The Obedient Dog
“Just a moment, Count Consiler! We are representatives of the Imperial Family.”
Karl tried emphasizing it once more, in case of some misunderstanding. Your path to advancement and your entire future rest with us.
Consiler gave his shoulder a few pitying pats.
“You’ve come a long way. Truly. To think the Empire would summon people for something like this and put innocent men through the wringer.”
“Wha—just what is that supposed to—”
Wasn’t this a completely different conversation?
The one who had been talking as if they were damned scoundrels had unmistakably been Count Consiler. And now he was changing his mind?
Don’t tell me…
Karl’s eyes darted between Ferda and Count Consiler. No. Impossible. That kind of solidarity simply did not exist in the world of nobles.
“What are you waiting for?”
“Pardon?”
Ferda tilted his head slightly.
“Hurry up and call the next witness.”
He flicked his fingers as if counting.
“There are still plenty of witnesses left. Excluding the late Tessalos Wolcher, thirteen remain. Bring them all in and have them testify. If even one of them declares me guilty, your role here ends, doesn’t it?”
Even if it weren’t ninety-nine, a single confirmation of guilt would have been enough for the Punitive Force to act. Yet Karl already knew that summoning all thirteen would give him no chance of winning. If Count Consiler—the de facto power of the Far East—denied everything, those beneath him would deny it as well.
“If you can’t call witnesses, then produce something else.”
“S-something else…?”
“You brought more charges to belittle and threaten me with, didn’t you? Bring those out.”
The atmosphere had completely reversed. Karl forced himself to dig in his heels. With trembling hands he fished something from his breast pocket.
“I-I heard you kidnapped this child.”
It was a composite sketch of a girl with long straight hair. Even from those vacant eyes alone, it was clearly Mori.
If they’re looking for Mori, that means Helus Fobidas.
If Helus Fobidas had accurately pointed to Ferda, it meant he had found the maid who had fled.
“I see.”
Of course the threat itself held no weight whatsoever. Karl knew that perfectly well. His mind had simply gone blank, and he had to do something—anything.
“I’m sorry to say, but I purchased that child. I obtained the consent of the attendant in question and transferred ownership. It can hardly be called kidnapping.”
“……”
“If you still wish to press the claim, speaking with the person herself wouldn’t be a bad idea. So—what’s next?”
Karl had no answer. Everything else was trivial—the sort of minor probing meant to squeeze a few extra coins. He had no cards left.
“Then I suppose I should speak.”
The floor passed to Ferda. He turned his gaze toward Count Consiler.
“Count Consiler.”
“Yes. Please speak, Lord Regent.”
The count bowed his head with perfect formality.
“This man openly demanded money from me.”
“Hoh, is that so? After such a long journey, it would only be proper to cover his travel expenses, would it not?”
“The sum he demanded as ‘travel expenses’ was one hundred thousand golden.”
“Hoh, quite a considerable sum.”
“And what value does that money hold?”
“Value differs for every man; it is difficult to give a firm answer.”
“Indeed. Measured against what is spent on the people of your territory, how much would that be?”
“Enough for our people to live free of hunger for ten years.”
“I see.”
Ferda’s blue eyes glimmered faintly.
“So this man alone tried to rob our people of ten years of their lives?”
“That is correct.”
Consiler followed with a sharp glare at Karl. The eyes that had been smiling moments earlier now burned with clear anger.
“An outrage that would make heaven and earth cry out.”
“Ah… aah…”
Even the cat he had summoned to corner the rat was in on the game. Karl, who had never imagined being turned on like this, began to shake violently.
“What is your opinion, Count? What should we do with this man?”
“Men who demand bribes while flying the Empire’s banner… that is not something a mere knight ought to do.”
“Isn’t it? And he demanded that I look upon him as I would the Emperor.”
“Hahaha! Surely he did not go that far? A mere knight daring to place himself on equal footing with His Majesty the Emperor?”
“And if that were true—what then?”
“He would have no right to complain even if he shared Tessalos’s fate. Tessalos Wolcher had a hole blown through his forehead, did he not?”
“He did.”
Under their one-sided exchange, Karl could barely breathe. No words came; he simply looked back and forth between them, cold sweat pouring down.
“But before that… what if we lodge a formal protest with the Empire over the bribery demand and the impersonation of the imperial bloodline?”
“A fine idea. But would anyone listen to a protest from someone so young?”
“You need not worry. I shall prepare everything.”
Most nobles knew the Punitive Force engaged in filthy dealings. But turning it into an open issue changed everything. No one would dare ignore the words of Count Consiler, who had guarded the front lines into his old age.
Count Consiler…
Betrayal flickered in Karl’s eyes. The one who had lured him into this trap was that smiling, chattering old man.
He… he set a trap for me—for the Punitive Force!
Consiler and Ferda Valdrova had colluded to manufacture this entire farce. Karl made one last desperate thrash.
“W-we are a direct unit of the Empire! Lodging a protest won’t change a—”
“Do you think so?”
Ferda’s reply was ice-cold.
“How far does your value extend?”
“My value…?”
“Would it be more convenient to protect you, or more convenient to cut off your head and call it the correction of an individual’s excesses?”
There was no need to ask. The latter was overwhelmingly better.
“And even if you somehow survive, do you think your own bloodline will sit quietly? Your younger brothers will likely come to take your head themselves.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Think carefully, eldest son of House Harvest. You have two younger brothers, do you not? Just because you get along well, do you believe they will remain still after their elder brother has been running around committing corruption?”
They would never remain still. They had always eyed with envy everything Karl enjoyed simply because he had been born first. If they understood a knight’s honor, they would strike for the glory of the house. If they were mere status-hungry philistines, they would strike for their own advancement. Karl—more profitable dead than alive—was the perfect prey.
In the crushing pressure of everything closing in on him, Karl finally understood too late.
The dragon wasn’t the problem.
Only days ago they had been laughing at this Regent. He was the one they should have been wary of all along.
“Answer me.”
Ferda’s voice jolted him awake. As always, the question came cold and sharp.
“What do I look like to you now?”
It felt as though a blade of ice rested against his throat. One wrong answer and that blade would sever his neck and quarter his body.
Trembling with fear, Karl forced out a reply.
“Y-Your Greatness… Lord Regent of Baldrova.”
Submission dripped from every word.
“Yes. The one who rules the Grand Duchy of Baldrova in the Grand Duke’s stead.”
Ferda rose and laid a hand on Karl’s trembling shoulder.
“And I believe you should become the master of the Punitive Force.”
A devil’s sweet whisper.
“Do you wish to become the master of the Punitive Force, or do you wish to die nobly for the Punitive Force?”
It was a foolish question. There was no nobility in the Punitive Force. Karl bowed his head.
“Please… accept my loyalty.”
Ferda shook his head at the answer.
“I have no need of your reed-like loyalty.”
Just as Karl’s heart plummeted to the floor, Ferda added:
“What I need is an obedient dog.”
“A… dog, my lord?”
“A dog that does only as it is told and never does anything unnecessary. A dog that wags its tail for the occasional bone tossed its way and knows how to wait quietly for its master. Do that, and the path to advancement will open for you. Understood?”
Karl nodded.
“Y-yes. I will become a dog. Lord Regent… I will become your dog.”
“Good.”
Ferda patted his shoulder.
“Stay the night. I need to make a proper dog collar for you.”
“……Yes.”
The deathly pallor on Karl’s face showed no sign of returning to normal.
Karl left the reception room. By now he would be enjoying dinner with the subordinates he had brought. Of course, for the man himself it was nothing more than a last meal before the gallows; he could not even tell whether the food was going into his mouth or his nose.
Meanwhile Ferda spoke with Count Consiler. The count explained in full how the Punitive Force had come to arrive so confidently.
“So you’re saying they came swaggering in because of you.”
Count Consiler bowed his head.
“I have done something for which I deserve death without excuse.”
“It doesn’t matter. So what answer did you give in that letter?”
“That he is upright and a wise ruler who cares for the Far East…”
Consiler grinned.
“I decided that was not the answer I should give.”
“The reason?”
He could already guess, but he asked anyway.
“The Punitive Force is like a swarm of locusts. The moment they catch the scent of food, they descend, strip everything bare, and vanish. The Far East is currently seeking development. They always target the weak first and slowly devour them. Once they set foot inside, it is as good as finished.”
