“Now, now, everyone, calm down. It was just a joke. Zenya… needs to put in a bit more effort.”
Zenya, on the verge of tears, watched as the village chief stood up, apologized, and briefly left the room.
— Clatter
The noise from the kitchen was short-lived.
Soon, the village chief returned, holding a glass and a small bottle in each hand.
“Everyone, have a drink of this.”
The bottle contained a nearly transparent, purplish liquid.
“… What is this? Don’t tell me it’s some kind of aphrodisiac?”
Yulia frowned suspiciously.
From her perspective, both Zenya and the village chief seemed dubious, their eyes filled with greed.
“Oh, no, no. I told you, that was really just a joke!”
The village chief waved his hands defensively and poured the liquid from the bottle into the glass.
A sharp scent of alcohol filled the air. Lloyd frowned but then widened his eyes in surprise.
“Could this be…”
In that instant, memories from the past flashed through his mind.
He recalled hearing about a legendary liquor from the continent, one that everyone must try at least once.
The aroma and taste were exceptional, but more importantly…
“They say drinking this increases your mana, right?”
Yes.
That was what this beverage was famous for.
The village chief smirked.
“You certainly know your stuff.”
“It increases your magic power?”
Yulia’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Instead of answering, Lloyd drank the potato liquor in one gulp.
The sharp scent of alcohol spread through his throat.
At the same time, a subtle stimulus coursed through his mana circuits.
He could feel the blocked micro-circuits at the ends of his mana pathways clearing up.
“To be honest, the effects aren’t as dramatic as the rumors suggest, but still, those who’ve tried it at least once notice a difference.”
A difference?
It was more than that.
‘I’ve made unexpected progress.’
The blockage in Lloyd’s mana circuits that had been frustrating him was suddenly cleared.
His mana circuit recovery rate seemed to improve by about 30-40%.
He had gained something significant from an unexpected place.
Lloyd nodded his head toward the village chief.
“Thank you.”
“But this isn’t enough! Tell me what more I can offer you.”
More?
Even Lloyd, with his conscience, was taken aback and wondered if the village chief was trying to back out of offering more rewards.
“You promised us royalties for the potatoes.”
“Of course, that’s a given.”
“Then why…”
Hahaha.
The village chief burst out in hearty laughter.
“If it weren’t for you, we would have lost everything without even realizing it. Let me make it clear—you are true benefactors to our village.”
The village chief bowed his head deeply at a 90-degree angle.
Being treated as benefactors…
‘This feels a bit burdensome.’
More than anything, the village chief’s pulsating muscles and Zenya’s admiring gaze made Lloyd uncomfortable.
Lloyd instinctively knew that asking for too much at times like this could be counterproductive.
After all, it would be troublesome if an entire village became dependent on him.
‘Still, I should take what I can.’
Was there anything he needed right now?
There were many things he wanted—money, power, incredibly powerful equipment…
But it seemed a bit much to ask for such things from this village.
Was there something substantial he could receive instead?
After a moment of thought, Lloyd’s eyes gleamed.
“Then, we’ll take the village chief.”
“What… what?!”
Bang!
Yulia slammed the table.
◆
After returning to [Royal Social Sciences Research Institute].
“Seriously, Lloyd. I almost started to question your tastes.”
Sitting down in her office, Yulia let out a sigh of relief.
“What on earth were you thinking?”
“Choosing the village chief over Zenya…?”
“Certainly not! What were you really thinking?”
Yulia shrugged.
It was the shamelessness of a princess.
“…”
What exactly had she witnessed in the palace?
Come to think of it, Lloyd had vaguely heard that same-s*x relationships were becoming a trend. There were even occasional rumors that the First Prince had that kind of preference.
‘I thought it was just a scheme by the Second Princess Aina.’
But seeing Yulia’s reaction made Lloyd wonder if those rumors weren’t entirely baseless.
A chill ran down his spine.
Lloyd rubbed his goosebump-covered arms.
‘I’d better be careful when I visit the palace.’
Truth be told, Lloyd—or rather, the original owner of this body—wasn’t lacking in appearance. Well, he was a bit on the slender side, but otherwise, he was actually quite attractive. Even the Grey Duchess had once hinted that part of her interest in Lloyd stemmed from his looks.
‘…I really need to be cautious.’
With this critical resolution etched into his heart, Lloyd shook his head.
For now, strategy was more important than personal vows.
“As Your Highness may have already guessed, the Seventh Death Squad is an extremely significant organization.”
“… The real power behind Easton that you mentioned. They must be the ones controlling it, right?”
