Chapter 25

The black market, Tazera.

In the Arium Empire—no, in the entire continent—it was the largest black market.

To be precise, it was closer to an organization.

An organization that facilitated all kinds of illegal transactions, and because of that, the Empire’s upper echelons regarded them as a major nuisance.

However, the Empire had never been able to completely eliminate Tazera.

Because the organization itself was simply too massive.

Even if they arrested a few low-ranking members, it was impossible to cut off all the illegal trades Tazera conducted.

‘And the boss of that organization was Serma’s father.’

I looked at the female student who was pointing a knife at my throat.

On the surface, she was a commoner born to a fairly wealthy merchant family.

But that merchant—Clergy—was actually the founder and boss of Tazera.

‘I know all about that organization, and more importantly, I know exactly how to make use of it.’

I was someone who had gone through every possible route in the game.

Through the Harem King route, I knew how to win over most heroines, and through the Rebellion King route, I knew who plotted what, when, and where.

And I had also played the King of the Underworld route multiple times, which took place in the black market setting.

‘That route literally made you the boss of Tazera. You seduce Serma in the Academy, marry her, win over your father-in-law Clergy, and inherit and run Tazera yourself.’

Even if it was through the game, I had once directly managed Tazera.

That was why I planned to use this organization to make full use of the elixirs I had created.

“Answer me quickly. Unless you want a hole in your neck.”

“You can’t stab me. I might be an unheard-of noble, but I’m still a noble. And right now, I’m fairly well-known too. A commoner killing a noble? That’d bring all sorts of trouble to you, Serma. And if, during that process, your connection to Tazera gets exposed…”

“Shut that mouth.”

Serma’s voice was cold, but she slightly lowered the dagger.

Seeing that, I smiled once again.

“Don’t worry, Serma. I’m not trying to threaten you. On the contrary, I’d like to get along with you and with your father.”

“And how am I supposed to believe that?”

“For a merchant, earning trust is simple.”

As I said that, I took two gold coins out of my pocket.

Serma’s eyes sparkled for a moment, though she quickly regained her composure.

“You think I’ll be swayed by a bit of money…?”

“Ah, not enough, then? How about this?”

I took out one more coin, offering her a total of three.

Serma hesitated for a moment, then took the coins and withdrew her dagger.

“What do you want from me?”

“Take a look at this.”

I pulled a small bottle from my bag, filled with a glowing violet liquid.

Serma’s eyes widened the instant she saw it.

“This is… an Elixir?”

“As expected, you recognized it immediately.”

“Of course. No one could fail to recognize a potion that can bring even the dying back to life. But this… even our black market rarely sees one. How did you…”

“That’s a personal—no, a business secret.”

I smiled faintly and handed her the Elixir.

“Give this to your father, Clergy, and tell him this: I can keep producing these, and I’d like to do business with him.”

“You can keep producing Elixirs? But the cost to make even one bottle is—”

“That’s also a business secret, so let’s not dig too deep.”

Still smiling, I looked her straight in the eyes.

“The important thing is, I want to open a trade line with your father. I’d like you to serve as the bridge for that.”

“…If it’s Elixirs, my father will definitely be interested. Fine. I’ll deliver both the message and the Elixir to him. But…”

Serma hesitated before continuing.

“To send it safely to my father will cost more than you think. And as you probably know, passing the message directly to him isn’t exactly something I can do for free, either…”

“Would this cover it?”

I pulled out three more gold coins and handed them to her.

Serma gave me an incredulous look.

“For someone of baron rank, you sure spend like you have money to burn.”

“Well, I’m not exactly short on it.”

“So that means you’re not after money, then?”

“Correct. What I want… are things you can’t buy with money.”

As I said, Tazera was the largest black market and organization on the continent.

There were countless things I could gain from working with them.

“Anyway, it’ll take some time for your father to respond, right?”

“Yes. He’s quite far away right now. At the earliest, you’ll hear back by early May.”

“Then I’ll wait until then. Please make sure the Elixir is delivered safely for our future transaction.”

“I’ve taken your payment, so I’ll fulfill my duty as a merchant.”

At her answer, I smiled again.

I wasn’t trying to follow the King of the Underworld route, but I had a feeling I’d be borrowing power from the underworld quite often from now on.

After concluding my deal with Serma successfully,

I returned to the dormitory, washed up, and rested for a bit.

Then, at the right time, I headed to the cafeteria for dinner.

