Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings

Chapter 99: Governance

“Rofus, take this.”

Asteria presented a brown envelope to Rofus.

“…What’s this?”

“Previously, you arranged the meeting with Raymond, didn’t you? This is a token of thanks for that.”

“This is… quite an honor.”

“Your words and face don’t match. Look inside; it’s something good.”

Rofus, looking like he found the gesture a nuisance, was prompted by Asteria to open the envelope and check its contents.

He opened the brown envelope and took out the documents inside, scanning through them.

“A mining rights deed— for a coal mine?”

“It’s a small one, but it includes the land, excavation equipment, and employee contracts, so it should generate profit without any additional investment.”

“You’re transferring the entire management rights of a coal mine, along with the land itself. This seems like an excessive reward just for arranging a meeting. With all due respect, I question the propriety of using royal authority for such trivial matters.”

Rofus’s tone conveyed disbelief, and Asteria shrugged.

“Don’t misunderstand. This coal mine is my personal property.”

“The princess manages a coal mine…?”

“…I often go on expeditions to areas affected by monsters, and once, I encountered a disaster-level monster. This coal mine was my reward for defeating it.”

Asteria glanced at Meilin with a sharp look.

“The reward was originally meant for Meilin, who helped defeat the monster, but she refused to accept it, so I had to take it.”

“I’ve never managed anything. Even if I received the rights to a coal mine, it would only go to waste…”

Meilin averted her gaze.

Rofus narrowed his eyes.

“I see. So even Princess Asteria is struggling to manage it.”

“How rude, I’m managing it properly. It’s even making a profit…”

“Well, honestly, it’s a very welcome offer. In our Lightless territory, there’s a steady demand for coal.”

Since the supply of coal had ceased due to Raymond’s summoned spirit Manifis’s spatial transfers, they needed a new source.

Fortunately, the operation of the trains in Litre territory was successful, and the economy was booming thanks to improved distribution.

Buying coal was not a significant burden. In fact, the previous arrangement of receiving coal for free was too generous.

They had given appropriate gifts to the Galleon territory in return, but the benefits far exceeded the costs.

Rofus had already instructed Mild, the director of the Lightless territory’s commercial association, to find a new coal supplier via telepathy, so acquiring the management rights to a coal mine was very advantageous.

While the Lightless territory was vast, it had few coal mines.

The only concern was that the location of the coal mine offered by Asteria was far from the Litre territory.

Even if they could mine coal, transporting it to Litre would incur significant costs.

“I need to think about this,” Rofus sighed.

“It’s a kind offer, so I will gladly accept it. However, as I mentioned earlier, this reward is excessive for just arranging a meeting. I will find a way to repay this favor.”

As Rofus bowed, Asteria hastily waved her hand.

“No need for any repayment. This is just my way of showing my gratitude. And as I said earlier, you don’t need to use such formal language with me. It feels strange. Just speak normally.”

“It feels disrespectful…—But, what do you mean by ‘normally’?”

Rofus felt a strange sense of familiarity in Asteria’s words and asked.

When he thought about it, the term ‘normally’ was odd as well. Rofus and Asteria didn’t have a personal relationship that warranted such familiarity.

Asteria looked away awkwardly and glanced at Meilin and Ganard.

“I intended to talk about that today, but let’s leave it for another time.”

“…”

Rofus frowned, while Ganard and Meilin stood up.

“Is it a complicated matter? If necessary, we can leave.”

“Our business was secondary to the princess’s. It was us who insisted on meeting with Lord Rofus.”

Asteria raised her hand to stop the considerate Ganard and Meilin.

“My matter is not that important. Besides, you still have something to discuss, right?”

“…Something to discuss?”

Rofus glared at Ganard and Meilin, wondering what else there could be.

Ganard shrugged his shoulders and bowed to Asteria.

“Then, we’ll proceed as Princess Asteria allows.”

Ganard turned to Rofus.

“The truth is, Lord Rofus—as the marshal of the kingdom’s army, I have a request for the hero, the black mage.”

Rofus’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as Ganard explained.

＊

In the southern part of the kingdom, there is a vast marshland.

