Chapter 133: An Unexpected Accusation

The incident involving Marquis Wesley Malone’s trial manipulation was wrapped up without much fuss.

Since no actual harm had been done, the matter ended with his resignation and a public apology.

“Somehow it still feels a little unsatisfying.”

Cordell McNeil clicked his tongue, his eyes gleaming with a chilling light.

It seemed he regretted not being able to squeeze the marquis harder.

“He’s a clever man. He tucked his tail between his legs the moment he realized there was no way out.”

If he had struggled to survive, the consequences would have been far worse.

The real problem, however, was not a small-minded man like Wesley Malone.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

“It has been a while, Your Grace.”

The man who had come to see me was Count Howell Pierre, head of the prosecution headquarters.

Visiting my office on a weekend when everyone else was resting meant the matter had to be fairly serious.

Of course, it could also have been performative.

Look how hard I’m working—please take good care of me.

But judging by his grim expression, personal motives did not seem to be involved.

“I apologize for dropping by without an appointment.”

“It’s fine. What brings you here?”

“We discovered a suspicious organization. I thought I should report it before digging any deeper.”

“Oh?”

The prosecution headquarters was currently waging war on the underworld and crime in general.

The reason they were cracking down as hard as catching rats was simple.

Those bastards had crossed a line that should never be crossed.

They had dared to try setting fire to a ducal mansion.

Rather than simply dealing with 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 particularly vicious.

They would do anything for money, 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 a lot of effort.

He really is the eager-puppy type.

Looking at Howell Pierre always reminded me of a large golden retriever—sitting obediently after completing a command, tongue out and panting.

He seemed starved for praise, and a little lip service was easy enough to give.

If it motivated him, all the better.

“You’ve already dismantled thirty organizations? That’s an impressive achievement in such a short time.”

“Haha! You flatter me. I merely followed Your Grace’s orders.”

“I never imagined your work would be this clean.”

“Hehe! Ah, forgive me. I got a little carried away…”

“By the way, where is this suspicious 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 would not have paid much attention.

It would have been easy to assume the group had simply fled in fear of the war on crime.

But this case could not be dismissed so lightly.

“The discovery site was near the imperial palace?”

“Yes. I inquired whether it might be related to the Imperial Guard’s activities, but…”

“They said no?”

“Correct. It has no connection to the Black Agents either.”

“If there is no special activity, we can probably leave it alone.”

“However, we also found secret passages scattered throughout the inner mansion district. They are extremely well-hidden and could potentially be dangerous.”

This was clearly different from an ordinary underworld group.

Normal organizations rarely ventured into the inner mansion district.

That area was reserved for high-ranking nobles; security was tight and skilled individuals were everywhere.

Anyone acting suspiciously could disappear in the blink of an eye.

“Understood for now. 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 as he answered.

No matter how I looked at it, his character was truly unique.

I slowly flipped through the remaining pages of the report.

Nothing else stood out.

It was simply a record of rounding up underworld members and conducting investigations.

“He’ll handle it well on his own.”

The suspicious organization mentioned at the end lingered in my mind, but it did not seem worth worrying about too much.

After all, it was just another criminal outfit.

I set the report aside and reached for the next trial document when Cordell McNeil’s voice suddenly spoke up.

“It’s the weekend. Aren’t you working a little too much?”

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 take a break?”

“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. Especially when they don’t come from an unrivaled handsome man like me.”

I frowned at him.

Cordell widened his eyes and shrugged.

“What’s with that look? It’s like you’re staring at a bug.”

“You hit the nail on the head. All you ever think about is fooling around.”

“I love everyone equally, though?”

“Ah, forget it. Shut up and stay in your corner. If you keep interrupting, I’ll just end up working longer.”

“Eee…”

Cordell’s shoulders drooped dramatically.

The way he pretended to be cute was so fake it made me want to smack him.

But unless he committed an enormous offense, I could not beat up the knight assigned to protect me.

I shook my head and tried to focus on the documents.

Yet someone knocked on the office door again.

Knock knock.

“Why are there so many interruptions today?”

“Shall I tell them to leave?”

“I already told you to stay in your corner, didn’t I?”

“Eep!”

“Stop talking and go open the door.”

“Yes!”

Cordell scurried over to carry out the order.

The person who arrived after Count Pierre was Miller Xavier, vice president of our Dapan Group.

“Good to see you, Your Grace.”

