Perhaps two people was the maximum concession that the village chief could allow. I had no choice but to leave Verita and Mir behind. Lanfero and I followed the village chief into the village.
At the very least, we had been prepared to split up. Maybe they would be gathering information outside.
This place, Snowville or whatever it was called, was definitely a small village. The population seemed to be around two or three hundred people. Even if that was an overestimation, it would only be around a hundred people at most.
Then I wondered what people ate in a place like this. Did they sustain themselves through hunting game or fishing in the lake?
Of course, hunting wasn't an efficient way to secure food. It was a cold region and meat could be stored for a long time, but still, hunting alone wouldn't be able to sustain a population of hundreds.
There had to be other industries supporting this village.
I was thinking about that when I made eye contact with a certain kid. The little boy smiled and waved his hand. Then a person who looked like his mother hurriedly took him away.
On top of that, there's a closed-off attitude. No. That's probably expected in a small village.
It wasn't a particularly good place for tourists to visit, so this village was probably closed off to society.
In any case, we entered the village chief's house under the watchful gazes of the villagers. He was probably the most well-off person in the village, but the house wasn't that big.
Then I stepped inside and understood. The air was very warm. The small size meant it was well insulated.
Lanfero and I sat down. The village chief sat across from us.
There was a moment of silence. After exchanging a few glances, I asked, "No, didn't you say you would serve us tea? You look like the head of the village, but you have poor hospitality."
Lanfero told me, "You can stop that now."
"Really?" I nodded and dropped the exaggerated posture.
Then the chief looked at us with a puzzled expression. "What is this?"
I explained, "I figured you wouldn't let us in unless I did something like this. I just did some acting."
"Then you aren't a nobleman?"
"No way. Impersonating a noble is a felony. This friend is a nobleman from a prestigious family. He just isn't a fool. He isn't part of Corrupted, so we didn't tell any big lies."
My admission into Corrupted wasn't complete, so I was technically unaffiliated right now. As Lanfero said, he hadn't told a big lie.
The chief let out a deep sigh. Then Lanfero said again, "There is no one watching, so I would like to hear what is really going on."
"Didn't I tell you the situation? We kicked out Corrupted. That's all."
"I'm not talking about the surface reasons, Snero. No one is listening, so let's be honest."
"No one is listening? Are you certain?"
"Of course."
Just as Lanfero nodded, the surroundings started to darken. It was just like what happened at the village entrance. However, we were indoors so the darkness spread even faster. It quickly grew until the entire room was swallowed in darkness.
Only the candle on the table continued to burn clearly, casting light on Lanfero's face. At that moment, a shadow shaped like a bat took form.
"Stop!" Snero cried out in alarm. Then the darkness that had been encroaching on him disappeared.
Lanfero was expressionless like he was wearing a mask. He said calmly, "I wasn't trying to threaten you. I just want to make sure that we aren't heard, Chief."
" Gasp, gasp... "
Of course, the chief couldn't know that. If a lion opened its jaws in front of a person, most people wouldn't assume it was yawning. They would think they were about to be eaten.
"You are afraid, aren't you? Afraid that someone will hear our conversation," Lanfero continued.
The chief, covered in sweat, gulped hard and let out a sigh. Then with a half-resigned expression on his face, he leaned back and replied, "Do you know the main source of income for our village?"
"Isn't it selling tanned leather from hunted animals?"
"That's right. It is the so-called specialty product business. The skins of the silver-maned wolves found only around Snowville, the occasional perennial flowers, and the rare fish that can be caught in icy lakes are our main sources of income."
"I see."
"There was a trading company that bought those goods. You know them, right?"
Lanfero thought for a moment before saying, "The Lorat... Trading Company? I think that was what it was called."
"It is the Rotal Trading Company. Around forty years ago, we rescued a rookie merchant who was in distress around here. He ended up being successful back in the capital and became the head of the Rotal northern branch. He owed me, so he bought the specialties at a reasonable price every time."
"Mm."
