How to Live as a Tyrant’s Spoiled Brat Chapter 128

How to live as a tyrant's spoiled brat Episode 128

(128)

Sword-wielding guards in black suits turned the third-rate conman wizard upside down and stripped him of his armor.

I smiled with satisfaction and then hardened my expression and asked one of the guards.

“What happened?”

The guard hesitated for a moment and then answered.

I guess they didn't know what to call me without my paper mask on.

I tore a suitable piece of cloth that was in the store and covered my face.

The guard nodded and said.

“The manager was looking for a VIP anyway. We don’t know much about it… … .”

I turned my head to Sereraji.

“Sorry, Sister. I think I have to go.”

Sereraji answered with a refreshing smile.

“I’m sorry. There’s no need to say things you don’t mean to a wizard. Go and do what you have to do.”

“Will it come out again next time? I guess I’ll have to buy the stationmaster.”

“Then let’s go to the ivory tower. Yours won’t be counted even if the sky falls, so if you had any dark intentions other than choosing the items, give up.”

I said, bowing my head theatrically.

“… …I was thinking of giving it to Rudy.”

“You’re trying to make me into a loser like you. Why are you buying presents with other people’s money? And why are you acting like I’m being a swindler?”

I smiled faintly and raised my head again.

“Go in first. Watch out for crazy guys with knives… … Ah. You. Could you ride with me in a carriage until the front of the palace?”

“Yes, I understand.”

He sent Sereraji to the palace with one of the guards in the carriage.

Originally, the city was overflowing with gangsters and thugs, so you couldn't expect public safety unless you lived in a fairly wealthy neighborhood.

I also caught a carriage and set off for the red-light district with the guards.

The Red Mask, the current manager of the Hope Casino and a big shot in the Soletaraon red-light district.

A good relationship that didn't last long in my life before returning.

He was once a minion of a huge underworld organization, but he wanted to become the master of the organization, so he joined hands with me, and through the Black Iron Knights, he wiped out the underworld organization and took over the position.

What I want is the freedom to earn money and spend money.

The manager who has a firm grip on the red-light district, which has had as many problems as the slums.

She was lying sprawled in a hotel room above the Hope Casino.

She was wearing her usual suit and red fox mask, but I thought she was smiling for some reason.

“Red Mask. Why did you come to me?”

She sat up and looked at me.

My prediction was right.

The cold eyes behind the mask were smiling mischievously.

“Are you here?”

The voice was also much higher and longer than usual.

It was as if I was drunk on drugs or alcohol.

… … I told you not to touch the medicine.

Besides that, I felt like I was getting a slightly strange vibe, but at first glance, it was a good sign.

I asked the executives around me.

“What is going on?”

I couldn't help but feel annoyed in my voice.

A tall executive answered, bowing his head at a 90-degree angle.

“When the Red Mask Manager was a subordinate of the organization, there was an outside force that was dealing with the organization. They sent someone again.”

“Are you suggesting we trade again?”

“Yes, he expressed his intention to resume trading.”

“Is that item medicine?”

"no."

I recalled that at the time, drugs were being made in the red-light district.

The broken Serenade had a retired alchemist create it.

“Then what?”

“It is a tobacco that has various hallucinogenic effects.”

“That’s medicine!”

Even if you just dry them without refining them, there are many weeds that are more toxic than some processed drugs.

Once that starts coming into this street, the rest of the capital's thugs with nothing better to do will start running wild.

It will also have a negative impact on the old slums that are just beginning to settle down.

The executive who had encountered me on the magic street gave an additional explanation, perhaps sensing that my gaze was becoming increasingly menacing.

“The manager of the red mask bought a magic tool to avoid being influenced by the new year when meeting with the guest. It was because it was defective that he became addicted to it. He never took his promise to the VIP lightly.”

okay.

If you want to do business, you have to meet people.

“I don’t think we can talk right now. I’ll come back tomorrow… …!”

It was then that I realized what that strange feeling was.

I remember last year I caught a musician smoking a joint with a red mask.

“fu*k.”

I checked her eyes urgently.

A faint, dark purple aura was hovering around.

The prayers asked in surprise.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Call a priest. This isn’t just addiction, it’s erosion.”

"yes?"

“I’m really curious about the true identity of those so-called outside organizations.”

* * *

The church hated the red-light district, calling it a den of sin, but loved the gold and silver coins it brought.

The red mask that had been purified by the priest immediately stood up and bowed down to me.

“Sorry, VIP. I made a fool of myself.”

“It couldn’t be helped. Don’t worry about it. More importantly, what are those outside forces doing?”

“This is my first contact with them. I’ve only met them a few times when I was a subordinate of the organization. They seem to be tobacco smugglers on the outside… … But now that I know what I’ve been through, I don’t think that’s all.”

It may seem ridiculous to say that his external identity is that of a tobacco smuggler, but if his real identity is that of an encroaching force, it makes sense.

The beginning of the year was a product sold exclusively by the church, and although quality control was good, the profits were tens of times greater.

Of course, the church had no choice but to use the money to help the poor, and if the tobacco market was left to the private sector, it was obvious that even more addictive tobacco would be sold than now.

But since the price is the price, and since people had to give whatever they wanted because their tastes were held as if they were their weakness, people sought out smuggled tobacco even out of spite, and even devout believers expressed their gratitude to them.

In other words, if one claimed to be a tobacco smuggler, one could use the excuse of hiding one's identity from the church and the lords, while there was no great risk of one's identity being revealed to the general public.

