Chapter 14: The Young Master on the Run

Even a rookie prosecutor could tell that Baron Lelbrant and the defendant had some bizarre relationship.

I assigned Prosecutor Sears to reinvestigate and postponed the trial.

It would probably be settled in a few days.

Yet, unexpectedly, the conclusion didn’t come quickly.

Well, a person can’t change just because of a few cases.

Corbin Sears was still a bit clumsy.

Even after I pointed out the key issues, this was the result.

“If there’s no progress at all, I won’t be able to proceed with the trial.”

Judge Kolund Emir stared at the investigation report with a grave expression.

I felt the same unease.

We needed new discoveries to make a proper judgment, didn’t we?

From start to finish, this case was nothing but ambiguous.

Why would a local lord drag a single commoner all the way to the capital court because he couldn’t handle her himself?

It’s definitely not ordinary. Then it’s time to unleash my patented ultimate move.

I narrowed my eyes and sat in silence.

Suddenly, Judge Joseph Padiya spoke up.

“Y-Your Excellency…?”

“What is it?”

“Your expression… it looks like you’re about to do something outrageous.”

“How did you know?”

“It was exactly that face when you went to investigate under court authority before.”

“What was it like?”

“It was filled with the will to completely destroy everything.”

I thought I hadn’t shown it at all, but this guy had sharp eyes.

How did he already know I was going to raid the Lelbrant estate?

“That’s the plan. Any problem with that?”

“There is one massive obstacle.”

“What is it?”

“Have you seen where the Lelbrant barony is located?”

At Joseph’s gesture, I stared at the map hanging on the conference room wall.

My gaze moved endlessly to the right.

I knew it was on the frontier, but it’s really far.

You’d have to pass through at least six count territories.

It wasn’t the border, but still a considerable distance.

Joseph shook his head with a horrified expression.

“I don’t think I can go this time. It’s not even my duty.”

When we went to crush Viscount Erseth of the Giovanni faction, he followed obediently enough.

But the moment he saw the hardship ahead, he immediately backed out.

I don’t need this guy anyway. Kolund alone would be enough…

Thinking that, I casually glanced over.

Judge Kolund Emir was shaking his head vigorously.

A desperate expression that screamed he would absolutely not go.

“I suffer from severe homesickness, so long-distance travel is impossible for me.”

I almost blurted out “bullshit,” but barely held my tongue.

Truthfully, it didn’t matter if the judges didn’t come.

They were such delicate types they’d only be baggage.

Better to bring more useful people.

Mercenaries skilled at camping, guides who knew the way to Lelbrant territory—people like that.

Still, I couldn’t shake the irritation.

They could at least offer verbal support, couldn’t they?

I spat out a curt remark.

“You two don’t seem very enthusiastic about solving the case. I’ve noted your stance well.”

“T-that’s not—”

“That’s not what we—”

I waved my hand dismissively and left the conference room.

They were probably panicking right now.

Their direct superior had openly shown disappointment.

But that didn’t change the judges’ minds.

They really, really didn’t want to go.

In the end, I’d have to resolve this case alone.

It was far better than handing down boring verdicts every day.

They could handle the routine work while I was gone.

So honestly, I wasn’t in a bad mood.

No—to be frank, I was a little excited.

This would be my first trip outside the capital since possessing Abel’s body.

Traveling in a fantasy world? Of course I was looking forward to it.

“You’re going all the way to Lelbrant territory?”

“Yes. So prepare accordingly.”

“Leave it to me.”

Steward Miller Xavier finished preparations in no time.

He selected servants and coachmen to accompany me and loaded the carriage with everything needed for the journey.

All that remained were escorts and a guide.

I don’t think I need to bring many soldiers.

I could crush most opponents by myself anyway.

This body had made a name for itself even in the far harsher north.

Still, I needed someone to stand watch while I slept.

“It would be perfect to have a knight at times like this.”

“Shall I post a recruitment notice, even if it’s late?”

“No need. We can do that gradually. It’s hard to find someone with both skill and character.”

Knights rarely changed lords.

Honor and pride were their bread and butter.

The reverse was also true.

Dissolving a lord-vassal contract was difficult, so you had to choose carefully.

In any case, mercenaries were the only option available right now.

Even as royalty, I couldn’t request imperial guards.

“I’ll post a notice at the mercenary guild.”

“Yes. How long will it take?”

“It will depend on the pay.”

“Tell them 50% above the usual rate. They’ll gather quickly then.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Honestly, I doubted how many would come just for a 50% increase.

It was a long-distance journey, and they’d have to serve a high noble.

Given mercenaries’ general disdain for nobles, most would probably ignore it.

But the next day,

Miller Xavier brought dozens of mercenaries.

“Why are there so many so fast?”

“In this recession, 50% is a big deal. And the one who posted the notice is Your Highness, after all.”

“Why does that matter?”

“Because you’re famous for fairness and justice. Everyone wants to serve you. There are surprisingly many who admire Your Highness.”

