The Top-Tier Butler of the Marquis Family

Chapter 067

Fortunately, the owner of this place was cooperative with the investigation. He looked puzzled as to why a tax audit had suddenly begun, but the moment he saw that Arthas and I were armed, he tucked his tail between his legs.

As is the case anywhere people live, the owner here had probably used some sort of trick to avoid inspection.

He might even have had direct ties to the administrative officer who issued the order writ.

But thanks to the command of that wastrel, Young Master Hamel, obtaining the order writ had not been particularly difficult. The elderly administrative officer had probably assumed we were only going to shake down a single establishment.

Unfortunately for him, I had no such intention.

I had said this to Kalmond yesterday. That by today, this commercial district would be turned upside down. Since the opportunity had come, I intended to investigate every business connected to the Black Pig Gang.

“These are all the ledgers.”

“Really?”

“Yes...... We do not conduct any kind of illegal dealings. As you can see, this is not even such a large place.”

That statement only deepened my suspicion. A business run by the Black Pig Gang, and he says there are no illegal dealings? The premise itself is wrong.

“We will only know whether there were illegal dealings after we investigate. Investigator. Examine all of this.”

“Yes, sir.”

The investigator accepted the booklet I handed over and began examining the ledgers.

At the moment, I might be a Butler Apprentice by status, but that was not the point here. I had come out in the capacity of Chief Investigator.

Likewise, Arthas, who was standing behind me trying to look imposing, was present as the representative of the Knight Order. Which meant that yes, we had every right to be addressed with proper respect.

I gave the owner a warning.

“It is not too late yet, so if you have something hidden away, you had better speak now. Do not try to waste the investigators’ time.”

“How could there possibly be such a thing? I brought out every ledger, so you will see for yourselves once you inspect them.”

The owner was beginning to grow bolder. Give it a little more time, and it felt as though he might start complaining that we were interfering with business.

I ought to break his nerve a little.

“That sudden arrival of investigators startled you, did it not?”

“Rather than startling me...... it is simply that the customers are uncomfortable.”

“We did not come out here merely to conduct a tax audit. We are investigating the Black Pig Gang.”

At that abrupt remark, the owner’s eyes wavered. I did not miss the slight change. A faint trace of mana was flowing through my eyes.

Of course, reading a person’s expression or catching such fleeting changes is extremely difficult.

But when you are waiting for a particular reaction like this, simply heightening your vision a little with mana is more than enough.

“You have heard about the incident in which Young Lady Sapiela was nearly kidnapped before, have you not?”

“Yes? Ah, yes, I have heard of it.”

“In truth, it seems the Black Pig Gang may have been involved in that affair, so I have been investigating one thing after another. That is how I ended up here. You understand what I mean, do you not?”

“......”

I let the implication hang thick in the air that this was more than a simple tax audit, and fortunately, the owner did not seem to be a complete fool. He began to grow tense.

Smiling, I went on speaking.

“So what I am saying is that a few numbers being wrong in the ledger is not the important part. What would become troublesome is if something were to come out showing that this place is connected to the Black Pig Gang.”

I turned my head and asked the investigator,

“Any problems in the ledgers?”

“There is nothing especially wrong with them, but......”

“But?”

“It still feels as though something is missing. They are suspiciously clean. In cases like this, there is usually another ledger.”

In truth, most of the investigators who had come out today were novices. So before the operation, I had already instructed them to say there must be a secret ledger.

If there really was a secret ledger, we would get a reaction. If not, then not.

I smiled and looked at the owner.

“Well, sir? Our esteemed investigator says there seems to be another ledger. What do you think?”

“That cannot be! To say there is another ledger simply because these are cleanly organized, I have never heard such nonsense in my life. It is slander.”

He had raised his voice, but it trembled slightly. He did not have confidence. A little more pressure ought to do it.

“Is that so? Then let us assume there is no second ledger. In that case, is this establishment connected to the Black Pig Gang?”

“What are you saying?”

“We received a tip. That the real operator of this establishment is the Black Pig Gang. Since the information came from the Underworld, it is probably accurate.”

“......”

The owner could not answer easily. Naturally not. One wrong word here and his head might end up rolling on the floor.

I gave him a pleasant smile.

“I prepared two choices because I was not sure which one you would like. Would you rather bring out the secret ledger, or would you rather tie yourself to the Black Pig Gang? We do not have much time. We still have other establishments to investigate.”

The moment I finished speaking, I reversed my grip on the sword and drove it down into the floor.

THUD!

The sword sank into the wooden floor. At that unmistakable killing intent, not only the owner but everyone else inside the establishment started in shock.

“That is the end of my patience being tested. Decide quickly. What is it going to be?”

“J-just a moment, please!”

The owner rushed off at once. He ran upstairs, and a short while later he came back carrying two old books. His face had gone pale.

“They are the secret ledgers! I have absolutely nothing to do with the Black Pig Gang, so at least on that point......”

In other words, the owner was trying to bargain with me. He would hand over the secret ledgers, so in return I was to overlook his connection to the Black Pig Gang.

I accepted the deal.

A quick glance through the ledgers showed, as expected, that a considerable amount of money had gone toward the Black Pig Gang. Even estimating roughly, it was more than one hundred gold. It really is easy to make money.

“Investigator. Calculate how much tax was underpaid.”

“Yes, sir.”

The investigator took the books and began working the abacus. The owner fidgeted nervously while I folded my arms and waited for the result.

