Gustaf’s bodyguard attempted to dive in and save him, but Rosalia quickly thrust the blade of her short sword at his neck.
She’s so strong!
The bodyguard, fearing for his own life, immediately dropped his weapon.
“Lord Weiss,” Gustaf cried, bursting into a fit of rage. “You will not get away with resorting to violence because you lack the money to pay your debts! Everyone knows you owe me money! If you capture me without returning what is rightfully mine, your reputation will only worsen.”
“Huh? Who the hell said anything about not having money? You’re the one who got ahead of himself and tried to do something gross to my Rosalia,” I said, pulling out the bag of gold coins that I hid under the table and placing it on top.
“Impossible!” Panic spread across Gustaf’s face. “How did you get all of that? You’re not supposed to have any money left.”
“What are you even talking about? You’re the one who said I looked like I was in good spirits, right? And I said I owed you, didn’t I? How can you ever hope to be a successful merchant if you can’t remember what people say? No worries, I’ll pay you back. Not that it’ll matter, considering you’ll be stuck in a cell.”
“Wh-what do you mean? I may have been a bit rude, but I don’t see how that means you can stuff me in a cell.”
“Right, right. If it was just that, I definitely wouldn’t go so far. But here’s the problem. I always try to return a favor. It’s my policy! Did you have fun messing with poor little ignorant Weiss?” I paused, letting that sink in. “Frankly, I’ve already looked into everything you’ve done. I know that you bought up the products you recommended to me in order to drive up their prices. Then, as soon as I made the purchases, you sold them off to drop their value so that House Hamilton would take a huge financial hit. Once that was done, you used my debt as a way to entangle me in your crimes.”
His machinations meant that Weiss had failed at a number of enterprises, and on the table between us, I spread out various materials detailing those schemes so he could see them. Gustaf’s bitter expression confirmed that my deductions were on the mark.
Obviously, this man had committed more crimes than I could pinpoint in a single day. The only reason I’d easily figured this out was because he tried to do the same thing to the hero in the game.
Fortunately for the hero, he had a friend who was well-versed in business matters. But Weiss had only just become the lord, and he was alone, which had led to this situation in the first place.
“In any case, you’re being arrested for treachery against the lord of this territory, as well as trying to put your hands on Rosalia. Feel free to reflect on your behavior in your cell. In the meantime, I’ll be exposing each and every one of your crimes.”
“Impossible!” he cried.
I signaled for the guards to come and take Gustaf and his bodyguard to their respective cells. Seeing the despair on his face as he was hauled away, I let a devious smile slip onto my face before I could stop myself.
Not only had this man tricked my favorite character, he’d made a mockery of him and had even tried to put his hands on Rosalia. He wasn’t getting away with it.
I happened to know that those hands were even dirtier than they looked. In other territories, he was exploring his options in drug dealing and the slave trade, both banned in this country. If Weiss lost this territory to Gustaf due to his debt, there was no telling what horrors that man would get up to. While he was in jail, I planned on collecting all the evidence I could to lock him away forever. I’d arrested him on a separate charge from the one I would eventually bring.
I wasn’t about to get fussy about the methods when it came to raising my loyalty points with my subjects and keeping this territory safe. The Japanese police frequently used this strategy to catch criminals, so there was nothing wrong with my making use of it as well.
Plus, I wasn’t the main hero. The only way for me to survive in this world was to resort to underhanded tactics.
“Thanks, Rosalia. However, I’m begging you, please don’t use yourself as bait anymore.”
“Lord Weiss, you worry too much. I bent his arm before he could touch me,” she said. “You must understand, it hurts to not be of use to you, especially after receiving a ring like this.”
It was rare for Rosalia to offer any kind of rebuttal to my words.
The request she had made to me was to allow her to act as bait in order to create an opportunity to take Gustaf into custody. Naturally, I was against the idea, but she insisted. At this rate, one day, she was going to put herself in mortal danger to protect me. I had to find a way to prevent that from ever happening, even if I appreciated that she cared so much.
Not only did I need to get stronger, I also needed to become an excellent lord. In order to make this territory better, I needed to fully understand the situation, improve it, and use the knowledge I had of the game to get rid of anyone who would endanger us in the future. There was a lot that needed attending to.
But I was going to get it all done. That was why I was given the chance to save my fave.
“Rosalia, first, I would like to speak with my people about the state of the territory. I was thinking of having a big meeting. Could you get everyone together for me? Also, can you find someone who knows a thing or two about magic?”
“That would be no problem. In fact, your regular meeting is scheduled for next week. As for a magic teacher, you have one standing right in front of you,” she said. “I’m so happy you’re interested in magic again!”
“Huh? Oh, got it. You were my magic teacher.”
After all, Rosalia fought with ice magic and a spear, so it would make sense that she had been the one to teach Weiss magic.
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be glad to take that role again. Oh, and while we’re at it, we can resume your sword training as well!”
“Good idea. I might end up on the battlefield one day, as a lord.”
“Lord Weiss, that’s the wrong way to think about it. Your primary concern is making sure that such battles do not happen,” she said. “But if it should come to that, I will protect you no matter what.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you will.”
I knew that she meant it. She would protect me—no, protect Weiss at any cost. While things were peaceful now, in a few years’ time, we would catch up with the game proper. When that happened, there would be a massive war that we wouldn’t be able to avoid.
Weiss wasn’t the only person I wanted to save. I wanted to save Rosalia too. There was no world where it was okay for such a virtuous young woman to meet such a tragic fate, all while trying to protect her master.
That was why I had to express Weiss’s feelings…my feelings, honestly.
“I vow here and now to protect you, Rosalia. Never leave my side.”
“Huh? Yes, of course,” she murmured. “Lord Weiss, you truly have changed. Maybe the shock of the stabbing really did do something to your head.”
“Really? That’s your reaction? Did I say something that weird?”
“I apologize,” she said with a little giggle. “I was just feeling a bit bashful. It is true that you have been acting odd since waking up from your injuries, but it’s good that you’re back to who you used to be,” Rosalia said with a big smile. “Anyway, I hope you are ready for your training tomorrow!”