Previously
Emma hires mercenaries to pose as bandits in Grashico Forest to expose the Merchants' Association's lies about local security. When Baker Mill and the merchants request more subsidies while claiming the forest is dangerous, Emma grants the funds on the condition that taxes be paid on time.
Before he could even plead his case, the bandits approached the wagons and gestured for the drivers to get down.
The bandits seized three of the four wagons the Merchants' Association had brought.
Despite the absurdity of the statement, the merchants couldn't talk back. If they did, they feared the last wagon would be taken too, or at worst, blood would be spilled right then and there.
The bandits vanished as quickly as they had appeared. Their skill at driving the wagons was top-tier.
The merchants clung to Baker and wept. While they were lucky to have escaped with their lives, returning like this meant being buried under a mountain of debt.
Baker felt just as hopeless, but he sensed that if he didn't resolve this situation somehow, all the arrows of resentment would be aimed at him.
They diligently pulled the remaining wagon back into Tesis and, without even unpacking, headed straight for the Baron's castle.
I gave a thin smile at the request for a meeting that Glen delivered.
‘I knew they'd come straight here.’
It was only natural. Having lost the goods they had so ambitiously sourced, they must be out of their minds by now.
I had two of the mercenaries who had come down from the capital dress up as my private guards, then I went down to the lobby where the Merchants' Association was waiting.
One look at their travel-worn appearance and anxious expressions told me exactly how desperate they were.
They were chatting quite loudly among themselves, but when I appeared with my guards, they fell silent with startled eyes.
With a face that looked like he might burst into tears at any moment, he explained what had happened to them. He said a band of bandits had appeared in Grashico Forest and made off with three of the merchant group's wagons, and he begged the Lord to step in and resolve the matter.
I tilted my head, putting on a confused expression.
I frowned deeply and glared at him.
He wasn't going to confess his wrongdoing to the end.
Well, it didn't matter. It was what I expected.
However, you've just kicked away the chance for an apology I gave you.
At those words, Baker's mouth clamped shut like a clam.
‘Vigilante group, my foot, when you didn't even think of fighting.’
The mercenaries dispatched as bandits knew there were no bandits in the forest and thus likely no vigilantes either, but they had been slightly worried that there might at least be guards. Subduing people who came at them swinging swords without injuring them was no easy task.
Fortunately for the mercenaries, they said that not only the merchants but even those who looked like guards were so paralyzed with fear they didn't move a muscle.
Well, that certainly makes my job easier.
Glen moved quickly and followed my lead, while the people from the Merchants' Association, who had been defrauding the Baron's family until now, could only stare at each other with faces turned pale.
The mercenaries quickly entered Grashico Forest.
After waiting for a bit, the sound of clashing swords and shouting began to drift from deep within the forest.
The merchants and residents standing behind me froze and huddled together.
But I just stood there with my arms crossed, staring silently at the darkening forest.
‘It should take about an hour, right?’
This was nothing to be nervous about. It was no different from a rigged game of poker anyway.
However, it was absolutely necessary for me to show a dignified image as the Lord.
This was also according to the script Glen and I had prepared in advance, but the residents standing near us looked at me with startled eyes.
The Rosaline Tesis they knew was a personality-disordered wreck famous for replacing any maid prettier than herself, so they must have been surprised.
Since there might be doubters, I should add one more thing.
At those words, Glen gave me another touched look. Well, he was the one who had suffered the most, after all.
While I was setting the mood by acting all impressive, the mercenaries walked out from the forest. They had the mercenaries who played the role of bandits tied up.
They quickly left Tesis before the merchants or residents could crowd around to see their faces. That, too, was according to the plan.
The few who remained behind brought out the three hidden merchant wagons.
At those words, the merchants ran out, checked the wagons, and jumped for joy.
Yes, this was the reaction I wanted.
People would no longer doubt that the past Rosaline and I were somehow different. Because that wasn't what was important.
In truth, they didn't care who became the Lord.
The only thing that mattered to them was how much the new Lord helped their lives.
And since I was far more helpful than the incompetent Lord of the past, they would keep their mouths shut even if they found out I was a fake.
Their excited mood turned chilly at my command.
Baker the president, the vice president, the treasurer, and a few others below them followed to the Baron's castle with faces full of tension.
I had them wait outside the audience chamber door and called them in one by one. I started with the lowest-ranking member and didn't let them go back out. Since the person behind didn't know what the person before them had said, they were eventually forced to spill the truth.
The last one was Baker, who must have been burning up inside every time a colleague entered the room.
“Yes, My Lord. Er, we are truly sorry that we couldn't stop the bandits with the strength of the vigilante group…”
I didn't even uncross my legs as I looked at him casually and tossed out a question.