It was the wee hours of the morning when Rex was sound asleep.
Perhaps someone might call it the early hours of the morning.
The undercover inspectors who had met the vigilantes at the labor office were able to obtain information from her.
And with her, they stormed the mayor’s mansion.
Of course, since this action was based solely on the testimony of one person, they did not immediately resort to violence.
“I am a tax officer from Yeongdo. I would like to review the accounts.”
Initially, the undercover inspector, acting as a tax officer, attempted the mildest conversation possible.
However, the mayor refused cooperation as if being asked to cut open his belly…
“Yes, refusal to cooperate acknowledged, and accordingly, we will proceed with compulsory execution.”
As if expecting this, the tax officer’s (Dark Elf battalion commander) seizure and search began.
“I’ll handle this on my own.”
“Please be careful, sir.”
Among the group was a female vigilante, so the two maintained the façade of an old butler and a tax officer as they commenced cleaning the mansion.
That said, the cleaning was well enough handled by the tax officer alone.
After all, the level of the mayor and his knights was not high enough to warrant the old butler, Dominique.
“People are sleeping, so please keep it quiet.”
When he flicked his finger once, the mansion fell into silence.
When he clapped his hands, a fair number of people collapsed as if sleeping.
And when he swiped his finger horizontally, the necks of those who were barely holding on rolled onto the floor.
“Undercover inspector, appear!”
As the tax officer waged a solo massacre, Dominique watched while mentally reciting the iconic line in his heart.
Meanwhile, the accompanying vigilante…
‘Is this the tax officer sent from Yeongdo…’
She couldn’t help but understand why only these two people were sent from Yeongdo.
At the same time, she also understood why such a strong butler was serving under this tax officer.
As the cleaning was completed and in a room drenched in blood, the battalion commander pulled out a pair of round glasses.
Watching this, Dominique approved.
‘He certainly looks suspicious as a tax officer.’
The Dark Elf battalion commander had disguised himself as a tax officer, whitening his skin and reducing the size of his ears, but could not do anything about his characteristic slitted eyes that saw a hundred paces.
Thanks to this, anyone who looked at him now could easily tell he was the ‘shadow behind the mayor cutting off tails.’
It seemed not only Dominique felt this way; the vigilante woman’s eyebrows were also twitching constantly.
Of course, the 1st battalion commander that Dominique knew was the most diligent and normal friend among the three battalion commanders, so he inwardly lamented deeply.
Just as Dominique was preoccupied with thoughts unrelated to the mission, the battalion commander finished his analysis and summarized the situation for him.
“This mayor has also been pocketing quite a fortune.”
Hylduin sent a glare full of loathing towards the ledger.
The city, which he had thought was clean, was merely shifting filth to the neighboring territory.
They had been maintaining slave labor by transferring ownership of slaves from this territory to the neighboring one and leasing them back.
“Moreover, they were even receiving support funds for slave emancipation from Lord despite doing all this. Truly shameless.”
Normally, replacing the mayor and requesting Yeongdo to dispatch a new one would have been a standard course of action.
The tax officer also thought the same while proposing the next steps.
“We will leave things as they are until a local official is dispatched from Yeongdo…”
“Have you forgotten our agreement, sir?”
Interrupted by the butler’s remark, the tax officer Hylduin twitched his shoulders and glanced at the eyes of the vigilante woman.
Hylduin recalled the agreement with this woman.
In exchange for sharing information, he promised to help her with her revenge.
However, there seemed to be a slight difference in the mindset of the tax officer.
“Certainly, we did make an agreement. But didn’t you know nothing about the neighboring territory before we made that agreement? It would be prudent to approach this situation carefully.”
“I cannot break my promise, sir.”
The loyal butler kept persuading the tax officer, appealing to his sense of righteousness.
The reason Dominique did this was not for her but for his original self, Duke.
Both of them could perhaps cancel their agreement with her by force.
But the honorable knight Duke, who was Dominique’s original self, should not do such a thing.
Thus, the butler kept persuading Hylduin.
Seeing the superior’s appearance counseling him as a steward, Hylduin wiped off his cold sweat and made excuses.
“Mr. Dominique. It’s not that I don’t intend to honor it. I’m angry too. There’s not a shred of forgiveness in my heart for those scoundrels who abducted our fellow subjects. However, let’s take a bit of time… Yes, starting a year from now would be fine.”
The tax officer, who seemed to have a strange sense of time due to his original being a Dark Elf, advocated for a cautious approach.
Indeed, his words were reasonable.
Caution was necessary in matters concerning territories.
Moreover, since the scale of this territory was on the level of a country from Duke’s previous life, it naturally required time to move on such matters.
However, Duke finally unlocked the end-game content and had no intention of spending such a tedious gap period.
Therefore, he quickly changed his persuasion tactics.
‘If logic doesn’t work…’
Go for incitement and appeal.
