The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason - Chapter 69



Imperial Expedition (3)

I’ll say it again and again, this game is a dark fantasy game.

As such, many characteristics of dark fantasy remained.

Setting aside the darkness and cruelty of the game, if I were to mention the most fundamental characteristic…

It’s that there are plenty of twisted individuals.

From the very beginning, the crown prince committed kin murder just to secure the throne. If the upper waters are like this, how could the lower waters be any different?

Of course, there are occasionally shining examples of character, like the third princess, Deila, but unfortunately, it seemed that the lord here was not one of them.

After witnessing the children playing together, I casually began to investigate the lord.

Unlike the puppet master, who left no trace, the lord of this place was easily traceable. After all, stories were everywhere.

The conclusion I reached after gathering the information was…

“He seems to be quite the scoundrel.”

“…Yes.”

On top of excessively collecting taxes and extorting money, he neglected territory development and indulged in luxury.

Rumor has it that there’s even a room in the basement of his mansion where young orphans are locked away. No wonder the prices for young slaves were so unreasonably high.

This is why the demon king’s seal is breaking so quickly.

“What are we going to do…?”

Lost in thought, Ulyss asked from beside me.

Those issues are problematic, but the biggest problem is that he is a noble of higher status than I had expected.

**Biklon’s Self-Made**

His power was not strong, and his military force was not large either.

But he had a wealth of assets and a wide network.

I don’t know how he managed to hide that rotten personality of his,

but he had quite a few high-ranking nobles who were on friendly terms with him.

He was the epitome of a wealthy aristocrat.

And since he was part of the First Prince’s faction,

he was someone you’d hesitate to provoke.

“Indeed…”

Thinking about such things, I couldn’t help but feel a slight headache.

But one thing was certain:

the first step was already decided.

“I guess I need to meet him in person.”

“How do you plan to meet him? I’ve heard he rarely comes out of his mansion…”

“Is it really necessary to think about that?”

I smiled at her concerns and replied,

“I’m a hero, after all.”

With that, I took her straight to the lord’s mansion.

Then I shouted towards the mansion.

“Come out here─!!”

Time to turn on the reckless mode.

“W-What the hell are you?!”

“This is the lord’s residence! Show some respect!!”

As I shouted in front of the mansion, soldiers guarding the area rushed towards me.

They all looked at me as if I were some kind of madman.

But regardless, I continued speaking.

“I’m a hero. Your house looks really nice.

I’d like to come in for a drink, is that alright?”

“W-What… Is this madman joking right now?!”

“Impersonating a hero? Are you not afraid of the goddess’s wrath?!”

It seemed that not everyone in the empire knew my face.

Then again, there were no decent media or communication methods here.

I muttered gloomily,

“I see, so it’s not going to work…”

“Yeah, just get lost, you scoundrel!”

“But don’t you think the lord might feel differently?”

If they didn’t know my face, I just had to find someone who did.

Because of that, I cast the spell ‘Call the Person in Charge.’ The lord would have no choice but to know.

In the first place, most of the nobles of the empire had attended the hero’s return ceremony. Anyone who had seen me then would not have forgotten.

“Enough! What is this commotion, you brats!”

As we were bickering for a while, he finally appeared.

“Y-Your Lordship! I’m sorry. Some crazy guy keeps causing a ruckus, so I—”

“Then just throw him out! Why are you taking so long?”

“Well, this guy keeps insisting that he’s the hero…”

“What…?! The hero?”

The lord finally turned to look at us with a face that said, ‘No way?’

I waved my hand with a bright smile.

Soon, the lord’s face, recognizing me, turned stiff.

“…Hah.”

I ignored the sigh of the saintess that came from beside me.

*

“Haha… Such a precious person in this humble place. What brings you here?”

“Do I need a reason to visit? As I said, your house looked nice, so I came. I wanted to have a drink.”

“Haha… I see.”

A few minutes later, I was able to enter his mansion safely. I could see him laughing on the sofa across from the reception room.

His face was not genuinely smiling.

Well, it made sense considering an unwanted guest had arrived at his home. Especially if that guest was a rogue.

