Chapter Twenty Three
"Hans?"
I looked up to find Hans standing at the small gate of the cell, his posture as stiff as a frozen board.
Took him long enough. I was starting to get bored.
System Task Completion Update.
[Ping!]
[Task Completion Bar : 99%]
Awh... Already? I wanted to slap him more.
"Your Grace," Hans eyes darted to me briefly before moving to they mess of a man on the floor before returning to me.
[Ping!]
[You still haven't finished the circle formation.]
I know. I know. These things are just not ending. So, when are you going to say sorry.
...
Oh come on!
"What are you doing here?" I asked, finally letting go of Vische's collar. The Baron slumped against the stone wall like a sack of overripe potatoes, his face now a vibrant shade of eggplant purple.
"Vizen woke up," Hans said, his voice unusually steady for someone who had clearly been standing there for a while. "I came by to inform you."
"Hahaha." I straightened my clothes as my lips curved into a small smile. "Is eavesdropping fun, Hans?"
Hans flinched as he swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, Your Grace. I heard mention of opium. I had to listen for the sake of my family."
I stepped over Vische's twitching legs and walked toward my aide. The tension in the room was so thick you could have carved it with a dull butter knife.
"Have you decided?"
"What?" Hans blinked, confused by the sudden shift.
"Have you decided which side you're going to pick?" I leaned in, my shadow looming over him. "Me or Vische?"
Kaelen stepped forward, his eyes bright with a new kind of fervor. "Lord Hans, the duke has truly changed. You must see that—"
"Kaelen," I cut him off without looking back. "Let Hans decide for himself. I don't need forced loyalty. It's bad for the digestion."
Hans looked at me, then at the pathetic Baron, and finally at his own hands. "I am your aide," he said, his voice gaining a sudden, sharp edge. "I don't think I'm free to pick a side. My life is already tied to the Halcrest name."
"Hahaha! Good answer!" I clapped my hands together, the sound echoing like a crack of thunder. "Then how do you suggest we deal with this thing? I wish to beat him more. But Kaelen here is worried about my precious reputation. Apparently, beating a noble is a social faux pas."
Hans adjusted his glasses, his expression turning into that of a cold-blooded accountant. "He's not a noble if you dismiss him."
"What do you mean?"
"Imperial Law 201," Hans stated, his voice devoid of emotion. "The Four Pillars of The Empire have the right to dismiss and appoint their vassals as per their wish within their territory. You don't even need the Emperor's permission."
"Veryon! Veryon!" Vische wailed, crawling on his knees till he reached me. The smell of piss from him made my face twist in disgust. "Please don't do that! Haven't you always been kind to me because I was pitiful? Why are you being like this, Veryon? We're brothers!"
"Of course," Hans continued, ignoring the blubbering Baron entirely, "dismissal and disposal are two different things. If you wish to have him executed publicly, you'll have to write a formal report to the Emperor. Or, you can go another way about it."
"What way?" I asked, genuinely curious.
Haha. I never make bad decisions, do I?
"Dismiss him first. Then, once he is no longer a noble, send assassins to murder him and label it as an unfortunate accident. A tragic carriage mishap, perhaps."
I made a face, crouching down as I stared at Vische's greasy skin. "I don't wanna waste that kind of money on him. I still have to fix the duchy's state. Professional killers aren't cheap."
"True," Hans conceded. "There's only one vassal in the Northern territory currently. If you dismiss Baron Vische, you'll need to appoint someone else. Or it'll be really hard to manage. Ideally speaking, there should be more vassals considering the size. But the land is mostly forest and some villages."
"That's not a problem. I'm thinking of rewriting the entire order of the Northern Territory."
"The Northern Territory is very big though, Your Grace."
"How big are we talking? Can you get me a map or something?"
"I can. But, if you wish for me to sum it up. The Northern Territory is roughly twice the size of the rest of the empire, Your Grace," Hans said, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something like ambition in his eyes. "If well developed, we could realistically just take over the empire. But currently, 90 percent is just trees and mountains occupied by monsters and mystical creatures. Vische manages the 5 percent, and the rest is directly under you."
"There's no need for a vassal. I'll look after it. The people have been stressed more than enough. It's time for a change."
"I see that you've made your decision. If I might add I've also gone over the ledgers in your study," Hans added, his tone turning even drier. "If you don't want to come out as just an unruly lord, you can justify the dismissal based on his scamming."
"What scam?"
"The one million gold coins you 'owe' him? They originally belonged to you. You lent it to him years ago, then waived the payment under the guise of friendship. He simply took your own money and lent it back to you with interest."
The silence that followed was heavy. I looked down at Vische.
What a snake...
"So you're saying this fatty... he lent me my own money." My eyebrows twitched as the statement left my lips.
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Then, I guess it makes it easier to invade the barony on the guise of taking everything that belonged to me back. Right, Hans?"
"Veryon! You can't do this! We're friends! You—"
SLAP!
The force of the hit actually spun Vische's head around as he flew across the cell hitting the wall.
BAM!
[Ding!]
[Host Has Completed Daily Quest!]
[Host Can Claim His Reward at 00:00 before the next daily task.]
Got it.
My hand stung a little from all the slapping, but the notification in my vision made it worth it.
"You shouldn't have touched Vizen, Vische. You pricked my last nerve of patience," I hissed as I looked at him then at Kaelen. "Kaelen, gag him. Then come to Hans's room."
"Yes, Your Grace!" Kaelen moved with alarming speed, looking far too excited to shove a dirty rag into the Baron's mouth.
Looks like he was waiting for me to tell him to shut him up.
I wonder how many times Veryon made this guy suffer for this kind of snake. A gigolo? Let me see, who dares to touch my younger brother.
"No! No! This isn't over! He'll find a way to exe— Unghh!" Vische's protests were cut short by the rag.
"Let's go, Hans."
"Yes, Your Grace."