‘He told me to come to the Disciplinary Committee room by six, after dinner.’

It was only five o’clock, so I had plenty of time.

I was walking leisurely toward the cafeteria when—

“Hey, that’s him, right? The freshman who’s been hanging around the Princess lately.”

“Yeah. He’s the only first-year male student with white hair.”

“I heard he’s been getting close to Jason too. There’s even a rumor Jason already considers him his best friend.”

Everywhere I went, I could feel people whispering about me.

The commoner students didn’t seem to care, but the noble students—regardless of their year—kept pointing and murmuring whenever I passed.

“For a mere baron, he sure acts high and mighty. What kind of confidence does he have, trying to cozy up to the Princess and the heirs of ducal families?”

“I heard he’s the noble in charge of the Serenus region.”

“Serenus? There’s even nobles living there? Wait, there are people living there at all?”

It seemed the nobles were quite interested in me lately.

Well, it made sense.

In this world, even a viscount barely counted as a real noble, and a baron was practically a commoner with a fancy title.

‘And yet, some no-name baron from the middle of nowhere starts the semester eating with the Princess and befriends the Hawkbat heir? Yeah, I’d be curious too.’

If I saw a character like that in a game, I’d think the writing had gone off the rails.

Anyway, the moment I entered the cafeteria, countless eyes turned toward me again.

‘Sigh… I really need to do something about this white hair.’

As I’d heard in the hallway, I was the only first-year male student with white hair.

So no matter where I went, people recognized me immediately because of it.

‘Should I dye it black? That’d probably draw less attention.’

With that thought, I loaded my tray with food and sat at an empty seat.

Eating alone was always the most comfortable for me.

Last time, Layla had called me over and I’d ended up sitting with the noble heirs, but that was truly an exception.

‘Looks like Layla’s group hasn’t arrived yet.’

If Layla noticed me and called out again, it could get messy.

So it was better to finish eating before she arrived.

‘Anyway, I’ll probably be working for the Disciplinary Committee every evening from now on. From what I remember in the game, that workload was about the same as a full-time job… and now I’m really doing it.’

As I ate my meat and vegetables, I thought about the days ahead.

I really thought I’d be able to finish dinner quietly and alone today but then, something unexpected happened.

“…Hm?”

A red dot appeared on the back of my head.

I couldn’t see it, but I instinctively knew it was there.

So I ducked my head immediately and a hand swished past where my head had just been.

“Huh? You dodged that? No, wait, forget being impressed. You! You dare dodge my hand?”

When I lifted my head, I saw a female student standing there.

She had ordinary brown hair and a pretty, but relatively plain face.

At first, I didn’t recognize her but after noticing her short height, I realized who it was right away.

“How dare a countryside baron like you avoid my hand—”

“My apologies, Lady Catherine. I reacted purely on instinct.”

I stood up from my seat and bowed my head.

The short female student seemed momentarily startled before smirking faintly.

“You sure know how to behave. Well, I guess that’s how you managed to stick around the Princess.”

“……”

“More importantly, you do know who I am, right? If you pretend to know when you don’t, I’ll kill you.”

“You’re the eldest daughter of the Perigit Family, aren’t you?”

“Oh? Not bad for some bumpkin baron from the countryside.”

The girl, whose head barely reached my shoulder, spoke arrogantly.

“But if you’re that well-informed, why are you spreading weird rumors lately?”

“……”

“If you were a viscount, I might understand—but what’s a baron like you doing acting so cocky?”

“I apologize.”

Right now, bowing my head was the right move.

Of course, I did want to smack the arrogant little girl in front of me.

But if I did, I might actually die.

Not figuratively—literally. There was a very real chance I’d end up buried quietly in the woods behind the Academy.

Families of marquess rank or higher could easily make that happen. Even a powerful count family could, if they wanted to.

‘And the Perigit Family is one of those—quite an influential count family.’

They were part of the Balmuth faction—one of the count families that trained the Empire’s military magicians.

A family like that wasn’t one to oppose carelessly.

Moreover, Catherine, this short upperclassman, was infamous for being extremely petty.

She’d once tormented a student so severely, just because they annoyed her that they ended up leaving the Academy altogether.

“Hey, are you even listening to me?”

“I am listening.”

“Haah, seriously. Listen well. Even your seniors want to get close to the Princess and the ducal heirs, but we’re holding ourselves back. Then a baron’s son like you swoops in first? Of course everyone’s upset. I’m upset, for one.”