"Thanks to that, the village wasn't prosperous, but it managed to grow bigger. It was enough to bring in a branch of the Hero Society."
At first glance, it had nothing to do with Corrupted.
The chief seemed to know my thoughts, so he got straight to the point with a stiff expression. "This is where the problem started. Not long ago, the Rotal Trading Company collapsed."
"Collapsed?"
"To be precise, it was absorbed. However, since all the internal personnel were replaced, it was practically no different from the company collapsing."
"No. Wait. If it is the Rotal Trading Company, it isn't small, right? In the north, it is big enough to be counted in the top three. That kind of group was absorbed?"
The chief covered his face as he explained, "It was taken over by a trading company that has been rising fiercely lately. That trading company hates you very much. All the problems came from that. According to them, Corrupted has already borrowed money from them."
"Ah." Lanfero let out a sigh. "It is the Zyren Trading Company."
"That's right."
The name caught me off guard. I couldn't help asking, "What name did you say?"
"The Zyren Trading Company. Have you heard of it?" the chief asked in a polite tone like he had remembered I was a noble.
I replied, "I've heard the name, but... No. Boss, did you borrow money from them?"
Lanfero avoided my gaze and replied, "I don't know. It is Ramon's job to manage the finances."
"Hah..."
Lanfero turned his evasive gaze to the chief. "However, the Zyren Trading Company isn't the only merchant group in the north, right? If they want to lower the price, can't you find another merchant?"
"It isn't that simple. The Rotal Trading Company has the exclusive right to trade in the villages around here. If it was absorbed by Zyren, those rights would naturally have been transferred as well."
"Mm."
"It takes at least two weeks to reach a village outside Zyren's influence, and the road there is extremely dangerous. We might even have to risk our lives. Even if we make it there without any trouble, there is no guarantee that the merchants there will buy our goods at a reasonable price."
The chief let out a deep sigh. Then he stood up and rattled around with his tea set. A moment later, he placed two steaming cups in front of us. I could smell the peppermint before even taking a drink.
The chief said, "It is herbal tea."
I picked up the teacup, savored the aroma first, and slowly sipped it. It wasn't high-grade tea, but it had the effect of warming up my cold body.
The chief looked out the window and said, "Forty years ago, this village was less than half the size it was now. However, to us, it wasn't a small change. Now the village has grown too large to survive on just hunting and fishing like we used to. I hope this village will last a long time, even after I die."
Lanfero said nothing.
"I'm sorry, Lanfero."
At that moment, there was a violent knock that almost broke the door. A voice called out, "I know you're inside, so hurry up and open the door!"
The village chief stood up with a stiff expression. "Excuse me for a moment."
He opened the door and I saw the faces of those standing outside. There were three of them in total. All three of them were big and didn't give off a good impression. They weren't martial artists who professionally trained their bodies. At best, they felt like street thugs. Their exaggerated swagger and gestures were full of openings.
The man standing in the middle said, "You are late, Chief Snero. I almost had to break down the door."
Snero replied, "People become deaf as they get older. Please understand."
"Really? You weren't pretending not to hear us?"
"What do you mean?"
The man smiled unpleasantly and continued, "I received a report from a resident. It said that you let the clan leader of Corrupted enter the village."
"They have been protecting the security of Snowville for many years and solved many problems. Even if we have to kick them out, don't they at least have the right to know the reason why?"
"A right? That means nothing here, Chief. What matters now is the contents of the contract. Didn't it clearly state that no member of Corrupted was allowed into the village? You broke that clause. At your age, you should know the importance of contracts, right?"
"Please show leniency—"
Before he could finish, a sharp sound rang out and the chief collapsed. He had been slapped on the cheek with the back of a hand, and his mouth was bleeding.
Did this man have no concept of respecting the elderly? He was no more than thirty years old but he showed no hesitation in slapping the old man's cheek. It was a clear sign that he was accustomed to using violence against the weak.
The chief spat blood onto the floor. Then the three men walked past him and approached us.
"W-wait... One of them is a noble..." the chief protested.
