I Became the Narrow-Eyed Villain in a Dropped Novel

Chapter 129:

An awkward silence continued.

In the end, instead of Ron, I was the first to speak.

"I happened to meet him in Ruhindorf, and it seems he has some connection to the headquarters."

"...Yes, he does. He's not a long-time trader, but one we started working with quite recently."

"He didn't seem like a normal merchant. What kind of person is he?"

The conversation was cut short again.

This time, however, it didn't take long for Ron to answer.

"He's a merchant who handles groceries and various sundry goods. He mainly trades in spices and seasonings that are hard to get in the Empire." This update ıs available on novel·fıre·net

"Is that all?"

"What do you mean by..."

Seeing that huge man hesitate for the first time in my life made me even more suspicious.

As if sensing my suspicion, Ron bowed his head.

"I apologize. This is all the information I have on the human merchant, Falsh."

"It seems you know a little more about this 'human' Falsh, though."

"Yes, but what's certain is that he is not a threat to you, Count Valheit."

No matter how I looked at it, he seemed to know who Falsh was.

And he said he was a threat to Valheit?

Is he really that big of a deal?

If he were that important, there's no way I wouldn't know.

Since I was short on information, I decided to press him a little more.

"That sounds like you're refusing to answer properly."

"How could I dare?"

"Then answer more precisely and definitively. Who is this human, Falsh?"

"He is Count Valheit."

Ron answered with striking clarity.

This time, it was my turn to be speechless.

It took a significant amount of time for me to understand his answer.

"What, what does that mean?"

"Exactly what I said, Count Valheit. Falsh is the former Count Valheit."

"Former?"

"Yes, the Count who was here before you arrived."

I don't know how many minutes I just stood there with my mouth agape.

Ron, like a patient butler, kept his mouth shut and waited for my response.

"When did you find out?"

"I found out at the last Eight Council meeting. And even then, Falsh was the one who approached me first."

"No, no. The part before I arrived."

"I was only certain after Falsh revealed his true identity."

Damn it.

That means he was suspicious even before that.

I frowned as my head began to throb.

Ron, as if to reassure me, added, "I am always loyal to you, Count Valheit. Not the former Count."

"No, but how did you know he was the former Valheit?"

"I've served him for so long. How could I not recognize him?"

There was no sign that Ron was joking.

No, he's not the kind of person to do that in the first place.

It also didn't add up that this Falsh guy was a con man.

The simplest and most plausible explanation was that when I possessed this body, the original Valheit was somehow bounced out.

"Who else knows about this?"

"No one."

"Good. Let's both forget this conversation ever happened."

"Understood."

Ron gave a salute that was so polite it was burdensome, took the letters, and left the reception room.

I had a feeling something was off ever since I first saw him.

I tried to maintain my composure and organize the situation in my mind.

If he wanted to reclaim his body, he had several opportunities to attack.

Did he let them slide because he didn't know how?

Or was he being cautious because he knew his own abilities so well?

Or did he have some other agenda...?

"Count Valheit."

The reception room door opened and the same deep voice returned.

"What is it?"

"That man has neither the ability nor the intention to pose a threat to you, Count Valheit. You don't need to worry about him."

"I appreciate the information, but didn't we just agree to forget about this conversation?"

"I just wanted to tell you that one last time. I'll be going now."

I was left alone in the reception room again.

He wasn't wrong.

What kind of person would believe a mere merchant claiming to be the real Valheit?

The last time we met, he was more helpful than anything else.

He might have had other motives, but it would be difficult for him to pose an immediate threat.

Besides, Ron clearly said Falsh was human.

That meant if I killed him, he would just die.

When I met him in person, I didn't feel any special physical abilities.

'Let's move on for now. This is a problem I can deal with later, after I've taken care of more urgent matters.'

For now, yes.

But I'd have to deal with it eventually.

***

Noah watched Falsh, who was bustling back and forth, with his eyes.

His every gesture was so frivolous that it was hard to trust him.

"We've moved, so why don't you just tell me straight?"

"There's an order to everything. There's a saying that crows hear what's said by day, and mice hear what's said by night, you know?"

Falsh patted a random ship's hull and wandered around for a while before finally nodding in satisfaction.

"At least structurally, no one can eavesdrop on us here."

Yenoki would have probably broken his neck if he'd seen him.

The thought of the werewolf who growled whenever someone touched his ship made Noah shake his head.

"It seems you are ready to talk now. Are you two ready to listen?"

"Does it require preparation?"

Karl, who stood beside Noah as his strategist, grumbled.

It seemed he wanted to throw this peddler into the sea right away.

"Hey now, there's no need to be so aggressive. Like I said, the information I'm trying to sell you is very important."

Smiling slyly, Falsh pointed to a region on a map.

It was a fairly large island between the Grand Duchy of Leitche and the Vestol Assembly.

