Around that time, Viscount Bedon was scowling at the reports from his raiders. “Damn it! It’s infuriating enough that an heir has appeared, but to think the damn bastard is just carousing all day!”

It was a common truth that when a man who had nothing gained power, his attitude changed. He knew that, but this was too extreme. According to the reports, the D-rank raider Claim was living every day soaked in alcohol, enjoying a licentious lifestyle surrounded by women. He had no intention of learning his duties as lord and was simply wasting his days.

There was no way to reason with someone like this. Forcibly dragging him away was impossible with Viscount Perna watching, and eliminating him was equally out of the question. Whoever acted first would take a considerable risk; if Perna found out, he would lose not only the domain but his noble title as well. The royal family would not stand by and let him interfere with a domain that had a legitimate heir.

‘There’s no way to talk to a man stumbling around drunk… and trying to approach him secretly when he’s sober is risky because of the raiders that bastard Perna has sent.’ Normally, he would have to follow formal procedures and request a meeting, but there was no way the libertine Claim would agree. He would likely find it annoying and delegate everything to his butler, Gildan.

Viscount Bedon agonized over the problem. Just then, the communication device on his table rang.

“What is it?” he snapped.

“My Lord Viscount. We have successfully made contact with Claim.”

“What?!”

“He says he wants to see you immediately, my Lord. We will escort him to the domain now.”

“Y-Yes! Use a Return Scroll and come back at once!” Viscount Bedon cried in triumph, slamming the device down. Somehow, Claim, who was being watched by both sides, had fallen right into his lap. It was a fortunate turn of events, but a question suddenly surfaced in his mind.

‘If Claim left the city at this hour, Perna’s raiders should have spotted him too… How did my men manage to make contact first?’ The infiltrated raiders from both sides were constantly watching Claim. If he had gone outside, Perna’s men should have known. And yet, they showed no reaction. It was as if they didn’t even know Claim had left.

Viscount Bedon tilted his head in confusion but then shook it off. In any case, he had made contact before Viscount Perna, and that was all that mattered.

“Th-This won’t do. I should prepare some tea… No, I should bring out the hundred-year-old rum.” And so, Viscount Bedon began to prepare for his guest.

—

At that moment, just like his rival, Viscount Perna was also exulting as he received a report. “Yes! I’ve made contact with the scoundrel heir before that bastard Bedon. Now, if I can just win him over, the Crowley domain is all mine!”

He had finally succeeded. If the report was true, Claim would be visiting him soon. Viscount Perna took out the fine spirits he had carefully saved and prepared to welcome him.

“We will escort him directly to your room, my Lord.” The long-awaited message came from his raider. Thanks to a Return Scroll, he had arrived sooner than expected.

Viscount Perna warmly welcomed Claim as he swaggered through the door. “Welcome. Heir to the Crowley domain, Lord Claim.”

“Ah, what’s this? You’re the one who called me?” Claim sneered. “I was really looking forward to being taken somewhere nice. This is a real mood killer.”

As expected, he had no sense of hierarchy, even in front of a noble. He was already acting as if he had inherited the Crowley Viscounty. Perna suppressed his anger and gestured toward the table. “Come, come. Have a seat. I have plenty of the alcohol you like so much here.”

“Ooh! Now this I like,” Claim said, his eyes lighting up. “Wow, how much is all this worth? I’ll enjoy this.” He immediately lunged for the rum on the table. It seemed he never got tired of it. “Oof. This is some high-class stuff, isn’t it? It goes down so smoothly.”

“Haha. Drink as much as you like,” Perna said, forcing a smile.

“Then I won’t refuse!”

The atmosphere slowly warmed. As Claim’s face grew redder, Viscount Perna brought up the main topic. “By the way, are you confident you can properly manage the domain after you inherit the title?”

“Hmph. A territory like that? I was planning on selling it off to some other noble bastard later anyway.”

“S-Selling it off?! What do you mean?!”

“Ah. I met with a guy named Viscount Bedon yesterday,” Claim said, chugging rum straight from the bottle and giggling. “He suddenly asked if I would sell the domain, so I agreed on the spot. Though I wasn’t too happy with the price.” He already looked unwell from the potent liquor.

Viscount Perna, sitting opposite him, stared with wide eyes. It was certainly possible to purchase the rights to a domain from an heir who had no interest in being a lord. Bedon had undoubtedly made an offer to Claim before him. If he left things as they were, the domain would fall right into his rival’s hands.

“H-Hey there, young Claim. Would you perhaps consider selling the domain to me?”

“Huh? How much will you give me?”

“I will pay double the amount Viscount Bedon offered.” He didn’t know how much Bedon had offered, but he had to be aggressive. It would cost a huge amount of Zen, but acquiring the Crowley domain would bring in even greater profits. Changing Claim’s mind was the priority.

“Whoa. For real?” Claim’s eyes widened. “Wow. With that much, I could just play around for the rest of my life without having to raid!”

“Th-That’s right. So, what do you think? Do you like the offer?”

“Like it? Of course I do! Alright. I’ll sell the domain to you.” He hiccuped. “Well, since we’re done talking, I should probably get going. If I get back late, that Gildan guy will nag me again.” Claim even grabbed the remaining alcohol as he stood up, as if he’d sold his conscience as well.

