Chapter 120
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I Will Purchase Divine Power with Money Chapter 120 "That was truly magnificent, Duke Sheary. I may be ignorant of swordplay, but I can certainly tell your technique is vastly different from others."
Different it certainly was—what he called instruction was practically a beating.
"Through this opportunity, Lloyd will recognize his shortcomings and strive even harder. As family, I offer my gratitude."
She seemed intent on displaying magnanimity rather than taking offense, but she'd chosen the wrong persona entirely. Lloyd was the heir to Count Kiris's House. Yet Lute Sheary had crushed him excessively, showing not a shred of respect. It was outright contempt for the Count Kiris household, and yet his sister was singing Lute's praises. The knights who took pride in serving Count Kiris's House wore expressions of profound displeasure. I shook my head slowly. Well, they reaped what they sowed. The knights had participated in Ordel's abuse anyway, so there was nothing to lament. I hadn't forgotten how those knights had starved me on the Count's orders and dragged me all the way to the Temple of the Sun God.
"The Count's daughter is really, how should I put it..."
Lute Sheary murmured while looking down at Yoanna, who was smiling so broadly it was uncomfortable.
"Pure."
"...Pardon?"
Yoanna's eyes widened, apparently not expecting such a comment. Her fair, delicate cheeks flushed crimson. Wake up. That's not a compliment. That expression on Lute's face is absolutely not one of praise!
"Like a blank slate, you might say."
"..."
With that follow-up remark, Yoanna finally realized it wasn't a compliment, and her bright smile crumbled to pieces. Usually, calling someone a blank slate meant they had nothing in their head. It was quite something for Lute to say such a thing so bluntly.
"Well then, High Priestess, shall we go? Oh dear, I'm covered in sweat—what should I do?"
Lute Sheary turned away abruptly, leaving the frozen Yoanna behind. I felt uneasy at the sudden shift to that gentle expression. I was truly grateful that Lute Sheary was on my side.
"You haven't broken a single bead of sweat."
"That's true enough."
Lute Sheary tossed off the gloves and flicked them toward Yuri Polton. While Yuri Polton fumbled to catch them, Lute Sheary washed her hands lightly with magic and extended her hand to me.
"It wasn't even stretching, but I did move around a bit, so I'm feeling a little peckish. Shall we go have tea time together?"
Hmm, ever since I felt the aura of Evil directly last night, my stomach still hasn't settled—eating dessert would be pushing it.
"For you, High Priestess, I've personally procured a fruit tart from the Western Dessert Shop. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."
"Let's go."
If Lute Sheary went out of her way to get it for me, it would certainly be delicious. I immediately took her hand and moved forward. I could feel Yoanna's glare boring into the back of my head, a prickling sensation that was oddly refreshing rather than irritating. * * * "Ordel visited my room, apparently."
Count Kiris's lips twisted into a grimace as he received the report from Head Maid Linda. The excuse about repairs to the Attic Room where it lived was obviously a lie. Ordel Kiris surely knew this as well. Yet she had visited anyway, a blatant provocation. A crude threat—reveal what I want, or I'll expose this room's existence to Lute Sheary.
"I thought it had finally gained some sense when it started acting clever, but it seems it's merely grown arrogant instead."
The fool's head had swelled the moment it gained a reliable backer in Lute Sheary. But that support was a rotting rope. I watched Lute's every move intently not out of affection, but to deliver him completely to my master. In the end, he too was merely a tool, no different from Ordel Kiris. 'How amusing—they don't even realize they're tools, yet they lick each other's wounds.' What pleased me most was that Lute Sheary danced in the palm of my hand. As long as I could observe this up close, I could overlook Ordel Kiris's insolent behavior for a while longer. But there were limits to my patience.
"Joseph!"
At that moment, my wife Sarah burst through the door without knocking. It was unusual for her. Since our marriage was a loveless political arrangement, we always maintained propriety between us. Count Kiris's brow furrowed at the sight of Sarah's hardened expression.
"What has happened?"
"What happened? Lloyd is being treated by a physician right now, beaten to a pulp!"
"Lloyd? Why?"
