“… The important thing is that it’s on the third floor… that’s what matters.”
Six, who was spilling the necessary information, was clearly under the influence.
Lloyd looked down at the vial with an expression of mild satisfaction.
“It’s effective for getting confessions too.”
It seemed like he had heard everything he needed to know.
Six, now completely dazed, couldn’t keep his head up, and it drooped down.
Lloyd stood up, stretching his legs that had been bent for a while.
“… My whole body aches.”
It was only natural that someone like Six would have magical or mental barriers in place.
Using magic seriously for the first time in a while had made his whole body ache.
Thanks to Lloyd’s extraordinary mental agility, he managed to deal with it, but it would have been quite troublesome otherwise.
“Still, I got some important information.”
The information that Six blurted out under the influence of the sedative was by no means insignificant.
Most importantly, Lloyd confirmed two suspicions he had been harboring:
- There is a powerful force controlling the entire city of Easton.
- The ‘potato death’ incident in this small rural town is just a prelude to their larger scheme.
And more crucially, the hero Claire is somehow connected to this incident.
“Now that I’ve got a lead, I could unravel things one by one.”
Lloyd looked down at the key in his hand.
There was no need to take a detour when he could go straight to the point.
“Lloyd! Are you alright?”
There was a commotion behind him as the village chief came running up.
‘I didn’t think I left that many traces.’
Yet, here he was, following him quite well.
He was certainly a person whose past made one curious.
“What is this…”
The village chief clutched his head in confusion at Lloyd’s expectant gaze.
It was understandable.
A masked man with his ankle severed was staring blankly into space, and the boy who had clearly been responsible for this was standing there with a calm, expressionless face.
A serious incident had occurred in the village.
That alone was undoubtedly a troubling situation. But what troubled the chief even more was the instinct that this incident wouldn’t be the last.
“… Can you explain this?”
At the chief’s question, Lloyd clapped his hands together.
The chief frowned, looking at his hands as if he couldn’t believe it, then lifted his head again.
“What we found in the potato field was a sedative.”
“… A sedative?”
“Yes. Smell this.”
Lloyd tossed a vial toward the chief.
The chief caught it with one hand and sniffed it.
“And this is a soil sample.”
A second vial. When did he even collect this?
The chief’s eyes widened as he sniffed the soil.
“… It’s definitely mixed in.”
“Exactly.”
“But isn’t a sedative a drug that affects the human mind? What does that have to do with potatoes…”
“When making sedatives, not only various herbs but also minerals are used.”
Lloyd recalled visiting Marlio’s workshop to buy the sedative.
Back then, he had thought Marlio’s detailed explanations were just unnecessary chatter, but now they served as an important clue.
“As you know, changes in soil composition can sometimes have a lethal effect on plants. When mixed with certain heavy metals, the effect can be even more dramatic.”
Thud.
Lloyd kicked Six’s pants leg, and a few vials rolled out.
“… Sedatives?”
“Yes. They’re all the same substance.”
According to Six, the discovery of this effect was purely accidental. When applied, it caused certain crops to wither within a day.
“They planned to use that to destroy a village famous for its potato fields.”
“What!”
“In order to turn it into a base for producing the drug.”
“Those damned bastards!”
The chief’s demeanor turned fierce in an instant.
The continuous attacks on the village were already a problem, but this latest assault had truly put the village in real danger.
If it hadn’t been for Lloyd…
“Lloyd!”
A desperate voice called out from behind.
From afar, her platinum blonde hair shone in the moonlight.
Princess Yulia came running urgently, seemingly having dealt with the aftermath of Seven.
“Lady Yulia…?”
Despite Lloyd’s call, she didn’t stop and rushed directly toward him.
Before he could take a step back, she hastily pressed her forehead against his.
Her scent wafted out
Lloyd’s eyes widened.
“Get a grip, Lloyd. You haven’t been taken over by Ortega, have you? You should be able to handle this much.”
Slap, slap!
Yulia began slapping his cheeks.
Lloyd’s initially bewildered expression slowly turned into one of exasperation.
“I’m fine.”
“I don’t believe you. Look at all this blood! You must be Ortega! Give Lloyd back!”
Slap.
Yulia’s strikes grew stronger, and Lloyd quickly took a step back.
“Seriously. I just took a sedative.”
“… A sedative?”
Yulia, who had widened the distance between them, looked at Lloyd’s hand.
As he shook the vial, her eyes, which had been shining blue, quickly dimmed.
“Ahem. You could’ve mentioned that earlier.”
Lloyd’s eyes narrowed.
It seemed like she just wanted an excuse to hit him.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Yulia knelt beside Six.
“Is your ankle okay, mister?”
Like he’d be okay.
Lloyd sighed and turned his gaze away from Yulia.
As he looked away, the sun began to rise over the fields in the distance.
The surroundings gradually grew brighter.
Lloyd murmured to the village chief.
“I think I understand what the treasure of this village is now.”
