Chapter 81
Noor couldn't comprehend the sudden turn of events. He wondered why Caron, who was supposed to be on his way to Thebe with the knights, was in front of him.
Why? How? Noor thought, but no reason came to mind. His mind struggled to make sense of the situation, but Caron didn't give him any time to think.
Crack!
"Arrrgh!" Noor screamed as another surge of pain shot through him. Caron had stomped on his right foot with brutal force.
As Caron grabbed Noor's head with his right hand, he leaned in and demanded, "Where is the ledger?"
"L-Ledger? W-Why are you looking for—?" Noor stuttered.
Crack!
This time, Caron crushed Noor's left foot, which caused him to let out a strangled cry. "Urk—!"
Unable to bear the overwhelming pain, Noor nearly passed out. He even wished for unconsciousness. But Revelio, who had been standing behind him, waved his wand at the perfect moment and cast a spell.
"Awaken," Revelio commanded, his voice calm as the magic took hold.
The spell was practically a curse. It forcibly dragged Noor back to consciousness, which kept him trapped in his own personal hell. Gasping from the unbearable agony coursing through his body, Noor sobbed and said, "The safe... It's in the safe. I'll... I'll get it for you."
"Go get it," Caron ordered as he released his grip.
"Y-Yes, yes!" Noor answered as he nodded frantically. He crawled on the floor like a beaten animal. He reached the safe, which was hidden beneath the desk, and pressed his trembling hand against its surface.
Whirr...
The safe responded to Noor's palm, unlocking with a faint hum. As the door creaked open, the contents came into view. There were mana stones, valuables, bars of gold, and finally, a thick book that stood out from the rest.
Noor's shaky hand grasped the book. He had no idea why Caron and Revelio wanted it, but one thing was clear in his mind. He knew that if he didn't hand it over, he was going to die.
For a brief moment, his sharp mind cut through the fog of pain, piecing together the situation.
So, Caron Leston orchestrated all this for the ledger... Noor thought. Although he couldn't understand the reason, clarity settled in him amid the pain.
...I must cooperate with them, no matter what, Noor made his decision.
Sure, perhaps Marquis Leandro would return and change things, but that was a faint hope—one too distant to rely on now.
Caron Leston stood before Noor, radiating a lethal aura that sent chills down the latter's spine. The danger was immediate, and Noor knew exactly which choice he had to make between his distant boss and the threat standing in front of him.
"H-Here... It's here. This is the list of transactions from the past four years. We make copies of the ledger every three months... and hand it over to Marquis Leandro," Noor answered.
"You're cooperating well. Is this the original copy?" Caron asked.
"Yes, it is. Please... Please give me some pain relief," Noor begged.
Caron let out a small chuckle at the request and asked, "Does it hurt a lot?"
"Please! I'll do whatever you ask, just... Please!" Noor pleaded, his voice full of desperation.
The level of submission in Noor's tone bordered on pathetic. Caron glanced back at Revelio and asked, "Think you can cast a bit of pain relief?"
Revelio sighed heavily and said, "Anyone watching us would think I'm your personal attendant."
With a wave of his wand, Revelio cast the spell; the pain that had distorted Noor's face temporarily eased, bringing him a brief moment of peace.
Caron then spoke to Noor, who had regained some composure. "You want to live, don't you?"
"I'll do whatever you ask... Whatever you command, Young Master, I will do so," Noor replied in a trembling voice.
Caron had never intended to persuade Noor into becoming an informant, because he didn't think there was any use in trying to reason with this trash-like person. He knew that if one inflicted such people with more pain than they could endure, they'd open their mouths willingly. That was Caron's philosophy—treat trash the way trash deserved to be treated.
"I want you to testify about Marquis Leandro's crimes," Caron ordered.
"Do you mean the slave trade...?" Noor began.
"Marquis Leandro used the slave trade to amass military funds and plotted a rebellion. That's what you'll testify," Caron explained.
"A-A rebellion?" Noor stuttered.
