“L-Lee Han. I think it may be a little much to assume they are evil-god worshipers based on that alone...”

While the flustered Professor Garcia stammered, the enraged soldiers shouted.

“You lunatics! Do you even know where you are?! How dare you attack Count Bouillon’s checkpoint!”

“Wait! Everyone, run!”

Professor Garcia was startled to see them provoking Lee Han even further when they should have thrown down their weapons and hurriedly declared, “We are not evil-god worshipers!”

The soldiers were slightly startled as well.

They had revealed the count’s identity, yet the other side showed no fear?

Even if these lunatics simply ignored that, a reaction like “Everyone, run!” was beyond anything they had expected.

Then the soldiers immediately discovered why Professor Garcia had reacted that way.

Kwakakakakakakakang!

Lee Han had begun smashing the remaining barricades apart with water-orb shots.

He hurled the magic with enough force to break bones regardless of whether soldiers were standing in the way, and the soldiers on the bridge hurriedly jumped into the river.

Professor Garcia shouted an explanation toward the soldiers who had leaped into the water.

“We are actually from Einroguard! I think you failed to notice the flag! Please understand!”

The soldiers in the river were too busy coughing up water and swimming frantically to hear. Only a few soldiers left behind at the shattered checkpoint stared blankly.

“E-Even if you came from a magic school... are you really allowed to act however you please?”

-Yes.

-Do you not know what happens when you provoke someone who is already furious?

The knights jeered as they kicked the remaining soldiers into the river. The soldiers fell with screams.

At that sight, Lee Han asked in a serious voice.

“Should we not interrogate them for signs that they colluded with evil-god worshipers?”

-...Ah. O-Of course!

The knights hurriedly threw out chains and hauled the soldiers back up.

They had never imagined Lee Han had meant those words seriously...!

***

When the Empire was first founded, the noble houses that cooperated with the emperor and the great mages were guaranteed a wide variety of privileges.

Even among houses that did not rank among the great noble families, there ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) were more than a few that possessed at least one privilege passed down through the generations.

Count Bouillon was one such noble, holding several lucrative rights, including the authority to collect tolls throughout a territory encompassing roughly three villages.

Of course, that did not mean one should misunderstand the nature of those rights.

The nobles of the Empire no longer possessed the authority to do whatever they pleased like the nobles of the distant past.

Strictly speaking, even the right to collect tolls did not mean putting the money into one’s own pocket. It was closer to being entrusted with collecting tolls that were supposed to be paid to the Empire.

In truth, even that was enough.

A noble might no longer reign like an absolute monarch of old, but there were still countless ways to make money.

One could grant authority to toll collectors in exchange for payment, or raise tolls under various pretexts...

There was a technique to this as well: one had to know how far one could go without drawing attention.

The Empire might be vast, and countless petitions might reach the officials in the capital, making the chance of discovery exceedingly low, but fools without discretion always crossed the line and brought inspectors down upon themselves.

Count Bouillon took pride in that regard.

More precisely, he took pride in accumulating as much wealth as possible without disgracing his house or getting caught.

But misfortune always arrived without warning.

The sudden drought and scorching heat in the western region this year had terrified even the count.

“Why did a drought have to strike this year? Why now?!”

The gaunt count muttered as he paced ceaselessly around the study. He was too anxious to remain still.

Imperial law required every region to maintain a certain minimum quantity of relief supplies in preparation for natural disasters, and Count Bouillon himself was the official responsible for them.

Ordinarily, that would not have been a problem.

He could requisition supplies from nearby merchants and secretly replace them with inferior goods without anyone discovering it.

But the situation changed when a disaster struck so suddenly.

Worse still, this year the count had not merely replaced the relief supplies with inferior goods. He had diverted the entire stock and converted it into cash!

He had recently invested heavily in the capital’s confectionery guild, only for those fools to lose to the capital’s bakery guild. In order to cover the resulting losses, he had acted far more boldly than usual.

He had never imagined a disaster would strike.

“Please calm yourself, Master. I am certain you will be able to resolve this in time.”

The chief steward tried to reassure Count Bouillon.

“You already ordered the soldiers to block the roads. Do not forget that you possess the authority to manage the bridge.”

The count nodded anxiously.

Count Bouillon had currently used his authority to order the checkpoint soldiers to stop anyone entering the surrounding area.

The soldiers at the checkpoint were effectively private troops paid by the count, so none of them refused.

He could fabricate the reason later.

Bandits had appeared nearby, so the road had been blocked for travelers’ safety. A plague had grown too severe, so passage had been temporarily prohibited...

“...We could even say evil-god worshipers appeared.”

“You must not, Master! That might bring a knight order here.”

“R-Right. I must not be in my right mind. You are correct.”

Count Bouillon abruptly came to his senses.

Even excuses needed to be plausible. Why mention evil-god worshipers of all things? It was an ill-omened excuse.

In any case, outsiders who might cause trouble—inspectors from the capital, regional officials, priests from various orders—had all been prevented from entering for now.

All that remained was to replenish the relief supplies.

Once those supplies were restored, he could proudly endure anyone wandering around the territory.

“I hear the number of priests in the area has increased lately. They will not grow suspicious, will they? Or force their way through?”

“Master. There are no evil-god worshipers here. They would never attempt such a forceful breakthrough. You know the temperament of priests well.”

Except in a few specific matters, priests from the religious orders were not particularly violent people.

Even if entry were unfairly prohibited, they might frown, but they would choose to take another road instead.

The count had issued the order precisely because he knew that.

“Those damned merchants. I told them to gather the supplies quickly! If I am exposed, I will not let them escape either!”

