Chapter 111
“Let’s stop here and have a seat, Mr. Clergy.”
“…Yes, Lord Gideon.”
Clergy’s attitude was noticeably different from before.
Just a moment ago, he looked as though he was the one holding the handle of the sword.
But once the subject of the House Balmuth came up, his expression turned tense in many ways.
“Lord Gideon. About your real relationship with Lady Lisa Balmuth…”
“As you just heard. Of course, there’s no proof of it, but whether you believe it or not—that’s up to you, Mr. Clergy. Anyway, the smell of this meat soup is quite nice.”
I glanced slightly toward Serma.
At that, she set down the bowls she’d brought in front of me and Clergy.
“Thank you. But… about this soup.”
I stirred the soup with my spoon.
At first glance, it looked like a hearty, delicious soup filled with meat.
But according to the story I saw in the game, this soup definitely contained…
“Miss Serma. Please come stand by my side for a moment.”
“Yes, what is it—mmph?”
“Swallow it all. Don’t spit it out.”
I pushed a spoonful of soup into Serma’s mouth.
Startled, she tried to pull away, but I caught her arm.
After confirming that she had swallowed the soup—
“Well then, let’s do a few confirmation questions, shall we? Miss Serma. You’ve seen firsthand that Lady Lisa and I are lovers and get along very well, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I’ve seen the two of you together at a festival not long ago.”
Serma answered with a startled look in her eyes— as if she was speaking against her own will.
“Next question. What do you think of me, Miss Serma?”
“I think you’re a very capable and handsome person. Someone who’ll achieve great things… so I’d like to get along with you from no—huh? Why am I saying this on my own…?”
“I’m flattered that you think so highly of me.”
I grinned slyly, and Serma’s face flushed bright red.
Regardless, I continued with my questions.
“Next question. I heard there’s a very important safe belonging to you, Mr. Clergy. Could you tell me where it’s located?”
“That safe is situated on the outskirts of the Eleventh District of Lysquare—”
“That’s enough! Don’t say another word, Serma!”
Clergy hastily cut her off, then stared at me with trembling eyes.
“W-what is the meaning of this? And how did you even know about the safe?”
“How I found out is also… complicated to explain. As for what this is—honestly, I should be the one asking that. Mr. Clergy, what exactly did you put in the soup?”
“That’s…”
“Veriserum. Am I right?”
I smiled faintly as I looked down at the meat soup.
“The potion of truth. It gifts the drinker with an overwhelming compulsion to speak only the truth.”
“…How did you notice it?”
“Normally, one wouldn’t. Tasteless, colorless, odorless—it’s practically identical to water, making it almost impossible to detect. But Mr. Clergy, I’m someone capable of mass-producing Elixirs.”
“So… you realized it because you’re a highly skilled potion maker?”
“Heh. You could say that.”
In truth, I knew because of the game’s storyline.
In one of the quests involving Clergy, there was a scene where the protagonist ate a soup laced with Veriserum.
After that, he ended up at a severe disadvantage during negotiations with Clergy—something like that.
I’d experienced that story several times, so the moment I saw the meat soup, I recalled it immediately. Fortunately, I avoided falling into Clergy’s trap.
“Anyway, let’s continue our discussion. And Mr. Clergy— though I may be a fallen baron, you shouldn’t underestimate me too much.”
Honestly, I was a mere fallen baron, but I decided to bluff a bit.
Confidence was the most important thing when dealing with someone like Clergy.
“As I said earlier, I’m quite close with Lady Lisa. If you try to harm me… you won’t be facing me, but rather the House Balmuth.”
“……”
“The House Balmuth is in charge of the empire’s military power. If that house were to move in earnest… well, I’m sure you understand what that would mean.”
Clergy looked greatly unsettled.
Seeing how he couldn’t seem to collect his thoughts, I decided to help him along a little.
“For reference, before coming here, I told Lady Lisa that I was going into town today with Miss Serma.”
“Then that means…”
Clergy wasn’t a foolish man— quite the opposite, actually.
He must have already done the calculations in his head. He just wasn’t ready to accept reality.
So I decided to drive the nail in deeper.
“If I were to disappear today—Lady Lisa would question Miss Serma first. Then from Serma, the investigation would lead to you, Mr. Clergy, and from you, it might even reach Tazera.”
“Lord Gideon… are you out of your mind? Just making contact with the leader of Tazera itself is a criminal act.”
“Frankly speaking, I don’t have much to lose. As you pointed out, Mr. Clergy, I’m a fallen noble with little to my name. But you’re not like me, are you? You have a lot to lose.”
With that, I smiled broadly.
“Even if I did break the law, I believe Lady Lisa would cover for me quite thoroughly.”
I felt a slight pang of guilt, realizing how shamelessly I was exploiting my relationship with Lisa.
