Chapter 87

At night, I stood quietly a little away from the riverbank, where I could overlook the scene.

Since parting ways with Zoe and acting alone, I no longer had to worry about being discreet, and I was using all my energy to conceal my presence.

Hiding in the grass was a common tactic, but as long as I didn't stand right in front of them, I wouldn't be noticed when acting alone.

That way, I could observe what they were doing.

On the riverbank, they had lit a large number of bonfires, making the area as bright as daytime.

They had made it so bright for the loading operation.

A large number of boats were moored at the pier, and a huge number of laborers were tightly packing burlap bags with something and loading them onto the boats.

Fully loaded boats set sail, and new boats arrived to be loaded.

The contents of the burlap bags were salt.

Since I started my surveillance, enough salt to supply tens of thousands of people had been loaded and transported.

"They must have been eager to get started."

I smiled wryly.

The smuggling that couldn't be done while I was around had resumed immediately after my supposed death.

I had expected them to wait a day or two to see how things would go, so I couldn't help but smile wryly.

"Leviathan"

(――)

The response from Leviathan was a strong "Leave it to me."

With this, I could say the evidence was secured.

Dussel's salt sales and transportation were always reported in detail, including taxes.

I had the latest reports sent to me from the capital.

Given the current situation, there was no need for a detailed comparison.

The amount far exceeded ten times the normal sales and transportation.

This situation itself was already evidence.

To gather more evidence, I headed toward a houseboat that was moored a little distance away.

Among the many cargo ships, this houseboat was at a distance, and the sounds of revelry could be heard on the wind.

I approached the boat and attached Fwawa's thread to it.

Through the thread, I could hear the voices.

"This is thirty million Reen. They say it will reach fifty million by tomorrow morning."

"Is that safe? Moving so much at once?"

"Don't worry, we have the dark permission from Orcott. We won't be stopped along the way."

"Hmm..."

"It's fine."

The two men talking.

One seemed thoughtful and considerate, while the other was more impulsive and reckless.

"The emperor might send someone new. We have to do as much as we can while the current one is dead and the new one hasn't arrived yet."

"......That makes sense."

The calm man was convinced.

Indeed, it made sense.

If I were an imperial envoy sent to investigate rather than the emperor himself, it was entirely possible that a new person would be dispatched after my sudden death.

Considering the time for information to travel, the emperor's decision, and the journey of the new envoy, it would take at least twenty days.

Twenty days could be considered long or short.

Using this time to act boldly before the next confrontation was a sound judgment.

"Don't worry, I'll let you know if anything happens. The tenth prince was particularly fond of the women I sent last time."

A third man's voice was heard.

People's tone and word choice can change depending on their position.

The third man's voice clearly indicated that he considered himself superior to the other two.

"You did well."

"If the prince likes them, it's no problem."

"The prince likes them too. Indeed, he has a taste for beauty. I'll gather more and send them tomorrow."

The first two men switched to a more fawning tone.

It seemed the man was a retainer of the tenth prince, Dustin.

Dustin was known for his fondness for women, and some even said he was the one who most strongly inherited the emperor's blood.

During the knight selection, he had demanded favors, which I had intervened to stop, thanks to Cheryl.

So, Dustin was receiving women as bribes instead of money.

"......"

I felt a bit regretful.

I didn't want to hear this.

More than that, I didn't want to hear what came next.

I cut the thread and decided to storm in.

I leaped, breaking through the window of the houseboat.

"What, what is this!"

"Who are you!"

Before the two ringleaders could react, the head of Dustin's retainer was flying through the air.

"Brilliant!"

Bahamut's cheers echoed.

In the instant I stormed in, I drew Leviathan and beheaded him, but that wasn't a particularly impressive feat.

Bahamut's cheers were for my judgment.

I was here to recover the salt tax.

Once I realized Dustin was involved, I had to punish him as well, which could result in the death penalty.

If I had to take the head of the tenth prince, it would become a major issue.

So, I pretended not to hear and cut down Dustin's retainer before anything more could be revealed.

Bahamut understood this instantly and sent his cheers.

But more importantly, I faced the two men.

The two young men, one in shock and the other with a look of realization.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm here to investigate the salt tax."

"What! -- Hey!"

The impulsive one stood up and signaled to the outside.

Immediately, the outside became chaotic, and the sound of boats hurriedly departing could be heard.

"I see, you were expecting this."

"Better safe than sorry, as you said."

The impulsive one said, and the calm one smiled wryly.

"Your survival was unexpected, but it's a shame. Now there's no evidence."

"Do you really think there's none?"

"There isn't. The ships will be sunk at a distance. The salt will dissolve in the river, and the evidence will be gone."

"I see. You've thought this through."

"......"

The calm man's eyebrows twitched.

He seemed to sense something from my calm demeanor.

As if to confirm, I raised Leviathan.

"What are you planning to do?"

"Retrieve the evidence. Leviathan."

(!!!)

A strong emotion, as if saying "I've been waiting for this!!" flowed from Leviathan.

It felt like he was excited.

Since the moment he realized I had been poisoned, Leviathan's emotions, a mix of loyalty and madness, had been in turmoil.

I calmed him down and gave him another task, which he carried out with joy and full effort.

I could hear sounds.

The sounds of many ships navigating on the water and the commotion of many people.

"What's happening!?"

The man shouted, and a subordinate rushed in from outside the houseboat.

"U, uh, it's bad! The ships, the ships are all turning back!"

"What! Get them to leave quickly!"

"But they're all out of control!"

"What!?"

The man looked at me, then glared.

"Is this your doing!?"

"Yes. Once I control the river's flow, recalling the ships is easy."

"Impossible! That's not possible!"

"Amazing... such power. May I ask your name?"

Thanks to Leviathan, I could say the evidence was fully secured, so I decided to reveal my identity.

Using Leviathan's power, I created a water emblem and exerted a strong pressure to make them believe I was the emperor.

"I am the emperor of the empire, Noah Ararat."

"Wha!"

"Y, your majesty..."

Both men were speechless.

With the help of the magic sword, even without evidence, they believed I was the emperor.

I thought it was over.

"Even if you're the emperor, it doesn't matter!"

The man shouted and sent another signal outside.

"Attack! Attack!"

In the next moment, armed men stormed in from outside the boat, quickly filling the houseboat and surrounding it outside.

"That's an impostor using the emperor's name!"

"......Capture him, no, kill him."

The calm man also steeled himself and gave orders to his subordinates.

(――Do it)

Leviathan's will came through.

Leave it to me.

I could faintly hear words.

With his high spirits and the incredible feat of controlling the entire river, Leviathan seemed to be awakening, like his rival Bahamut.

Then, I decided to wield Leviathan.

I grasped the situation.

About 100 men surrounded me, and another 100 were on the pier, making a total of 200.

I swung the magic sword at them.

On the night river, the blue light of the magic sword was fantastically beautiful, and with each swing, blood splattered and screams echoed.

Like a violent storm, wherever I went, a rain of blood fell.

Each time, a feeling of joy flowed from Leviathan.

With Leviathan's high spirits, it took less than five minutes to defeat all 200 men.

"Amazing..."

"A, a monster!"

The last two men.

One was almost moved to tears, while the other was trembling uncontrollably.