The trial-manipulation incident involving Marquis Wesley Malone wrapped up with surprising ease.
Since no actual harm had been done, it ended with his resignation and a public apology.
“Feels a little unsatisfying, doesn’t it?”
Cordell McNeil clicked his tongue and let his eerie eyes gleam.
It seemed he regretted not being able to rough up Malone a little more.
“He’s a smart man. He knew there was no way out, so he tucked his tail between his legs right away.”
If he had struggled and insisted on fighting to survive, things would have gotten far uglier.
The real problem wasn’t a small-minded man like Wesley Malone.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
“It has been a while, Your Grace.”
The person who came looking for me was Count Howell Pierre, head of the prosecution headquarters.
For him to visit the mansion office on a weekend when everyone else was resting, the matter had to be fairly serious.
Of course, it could also be performative.
Look how hard I’m working—please keep favoring me. Something like that.
But his grim expression told me there was no personal motive mixed in.
“I apologize for showing up without an appointment.”
“It’s fine. So, what brings you here?”
“We’ve discovered a strange organization. I thought I should report it before digging any deeper.”
“Oh?”
The prosecution headquarters was currently waging all-out war on the underworld and crime in general.
The reason they were crushing the rats so ruthlessly was simple:
Those bastards had crossed a line they should never have crossed.
They had dared to try setting fire to a ducal mansion.
It wasn’t just about dismantling the Palmer gang; the plan was to uproot the entire network while we had the chance.
Unlike the organizations in Nordenark, the ones in Perias were especially vicious.
Give them money and they’d do anything, no matter how far beyond the pale.
“Let me see.”
“Yes, here it is.”
Count Pierre handed over a rather thick folder.
The report format was impeccably neat and the content substantial.
He had clearly put in serious effort.
He really is like a golden retriever, huh?
Looking at Howell Pierre always made me think of a big, fluffy golden retriever panting happily after completing a command.
He seemed starved for praise. A little lip service was easy enough to give if it motivated him.
“You’ve already dismantled thirty organizations? That’s an impressive achievement in such a short time.”
“Haha! You flatter me. I simply followed Your Grace’s orders.”
“I never dreamed the work would be handled this cleanly.”
“Hehe! Ah, my apologies. I got carried away…”
“Anyway, where is this ‘strange organization’ you mentioned?”
“Right on the next page.”
Count Pierre, who had been grinning ear to ear, hurriedly continued his explanation.
In truth, the rest of the report was nothing special.
They had located an unidentified organization, only for it to vanish without a trace in an instant.
If that had been the end of it, I wouldn’t have paid much attention.
I would have simply assumed they ran away because they were terrified of the war on crime.
But this case was different.
“The discovery site was near the imperial palace?”
“Correct. I inquired whether it might be an operation by the Imperial Guard, but…”
“They said it wasn’t?”
“Indeed. They also confirmed it has nothing to do with the Black Agents.”
“If there’s no special activity, we can probably leave it alone.”
“However, we discovered hidden passages throughout the inner mansion district. They are extremely well concealed and potentially dangerous.”
It certainly felt very different from an ordinary underworld group.
Most organizations couldn’t even set foot in the inner mansion district.
That area was reserved for high-ranking nobles; the security was ironclad and filled with powerful individuals.
Anyone acting suspiciously could be eliminated in seconds.
“I understand. I’ll coordinate with the Black Agents on this one.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Clean up the rest of the organizations as well.”
“Of course! I will eradicate them completely this time!”
Count Howell Pierre clenched his fist with determination.
No matter how many times I saw it, his character really was one of a kind.
I slowly flipped through the remaining pages of the report.
There was nothing else noteworthy—just the usual roundup of underworld members and ongoing interrogations.
“He’ll handle it fine on his own.”
The mysterious organization mentioned at the end nagged at me a little, but it probably wasn’t worth worrying about.
After all, it was just another criminal group.
I set the report aside and reached for the next batch of trial documents when Cordell McNeil’s voice suddenly floated over.
“It’s the weekend, yet you’re still buried in work?”
His restless fidgeting made it obvious he wanted to leave the office as soon as possible.
I shrugged.
“Can’t be helped. Too many places need me.”
“Shouldn’t you rest a little?”
“Why? Do you have another party to attend?”
“No. It’s time to soothe my lady’s heart. She was quite hurt by Marquis Wesley Malone’s flirting.”
“I don’t think he went that far.”
“Confessions hit hard, you know. Unless you’re an unrivaled handsome man like me.”
I frowned at him.
Cordell widened his eyes and shrugged.
“What’s with that look? You’re staring at me like I’m a bug.”
“Exactly right. All you ever think about is chasing women.”
“I love everyone equally.”
“Ugh, enough. Go sit in the corner and be quiet. If you keep distracting me, I’ll just have to work longer.”
“Ehh…”
Cordell drooped his shoulders dramatically.
His attempt at acting cute was so fake I wanted to smack him.
But unless he committed some truly enormous offense, the person I was guarding couldn’t just beat up his own knight.
I shook my head and tried to focus on the documents again.
