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Episode 10
The Kilburn Barony’s territory, Logos, was located about half a day’s walk from Burgos.
Roughly within 20 kilometers—by this world’s standards, that was considered a very close neighbor.
Of course, even if it was “close,” the roads were terrible, and there were the dangers of wild beasts, monsters, and bandits. That’s why Burgos’s administrative officer, Schwart, brought along the captain of the guard and about twenty guardsmen as escorts.
Considering that the entire Burgos garrison didn’t even total a hundred men, it was clear that Schwart was showing considerable sincerity toward Sion.
“I’m grateful for the administrative officer’s courtesy. But I do worry—will Burgos’s public safety suffer on my account?”
“Ah, no need to worry. There’s also the deputy administrator, and frankly, Sir Sairen, there’s no one in Burgos who doesn’t keep an eye on my family’s opinions.”
Sairen was the middle name of Sion’s late wife, Stella. It was also the name of her grandmother, who had been a princess of the Kingdom of Obla.
It was one of the surnames commonly granted to royal cadet branches in Obla—well known enough to be useful in times like these.
“Then I’m relieved. Thank you again.”
“Hahaha! You’re too kind, Sir Sairen, too kind! Hahaha!”
The administrator’s face bloomed with joy at Sion’s polite thanks.
Even if Sion was from a branch line excluded from the line of succession, he was still a member of the royal family.
Riding side by side with such a person, having pleasant conversations—this was more than enough to make Schwart feel euphoric.
And Sion, noticing early on that the administrator was the type who always wore a useless monocle around his neck out of vanity, kept feeding his ego masterfully.
“Oh? Truly? I must say, your insight is astonishing. Even among the nobles in the capital, few possess such a discerning eye.”
“Oh, goodness! Hahaha, you flatter me, Sir Sairen, you truly do. Hahahaha…”
Subtly praising his conversation partner in a natural way was second nature to Sion.
And he wasn’t just all talk.
“By the way, that Burgos branch chief of the Information Guild, Jenna—she’s quite capable, isn’t she? You know of her?”
“Ah, you mean Jenna Ollot. I’ve heard she’s rather competent, yes.”
He had only ever seen her in passing a few times, but since Sion spoke of her positively, the administrator readily agreed.
“I’ve actually entered into a personal contract with her. Or rather, I should call it an investment.”
“An investment?”
“Yes. I put in about one million dien.”
“One million dien!?”
Schwart’s eyes widened.
Even for a prominent local figure like him, a million dien was about half his entire fortune.
And this man had invested that much in a mere branch chief of the Information Guild?
Was it because she was attractive and he wanted to win her over with money?
But Schwart wasn’t stupid enough to say that aloud to royalty. He asked carefully instead:
“W-Were you perhaps acquainted with Branch Chief Ollot from before?”
“No. Today was the first time we met.”
“Uh… Pardon my rudeness, but then, on what basis did you invest such a sum…?”
Still suspicious that it might’ve been a flirtatious ploy, Schwart hesitated.
Sion tilted his head.
“Hmm? Should I have to overthink such an investment?”
“……”
Sion smiled at the speechless administrator.
“Of course, I didn’t invest blindly. I trust my eyes. And besides, isn’t Burgos under your governance, Administrator Schwart? This region has law, structure, and a capable, responsible administrator. A branch chief here wouldn’t dare harbor treacherous thoughts, would she?”
“O-Of course not. Hahaha…”
“Anyway, I found a good investment opportunity, and met a fine man like yourself. I’m really starting to like Burgos.”
“That’s wonderful to hear.”
“And if I manage to get my horses back without issue, I might view this place as a lucky land and invest even more.”
“Oh? Another investment…?”
Unable to hide his excitement, Schwart watched as Sion flashed him a sly smile.
“If there’s someone talented—someone whom the insightful and fortunate Administrator Schwart personally vouches for—then naturally, I’d invest again. Perhaps… up to five hundred thousand dien more.”
“……!!!”
Five hundred thousand dien.
That was more than Schwart’s entire fortune.
And this man was saying he’d casually invest that amount into someone Schwart recommended!?
“Huh?”
At that moment, Schwart suddenly saw a halo shining behind Sion, and a pair of magnificent angelic wings sprouting from his back. Little cherubs descended, trumpets blaring as they circled him.
“Sir Sairen.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“I will retrieve your horses. You have my word.”
Just as Schwart had seen the halo, Sion now saw flames of ambition blazing all over Schwart’s body.
“I trust you completely.”
Sion smiled with satisfaction at the administrator, who now burned with what was—to Sion—a modest sort of ambition.
“I wonder if he’ll be alright…”
Jenna muttered, pipe in her mouth, momentarily zoning out as she organized a pile of reports she’d gathered from all over.
“Who? Also, seriously, are you okay staying up like this? You’re not getting any younger, you know.”
A guild member clicked his tongue at the dark circles sagging down to Jenna’s cheeks.
“One sleepless night won’t kill me. And you little punk—what about my age, huh?”
“I’m just saying… Anyway, when are we finishing this? Why don’t we just sort this year’s reports and call it a day? Nobody would notice.”