Since you earn a lot of money, you will be able to cover the operating expenses of the organization.

“Did they sell that cigarette back then? The cigarette that the musician smoked.”

“Hmm… … It weakens the mind and makes you come into contact with old things through the gaps of hazy dreams. Yes. That early spring seems to be just right.”

I asked with a short sigh.

“Couldn’t you catch it? No. If you come back, will you be able to catch it?”

The red mask looked at the guards, and the guards lowered their heads as if embarrassed.

“I’m sorry. I went to the meeting place with a tight escort, but to be honest, I was the one who froze and shivered.”

“Do you remember the face?”

“He was wearing a monk-like hood, but strangely the top was flat and high.”

I thought of the eroderma I had seen at the Altzenberg Monastery.

Similar doubles, same hood.

You shouldn't think of this as a coincidence.

“Red Mask. He’s an encroacher. He’s a member of a fairly large old sect.”

“!”

Even through the mask, I could see her eyes shaking.

“Pretty much, if you will?”

“I’m at the level of negotiating with a high-ranking noble of the Marquis level. He’s not someone you can deal with. Did you sign a contract on the spot?”

She didn't shake her head.

“This isn’t something I can just resolve on my own. I need the help of the knights and the church.”

The red mask was silent for a moment.

“If we do that, they’ll come back here again. They won’t know that I reported them. I need to live, too. Is there a way to save us?”

I nodded leisurely.

Ensuring the safety of local collaborators was a fundamental element of gaining their loyalty.

“I’ll make you a pitiful victim caught at the scene. In return, ‘Hope’ has to close its doors. That’s the only way they’ll believe me.”

She smiled again.

“I’ll think of a new name.”

As expected, he was a partner who listened well.

“Make an appointment for the deal.”

* * *

The office was empty again today, with only the huge chandelier casting a soft, lonely light.

"your majesty."

I finished reporting to my poor emperor, who was still glued to his desk after the sun had set.

“… … So, it seems to me that the invaders are trying to put down roots in the capital again.”

She had been signing papers authorizing a land transfer between the Earls before I came, and she pushed the papers away as soon as I came and brought up the subject of the Encroachers.

Kkuruk, Jaylilith turned her chair and looked out the window.

She was wearing a dress with a deep neckline and a shawl, and her pert, jutting shoulder blades were hanging from her shoulders like a cloak of life.

The palace was located on high ground, overlooking the entire capital.

She spoke as she looked at the streetlights illuminating the empire's largest city.

It was a magic streetlight that she had personally improved and installed in the capital.

“Is this the first time since the last great expedition in the culvert?”

“Yes. There have been cases of imperial families such as illegitimate children and Lancia causing problems, but this is the first time there has been an organized movement.”

“How big is the smuggled tobacco market?”

At first glance, the voice seemed calm.

“Church tobacco is of excellent quality, but it is not diverse in taste and flavor, so it is not popular among smokers. On the other hand, smugglers deal in high-quality tobacco with rich flavor and variety, as well as general tobacco that is slightly lower in quality than church tobacco but costs less than a third of the price.”

“It’s long.”

But he could feel the deep hatred stirring beneath that sonorous voice.

“I think the size is half of the market size at the beginning of the year.”

Considering it was smuggling, it was an absurd amount.

“If the market starts to loosen its grip, there will be chaos throughout the capital.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Since the smuggling market has already been created, it won’t disappear just by strengthening inspections.”

“That is indeed so.”

Jaylilith chanted with her back turned.

“So you’ll have to do both this time too. You’ll get your name on the line again.”

“I misheard you.”

I answered as if I didn't know anything.

It was dark outside and bright inside, so Jaylilith's expression was reflected in the window.

It wasn't a smiling face, but it wasn't a distorted face either.

There was a mixture of anger at the invaders, anticipation of me, a sense of responsibility as a monarch, and elation at the coming fight.

The sadness flashed for a moment and then disappeared, and she continued speaking.

“I will strengthen the security and hire more police officers and watchmen. I will also assign this matter to Lord Barbatos and ask for help from the Church.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You should focus on preventing recurrence, disrupting the market, and encroaching on it. You should destroy the smugglers from within. I will leave the method up to you.”

Her voice rose secretly.

Only a smile remained on the face reflected in the glass.

“Please leave it to me. I will make you cry and regret ever having dared to crawl into Your Majesty’s city.”

I smiled smugly, raised my guard, and left the office.

* * *

Rudy looked around the red-lit streets.

“I didn’t know I’d be here. Is that the ‘Hope’ that Valen used to frequent?”

“Yes. It’s a place full of hope.”

A man was just dragged out by guards and thrown into the street at night.

“My money! My money!”

“If you hid the card, don’t you know that you would have cut off your wrist? Just be thankful that your limbs came out intact.”

Rudy smiled brightly, his green eyes shining.

“It really seems so hopeful.”

“I'm sorry.”

At the entrance, they put a mask on Rudy, and I put one on too.

“Don’t call me Valen here.”

“Yes. Foot… … ah!”

Wearing a mask and maid's outfit, she looked even more out of place on these streets.

As I went downstairs and headed to the VIP room, every guard I encountered bowed at a right angle to me.

“What about the red mask?”

“He is inside.”

I opened the door and went in.

An unexpected face was waiting inside.

A knight over 2m tall with hair like a lion's mane and wearing black full-body plate armor.

“Sir Barbatos? Why are you here?”

“His Majesty recommended that we move with the foot, no. VIP.”