Chapter 80

"It was after the official fled."

The strength in Sora's hand, which was pressing against the desk, drained away, and she stumbled.

Gorge quickly helped her up, but the white forehead that had hit the corner of the desk was now red.

Ignoring this, Sora confronted Rasette.

"What do you mean, 'fled'? What do you mean, 'fled'!?"

"Apparently, he left this morning with a servant, taking all his household goods and heading west."

In other words, it was a midnight flight.

In the territory of the Kleinzelt Count, where Sora, who opposed the Count, was based, it had become difficult to engage in corruption and enrich himself as before. He wouldn't be in the Count's good graces either.

Anticipating this, he had fled to the Kleinzelt Count's territory in the west.

Sora wobbled and sat down in a chair, hanging her head.

"We were already short-handed..."

Sora grumbled, "At least he could have handed over his duties."

Glancing sideways, she noticed Chaff, who was clenching his fists in frustration.

"Count Kleinzelt..."

His voice, suppressing his anger, echoed in the room.

Chaff suddenly stood up and slammed his fist on the desk.

Sora, who had been headbutted, and Chaff, who had punched the desk, must have left the desk unsatisfied as well.

"What about the Kleinzelt Count's vassals? To abandon their noble duty of protecting the people from bandits and maintaining order and peace is too low! "

"They're the vassals of a swine father, so what can you expect? I didn't think they'd be this spineless either."

"Shirking responsibility is disgraceful, Count Kleinzelt!"

"Stop making a racket. This is a town, even if it's an inn. The residents walking outside will be worried."

Sora pointed to the window and warned Chaff, who was grinding his teeth but reluctantly calmed down.

Seeing that the situation had settled down, Sania propped her cheek on the desk.

"But we can repurpose the official's house as an office, right?"

It was a very constructive suggestion.

Sora's vassals all nodded in agreement.

"That's right. We need to check the documents anyway. I think it's a good idea to go see it now."

Encouraged by Rasette's words, Sora and the others headed to the official's house.

The official's house was located on a slightly elevated hill in the north of the town, a prime location with a view of the entire town.

Looking back at the town, Sora saw the fishing village with houses and huts that were hard to distinguish, being caressed by a melancholic winter breeze.

– We need to allow large ships and revive net fishing, but first, we need to fix the houses.

Scratching his head at the mountain of tasks, a much larger problem loomed before him.

"– So, why is this house ransacked?"

It had been only half a day since it was abandoned, but the official's house was thoroughly ransacked.

Windows and doors were destroyed, and splintered wood pieces lay scattered.

Inside, the walls were damaged in many places, and there were no signs of furniture, which seemed to have been taken away.

Gorge stroked his chin, surveyed the room's devastation, and spoke.

"The furniture was probably taken by the official. I think the truth is that the town's residents searched for hidden wealth and, out of spite, destroyed the place."

"From the angle of the holes, the culprit's height is about the same as Gorge. It was a horizontal swing, not a downward strike. The weapon was not sharp but a blunt object like a hammer, and its size is –"

Sania was taken aback by Luly's cheerful estimation of the weapon's size from the holes in the wall.

The building was two stories high. From the central hall, which also served as the entrance, corridors extended to the left and right, with two rooms facing each other and a staircase at the back.

"Check each room in groups of three. If you find the culprit, you don't need to capture them, but drive them out immediately. If you find any documents, pick them up. Action begins now."

Sora gave the orders and, accompanied by Saria and Chaff, climbed the stairs.

The second floor seemed to be the living area, with twelve rooms facing each other along a single corridor.

It was on the same scale as the buildings of the major merchant guilds in town.

"Saria, do you hear any suspicious sounds?"

When asked by Sora, Saria listened carefully.

Because Sora, the most powerful figure in the viscount's territory, loved beastfolk, Saria no longer hid her bear ears.

"It's okay. I don't hear any sounds."

Saria shook her head.

Feeling Sora's intense gaze on her ears, Saria slowly backed away. She was being cautious not to provoke the wild beast named Sora.

Sora, whose silent rejection made him slump his shoulders, suddenly looked at Chaff.

"By the way, Chaff, you don't have any complaints about having beastfolk as my vassals, do you?"

Many nobles disliked beastfolk.

There was a historical background to this, but it was so long ago that the details were lost, and Sora didn't know much about it.

Chaff glanced at Saria and Sora and snorted in displeasure.

"I'm not a fool to complain about another house's vassals. Besides, I have no interest in the Kleinzelt Count's 'favorites.'"

Reversing Chaff's words meant he would complain if they were his own vassals.

Just as Saria's expression was about to darken, Sora raised his fist to the ceiling with a radiant smile.

"Ah, 'favorite.' While I generally love all beastfolk ears and tails, I 'love' Saria's ears and tail. From the night we first met in the backyard to today, this feeling has not faded but rather filled my heart more vividly. Moreover, since leaving the capital, her bear ears, which she no longer hides, shine in the morning and evening light, as if a halo is shining, etched in my eyes and never leaving! Furthermore, when they are wet from rain or morning dew, they highlight the blackness of her fur in a lustrous and elegant way, stirring my heart with a thousand transformations of beauty –"

"Too long!"

"Even with so many words, I can't express even a fraction, a single hair, of my burning passion. If you want me to stop, let me touch your ears!"

"Shut up, don't come near me. Your heat is so intense it's freezing my spine, you pervert!"

Chaff held his head as Sora and Saria bickered. He was deeply worried about the future.

Deciding to start the search, he opened a nearby door and peered inside.

It was an empty room. The only thing there was the cold winter air blowing in through a square hole in the wall.

"…It seems to be going faster than expected."

"Chaff, is that sarcasm?"

They looked at each other and sighed. Behind them, Saria, who had also been assigned an empty room, was smiling wryly.

As a precaution, they entered the room and checked it, and when they were inspecting the fifth room, a timid-looking man, Kor, came up from downstairs.

"Lord Sora, there's a visitor."

Sora tilted his head.

He had some idea of who might be visiting, such as the head of the Wooddora Merchant Guild, Zendo.

However, since Sora had only just arrived in the town, it seemed a bit too early.

"Who is it?"

"A traveling merchant I've never seen before. And –"

Kor's gaze wandered in confusion as he continued.

"He's here to demand the fulfillment of a contract."