Count Bouillon cursed the merchants.

The merchants currently rushing about to resolve the problem had long maintained close ties with the count.

After all, it was difficult to commit wrongdoing alone.

Whenever the count replaced goods with inferior substitutes, raised tolls, or exploited his various rights in clever ways, those merchants were the ones who assisted him.

Since the diverted relief supplies had created a problem, they were obligated to act as well.

If the count was arrested, they would be arrested too.

And yet they still had not secured the supplies...

“Those idiots. Those money-grubbing vermin. To think I granted privileges to people like them.”

Bang!

“Your Excellency! We secured the supplies! As soon as we completed the contract with the northern merchant company, we asked the Richmonds for their fastest carriages. They will arrive within a day!”

“Oh!”

The merchants burst through the door as though smashing it apart, and Count Bouillon’s face lit up.

As though the curses he had just uttered had been lies, the count showered them with praise.

“You are the true heroes of this territory! Talents who keep the blood of the Empire flowing!”

“Thank you, Your Excellency!”

The count especially embraced Naseda, the leader of the merchants and the person in overall charge of this matter.

“Naseda, you are my right hand—my Gonadaltes!”

“It is truly an honor!”

There could be no clearer compliment than comparing someone to the great mage who had aided the emperor in founding the Empire and could reasonably be called the emperor’s right hand.

Of course, both the emperor and the great mage would have been furious if they had witnessed the scene...

“As soon as the supplies reach the warehouse, everyone can return to their original positions, and I should rescind the order prohibiting passage. Ah. Prepare donations as well. The priests may have taken offense.”

Bang!

Before the excited count could finish chattering, someone else burst through the door as if smashing it apart.

The messenger’s entire body was drenched in sweat, as though having run without rest the moment the news arrived.

It was an impolite entrance, but Count Bouillon smiled instead of becoming angry.

“Did you hear the news that the supplies were secured as well?”

“We are in terrible trouble!! The Einroguard mages have forced their way into the territory!”

“......”

“......”

The air in the study turned cold as though someone had poured ice water over everyone.

The merchants were the first to cry out in horror.

“Why would Einroguard mages come here?! There must have been some misunderstanding!”

“Perhaps they mistook them for other mages? Yes, Valdrogard! They may have been Valdrogard mages!”

“I hope they were Valdrogard mages! I know several mages from Valdrogard...”

The messenger shook the head violently and shouted.

“They say they were definitely Einroguard mages. The southern bridge checkpoint was completely destroyed...”

“Destroyed?”

Count Bouillon froze.

Einroguard possessed several privileges as an Imperial magic school, including unrestricted rights of passage, but unrestricted destruction was not among them.

Even if passage had been blocked, this was clearly their mistake!

An idea flashed through the count’s mind. The merchants seemed to have thought of the same thing.

“Your Excellency. Use this as an excuse to delay them somehow.”

“That is right! Tell them you blocked the road temporarily because of bandits and protest that destroying the checkpoint was excessive. You should be able to hold them there.”

They could claim there had been a misunderstanding and arrange a meeting to discuss it in person.

Then, if the count dragged matters out and arrived late, they might somehow endure long enough.

They only needed to last one day.

The relief supplies would reach the territory, and later the count could apologize to the mages by claiming his excessive enthusiasm had led to a mistake...

“Naseda, my right hand, my Gona—... No. May I entrust this to you?”

The count had been about to say Gonadaltes, but an ominous feeling made him change the words.

The merchant laughed heartily.

Naseda felt fully confident in the ability to manipulate a few mages.

“Do not worry. I will delay the mages without allowing them to suspect a thing.”

The count, the chief steward, and the merchants were all too excited by what they believed was a brilliant plan to realize one crucial point.

The most important thing was to determine exactly why the Einroguard mages were behaving so violently.

***

“Hmm. So they were not evil-god worshipers.”

Lee Han murmured quietly.

When the knights began seriously questioning them about possible connections to evil-god worshipers, the soldiers finally grasped the severity of the situation and confessed the truth through tears.

-We do not believe in anything like that!

-I follow the Flemeng Order...! ...W-Wait. Priest. Are you not from the Flemeng Order? I am a believer of the Flemeng Order! I even donated when I was young! Please speak for me!

-...I-I am not from the Flemeng Order. I am from the P-Prisinga Order.

-...Priest Siana...

-What else was I supposed to do? It was terrifying! Look at Lord Wardanaz’s eyes!

Lee Han had hoped to uncover remnants of the wicked Sanguros Order hiding among the soldiers, but no matter how thoroughly they were searched, nothing of the sort appeared.

The only thing they discovered was that the count responsible for collecting tolls had issued the order.

“Do you think it is true that bandits are roaming around?”

“I am not certain, Professor Ku.”

Professor Kirmin Ku did not fully believe the soldiers.

The count would never have explained the exact reason to ordinary soldiers in the first place.

“Disasters do tend to increase the number of bandits... but few people would surrender toll income and prohibit passage solely for travelers’ safety.”

“That is what I thought. Count Bouillon did not seem like that sort of person.”

“One thing is certain.”

“?”

“Whether they are bandits or the count’s private soldiers, it would be best if none of them appeared while we pass through this region.”

“...Should I try persuading Lee Han?”

Professor Garcia whispered while glancing at the disciple, who was casting a murderous gaze in every direction in search of hidden evil-god worshipers.

“There is no need.”

“What?”

“Wardanaz needs somewhere to vent that anger. Bandits or the count’s soldiers would be better targets than Einroguard students.”

'Ah. Right. This person is Professor Bagreg’s friend.'