As she said this, Catherine picked up a few greens from my plate and threw them at my face.

Honestly, for a brief moment, I wanted to draw my sword.

But I barely managed to suppress the urge.

If I drew my sword here, things could spiral out of control fast.

“Ugh, just watch yourself, alright? I’ve been hearing so much about you lately that I figured I should come deal with you myse—”

“Hm, strange. I thought the Academy was supposed to be a place where everyone’s equal.”

“…Huh?”

“You’ve got guts, Catherine. Big ones.”

“…Wha—?”

“Bullying again? When I’m the Head of the Disciplinary Committee? How bold of you.”

“…Ah.”

I recognized the voice instantly.

When I lifted my head, I saw Lisa resting a hand on Catherine’s shoulder.

“L–L–Lady Lisa! This isn’t bullying! I was just… giving him a simple lecture—”

“Lecture, my ass. You sure lie with confidence.”

Lisa spoke in her usual calm, expressionless tone, but her gaze carried immense pressure.

“Catherine, I’m very displeased with your behavior right now. You were the same last time when you assaulted those commoners—but this time? You went and bullied my new junior in the Disciplinary Committee. That really ticks me off.”

“…Huh? W–wait, Disciplinary Committee? You mean this guy is—”

“You didn’t know? Ah, right. I haven’t announced it yet. Then I’ll make it clear right here.”

Lisa raised her voice slightly, loud enough for everyone in the cafeteria to hear.

“Gideon is a new member of my Disciplinary Committee. And if anyone touches my junior…”

Her eyes sharpened.

“…I won’t let them go unpunished.”

The cafeteria fell silent for a moment, then filled with murmurs as everyone began whispering and glancing our way.

Lisa ignored them all and continued.

“Understood?”

“Y–Yes, understood.”

“Good. Oh, and Catherine. Didn’t I warn you last year?”

“U–Uhh…?”

Lisa grabbed Catherine by the collar and lifted her.

High—so high that the short girl’s feet left the ground.

“I told you not to bully other students like this. I know I said that. But here you are, first thing this semester, doing it again?”

“No! I–It’s not like that!”

“If I see you do it again, I’ll deal with you using your preferred method—violence. Got it?”

“Y–Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.”

“Eek?!”

Lisa released her grip, and Catherine dropped straight to the floor.

“Now, go eat your dinner. I’ve got work to do after mine.”

“Ugh… Y–Yes, ma’am.”

“See you tomorrow, Catherine.”

Lisa greeted her casually as if nothing had happened.

Catherine’s face twisted with frustration, but she said nothing and quickly left the cafeteria.

“Uh, Lady Lisa. Thank you for—”

“No need to thank me. I just did what I had to do. Anyway, mind if I eat with you?”

“Ah, yes. Of course.”

“Heh, good.”

Lisa set her tray down beside mine and looked at me.

“You’ve got salad dressing on your face. I’ll wipe it off.”

“A–Ah, no, I can—”

“Stay still.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

Lisa took out a handkerchief and wiped the stains from my face.

“As for Catherine, I’ll apologize on her behalf. We’ve been in the same class for two years… she’s a bit of a chatterbox.”

“I see.”

“You’ll get to know her better once you start your duties in the Disciplinary Committee. Anyway, all clean.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s eat.”

Lisa sat down, and I followed suit.

“I was going to eat alone, but it’s nice you happened to be here. Do you usually eat alone?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then maybe we’ll be eating together often from now on. That alright with you?”

“Yes, I’d actually be gla—”

“Hehe, so you can flatter people sometimes.”

“…No, that’s not—”

“I’ll ask you again in a month. Answer honestly then, okay?”

“…Yes, understood.”

Honestly, I didn’t think spending time with Lisa would be a problem.

Now that I was officially part of the Disciplinary Committee, no other nobles would dare nitpick about it.

‘Still, I saw this before, but… she really eats like that, huh.’

I glanced at Lisa’s plate.

It wasn’t so much food as it was ingredients.

Raw meat—completely uncooked, still dripping blood—piled on her plate.

Sensing my gaze, Lisa smiled faintly.

“You should get used to it. Everyone in my family prefers food like this.”

“Yes, I’ll get used to it.”

“Good attitude. Anyway, let’s head to the Committee room together after dinner. I’ll show you what your duties are.”

“Understood.”

The work of the Disciplinary Committee.

As I’d heard, there was a lot to do.

But thinking of my future, I steeled myself to work hard.

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