Chapter 31
An Obedient Dog
“Wait, Count Consilus! We are representatives of the imperial household.”
Perhaps the count had misunderstood something, so Karl emphasized it once more.
His future and prospects depended on them.
Count Consilus patted him on the shoulder with a look of sympathy.
“You must have had a difficult journey. To think the empire summoned you for something like this and made you accuse an innocent man.”
“W-what in the world are you talking about…?”
This was not what they had discussed.
Count Consilus had unquestionably spoken of Ferda as though he were a damned scoundrel.
Was he changing his mind now?
‘No…’
Karl’s eyes moved back and forth between Ferda and Count Consilus.
Impossible.
There could not possibly be such steadfast loyalty among nobles.
“Next.”
“Pardon?”
Ferda tilted his head slightly.
“Go on and call the next witness.”
He crooked a finger as though counting.
“There are still plenty of witnesses left. Excluding the deceased Thessalos Wolcher, there should be thirteen. Bring them all here and have them testify. If even one of them declares me guilty, your work will be complete, will it not?”
Even if ninety-nine denied it, the Purge Corps possessed the power to condemn someone as long as one person agreed.
However, Karl knew that summoning all thirteen would not improve his chances.
If Count Consilus, the most influential man in the Far East, denied the accusation, then all those beneath him would do the same.
“If you cannot call another witness, then bring out something else.”
“B-bring out what…?”
“You must have prepared more charges to humiliate and threaten me. Present them.”
The roles had completely reversed.
Karl forced himself to remain defiant.
With trembling hands, he pulled something from inside his coat.
“I-I heard that you kidnapped this girl.”
It was a portrait of a young girl with long, straight hair.
Her vacant eyes alone made it obvious that she was Mori.
‘If they are searching for Mori, then Helus Phobidas must be behind this.’
If Helus Phobidas had specifically identified Ferda, it meant he had discovered the whereabouts of the young maid.
“I see.”
Of course, the threat held no weight whatsoever.
Karl knew that as well.
His mind had simply gone blank, and he felt compelled to do something.
“My apologies, but I purchased that girl. I received the maid’s consent and acquired ownership of her. It cannot be called kidnapping.”
“…”
“If you still wish to insist otherwise, I would not object to discussing it with the person involved. What is next?”
Karl did not answer.
Everything else he had prepared was trivial.
They were merely minor allegations intended to test whether Ferda might hand over a little extra money.
He had no cards remaining.
“Then I suppose it is my turn to speak.”
The initiative passed to Ferda.
He turned his gaze toward Count Consilus.
“Count Consilus.”
“Yes, Regent. Please speak.”
The count bowed his head respectfully.
“This man openly demanded money from me.”
“Ho ho, did he? Since he traveled such a long way, perhaps it would be proper to provide him with enough to cover his expenses.”
“He demanded one hundred thousand gelden as travel expenses.”
“Ho ho. That is quite a considerable sum.”
“What value does that amount possess?”
“It is difficult to answer with certainty, as its value differs from person to person.”
“I see. Then how much would it mean if spent on the people of your territory?”
“It would allow my subjects to live for ten years without worrying about food.”
“I see.”
A faint light gleamed in Ferda’s blue eyes.
“So that man attempted to steal ten years from the lives of territorial subjects?”
“That is correct.”
Count Consilus also glared at Karl.
Clear anger now burned in the eyes that had been smiling moments before.
“It is an act that cries out to heaven for vengeance.”
“Ah… ah…”
Even the cat Karl had brought to corner the rat had been working with it all along.
Never imagining the trap would turn against him, Karl began trembling.
“What do you think, Count? What should be done with this man?”
“To demand valuables while acting in the empire’s name… That is not an act a mere knight should dare commit.”
“Exactly. He also demanded that I regard him as though he were the Emperor.”
“Ha ha ha! Surely he would never do such a thing. A mere knight daring to place himself on the same level as His Imperial Majesty?”
