Chapter 31 – The Footsteps of Decline (Viscount V)
The first to move towards acquiring Ex, ahead of the royal family, were the Lardrich viscount household.
This was due to the influence of someone who had advised the foolish Viscount Lardrich.
Since then, the butler had felt a sense of urgency about employing Aix, so the security of the mansion had become neglected.
Despite the inevitable decline in the effectiveness of Aix’s magical tools and the increasing unreasonable demands of the Viscount, it was not surprising that the handling capability had deteriorated.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As usual, the butler rushed to the Viscount’s call bell and was surprised to see an unfamiliar and menacing-looking guest standing calmly beside the Viscount. The rat-like man had taken advantage of the lack of security and intruded into the mansion, and he grinned in a creepy way.
The butler regretted allowing his foolish master to have contact with this suspicious person, but he still listened to what the Viscount had to say.
“Yesman, what about the defective magician issue?”
“Well, sir Viscount…”
The butler was at a loss for words.
After talking to Aix several times since then, he had a feeling that things might work out if the employer was someone other than the Viscount, afterall Aix’s dislike for the Viscount was beyond help.
“I haven’t heard about the details of the negotiations. I’m asking when it will come and the date. The day of the princess’s reunion is approaching! I have to prepare 200 presents that I devised and made for the princess as soon as possible.”
“Y-yes.”
The butler grew pale at the seriousness of the situation. Is it confirmed that there are 200 presents?
“At this point, if it’s impossible to get it done by Aix, it’s okay to have someone else do it. Are you not looking for someone else?”
“It’s just that, apart from Aix, it’s impossible. We’ll have to wait for now and apologize sincerely.”
The Viscount scolded him for not looking for someone else, but the butler had already done it. He just hadn’t found anyone suitable yet.
There are also things that have been discovered in the investigation of the past few days. It seems that the magical tool that could replace Aix’s mysterious item “Cool Stick” is equivalent to a legendary lost magical tool. This is what caught the attention of the princess.
“Hmph, this is unacceptable. Uracal, don’t you have anything?”
Uracal, a suspicious man who was standing beside the viscount, entered with a mocking tone.
“Kukuku, why not just kidnap him all away? That would solve everything, wouldn’t it?” (Uracal)
“Hmm…” (Viscount)
“What?! That’s impossible!” (Butler)
The butler stared at the outrageous proposal of the suspicious man and looked at his perplexed master as if he were going to shoot someone down with his eyes, but the king of the slums, Uracal, didn’t seem to care.
“Well, just give him a room in the basement and entertain him well. Eventually, his way of thinking will change.” (Uracal)
“Hmm.” (Viscount)
“What?! That’s a ridiculous idea!” (Butler)
The viscount’s face changed.
“No, it’s not a bad idea. After all, it’s just one commoner. However, it would be disgraceful to kidnap him.”
“You’re being too soft.” (Uracal)
“Viscount?” (Butler)
This, this is… This is the face he makes when he comes up with an unreasonable request! The butler looked up to the sky.
“Oh, I got it! I came up with a good idea. If kidnapping won’t do, then we should lure him in! Let’s set up a honey trap. Since the defective magician is probably an unpopular guy, he’ll be more than happy to work for us.” (Viscount)
The viscount was delighted.
“What? A honey trap?”
“…”
Unexpectedly, the one who suffered from the viscount’s good idea was the king of the slums, Uracal. He probably never thought he would be shot. He looked at the viscount with a gaze that seemed to say, “Didn’t I explain my job earlier?” But the viscount didn’t seem to care about trivial matters.
The butler looks at Uracal with a “serves you right” expression.
This is because the villains have their own areas of expertise, such as the red-light district, violence, finances, and drugs. At first glance, they seem like lawbreakers, but they have an unwritten rule not to interfere with each other’s territories in order to efficiently exploit the weak by teaming up as the strong.
Therefore, Uracal, who specializes in violence, had no connection to the women’s network. On the other hand, if he showed weakness to his other comrades, they would take away all the opportunities for profit.
“How about it, Uracal! Isn’t it a fantastic plan?”
“Y-yes.”
…
A cheerful young lord, a troubled Uracal, and a Yesman who had given up on everything.
“Well then, Uracal. Proceed with the Honeytrap.”
“Y-yes, understood.”
The skilled young lord who even made Slum King Uracal use polite language.
