Chapter 9 | The Assassin Persuades
Count Frantrude’s heart was now mine, just as I had planned. My past self likely would have done it easily and without feeling, but I found the experience quite painful.
I was glad for both of our sakes that I succeeded. I wasn’t optimistic enough to blindly trust that wooing was guaranteed to work, so I had prepared a backup plan, one far crueler than seduction.
Now as Lugh Tuatha Dé, I waited in the chamber for the count to arrive.
The door swung open, and Count Frantrude burst in. It was poor manners for a dignified noble. He must have been dying to hear Lulu’s reply to his question.
“Lulu! Can I have your answer?” he asked with flushed cheeks and hope in his voice. A beautiful bouquet of flowers was clasped in his hands.
“Hate to break it to you, but the girl you’ve fallen for isn’t here,” I said coldly, giving him the bad news.
“How did you get into my estate?!”
“I recommend you keep quiet… Anything less might endanger her life.”
I walked around the dumbfounded Count Frantrude, closed the door, then nudged him in the back. He staggered, tripped over a chair I had prepared, and then plopped down onto it.
“Who the hell are you?!”
“Huh, I was sure you would know me. I’m the man you’re trying to frame.”
He was shocked speechless, and then he averted his eyes.
“How?”
“‘How,’ you say? Are you inquiring about how I learned of this scheme in the royal capital? Or how I am here when I’m supposed to be in the faraway Tuatha Dé domain? Or how I determined you are the one providing false testimony against me? Or maybe you’re wondering how I know that you have a budding romance with a girl named Lulu?”
I wanted him to think I knew everything to sway the negotiation in my favor. Obviously, I actually did know pretty much everything.
Count Frantrude’s face was pale.
“Let’s just talk this through, all right? I’d like to be as civilized as possible. That said, you’ve really upset me. You should watch your behavior, because I have no idea what I might do.”
I tossed him a necklace as I finished speaking. It was one I’d worn as Lulu yesterday. I’d told the count the piece was a memento from my mother to ensure he’d remember it.
“Th-that’s Lulu’s.” He gasped.
“That it is. I took it thinking it would make for a nice negotiating tool,” I replied.
“Leave her alone! She has nothing to do with this!”
“That’s not entirely true, given her affiliation with you. Her life is now in danger because of the actions of her idiotic lover… Poor girl. I feel bad for her.”
“We are not lovers!”
“…You really shouldn’t lie to me. My subordinates told me she cried your name when they carried her off. Your agitation is also plain as day.”
“I—I will not stray from my ideals for her sake. I killed my own father for House Frantrude. I am willing to cast aside a girl or two, no matter how much I may love them.”
Count Frantrude wasn’t stupid. The most effective thing to do in a hostage situation was to make the captor believe their prisoner was worthless. Otherwise, the captor would keep trying to leverage their safety against you.
There was just one problem—Count Frantrude was a terrible actor. He had no experience in high-pressure situations like this.
On the other hand, I was more than acclimated to people like him. Persuasion would be a cinch.
“I see. If that’s how you want to play it, we can call it here for the day. Tomorrow, I might return with a finger of hers. Oh, right, I’m sure you’d like a sign that she’s safe. I’ll make her write a letter using the blood dripping from her missing finger. I’ll send one a day until she has no fingers left,” I stated, whispering the last part into his ear. I filled my voice with malice.
No matter how strong the count was, he wasn’t used to dealing with death. This was his first time experiencing the coldness of the world and the malice of a true assassin. It cut through his bluff as though it were made of wet paper.
“W-wait. Is Lulu safe?”
“Yes. Provided you don’t try to pull anything, you have my word that I will treat her with care.”
“What are you after? What is it you want me to do?”
“Wow, you catch on quick.”
I wanted to applaud the count. His teeth were chattering from fear, but he was keeping his head on straight. He could see that I was here to discuss, not kill him, and he took that to mean I wasn’t interested in revenge.
He was also right not to attack me or to call for help. He understood that it was impossible to overpower a monster with might comparable to the hero’s.
“When it comes time for your testimony at the trial, read this script I prepared. Do that, and I’ll return your girl to you.”
I casually tossed a note to Count Frantrude. He read it and broke into a cold sweat.
“You’re telling me I have to betray Marquis Carnalie. I could never. I owe him everything.”
“…Is that so?”
The script said that Marquis Carnalie threatened and bribed Count Frantrude into perjury. Marquis Carnalie was the mastermind behind the plot to frame me.
“This is madness. Marquis Carnalie will never forgive such an affront… He’ll seek revenge.”
“That won’t be a problem. The marquis will be going to prison.”
I tossed out another document. It contained information showing where the murder victim had actually died and evidence that Marquis Carnalie had ordered nobles loyal to him to transport the corpse to Jombull.
Honestly, the account was only partially true. The majority of its contents had been fabricated or embellished. I thought most of it was accurate, but it still lacked some necessary details.
Even so, it was adequate to fool a man whose mind was clouded by fear. It would suffice for the moment.
My agents throughout the country were working to gather evidence and complete our case. By the day of the trial, we would have irrefutable proof.
No matter how damning the evidence I presented was, however, it wouldn’t be quite enough to corner Marquis Carnalie. I needed Count Frantrude to get me there.
“Wha…? I don’t… This is impossible. It’s only been a few days since the plan was set in motion. How did you gather all this evidence? How did you get to my estate? It doesn’t make any sense!”
“Aren’t you aware? I was chosen by the goddess to be a Holy Knight. She appeared in my dreams and told me that people threatened to interfere with my efforts to save the world. When I awoke, I was in the capital.”
It was such a blatant lie that it was comical. As far as the count knew, however, the only way to explain the speed at which I’d gathered information and arrived here was to say it was the work of the goddess.