“Yes. It’s highly likely. There’s also a possibility that the Seventh Death Squad itself is the real power.”
“Impressive. I hadn’t considered that.”
Yulia muttered in admiration.
Well, it wasn’t anything to be impressed about.
He had merely connected a few pieces of information.
“They seem to be heavily involved in drug trafficking. Most notably, they even considered turning that village into a drug plantation, so they’re clearly not ordinary people. However, this isn’t the usual mode of operation of a guild. If it were a guild, they’d likely adopt a more immediate approach, like importing the drugs from elsewhere and selling them. Therefore, it’s highly probable that a non-guild organization rooted in Easton is behind all this.”
Thus, the suspicion toward the Seventh Death Squad was justified.
The problem was that these individuals were likely no ordinary adversaries.
After arriving at the institute, Lloyd had conducted a quick investigation, revealing that the leader of the Seventh Death Squad, known as “One”, was a formidable figure whose reputation and skill were unparalleled.
‘In any case, we’ll have to fight One if we want to defeat the Seventh Death Squad.’
It was a battle they couldn’t avoid.
And in such battles, it was essential to act swiftly, decisively, and with full force.
“I know where the Seventh Death Squad is hiding. The key issue now is our firepower.”
“Firepower?”
“Yes. It’s not enough with just me and Your Highness. The enemy consists of assassins… I can handle most of them with my intellect.”
To be precise, Lloyd’s exceptionally sharp instincts would allow him to manage most of the situation. However, the real issue lay elsewhere.
“We absolutely need one or two physical powerhouses to step in when brains aren’t enough.”
Yulia frowned, troubled.
“But the knights can only be utilized within the palace, right?”
As expected, she is still a princess.
The first thing she thought of was using knights, specifically the Royal Guard.
“Of course, but we can’t recruit anyone here without either hiring them or bringing them on as allies.”
“… That’s true.”
Yulia hesitated for a moment before her eyes widened in surprise.
“Could it be… you asked for the village chief back then because…?”
“Yes.”
Lloyd recalled the village chief’s imposing physique and grinned widely.
◆
Rumors began to spread in Easton.
What initially seemed like nothing more than gossip quickly became a widely known story, primarily because it involved one of the “heroes”.
— Vice-President Claire has fallen seriously ill.
— They say she’s on the verge of death, and it’s a curse she received while defeating the Demon King.
At the Easton branch of the Harold Trading Company.
“… It’s difficult to trace the origin of these rumors, Vice-President.”
Claire listened to the ongoing reports with a frown.
Where had the leak come from?
Very few people were aware of her health condition.
Likely, only her attending physician, her secretary, and perhaps One from the Seventh Death Squad knew.
‘… Whoever it is.’
Claire was not pleased.
Rumors about her were always unsettling.
She knew the power of rumour better than anyone.
Rumours about him had played a big part in her decision to dispatch Lee Han.
“Rumors need to be quashed as soon as they start. Do your best to stop them.”
“Yes, my lady. However, there’s another rumor…”
Her secretary’s voice trailed off, causing Claire’s brow to furrow deeply.
“What is it?”
“Well, there’s a rumor that someone is plotting against our trading company.”
“… What?”
Claire asked again, almost involuntarily.
A plot?
Against the Harold Trading Company?
Of course, it wasn’t something entirely unheard of in the past, but…
‘It’s never happened since I became a hero.’
This was something she couldn’t easily tolerate.
Claire’s fists clenched tightly.
“Is there any detailed information?”
“No… just that one of the ordinary guild members overheard some rather specific plans.”
“What exactly did they hear?”
“Well…”
“Go on…?”
The secretary’s voice dropped even lower, and he hesitated before speaking.
“There are rumors of attempts to assassinate you, Lady Claire.”
“Assassinate?”
“Yes. And they even discussed detailed plans, like blowing up the building you’re supposed to visit on your first day in Easton.”
Crack.
Claire bit her lip.
The level of detail suggested that someone familiar with her had leaked the information.
‘Who could it be?’
She ran through the possibilities in her mind, but no one came to mind.
Her mouth went dry as the gravity of the situation settled in.
“Any guesses?”
“… I’m sorry, but I have no idea.”
Claire muttered under her breath.
‘Damn it.’
If only Lee Han were here.
If he were around, not only would they have prevented this, but such things wouldn’t have happened in the first place.
Claire buried her head in her hands, holding her forehead.
“… This is a crisis.”
Physical ailments and even the threat of assassination.
Claire instinctively felt that her crisis had begun.
