Chapter 35

After returning home, I called Don into the living room.

Don, who had not yet fully recovered from his injuries, entered the room and immediately knelt down, bowing deeply to me with a serious expression.

"Huh? What's this all of a sudden?"

Born a prince for twelve years, I had become accustomed to being bowed to, but this was a bit out of the ordinary for Don.

"I am prepared," he said.

"Prepared?"

"Yes. I assume you will question me for betraying you and informing on the conspiracy. I will not defend myself. I only ask for a swift beheading—"

"Slow down."

I interrupted Don, who was speaking in a trembling, rapid voice.

"Huh?"

"Who said I was going to punish you?"

"But... "

"People are treasures, and I won't kill them without reason. Besides, the imperial law states that informants of conspiracies are granted immunity. There might be other crimes for which you could be punished, but not for this."

"..."

Don's mouth hung open in shock, speechless.

He didn't know.

"So, I called you for a few reasons. First, Gilbert has been executed. He was found guilty of conspiracy, and his faction has been completely dismantled. So, you don't need to change your name and leave the capital. That's one thing."

"Ah... "

"Second, the reward for informing on a conspiracy is set at 1,000 Reen. That's not enough, so I'll add a zero to it. It's my money, so don't hesitate to take it."

"Why such a large sum?"

Don trembled.

He still couldn't believe he was going to be spared. The idea of being executed was a misunderstanding in the first place.

"You saved my father's life. Do I need any more reason?"

"Ah..."

"Third, I said I would send you to a magistrate, but now I can bring you back to the Imperial Palace as my retainer. What do you want to do?"

"..."

"What's wrong, don't you like that?"

"N-no!"

Don suddenly lifted his head, shook it vigorously, and then knelt again, pressing his forehead to the floor.

"You are the only one worthy of being my lifelong master. I will follow you wherever you go."

After saying this, Don raised his head again, and his eyes were filled with genuine loyalty and admiration.

☆

The next day, I went out into the city for some entertainment, taking the maid, Jiji, with me.

Should I go to Alice's place, or do some treasure hunting on Cobalt Street? Or maybe start something new.

I decided to enjoy the whole day, so I walked with Jiji without taking a carriage.

"Master, there's something interesting happening over there."

Jiji, who was still new to being a maid and quite young, had a look of excitement in her eyes. Unlike Zoe and Evelyn, who is currently serving as a magistrate, Jiji still had a childlike innocence.

Thinking it might be nice to indulge in her excitement, I looked in the direction she pointed.

There was a crowd gathered, and in the center stood a woman wielding a sword. The word "sword dance" came to mind.

A street performer, perhaps?

I thought it sounded interesting, so I led Jiji toward the crowd.

As we got closer and peered through the crowd, the woman, who had stopped dancing, said in a challenging tone to the onlookers,

"The condition is to defeat me in combat. The entry fee is 3 Reen."

"What do we get if we win?"

One of the onlookers asked in a loud, confident voice. From the way he spoke, it was clear he was a regular spectator.

"I myself. Whether as a wife, a concubine, or a servant, I will obey the winner's commands."

Instantly, the crowd began to murmur.

For 3 Reen, you could fight her and, if you won, claim her.

"What's going on?"

Jiji, standing next to me, tilted her head in confusion.

"It's a kind of auction."

"Auction?"

"An auction. In a regular auction, only money is involved, but in this case, there are other conditions. It originated from black market auctions."

"Wow... Master, you're so knowledgeable!"

Jiji looked at me with great admiration.

Meanwhile, I observed the woman in the auction. She was quite beautiful, though perhaps a bit too assertive. The idea of acquiring such a beautiful woman for 3 Reen was quite appealing.

Slaves in the capital were expensive due to the imperial law that only certain merchants were allowed to sell them. A typical slave would cost at least 100 Reen.

But this was 3 Reen.

Moreover, it didn't fall under the category of illegal slave trading. The imperial law defined illegal slave traders as those who sold others, but selling oneself was not illegal.

Immediately, a man stepped out of the crowd, eager to try his luck.

"Do I just need to knock you down?"

"Yes, but it must be one-on-one."

"Hah, I wouldn't share her with anyone else even if you told me to!"

The man said this with a lecherous grin and reached out to grab the woman.

"Whoa!"

The crowd gasped as the man spun around and fell to the ground on his back.

He lay there, dazed, clearly not understanding what had just happened.

The woman extended her hand toward him.

"3 Reen."

"Wh-what?"

"The entry fee. You didn't pay it, thinking you'd win, right?"

"Ha, embarrassing."

"Confident one moment, defeated the next."

"Such a small-minded person."

The crowd laughed and jeered. The man, his face red with embarrassment, fished a silver coin from his pocket, threw it to the ground, and fled.

The woman picked up the coin and carefully put it away.

"Next challenger?"

She asked. Despite witnessing her quick victory, the prospect of acquiring such a beautiful woman for 3 Reen was still very tempting.

One after another, challengers paid the 3 Reen and stepped forward, but all were defeated by the woman.

"Hehe, it's my turn now."

"Pay the entry fee."

"Don't rush me, I'll give it to you if I win."

The man said this, and the crowd, now fully engaged, cheered him on. By this point, everyone realized the woman was no ordinary opponent. Most of the spectators were eagerly waiting for the next challenger to meet the same fate as the first man.

"Alright, here I go!"

The man threw a punch, aiming to hit the woman from below. It was a powerful punch, but based on her previous performances, everyone expected her to win.

But then—

"Ugh!"

The woman tried to dodge and counterattack, but something seemed to catch her, stopping her movement. In the next instant, the man's punch hit her stomach.

The blow was clean, and the woman, eyes wide, spat out blood and collapsed, leaning against the man.

"Hehe, as agreed, you're mine now."

The man said this, pushing through the surprised crowd to leave.

"Wait."

I pushed through the crowd and stepped into the circle.

"What, kid? Got a complaint?"

"Yes. That was a rule violation."

"What are you talking about?"

I walked up to the man and lifted the hem of the woman's ankle, revealing a needle.

"Having a partner do this makes it two-on-one, a rule violation."

"What are you saying, this is just—"

Thud.

A short distance away, someone fell to the ground.

I had used Leviathan to intimidate and knock them down.

"That's your partner, right?"

"…I don't know him."

"Liar, Chad, isn't that your lackey, Rob?"

"Yesterday, you two were drinking at my shop."

"Let her go, that's cheating."

It was clear to everyone that the two men knew each other. The crowd shouted at Chad, who turned red with anger.

"Shut up! You brat, mind your own business!"

He left the woman and lunged at me in a fit of rage.

I decided to teach him a lesson.

I drew Leviathan from my armband.

First, I cut Chad's shoulders. His arms hung limp, useless.

Then, I cut his belt.

The belt severed, and Chad's pants fell to the ground.

"What...!?"

"Still want to fight?"

I pressed Leviathan to Chad's throat. Chad's face turned even redder, and he trembled.

The crowd, seeing this, exclaimed:

"Wow, what was that? Where did the sword come from?"

"More impressive was the technique, I didn't see anything."

"The way he did it was cool. Chad's always been a jerk, so this is satisfying."

As the crowd chattered, Chad, trembling, said:

"Remember this!"

He spat out a line and fled, naked from the waist down, causing the crowd to burst into laughter.