Chapter 11
**Beluman’s Death**
Aren, who had been employed by Beluman, was a D-rank mercenary.
He was confident he could easily defeat a ragtag group of soldiers. But the man standing before him made him uneasy.
*‘Why is the Acting Lord here…?’*
First of all, the other person’s status alone was daunting.
A noble, no less.
Even if he could win, he was someone he must not defeat. If possible, he needed to run away before his face was seen.
Otherwise, he didn’t know what would happen to him for the crime of insulting a noble.
“You there, lying on the ground. You’re one of the men beside that Beluman fellow, aren’t you?”
It was no use.
The other had already seen his face.
From this alone, Aren, who had lived as a mercenary, could guess. To make matters worse, his opponent was stronger than him.
‘Damn.’
This was the frightening thing about nobles.
No matter how frail a noble who had learned to use mana appeared, one must never attack based solely on appearance. Still, there was one thing fortunate.
He had not yet committed any wrongdoing.
“Yes, that’s correct. I am Aren, employed by the man called Beluman and tasked with guarding him.”
He did not raise his body, which had been prone for crawling.
Aren came from outside. He knew well how arrogant nobles could be. They were the kind of people who wouldn’t think twice about drawing their sword if someone dared stand without permission.
If possible, nobles were a calamity to be avoided.
“I see. But why is someone who should be beside Beluman here?”
Cliff asked, looking at him.
A gulp.
Aren racked his brain. He thought about how he could shift all the blame onto Beluman here.
If worst came to worst, he would have to.
Just as he was thinking that, Cliff opened his mouth.
“Shall I guess?”
His tone was relaxed, as if he already knew exactly what Aren was thinking.
Cliff spoke.
“Just now, a commotion broke out near the territory’s jail. That would draw the attention of our soldiers, wouldn’t it?”
A flinch.
“And while that happens, if you set this storehouse on fire, you thought you could tie my hands. If my resources disappear, Beluman thinks I’ll have no choice but to rely on him. Am I right?”
“Th-that is…”
This was the moment of choice.
Though hesitant, Aren made his decision. He had to side with Cliff here.
That would give him a better chance of surviving.
Cliff continued.
“Tsk, tsk. That man doesn’t know his place. He’s simply been playing king here for too long. Our lord father must have turned a blind eye to him as well.”
In truth, there had likely been no direct reason to clash.
So Beluman had grown arrogant.
He must have been the one who initiated this.
“He must already have allies outside the territory. So he probably thought that in the worst case, he could just escape. Seeing the state of our territory’s military, he must have thought running away would be easy.”
Aren, who had guarded Beluman for a long time, found himself nodding.
Everything he said was true.
Cliff spoke.
“That’s why he’s no good. He dared to challenge me.”
“This humble one told him he must never do such a thing. But that man Beluman…”
The loyalty of the underworld, where one must pile all sins onto another.
Cliff listened to Aren’s rambling explanation.
Cliff put a finger to his lips.
“Shh.”
Gulp.
“Follow me.”
At Cliff’s words, he moved his feet.
And then he was momentarily flustered. About ten soldiers were gathered beside the storehouse.
Cliff led him there.
Cliff said,
“Light it.”
At his words, one of the soldiers walked to the center.
Now that he looked, hay and firewood were piled up. At Cliff’s instruction, a flame was sparked there, and soon acrid smoke began to rise.
“Th-this is…”
“If he thinks the operation failed, Beluman won’t try to run, right?”
Cliff asked Aren, who was startled, as if it were nothing.
Aren looked at Cliff with a shocked expression.
‘He’s playing Beluman like a toy in the palm of his hand.’
Gulp.
He swallowed.
A newfound realization that he could never win against Cliff was seared into his mind. Cliff, glancing at him, understood that much.
‘That’s fortunate.’
And he sighed inwardly with relief.
In truth, despite his calm demeanor, Cliff was not good at fighting.
Even after becoming a mana user, he was considered a dullard when it came to physical combat and the swordsmanship he had learned.
At best, he might have a chance of beating someone like Aren…
‘But the moment my mana runs out, it’s over.’
If Cliff had talent, he would have been assassinated in the Ducal family or lived as a knight there. But Cliff was neither. That’s why he ended up here, playing the role of Acting Lord.
He had little mana.
Very little, in fact.
His mana reserves were even weaker than that of an ordinary, untrained commoner. Furthermore, he had no real combat experience.
‘The truth is, killing someone scares me.’
So in a critical moment, he might hesitate like in those novels.
And if he froze, a seasoned mercenary would surely not miss the opportunity. Let’s avoid dangerous situations. Thinking that, Cliff took Aren aside again.
“I have a proposal for you.”
“Huh?”
Aren, hearing Cliff’s words, let out a sound of bewilderment.
“I don’t particularly want to eliminate the territory’s dark side. To be precise, it’s more accurate to say that even if I do, something else will just spring up in its place.”
Gulp.
“What are you saying…?”
“But Beluman is no good. He dared to challenge me. Doing business in the territory, even some minor illegal activities, that’s fine. In fact… it wouldn’t be bad to have someone to handle those dirty tasks for me from time to time.”
The role of handling the lord’s dirty work.
