Chapter 75: Rabble! Peasants Who Defy Nobility Deserve to Hang! (1)
Chapter 75: Rabble! Peasants Who Defy Nobility Deserve to Hang! (Part 1)
👹
“You… what do you think you’re doing? I am a noble of the Empire—what do you intend to do to me?!”
Just moments ago, Viscount Montoya had radiated righteous fury, his voice laced with the arrogance of the privileged. But now, confronted by the man before him—his twisted grin leaving no doubt of his hostility—Montoya’s face drained of all color.
Was this… a threat?
No—this was an outright, shameless threat!
A mere commoner, daring to threaten him—a dignified viscount?
From any angle, this was utterly intolerable!
And yet, with all eyes turning his way, the crowd bearing silent witness, Montoya’s noble pride dissolved in an instant as the man before him showed not a hint of jest. All he could do was instinctively take a step back.
After all, he didn’t have a single one of those so-called official documents.
His real purpose here was simple: he’d been dispatched by his superiors to exploit the capital’s transfer of supplies to the front lines, hoping to hoard medicinal herbs and rake in a fortune on the black market.
Originally, he’d planned to send his men to the market to snatch up every last herb, using the chaos as cover for his profiteering. Who could have foreseen the Imperial Magic Academy’s sudden intervention, ruining his scheme?
Now, with his plans in ruins, his only hope was to detain the Academy’s representative in the palace for a few days, pressuring them to hand over the goods.
They were just commoners, after all. What harm could come from locking them up for a little while under some flimsy pretense?
But why—why did he have to run into lunatics like this today?!
“Is something the matter, Viscount Montoya? You’ve gone awfully quiet. Are you hoping to faint so we’ll drag you outside? If memory serves, the Goblin Studies Department next door is still looking for a part-time assistant. Since you’re an imperial noble, why not seize the chance to contribute?”
“I bet the goblins would love someone as tender and delicate as you, Viscount. Nobles like you—so soft and pampered, just like a little girl… heh heh heh!”
Lin Wei strode forward, his grin twisting into something truly sinister.
Nerinette, who had been sulking only a moment before, immediately perked up at Lin Wei’s words—she practically forgot they’d even argued.
“That’s right! Hand him over to the goblins and let them have their fun! I’ve still got plenty of test potions that restore stamina—he’ll make the perfect experimental subject!”
“Hurry, Mr. Lin Wei! I’ll go fetch everything we need right now!”
“Stop!!!”
Faced with the looming threat, Viscount Montoya finally broke. He could no longer keep up his noble façade.
They weren’t joking. These two maniacs really would toss him straight to the goblins!
And that alchemy department head—what was she saying? She still had test ingredients she hadn’t tried out?
You’re planning to use me as a human test subject, aren’t you?!
Upholding the dignity of the nobility was important, yes, but compared to the primal urge to survive, Montoya’s priorities shifted in an instant.
“I—I admit it! I don’t have any official documents!”
“Oh? Then what’s going on here? Who sent you?”
Veyahadn’t gone into much detail yesterday—she never said exactly which nobles were harassing the so-called ‘useless Pope.’ But after today’s events, it was clear: someone had deliberately sent people to disrupt the Imperial Magic Academy’s supply preparations, all to create trouble for the Pope.
It fit perfectly with Lin Wei’s earlier suspicions.
If it were the old days, he would have welcomed this kind of chaos. The more the Holy See and the Empire clashed, the easier it would be for him to lay low and bide his time.
But now? If the ‘useless Pope’ really lost power, it would actually be a disaster.
After all, leaving a fool on the throne was always better than letting some cunning old fox take over.
No matter what, before Yalis rises to power—and for Veya’s sake as well—I have to protect this utterly worthless Pope, at least for now!
“It was… it was a certain high-ranking official from the palace who sent me! He said some nobles were willing to use their own private funds to provide extra supplies for the front lines, so he asked me to purchase materials on behalf of the palace.”