He had expected Caron to force him to expose the slave trade. But the mention of rebellion was beyond anything he had imagined. It was a colossal accusation. Caron was demanding for Noor to testify against Marquis Leandro for the crime of treason.
As Noor showed signs of hesitating, trying to avoid giving a direct answer due to the enormous scale of the accusation, Revelio casually snapped his fingers.
"Arrrgh!" Noor screamed as the pain, which had been momentarily dulled, crashed back into his body even stronger than before. The unbearable agony forced him to nod frantically and cry out, "I'll do it! I'll testify!"
"If you follow my instructions to the letter, the only crime you'll be held accountable for is the slave trade. Your excuse will be that when Marquis Leandro plotted rebellion, you acted out of loyalty to the empire and reported him. That's your motivation for testifying. Got it?" Caron's tone was cold and direct.
"Yes, yes. I understand," Noor replied. There wasn't a shred of loyalty to the boss he had served for so long. He had nothing but a pathetic desire to survive.
Caron sneered at Noor, shaking his hands as if to get rid of dust, then turned toward Revelio and said, "You handle the rest. I've already done the dirty work, haven't I? I'm off to deal with the slave traders now. You can take care of this part for me, right?"
Revelio stood up slowly, nodding as he replied, "So I can do whatever I want from now on?"
"As long as you don't get in my way," Caron answered.
"Alright, I'll handle it. Don't worry about it and go ahead," Revelio said.
Caron, still unconvinced but pressed for time, shot him a doubtful glance before striding out of the reception room.
Now, only Revelio, Sir Mason, and Noor remained in the room. With Caron gone, Revelio turned to Noor with a playful smile.
"I've agreed to handle the rest, so I guess I should do it properly, right? You might not know this, but that guy's a real nag if you don't get things done exactly the way he wants," Revelio said, his eyes glinting mischievously. His gaze sharpened as he asked, "How much power do you have in this city? From what I've seen, you're pretty much Marquis Leandro's shadow, so I'm guessing you have some authority."
"...I can act on Marquis Leandro's behalf when he is absent," Noor responded, hesitantly.
"Not bad, considering you're just a slimy slave dealer. Alright, then could you gather the citizens in the square?" Revelio asked.
"With martial law in effect, I suppose it's possible," Noor replied.
"Good to know," Revelio said. He then downed his tea in one gulp and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. Then in a low, commanding voice, he continued, "Tell them that the Sixth Prince himself has a message for the people of Reben. Announce it and gather them all in the square."
The fireworks show needed to be grand. It had to be loud enough to wake the whole town. Revelio's grin widened as he watched Noor.
"As expected, it's more fun being out of the palace," he mused to himself, thinking that the chaos of this city was far more entertaining than the stifling royal palace.
After leaving the auction house, Caron headed straight for Cobler's Manpower Agency. The building appeared to be just an ordinary tavern on the outside, but inside, it served as a front for something much more sinister.
The door creaked as Caron pushed it open. The moment he stepped inside, several rough-looking men gave him a sharp gaze. But the tension didn't last long. As soon as they recognized Caron, they all stood up and bowed deeply.
"Welcome, Young Master!" one of the men called out.
"Good to see you, Young Master!" another added.
Their greetings were loud and respectful, as if the leader of a crime syndicate had just entered the room. A moment later, a particularly ugly man rushed forward, pushing his way through the others.
"Ah, Young Master Caron! You're here! The entirety of Cobler's Manpower Agency is ready. Just give the order, and we'll move immediately!" Cobler said as he rubbed his hands together eagerly.
"What's with that ridiculous getup?" Caron frowned as he glanced at the oversized armor Cobler was wearing. It was unnecessarily thick and seemed poorly made; it was likely uncomfortable too, as sweat dripped from Cobler's forehead. But Cobler simply grinned, unfazed. His yellow teeth gleamed in a way that made Caron feel disgusted.
"Well, you know, life's precious, right? We're all just trying to survive out here. I figured if I'm gonna die, it had better not be from getting stabbed in the back, so I wore this. I got this from a friend of mine, a blacksmith in Reben," Cobler said proudly, wiping the sweat from his face.
