“Calm down. We aren’t planning to do anything to Diana Wassenberg right now. The Imperial Household has a plan in place.”
“I heard. But...”
“Right. As long as the salvation medicine keeps being released, there will be a limit to how long we can stop it. I plan to catch them when they can no longer hold out.”
“...”
It is possible.
“I heard. But...”
“Right. As long as the salvation medicine keeps being released, there will be a limit to how long we can stop it. I plan to catch them when they can no longer hold out.”
“...”
It is possible.
Diana is a core member of the family's forces, yet at the same time, she is a vulnerable healing-type ability user with no offensive capabilities.
It is an opponent that can be subdued by force.
It means that if there is a charge, they can be legally taken away and detained.
"So, you're saying that since you're catching my older sister, you're going to catch my fourth brother too?"
"That's right."
Gabriel, the fourth of the family.
Like Diana, a superpowered individual who is immune to force.
“But the fourth one...”
Ryan instinctively frowned as he thought of Gabriel for the first time in a long while.
Master of the Great Temple of Romayer.
The leader of the Salvation Church.
A crazy person with an angelic face who enjoys torturing people behind their backs.
But.
“There won’t be any charges to put him in jail. He is a lunatic, but he doesn’t leave behind any evidence that he did crazy things.”
"I’m going to get that evidence now."
"Yes?"
“Vania told me to go to Romayer and find a priest named Heinrich. He said he would be gathering evidence.”
Ryan frowned.
Who is this priest Heinrich? What is this talk about him having evidence as if he had been waiting for this moment, and how does Vania know him?
Ryan smiled even amidst a flow where nothing was properly understood.
Vania went to Romayer exactly once. To collect the Fourth Gabriel's special ability, the <Fountain of Purification>.
Right then, they must have sown seeds for this very day.
'Is he a farmer?'
Ryan let out a hollow laugh as he gazed at the crown of Vania's pink head from a distance.
“The regression chance is sweet~.”
“But you know that doing that is a declaration of war against Wassenberg, right?”
"So, you have to go in one breath."
"Yes!"
Ryan laughed.
"I understand what you mean."
By the time Nike declares war, his sword will be complete.
"Starting with Diana and Gabriel, I guess I'll have to finish everything in one breath."
“It’s time for us to do our part.”
“...”
Ryan felt awkward at Nike's words.
"Your Highness was certainly doing your part."
Although she was able to handle things relatively easily by receiving some of Vania's memories from before the regression, the fact remains that Nike has been cleaning up Wassenberg's mess nonstop for the past three years.
"You did nothing but keep sharpening your knife."
But finally, the time had come to take out the knife he had worked so hard to sharpen.
Ryan's blood started to boil.
"Well then, I'll be going now."
"Yes, please take care of yourself."
After exchanging brief greetings, Nike walked past Ryan.
Then, he stopped and looked back.
Vania.
He swallowed the many words he could not say.
Leaving a farewell with only a glance...
Nike left Belzer.
***
A spring day in April.
Capital, Valen.
As you walk down the street, you often hear similar conversations from passersby.
“Seriously, what’s wrong with medicine prices these days? The doctor’s office where my wife goes to get her medicine has raised the prices ridiculously.”
"You mean the doctors' office on Berland Street? That whole neighborhood is like that. If you go out to the outskirts, at least..."
One of the male students, who had been listening to the conversation, let out a sigh.
Red curly hair and golden eyes.
A handsome boy in a school uniform shirt, with a jacket draped slouching over his right shoulder, walking crookedly on his long legs.
Perhaps because of the two burly guards accompanying him on either side, he looked like any other rich and immature nobleman's son.
The boy's name is Alexander Belzer.
He is the son of Count Ryan Belzer, a lord of the East, and is a brilliant student currently attending the Department of Law at the Imperial Academy, who has never once failed to be at the top of his class since his admission.
“These days, whenever I go out, all people talk about is the doctors’ department?”
"The cost of medicine and consultation fees is ridiculous. A single tube of ointment costs as much as 300 gold. All the doctors' offices nearby are like that."
“300 gold?!”
Young Master Alexander's bodyguards, Jeff and Loki, also overheard the passersby's conversation and whispered to each other.
“Is it okay to sell it for that much? Did you put gold in the ointment or something?”
"They say they'll sell it however they want in their own department, so what?"
“No, you shouldn’t sell it like that.”
Alexander, who had been listening to the guards' conversation, interrupted.
“It’s illegal. For all departments to collectively raise medical fees constitutes a synchronized price hike. It is an illegal act in violation of Article 28, Paragraph 1 of the Fair Trade Act.”
“Gasp. Then do I have to go to jail?”
Loki asked.
“If you can’t pay the fine, you have to leave. 20,000 gold.”
“Hiiik! 20,000 gold?!”
“Yeah. This kind of illegal price fixing falls under Article 142, Paragraph 1. It is punishable by imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 20,000 gold.”
"Then what's the point of raising prices? It'll all just go towards fines."
"I know, right?"
Alexander sighed, feeling unnecessarily troubled by the puzzled looks of Jeff and Loki.
“...I suppose that’s because a 20,000 gold fine is a joke to them.”
“Wow, do the doctors’ departments make that much money?”
"I don't think so. The number of customers dropped significantly after they raised prices."
“...”
Alexander, swallowing his words, walked with a darkened expression, then turned around.
“Someone is intentionally making the departments collude.”
“...”
“...”
The guards blinked.
"It's the work of a worm."
At the words that followed, the eyes of the two guards, who had looked only naive, sharpened.
"Yes."
"I knew it."
Jeff and Loki are former Cerberus mercenaries.
They are hot-blooded men who have gathered, risking their lives, to bring down the Empire's corrupt 'Wassenberg' family.
Soon, Alexander and his two guards resumed walking and arrived at today's destination.
Private Defense Counsel Examination Center
The examinees who arrived early and acquaintances who came to cheer them on were gathered in small groups at the entrance.
"Oh my, I'm getting nervous just thinking about it."
“I’m not nervous at all. After all, our young master is a genius~.”
Today is the day of the attorney licensing exam.
It was also the day Alexander had been eagerly waiting for since entering the academy.
"I miss you, older sister."
The famous older sister fool, Alexander Belzer.
Perhaps because he had an important exam coming up, his sister's face suddenly flickered before his eyes.
“My dear! You’re amazing, my Alex! Sob. Dad and your sister will work hard to support you, so just focus on your studies with peace of mind, my little one!”
It was a report card showing top grades in the department that was nothing special anymore, but whenever he brought it to her, Vania would get teary-eyed and say she liked it.
Vania.
My beloved older sister.
My one and only older sister.
My older sister.
My sister... is sick.
“Fuck.”
“Ah! No!”
“Ah, young master!”
Jeff and Loki were startled and ran wild upon hearing the young master's sudden outburst of profanity.
“Watch your mouth! You’ll get in trouble with our Lord!”
“The young lady would be upset if she knew!”
It has already been four years since Alexander, who was once a cute little child, started drinking water in the capital.
He is no longer just naive.
Because he had seen so much filth in the capital, his hatred for the name 'Wassenberg' became more intense than anyone else's.
Enough to want to completely erase the fact that he is ultimately of that family's bloodline.
Alexander, who knew the reason why his sister was sick, simply could not hold back his anger at the price collusion among the institutions.
...Let’s throw them all in jail.
"I'll be back."
With that resolve, Alexander stepped into the examination hall.
Comments
Post a Comment