Chapter 56

Bluewin glared at me, as if to say, ‘What on earth are you talking about?’ I crouched down in front of the brothers and rested my chin in my hands.

“Why don’t you become mine instead?”

He scoffed.

“And why would we do that? In the end, you’ll just use us up and throw us away, just like Cleas Orsen did.”

“Bro, brother…”

“Go ahead and turn us in to the Magic Tower or use us to blackmail Cleas Orsen, do whatever you want. We have no intention of following you. No matter how much we suffer, at least there’ll be an end to it.”

When I let out a quiet chuckle, Bluewin immediately scowled.

“What’s so funny?!”

“Cleas must have treated you two rather humanely, then?”

“What sort of ‘human’ lives their whole life under a controlling curse? Stop talking nonsense and just hand us over alrea—”

“This curse is nothing. It’s not as if you’ve been turned into a chimera, or had all your magic and blood drained until you were at death’s door, or were told you’d be flayed alive unless you killed your own dog with your own hands.”

“….”

“What’s wrong? Do you really think the worst thing that could happen in an experiment is being made to wear a dress? Or that going to a class reunion with your first love while clutching a bunny plushie is the greatest misfortune imaginable?”

“…You sound as if you’re speaking from experience.”

“Who can say? But I can tell you this much. If you ever become Cleas’s weakness, he won’t hesitate to do exactly what I just described to you.”

“….”

“In your case, maybe it wouldn’t be your pet dog but your own brother.”

‘Back then, he only used animals for threats because he couldn’t threaten me with siblings.’

Brown and Bluewin’s faces drained of color.

“So~!”

All of a sudden, a cheerful voice broke the tension, turning the whole mood on its head.

It was Leonard.

He stepped up beside me and, with a theatrical flourish of his hand beneath my chin, he spoke.

“Allow me to introduce this illustrious person, not just her place of origin, but her true home: the Lady of the Grand Duchy of Delosif! Legitimate heir to the grand ducal house, and ruler of Havelock since the age of twelve!”

“….”

“And that’s not all! Even though she’s burdened with the notorious nickname ‘mad troublemaker,’ she’s a master of strategy and someone who gets things done, with the wealth, connections, and power to back it all up!”

“….”

“Notice the signature platinum-rose hair, and those crimson eyes shining more nobly than any first-grade ruby! No jewel, no matter how dazzling, could ever overshadow such perfect beauty! If you sign a contract now, you’ll have the privilege of admiring this face for a whole month… or, depending on your needs, at least every other week!”

“….”

“And furthermore! The Lady is a renowned authority in the field of cheater extermination, a true professional who has already dealt with several cheaters. She’s expected to be of great help when it comes time to take care of your dear older brother.”

“….”

“She may be underestimated because of her aggressive tactics that disrupt the market among suppliers, but contrary to public opinion, her true worth is bound to skyrocket, and soon she’ll be nearly impossible to find on the market again!”

‘That’s what you’d expect from a B-rank merchant.’

Even in the midst of all this, I couldn’t help but be impressed. It wasn’t just the pitch itself, but it was the way he delivered it, with absolute credibility. He would raise his voice ever so slightly when listing my strengths, and gloss over my weaknesses with a smooth, evasive tone, leaving the listener just a little confused.

Brown was now murmuring, “Should we… actually sign up?” Even the more rational Bluewin, listening in a daze, flinched in spite of himself.

“A-At the very least, we should hear what you plan to do with us first!”

“It’s not ‘do something with you,’ it’s ‘take you with me’.”

As I corrected him and got to my feet, Bluewin and Brown simply stared up at me, stunned.

“Why? It’s true. You’re not objects.”

Leonard gave a gentle smile at my words.

“That’s the greatest selling point of all.”

Bluewin stared at me for a long moment, then finally let out a short laugh.

“All right then, merchant, how much would it cost to buy out this master of yours?”

“For first-time customers, I’m offering a blood-price special: payment with the rest of your lives.”

‘Somehow, this doesn’t sound like a bargain…  more like a major bloodletting.’

Maybe Leonard has a natural gift for swindling people. I was eyeing him suspiciously when the brothers suddenly shouted.

“W-We’ll take it!”

“We accept.”

Leonard gave me a soft, triumphant smile.

All I could do was let out a helpless laugh before I reached out my hand to the brothers.

“Nikaearsha Delosif.”

“Bluewin Once.”

“B-Brown Once! After serving nothing but trash like the Tower Master and Cleas Orsen, it’s truly an honor to work under such an excellent boss!”

And just like that, I stole Cleas’s top mages from right under his nose.

Two of them, at that.

‘Now I’ll take everything from you, Cleas, even your life itself.’

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ୨ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊ ୧‿︵

The next day, at the estate.

As I was getting ready to go out, Leonard arrived.

“Good morning, my lady. It seems you’re heading out somewhere?”

“I’m planning to go out. But more importantly, what brings you here?”

“I’ve compiled the information you requested.”

‘This must be about the brothers.’

I dismissed the maids and headed to the drawing room with Leonard. The moment I settled onto the sofa, he set down the report and began to speak.

“I was able to speak with the brothers last night… Far more than I’d anticipated.”

Did he just curse under his breath? Besides, were those dark circles under his eyes?

“Did Brown start with the great-great-grandfather story again?”

“He actually began with the great-grandfather this time.”

“…You must’ve had a hard time.”

I was glad I’d left the brothers to Leonard. Otherwise, I might not have made it back to the estate last night.

“I’ve had enough of the family history, so just give me the main points.”

“Even the brothers themselves don’t know why they started making the drug.”

“…It wasn’t for money?”

“No. According to Bluewin, the raw materials were so expensive that they were actually losing money.”

“Then why…”

Puzzled, I picked up the report Leonard handed me.

“There’s a guest list here. Huh, these are all more famous than I expected.”

“I’m not so sure. A few are well-known, but most seem rather ordinary.”

I murmured, still scanning the list.

“No, they’re all famous. …And in the future, they’ll be even more so.”

When Leonard looked at me as if to ask what I meant, I pointed at the guest list and continued my words.

“Look, every one of them is a ‘potential power-wielder!’”

“Pardon? Well, everyone in the Empire is assessed for powers, of course, but I doubt there’s an actual list. Unless someone’s particularly exceptional, then maybe rumors might spread, but…”

He frowned as he studied the list of addicts before suddenly exclaiming, ‘Ah!’

“You mean the list was stolen.”

“That’s right.”

I spoke with a grim expression.

“Cleas is getting all the candidates hooked on the drug.”

“But why? Wouldn’t he want them to be in their right mind to exploit their abilities?”

“And if word of this got out, every power-wielder in the Empire would turn against Cleas.”

Cleas may be a despicable, filthy cheater, but he wasn’t stupid enough to take that kind of risk.

“The brothers claim they don’t know anything, and as for the addicts… Well, they’re obviously still using it because they’re in the dark. So then…”

“Yes, there’s only one person left.”

“Ulysses.”

Ulysses wasn’t an addict, but he was always welcomed by the tavern’s doorman. According to the report, he wasn’t involved in making or selling the drug like the brothers either.

‘He must know something.’

“I’ll have to pay him a visit. If it’s Ulysses—”

Just then—

“If it’s Ulysses?”

As a gentle voice drifted from the doorway, Leonard and I both stiffened at once. Standing in the doorway was none other than—

“Cleas.”

—Cleas.