“And if that were true?”
“He could hardly complain if he met the same fate as Thessalos. Thessalos Wolcher ended up with a hole through his forehead, did he not?”
“He did.”
Unable even to breathe properly under their one-sided conversation, Karl stared between the two of them while cold sweat poured down his face.
“But before that… why not file a formal complaint with the empire regarding his demand for money and impersonation of the imperial family?”
“A fine suggestion. But would anyone listen to a complaint from someone as young as me?”
“You need not worry. I will make the preparations.”
Most nobles knew that the Purge Corps engaged in corrupt practices.
But openly turning it into an official issue would be another matter entirely.
No one would dare ignore the testimony of Count Consilus, who had defended the front lines into his old age.
‘Count Consilus…’
Betrayal filled Karl’s eyes.
The old man sitting there laughing and conversing had been the one who lured him into this trap.
‘He trapped me… trapped the Purge Corps!’
Count Consilus and Ferda Valdrova had conspired to create this entire situation.
Karl attempted one final act of resistance.
“W-we are a unit directly under the imperial household! Filing a complaint will not change anything—”
“Do you truly believe that?”
Ferda answered coldly.
“How much are you worth?”
“My worth…?”
“Would it be easier for them to protect you, or to declare this the misconduct of one individual and cut off your head to correct the matter?”
There was no need to ask.
The latter option was overwhelmingly more convenient.
“And even if you somehow survive, do you believe your relatives will remain still? Your younger brothers will probably come to cut off your head themselves.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“Think carefully, eldest son of the Harvest family. You have two younger brothers, do you not? Even if you are close, do you truly believe they would stand by after learning their elder brother had been committing corruption?”
Of course they would not.
They were men who had always looked enviously upon everything Karl enjoyed merely because he had been born first.
If they understood a knight’s honor, they would kill him for the glory of their family.
If they were merely worldly men desperate for advancement, they would kill him for their own careers.
Karl, whose death was more profitable than his survival, had become perfect prey.
Only now, as everything pressed down upon him, did Karl realize the truth.
‘The dragon was never the real problem.’
The regent they had mocked only days ago was the one they should truly have feared.
“Answer me.”
Karl jolted at Ferda’s voice.
As always, Ferda asked in a cold tone.
“What do I look like to you now?”
A sharp chill brushed against Karl’s throat, as though an icy blade had been placed there.
He felt that one wrong answer would cause that blade to cut through his neck and tear his body apart.
Trembling with fear, Karl barely managed to answer.
“Y-you are the great Regent of Valdrova.”
Complete submission was evident in his voice.
“Correct. I am the one who governs the Dread Queen’s Domain in the Dread Queen’s stead.”
Ferda rose and placed a hand on Karl’s trembling shoulder.
“And I believe you should become the master of the Purge Corps.”
It was a sweet whisper worthy of a devil.
“Do you wish to become the master of the Purge Corps, or would you rather die nobly for it?”
It was a foolish question.
There was nothing noble about the Purge Corps.
Karl bowed his head.
“Please accept my loyalty.”
Ferda shook his head at the answer.
“I have no need for loyalty as fickle as a reed.”
Just as Karl’s heart sank, Ferda continued.
“What I need is an obedient dog.”
“A… dog?”
“A dog that does only what it is told and does not act out of line. One that wags its tail when occasionally tossed a bone and knows how to wait quietly for its master. Do that, and I will open the path to advancement for you. Do you understand?”
Karl nodded.
“Y-yes. I understand. I will become a dog. I will become… the Regent’s dog.”
“Good.”
Ferda patted him on the shoulder.
“Stay here for the night. I need to make a collar for you.”
“…Yes.”
The color did not return to Karl’s deathly pale face.
Karl left the reception room.
By now, he was probably enjoying dinner with the subordinates he had brought with him.
Of course, to Karl himself, it was no different from a condemned man’s final meal. He could not even tell whether the food was entering his mouth or his nose.