Composed of swamps and forests, it is a place filled with highly toxic miasma, making it difficult for people to enter.

Despite its vastness, its nature makes it unsuitable for agriculture, and its management is labor-intensive, so no one wants to own it as a territory.

Therefore, the marshland is under the jurisdiction of the royal family, with the surrounding nobles entrusted with its minimal management.

Land management includes culling monsters to prevent overpopulation and periodically clearing out dungeon monsters to keep them from emerging.

Failure to do so results in monster overpopulation, leading to swarms that can damage nearby settlements.

Regular culling prevents large-scale monster incidents.

Thus, managing the land, including dungeons and monster control, is a noble’s duty.

The problem Ganard reluctantly described was that monsters were overflowing from a dungeon in the marshland.

It was a dungeon break.

The dungeon had been neglected for a long time, leading to a massive number of monsters swarming and attacking.

Several villages had already been destroyed, and the local nobles had sent their knights, but they were overwhelmed and forced to retreat.

The monster horde grew daily, becoming too large for the local nobles to handle.

Ganard explained the situation with bitterness.

“The monster horde is undead. They absorb the swamp monsters and people, increasing their numbers daily. Immediate action is needed—”

“Wait.”

Rofus interrupted Ganard’s explanation.

“I don’t understand. The monster horde’s invasion is indeed a significant issue—for the southern territory. What does this have to do with me?”

“…The request is for you, Lord Rofus—to handle this matter.”

“What?”

Rofus’s eyes sharpened.

“…I don’t understand. When the lord cannot manage it, the kingdom’s army or the royal family’s knights should handle it.”

“Indeed. Typically, issues arising in the territory are dealt with by the lord, and if they struggle, they request aid from nearby nobles or the royal family. But this time, the request was specifically made to the hero ‘black mage’—Lord Rofus.”

“I still don’t understand. The local nobles neglected dungeon management, causing this. Why should I clean up their mess?”

“You’re absolutely right. Normally, the royal family wouldn’t entertain such unreasonable requests. But this time, there are extenuating circumstances…”

“Stop beating around the bush and explain.”

Rofus glared, and Ganard shrugged.

“I am merely the messenger. I am not permitted to disclose more details. Whether you accept or not is up to you.”

“It’s up to you.”

Ganard continued, “However, if you, Lord Rofus, respond to this call for aid and annihilate the monster horde—your prowess will be known throughout the kingdom, proving your true strength.”

“Why must my prowess be made known? Such a trivial… Wait—could it be…”

Already burdened with the undesired moniker “Black Mage,” Rofus saw no need to flaunt his power further. However, sensing something off in Ganard’s phrasing, his expression changed.

Rofus realized the underlying implication.

Ganard called himself a messenger. Moreover, he mentioned he wasn’t “allowed” to disclose certain details.

In other words, Ganard was merely a courier, and someone had commanded him. And few in the kingdom could command the top of the military, the marshal.

“I see… So, the one behind you is His Majesty the King. Essentially, you’re telling me to silence the unruly nobles.”

Rofus muttered bitterly, and Ganard’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Impressive! You figured it out with just that information! Lord Rofus is skilled not only in combat but also in politics and intrigue. No wonder His Majesty holds you in such high regard.”

“Such roundabout methods…”

Ganard chuckled in good spirits, while Asteria frowned, and Meilin turned her face away in exasperation.

“The King…? Is this from my father?”

“Umm… Am I supposed to hear this?”

While Asteria leaned in to grasp the details, her curiosity piqued, Meilin seemed eager to leave, glancing at the door.

Ganard shrugged and turned to Rofus.

“It seems Princess Asteria is also curious. Let’s elaborate on this matter, Lord Rofus.”

Prompted by Ganard, Rofus reluctantly began to speak.

＊

The current request for aid from the nobility, specifically asking for the hero “Black Mage” Rofus, had a background of friction between the royal family and some nobles.

During the recent turmoil in the royal capital, it was officially announced that the instigator was not Raymond but an ancient disaster, the “Demon King,” who had been sealed away and led the monsters in the attack.

Under the King’s leadership, there was extensive information manipulation and a gag order.