"What's that place?"

"So impatient! Let me explain first! This is a private property of the Leitche Family with a mild climate all year round..."

"Just the key point."

Noah said, word for word, as he held his sword to Falsh's neck.

Falsh dodged the blade but didn't lose his smile.

"Understood. Satisfying the customer's request is important, too. The Grand Duke is going to kill Valheit here. At least, that's the plan."

Kill Valheit.

He said it with the same casual tone as 'We're having bread for lunch today,' so it took Noah and Karl a moment to process.

"They're from the same organization, aren't they?"

"That's what makes it even more shocking, isn't it? Well, what do you think? Are you a little more interested now?"

"I don't know why you're telling us this."

Karl replied coldly.

From his tone, it sounded like he was about to kick him out, but Noah knew it meant he was willing to listen a little longer.

"Aren't you guys the Count's minions? Of course, you should be interested... Ahem, I correct myself. You're his subordinates, so you should be interested."

As the blade drew closer to his eye, Falsh immediately lowered his voice and bowed deeply.

"What's your proof? Don't tell me you came here with just a hunch?"

"Of course not. I was actually tracking the Grand Duke because I was on another errand."

"What kind of errand would have you tracking the Grand Duke of Leitche?"

"Please, Dark Elf, listen to me until the very end."

Falsh wasn't getting annoyed or angry.

Instead, he was speaking in a very polite, almost pleading, tone.

For some reason, there was an unmistakable pressure in his courtesy.

In the end, Karl also changed his attitude and decided to listen to him without interruption.

"The Grand Duke is quite dissatisfied with the way the Eight Council is run. He thinks they're too naive."

There were already a few points they wanted to argue, but Noah and Karl listened to him quietly.

"His original target was the Commander of the Eight Council. He still is. But due to recent events, the Count has also been added to the Grand Duke's list of targets to be eliminated."

"By 'events,' do you mean Ruhindorf?"

"No, it was a little before that, to be precise. But it's not important, so let's move on. The key point is that the Grand Duke is after Valheit's and the Commander's lives."

"Evidence?"

Falsh took something out from his waist.

They flinched, thinking it was a knife, but it was a long scroll.

"Even a Grand Duke can't do everything by himself. He needs workers, merchants, and soldiers. That's how important documents sometimes get out and fall into the hands of bad people."

He unrolled the scroll on the table, revealing a map of an island.

It was a large and detailed map, and the surrounding waters were also meticulously marked.

Even more noticeable were the small letters and lines that covered the map.

"What I'm selling today is this map. Count Valheit will love it if you take it to him!"

"You're done talking now, right?"

Karl asked, his eyes wide with suspicion.

After hearing everything, he was even more skeptical.

"First, how do you know about the Eight Council?"

"I heard it in passing."

"How did you know Valheit isn't the real Commander?"

"Ms. Til told me last time. You know her, Til Chartra."

"The events on the island, sure, but isn't it strange that you've also grasped the Grand Duke's intentions?"

If Falsh's words were true, it was definitely incredible information.

But it was too easy to believe.

"What does that matter? What's important is that it's the truth. You're Demons, you can't be cleaning up after other people forever, can you?"

A sinister smile spread across Falsh's face, which had been feigning a look of injustice.

"As you know, to humans, demons are just tools to be used and discarded. You should try to climb higher while you still can."

"What you're saying isn't wrong, but it's wrong for me."

"...Pardon?"

Noah smirked as he sheathed his sword.

"Because Valheit is a guy who knows how to cherish his tools."

He had no intention of staying at the bottom forever.

But he wasn't so desperate that he would accept something this suspicious.

"I guess you thought we'd just snatch this up because we were desperate, but you shouldn't be underselling your price like this."

"Isn't that Count a guy with a terrible personality?"

"He is. He's a real son of a bitch. But he's a trustworthy son of a bitch."

Falsh's mouth twitched in surprise, and he soon let out a hollow laugh and lowered his head.

"That man, it seems he's much better at managing people than I thought. Unlike someone else."

Falsh, who had muttered to himself, raised his head again with a bright face.

"So, you're just asking for a discount, aren't you? In that case, this honest Falsh is more than willing to negotiate with you!"

"How much do you want?"

Noah asked with a slight hint of tension.

He was now under Valheit, but it wasn't like he was getting a regular salary, so he was short on cash.

It would be a problem if he named too high a price.

In that case, it might be better to just take it by force...

"First, let me tell you that if you kill me and take this map, it will be meaningless. It's written in code, and it only makes sense when combined with a few other maps I've hidden elsewhere."

"Do you think we're like you humans?"

Karl grumbled, and Noah, startled, put his sword on the table and cleared his throat.

"It seems you're not well off, so I'll take something else instead of money."

Falsh smiled widely.

"I'd like you to kill someone for me."