Chapter : 149

The effect was tremendous.

And Baron Pierre’s ability was also tremendous.

There was a reason he had crossed over to the Elang Kingdom with nothing, survived the tug-of-war with nobles as the king’s Purveyor to the king, and endured. He was exceptionally skilled at coaxing and placating people.

The moment Baron Pierre gained authority he could distribute, he began to manipulate the council of elders and the merchant factions under his control with remarkable ease.

As expected, he is impressive. I think I understand why you kept mentioning him. Of course, he is a bit lacking compared to you.

P, please stop praising me, Magician Agpiel. At this rate, my shoulders will shoot up to the sky.

What? Hahahaha. Where did you get that expression? It is quite amusing. Shoulders shooting up to the sky.

At the sight of Magician Agpiel laughing heartily, I had a moment of realization.

That was an expression I used in my original world. I should have been more careful with my words.

C, cough. It is just a regional dialect. Please let it slide. Do we not have much to do?

Wha?

Is that so? Well, if you say so….

Bishop Marco the goat beastman almost cut in without reading the room again, but I barely managed to stop him.

As I let out a sigh of relief, the guest I had been waiting for arrived.

Hm? Did something good happen? Everyone seems in high spirits.

It was Baron Pierre, whom I had found hard to see lately because he had been moving around busily. Judging by how things were progressing, his expression looked far brighter than when we first met.

Of course, it still seemed he had not been sleeping well, as dark circles were clearly visible under his eyes.

Good news? More like you have good news, do you not?

Hm…. Well, that is true, my lord. It is all thanks to you.

Baron Pierre shrugged with banter. Seeing him regain a bit of composure was pleasant in its own way.

Then how much is left?

I have persuaded about half of the neutral elders…. And since I am already moving, I intend to spread it to the elders supporting Andrea as well.

Oh?

If that was true, it meant he had already secured close to a majority.

As for the remaining neutral elders, was it not only a matter of time before they came over? It had been a relatively short time, but his skill was undeniable.

And that was not the only impressive part.

You are planning to manage even the elders who support Sir Andrea Bardi?

Yes. No matter how much they are my opposition…. in the end, if I win, they are people who will go with me, are they not?

And you are also shaking their loyalty to Sir Andrea Bardi a bit?

Heh heh, I do have a little of that intention.

As expected, not bad at all. He knew how to handle people. It seemed Magician Agpiel, who had been listening quietly, agreed as well.

You are quite adept at schemes and stratagems.

How can you say that with the person right here, Magician Agpiel….

Hey now. For a leader, being skilled in schemes and stratagems is not a flaw.

Baaahaha. That is right, my lorrrd. And it is a merchant family, after all. Baa.

……

Why was the goat beastman suddenly saying something so correct? For a moment, my words caught in my throat.

Hahaha. It is fine. If you evaluate me like that, is it not rather a good thing? As Bishop Marco said, for a merchant, that kind of assessment is not necessarily bad.

Well, if you think so, there is nothing to be done…. Still, do not forget that faith is also an important value.

To think those words would come out of my mouth. Usually, Magician Agpiel was the one saying such things to me.

Fortunately, Baron Pierre did not seem displeased.

Well, thank you for the advice, my lord. Or should I call you partner?

Call me whatever you like. What does a title matter?

Haha, that is true as well.

Thanks to that, the atmosphere in the room was warm and cheerful. Since everything was proceeding smoothly, no matter what we did, our minds felt at ease and our moods were good.

Hm, usually something blows up at times like this….

Of course, I felt uneasy at the ominous feeling creeping up from somewhere.

Have you found a suitable candidate?

Yes, young master. However…. are you really planning to work on this person?

At Sir Andrea Bardi’s question, his aide asked carefully.

It was understandable. The target they had investigated this time was an elder from the pro–Baron Pierre faction with a fairly good reputation even within the council of elders.

Why? Is there a problem?

Hmm…. He is highly esteemed and is famous as a devoted husband certified by the Church. So I am a bit cautious.

At those words, Sir Andrea Bardi curled the corner of his lips.

Then would it not be even more lethal if he were to fool around with a young woman?

A devoted husband certified by the Church having an affair with an unrelated woman.

No matter how permissive noble society was about such matters, if the Church was involved, it was not something easily chosen. Especially when he had even gained fame based on that.

Call a broker and bring a young, healthy, beautiful woman. One who needs money and has a tight mouth.

Someone with a younger sibling or a sick old mother would be even better?

Oh, yes. That would be even better. This time, I will really take a proper bite. Let the woman become a cuckoo and extract some information, then expose it at the right time and completely ruin that elder.

