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Chapter 4 – Holy Blood

The note delivered through the butler.

The contents written inside were only three words.

「Holy Blood, Forgery」

The reason why the Duke is having such a fit over just three words is simple.

The Holy Blood has been kept deep in the underground vault of the Duke Winfred residence for centuries.

The precious heirloom of the esteemed Duke, which has been preserved for centuries, is now revealed to be a forgery.

Holy Blood.

Blood imbued with divine power.

One of the five unique graded items existing on the continent.

It’s a straightforward story.

As the whole Empire believes in Gods, the Holy Blood is an item whose value cannot be easily measured, and the fact that the Duke, who has become obsessed with its value, possesses a forgery instead of the authentic one which was lost hundreds of years ago, is a common tale.

Of course, it’s a scam that would be impossible without the help of the Imperial family.

‘It’s a deeply hidden secret between the Imperial family and the Winfreds.’

I slowly raised my head.

“…”

The Duke stared at me with sharp eyes.

Understandable. The disgrace of the Winfreds, a secret that no one should know, has been revealed by a mere bastard.

“You sent a note.”

After a moment.

His voice, full of anger, struck my eardrums.

“You say the Holy Blood is a forgery.”

Crack—

The note clenched in his right hand crumpled mercilessly.

“Explain. What made you think that way.”

It looks as if he’s going to grab the sword by his side and threaten my life at any moment, but there is no need to be afraid.

In this situation, I hold all the power.

“I found it.”

“You found it?”

“Yes, I found it. I’m talking about the authentic one, not the counterfeit stored in the vault.”

“…”

I found the Holy Blood.

And not just any Holy Blood, but the real authentic one.

The Duke’s pupils shook roughly at the shocking revelation.

“…Nonsense.”

He denied it.

No, he doubted me.

He sent me a look that said he couldn’t believe the words of a lowly bastard.

It’s understandable.

It would be natural to doubt the discovery of an item that could only be found in an old legend.

But from my perspective, having gone through transmigration and even regression, it’s just amusing.

“But you hope it is not nonsense.”

I stared back at the Duke with a knowing smile.

His eyes glinted with a fierce determination.

I could sense a fierce determination to kill me at any moment in his gaze.

“The reason I’m certain that the Holy Blood stored in the vault is counterfeit is simple. I recently came across the Holy Blood for some reason, and I’ve verified multiple times over the past few months that the Holy Blood I found is genuine.”

I stared at him intently as I spoke.

“It’s impossible for two Holy Bloods to exist under the same sky. In other words, the Holy Blood stored in the Duke’s residence must be counterfeit, wouldn’t you agree?”

My words seemed to hit a nerve as the Duke gritted his teeth.

But there was no immediate reaction from him.

It seemed like he realized that I hadn’t come here simply to boast or threaten.

“Who could have known? Who would believe that the Winfreds conspired with the Imperial family to commit fraud in the name of God.”

He had a point.

I swallowed my words.

“…”

A heavy silence filled the room.

He let out a short sigh before asking me.

“…Where did you find it?”

“Do you think someone would tell you just because you asked like that?”

“Do you not value your life? There’s also the option of killing you right here.”

“Would I have come here on my own without any contingency plan? Try it. If you want to be convicted of blasphemy and perish soon after.”

Kyle Winfred is a coward.

He’s stupid, despicable, and arrogant in every way.

Normally, he would have laughed off such threats and taunts.

Of course, that’s out of the question now.

I’m determined to make the most of this deal and thoroughly exploit the Duke.

“Heh, amusing.”

The Duke’s voice was calm, devoid of any emotion, but I know.

He was taken aback by Kyle Winfred’s sudden change.

“Kyle, if the Holy Blood you claim to have found is not authentic…”

That won’t happen.

Would I, who has gone through transmigration and even regressed, be confused by such a simple matter?

“…Then you’d better be prepared. It won’t just end with death.”

“Whatever.”

“Do my words seem like a joke to you?”

“Enough. Since time is of the essence, let’s hear your answer first. Will you make the deal?”

I blinked, eyeing him cautiously.

The Duke tapped the floor with his toe, lost in thought.

After a moment.

“So.”

His tightly closed lips parted.

“What do you want?”

Finally, getting to the point.

There’s no need to ponder over this issue.

I’ve already sorted out what I want in exchange for the Holy Blood.

“Break off the engagement.”

“…”

“I want to break off the engagement with Isabel.”

That was the first thing.

Without a doubt, breaking off the engagement with Isabel was my priority.

“Fine, accepted.”

The Duke also nodded decisively.

Hearing his softened voice, I would clearly read his inner thoughts, that breaking an engagement in exchange for the Holy Blood was a free trade.

Of course, that’s out of the question.

I’m not foolish enough to be satisfied with just breaking off the engagement.