Click.

At that moment, the butler brought over a bottle of liquor and two wine glasses. Not tea, but alcohol.

Since I asked for a drink, he handed it over right away. I quietly admired the butler’s sense.

“Let’s have a drink.”

“Haha, I didn’t expect to be drinking during the day like this…”

He received the glass while making a remark.

The first impression of this guy was ordinary. He had a somewhat plump appearance, and perhaps due to overeating, his skin was oily. Add to that a petty-looking smile.

Rather than a charismatic figure, he gave off a strong impression of being small-minded. Considering I had no particular memories of him as a gaming addict, he seemed to be just as he appeared.

Honestly, if I had to deal with him, I could do it right now… but the problem was that he was part of the First Prince’s faction.

If he suddenly disappeared, the First Prince might cast a suspicious glance. And while the Emperor might not care, the First Prince would be a bit troublesome.

He had real power, and he was the kind of guy who would do anything for his own gain.

No matter how secure my position was, I had no intention of recklessly making an enemy.

So for now, let’s just gather information.

“Hmm, so how’s the management of the territory these days?”

I asked him, my face flushing from the rush of blood. He responded with exaggerated enthusiasm.

“Oh, don’t worry, Hero! These days, the harvest is plentiful, and the people in the territory are sleeping soundly.”

Of course, it was a lie. While the harvest was indeed good, I had already heard that he had been exploiting them heavily.

“Right. You must have heard the news lately?”

“Y-Yes? Ah, yes. One of the Four Heavenly Kings has invaded, and it’s quite a mess…”

“Exactly. So don’t get too comfortable; always stay vigilant. From what I saw, it didn’t seem like you were patrolling very thoroughly.”

“Ah, I’ll take immediate action! I’ll inform the captain of the guards right away.”

As I conversed with him, I glanced at the Saintess. She was observing him in her own way, trying to determine if he had been brainwashed or not.

It might be a bit tricky since I wasn’t directly infusing divine power, but I felt I could leave it to her.

In that case, I could focus on my own tasks.

While talking to him, I summoned a one-eyed bug using my magic. Then, I secretly scattered it around.

‘Search every nook and cranny as much as possible.’

That way, I could uncover his dirty deeds.

“Ugh, I’ve run out of alcohol.”

“Ah, should I go get some more?”

“No, it’s fine. There’s a strange stench in the house, and I can’t concentrate on the drink.”

“Ah, haha…”

Perhaps it was because of the sudden insult to the mansion. The vein on his forehead bulged for a moment.

“I should be going now.”

“Oh? Are you leaving already?!”

Yet, as soon as I stood up, he looked delighted.

His words were empty, but his face was beaming with joy. I nodded vaguely and left the mansion.

Then I asked the Saintess.

“What do you think? Has the influence of the puppet master reached here, or is there any trace?”

At my words, the Saintess shook her head.

“No. It’s a bust again… It seems the puppet master just passed through here as well.”

“Ah…”

I showed a hint of disappointment at her words.

If I hadn’t been brainwashed, I should be happy, but why do I feel this way? Perhaps it’s because the legal means to deal with it have disappeared.

However, it seemed that this was not the end, as the saint frowned.

“By the way… it’s quite nauseating. The remnants of sin swirling behind you… there are quite a few.”

I was a bit surprised.

It was really rare for her, who was so virtuous, to openly frown like that. Such moments were mostly when she looked at me in the past, or when I spoke to her, or when I approached her… Hmm, let’s stop there; it’s too painful to think about.

In any case, it was an unusual occurrence.

Her reaction meant that the guy had accumulated quite a bit of sin.

“I see.”

I nodded and waited for a moment. I knew he had done something bad. Now it was time to find out what kind of bad things he was up to.

As I waited, the one-eyed bug came with information. In the meantime, it had searched the entire mansion.

By releasing several of them to divide the areas, the speed was indeed impressive.

I picked one of them up and played the video.

The guy was in the reception room.

“Damn it! That damn hero. Did he come looking for a drink?!”

There should be a limit to rudeness…!

