“Cloud? Why are you here?”
Lorian asked on behalf of all the nobility.
“Looking at you all gathered, it seems you are busy. Apologies, but we are currently working on short notices and so it happens I have a notice to deliver.”
Cloud entered the inn lobby even though he was not invited to enter. He dragged a chair and sat across Lorian. Cloud’s party members lined up behind him.
“…what is this all about?”
“I told you. I have something to inform you guys. Neria, please.”
Nodding her head, Neria placed the parchments in front of the nobles one by one.
“Something is written in a lot of verbosities, but it’s nothing special. As we discussed before, it’s a contract to pay the toll. All you have to do is sign.”
“Weren’t we supposed to discuss that matter later?”
“I thought the discussion would be too long. We are also busy with many other things, we can’t just hold on to that, now can we?”
“…”
Lorian rapped the table with his knuckles before turning his attention to the parchment. The nobles who had been paying attention to him also began to read the contents of the parchment.
“100 million gold..?”
He was astonished at the heinous amount of good.
A noble raised his hand cautiously.
“Wasn’t 30 million gold originally requested by the kingdom? Why did it suddenly jump to 100 million…”
“Did you not read it? Don’t just look at the numbers, read carefully. It explains why the tolls went up.”
“Attempted assassination of the queen..?”
Another noble muttered in a trembling voice.
The eyes that had been directed to the parchment returned to Cloud.
What did this mean?
They wanted an explanation.
It was what the gazes asked.
Unbidden burdensome gaze may have slumped anyone, but Cloud accepted it with a smile.
“Unfortunately, there was an assassination attempt against the queen. Fortunately, the assassination ended in an attempt and the culprit was caught. I interrogated him to find out, poor sod confessed before he died.”
That Lorian had sent him.
Cloud stated explicitly as he slouched back in his chair.
The nobles who could not stand still, exploded.
“What nonsense is this! Why would we do that?!”
“He is damn right. Instead of appreciating our service to Lupus, you are pointing fingers at us?! Is this really the character of a Hero!”
They were aristocrats who hadn’t wanted to logger heads with Cloud, so they had kept themselves within certain boundaries.
But this case crossed the line.
It was better to logger heads against Cloud than to take the absurd guilt of trying to assassinate the queen.
“How do I know what you think? Anyway, our big-hearted queen decided to cover up your assassination attempt. Still, royalty has face, so we can’t just pass on it, therefore a small increment. So consider 70 million gold as a fine.”
Cloud reacted indifferently to the nobles’ protests.
The noncommittal attitude infuriated the nobles even further.
70 million gold was a huge amount even if it was to be divided among several people.
Such an amount, if spent carelessly, could have the family falter.
They couldn’t afford it.
Eventually, the nobles went beyond protesting and began to express resentment.
“Can you take responsibility for what you have done, Hero? If you can’t take responsibility, withdraw immediately. It’s not child’s play, this is…”
“Is it a joke to you?”
Cloud’s cold voice cut like glass.
Silence hung over the conference room as if the raucous din that had buoyed just now was a lie.
It was different from what Lorian had seen in the past.
If he had captured the aristocrats with his charisma, Cloud was wedging a knife through their throats.
“Are you kidding me? Child’s play, huh?”
Cloud asked quietly as he looked around the crowd, but no one made eye contact with him. They would turn their head away and slouch when they seemed to encounter his gaze.
Answer and death went hand in hand.
The sharp gaze dominating them warned.
“…I sincerely believe we can hush it up like adults. It’s you who brought the army that made it look like a children’s playground. Because you created a situation where one has to die. Isn’t that right, Lorian?”
Eyes turned to Lorian.
Facing it, Lorian also had a mutually cold expression.
“That is not wrong. But the method is cheap. If you continue to pressurize us, I will cut off the food supply to Lupus.”
As if there was no point in further civil conversation, Lorian stood up from the table and ended the conversation one-sidedly.
“Don’t forget. We are the ones holding the hilt, not you. Don’t compel us to drive the sword.”
While leaving a taunting warning.
Lorian ascended the stairs with his party members.
“…”
Cloud looked at Lorian’s back and remained silent.
The aristocrats, who had only noticed, began to stand up one by one, judging that the momentum was slipping toward Lorian.
“This doesn’t look good as a Hero…”
“For a righteous Hero to blackmail us…”
Not forgetting to land a few pricky remarks, they headed for the stairs Lorian had climbed.
In front of those nobles, Neria blocked the threshold with the tip of her sword carved into the floor.
Her sword was also drawn from the scabbard.
The nobles who felt threatened by her stopped.
“…Sir Neria. What are you doing?”
Face-to-face with her, Calion Oler asked. But she stayed silent and didn’t answer the question.
Calion sighed.
“We’ll be passing.”
He stepped forward.
Neria grabbed Calion by the neck and slammed him to the floor.
“Cheuk..!”
“Young Master!”
Calion’s two escort knights reflexively reached for the hilt.
A flash and the hands heading for the sword hilt were severed. Both hands fell to the floor.
Looking at the hand that had been cut off in an instant and rolling on the floor, both nobles and escort knights had their complexions hardened.
“He’s moody. But you guys should sign and then go, no?”
The pen is mightier than the sword.
In most cases, yes.
In most cases.
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