In the end, Lord Raymond retreated the soldiers and knelt at Simon's feet.
He was boiling with rage inside as he was doing it in front of a boy his son's age, but there was nothing he could do in front of the undead Legion.
"...Even if it's Kizen, you'd be in trouble if you used your force like this."
Still, he hadn't completely surrendered yet. The lord strained his eyes.
"The Dark Alliance firmly acknowledges the autonomy of the countries and territories it belongs to. This is an area that Kizen can't be involved in! If it develops into a diplomatic issue, how do you plan to deal with it?"
Simon, who was sitting down on the Lord's seat, gave a faint smile.
"I'll get straight to the point."
He took the evidence from his pocket and dropped it on the floor.
The contract from the middleman, advance payment given to Ellen, and even the remains of a torn Efnel school uniform.
"You seem to have secretly communicated with a priest of Efnel."
Raymond felt his blood chill to the bone.
"What was worse is that you did it after entrusting the mission to Kizen. In addition to treason, you led a clash between a necromancer and a priest. Can I interpret it this way?"
"N-No, that's—!"
Simon's eyes gleamed coldly.
"And you said that my actions could turn into a diplomatic issue. Your actions could turn into a war across the continent with that logic. Am I right?"
Raymond was covered in a cold sweat.
He was trying to keep Simon at the castle to prevent a clash between Kizen and Efnel due to a double booking of the mission. But he had already been caught by Kizen's side.
He was agonized.
'At this point, I'll end up being killed. It won't just be me either. The entire territory will be annihilated. I need to do something. At this point, it's sink or swim now...!'
Raymond jumped to his feet.
"How dare you!"
Then, he shouted,
"How can a person who has no power other than belonging to Kizen discuss treason with such crude evidence?!"
Simon let out a smirk. It was like the lord was rushing in with his neck exposed.
But it didn't really feel bad.
He thought that watching the opponent struggle while holding all the cards by himself was quite enjoyable.
[Kuhehehe! Your true personality is starting to reveal, Boy!]
'...My head's ringing, so please stay quiet, Pier.'
Simon looked back at Pier and bobbed his head. Then, Pier removed the robe wrapped around his body.
"Huh... Huh?"
Raymond's eyes began to tremble.
This was wrong. This was really wrong.
Revealed from Pier's robe was Ellen. She was standing blankly, eyes glazed over. Her head was tilted and drool fell from her mouth.
A magic circle was drawn on her forehead.
"We captured the Efnel priest during the mission."
Said Simon as though sentencing someone to death.
"She's unconscious for now with a curse. If we send her to Kizen for interrogation, we'll be able to draw out a lot of stories, don't you think?"
Thud.
Raymond fell to the floor.
* * *
The situation was settled. Raymond confessed all his crimes and begged to spare at least this territory in exchange for his life.
One thing that was a little surprising was that Raymond was a well-known person among the people of the territory.
He risked all his political life to develop the territory and attracted investment from the merchants by running on his own feet. He even somehow managed to arrange a visit from the Crown prince.
But the disappearance incidents held him back. If it became an issue, there was a fear that all his plans would be in vain, including the Crown Prince's visit.
So, Raymond joined hands with Elizabeth, who was running the information guild, and blocked all information leaks. (Apparently, Elizabeth didn't realize that she was the culprit of the incidents.) He also secretly commissioned various mercenaries, famous knights, and Kizen.
However, there was no response from Kizen for three months, and Raymond became impatient, eventually contacting the priest through a middleman.
However, Simon intervened in the request that was about to be discarded in Kizen, and the situation twisted like this.
"Pardon me all to hell."
Raymond lay on the floor and burst into tears.
"To speak the truth, I didn't believe in the middleman from the beginning. They said that she's a priest from Efnel, but I thought there was no reason for such a person to go through a middleman. I just accepted the offer out of desperation, but to think that a Efnel priest would actually come... I was too naive about this."
Simon, who was sitting down pretending to be dignified, felt his guilty conscience rise to his face. At the same time, Ellen, lying on a sofa and pretending to be unconscious, also had a face full of a guilty conscience.
In fact, the magic circle drawn on her forehead was also fake.
"This incident was solely my fault! You can freely take my life! But please, spare this territory...!"
Simon, who was starting to feel guilty, coughed, and said,
"Alright. I understand the situation."
"......"
"Lord Raymond. Let's make a deal."
"...What?"
"I just got here, but I have managed to like this territory. The front line close to the Holy Federation. I don't want this strategic point where we have to support many soldiers to be devastated when an all-out war breaks out."
Raymond raised his head with a blank face.
"Of course, if things go according to procedure, Kizen will annihilate everything that was in this territory."
"Ah..."
"But I don't think you caused this situation with malicious intent. I'll try to cover this case as far as I can to not damage the territory."
"C-Could you really do that?!"
"I'll try. But…"
Simon lowered his voice and said,
"It may cost quite a bit."
Raymond hurriedly put his forehead to the floor and shouted,
"I'll pay it, even if it costs my entire fortune!"
Just like that, Simon obtained 500 gold, 10 times the initial commission fee of 50 gold. He placed the huge money bag into the subspace and left the reception room with a sincere guide.
[What was that, Boy? You only extorted a little compared to your vicious act.]
"It's fine. I want to be satisfied with just getting this much in exchange for causing trouble."
Said Simon while shrugging his shoulders.
"In fact, aren't all these precious taxes of the people from the territory? It's not like we're robbing bad people."
The corner of Pier's lips rose.
As the son of former Legion Commander Richard, they had many similarities, but in the end, this boy had something fundamentally different from Richard.
"You did a great job too, Ellen."
Ellen, who had been inside Pier's robe, stuck her head out.
"Hehe! How was my acting? Wasn't it good?"
"Why don't you wipe your saliva off first before speaking?
"A-Ahh!"
She quickly went back into the robe out of embarrassment, and Simon giggled.
When he was leaving the castle relaxedly with the feeling that he had settled a case, the surroundings suddenly became noisy.
"Move your asses!"
"Hurry up!"
Fully armed guards were rushing somewhere.
"What's going on?"
[Looks like someone came to attack.]
"Let's go check it out."
Simon also ran after the guards.
"..."
Looking down from the 2nd floor of the castle, countless corpse spiders were swarming in front of the castle gate, and in front of them stood a familiar person.
Simon quickly turned his back and ran down the stairs.
[Boy! Slow down a bit!]
"Kyaaah! It hurts!"
Simon ran faster than the two of them and came to the front of the castle gate. The heavily armed guards were preparing for battle.
"What's going on?"
In response to Simon's question, the guard captain, who was wearing a helmet, found Simon and saluted him.
"It's an undead! It seems that they're trying to attack the lord's castle. It's dangerous, so please stay ins—"
"Please open the gate a bit. I'll try going."
"Wh-What? But that's too dangerous!"
Simon smiled and placed his hand on his chest.
"I'm still learning, but I'm also a necromancer. Dealing with the undead is my job, so trust me."
"Mm..."
Eventually, the guard captain opened the gate a little. Simon escaped through it, and Pier and Ellen, who followed Simon, joined him.
As Simon looked back and nodded his head, the guard captain nodded with a firm face and closed the gate.
'I didn't expect her to act this reckless.'
Simon started walking slowly.
In front of the swarm of spiders besieging the castle, you could see a woman in a wine-colored dress.
The hostess of the Thieves Guild, and at the same time, the Captain of the Spider Troops, Elizabeth.
"What is it, Elizabeth?"
[Simon Polentia, son of former Legion commander, Richard Polentia. I, Elizabeth, want to serve you as my master. Therefore, I'm begging for a chance to join your Legion and take your test.]
Pier giggled and folded his arms.
Simon calmed his expression and cleared his throat.
"Please send away your subordinates. Let's talk in a quiet place."
* * *
Simon decided to part with Ellen before moving to his inn. He himself untied the ropes that bound her arms.
"There's nothing good if today's incident gets known, so please keep it a secret."
"..."
She stared at Simon's face.
"Hm? What's the matter?"
"Ah, uh... You do seem a little different from the rumors of necromancers I've heard after all, you see."
Pier grinned and raised his greatsword.
[If you mean the stories of turning a person into a skeleton to keep a secret, I can fulfill it right now!]
"Hieeek!"
She got startled and hid behind Simon's back. Pier laughed out loud, and Elizabeth, who was watching from a distance, was biting her tongue and glaring at Ellen menacingly.
"And this."
Simon held out a pouch from the subspace.
"It's your share of the commission that I got from you earlier."
"Ah...!"
"Take care of your siblings."
Touched, tears began to form in her eyes while she held the pouch to her chest.
"Thank you...! Thank you so much, Simon! I'll never forget what you've done for me!"
"Where are you heading to again?"
"It's a territory called Loharon, in the Holy Federation!"
"Yeah, I hope you'll safely get to the Holy Federation."
"Yes! Thank you! I'll never forget this!"
When Simon was about to leave, turning his back, Ellen loudly shouted,
"Will we be able to meet again someday?"
Simon shrugged.
"Well, next time we meet might be on the battlefield."
"Haha..."
Ellen thought to herself that Simon was really good at drawing the line.
"If I ever have to go to the Holy Federation, I'll be expecting you to guide me."
"Yeah! Of course!"
As though she was truly moved, she waved her hand vigorously until Simon and the others couldn't be seen.
[Not only did you spare a priest, but you're giving her money and sending her away.]
"Yeah."
[What's the reason behind this?]
Simon smiled slightly and crossed his arms.
"I just thought that it'd be a good choice to make connections with a priest when I have to carry out a black request form mission someday. And, I just handed over the money to truly make her an accomplice and gain her trust."
[Kuhehe! I can't tell whether you're good or bad by watching your actions!]
"I wonder."
Simon put his hand in his hood pocket and titled his head.
"Is it really necessary to separate it in such a black and white fashion?"
[...]
"Half of my blood is a priest's. I have no intention of hating people just because they live on the other side, and there's no reason to do so. It's the same reason for sending off Ellen this time and extorting only a bit of money from the territory. I don't have to get extreme, right? It's fine as long as I take my profits in the middle."
The corners of Pier's lips rose up deeply.
[It seems that it'll take time for me to fully understand a human like you after all!]
Simon smiled and turned his head.
"Elizabeth."
[Yes?]
"You wouldn't attack Ellen, who I let go safely, by releasing spider troops, would you?"
She flinched inside, but then lowered her head.
[...O-Of course.]
"As long as you know it."
Simon started joking around with Pier again. While following these two, Elizabeth was captured by strange emotions.
Simon's back receiving the divine spear instead of her flickered in her vision.
After being rejected by Simon once, Elizabeth made up her mind over and over again.
She had no advantages for herself even if she joined the Legion. She'd just be bound by a cumbersome contract, gaining nothing.
However…
'In the end, I'm walking toward hell again with my own feet.'
She had never been, not a single time, able to overcome her own feelings
"Elizabeth?"
[Ah, yes. I'm on my way.]
Still.
Even if she regretted it, even if she couldn't see the future, even if the end would be terrifying…
She'd make the same choice over and over again.