The moment he saw my spell, he seemed to go half mad, curling himself up in a ball with his head in his hands.
“My lord, I find your actions are having the opposite effect,” Carlos pointed out.
He spoke carefully to not spoil my mood, but I didn’t care; the owner couldn’t even recognize the Lightless family crest. That in and of itself was worthy of death for his insolence, as this went beyond mere ignorance of an uneducated man. The fact that he couldn’t recognize the emblem of his own lord was a clear act of ridicule and mockery. And unfortunately for him, I had no benevolence to extend to someone as insolent as him.
“As you can see, owner, I don’t exactly have the longest of tempers,” I said. “You’ve only got two options now: Tell me everything, or die on the spot.”
“Please, please... Forgive me. Forgive me!” the owner babbled.
He repeated himself over and over again like he was in a trance, making it clear that he wished for death. I let out a sigh and channeled mana into my hand. The only act of mercy I could offer this audacious man was to finish him in one blow so that he wouldn’t feel too much pain.
“P-Please wait!” a shrill voice cried.
Just as I was about to cast my spell, a little girl stepped between the cowering owner and me. She physically became his shield and stood in front of me as she extended her arms wide.
“Please, dear noble!” she shouted. “Please grant us your benevolence!”
She desperately pleaded for forgiveness. Is she the daughter of this owner? Unlike this cowering man, she courageously stands in front of me. Her bravery is commendable. However, this was a foolish act as well, and worthy of death for her impudence; a commoner must never stand in the way of a noble, and interrupting my execution of this man was quite impertinent. A commoner must never impede a noble’s course of action. Does this place rarely get any nobles? Is that why they’re so ill-mannered? The citizens near my manor are—no, there’s no use complaining about it here.
“I am executing this man for the disrespect that he’s shown to me,” I said. “This is a proper act that many nobles are given the right to do. Why must you hinder me, girl?”
“He’s my father,” she implored. “I don’t mind if you kill me. But please, grant mercy on my father!”
She placed her hands and face on the ground and kowtowed in front of me. Hm... Very well. She’s got the bare minimum of manners and showed me at least a modicum of her respect and earnestness. I suppose she’s not completely ignorant of how to act in front of a noble. And if I kill both of them, my generosity as a noble shall be questioned.
I silently let my spell fizzle out.
“Very well, girl,” I said. “Raise your he—”
But before I could finish my sentence, loud footsteps echoed throughout, and several men barged into the lodge, surrounding Carlos and me. The men had shovels, hoes, harpoons, and fishing poles in their hands; these tools were more than enough to use as weapons, and when I glanced outside, there were quite a few more men gathered around the lodging.
“I can’t stand back anymore.”
“Who cares if he’s a noble?”
“Get him!”
The men angrily raised their voices and directed their bloodlust at me. I didn’t spot a single person in the village. Why is there such a huge crowd now? The owner mentioned that many of the residents fled, but were they just in hiding? And to come at me with such perfect timing... They clearly were waiting for their opportunity. These commoners surrounded a noble and foolishly voiced their intent to attack me. Their actions went beyond just a breach of etiquette—this was akin to a revolt.
Killing the instigators wouldn’t be enough; I’d have to destroy their family and their bloodline. Even decimating the entire village wouldn’t be uncalled for. Do these idiots really know what they’re doing? Even Carlos let out a sigh as he glared at the men, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Indeed, I can’t just turn a blind eye to them. Whether they know the gravity of their actions or not, they cannot take them back. I decided to kill everyone present for treason and display their heads on the streets so that I wouldn’t tarnish my reputation as a noble. However...
I let out another sigh. Stay calm. Maintain composure. I mean, I’m calm enough. I visited a remote fishing village like Roguebert precisely to prevent my death in the future. Even if I took care of a few dozen commoners here, it wouldn’t prevent my grisly fate in a few years.
“My lord, let’s break our way out,” Carlos said.
“No need,” I replied. “You need not do a thing.”
My butler seemed intent on beheading everyone in a flash, but I stopped him. I knew that Carlos could easily take care of everyone in this room, but doing so wouldn’t change a single thing.
I condensed some mana atop the palm of my hand and created a blade—a technique that couldn’t even be called a spell. This chunk of visible mana wasn’t very strong either, but it was more than enough to intimidate others. Of course, this could still kill someone if I pierced their heart with it.
“I won’t hurt you if you stay there, girl,” I whispered. “Don’t move.”
I spoke softly to ensure that only she could hear me. Likely getting the hint, she gave a silent nod. Ah, she’s quite intelligent, I see. I wasn’t sure if she caught onto my intentions or simply didn’t want to die, but either way, I much preferred an obedient subject to a foolish one who dared to go against me. I gently placed my blade of mana against the girl’s neck and glared at the crowd.
“If you lot value this girl’s life, you’d best not move a muscle,” I growled.
The men could only watch with astonishment and shock.
“Th-That’s low!” one of the men shouted.
“Me?” I asked. “And I suppose adults armed with tools, surrounding a child and his elderly butler, aren’t low at all? Goodness, I really don’t understand the values of commoners like you.”
I smiled with my sarcastic retort, and the commoners only gritted their teeth and glared at me. Huh... So they surrounded me without once considering that I’d take a hostage. Impulsive and shallow-minded... I guess commoners aren’t much smarter than monkeys.
“I shall get nowhere speaking with baboons like you,” I spat. “Aren’t there any humans that I can hold a civil discussion with?”
I looked around and saw the red-faced men give way to a middle-aged man who parted the crowd. A cross-shaped scar was on his cheek, and his tanned skin only made him more intimidating. His sharp glare silenced the others, and the men visibly deflated and shrank in his presence. I guess he’s the leader of the bunch.
“I apologize for surrounding you so suddenly,” he said. “Won’t you free little Lillia there first?”
He stood in front of me and stared straight into my eyes. I guess this girl’s name is Lillia... Not that I care.