■ Chief Financial Officer Partarth □
Currently, the headquarters of Governor Ozma is still utilizing the royal castle.
Originally, there were plans to construct new headquarters for the governor’s office, but since this castle would just become an abandoned eyesore once we leave, we have no choice but to occupy it temporarily.
Today, as I arrived at the governor’s office in a carriage, I noticed that lackeys of the monarchy restoration faction were staging a protest in front of the castle.
“Hey! There’s Governor Ozma and that bastard!”
“Waaaaaah!”
One person at the front pointed us out, and the supporters behind them let out a loud roar as they rushed toward us.
At this point, the soldiers who had been watching the protestors idly finally stepped in to stop them, likely because they are human too.
I told Ozma to go inside first, then approached the protestors.
“Halt!”
“Ah, good work.”
A soldier with strict military discipline saluted me, which I casually returned while scratching my head. Then, I approached the protestor who had called me a bastard earlier.
“Uncle, how much are you getting paid to do this?”
The man inciting the crowd turned bright red and spat at me.
“Tch! I am a patriotic citizen rising to reclaim this country! How dare you… ugh!”
His spit was naturally deflected back at him by an active protective magic barrier. Seeing his actions, I decided words wouldn’t resolve anything and opted for a simpler method.
“Tell me who hired you.”
Under the influence of hypnosis, the instigator blankly replied,
“Count Bisbaden.”
“Ah, that son of a bitch. How many times has this happened now?”
Familiar with the name, I cursed under my breath.
I’ve tried to be decent whenever possible, but this guy is unforgivable.
When I sent auditors to investigate legally, he spouted nonsense about private property rights several times, so I just ignored it out of annoyance—now he’s crossing the line?
Ignoring the baffled looks from the protestors who had heard the truth, I instructed the soldiers.
“If these kinds of people come again and cause trouble, they’ll die by my hand. Tell them to behave.”
“Yes sir!”
“Dismiss the protest group accordingly.”
After giving the soldiers a bit of a hard time, I entered the governor’s office headquarters to sign the attendance register.
Even though it was early morning, the staff working inside the building were already bustling around.
Because it used to be the castle of Oz, everything here is unnecessarily lavish—that’s its defining feature.
As I passed by, I waved to the people who greeted me politely and headed toward the Finance Management Room where I serve as chief.
Creak!
“Welcome, Chief Financial Officer!”
Upon entering, one of the male employees who was cleaning greeted me loudly.
His name… wasn’t it Gordon?
“Gordon, thanks for your hard work this early morning.”
“Not at all, sir!”
Though this isn’t the army, I lightly patted his tensed shoulders before looking around at the people busily cleaning the office and asked,
“I’m about to go deal with Count Bisbaden. Anyone here want to come along?”
All the finance management room employees immediately raised their hands.
“Me! Pick me!”
“I want to go!”
“I went last time, but got beaten up by the guards!”
Although most of the staff wanted to join, I decided to only take three of them with me.
Especially the last one, whose eyes were filled with venom, caught my attention.
I threw my bag onto my desk and prepared for the trip.
My basic equipment includes a silk hat, robe, and orichalcum knuckles.
“Aah, this heavy, icy sensation has been long overdue.”
After confirming the feel by clenching and unclenching my fists, I put the knuckles in my back pocket.
“Get your gear ready.”
“Yes sir!”
With me leading the way and the three members of the finance management room following as support, our target was the mansion of Count Bisbaden, the former court count.
It seems like he’s trying to dabble in politics based on his minor power, so I’ll have to correct his behavior today.
[[#]] Count Bisbaden’s mansion was located in the suburbs.
About 30 minutes away from the capital of Oz, typically because those unable to build massive estates within Oz settle for relatively cheaper, spacious land instead.
The four of us traveled on horseback from the capital.
By the way, the horse I rode is Goldrun.
On the day I left Oz, I had no choice but to abandon Goldrun, but this clever guy somehow made his way back to the original stable.
Thanks to that, when I returned after occupying Oz, I was pleasantly surprised.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.”
After running nonstop for quite some time, we spotted the blue-roofed mansion in the distance and gradually slowed down.