A little later, the investigator made his report.

“Using the first day of this year as the baseline, there is a shortfall of around fifty gold.”

“So that means he paid taxes while omitting fifty gold?”

“That is correct. Since this establishment has existed for more than ten years, the sum may grow larger if the earlier records are included as well.”

“My, my. It seems our good innkeeper has been feasting rather well!”

Can a man really earn that much just by running an inn and tavern? Something smelled rotten.

Most likely, the place had been used as a site for smuggling knockout drugs, weapons, and various other goods.

But I did not have the capacity to investigate that far at the moment. There were more than ten establishments I still had to strip clean today alone.

“In a case like this, what punishment is given?”

“It differs somewhat depending on the severity of the crime, but as a rule, all property is confiscated, and then the offender is either exiled or executed.”

“I see.”

I nodded and looked at the owner. By now he was trembling all over. I snapped my fingers and gave an order.

“Call all the investigators in.”

“Yes, sir.”

There was no further point in continuing the search. I dragged the owner into a quiet room. I sat comfortably in a chair, while the owner dropped flat to the floor.

Arthas followed in behind us a moment later and took up position behind me.

For some reason, it felt reassuring. So this is the appeal of traveling around with a Guard Knight.

“Given the size of the amount, it would be execution rather than mere suspension of business, would it not?”

“Hiiik! P-please spare my life! I have a family to support. Please, please!”

The owner started begging so desperately it felt as though his fingertips might wear away. I clicked my tongue.

“If you have a family to support, then you ought to live honorably. Why did you do such wicked things?”

“I wanted to, but I had no choice. Otherwise, I could not have continued the business. If I did not do it, then the Black Pig Gang would......”

The owner could not finish his sentence and only lowered his head.

Then again, what could a powerless merchant do? If bastards like them came demanding protection money and the like, he would be left with nothing. It must have been hard enough just to keep food in his mouth.

If we investigated the ledgers in detail, we would probably find that even if a great deal of money had been siphoned away, the owner himself had pocketed very little. Most likely he had been sucked dry by the Black Pig bastards.

I felt a stir of pity. In any case, my goal was to cut off the Black Pig Gang’s source of funds, so there was no need to go too far.

“I understand how you feel, but the law is the law, so what can be done? I have no power of my own. I am just someone who follows orders from above.”

“Please spare me. If you will only spare my life, I will do anything!”

I pretended to think for a moment. That was necessary. The more anxious the other party became, the more they would spill everything.

“Is that so? Then perhaps I shall give you a chance. Depending on what you do, I will decide your disposition.”

“......!”

At my words, the owner jerked his head up. He was looking at me as though awaiting my command.

“First, let me ask you one thing. Recently, did the Black Pig Gang demand that the protection money be increased?”

“T-that is correct! They had already been taking money for operating funds, but this time they said they would collect double. It has to be paid by the day after tomorrow.”

“Do you know why?”

“Even I do not know that much......”

That part was not important. In any case, the timing was perfect.

It seemed the Black Pig Gang had doubled the protection money in order to meet the ransom I demanded. If the payment deadline was the day after tomorrow, then all the owners on my list would be holding gold right now.

I only needed to strip it all away before then.

“How long have you been doing business here? The investigator mentioned it earlier, but he said it looked like around ten years.”

“That is right. To be precise, this is my eleventh year.”

“Then you should know the lay of the land fairly well. In fact, I have acquired a list of establishments. Places that pay tribute to the Black Pig Gang. Could you look it over and see whether anything is missing?”

“Of course!”

I took out the list of businesses I had tucked inside my clothes and showed it to the owner. Desperate to live, his eyes moved busily over the page.

“It appears that about three are missing.”

“Fill them in.”

The owner took up the pen, then stopped and looked up at me cautiously.

“If I help you like this, will I be allowed to live?”

“First, all of your property will be seized. As for your life, I will try to see that it is spared.”

“Thank you very much!”

“Do not just thank me with words. Fill in the list properly.”

In that way, after stripping three establishments clean, I was able to increase the business list from twelve places to twenty. Once rumors spread that a tax audit had begun, the commercial district fell into chaos.

Some places closed their doors in a hurry, while others fled their premises, afraid they might be targeted next.

And so that once-bustling commercial district became as silent as the eye of a storm.

And at its center, of course, was me.

“Are you sure you are not better suited to being an investigator than a butler? Watching you strip those owners just now gave me chills.”

“I have no interest in it. What is so entertaining about digging into other people’s private affairs?”

“Then why in the world are you doing this?”

“I already told you. It is an order. How could someone like you ever fathom the depth of your elder brother’s heart? Go back and think first about training harder. That is the only way you are going to beat me.”

“Shut up!”

Just then, I spotted a familiar face over in the alley. The figure was wearing a robe, but even the hood could not hide that noble beauty.

It was Eluna.

Given how strange things were becoming in the commercial district, Kalmond had probably dispatched her.

When our eyes met, Eluna lowered her head and turned away. Since I was not wearing the Face Mask now, there was no way she could know who I was.

It is good to see her in a place like this.

But I could hardly greet her, so I turned my attention away and asked the investigator beside me,

“What is the next target?”

“A tavern called Whale’s Dream. It is not far from here.”

“I see many places closing their doors. You made arrangements so they could not run, I trust?”

“We have already sent out the Village Guard, so they will not be able to escape.”

I smiled in satisfaction. We moved on without hesitation toward the next target.