"Duke Sheary said he would teach him swordplay, didn't he? Under that pretext, he grabbed the boy like he was catching a rat."
Sarah let out a bitter laugh, as if she couldn't believe it herself.
"Yes, the Duke can do as he pleases. Lloyd was the one who asked for instruction first, and I acknowledge the skill gap between my son and the Duke, so I can't complain if his methods were somewhat rough."
Sarah cared for her son, but she wasn't so foolish as to let maternal love cloud her judgment. Lloyd was merely mediocre—no one would call him particularly talented. In contrast, Lute Sheary was one of the Empire's finest magic swordsmen. With such power in his hands, there was no grounds to fault him for reducing Lloyd to a pulp. Her anger wasn't directed at Lute Sheary.
"But I cannot bear that Ordel sat in a chair laughing down at my son as he crawled pathetically across the ground!"
Even her daughter Yoanna had been standing, yet Ordel Kiris alone had sat watching the match. No matter how much the Duke had encouraged it, anyone with sense would have refused. Sarah could not accept this fact.
"...You're right. That creature's behavior has indeed crossed the line."
The Count's face twisted into something ugly as he grasped the full situation. He sighed at his foolish son's reckless challenge, but what infuriated him more was Ordel Kiris. This won't do. I needed to remind her once more of her lowly station.
"How is Lloyd's condition?"
"There don't appear to be any major fractures or breaks, or so I'm told. Though he's covered in bruises everywhere and can barely move."
Sarah let out an exasperated laugh. The fact that I'd beaten him so thoroughly yet still managed to control my strength was absurd.
"Tsk. Tell Lloyd to remain in his room and tend to his injuries until the Duke leaves this place. There's nothing to gain from the two of you seeing each other's faces."
It was called treatment, but it was essentially a confinement order. Yet Sarah didn't object. If Lloyd had any sense of shame, he wouldn't want to leave his room anyway.
"I'll handle Ordel Kiris myself."
"...I'm grateful. I accepted her reluctantly because it benefits the family, but I don't think I'll ever feel any affection for her."
"There's no need for affection. A tool is simply used as much as needed, then discarded when it's no longer useful."
"That's true."
At the Count's cold words, Sarah's expression finally relaxed. Lloyd assured me he would keep things in order, and she soon left the office. Now only Ordel Kiris's fate remained. I had thought to give her some moderately useful land as a reward for successfully drawing in Lute Sheary, but... If she's going to act that way, then I'll prepare treatment befitting her actions. Let's see if she can smile like that while holding nothing but barren land in her hands. My lips twisted savagely. * * * Count Kiris summoned me around the time I'd finished three of the tarts Lute Sheary had brought. Despite my complaint about feeling unwell, the tarts topped with grapes, peaches, and lemon meringue were truly delicious. But to summon me without any consideration for timing. I was worried that after finally enjoying something delicious, I might get indigestion from meeting with the Count again. What could I do? He'd likely summoned me for negotiations, so I had no choice but to comply.
"You called for me?"
The moment I entered the Count's office, that familiar unpleasant aura washed over me. My stomach began to churn again, but at least it wasn't quite at the point of immediate nausea like last night. I sat down across from the Count with some relief.
"You went to your room, I hear."
The Count threw out those words the moment I sat down. So the message had been delivered successfully!
"Your blackmail attempt was quite pathetic."
"Blackmail? That wounds me, sir. I merely went out of curiosity—wondering if perhaps my old room was finally being renovated."
But it wasn't, was it? If anything, its condition had only gotten worse. Speaking my true thoughts, the Count's lips twisted. It was as if he were desperately trying to mask his irritation with a smile. I'd interrogated countless criminals in my past life—his acting was nowhere near convincing enough to fool me.
"...It seems there's no point in prolonging this further. It benefits neither of us."
Tap.
"Here, this is what you wanted."
Count Kiris tossed an envelope onto the table with a dismissive gesture. I quickly retrieved it and pulled out the document inside. The first thing that caught my eye was... 【Land Deed for Rubar Region】 It was precisely the land deed I had so desperately desired!
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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