When my Demonkiller spell became public information, I’d explained that the goddess had taught it to me. It was well known among nobles that Lugh Tuatha Dé, Holy Knight, could hear the voice of the divine.
“This is what the goddess said: ‘Those who interfere with Lugh’s efforts to save the world will cease to receive my blessings.’ Are you ready for your life to end?”
“I—I never… I never intended for a second to interfere with saving the world… If I had known the goddess would abandon me, I…”
“Whatever your intentions were doesn’t mean a thing. The fact of the matter is the goddess decreed that I would save the world, and you got in my way.”
Count Frantrude slid out of his chair.
I think that’s enough of the stick.
One of the fundamentals of persuasion was the carrot and stick. The technique involved alternating between negative and positive reinforcement to induce the desired response.
“Look, there’s a way you can make it out of this—testify as I tell you to. You can still recover. If you cooperate, you will actually be helping to save the world. The goddess will be pleased with you. She may even bless the rest of your life.”
“I will help save the world? But I… I need money. If Marquis Carnalie gets arrested, my family will be ruined.”
“If that’s all you need, I can provide it. This is all yours if you help me.”
I pulled a sack stuffed with gold coins out of my Leather Crane Bag and shoved it into the man’s hands.
The Alvanian Kingdom had already begun using paper money, but pieces of gold were still in active use when dealing with other countries, and they were accepted domestically, too.
I chose to use coins because I wanted to gain total dominance over Count Frantrude. People went crazy for the weight, sound, and shininess of gold. Paper wouldn’t have had the same effect.
Immediately, the count’s eyes lit up. He opened the bag and peered inside.
It was no small sum. Fortunately, now that I had completed the telecommunications network, I could make as much money as I wanted.
“This is so much.”
“This is three times what that cheapskate Marquis Carnalie promised you. It’s enough to forgive your father’s debt. You have no need to cater to those upstarts ever again.”
Marquis Carnalie’s scheme had a few significant holes. In his rush to advance the plan, he’d been sloppy, leaving behind lots of evidence. However, his biggest mistake was going cheap on the bribery. Paying off his most important witness with a stingy one thousand gold coins was going to be his downfall.
“By the goddess…”
It looked like the carrot was quite effective. One more push was all it would take to break Count Frantrude’s mind completely.
I had one more trick up my sleeve.
“Use that money to buy your freedom. Then get your revenge on Marquis Carnalie for deceiving and exploiting you.”
“He deceived me? What do you mean?”
“Do you really have no idea?”
I shrugged to feign disbelief.
“You seem to be grateful to Marquis Carnalie for purchasing your works of art and introducing you to the upstarts.”
“Th-that’s right. If he hadn’t purchased all those paintings and sculptures and set me up with those wealthy commoners, House Frantrude would have gone under long ago.”
The count genuinely believed he owed everything to Marquis Carnalie. Things could not have been going better for me.
“…There’s such a thing as being too trusting, you know. There were some counterfeits among the pieces that your father collected. But ninety percent of them were genuine, and the remaining ten percent were so close to the originals that they had real value.”
“That’s a lie! I hired an inspector to confirm they were fake.”
“That inspector was an accomplice of Marquis Carnalie. I have something I think you should see. I drew up a list of the clients Marquis Carnalie sold art to. Galatea’s Necklace was sold to Baron Dolaira, Frattora’s Vase went to Viscount Marleeda, Faran Furulu’s landscape painting was bought by the Balor Company, and the list goes on. Marquis Carnalie fenced every single one for a high price. If you don’t believe me, you can confirm it yourself. I’m sure you have an acquaintance or two on this list. Visit their estates and ask to see the art they purchased. They’ll be thrilled at the chance to show off their expensive treasures.”
“What? Th-this can’t be…”
“Your father was a fool, but he had a real eye for finery. His collection was worth more than what he spent to acquire it. If the works had all been sold for the appropriate price, you’d be filthy rich.”
Count Frantrude’s father had loved art deeply, and he only bought pieces of the utmost quality. He was a disaster as the ruler of a domain, but he was a true expert as a collector. Even the counterfeits he got fooled into purchasing did nothing to diminish his skill of evaluation, given that they were all of higher quality than the originals. He relied not on knowledge but on his heart and his eye for creativity when choosing beautiful pieces.
“Marquis Carnalie is also receiving a commission from the upstarts he introduced you to. The man played you like a fiddle. He’s made House Frantrude sell its honor and has profited massively in the process. Are you going to let him get away with this?”
I’d nearly burst out laughing upon discovering all this myself. You didn’t see a case of someone being fooled and bled dry to this extent very often.
Count Frantrude was a smart man, but he was naive and overly convinced of his father’s foolishness. The marquis had seized upon that.
“Wh-what have I done…? I—I have to make him pay!”
“Here’s your chance to do just that. As you can see, I have evidence that pins Marquis Carnalie as the true criminal. All you have to do is provide testimony, and he’ll be ruined. Once the trial is over, you can start a new life with this money. With Lulu by your side.”
“I can avenge myself…and never have to worry about money again. And Lulu…”
“There’s no doubt the goddess will bless you and Lulu for helping to save the world.”
“I can be with Lulu…with the goddess watching over us…”
Count Frantrude swallowed audibly and clutched the bag of money tight. He was no longer afraid, and his eyes were trained on the future.
I’d used the carrot and stick, then filled him with a desire for revenge. Count Frantrude was now my puppet, and he would dance as I wished.
My work in the royal capital was complete. It was time to get back to Tuatha Dé.
My operatives throughout the world were busy gathering information to bring down Marquis Carnalie. Come the day of the trial, I would wear an innocent look as I brought down the one trying to destroy me.
He was going to spend the rest of his life in jail regretting trying to mess with me.
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