“A blank promissory note.”

“What?”

“I want you to issue a blank promissory note in the name of Winfred.”

The price I’ve chosen is money.

In this damned world, the only thing worth trusting is money.

At my request for a blank promissory note, his poker face crumbled.

“I refuse.”

“Why?”

“I won’t issue a blank promissory note to the likes of you. Especially not one endorsed by Winfred.”

“Hah.”

Unbelievable.

Even in this situation, he’s spouting such nonsense.

I can’t help but burst into laughter at the absurdity of it all.

There’s no other choice now.

I’ll have to resort to reviving the experience points of the villain accumulated in the previous episode.

“Do you want to perish?”

“…What?”

The Duke blinked dumbfoundedly, as if he misheard me.

“Do you want to perish?”

“Have you finally lost it?”

“It’s you who has lost it. If it’s revealed that the esteemed Duke family deceived the people of the Empire by creating a counterfeit of the Holy Blood, do you think the Imperial family will admit to their complicity and take your side? Absolutely not. The only option would be to eliminate Duke Winfred and replenish the national treasury. Isn’t that right? Keep your fantasies in check.”

He chuckled at my crazed threat, as if finding it absurd.

Whether he accepts the deal or not, I drove the wedge.

If he doesn’t agree to the deal, I’ll erase the name Winfred from the continent immediately.

“A blank promissory note.”

“…”

“There’s no compromise.

Velzer Winfred, that damned face still irritates me to this day.

After all, it was because of him that Kyle Winfred’s life was thrown into the gutter just because he was a bastard.

‘Thanks to him, I had a hard time in the previous run.’

Perhaps that’s why my words come out so harshly.

Because of him, the scenario was messed up more than once.

A calculative and selfish person who only cares about his own safety.

The choice he will make is already predetermined.

That’s right…

“…Fine.”

That’s it.

I nodded again, meeting his gaze once more.

“Let’s proceed with the contract.”

“Contract?”

“Yes, isn’t it customary to draft a contract for any transaction?”

How can I trust you?

I shot him a skeptical look.

“Geass.”

“…”

“Please request the highest grade Geass. That way, we can do the trade with peace of mind.”

Geass.

It’s a kind of ritual where mutual magic is invoked to seal a contract.

Since you make the oath with your magical powers, harsh consequences follow if you violate the contract.

Only the Vatican exclusively issues them, so obtaining one comes at a hefty price.

The highest-grade Geass requires direct certification from the Archbishop, making it impossible to acquire even with a decent status.

“…”

The Duke’s face turned red and green.

I sat quietly, subtly curling the corners of my mouth.

“Take your time to consider.”

Consider it for a hundred times.

But there won’t be any solution.

****

The transaction went smoothly.

I received confirmation of the engagement’s termination directly from the Duke and successfully obtained a blank promissory note to serve as my future operating funds.

The Duke promptly left the mansion with a small group of elite personnel that evening.

He was heading to the location I had pointed out to retrieve the Holy Blood.

Thanks to that, the interior of the mansion was quite deserted.

I, too, enjoyed some leisure time in my room until the Duke arrived.

Yes, everything was perfect at this point.

Except for one thing.

[Scenario Progress: 3%]

“Why is this suddenly going up?”

The main scenario hasn’t even started properly yet.

So at this point, the damn progress rate shouldn’t be increasing.

The cause is also unclear.

I’ve never stepped out of the mansion until now.

“Could the scenario have gone awry?”

There’s a reasonable chance that my focus on finding the Holy Relic instead of pretending to be the villain might have messed up the scenario.

Or there might be another scenario route that I’m unaware of.

I have to consider all possibilities.

Because in this damn system, anything is possible with a spell.

“Woah.”

I looked at the array of food laid out before me.

The visually appealing dishes stole my gaze.

But I shouldn’t be fooled by their flashy appearance.

Medieval food often lacks seasoning or has a tough texture, and something is usually off about each dish.

Still, I have to fill my stomach for now.

I continued to eat as I was, without reservation.

Until the urgent voice of the old butler came from beyond the door.

— Y-Young Master…!

Although usually calm, his voice was considerably agitated.

As I got up to open the door, I heard strange noises coming from the other side.

— Even if… you are a young lady… it’s difficult… to act so recklessly…!

The butler’s flustered voice echoed in my ears sporadically.

I walked over and opened the door.

And.

“…!”

Standing in the doorway was none other than Isabel.

I glanced at the butler standing next to her.

He wore an expression of embarrassment and avoided eye contact.

I turned my gaze back to Isabel.

Her disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes.

I don’t know what happened, but there was a noticeable discrepancy from her usual gracefulness.

She timidly grasped my sleeve, her voice trembling.

“…Kyle.”

Her voice was weak yet desperate.

As if regretting what had happened before.