Sir Andrea Bardi said that confidently. The aide looked a little worried at that sight, but soon nodded as if resigned.

Even to him, there seemed to be no better method than this.

How is the Holy Empire Emperor?

Ah, he has accepted your proposal.

Hah! Of course he would. After being given such bait.

Sir Andrea Bardi snorted at the unsurprising result.

The Holy Empire Emperor was already becoming increasingly isolated within the Holy Empire due to a lack of allies. And now the House of Viscount Bardi, which firmly controlled the northern Apennine Peninsula, was extending a hand.

There was no reason to refuse.

Moreover, the Holy Empire Emperor’s interest was not only within the Holy Empire but also in the Holy See on the Apennine Peninsula.

His ambition was always to subdue the Holy See and reclaim the archbishoprics within the Holy Empire.

An alliance with the House of Viscount Bardi, which tightly controlled the route leading down to the Holy See, was absolutely essential.

So what did the Emperor provide?

Hmm, the Holy Empire Emperor has provided knights and mages who spread plague.

Hmm…. They are somewhat unpleasant fellows. Still, they will be very useful.

Yes, he said that using them in the businesses and cities of the relevant elders would be extremely effective.

Good, good. That is a fine method.

Sir Andrea Bardi nodded with a smile.

Plague-bringing magic was dangerous, but its effect would be tremendous. When everyone trembled in fear, if he stepped in and cured it, he could reclaim influence.

If not, he could intentionally spread the plague through the businesses of elders who followed his filthy half-brother.

You started this fight. Let us see how well you do, you wretched brother.

Since a mud fight had been brought to him, he had no intention of fighting elegantly or beautifully. He intended to fight dirty and shamelessly, stripping away everything, with full commitment.

There were no easy paths in life. As expected, ominous signs always came true.

While I was resting leisurely in the private room.

Hmm….

A plague? You mean a disease spreading everywhere?

BAAA! It is time for our lorrrd to act! Repent! The Performer of Miracles steps forth! Baaahahahaha!

I heard about the outside situation from a maid.

At first, I thought it was just a common influenza spreading….

But.

E, everyone is coughing and vomiting blood. And some people have blisters forming on their skin, Y, Your Excellency.

Listening to the full account from the maid, I realized that was not the case.

Something was a little strange. The symptoms of the disease.

At first, it was said to be a coughing illness, like a simple flu, that swept the city.

But at some point, people began collapsing one after another as the symptoms worsened. More importantly, the disease was spreading from inside the city outward.

Normally, points of contact between people, especially with outsiders, were markets, cloisters, or the city gates.

But this disease was instead spreading from deep within the city?

Hmm, was there a waterborne epidemic like this?

Well. The world is wide and diseases are many, are they not? I cannot say for certain.

No matter how I look at it, the symptoms resemble a typical acute contagious disease, the kind that occurs through external contact.

I think so too…. It is a bit peculiar. Or perhaps the person who carried it happened to be inside the city?

It felt extremely unsettling.

Of course, Magician Agpiel’s words made some sense, so it could be brushed aside.

And while I was grasping the situation and giving the startled maid a chance to hold my hand.

My lord. Can you help me?

Baron Pierre entered through the door. He looked fairly drenched in sweat, as if he had run from a distance, but more than that, his expression was very poor.

What is the matter?

There is an epidemic spreading in the city…. I see you already know.

Seeing the maid crouched down holding my hand, Baron Pierre sighed as he spoke.

He hurriedly gestured and sent the maid out.

Do not scold her too much. She must have been very anxious. Of course…. thanks to someone, I have had my hand held far too much lately, so at least here, I would prefer not to have it grabbed.

Mehehehehe….

When I glanced sideways and said that, Bishop Marco blinked his square eyes and let out a goat bleat.

Honestly!

So, it seems the epidemic issue is indeed serious. I was just discussing this matter with Magician Agpiel.

Oh? You were?

Baron Pierre nodded.

However…. there is something you should know, my lord.

What is it?

The epidemic…. the places where it spread the most, and where it spread first, are businesses and residences under my faction.

Hm?

???

Baa?

At Baron Pierre’s words, everyone was momentarily stunned. An epidemic spreading only to a specific target? And spreading there first? It could happen, but no one would naively believe that.

BAAA! Such a miraculous thing exists! Wha, is it the wrath of God? Baaah.

Ah, correction.

There was one pure believer among us who believed that.

Anyway, that was not the point. Ignoring Bishop Marco, I looked at Baron Pierre with a hardened expression.

If what I was thinking was correct….

Yes, my lord. It seems my brother has played a trick. By causing a plague, no less.

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