The official announcement matched the statement released by the church, specifically by Saintess Fran.

However, the scale of the information manipulation by the King was so vast that it covered almost the entire royal capital. It wasn’t surprising that some found it suspicious.

Especially some noble families.

Even with the gag order, word gets around. Anyone wanting to know could easily find rumors close to the truth.

Some noble families directed their suspicions at the King.

For example, discrepancies between eyewitness accounts and the official announcement, disbelief in the “Demon King’s” resurrection, or claims that Rofus’s feats were too incredible to be real.

The King crushed all such doubts with his authority.

He offered no explanations or clarifications, simply stating that those who questioned him could continue doing so if they were willing to oppose the royal family.

As a result, direct accusations ceased, but some nobles harbored growing suspicions and distrust towards the royal family.

Rofus had a rough understanding of these circumstances.

Initially, the King’s extensive information manipulation was due to some high-ranking nobles, including the Litre Marquis family, jointly submitting a petition for Raymond’s clemency.

Amidst this, the dungeon break occurred in the marshlands.

Nobles distrustful of the royal family saw it as an opportunity—or it might have been orchestrated.

On the surface, they requested aid from the hero “Black Mage” Rofus, while secretly aiming to expose any deceit.

If the King’s claim that Rofus single-handedly defeated the “Demon King” were true, he should easily suppress the monster horde from the dungeon break.

But if Rofus failed, they would argue that someone of his supposed power couldn’t have defeated the “Demon King.”

Even if the aid request was refused, they could claim he lacked courage, reinforcing the suspicion that the “Demon King’s” defeat was a lie.

Therefore, the King didn’t dismiss the aid request and passed it to Rofus through Marshal Ganard.

In essence, the King was telling Rofus to demonstrate his power and silence the nobles.

Rofus explained these points to Asteria and Meilin, though he omitted parts involving Raymond and the petition for clemency.

“—That’s my understanding of the situation.”

It was as if asking for confirmation, Rofus looked at Ganard.

Ganard smirked.

“I haven’t heard much more from His Majesty, but it aligns with my understanding.”

Asteria frowned.

“Wait a minute… So, this incident is a plot by nobles suspicious of the royal family? Could the dungeon break have been intentional…!”

The monster horde from the dungeon break had already destroyed several villages, with many innocent people lost. If it was intentional, it was unforgivable.

Rofus looked at Ganard with annoyance.

“What about that possibility?”

“Unlikely, though not impossible. The local knights suffered heavy casualties while responding, even losing officers.”

“If it were intentional, they’d at least minimize the military losses.”

“Indeed.”

Ganard nodded.

In contrast, Asteria seemed dissatisfied with Rofus’s casual mention of the villages.

Sacrificing nearby villages to highlight the severity of the situation when seeking aid wasn’t out of the question.

However, the knights’ casualties suggested the dungeon break was unexpected.

The knights were the nobles’ military power. Losing them would undermine their control and standing among other nobles.

Ganard, touching his chin, muttered.

“Moreover, the noble who requested aid from Lord Rofus is not the one suffering the direct damage.”

“Huh?”

Rofus frowned at Ganard’s sudden statement.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t heard which noble requested my aid. Who’s the fool?”

“I cannot reveal the name unless you accept the request. But if you do, it will be disclosed.”

“Is refusing an option? It’s at the King’s behest.”

“His Majesty has deliberately not issued a royal command. The decision is yours, Lord Rofus. If you accept, you will receive additional compensation.”

“…”

Rofus pondered for a moment.

“No, I must accept. If I refuse and rumors spread that I was too scared to face it, it would tarnish the Litre family’s name. I can’t allow that.”

But to drag him—and by extension, the Litre family—into a conflict with the royal family was outrageous.

He would ensure the perpetrators faced appropriate consequences.

“I’ll accept the aid request. Now, tell me the noble’s name.”

Ganard nodded in satisfaction and spoke.

“The noble overseeing the marshlands and known as the ‘Southern Overseer’—Count Gimlet.”

Hearing the name, Rofus narrowed his eyes.

An upper-class noble, he recognized the name.

Especially since he had heard it recently.

“Gimlet…”