"
"Hmm."
Ferda rose from his seat and patted him on the shoulder.
"Listen carefully."
"I’m not telling you not to do such things."
"Y-You’re not?"
"I already said I don’t particularly care if you line your own pockets."
"To be honest, I have no interest in exactly how much you’ve taken."
"T-Then... why bring this up...?"
"What I value is competence."
"C-Competence...?"
"I’d rather have someone who’s a little dirty but capable than someone who’s spotless but incompetent."
"For the sake of the greater whole, I couldn’t care less about a little misconduct."
"I don’t care whether you feast on expensive food or spend your nights rolling around with a prostitute named Rosemary."
"It doesn’t concern me in the slightest."
Ferda leaned close and whispered into his ear.
"Prove your competence."
"Resolve the food shortage and the Monster problem as quickly as possible."
"Bring stability to the people’s lives."
"Otherwise..."
Ferda gently waved the documents in his hand.
"This official paperwork might accidentally find its way to the Imperial Capital."
"The Emperor, along with your parents and siblings, would all learn about your corruption."
"And when that happens..."
"There’ll be quite the race between the Imperial executioner and your family’s Knights to see who gets to cut off your head first."
"Do you understand?"
"I-I understand! I’ll prove myself! I absolutely will!"
"Good."
"Then we’re finished here."
Baron Giyot fled the room as though he had just placed his own head upon the execution block and somehow escaped alive.
Watching him leave, Ferda checked Baron Giyot’s name off the interview list with satisfaction.
"Having someone else do the thinking for me really is convenient."
Even though Ferda had reached the rank of a Grand Mage, that didn’t mean he was an expert at dealing with tedious administrative paperwork.
To identify exactly where irregularities had occurred required specialized knowledge and experience.
Ferda possessed neither.
The one who had become Ferda’s brain in this matter was none other than Mori.
She looked like an absent-minded young girl, but inside her mind existed the Library of All Things.
Ferda had given her a simple order.
"From now on, examine every ledger and report."
"If you find anything inconsistent, summarize it all."
"Then calculate the appropriate sentence according to Imperial criminal law."
Mori nodded.
She rapidly scanned through the ledgers.
Flip—!
Her reading speed was so absurd that it almost looked as though she were merely pretending to read.
Work that would have taken several people an entire week was being completed by her in moments.
In this way, she documented the corruption of all fourteen territorial lords.
Using those reports, Ferda summoned each of them one by one.
"Whether they’re corrupt or not doesn’t really matter."
Just as there is no fish without the smell of fish, there are no nobles without corruption.
If they were incompetent, Ferda intended to remove them.
All they had to do was prove that they occupied their positions because they deserved them—not simply because they had stubbornly clung to them.
"So even Baron Giyot left crying like a child."
Luri, who had silently observed everything, finally spoke.
"There are still about five more left."
"You’re only frightening them."
"Are you planning to become a Tyrant?"
"Only frightening them?"
"This is merely the first time I’ve used the stick."
"The stick...?"
"It’s the carrot and the stick."
"The key is alternating between the two."
Luri recalled everything that had happened since meeting Ferda and tilted her head.
"But you’ve only been using the stick this whole time."
"Have I?"
"Yes."
"It looks as though you intend to crush everyone with fear."
"Or perhaps you’ve become so accustomed to inflicting pain that your own threshold has risen?"
"Hmm..."
Ferda genuinely hadn’t realized that he’d been using nothing but the stick.
"Well, it doesn’t matter."
Even if Luri was right, he had no intention of offering any carrots just yet.
"They’ve been nothing but worthless donkeys who’ve spent their lives eating from the carrot storehouse."
"Isn’t it about time they actually did some work?"
"That... is a fair point."
Luri nodded in agreement.
Ferda Valdrova.
For the prosperity of the Grand Duchy, he continued swinging the stick with unwavering diligence.
Comments