The butler, somewhat reverting to Duke’s state, advised the tax officer as if counseling him.
“Even if we punish the city’s mayor, it would be meaningless if the neighboring territory that shares the border continues to supply slaves. Moreover, as we speak, our fellow citizens continue to be abducted as slaves.”
One must address the root cause to cure the illness.
“And isn’t it our duty to spread this truth to the unfortunate citizens of that territory who are still unaware of Lord Rex’s grace?”
The extremely straightforward and simple appeal from Dominique made Hylduin forget that he was acting and marvel in admiration.
“Indeed…”
Dominique’s words reminded Hylduin of the secret meeting on the evening when the Yormungand Knights were founded.
‘The Master was never satisfied with just this territory since that moment!’
The battalion commander re-interpreted the butler’s words with a face filled with joy.
“‘A prisoner trapped in a cave sees nothing but shadows cast by fire.’ Yes! To show them true happiness, people like us must toil without hesitation! It’s also our obligation!”
Although Dominique felt that something was being miscommunicated, he didn’t bother to correct the misunderstanding.
After all, the hardship resulting from a subordinate’s rampage belonged solely to Rex.
While the butler maintained his silence, the 1st battalion commander, who had organized his thoughts, nodded his head.
“Yes. Let’s assist this man so that Lord Rex’s intentions can reach the end of this land.”
Only then did Dominique nod too.
“All for Lord.”
‘Meh, he’ll probably figure it out on his own.’
*
Thus, the next destination for the two was the neighboring territory, the Marquis Estate of Dragoon.
When Rex awoke in the morning, the two were already well past the boundary line of the Marquis Estate, beyond any chance of being stopped.
Guided by the vigilante woman, the group ventured deeper into the Marquis Estate.
“But listen, I don’t trust people like you.”
“What have we done to deserve such treatment?”
“Slitted eyes. You tried to break your agreement with me yesterday, didn’t you?”
Hylduin rolled his eyes and turned his gaze away from her.
Thanks to this, an awkward atmosphere filled the group.
The butler, Dominique, attempted to ease the awkwardness by overtly changing the topic.
“Now that I think about it, we haven’t formally introduced ourselves. Since we are in this together henceforth, we should at least know each other’s names, right?”
This sentiment was also partly because neither of them wanted to be addressed as “Slitted Eyes” and “Old Man.”
She glanced at them both from her horse before speaking…
“Jane.”
“I am Hylduin. Although I am a tax officer sent from Yeongdo, please treat me as a fallen noble during our time of cooperation.”
“I am Dominique. I am both a butler and a bodyguard.”
The woman readily accepted Hylduin’s introduction but tilted her head in confusion at Dominique’s.
“Butler and bodyguard?”
“Yes.”
“Does that even make sense?”
The two met each other’s gaze at her remark.
Simultaneously, both recalled Rex’s battle maid, Aeri.
“Yes.”
“Having both a butler and a maid skilled in combat is common in our territory, miss.”
“???”
Even though she was from a neighboring territory, having traveled frequently between the areas, it was still news to her.
She questioned again, not easily comprehending.
“Is this something that’s been common for a few years?”
“It’s a recent standard that was established after our Lord took office, miss.”
“Is this part of the Providence Lord’s preferences?”
At her question, the two recalled Rex and Aeri again.
“Yes. You could say that.”
“It’s the Lord’s preference.”
The tax officer Hylduin, who didn’t deny, and the butler Dominique, who enthusiastically affirmed, made the elf vigilante Jane finally understand.
“Well, there are strange humans among superhumans too, I guess.”
Saying this, she herself was a superhuman who had reached the third rank.
Thus, through Rex’s sacrifice (?), the ice was broken within the group.
Their journey remained peaceful for about three days.
“The law and order in the Marquis Estate is better than expected.”
The mutter by the slitted-eyed tax officer Hylduin elicited a scoff from Jane.
“If it were that good, would I be playing vigilante?”
“You mean you achieved this?”
“Of course not. Frankly…”
She closed her lips and changed her statement.
“Anyway, it’s none of my concern. From what you’re saying, you seem to have no idea about the situation in the Marquis Estate.”
Both of them honestly nodded.
Currently, the Viscount Estate of Prudence is suffering from chronic manpower shortages.
Unless one were only collecting taxes and focusing solely on territorial disputes and farmland expansion with neighboring territories, one could scarcely interfere in active administration, but Rex is engaged in such proactive administrative intervention.
Indeed, since people cannot be suddenly created, the existing ones are being mercilessly purged, so…
‘Didn’t we fall without Hana providing manpower?’
In such a situation, they hadn’t had the resources to dispatch spies to the neighboring territory.
Dominique, feeling embarrassed, became conscious of his wrinkled smile.
“Due to our shortcomings, we only have rumors to rely on.”
And of those rumors, they only knew that the taxation rate in the Marquis Estate was higher than in other territories and that there were few bandits.