Then someone knocked on the office door once more.
Knock knock.
“Why is everyone interrupting me today?”
“Should I tell them to get lost?”
“Didn’t I already tell you to sit in the corner?”
“Eep!”
“Stop talking and go open the door.”
“Yes!”
Cordell scurried off to obey.
The person who arrived after Count Pierre was Miller Xavier, Vice President of our Dapan Group.
“Good to see you, Your Grace.”
“Welcome. You must be busy these days?”
“Busy, yes, but I feel wonderful. Watching the company grow day by day fills me with pride. The employees are happy too.”
The Dapan Group was now considered the best workplace in the empire.
When noble sons were asked lately, working for us was far more popular than becoming a bureaucrat.
The pay was high and we never demanded unreasonable tasks.
We lacked political power, but our social reputation was actually better.
No wonder talent kept pouring in.
“But what brings you here on a weekend morning?”
“Ah, nothing major. We received a consulting request.”
“…Pardon?”
“They want you to give a lecture.”
I just blinked, utterly bewildered.
A lecture? In a medieval fantasy world?
And they wanted me to do it?
“Why?”
“Because you’re a legend, Your Grace.”
“I’ve heard that kind of talk up north, but…”
“I’m not talking about your combat feats. They want to hear the story of how you built the Dapan Group from a tiny textile factory.”
“Haha… well…”
I suddenly felt awkward.
I had simply issued orders using shallow modern knowledge.
The real heroes were the core talents of the Dapan Group.
I don’t even have much to say. How am I supposed to give a lecture?
Reading my troubled expression, Miller Xavier smiled gently.
“They dream of the same success you achieved, but they’re lost because they don’t know how. We could turn this into a profitable venture.”
“Oh? Charge tuition and teach them the know-how? That’s actually a good idea.”
What Vice President Xavier just described was the basic principle of franchising.
Countless ideas began swirling inside my head.
How many brands had I seen in the modern world?
If we created similar businesses, we would gain not only high profits but also considerable influence.
Of course, I had no intention of wielding that influence personally.
If the Dapan Group’s positive power spreads, it will come back to me as system growth anyway.
I immediately summoned the Dapan Group executives.
“Starting today, we will subdivide our businesses and launch a franchise system for each brand. Feel free to offer any good ideas you have.”
An endless discussion began.
The transformation of the Dapan Group was proceeding like a storm.
From the outside, however, everything still looked the same.
It was still only the preparation stage, after all.
As a result, there wasn’t much for me to do.
Well, except one thing.
“A lecture…”
To be honest, it felt incredibly burdensome.
Who was I to influence other people’s lives?
Yet when I thought about it another way, it was actually a very good thing.
The people attending the lecture would want to emulate the Dapan Group’s success story.
If they spread positive influence, wouldn’t society become a little brighter?
No matter how hard I try, this place is still a dark fantasy world.
I had created quality jobs and hired people without discrimination based on status.
I had also established plenty of proper precedents against wage theft.
Thanks to that, at least some people could make a living.
But it still wasn’t enough.
Outside Perias or Delriat, all kinds of vicious crimes still ran rampant.
The franchise system and lectures should help make up for some of that.
Today’s attendees were all influential nobles from the provinces—people who wanted to build their own successful businesses.
Of course, I couldn’t force morality on others.
But I could at least teach them how to earn money while maintaining a good reputation.
Any company would run charity projects to protect its positive image, after all.
“Whew! Let’s just do it like this.”
Suppressing my nerves, I read through the script I had written overnight over and over.
I had practically memorized it, yet I still felt uneasy.
This was my first time doing something like this, after all.
—If you forget anything, we’ll help.
—Yeah. We can just whisper it through telepathy.
When Shugl and Feltron sent their willingness, my heart finally settled a little.
For a brief moment I even regretted how much I had nagged them in the past.
“Thanks.”
—If you’re thankful, give us more vital energy.
—He said the compensation is guaranteed.
Of course.
As if these two would ever help out of pure goodwill.
“Fine. If it goes well, double vital energy for four days.”
—Yahoooo!
—Shwaaa—!
The black squirrel and white bat suddenly started an impromptu dance party.
The sight was so ridiculous I could only shake my head.
They’re that happy about it?
I entered the small lecture hall where the event would be held.
The moment I appeared, cheers did not erupt.
Instead, a very refined and solemn atmosphere greeted me.
Of course it would.
This was a gathering of the most prominent nobles from every province; they were bound to carry themselves with dignity.
“Nice to meet you all.”
I gave a light greeting and prepared to begin the lecture.
“Your Grace?”
“Yes?”
“May I ask one question?”
A middle-aged man stood up and spoke in a booming voice.
It was a bit early for questions, but I nodded readily.
He must have been extremely curious to ask the moment he saw me.
“Go ahead. Just one for now.”
“The Dapan Group seems completely devoid of business ethics. What does Your Grace think about this?”
I momentarily lost the ability to speak.
The question had flown far beyond anything I had expected.
Wait… is this a lecture hall or a press conference?
“the person I was guarding couldn’t just beat up his own knight.” ?????