“W-Wait,” Perna interjected. “How can I trust you just based on your word? Shouldn’t you offer some measure of trust?”

“Ah, geez. You’re a picky one. You think I’m going to say this and then sell the domain to Viscount Bedon?”

“That’s a possibility. Who knows? Viscount Bedon might offer you an even larger sum. Besides, if you met with him first, you could be deceiving me as part of some deal you made. I need definite proof of your trust.” No matter how thoughtless the scoundrel seemed, this could all be an act. If he had met with Bedon beforehand, he was even less trustworthy. Agreeing now only to change his mind later would be a waste of precious Zen. Perna needed proof that Claim hadn’t already sided with his rival.

“Whew. Fine. Let’s do this. I have to meet with Viscount Bedon one more time anyway, so I’ll tell him this.”

“What will you say?”

“That is…”

—

“What do you intend to say?” Viscount Bedon pressed.

“I’ll tell Viscount Perna that you’re planning a surprise attack on Behetl.”

“And you think he will believe that?”

“Ah, but he’ll at least send scouts, won’t he? Tell him to check then. To see whether your soldiers are scouting or not.”

“…Hmm.” Viscount Bedon wasn’t stupid enough to believe the words of a mere scoundrel. However, if he thought of that scoundrel as his own personal spy, it was worth sending scouts at least once.

‘If this guy’s words are true, it means he’s completely deceiving Perna,’ Bedon schemed. Claim was currently playing the role of a double agent. If the scouting was confirmed, it would prove he was completely deceiving Viscount Perna. In a way, there was no better method of confirmation. Revealing the truth only to him was the very definition of trust.

Viscount Bedon belatedly nodded in agreement. “Very well. Then tell me the detailed schedule and location. I will confirm it.”

“The time and location are…”

—

“The time is tomorrow evening, when the light magic in Behetl is extinguished,” Claim explained to Perna. “Tell him to wait by the river downstream on the left side. Viscount Bedon’s soldiers will definitely come out to scout.”

“I understand. I will check and then contact you. Here is a communication device and a small token of my sincerity.” Viscount Perna handed over a communication device and a heavy pouch of Zen.

Claim took the pouch and grinned. “You shouldn’t have. Well then, I really have to get going now.”

“The raiders outside will give you a Return Scroll. Use that to go back.”

“Ooh. Classy to the very end. Alright. Call me tomorrow!” And with that, Claim returned to Behetl.

Left alone, Viscount Perna let out a sneer of satisfaction. “Foolish bastard. You may think you’ve made a deal with me, but you’re gravely mistaken. Once I have the domain, I’ll take back the Zen along with your life.” Even if a raider obtained a huge amount of Zen, he couldn’t run very far. Once he had the domain, he could get the Zen back and brutally kill the raider who had played him for a fool. Perna took out his communication device and sent a message to his soldiers in Behetl.

—

A bright light erupted in the dark street as a young man appeared from within a return circle.

“Ah. My head is splitting. How can booze be this damn strong?” It was Claim, the scoundrel heir of the Crowley Viscounty. He put down the bottles in his hands and clutched his throbbing head. The headache was worse than usual, and his stomach was churning from the exceptionally high-quality liquor. He collapsed, supporting himself on the ground in agony.

Just then, another light erupted in front of him.

“I-I think I’m gonna die.” It was a second Claim. As soon as he returned, he staggered and then collapsed onto the ground.

And so, on the streets of Behetl, two identical Claims suffered from the effects of alcohol. They looked the same and their voices were identical, two heirs appearing at the same time like doppelgangers. It was an incomprehensible situation.

But the mystery was solved by the first Claim to appear.

“Hey. Did you act exactly as we practiced?” Taehyun demanded.

“Y-Yes. I’m sure the lines were perfect… Ack!”

“Damn it! Don’t you dare puke here. No! Roquin, stop!”

The identities of the two were none other than Taehyun and Roquin, disguised through a doll.

—

“Hah. We were almost discovered because of you,” Taehyun sighed, laying the dizzy Roquin on the bed after they barely made it back to the room. The performance for the two viscounts had been a success, but his physical condition was a mess. Roquin, a lightweight, had started vomiting right there on the street. They had somehow managed to get back before any residents woke up, but she was now passed out.

“Whew. Neither of us is in good shape.”

“I-I’m still nauseous,” she moaned.

“…You die if you puke on that,” Taehyun warned, before drinking some water to clear his head. Then he took out the communication device from Viscount Perna, his lips curling into a smirk.

‘Those fools. They’re probably laughing their heads off, not even knowing they’re the ones being deceived.’ The two viscounts thought their raiders had made contact first, but they were mistaken. Taehyun had deliberately approached both. To manage this, he had disguised Roquin as a second Claim, allowing for simultaneous contact. As a result, each viscount met with one of the two ‘Claims,’ and both returned at the same time. It had been a hassle to rehearse the lines and acting with Roquin, but the result was immensely satisfying.

‘Now, the two goldfish brains will be suspicious, but in the end, they’ll try to confirm it.’ He was already looking forward to tomorrow evening. Taehyun toyed with the communication device and sneered.

Just then, Roquin looked like she was about to vomit again.

“Hey! No! That’s where I sleep!”

“B-But…!”

“Damn it. Just hold it in! Hey? Hey. Don’t give up. Damn it! No! Hey!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep