Chapter 89

Cornel inhaled deeply.

Her hand gripping the staff trembled slightly.

“I haven’t thought about it any less.”

“Then what are you hesitating for? Are you short on a deposit? Or do you doubt your chances of winning? With my signature, you wouldn’t even need to go through the registration process.”

“Neither… is the case. I’ve ensured the share for myself and my subordinates, and the people here support me, so I have confidence in my election. But.”

“But.”

“I’m not sure if I’m allowed to do that.”

She approached the window that had yet to be fitted with a new pane.

I silently moved next to her.

And pointed with my finger at someone.

“Do you know about that person?”

“Their name is Zhang. They wear a black wool coat and lack two fingers. They joined my organization quite late but quickly integrated due to their diligence and capability. In the past, they learned design work and still handle related tasks, and they have three younger siblings to support. Their names are…”

“That’s enough. Do you know about that person?”

Cornel squinted her eyes for a moment.

“Lady Eri. She lost her family to the war and came in from outside. She’s a devout believer of the God of Radiance and was quite wary of my serving Amon, but now she treats me like a daughter. She’s good with calculations but has a kind heart, so I haven’t given her any administrative duties.”

“What about that person?”

“Peist. An orphan who followed a mercenary group. He was a brash young thug before joining me. He has a knack for managing similar types and proposed cleaning up the slums.”

“And that person?”

“Bentong. He was born here. He’s a believer of God Amon and regulates and apprehends those smuggling alcohol. Recently, he’s started dating.”

Cornel’s answers were without any hesitation.

This time, I pointed at a building.

It was a long structure still under construction, set to be two stories high.

“What workshop is associated with that building?”

“That’s a branch workshop operated by a trading house subcontracted by the Ivory Tower. It will be processing lower-grade reagents that require a lot of time and resources. It was quite a struggle to secure the contract. One of the executives from that workshop was stabbed by a former thug from the slums, and I was the one who took down the organization he belonged to.”

“What about that building?”

“That’s a brick factory to be constructed as a secondary site. It’s the only firm in the materials guild that doesn’t limit the number of joining companies, so we were able to take the lead in its establishment. Since most of it is intended for internal use, we’ve had little conflict with existing firms.”

“And that building?”

It was already a well-formed structure, neatly covered right up to the roof.

“That’s a gift from His Grace Valencius. It’s a warehouse for storing supplies from the God of Radiance.”

“The line is long. It seems like we’re receiving something?”

“We created a token for distribution within our slums using the silver coins received as basic assets. By bringing that token, we distribute goods, safeguarding the silver coins while stabilizing prices.”

“There must have been some backlash, right?”

“From the start, we made sure to engrain the mainstream ideas through a signature campaign. And the power of God Amon isn’t used solely when transporting materials.”

She laughed like a wolf.

I nodded.

“Right. Cornel, you have all the talents a council member should possess, don’t you?”

“Excuse me?”

“You understand the buildings here, know the economic structure, are aware of the crimes, and know about love in this place. That’s what it means to understand people. You love this street.”

Cornel bit her lip and trembled.

“I despise this street. My father struggled all his life to escape, but in the end, he died merely as some thug. I plan to smash everything and leave not a trace of its original form.”

“Love and hate are only a piece of paper apart. Those like me, highborn people, have decided to call this kind of demolition excellent redevelopment. It’s rare to have a chance to redesign a city’s plans from scratch. If you weren’t a council member or a devotee of God Amon, I would almost want to appoint you as the royal administrative officer.”

Cornel lowered her head.

“I’m not a good person. I’ve killed hundreds to smash this street with my own hands.”

I followed suit and lowered my head.

“That’s also a necessary ability for a council member. To grasp a hand when needed and to cut it off when required. Knowing when to compromise and when not to.”

“A better person should become a council member.”

“What does it mean to be a good person? Someone who is not hated?”

“!”

“No one can do this without shedding a drop of blood. Yes, the thugs who originally ruled this street probably despise you immensely. Being hated by such people means you are doing well.”

Cornel had no reply.

I could see the tension on the back of her hand gripping the staff.

After glancing at Lady Trentia, I lowered my voice to ask.

“Was all of this enjoyable?”

“!”

Her clever and sharp eyes shook in shock.

“How did you… know…?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I am what a kid like you will become in about two years. I also know what you must be feeling. That sense of accomplishment when planning something and seeing it develop steadily. The pride felt while meeting people, intertwining with them, and growing together. That feeling of omnipotence in changing the world as I envisioned.”

Then, I paused and continued speaking.

“Sometimes, on a tiring day, doubts come to visit if I’m really doing it right. Regrets about whether I spilled too much blood on a path that I started walking with good intentions.”

In truth, I have no idea about such things.

The only regret I had in my life was from my young days living as a bandit before the return, specifically that I couldn’t face the traitorous prince Justianus due to that time.

However, it wasn’t necessary to lay all truths bare.

“Ah…”

“That’s also a necessary talent for a council member. I’ll sign for you. The candidate registration period is still quite long, so don’t worry. And if you don’t run, there will still be those who think of this place as just the slums of old and take to human hunting under the guise of cleansing.”

Cornel raised her head.

“That… can’t be allowed. How could this change so much?”

“There will be people crawling in here trying to act like they’ve done something when they haven’t.”

“That’s infuriating. I want to bury all of that.”

“You wouldn’t just watch those kinds of people take away your achievements, would you?”