When I first possessed Abel’s body, the servants’ loyalty had been abysmal.

It was all “Low” or “Very Low.”

Now that I think about it, I wonder how much it’s changed.

I immediately pulled up Miller Xavier’s status window.

It had been a while since I used the function, but it felt completely natural.

Just willing it brought it up instantly.

<Person Information>

Name: Miller Xavier

Status: Baronet

Position: Head Steward

Loyalty: Above Average

Condition: Fatigue, Pride, Passion

Truly remarkable growth.

A steward who could have bolted at any moment now had loyalty this high.

Lately, Xavier had been swamped, but he had finally found some breathing room.

“How is work these days? Not too overwhelming?”

“It’s a sudden question, but I can answer easily. Quite satisfying.”

As expected, a positive reply.

The other workers’ windows had probably improved a lot too.

I want to check them one by one, but first things first—interviews.

I couldn’t take dozens of people; I had to separate the wheat from the chaff.

It was common for mercenaries to turn bandit in remote areas.

You can know the depths of water ten leagues down, but not the heart of a man one league deep.

But for me, selection wasn’t difficult.

Name: Zamar

Status: Mercenary (C)

Position: None

Relationship: No prior contact

<Person Information>

Condition: Slight admiration, poverty, greed for money, history of misdeeds

You can tell at a glance, right?

Hiring this kind of guy would be perfect for getting stabbed in the back.

I immediately looked at the next person.

Name: Derek

Status: Mercenary (B)

Position: None

Relationship: No prior contact

<Person Information>

Condition: Passionate fandom, pride based on skill

Yes! This is it.

An honest-looking face filled with sincerity, eyes sparkling brightly.

Clearly someone who idolized me.

He probably wouldn’t betray me under normal circumstances.

You have to pick people like this to avoid trouble.

In the end, I selected six mercenaries as escorts.

With six escorts, two servants, Butler Tobias Wilkin, and myself, our party totaled ten people.

Once preparations were complete, we immediately left the capital.

We headed steadily east along the road.

But the moment we left the city, something made me frown.

“Please, just a single coin…”

“The children are starving. Even spoiled food would do…”

We ran into hundreds of refugees.

Of course, they weren’t much of a threat.

What could a crowd of skin-and-bones people do?

My escorts alone were all veteran mercenaries.

Still, I couldn’t help feeling pity.

I haven’t heard of any recent wars. Why are they begging like this?

They were emaciated, but their limbs were intact.

They could find work—so why this?

As if sensing my gaze, Butler Wilkin spoke up.

“You feel sorry for them, Your Highness.”

“I’d take them in if I could. We’re short on factory workers anyway.”

“They are runaway serfs.”

“They’re openly begging right now.”

“When regular soldiers appear, they flee into the forests or mountains. And if things get desperate, they turn bandit.”

“Really? Then why did they run away in the first place?”

“That is…”

Tobias Wilkin couldn’t continue.

He couldn’t exactly say “because of noble tyranny” when I, a royal, was listening.

So I said it for him.

“The lords are excessively cruel, aren’t they? High taxes are just the start—forced labor, and worse.”

“Ahem!”

“This is… Count Brayden’s territory, isn’t it?”

The land dispute case caused by the recent typhoon.

Count Brayden had been the victim in that case.

The man who laughed heartily even while losing land.

He had left quite a good impression on me.

Even in a territory ruled by someone like him, people are fleeing?

Serfs only lacked freedom of movement—they were very different from slaves.

They could own wives, children, houses, and property.

But surviving was still brutally hard.

This really is a true dark fantasy.

I had used the term many times before.

But it never truly hit home.

The world I saw was limited to the court and the Carius duchy.

Yet the moment you stepped just a little outside, a completely different world unfolded.

“Poverty, monster threats, lords’ oppression—what else is there?”

“There are slave hunters.”

“Huh?”

A term I had heard somewhere before.

Similar to bounty hunters.

But it felt like it carried a different meaning here.

“They capture free people and turn them into slaves. Surprisingly, it’s a thriving and perfectly legal trade outside the cities.”

I nodded deeply.

After all, outside of royalty and nobility, the concept of identification didn’t even exist.

Grab anyone, beat them senseless, and who could tell if they were a slave or a free person?

In a barbaric world, it made perfect sense.

“Like those guys over there?”

I looked at the troubled Tobias Wilkin and wiggled my finger.

People who suddenly appeared.

Two were running frantically, while mounted men chased them fiercely.

Spinning rope lassos in wide circles.

Exactly like hunters trying to capture large beasts alive.

“Y-yes, exactly.”

The moment Wilkin answered in shock,

I was already leaping forward.

I didn’t know the full story, but hunting people wasn’t normal, was it?

The Chief Justice of the capital court couldn’t just walk past injustice.

“Haa!”

BAAAM!

A beautiful spinning kick in mid-air slammed into the temple of one of the mounted men.

The man flew far away and rolled across the ground.

And right at that moment, a voice rang out.

“Y-Young Master!”