CH 101

“There are times when it's the other person's fault, but somehow you end up being the bully of the weak…isn’t it?”

Translated by Dawn

“There are times when it’s the other person’s fault, but somehow you end up being the bully of the weak…isn’t it?”

It was time for the showdown: ……. It wouldn’t be that big of an event. Anyway, I was waiting for the person in question to arrive at the Greg Trading Company.

The time was a little past early morning, and Greg Trading Company would normally be crowded with customers looking to buy accessories. However, there were no customers visiting the Greg Trading Company at this time.

There were customers who had been waiting in line since early in the morning, but when we told them that Count Greedy was coming to the store today, the line disappeared like a spider in the blink of an eye. Of course, there was no problem, because it was done with the best of intentions, but the fact that just mentioning his name had such a positive effect was a moment that showed how much Count Greedy’s notoriety had spread.

“Excuse me.”

Just as we were all ready and waiting, the desired person finally arrived. His appearance was as ugly as his notoriety. His thinning hair was greasy, his body was plump as if he had been neglecting his health, and he was so hideous that at first glance one might have mistaken him for a small troll.

“Well, well, well, noble sir. May I help you?”

GREG, on behalf of the Business Association, was on hand to respond to the Count. ……Hm? Then what am I doing? Of course, of course, I’m watching from the sidelines.

Well, I wasn’t just watching from the sidelines. Right now, I was holding Uluru’s mouth from behind her and restraining her lightly to prevent her from doing anything unnecessary. I heard that the last time Count Greedy came over, she almost attacked him. The only irregularity this time was the possibility of her going out of control, so I was personally restraining her in order to prevent that from happening.

“Mmhh, mmh.”

“Shh, be quiet for a second.”

From the outside, I might look like a kidnapper, but there was no one here but the people involved, so there was no way I could be mistaken for a kidnapper. In fact, a boy and a girl, aged 12 and 11, clinging together, would probably look like they were just playing together.

(This girl is surprisingly strong.)

I tried to hold Uluru, who was wriggling to escape from my restraints, with even stronger force, but she would not stop resisting. When I thought that Count Greedy’s eyes might turn to me at this point, I began to play with Uluru’s ears with my other free hand.

“~~~!?”

Then instantly she relaxed and began to make some kind of strange voice. It was as if her voice was almost like an adult-like charming voice, and this, in turn, would make her stand out.

“Hey, if you keep acting up, I’m gonna start playing with your ears.”

“!?”

“If you don’t want me to do that, stay quiet.”

I sounded like some kind of villain, but in reality, I was just restraining the beast girl so that she wouldn’t get out of control. She had done nothing wrong. Unfortunately, what Uluru smelt was not the sweet smell of a girl, but the smell of a wild beast. To put it bluntly, it stinks. When I was done with this, my laundry magic (just water magic) would wash the whole thing.

“Didn’t I tell you yesterday!? Seriously, this is why I hate commoners!!”

“I am very sorry, sir. But please tell me again the details once more.”

Count Greedy raised his voice at Greg’s words and actions, as the conversation seemed to have progressed while I was fighting with Uluru.

“I’m here to pick up the same item I received yesterday. Get it ready at once!”

“Excuse me, noble sir? Do you have the money?”

“What!? What a scoundrel you are, to demand money from the glorious House of Greedy!　Who do you think I am!? I am Gerga von Greedy, head of the Count Greedy family!”

And so on, Count Greedy shouted louder than ever, but I guess he was in essence asking us to give him the goods for free. …What a tramp.

Then Count Greedy went onstage, hurling abusive language at the trading company and at Greg and the other employees. I tried my best to stop Uluru from going berserk. Hey, hey, don’t go wild, you little animal-eared girl.

“What’s all the fuss?”

Suddenly, a voice came from the entrance of the store. The voice was, needless to say, Fahren Rosenberg, the key person of this event.

“Who are you. I am talking to the shopkeeper. Commoners should keep quiet and behave themselves.”

“I am sorry for my late introduction. I am Fahren Rosenberg, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Rosenberg. Pleased to meet you. And who are you?”

“!?”

He was surprised to learn that the person he had abused was a noble, but he was at a loss for words when he realized that it was a member of the ducal family, the highest ranking of the nobility. Count Greedy, momentarily caught off guard, changes his attitude and began to greet her with a remarkably quick change of attitude.

“W-well, well, well, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Count Gerga von Greedy, head of the Count Greedy family.”

“Yes, what’s all the fuss about? Even if you are a noble, it’s beyond unseemly to see a man of such high rank making a scene like an animal, isn’t it?”

“Guuh, t-that’s…”

Although Fahren was a scion of a ducal family, her power was equivalent to that of a marquis or a count, one or two ranks below her. No matter how much Count Greedy might be the head of a noble family, she was someone he could not afford to ignore.

What was more unfortunate for him was that Fahren’s grandfather was Dominique von Rosenberg, the current head of the Rosenberg family. Originally, a dukedom was often a title given to a long-serving overlord or a person of royal blood when he or she renounced his or her right of succession to the throne. Other people might also be given dukedom, but usually, it was only those who had made great achievements for the country.

