The Loser Lord Who Kept Getting Sweet Revenge and Somehow Rose to the Top - Chapter 03: The Era of Starvation!! Let’s Make Them Waste Away!

Chapter 03: The Era of Starvation!! Let’s Make Them Waste Away!

“The Operation Smash the Slut’s Family Business was a huge success.”

Kiriko let out a sigh of relief, clearly proud her plan had gone off without a hitch. Comet, still poking his head into the office, bounced his neck up and down in high spirits, practically glowing with joy. Well, he was the MVP of the whole operation, so seeing him this happy was only natural.

“…Wait, that was the actual name of the plan? Still, I can’t deny it feels good. Retenable looks like they’re bleeding money and hanging by a thread.”

“Indeed. For now, they’re barely surviving by dipping into their savings. But without spice revenue, their trading company is finished. Bankruptcy is only a matter of time. Of course, the employees themselves aren’t at fault, and I wouldn’t want them cast out into the streets. So while distributing the spices, I’ve also been discussing reemployment opportunities with the other merchants and shops we’ve partnered with. Since we’re wholesaling at cheap prices, I included the condition that, should Retenable go under, they take in the discarded workers. So rest assured—everything is accounted for.”

“Fweeeew, Kiriko, you’re way too competent!”

I pulled her into a hug for her flawless plan and the perfect aftercare.

“F-Faaah?! Lord Sean!?”

“Aw, no fair, Kiriko gets all the good stuff!”

Kiriko yelped in surprise when I hugged her, while Linna—for some reason—looked jealous. Comet, meanwhile, started nudging me insistently, clearly demanding head pats of his own. After a whole lot of noisy back-and-forth between the three of us and one dragon, Linna cleared her throat and stepped forward with a brand-new proposal.

“But revenge has only just begun, hasn’t it? We definitely need to make that cheating count’s family understand their place. …And obviously, the best way is starvation! Let’s make them starve!!”

“…Why starvation?”

I shot her a half-lidded look, but Linna pressed on with absolute confidence.

“Because in all the popular revenge stories around the capital lately, starvation is trending! Isn’t it just deliciously cruel? Dying slowly from hunger, despair, and helplessness—don’t you think that’s great? The starvation wave is here, and we’ve gotta ride it like a tidal wave!”

“…Starvation is trending? And what the hell am I even supposed to say when you ask if that’s ‘great’?”

“Ehh?! Come on, we gotta make that arrogant count’s house understand! Make them understand! Maaaake them un-der-stand!”

Linna was practically vibrating with bloodthirsty enthusiasm.

“Haaah… if we crushed their entire family… man, I’d love to trample nobles again like in the old days…!!!”

“To trample is just!”

Linna’s eyes sparkled with manic light, while Kiriko snapped her own eyes wide and chimed in with frightening zeal.

…No, it’s not “just” at all, okay??

“The annoying homewrecker… can I just castrate him!?”

“Castration is just!”

…There’s nothing “just” about that. And also, can we not have a young girl casually talking about castration?!

“And that backstabbing sow of a bitch—can I torture her!?”

“Torture is just!!”

Why do you think that’s “just”? Where the hell are your ethics, ladies?

Linna was firing off bloodthirsty questions one after another, and Kiriko was giving full-on approval every single time. With each round, Linna’s energy skyrocketed—but honestly, every idea was a complete no-go.

Come to think of it, Linna was originally born into a noble house that later fell into ruin. Back then, she was infamous as an assassin and torturer, carrying the nickname “Hunting Dog.” After her father passed away—and since he’d been close friends with my late father—I ended up taking her in.

Most days, she acted cheerful and airheaded, which made it easy to forget—but at her core, Linna had always been someone who lived for violence.

“Well, either way, we can’t just let the count’s family off scot-free. Ideally, I’d like to drive them straight into ruin.”

“Then the answer is obvious—starvation! Starvation is the best!”

“Why the hell are you so obsessed with starvation? What about it gets you so fired up?”

“You’ve got it wrong, Lord Sean! The count’s territory is a basin surrounded by the western mountains—basically a natural fortress. But because of that, all their supplies have to come in through a few limited roads. To keep those roads clear, they drive monsters out of their land… which then run wild and cause havoc in the neighboring regions! So all we need to do is chase those monsters back at them—return to sender, U-turn style! Then their supply routes get blocked off and… starvation!!”

“…So it really is starvation in the end! What is with your weird fixation on starvation? Let’s just… step away from that for a second, okay?”

Still, she had a point. Shoving the burden onto others just so their own land stayed safe, not giving a damn about the people outside—that really pissed me off.

And if the plan somehow failed? Well, we’d still be clearing out monsters, which meant safer lives for the nearby villages. Honestly, either way, we win.

―Alright then. Time to make the count’s family pay!!