Meanwhile, Ferda continued speaking with Count Consilus.
The count explained in detail how the Purge Corps had come to visit.
“So their confidence in coming here was because of you.”
Count Consilus lowered his head.
“I have no excuse. What I did was worthy of death.”
“It does not matter. What did you write in your reply?”
“That you were an incorruptible and benevolent ruler devoted to the Far East…”
Count Consilus grinned.
“I decided that answering in such a manner would not be wise.”
“And why is that?”
Ferda could already guess, but he asked regardless.
“The Purge Corps is like a swarm of locusts. Once they smell food, they descend upon it, tear everything apart, and move on. The Far East is currently striving to develop. Those people always target the weak first and devour them little by little. Once they gain a foothold, it is already as good as over.”
It was one of the Purge Corps’ main strategies.
They would gradually isolate the weakest territories before consuming them.
“However, your reputation had already suffered because of the incident involving Thessalos Wolcher.”
On the surface, Ferda was already isolated.
It was easy to believe that the nobles were waiting for an opportunity to stab him in the back.
All Count Consilus had needed to do was reinforce that belief and exploit it.
“You made excellent use of me.”
“My apologies for causing you concern. It was all my plan, so if punishment is necessary, please punish this old man.”
Ferda waved his hand.
“No, it is fine. You merely dealt with the stray dogs prowling around for the sake of the territory’s growth and security.”
“But surely you must be displeased that I tested you, Regent.”
“You have spoken honestly, so it does not matter. As long as you remain loyal to the Dread Queen, I do not care how you use me. I did not come here to enjoy the authority of a king. I came to devote myself to my king.”
“Ah…”
Count Consilus could easily see through the empty formalities of ordinary nobles.
Yet Ferda’s sincerity was unmistakable, rooted in his very bones.
“So tell me. To whom do you owe your loyalty?”
“To speak honestly, I was loyal to the empire. My heart leaned more toward the Emperor than toward the Dread Queen who lived so close to us.”
Count Consilus smiled bitterly as he confessed the truth.
“People grow more fearful with age. Perhaps because of that, as the years passed, there were times when I forgot why I had risen to this position in the first place.”
“And have you now remembered what you forgot?”
“Yes. You opened my eyes, Regent.”
Count Consilus looked through the window.
Not far away stretched the contaminated land known as the Demonic Wastes.
His own castle stood too low for him ever to see such a view.
“When I first accepted this position, I did so with the conviction that I would protect the people. I was loyal to the empire because the empire existed to protect its subjects, not because it had elevated me.”
“You are a nobleman of admirable character.”
“You flatter me.”
Count Consilus chuckled.
He had served as the spokesman of the Far East.
Yet as always, there had been nothing to ignite the hearts of its people.
Even as countless soldiers died, all they gained was the gradual erosion of their resolve and an ever-deepening fear.
“Count Consilus.”
“Yes?”
“Does that conviction still remain within your heart?”
“It does.”
Ferda extended his hand.
“Then stand with me. If we are to protect the East, we need people like you.”
Count Consilus’ eyes widened at the proposal, but then he shook his head.
“No. Please do not say that. I am the one who should be asking you.”
Count Consilus knelt and carefully placed both of his hands over Ferda’s.
Those hands, which had once taken up a sword to protect the people, were rough and calloused.
“Please lead this East, where only death awaits us. I shall remain forever loyal to Her Highness the Dread Queen and follow the will of her regent.”
Karl was suffering from a terrible hangover.
He had drunk himself senseless the previous night, half hoping to die rather than live while concealing a secret he could never reveal.
Instead of death, however, only a murderous hangover and the morning sunlight greeted him.
‘Damn it…’
He wanted to run away.
But he did not even have the courage to do that.
All he could do was sit and wait like a pig trapped in a slaughterhouse.
Someone entered the room.
Believing it was Ferda, Karl sprang from his seat and was about to bow his head when—
“H-hello?”