“But the medicinal herbs were all bought up by the Imperial Magic Academy. To finish my assignment, I only wanted to invite the Academy’s representative to stay at the palace for a few days… That’s all there is to it.”
Viscount Montoya’s mind raced as he cobbled together an excuse on the spot.
If he blurted out his real objective in front of all these witnesses, the Duke would have him skinned alive!
Even with the threat of goblins looming over him, he still had to leave himself a shred of plausible deniability.
“I see.”
Unfortunately for him, Lin Wei wasn’t buying it for a second.
It was obvious—this guy was just making things up to cover himself, hoping to avoid retribution later.
Nobles, donating their private fortunes to the front lines? Please. Lin Wei would sooner believe they were hoarding supplies for profit.
Most likely, they planned to wait until all the capital’s goods had been sent to the front, leaving nothing for anyone else. Then, when desperate adventurers came begging, they’d sell it back at exorbitant prices. For these shameless nobles, exploiting the common folk was nothing new.
“So, what’s the name of this ‘high-ranking official’?”
“His… his name is…”
But coming up with a fake name on the spot was no easy feat!
Viscount Montoya broke out in a cold sweat, lips trembling as he waged an internal war with himself.
Just then—
“This is the Duke Ous of our Imperial Magic Academy’s Department of Alchemy.”
A familiar voice came from the doorway.
The next moment—
Led by Paxson, the recruitment officer Lin Wei had met before, a cluster of nobles swept into the room, flocking around a single figure as if stars orbiting a moon.
At their center waddled a middle-aged noble, corpulent to the point of excess, his flesh spilling over the edges of his ornate robes. His eyes, small as mung beans, gleamed with a sharp intelligence—though in Lin Wei’s opinion, “cunning” was the more accurate word.
The Academy’s senior staff, plastered with ingratiating smiles, hurried to make introductions. Clearly, this was someone they could not afford to offend.
“Our Imperial Magic Academy boasts the finest alchemy facilities in the entire capital. All potions and supplies sent to the front lines are produced under our supervision. In particular, the Top-Grade potions are personally crafted by our Director of Alchemy.”
“And this is our Director herself, Nerinette—Nerini… Wait, what’s going on here, Nerinette?!”
The official’s words faltered as his gaze swept over the scene: Imperial soldiers sprawled across the floor, and Viscount Montoya drenched in cold sweat, looking as if he’d just escaped the gallows.
The senior staff’s sycophantic expressions froze in place; panic flashed across their faces. Even without knowing the details, they understood: for Duke Ous and so many nobles to witness such chaos—this could only mean trouble.
“D-Duke Ous!!”
The instant Montoya spotted Duke Ous, he rushed to him like a lost child finding his father, tears of relief welling in his eyes.
One second later and he’d have truly lost control—these two upstart commoners needed to be taught a lesson!
These rabble-rousers deserved to be arrested, hanged, and flogged—such was the fate that should befall any peasant who dared defy a noble.
“Oh… So you’re the Duke Ous that Viscount Montoya was just telling us about?”
But before Montoya’s vengeful fire could truly ignite, a bucket of cold water doused it—courtesy of Lin Wei’s calm, almost mocking voice.
Montoya stared at Lin Wei in utter disbelief, unable to utter a single word before the so-called rabble-rouser began spinning a story right then and there, without the slightest hesitation.
“Just now, Viscount Montoya identified you, Duke Ous, as the one who sent him to the Alchemy Department to try and abduct Director Nerinette—hoping to snatch our medicinal supplies and make a killing while the capital is running short.”
Lin Wei met Duke Ous’s gaze with a pleasant, unwavering smile. Even if the Duke didn’t answer, Lin Wei could already guess he was most likely the mastermind behind all this.
“I was just wondering why a man of your status would stoop so low for a bit of petty cash at the expense of the Empire’s people. I was about to drag him over to confront you directly.”
“But since you’re here already—what a coincidence. I’ll have to trouble you, Duke Ous… to preside over justice, right here and now.”