Thwack!
“Ow!”
Jenna whacked the guild member on the head with her pipe, glaring as she lit it again.
“Are you seriously suggesting we cut corners on the very first request from that man? You idiot. Go make some tea. Just tea, no booze.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
When the guild member sulked off, Jenna looked over the hundreds of sorted files and muttered again:
“I only gave him a quick summary… I hope that’s enough for him.”
Last night, Sion had returned to the guild under the escort of the Burgos captain of the guard, shocking everyone.
He had requested all information on Schwart, and Jenna had submitted a concise but thorough report based on everything she knew.
Schwart wasn’t exactly the kind of man the guild kept close tabs on, but after being in Burgos for years, Jenna naturally had gathered tidbits about the local elites.
“That greedy, vain man… Is he planning to use him?”
Jenna clicked her tongue, clearly not fond of Schwart.
But now, before being branch chief, she was a vassal of the undying lord and living legend—Sion.
Her duty was absolute.
She prayed that the information she provided would serve him well, then returned to the tasks he had assigned her.
“We’re nearly at Logos. Just across that stream, Sir Sairen.”
“Mm.”
Sion nodded lightly as Schwart reported as dutifully as a personal secretary.
The information Jenna had given him was extremely useful.
Using it, Sion had swiftly grasped Schwart’s personality and conquered him with the silver tongue he’d honed over nearly a century.
Sion had always been sharp.
Having been abandoned as a child and raised in an orphanage, reading people was as vital to him as a seatbelt in a car.
That instinct had been further sharpened through years of life-or-death experiences, training under mentors of different social standings, and leading through the Dragon War and decades as a feudal lord.
With enough information, winning someone over was never difficult for him.
‘If I just invest in a few places he recommends and have Jenna grease some palms, this will be over quickly.’
Even if half those investments ended up going to Schwart’s relatives, it didn’t matter.
The money would still flow into Burgos—and investment backed by power is invincible.
And if Schwart were ever replaced before the players arrived?
Half the investment funds would almost certainly be distributed among the other local elites.
The fact that Burgos’s noble families regularly rotated the administrator position without conflict proved as much.
If not, he’d simply make it so through Jenna.
The new administrator would see what the predecessor gained and work even harder to please him.
And the next one. And the next.
‘That’s how I’ll bring this entire quest-critical region under my influence.’
The loss of his two horses had turned into a great stroke of fortune.
Of course, that fortune wouldn’t be complete until he got his black and yellow horses back.
“By the way, do you have any idea which of the Kilburn baron’s brats sold the horses?”
Sion gestured toward the innkeeper tied up with rope.
“No, as I said earlier, the Kilburn baron has seven children, so I can’t tell which one.”
“That’s quite a lot.”
Large families weren’t unusual in this world.
But the fact that seven children were still alive meant the baron had likely had over ten to begin with—infant mortality rates were over 50%, so many children died before reaching age ten.
‘And Jenna doesn’t have detailed intel on the Kilburn family either…’
The family wasn’t particularly remarkable, so she hadn’t bothered to dig deeply into their affairs.
In the end, Sion would have to confront the baron himself to determine which child bought the horses, and whether he could get them back without issue.
Logos was quite a large domain.
It couldn’t compare to Sion’s duchy, of course, but in terms of population and area, it was nothing to scoff at.
The village around the lord’s castle alone had hundreds of buildings, and its central district boasted a larger market and commercial area than Burgos.
‘The people look well-off, and the market is lively. This lord isn’t ordinary.’
From Sion’s long experience traveling various regions, Logos was a prosperous domain.
Before the Dragon Wastes journey, most territories were poor, their people scraping by—or starving.
Even though seven years had passed during his absence, it was unlikely the world had changed that drastically.
Therefore, Baron Kilburn must be an unusually capable lord.
‘This might go smoothly after all.’
A competent lord was far preferable to a greedy, incompetent one.
Negotiations would be easier.
But Sion’s hopes were dashed within ten minutes of entering the castle.
“I’ll return the horses if you pay 100,000 dien in compensation.”
This was Baron Kilburn’s response after Sion (using his forged identity) explained the situation, with the administrator speaking on his behalf and the innkeeper tied up as proof.
“What? There’s no law like that! Sir Sairen is clearly the victim here. Making the victim pay compensation—what nonsense! And what kind of compensation—”
Schwart passionately argued Sion’s case, but Sion wasn’t listening.
His attention was fixed entirely on the baron’s face.
‘I’ve definitely seen that face somewhere…’
After 80+ years in this world, anyone Sion remembered clearly was someone important—for good or ill.
‘Kilburn… Kilburn…’
He mentally searched his memories, comparing the man’s face.
Then suddenly, Sion’s eyes widened slightly.
‘Kilburn! Adrian Kilburn Ritner!?’
It had been ages since he’d last seen the man, and Adrian was the middle name, but he recognized him.
The stern-faced Baron Kilburn before him looked just like the noble scoundrel who had seduced Sion’s beloved youngest daughter and eloped with her.
(To be continued)
