Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 78

Chapter 78   Shinker dies!?

My life in the dungeon was neither particularly good nor bad. The food was decent, and the guards treated me with respect.

On the third day of my imprisonment…

“What is the meaning of this!? Explain yourself!”

Suddenly, Count Sauer burst into my cell, and an interrogation began. He threw a bundle of parchment at my face, demanding answers. He seemed suspicious about how the Rillburn estate’s expenses far exceeded the revenue from the Ishtar wheat harvest.

“Where is all this money coming from!? Is it embezzlement of public funds!?”

“It is not!”

I firmly denied it, but only in the sense that it wasn’t embezzlement of public funds. I wasn’t saying that the existence of the mines within my territory wasn’t a secret kept from the royal court. It seemed he hadn’t investigated my territory thoroughly. It appeared that Kim’s fabricated cover story was still holding up well.

“Then how do you explain mobilizing such a large force?”

“I have no idea.”

I brazenly played dumb, which only seemed to enrage him.

“Strip him of his clothes! I’ll make him talk through his body!”

Whip! Crack!

He struck me with a whip. The leather tip of the whip bit into the flesh of my back. I could feel my skin twisting and bruises forming all over.

“Well? Speak up! Or I’ll make sure you’re useless in battle!”

“…”

If I weren’t bound in chains, I could easily knock this guy out… How frustrating.

But there was no way I could reveal the truth about the gold mines or the profits from the Gale region. That’s the nature of a noble’s autonomy; no one reveals their core assets.

Crack!

Crack!

He mercilessly lashed me with the whip.

“Speak! Or you’ll die without saying anything!”

“…”

“Bring water!”

“Yes, sir!”

This time, my head was forced into a bucket of water. It was hard to breathe, and I wanted to struggle but couldn’t.

“… Gulp”

Repeatedly enduring this was taking a serious toll on my spirit.

“You’re quite stubborn. Well, this will be your daily routine from now on. Prepare yourself! Haha!”

He left, laughing heartily.

…Seriously?

This is going to be rough!

That night, for dinner, I was given a bowl of rotten barley porridge, a stark contrast to what I had been served before. Flies swarmed around it, and it emitted a terrible stench.

I was hungry, but there was no way I could eat this. Even the guards turned their faces away.

…Is this going to continue every day?

I could feel my face growing pale.

◇◇◇◇◇

The moonlight streaming through the small window was blinding.

It was surely the middle of the night.

“…My lord!”

Someone was kneeling in front of the cell. Though they wore a deep hood, the presence felt like Eclair’s.

The guards were inexplicably asleep. It must have been her doing…

“Get me out quickly.”

I said in a strained, quiet voice.

“That is not possible. Escaping from prison is a serious crime.”

“…Then what should I do? Am I to die here?”

I had been prepared to die on the battlefield, but I never expected to die in prison for a crime I didn’t commit.

“It will be fine. They only wish to oust you, who have gained too much power. If you accept their conditions, you will surely be freed.”

“Conditions? What are these conditions?”

“The conditions they offer are that you retire and pass on the family estate to Lady Opal.”

“…Eclair, how many days has it been since I became Chancellor?”

“It has been four days.”

“…I see. Even though I came from humble origins, I’ve risen quite high.”

“It is indeed regrettable.”

Surprisingly, she seemed genuinely regretful.

Her tears dripped down onto the cobblestone floor.

…That’s right.

I had only recently vowed to hire people from her village.

I couldn’t die here with some trivial honor.

I couldn’t let the Rillburn family be destroyed.

At the very least, I needed to see Opal come of age…

“Understood. Tell their representative that I will retire.”

“Certainly.”

Once I had given my response, she silently disappeared into the night.

◇◇◇◇◇

The next morning――.

I was led out of the prison by the guards.

My body was beaten, covered in wounds and blood.

My clothes were torn, leaving me looking like a slave.

“This person is beyond saving! Please take him away!”

“Thank you very much.”

…What’s going on?

I didn’t understand at all!

My body was handed over from the guards to a seemingly frail old man.

The old man secretly slipped two gold coins to the guards.

Peering through the gap in the old man’s hood, I saw it was Elder Arias.

I felt relieved and entrusted myself to the old man.

I was extremely exhausted.

In Elder Arias’s arms, I fell into a deep sleep.

“……Mmm, mmm, huh!?”

“Have you awakened?”

When I regained consciousness, I found myself inside a covered carriage.

Outside the window, a lush green landscape was passing by.

Elder Arias was seated across from me, and I could also see Pokorina at my feet.

“Did I survive?”

“Well, you could say that, but you could also say not quite.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lord Rillburn Shinker, you were reported to have collapsed and died at the ceremony.”

“……What!? What does that mean?”

“It means that officially, Lord Rillburn is dead. From now on, you will have to live in secret. And we’ll need to arrange a funeral as well!”

“Is that true!? And what about my family?”

“As promised, your family is safe. However, as part of the bribes and expenses, you will need to relinquish land south of Shampur.”

“……Well, that can’t be helped.”

Thus, the head of the Rillburn family was now Opal, and I was declared dead.