After I left the mansion, he had been huffing in his seat for a while. If he weren’t a hero, he would have been executed on the spot, or so the rumors said. After grumbling for a while, he immediately called his butler to vent his anger.

“Evill!”

“Yes, my lord, you called?”

Slap!

The sound of a slap echoed sharply.

It seems I’ve been seeing slapping scenes quite often these days.

“Because of you, I wasted a bottle of wine first thing in the morning.”

“I’m sorry, my lord… But you know what the hero is capable of if I don’t serve him.”

“Then at least you could have brought out something cheap!”

“I couldn’t risk bringing out something inexpensive in case the hero got angry…”

“Hmph! Enough. I guess I’ll head to the basement.”

That was where the video ended. The moment he escaped, the one-eyed bug closed its eyes.

‘The basement?’

I tilted my head and played the next video.

Did he have a basement in his house? I could just look it up.

I pick out the one that had gone deeper among the one-eyed bugs.

Whether it was luck or not, as the video played, a dim place appeared.

Walls covered in mold from not being cleaned properly. Stale and damp air. Bars installed as if to prevent something from escaping.

And several children tied up on the floor.

– I’m hungry…

– It hurts…

– Sister, when can we go out…?

– …I don’t know.

There were many children, and they all looked different, but they shared one common trait.

They were all painfully thin. Their skin clung tightly to their bones, with ribs clearly visible, and their bodies looked filthy as if they hadn’t been washed in a long time. Each of them bore a brand symbolizing slavery on some part of their body.

It seemed they had also been abused, as their bodies were covered in various wounds. They all trembled in fear.

The lord had created such a place.

Creeeak, and finally, the bars opened as the lord, Viclone, entered.

– Hello, children.

His smile was sinister and gloomy. As he entered, the children trembled as if they had encountered a ghost.

Some of the children, perhaps feeling more hunger than fear, rushed towards him.

– Please… give us something to eat… I’m so hungry.

– Please send me home… I miss my mom and dad…

– It hurts too much… please stop hitting me…

Cries and pleas echoed from all around.

Regardless, he continued speaking.

– You have no home. There’s no one to take you in.

– You are the germs of the city. Even if you grow up, you’ll only become criminals or beggars that rot the city.

– The only one who will take you in is me, so show me your respect.

What should I call that?

The arrogance unique to nobility? A sense of superiority wanting to be above others? Or just a peculiar preference?

I don’t know what it is, but one thing is certain: it’s definitely not a normal scene.

Naturally, there was no child who showed him any respect.

Despite his words, the children’s begging continued, and the boy’s face crumpled rapidly.

– “These… wretched little pests, worse than beasts.”

– “Enough. It seems they need some education today as well.”

The mention of “education” made the children flinch. Given their reaction, it was clear that it was not normal education.

It was likely something resembling abuse or violence.

– “Evil! Send two of these brats to the training room immediately!”

– “Kyaaak…! I’m sorry…!”

– “Please forgive us… We won’t ask for food anymore…!”

– “………I’m sorry, kids.”

With that, the caretaker, Evil, with a devastated expression, finished selecting the children.

The video cut off.

“………”

“………”

We watched this and frowned for a while.

The twisted madness and desires of humans were merely roles.

“…This is troublesome.”

After a long silence, the saint spoke up.

“We can’t recklessly touch them since they are nobles, and even if we report it, I wonder if the busy palace will act in time… No, the children might be harmed before they do.”

“………”

I pondered her words for a moment. It was indeed uncertain whether reporting would resolve anything.

The other party was a noble, and slaves were legal under imperial law.

No matter how unreasonable the treatment of slaves was, they would only receive some finger-pointing, and it was clear they would not face proper imprisonment and would be released.

As I struggled to find a solution, an idea suddenly popped into my head.

I immediately asked her about it.

“About that brainwashing.”

“Yes? Yes.”

“Does one have to be brainwashed to be considered brainwashed?”

“………Yes?”

“Can’t we just say they are brainwashed?”

“???”

Originally, witch hunts in the Middle Ages were no different from tradition.