Chapter 55

When I asked the man called "Garon of the White Ash," he opened his mouth with a puzzled look on his face.

"Even if you are the leader of the knights or something, I don't think I can answer such a question."

With that, he sighed and looked at Karila.

"Are you crazy? What is this woman up to?"

Garon cut off our conversation and turned to Karila. It was incredibly rude.

I glared at him, and Karila's face contorted as she shook her head from side to side.

"Garon, I can't stand it anymore. Can I go outside? I probably won't die."

"Karila... There's a limit to provocation. There's no way I'd let you go for such a ridiculous reason. Besides, after hearing such a disrespectful statement, I can't let you leave without losing face."

Garon spoke in a low, gravelly voice and raised his hand. The men in the room each took out their weapons and stepped forward.

"...If you resort to violence, the conversation is over."

I said this quietly. Immediately, Garon's eyes flashed coldly.

"...Teach that woman a lesson."

At Garon's words, the men around us sprang into action.

The mages began their incantations, and those with weapons quickly closed the distance. They all positioned themselves for easy sword swings, a testament to their skill.

In particular, the large swordsman near the door made a good move. He closed the distance in one leap and brought down a thick, straight sword in a diagonal slash.

I nodded slightly at the tip of the sword.

"Excellent. You seem to be on par with Karila."

I added a comment and thrust my fist forward. Since the next opponent was approaching, I took a half-step without losing my balance and thrust my hand straight out.

With a sound like a heavy object hitting thick cloth, the swordsman was sent rolling backward.

I could see the eyes of those approaching widen at the sight.

"Since there are so many of you, I'll make this quick."

After this preamble, I changed the direction of my toes and spun in one motion.

The mages were still chanting.

"...Sand and gravel."

I muttered the spell name, infusing it with magic.

Immediately, sand and small stones appeared and were shot out, as if the scenery had been painted over. It was a powerful sandstorm about a meter wide, but thanks to the radial release, everyone who was vulnerable to it collapsed on the spot.

"Ah!"

The cries of pain from the men were not pleasant to hear.

Those who had been about to attack with weapons also stopped and writhed in agony, so I decided to end the fight quickly.

"Excuse me."

I said this and went around, tapping the stomachs of the standing men.

"Poor things."

I heard Karila's sympathetic voice from behind, but she quickly shut her mouth when I glanced at her.

Garon, the last one left, looked around at his groaning subordinates in a daze and finally looked at me.

"...W-What happened? What just... happened in that instant?"

Garon muttered to himself for a while, looking as if he had been haunted by a nightmare, but once he came to his senses, he became cooperative.

Thus, after visiting four major organizations over a few days and negotiating directly, all of them agreed to cooperate with me.

I was surprised how reasonable people could be when you talk to them. In the end, they all promised to earn money without causing trouble for the general public.

However, it was impossible to suddenly turn people who had only worked improperly into proper merchants. Therefore, I allowed the five organizations that had promised to cooperate and the small group of outlaws that had followed me to run a casino.

However, they had to operate under strict rules. Customers had to be over twenty years old, and they couldn't be allowed to accumulate debts they couldn't pay. I set multiple conditions.

And, as a fundamental principle, they were not to deal in drugs, engage in human trafficking, or harm civilians.

With this, I quickly recovered the students from the academy and gave them a stern warning to ensure they wouldn't get involved in gambling again. They must have been quite scared by their debts, as they were shaking violently. I handed them over to Rocks for care.

"...You don't intend to control this country from behind the scenes... No, never mind."

Rocks had a pale face and was saying something, but he nodded in agreement about the students. The problem was the outlaws, but after I persuaded him, he reluctantly nodded.

"...I see. Having a large, well-organized organization would make problems less likely, huh. Indeed... Even if I destroyed all the organizations, new ones would just form. But if it's known that I'm deliberately turning a blind eye, I'll definitely be criticized. Especially if the royal family is involved, it could be the worst. If the news leaks, I'll face criticism from abroad..."

"...Is it difficult?"

"...I'll try."

Since he seemed troubled, I reconfirmed, and Rocks agreed, hugging his head.

No, if it was difficult, I was prepared to go around and destroy the organizations every time, but if Rocks was willing to help, that was fine.

"Thank you."

I expressed my gratitude to Rocks, and he stepped back, saying "Ugh," with a flushed face.

"What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing!"

Rocks coughed and averted his gaze, confirming the content I had asked for before leaving.

The deep, world-renowned darkness that had spread through the academy city was quietly and swiftly brought under the control of a single woman, but very few people knew this fact.

Thanks to Rocks' efforts, it didn't come to light, but anyone who ventured into the underworld would inevitably hear the words, "Don't defy the witch of the academy."

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