“… What do you think it is?”
“The land itself.”
A vast plain with the sun visible on the horizon.
Fertile soil where potatoes could grow endlessly.
An abundant water supply.
And, of course, a convenient transportation network that made it easy to access both the city center and the capital.
The village’s treasure was its land.
“You’re sharp.”
The chief acknowledged this with pure sincerity.
“There have been those who coveted our land from time to time. And those who were smart enough to recognize its value were never easy to deal with.”
This time, it was the same with the Seventh Death Squad.
They secretly pushed the village to the brink of crisis.
They had covertly driven the village to the brink of crisis. Bold and discreet enough to spread an expensive sedative over an entire field.
According to Six, the plan was to use the village as a farm to cultivate the key ingredients for the sedative.
‘It doesn’t seem like a solo operation.’
The Seventh Death Squad was merely an assassination group.
Producing and distributing drugs required a financial backing of significant magnitude, which meant there were wealthy patrons behind them.
It was likely a guild involved in trade.
‘The shadowy figures controlling Easton from behind the scenes.’
Lloyd’s targets were the Seventh Death Squad and the guild supporting them.
Well, now that he had key testimonies and essential items leading to the Seventh Death Squad, it was time to target them first.
‘Assassins are tricky to fight.’
Even among them, Seven and Six were just minor actors.
It was hard to gauge how strong their top fighters would be.
‘Maybe two people won’t be enough.’
If he had a proper tank, the Seventh Death Squad wouldn’t be as daunting.
But who should he take with him?
There wasn’t anyone who came to mind.
As Lloyd tapped his chin, lost in thought, the village chief, despite his large frame, quietly approached.
“Would you allow me to host you?”
“Of course, that would be great.”
Lloyd’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the village chief.
◆
As they walked toward the village chief’s house for the promised dinner, Yulia broke the silence.
“I wonder what kind of feast they’ve prepared for us.”
Her eyes were sparkling with anticipation.
“I didn’t realize you had such a big appetite.”
“It’s not greed! I just… wanted to have a meal that feels like a proper banquet for a change.”
Well.
Even though she was the Third Princess, the quality of the meals she ate in the palace was far superior to anything a commoner would experience.
Although she wasn’t one to indulge in luxury, it made sense that she’d occasionally long for something special.
Watching Yulia get excited about the meal made Lloyd feel… well, not quite sorry for her. After all, common folk are known to be happy even with a simple meat dish.
With that, they entered the village chief’s house.
“Alright! Everyone, dig in!”
Despite the chief’s confident gesture, the spread on the table was nothing extraordinary.
“Potato rice, potato stew, potato pancakes, potato fries, potato…”
Princess Yulia muttered in a daze, while the chief laughed heartily, oblivious to her disappointment.
“This is our village’s famous potato feast! Even though these are just stored potatoes… I hope you can appreciate the effort, as this might be the last of them!”
“… Yes.”
Yulia replied sullenly, and Lloyd couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene.
Unlike Yulia, Lloyd was genuinely curious about how these potatoes would taste.
‘Let’s give it a try.’
He cautiously put a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.
The texture was smooth, melting without a single lump, and the rich flavor of butter gently enveloped his palate.
“Oh…”
An involuntary exclamation escaped his lips, prompting the village chief and Zenya to smile proudly.
“Lloyd, you have good taste! You truly are the savior of our village.”
“… You flatter me.”
“Not at all. If it weren’t for you, our village would have been doomed! Eat as much as you like!”
As Lloyd began to enjoy the potatoes, Yulia, observing him, hesitantly took a bite herself.
“!”
Before long, she too was eagerly devouring the potatoes.
As they ate, Lloyd brought up a crucial matter.
“By the way, about the royalty payment you promised…”
Compensation was important, after all.
The chief grinned, clearly pleased with himself.
“Of course, it’s important! Our village’s monthly net profit averages around 30 million Krone.”
“3… 30 million!”
The agreed payment was 10% of the village’s monthly profit.
Even at 10%, that was a considerable amount.
Lloyd and the Princess’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“It’s worth every Krone. Without you, we wouldn’t even be able to recover that amount.”
“A wise decision.”
“Haha.”
The chief chuckled.
“Lloyd, I have a proposal for you.”
“What is it?”
The chief carefully gauged the situation before speaking.
“Why don’t you settle in our village?”
“Pardon?”
“Zenya seems to have taken a liking to you.”
Zenya, sitting across from Lloyd, lowered her head, her ears turning a deep shade of red.
The sudden turn of events was enough to leave Lloyd flustered.
“That’s…”
As he turned his head in surprise, he was startled by what he saw.
Princess Yulia was glaring at him, her eyes practically ablaze.
It was enough to give the illusion that her eyes were glowing red.
It was more terrifying than even the Arcane Eyes.
“Don’t even dream about it.”
Yulia growled, her voice low, before continuing.
“Lloyd is my advisor.”