After saying that, I turned my body.

There was no need to say more.

We exited the slums along a deserted path.

As I caught a carriage, Lady Trentia broke her long silence.

“Your Grace Duke Valencius. May I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Were you not hoping that she would manage the slums forever?”

I smiled lightly as I replied.

“Yes. That’s why I told her to become a council member.”

“!”

“What does a council member do? They take care of those who elected them, those who supported them. Do you think a council member from the slums can escape the slums? Now Cornel will happily try to stay there.”

Lady Trentia took a deep breath.

“Do you remember what I said? That young friend Alsen will become a lord?”

“Yes. You did say that.”

“Perhaps it’s not entirely wrong. In that it involves becoming interested in those who granted them power.”

She wore a despondent smile on her dignified face.

“Your Grace, I truly… cannot discern your motives. You seem like a bandit at times, yet also like a royal who loves their country. Which one is the real you?”

I playfully laughed and shrugged my shoulders.

“I don’t know. Maybe both or neither. You might find out during sword training when you return today.”

“Then you must be a bandit.”

“Hahaha.”

Three days later.

In the district that had never elected a council member since the creation of the slums, the first candidates began to register.

The first to register was merely a 16-year-old girl with one leg.

* * *

In a high-class tavern in the red-light district.

Zhang and a few middle-aged council candidates raised their voices.

“Does this even make sense?”

“A sixteen-year-old running as a council candidate, the dignity of the Imperial capital’s council has fallen to the ground.”

“Is she not going about creating a union at will, inciting people and arbitrarily printing military ballots to monopolize supplies? She’s completely insane.”

“That girl is said to be a heretic who doesn’t believe in the God of Radiance. She should be burned at the stake immediately.”

“Sir Alsen, please say something.”

The young candidate who had been robbed of gold coins by Valencius drank a glass and smiled bitterly.

“We’ve all suffered defeats elsewhere and have been pushed back to the old slums, haven’t we? What would I have to say even if I had ten mouths?”

A middle-aged woman clicked her tongue.

“Our combined support rate doesn’t even amount to 1/15th of hers, no matter how much money we throw at it.”

“How do we defeat the girl who’s creating jobs and distributing supplies? The foolish and lowly will always prefer those who give out handouts without considering the future. Thinking about the future requires healthy investments.”

The lead merchant in a fine suit sighed deeply.

A man with a scar near his eyes emptied his drink and said.

“To speak coldly, there’s hardly a way for us to raise our support rates. We need to lower hers and share those votes.”

“And how do we lower her rate?”

“Even if people think they’re living well now, the essence remains the same—the slums. The fear of corruption and the hunting of humans that takes place under the pretext of that fear must remain. Let’s expose how she serves the old ways.”

All the assembled candidates clicked their tongues.

“Is there anyone here who doesn’t know that?”

“That’s already a public secret.”

The scar-faced man shook his head.

“Knowing and experiencing a werewolf appearing openly in daylight are completely different. Somehow, enchanted silver weapons said to reveal the true form of the Infiltrators have come in, but… we still need someone to use them.”

It was improbable that enchanted silver weapons, capable of revealing the true form of the Infiltrators, would just happen to come in.

Yet no one felt the need to point that out.

“I have a few younger brothers who are ex-mercenaries.”

“I can also lend a hand to some of the old prayer group members from the red-light district.”

Voices arose here and there about how many they could bring.

At that moment, Alsen spoke up.

“Do you all not realize that behind that girl is Duke Valencius?”

“!”

“We are ultimately commoners. He is someone who would kill a fellow noble without hesitation. We need a solid plan.”

“Shouldn’t we aim for a moment with as many people as possible? There’s something called public opinion, after all.”

The scar-faced man replied.

Alsen continued, saying that wouldn’t be enough.

“The church needs to see it. Helping a girl who serves the old ways is antagonistic to the church. He wouldn’t dare openly oppose the church, which the Emperor has teamed up with.”

A middle-aged woman said.

“Let’s aim for the prayer meeting held in front of the temporary church on Sunday. She will most certainly give a speech there.”

Voices of approval could be heard from all sides.

“How dare she try to fulfill her selfish desire during the holy hour of prayer.”

“We’ll make her true self known to everyone.”

* * *

A temporary church, made by connecting wide tents and utilizing a platform.

It was a Sunday when free healing and purifications were available, and news that their hero Cornel would be giving a speech spread, gathering countless people.

Standing before them with a pounding heart, Cornel gritted her teeth and exhaled roughly.

Holding the arrow lodged in her body, she trembled.

[We have changed our lives with our own hands. We can do it too.]

The speech she had just been reading became blurry.

“Bring forth Lady Cornel!”

The organization’s executives surrounded her to protect their leader.

From the crowd, swordsmen with silver weapons surged forth, and silver arrows flew from high buildings.

Those hit by them let out horrific screams mingled with weak mental waves as they transformed into werewolves.

“…No.”

Cornel muttered as she was pulled down from the platform by her subordinates.

Her clever and sharp instincts screamed that if she stepped down now, it would all be over.

She saw Zhang, Lady Eri, Peist, Bentong, and the people who had been smiling and cheering for her all hardening their faces.

The priests of the church and the seminary students who had wholeheartedly assisted her shouted in outrage.

Someone uttered a saying.

Fate starts with the luck of a beginner and ends with the harshest trial.

For the first time since her father’s death, Cornel cried.

The moment of fall arrived, brightest of all.