The lord had no intention of eliminating the organization. Beyond that, he even wanted to coexist with it.
This might allow for even more stable business than before.
Only one thing.
If only Beluman would disappear.
“Just don’t ever think of challenging me. Daring to defy the social hierarchy, baring your fangs at a noble—a dog should live like a dog, shouldn’t it? You shouldn’t do things like that.”
“Gulp. Y-yes, sir.”
He understood Cliff’s words.
‘He’s telling us to become his dogs.’
And one more thing.
‘Betray Beluman…’
Betray Beluman.
And swear loyalty to Cliff.
Then you can take Beluman’s place. Aren understood that meaning.
—
* * *
“The storehouse is on fire!”
A commotion arose.
Hearing the uproar, Beluman felt the corners of his mouth turn up.
‘Phew. Unless the Acting Lord loses his temper and attacks me directly, this place is now my world!’
His tactic had worked.
He had prepared an escape in case of emergency, but first he needed to receive a report.
“Aren has returned.”
A report came.
Beluman smiled.
“Good, good. Let him in immediately.”
Aren came before Beluman with a hardened expression.
Step by step, the distance between them closed. Since Aren had always guarded Beluman’s side, neither Beluman nor the other guards found anything suspicious.
Aren looked around.
He was checking who was nearby.
‘Well, given the plan, it’s understandable he’d be reluctant to report in front of others.’
In fact, Beluman was fully willing to abandon Aren depending on the situation.
It would be difficult to get through this incident without bloodshed.
So he had assigned this task to the most expendable of the guards he had hired.
‘This guy’s problem is he’s too timid. Because of that, it wouldn’t be strange if he betrayed me at any moment.’
True to his own betrayal-prone nature, Beluman felt a kinship with Aren.
The scent of betrayal.
But even he didn’t know one thing.
That today might be that very day.
Thud.
“Ghk. Y-you, why…?”
Clang. Clang. Clang.
“Aren, you bastard!”
Aren, with a dagger hidden in his sleeve, accurately stabbed Beluman’s vital point.
In that sudden rush, the other guards couldn’t react. The problem was they had allowed the distance between them to be too close.
At this range, with their skills, there was absolutely no way to stop it.
Thump.
Beluman’s body collapsed.
“You’d better drop your weapons. That bastard Beluman is dead anyway.”
There was no loyalty left to keep for Beluman.
Aren looked around at the other guards. They were still flustered. But the smell of blood stinging their noses helped them make up their minds.
That was why they didn’t attack Aren.
“What exactly are you thinking?”
Zerno, who acted as their elder brother, asked Aren his intent.
He still couldn’t understand.
Why betray Beluman at this moment? If he was going to do it, it should have been before setting fire to the territory’s storehouse.
Aren grinned and answered.
“The Acting Lord has appointed me as the organization’s next boss.”
“……!”
Their eyes widened.
They turned their heads, exchanging glances with each other.
Just as they were wondering how to resolve this situation, the outside became noisy.
“C-commander! A big problem! The Acting Lord has invaded here with his soldiers!”
“Gasp!”
The organization members who had come inside to report stopped short.
The atmosphere inside was strange.
And there was Beluman, collapsed on the floor.
‘W-what in the…’
Zerno sighed.
“……We’ve been outmaneuvered.”
The lord had even brought soldiers.
There was no use fighting Aren here.
Now, the organization had effectively fallen into the lord’s hands.
‘The lord will use this incident to assert his authority.’
Zerno sighed.
“……Lower your swords.”
“Brother!”
“What’s the point? Even if we kill Aren here, our dead employer won’t come back. I’m more worried about the situation outside right now.”
“Haha. A wise choice.”
Aren laughed and puffed himself up.
He knew well how powerful Beluman had lived.
‘Does that mean all of that is now mine?’
To achieve that, he had to hurry to the lord.
And he had to transfer Beluman’s corpse to pile all the blame onto the dead man.
“Do not resist the Acting Lord! I have killed Beluman, who committed crimes!”
Aren, having gone so far as to decapitate Beluman and hold the head in one hand, shouted.
At the soldiers’ entry, the organization members who had been hesitating and blocking the way retreated in a rush.
Aren knelt, placing Beluman’s head before him.
“All who dared bare their teeth against the Acting Lord did so under the orders of Beluman, who lies here. I have killed him. Please, forgive the wrongdoings of us underlings with your great magnanimity.”
“……Get that gruesome thing out of sight.”
At Cliff’s order, Beluman’s head was removed.
Nigel, standing beside him, advised.
“Hang Beluman’s head at the village entrance to show the people how great a sin it is to oppose the Acting Lord.”
Cliff frowned.
He didn’t particularly want to see such a brutal sight. But he agreed it was a necessary process.
“Just one day. Hang his head from tomorrow morning, and by evening, take it down and burn it together with his body.”
“Understood.”
With this, Beluman’s organization was destroyed.
There still remained his remnants and Aren leading them, but that was fine.
He had put a leash on Aren. Of course, that didn’t mean he trusted him.
‘He still has zero loyalty.’
Aren was a man who would betray. But Cliff planned to step back for now. Before that, however, he needed to take the spoils.
“I will confiscate all the assets Beluman possessed.”