“Come in. You must be busy these days.”

“Even so, 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 children were asked lately, they said it was far more popular than government service.

The pay was high and unreasonable demands were never made.

It lacked political power, but its social reputation was even better.

Naturally, talented people flocked to it.

“But what brings you here on a weekend morning?”

“Ah, nothing major. We received a consulting request.”

“…Pardon?”

“They asked if we could hold some lectures.”

I blinked, utterly bewildered.

I could not make sense of what I was hearing.

A lecture? In a medieval fantasy world?

And they wanted me to give it?

“Why?”

“Because you are a legend, Your Grace.”

“I’ve heard that kind of talk up north, but…”

“They do not mean your combat feats. They want the story of how you built the Dapan Group from a tiny textile factory.”

“Haha… Well…”

I suddenly felt awkward.

I had simply issued commands using shallow modern knowledge.

The truly impressive ones were the core talents of the Dapan Group.

I don’t even have anything worthwhile to say. How am I supposed to give a lecture?

Sensing my hesitation, Miller Xavier smiled gently.

“They dream of the same success for their own businesses. But they do not know how. Turning this into a paid service seems viable.”

“Oh? Charge tuition and share know-how? That’s not a bad idea.”

What Vice President Xavier had just described was the basic principle of franchising.

Countless ideas began swirling in my head.

How many brands had I seen in the modern world?

If we created similar businesses, we could generate high profits and considerable influence.

Of course, I had no intention of wielding that influence personally.

If the Dapan Group’s positive power spreads, it will ultimately benefit me.

In the form of system growth.

I immediately summoned the Dapan Group executives.

“Starting now, we will subdivide our businesses and launch franchise operations for each brand. Feel free to offer any good ideas.”

An endless discussion began.

The transformation of the Dapan Group was proceeding like a storm.

From the outside, however, everything looked the same as usual.

It was still only the initial stage.

As a result, there was not much for me to do.

Well, except for one thing.

“A lecture, huh.”

To be honest, it felt incredibly burdensome.

Who was I to influence other people’s lives?

But on second thought, it could be a very good thing.

Those who attended the lecture would want to emulate the Dapan Group’s success story.

If they spread positive influence, wouldn’t society become even a little brighter?

No matter how hard I try, this is still a dark fantasy world.

I had created quality jobs and employed people without discrimination based on status.

I had also established plenty of proper precedents against wage theft.

Thanks to that, people could at least make a living.

But it was still not enough.

Outside Perias and Delriat, all kinds of heinous crimes ran rampant.

The franchise business and lectures can make up for some of that.

Today’s attendees were all influential nobles from the provinces.

They were people who wanted to build their own businesses in their territories.

Of course, I could not force morality on others.

But I could teach them how to generate profit while maintaining a good reputation.

After all, every company ran charity projects to build a positive image.

“Whew. Just stick to the plan.”

Suppressing my nerves, I read through the script I had written overnight several times.

I had practically memorized it, yet I still felt uneasy.

This was my first time in a situation like this.

—If you forget anything, we’ll help.

—Yeah. We can just whisper it to you through telepathy.

The moment Shugl and Feltron’s determination reached me, my heart calmed a little.

For a second I regretted all the times I had only scolded them.

“Thank you.”

—If you’re thankful, give us more vitality.

—You said the reward would be solid.

Of course they would say that.

As if they would ever help out of pure goodwill.

“Fine. If it goes well, double vitality for four days.”

—Yahoooo!

—Shoowaa—juuulleeerrr!

The black squirrel and white bat suddenly launched into an impromptu dance party.

The sight was so ridiculous I could only shake my head.

They really like it that much?

I entered the small conference room where the lecture would be held.

The moment I appeared, there was no burst of cheers—only a very refined atmosphere.

That was only natural.

This was a gathering of the most prominent nobles from every province; they would naturally carry themselves with dignity.

“Greetings, everyone.”

I gave a light bow and prepared to begin the lecture.

“Your Grace?”

“Yes?”

“May I ask one question?”

A middle-aged man stood and spoke in a booming voice.

It was a bit early for questions, but I nodded willingly.

He must have been extremely curious to ask the moment he saw me.

“Go ahead. One question only.”

“The Dapan Group seems to lack business ethics. What are Your Grace’s thoughts on this matter?”

For a moment I was completely at a loss for words.

The question had veered wildly off anything I had expected.

Wait, is this a lecture hall or a press conference?