As the four horses entered the territory of Count Bisbaden’s mansion, one of the nearby guards shouted while pointing a sharp spear.
“Who goes there?”
I showed them my ID taken out from my coat.
“I’m Partarth, Chief Financial Officer of Governor Ozma’s office. Is Count Bisbaden home?”
The guard looked startled and lowered the spear.
“What? No, Count Bisbaden is currently out, so he’s not at the mansion. You’ll have to come back another time, I apologize.”
Ignoring his words, I grabbed Goldrun’s reins.
Goldrun began slowly walking toward the gate.
Seeing this, the guards stationed inside the gate rushed out.
“Even someone high-ranking from the governor’s office cannot enter this estate without an appointment. Are you asking for bloodshed?”
“You’re annoying me. Move aside.”
“Cawing!”
I casually swept away the guard who was threatening me with wind magic and extended my fist wrapped in a gale.
“Whirlwind Fury.”
Dozens of projectiles fired from my fist mercilessly bent the iron-made gate.
The guards rushed forward upon seeing this, but I indiscriminately beat them back with gusts of wind.
BOOM!
Eventually, the gate shattered and fell backward.
I jumped over the fallen guards groaning on the ground and moved forward.
The subordinates watching from behind said,
“As expected of the Chief Financial Officer! Ruthless use of force!”
“I should’ve learned some magic when I was younger.”
“Good look for you bastards. Last time I came here, you glared at me and didn’t let me pass. Tsk.”
Perhaps hearing the commotion at the gate, soldiers loyal to Count Bisbaden could be seen rushing from far away.
‘Hmm…’
There are quite a number of soldiers for private retainers.
Since he doesn’t own any fiefdoms, having a force of this scale must be illegal.
Connecting this with the count’s usual deeds, it’s clear he’s a rebel.
He also seems to belong seriously to the monarchy restoration faction aiming for the throne.
While adjusting my mask, I waited for the count’s soldiers to approach.
Soon enough, about 200 soldiers arrived in front of us, exuding a menacing atmosphere as they questioned,
“Do you even know where you are to be wreaking havoc like this?”
“And do you know who I am to act so arrogantly?”
This seemed to startle the captain of the guards.
Probably because I showed no signs of fear whatsoever.
“Excuse me, may I inquire about your honorable name?”
“Partarth, Chief Financial Officer of Governor Ozma’s office.”
“Wh-what?! The second-in-command of the governor’s office!”
“Got it? Can you move aside? The owner here is suspected of treason.”
“B-betrayal! Please come in immediately!”
No matter how muscle-bound their brains might be, they clearly understand the consequences of being involved in treason, so the captain quickly cleared the way.
Thanks to this, we achieved a bloodless entry into the courtyard of the mansion.
Count Bisbaden must be leisurely drinking tea at home, completely worry-free.
Because until now, he’s never been caught for anything he’s done.
Since I didn’t feel the need to enter the mansion itself, I used an amplification magic to announce,
“Attention, Count Bisbaden. If you don’t immediately come out and bow your head, I will completely vaporize the west wing of your mansion. I’ll give you exactly five minutes. Everyone in the west wing, evacuate now if you don’t want to perish.”
We waited exactly five minutes in that spot.
However, the count didn’t show up, and only the people in the west wing hurriedly evacuated.
‘So this guy…’
Seeing that the count intends to bluff until the end, ignoring the imminent danger to his life, I decided to show him the bitter taste of reality.
“Whoosh.”
I shot accumulated ether mixed with fire mana from the tip of my fingers, creating a massive orb of light that appeared and disappeared near the west wing of the mansion.
This is Explosion, a fourth-tier spell.
The only combat-effective magic in the ether series, it’s powerful enough and has a relatively short casting time, making it easy to spam.
As if it had always been like this, the west wing of the mansion cleanly vaporized, and someone could be seen running from the main building late.
Judging by the flowing white hair, it was undoubtedly Count Bisbaden, whom I had long wanted to see.
“One esteemed guest, please step forward.”
Muttering this, I tightened the orichalcum knuckles on both my hands.
Now that it’s come to this, I hope he denies the charges so I can enjoy a proper fight.
It’s been a while since I’ve felt the satisfaction of physical combat.