A gloomy-looking woman with black hair entered.
‘Who is this woman?’
There was something unusual about her.
Judging from her clothing, she appeared to be one of the officials employed by the castle.
Yet an ominous presence that could not be concealed beneath her ordinary appearance made him want to retreat immediately.
She awkwardly raised a hand in greeting.
“I’ll be acting as the Dread Queen’s representative for the contract. And… um…”
Her black eyes slowly swept over Karl’s face.
“You aren’t as handsome as I was told.”
Her voice sounded genuinely disappointed.
Karl wondered whether she was trying to provoke him, but he did not even have the energy to become angry.
“My name is Echidna Philiase.”
“…Philiase?”
His hangover vanished instantly.
‘Philiase? Then she is a witch affiliated with Philiase!’
Philiase.
It appeared among women who had awakened a Red Circle, and anyone who entered into its contract inevitably became a witch.
Its members were known for their extreme hatred of men and for refusing to cooperate with anyone outside Philiase.
‘He recruited one of those witches and is employing her?’
How?
Karl forcibly swallowed the horrified question that threatened to burst from his lips.
His assessment of Ferda was being completely rewritten within his mind.
“Here is… the contract. Would you like to read it carefully?”
“Yes.”
Karl turned through the pages one by one as though clutching at a lifeline.
‘A loophole… I need to find a loophole…’
But it was impossible.
Karl, who possessed little knowledge of law, could never review a contract dozens of pages long by himself.
‘As expected of a witch…’
When it came to contracts, witches were considered the vilest creatures after devils.
When Ferda said he would place a dog collar on him, Karl had assumed some form of contract magic would be used.
He had never imagined Ferda would employ a witch to do it.
After reading roughly three pages, Karl gave up and began writing his name on each sheet.
Regardless of the details, the fact that he was becoming Ferda’s dog would not change.
Once he signed the final page, the contract began to glow.
“Ugh…”
Karl groaned as pain rose from beneath his skin.
The stinging sensation gathered around his wrist, where the mark of the contract appeared.
With that, his contract with the gloomy witch was complete.
“Yes, everything has been confirmed. From now on… you should be very careful about what you say, all right?”
“What do you mean by being careful…?”
“I-I expected this, but you really didn’t read it properly… So… um… if you do anything against the Regent’s wishes or attempt to hint at the existence of this contract…”
Her shoulders jerked upward.
“Your head will go boom!”
She spoke without hesitation about his death despite stammering like an idiot, which somehow made her even more terrifying.
A Fifth-Tier contract spell possessed absolute authority within the terms of its contract.
If there were no flaws in the agreement, it could only be broken through forced cancellation, and even that process was difficult and troublesome.
‘The tier is the least of my problems.’
Karl had entered into a contract with a witch.
If that fact became known, he would not only be beheaded by the empire.
He might also be killed by the younger brothers who were constantly scheming to steal his position.
He had to conceal it at all costs.
“Ehehe… I-I would appreciate an answer.”
Karl flinched.
An ominous aura was pouring from her.
There was a murderous madness in her awkward smile, despite the absence of any visible killing intent.
That made it even more chilling.
“Y-yes, of course!”
“Yes, I heard your answer. You may leave now. Bye-bye~”
Karl fled the room as though escaping for his life.
Echidna smiled and waved at his rapidly disappearing back.
He had barely made it outside and begun to breathe a sigh of relief when—
“The contract ended quickly.”
The moment he escaped one tiger’s den, another tiger was already prowling outside.
Ferda placed a hand on Karl’s shoulder.
“I will now give the first assignment to a member of the Purge Corps who has sworn loyalty to the Dread Queen’s Domain.”
There was no longer any escape for Karl.
“What is my assignment?”
Ferda answered.
“Helus Phobidas.”
The man known as the Sage of Water.
“Bring him here.”
Ferda intended to put a ring through that man’s nose as well.