But to corner Clergy, it was unavoidable.
‘Besides, knowing Lisa… she absolutely would.’
Even if I somehow ended up in prison, Lisa would probably bust me out herself.
Yeah—whether I wanted it or not.
By force, most likely.
Well, that aside—
“Mr. Clergy. I don’t particularly hold any grudge against you or Tazera. If I did, I would’ve simply handed over all information about Tazera to Lady Lisa and had you thrown in prison from the start.”
“…You have a point. But you didn’t do that because… you wish to make a deal with me, is that it?”
“Yes. To be exact, I want to become a long-term partner who maintains a cooperative relationship with you.”
At last, the conversation began to flow properly.
I mentally pulled out the lines I had prepared.
“I’ll continue supplying you with the same high-quality Elixirs you’ve received before. In return, you’ll provide me with goods, information, and manpower whenever I need them.”
“Hmm, goods and information are one thing, but… manpower as well?”
“I’ve heard that Tazera has quite a few mercenaries under its wing.”
At the mention of mercenaries, Clergy flinched.
“…And what do you plan to use those people for?”
“Not right now. I just thought there might be a time in the future when I could need them.”
Even in the game, there were situations where mercenaries came in handy, though not often.
Still, it didn’t hurt to lay the groundwork just in case.
“…Very well. If the Elixirs are truly of the highest quality, then your offer is valuable enough. I accept.”
“Wise choice.”
“Yes, after thinking it over… Lord Gideon, you could’ve simply blackmailed me using my identity instead of proposing a fair deal. You could’ve forced me to give you whatever you wanted. Yet you chose to make an honest offer.”
“I just thought this way was better.”
And it really was.
Once, in the game, I had tried to threaten Clergy—and not long after, my character was quietly assassinated.
‘But if you earn his trust, Clergy becomes an incredibly powerful ally.’
Just like now.
Clergy was already smiling, nodding with satisfaction.
He seemed quite pleased with my confident and composed demeanor.
“Very good, then. Lord Gideon, as long as you don’t betray me first, I promise to provide you with the best service possible.”
The moment I heard that familiar line from the game, I smiled even wider.
That line meant I had succeeded in forming a contract with Clergy.
And Clergy wasn’t someone who spoke lightly—as long as I didn’t betray him first, he would keep his promise to the end.
“I’ll be counting on you, Mr. Clergy. On that note, there’s something I’d like to request from you…”
“You’re in need of an Omukade shell, aren’t you?”
“Is that possible?”
“I’ll send it through Serma by next week.”
“Then I’ll send the Elixirs through Serma as well. Ah, how many bottles would you like?”
“Three should suffice.”
“Understood.”
I nodded with a smile.
The negotiation was a success—and I’d secured one of the best trading partners in the entire world.
After my turbulent encounter with Clergy, I returned to the Academy with Serma.
Of course, not in the most ordinary way.
“Miss Serma. How long are you planning to keep that gag in your mouth?”
“Mmmph! Mmph!”
“Well, suit yourself.”
I replied with a dry chuckle.
After drinking the Veriserum, Serma had answered all my questions with complete honesty, unable to resist the compulsion.
Apparently not wanting her inner thoughts to slip out any further, she decided to keep her mouth gagged until the potion’s effects wore off.
Naturally, that drew a lot of attention as we walked through downtown Lysquare.
Well, if I saw a woman walking around with a gag in her mouth, I’d stare too.
“The effects should wear off around the time we reach the Academy. Though if it’s uncomfortable, you can take it off earlier.”
“Mmph, mmph.”
I had no idea what she was trying to say.
But judging by her expression, she was telling me to stop talking nonsense.
“Heh. Sorry about forcing that soup on you earlier. It was the only way at the time—I had no choice.”
“Mmmph.”
“Let’s make sure something like that doesn’t happen again. From now on, let’s trust each other, okay?”
“…Mmph.”
Serma turned her head sharply away, her expression full of irritation.
I chuckled lightly and continued.
“By the way, I didn’t expect you to think so highly of me, Miss Serma. What was it you said again…? ‘Very capable, handsome, and someone who’ll go far, so I’d like to get along with you from no—’”
“Mmph! Mmphmph! Kkmmph!”
“…If you have something to say, just take the gag off. You can do it yourself, can’t you?”
“Grmmph!”
“Hahaha. Anyway, Miss Serma, I look forward to working with you.”
And with that, Serma and I returned to the Academy in relative peace.
About a week later—
Serma delivered a package from Clergy to me.
After confirming its contents, I immediately headed to Daigon Village.
“Mr. Regnil. Will this do?”
“Yes, it looks perfect. If you leave your sword with me, I’ll start the work right away.”
“I’ll be counting on you.”
I smiled as I handed Mistcatcher to Regnil.
The weapon skill of Mistcatcher— I’d finally be able to use it soon.