At this, Jane chuckled.
“Bandits? Of course there wouldn’t be any with the troops that they command.”
“Uh?”
“The Marquis Estate is already under the control of mafia organizations. So why would they hide in the mountains and pick on people when they can join the mafia and operate in the city?”
The tax officer and Hylduin didn’t immediately understand and tilted their heads.
Don’t they pretty much amount to knights then?
As if reading their thoughts, she explained the difference between the Marquis Estate and the Viscount Estate.
“You have knights in your territory, right? These knights openly steal under the authority of public power, right? Here, the knights accept bribes or are threatened, while the mafia operates in secret behind the scenes.”
According to her, the Marquis Estate was currently being infiltrated by a mafia alliance.
Each city is ruled by a mafia group, and these groups have formed an alliance that runs the Marquis Estate.
Since they do not tolerate bandits who operate in their own territory, the law and order is fine while traveling; however, entering the city becomes a problem.
“Public authority? Around here, that’s no laughing matter.”
“What does the Lord do?”
The tax officer revealed his confusion.
A Marquis, as a considerably powerful individual, being infiltrated by a mere criminal organization made no sense to them.
Of course, there are cases where the mafia alliance might be stronger, but in such scenarios, it would have been simpler to overthrow the Marquis and launder the mafia into public authority.
Thus, neither the mafia, paying bribes and acting in secret, nor the Marquis, tacitly allowing this, made any sense to the tax officer.
Even the vigilante Jane found this situation somewhat odd.
“Don’t know. There are rumors that the Lord is from the mafia alliance, or is a puppet, or is the twin brother of the Godfather. Regardless of the reasons, we know that the Marquis simply tolerates it. Anyway, you’ll understand when you see it in person, no need for a long explanation.”
Off to the side, Dominique nodded.
“Hmm. Don’t know.”
Of course, even Dominique, who dislikes thinking, could figure this out if he tried.
But he had no intention of understanding.
After all, it’s the people with bad bodies who tend to use their brains.
There was one fact he understood.
“In other words, isn’t it simply about cutting down the bad guys in the Marquis Estate and leaving the ranking members for Jane?”
Any subsequent chaos regarding public order and administrative burdens would ultimately fall on Duke/Dominque anyway.
Just as Duke was organizing his thoughts, Jane seemed to remember something and directed some words toward Dominique.
“By the way, don’t treat me as a vigilante.”
“Hmm? When did we ever say such a thing?”
“Your demeanor implies it.”
“Oh, we apologize. Is there a reason, miss?”
“These mafia groups you speak of? They all started out as vigilante groups. Protecting the traditions of the Marquis Estate from external forces, you know.”
“Ah, I see.”
Understanding, Dominique continued.
“Then we shall think of you as a wandering knight.”
“I don’t have such noble intentions.”
“Hmm, we will see.”
It’s a cliché for characters starting out with revenge to eventually embrace a greater cause.
Dominique, who had already marked Jane as the protagonist of this narrative, had no intention of listening to whatever she might say.
“A guard against self-righteousness will eventually bloom.”
“Hmph. Absolute justice doesn’t exist. Those mafias you speak of, ultimately, their malice is just another kind of justice.”
“Nonetheless, we must not abandon our pursuit of good while guarding against evil. To establish relative standards, we need an absolute measure. This is one of the few truths that this old man has realized.”
Jane’s shoulders shuddered slightly.
Dominique’s words seemed to give Hylduin a deeper insight as well.
“What is it with you…”
Just then, the group arrived at a city.
Before entering, Jane admonished them.
“Don’t forget the agreement.”
“The ranking members of the alliance are yours.”
Each city is ruled by a mafia family behind its mayor.
However, not all family bosses are members of the mafia alliance’s leadership.
Therefore, she was only claiming the top-tier alliance members and not all the family bosses.
Dominique nodded, remembering her instructions.
“In other words, there’s no need to save others for you.”
“Exactly. Just clear the path to the boss. As for the structure of the family that rules this city…”
She started to speak while looking at the checkpoint surrounded by a wall.
“This place is under control of an alliance member, so even at the checkpoint, there are foot soldiers. Therefore, infiltration should be…”
However, she couldn’t finish her sentence as a sinister sound came from behind her.
Swish.
Before she could react, the butler had doffed his coat, smiling kindly while drawing his sword.
Spare hatchets attached at his back, and sturdy-looking supply iron swords in each hand.
“???”
In the midst of her confusion, the tax officer was calmly arranging the butler’s coat on the saddle.
“What are you doing?”
Losing his bearings, Jane looked at Dominique, who smiled warmly.
“The city belongs to its citizens. We should return it to its rightful owners.”
“Could it be…”
“Is there really a need to bow before bandits who have taken over someone’s home?”
“Wait!”
Before she could stop him, the butler had already charged toward the checkpoint.
