I Became the Narrow-Eyed Villain in a Dropped Novel

Chapter 130:

The wagons arrived at the checkpoint and slowly came to a halt.

The coachman, holding the reins, smiled at the approaching guards.

"You're working hard."

"Papers."

The man who seemed to be the commander reached out his hand in a businesslike manner.

The assistant sitting next to the coachman immediately handed over a few sheets of paper.

The commander flipped through them so quickly it was doubtful he was even reading, before spotting the promissory note tucked into the last page and slipping it into his pocket.

"Do you want to inspect the cargo?"

"I do."

The coachman whistled with a merchant-like smile, and the merchants groaned as they lowered two boxes to the ground.

The commander, seeing "Borgia Liquor Guild" written in large letters, gestured with his chin, and the guards expertly opened the boxes.

The commander's expression softened slightly as he saw the boxes were filled with liquor bottles.

"They're packed to the brim."

"These are for the people working hard out here, so we paid special attention."

"Hmm."

The commander immediately pulled out a bottle and drank about half of it in one go.

"You Northerners still make good liquor."

"It's the only thing our region is good at, so we have to be."

"From what I hear, the Federation has another special product besides liquor. Criminals, that is."

The commander's joke, which wasn't really a joke, made the coachman's face tighten for a moment before he quickly smiled again.

"Well, every place has its share of troublemakers. Speaking of which, I heard that Johann Geller's territory has been getting a lot of troublemakers recently."

"Has it already reached the Federation's ears?"

"We're merchants, so we're bound to have sharp ears."

"...Well, it's not a secret. The frequency of Demon pirates coming from the White Continent has increased."

The commander answered with a touch of annoyance.

The pirates who normally operated in the northern waters had now come all the way down to the south where Johann Geller's territory was.

They were only showing up in coastal villages for now, but everyone knew it was a prelude to a large-scale raid.

"But the inland areas should be safe, right?"

"Hard to say. If those Demons run amok, all the areas near the coast will be plundered... But the Duke must be coming up with a solution."

"I hope nothing happens. For us merchants, a quiet life is the best life."

The guard nodded and signaled that they could go. The coachman took the reins again.

As the caravan slowly moved away from the checkpoint, the assistant sitting next to him spoke.

"It was true that the Demons would help us."

"Are you doubting the Boss?"

"No, I don't mean that..."

The assistant stammered in a panic.

As a newcomer, he knew full well what happened if you doubted Cesare.

"It's just... I didn't think those demons would help us so easily."

"The Boss's connections are beyond your imagination. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to run a business across two continents."

"That's true. It hasn't been long since we started business in Geller's land, but we're already booming."

"Thanks to our pirate friends. We're moving goods to places where distribution has been cut off."

The coachman chuckled.

Originally, the Three Blades would have been busy blocking smuggling routes, but because of the pirates, their patrols had become infrequent.

"I wish we could do a real business instead of this liquor trade. The profit from smuggling is so much better."

"That's why you can't get out of the bottom rung. Who do you think created all those smuggling routes?"

"Um, don't they just happen on their own?"

"It's legal merchants like us who make the way. You can only rake in the money after you've laid the groundwork. Most of the people rushing in like moths to a flame won't last a few months."

The coachman clicked his tongue and tapped his head.

It was an unpleasant thing to hear, but he had to nod.

There were more than a few friends who had boldly started a business but had since lost contact.

"Tch. Prepare the papers again."

"Pardon?"

"It's a surprise inspection by the Three Blades."

The coachman gestured with his chin to where several people were blocking the road.

Unlike the shabbily dressed guards, they were wearing much more disciplined uniforms.

As the Three Blades approached the stopped wagon, the coachman gave his business smile and nudged his assistant's side.

"Here are the papers."

"..."

The officer took the papers and meticulously examined every single letter.

The coachman watched with a satisfied smile.

"I will also inspect the cargo."

"Suit yourself."

After inspecting the cargo for over 30 minutes, the officer's expression worsened.

Liquor.

Liquor.

Liquor.

There was nothing but liquor.

The only suspicious items they found were a few weapons that looked like they were for self-defense.

"These weapons..."

"Ah, yes. We have them just in case we run into bandits. As you know, the amount allowed by the papers is not nearly enough."

Technically, it was illegal, but no merchant wandering the vast Empire adhered to the weapon possession regulations precisely.

"I'll confiscate them."

"Aren't the Three Blades protecting this road? If so, we wouldn't need to rely on daggers like these." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ nοvelfire.net

The officer's face grew troubled at the cunning response.

"Finally, I will check the order form."

"Ah, it's a bit of a pain to get it out... Hey, get it out for them quickly."

The assistant fumbled through his bag and handed over a rolled-up piece of paper.

It was a very ordinary document listing the origin, destination, type and quantity of the goods, and the buyer and seller.

There was nothing to criticize in the document.

In the end, the Three Blades blocking the road had no choice but to back down.