The men paused briefly upon hearing that. Then their eyes turned to me.
The leader grinned and asked, "Is it Luan Badniker?"
"Do you know me?"
"You're famous."
I knew I was famous now, but was it to a point where I would be recognized at first glance? In addition, the man smiled smugly despite knowing the name Badniker. He wasn't intimidated at all.
"What are you smiling at?" I exclaimed as I slapped him on the cheek with the back of my hand. His exceptionally yellow teeth fell out and he collapsed.
"You bastard!"
One of the small fries rushed at me and I flicked him hard on the forehead. He flew away as if it had been hit by a carriage, landing on top of the one with yellow teeth.
"W-what do you think you're doing?" The one who seemed the most rational among them glared at me with a frightened expression. "Even if you are a noble, this behavior—"
I grabbed him by the collar and slapped him on both cheeks.
Slap! Slap!
One of the coward's teeth fell out. Still, I controlled my strength enough that he didn't faint.
I told him, "You wait outside for a moment."
"H-huh?"
"If you want to run, go ahead and try it. However, be prepared to get hit twice as hard when I catch you. Get out."
"Ugh..." The coward staggered out of the house.
Lanfero crossed his arms and asked with a slightly serious expression, "It is thrilling, but can you do this?"
"You can't do this!" The village chief stood up indignantly. He was still reeling from the hit and staggered as he stood, but his bloodshot eyes glared at me with resentment. "Do you have any idea what you have done? Those men were mercenaries of the Zyren Trading Company! If they use this as an excuse to withdraw from Snowville—"
Previously he had spoken respectfully, but now he changed his tone as if he no longer cared about that.
Of course, I didn't mind this. It was much more comfortable for me. I replied, "This is a small matter, Chief. You look like you have trouble standing. Why don't you rest? Boss?"
"Huh?"
"Can I handle this matter myself?"
"Do you have a plan?"
"More or less."
Lanfero seemed troubled by the look in my eyes, but he nodded solemnly. "I will leave it to you. Just don't cause too much of a fuss."
"I understand."
I was heading toward the coward standing outside when I heard Lanfero's proud voice behind me.
"I've always wanted to say something like that."
I went outside and saw the coward standing there, trembling. I casually placed an arm over his shoulder and remarked, "You didn't run? That's no fun."
"D-d-do you have something to say to me?"
"Yes. Who is your superior?"
"Huh?"
"The highest-ranking person from the Zyren Trading Company in this village."
This person probably wasn't a mercenary. Compared to the previous two people, he was much smaller and gave off a feeling of wanting to stay out of it. In other words, he was the most suitable person to intimidate for directions.
"T-that is the branch manager. Why do you want to see him?"
"You sure ask a lot of questions. Such people don't live long."
I gave him advice from experience, but the coward gulped nervously like he'd taken it differently.
He said, "I-I will take you there."
Thus, I walked through the village with this guy. I could feel the villagers staring at me with terrified expressions.
Then through a house window, a small face peeked out and our eyes met. It happened to be the little boy I had seen when I first entered the village. I waved to him again. This time, he smiled and waved to me.
"I-it is here."
The coward had led me to a fairly large building. At first glance, it looked at least twice the size of the village chief's house. There was a loud noise from inside, like a drinking party was going on.
"Is anyone inside?" I asked.
"Huh? Uhh, the branch manager, the regional goods manager, an appraiser, some mercenaries, and..." He looked at me nervously before continuing. "There is also a hero from the Hero Society."
"Hmm." I nodded and grabbed the coward by the scruff of the neck, warning him, "Relax your body or you will break something."
"Huh?"
His eyes widened. That was the final expression on his face as I threw him as hard as I could.
Just throwing him through the window was my way of showing restraint.
The room became chaotic as a human projectile flew in. There were screams and swearing from inside.
I calmly walked toward the door, opened it, and stepped inside. I called out, "Hello?"
There was no answer. In other words, they were heartless.
It was my belief that heartless bastards deserved to be beaten.