"Are you close to that friend of yours?" Caron asked.
"Yes, of course!" Cobbler replied.
"Break that friendship right away. You'll get yourself killed wearing that thing," Caron said coldly.
"What? But this armor is thick—" Cobler began, but before he could finish, Caron drew his sword, Guillotine, and swung it in one swift motion. The thick armor Cobler was so proud of was sliced cleanly in half, like a knife through pudding.
Cobler's face turned ghostly pale as he let out a terrified squeak, exclaiming, "H-How...?!"
"Just wear something simple, like the leather armor your lackeys have. You're not even going to be fighting on the front lines, are you?" Caron remarked dismissively.
"Y-Yes, of course. You're right, as always! Young Master Caron Leston! Your swordsmanship is as incredible as they say. Truly amazing!" Cobler said, falling over himself to flatter Caron in a painfully exaggerated manner
Caron gave him a disdainful look before glancing around the room, clearly unimpressed by what he saw. The cramped tavern was filled with people, so much so that even the stairs leading to the second floor were packed.
"...There seem to be more people than before," Caron remarked, his sharp eyes scanning the crowd.
Cobler, eager to respond, nodded enthusiastically and said, "Yes, sir! In response to your noble cause to free the slaves, some of the merchan—uh, I mean, comrades have joined us! I've handpicked those who have received military training from the ones waiting in our manpower agency to participate in this grand undertaking."
"How many are there?" Caron asked bluntly.
"We have thirty-five full-time employees from the manpower agency, plus fifteen merch—uh, comrades who are associated with us. So that makes fifty in total," Cobler replied with pride.
It was easy to tell who had volunteered for this mission. Unlike the agency staff, who wore ragged leather armor, some among the group had much higher-quality gear. Cobler puffed out his chest, clearly pleased with himself.
"I made sure to outfit them with the best gear money could buy. After all, we can't have our mer—uh, comrades damaged," Cobler said, catching himself just in time.
"You spent quite a bit of money on this. Good job," Caron said suddenly, catching Cobler off guard.
Cobler's eyes widened; he couldn't believe that this lunatic had just complimented him.After a moment, he managed a faint smile and nodded, then said, "They're friends I've grown attached to. I couldn't just let them die, could I?"
"Is it because dead slaves don't bring in money?" Caron asked with a knowing smirk.
"It's not really about the money... It's just... They're all waiting for a second chance in life. I can't take that away from them," Cobler replied, his tone softening.
Caron wondered if Cobler was faking it. He thought for a moment, but then shook his head slowly because he knew Cobler wasn't smart enough to pull that off.
With a small sigh, Caron slapped Cobler on the back and said, "You can bill the Leston Duchy for every coin you've spent on this operation. I'll make sure you get paid back with an extra ten percent added on top."
"Oh my! Thank you, Young Master! I'll do everything I can to make this a success!" Cobler said as his face lit up, relieved at the promise of reimbursement. He had clearly spent a good deal of money arming his men.
With his voice noticeably brighter, he asked Caron cautiously, "Even though most of Marquis Leandro's troops are away, he still has a significant number of soldiers stationed in the city. Do you think fifty men will be enough?"
It was a fair question, but Caron answered simply, "More than enough."
"If you say so, Young Master, then I trust you! You must have a brilliant plan, right?" Cobler asked.
"No, not really," Caron said, shrugging.
"...Pardon?" Cobler couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
"What plan do you need to destroy things? Just go in, smash everything, and beat the crap out of anyone who gets in the way. Our first target is the prison that Marquis Leandro runs. You know where it is, right?" Caron said.
"Y-Yes... I do," Cobler replied.
He wondered if he could really put his future in the hands of this reckless, mad young master, but there was no turning back now. He had already committed to this plan, and he knew that if he didn't succeed, survival wasn't an option.
"Alright then, let's get moving," Caron said as he pulled his black helmet back on. Then, with light, confident steps, he opened the door and stepped outside.
At last, the rebellion had begun.