"Please be careful, as the activity of smugglers and pirates has recently increased."

"Understood. Then we'll be going now."

Watching the wagons move away, a Three Blades officer muttered in frustration.

'They're definitely connected to those damned Northern Federation guys.'

He had come up empty five times this week alone.

If it were a group of ordinary smugglers, they would have been wiped out dozens of times over in this period.

It was certain that someone was slowly leaking poison into the Duke's territory.

The problem was that they couldn't even find a clue.

'But it's not like we didn't get anything out of this.'

The officer mulled over the name of the buyer on the order form.

"Count Valheit."

***

A guest I didn't usually see was sitting in the reception room, looking around.

The Eight Council was quite an open organization to Demons, but it was the first time Diaboli had visited... or so Ron told me.

"Please make yourself comfortable, Mr. Noah."

"I can't possibly be comfortable in this kind of atmosphere..."

Noah frowned at the eerily arranged taxidermy.

Well, I felt the same way when I first saw them.

"So, what brings you to this humble place? I believe the task I gave you is not finished yet."

I put down the letter I was reading and smiled.

To be honest, this was a terribly busy time for me.

While Cesare and Avantnik were the ones actively 'doing business' in the First Duke's territory, supporting them wasn't easy.

I had to prevent the Imperial Navy from operating in the south, keep the Ravens in check from moving to support the First Duke, and assist with the negotiations between Blaiher and the other Dukes...

Even though I was stuck in the headquarters, I was as busy as I would have been if I were out in the field.

But I couldn't just tell Ron to meet with the protagonist, who wouldn't have come for no reason.

"Do you want me to be brief or lengthy?"

"..."

That was Noah's catchphrase. In the novel, it was a plot device he used whenever an explanation was needed.

The brief version was usually easier to read and better summarized.

"Brief, please."

"A guy named Falsh came and offered to sell us some information."

"Cough, cough!"

I almost spit out the tea I was drinking.

Why was Falsh's name coming up here?

Was it the same Falsh?

"Seeing your reaction, you seem to know something about him."

"...I can't say I don't. If he's involved, I'll need to hear the details."

"If you insist."

Noah nodded and pulled out a map.

It was a map of an island.

I recognized it immediately.

"The guy named Falsh said that the Grand Duke is going to kill the Commander of the Eight Council and you here."

"That's a surprising thing to hear."

I replied nonchalantly.

I already knew, but seeing the map made it even more certain.

It looked like a detailed drawing of the crude island map the author posted when Valheit died in chapter 150.

Like a quality change from 360p to 1080p.

I remembered it well because it was a symmetrical crescent shape.

The island on the map Noah was holding was also an unnaturally perfect crescent.

"That's why our relationship with Leitche went sour. But I didn't know the exact location until now."

"You don't seem very surprised for something like that."

"Not at all."

I smiled and examined the map.

I couldn't make out most of the densely written text.

"He said it only makes sense when combined with another map."

"So this is a sample, and the real thing is somewhere else. How much did he ask for?"

"If it was money, I wouldn't have come here myself."

Noah frowned, so it must not have been a pleasant offer.

It wasn't strange.

If Falsh was the former Count Valheit, it wouldn't have been a clean proposal.

"He asked me to kill someone."

"Who?"

"The second son of the Grand Duke of Leitche."

I knew it wouldn't be good news.

I guess I should be glad he didn't ask me to kill Regina or Benjamin.

"What was his reason?"

"He said he couldn't tell me right now."

That guy's personality...

There were two cases where Valheit would make a proposal first.

One, when he needed to get something done without using his own hands.

The other, when it was a trap.

"What should we do?"

"How's the job you gave me going?"

"What?"

"The one where I'm pirating while impersonating a Leitche warship."

Dukes don't have the authority to have their own navy.

They can handle problems on land to a certain extent, but when a problem arises at sea, they have no choice but to go to the Imperial Navy.

The reason I told Noah to impersonate Leitche was to create a pretext for the Imperial Navy to move cautiously.

To be precise, it was to give Blaiher a reason to refuse Johann Geller's request.

"Recently, the pickings have been slim. It might be because Avantnik has started his activities, or maybe because of the rumors that Leitche is attacking."

"How is Leitche responding?"

"They're still just watching from a distance."

I thought they might cross into Imperial waters to catch the impersonator, but it seemed they had enough sense not to.

It meant there was no need to pretend anymore.

I was originally going to use Noah after I had refined the plan a bit more, but...

"It won't hurt to use him a little early."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just thinking out loud. Please tell Falsh that we accept the deal. However, on one condition."

"I knew it."

There was no reason for me to be led around by him.

If he wasn't going to move according to my plan, there was no need to make a deal.

"I'll write down the details and send them to you."

"Can't you at least tell me what the condition is?"

"Hmm. That's a valid point. Then, I'll summarize it very simply for you."

It was time for the protagonist to act like a protagonist.

"I'd like you to lead a rebellion of the Demons in Leitche."