The Rosenberg family, in particular, was one of the most prosperous families since the founding of the Kingdom of Schells and was one of the six largest noble families in the kingdom.

Naturally, there were large factions within the family, and although they were not openly hostile to the faction to which Count Greedy belonged, the two factions kept each other in check. And since Dominique, the current head of the family, loves his granddaughter, Fahren, so much that it was widely known not only among the nobility but also among the people, if anything happened to Fahren and Dominique found out, they would not get off scot-free, even if the other party was royalty.

Even Count Greedy, who held the title of count, a high-ranking nobility, would have no choice but to be humble in the face of someone with such immense power and wealth.

“What happened, Chairman Greg?”

“Well, this Noble Sir has demanded that we hand over all of our goods. Moreover, when we asked him to pay for them, he would not agree to do so in the name of his family.”

“My goodness, what an unbelievable thing! If this is true, it is unbecoming of a nobleman! Count Greedy, is it true what he says?”

Fahren, who was exaggeratedly surprised to hear Greg’s words, questioned Count Greedy with a cold stare. Those eyes weren’t acting, they were serious eyes.

Count Greedy, who was pressured by the earnestness of her appearance, said, “N-no. This is just a misunderstanding.”

“Incidentally, we have not received payment for the goods that were taken yesterday. And yet, he is demanding the same thing without payment this time.”

“That is a serious matter. If the world finds out about this, it will not be a matter of one noble family. I must report this to my grandfather immediately, and he will take the appropriate action.”

“P-please wait! I-I beg your pardon for that!”

It was no wonder that Count Greedy became desperate. If Dominique, the head of the ducal family, were to find out about this incident, he would surely be viewed as an enemy. Not only that, he had no idea what the nobles above him and of the same rank who belonged to the same faction would say about him.

In fact, the situation was a de facto state of siege. What would become of Count Greedy’s position in the future would depend on Fahren’s view of the situation.

“Then, if you are proud to be a noble, you should return or pay for the goods that the Count took, Chairman Greg, how much will that cost?”

“Yes, you are right. The total value of all the goods would be about…30 large gold coins, I think?”

“Wh-what!? T-that’s absurd!”

Count Greedy’s face turned pale at the sheer amount of the bill. 30 large gold coins was not a sum the Count family could afford, but it was still a large sum of money. Moreover, even if we sold the goods we acquired from the Greg Trading Company at a high price, it would still not reach the 30 large gold coins.

In other words, what the Greg Trading Company said to the Count Greedy was, “You can either pay the 30 large gold coins for the inconvenience, or you can return the goods you took, whichever you prefer.”…

However, even if he paid the 30 large gold coins and sold off the stolen goods, he would not get the 30 large gold coins back. On the other hand, returning the goods would be a complete loss of face as a noble. However, if he did not choose either option, Duke Dominique would hear about the case, and his position as a noble would be in jeopardy.

He did not want to choose either, but if he did not, the worst possible consequences would await him. For Count Greedy, this must be a difficult choice. For him, it was a choice between money, face, and his position as a noble.

(Now, which one will you choose? Troll old man?)

None of the options would be satisfactory to him, but he had to choose one of them. If it were me…I’d take the money and return it. I feel that would cause the least amount of damage.

“I-I thought about it. I didn’t need that much product. I’d like to return them…….”

As I thought, it seemed that he threw away the face that would cause the least damage. However, Greg had one word to deliver the final blow.

“Then I will charge you 10 large gold coins as a restocking fee.”

“Wh-what!?

“The item has already been delivered to your lordship’s house, so if you return it, it will be treated as second-hand. I believe that not many customers would want to buy a used item.”

In the end, he had to return the product, but in addition, he had to pay 10 large gold coins in the form of a nuisance fee. He tried to protest, but Fahren was standing there with a smiling face, so he could not complain and he had no choice but to do as we demanded.

A new contract was drawn up with the return of the goods and the payment of a nuisance fee, and the matter was now settled. However, Count Greedy’s one word on his way out was so critical that I wanted to tell him to stop it.

“If there is anything else we can do for you, please let us know. On that occasion, the Greg Trading Company, the purveyor to the Duke of Rosenberg, will be at your service.”

“Hmm, I-I look forward to that opportunity. And now, if you’ll excuse me!”

With these words, he impatiently got into the carriage and left the place as if he were running away with his tails between his legs. As a result, we ended up winning, but it was somewhat disconcerting as if we were bullying the weak, even though he was the enemy. But he must have done a lot of bad things in the past, and I would be happy if he thought he had been punished for this one incident.

Afterward, Greg, who had lost the tension, slumped to the ground, looking more exhausted than I had ever seen him before. Apparently, he was mentally exhausted from the huge role of dealing with the nobility. …I hope he doesn’t bald.

The Count of Greedy then returned the goods and paid 10 large gold coins for the inconvenience, and the matter was settled. However, somehow this incident came to the attention of Duke Dominique, and the Count of Greedy’s family quietly faded away without ever seeing the light of day. Speaking of which, Fahren said something that caught my attention.

“I did promise to him to return the merchandise and pay for the inconvenience, but I didn’t promise to not tell my grandfather about the incident.”

Apparently, Count Greedy had been overkilled by Fahren…. This is not my fault, okay?