It was one of the Punitive Force’s primary strategies: isolate the powerless first, then consume them.
“But Your Lordship’s image had already been damaged because of Tessalos Wolcher.”
On the surface, Ferda was already isolated. It was more than enough for the nobles to believe they were simply waiting for a chance to stab him in the back. If they could only be given certainty, they would be easy to use.
“You made thorough use of me.”
“I deeply apologize for the concern I have caused. Everything was my plan; if you must punish someone, punish this old man.”
Ferda waved a hand.
“No, it’s fine. You simply disposed of the dogs prowling around for the sake of the territory’s development and peace, did you not?”
“But testing the Regent must have been an unpleasant experience.”
“You spoke honestly, so it doesn’t matter. As long as you remain loyal to the Grand Duke, you may use me however you like. I did not come here to enjoy a king’s authority. I came to devote myself to my king.”
“Ah…”
Count Consiler could see through the empty formalities of nobles with ease. He felt with perfect clarity that Ferda’s words came from the marrow of his bones.
“So tell me. To whom do you give your loyalty?”
“To be perfectly honest, I have given my loyalty to the Empire. I was a man whose heart leaned more toward the Emperor of the Empire than toward the Grand Duke who stands right beside me.”
Consiler smiled bitterly as he spoke the truth about himself.
“When a man grows old, he becomes timid. And so, as the years pass, there are times I forget why I ever rose to this position.”
“Have you now remembered what you forgot?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, Lord Regent, my eyes have opened.”
Consiler looked out beyond the window. Not far away stretched the corrupted earth—the Demonic Land. From his own castle, which stood lower, he had never been able to see this view.
“From the moment I took this seat, I accepted it with the conviction that I would protect the people. My loyalty to the Empire exists because the Empire protects its subjects—not because the Empire elevated me.”
“A noble of high principle.”
“You flatter me.”
Consiler laughed softly. He was the spokesman of the Far East. Yet as always, nothing had kindled fire in their chests. Though soldiers died in droves, all he received in return was a heart worn thin with fear.
“Count Consiler.”
“Yes.”
“Does that conviction still dwell in your breast?”
“It does.”
Ferda extended his hand.
“Then stand with me. To protect this East, I need men like you.”
Consiler’s eyes widened at the proposal, and he shook his head.
“No. Please do not say such things. The one who should speak those words is not you, Lord Regent—it is I.”
Consiler dropped to one knee and carefully placed both of his rough, calloused hands upon Ferda’s. They were the hands of a man who had gripped a sword to protect people.
“Please lead this East where only death prowls. I shall forever give my full loyalty to His Highness the Grand Duke, and I shall follow the will of the Regent.”
Karl was hungover to the bone. Faced with a secret he could never speak of, he had drunk himself half to death. Instead of dying, however, he was greeted only by a hangover that made him wish he were dead and the morning sunlight.
Damn it all…
He wanted to run. But he lacked even the courage for that. So he could only sit and wait like a pig trapped in the slaughterhouse.
Someone entered. Thinking it was Ferda, he started to rise and bow—
“Ah, hello?”
A woman with dark, gloomy black hair stepped inside.
Who the hell is this woman?
Yet she was anything but ordinary. Judging by her clothes alone she looked like one of the castle’s hired administrators. But an ominous aura that could not be hidden beneath that plain exterior made him want to back away at once.
She raised a hand in an awkward greeting.
“I’ll be acting as the proxy for His Grace the Grand Duke in this contract. And… um…”
Her black eyes slid over Karl’s face.
“You’re not as handsome as I heard.”
Her voice sounded almost regretful. He had no idea why she was picking a fight, yet he could not even summon the will to get angry.
“My name is Echidna Philiaz.”
“……Philiaz?”
The hangover vanished in an instant.
Philiaz? That means she’s a witch belonging to Philiaz.
Philiaz. The name that appeared among women who had awakened the Red Circle; once a contract was made, they inevitably became witches. They were known for their extreme hatred of men and for never cooperating with anyone outside of Philiaz.
He’s recruited and is using one of those witches?
How in the world—? He forced down the scream of a question that wanted to burst from his throat. Inside his head, his evaluation of Ferda was being rewritten from the ground up.
“Here’s… the contract. Would you like to read it carefully?”
“Yes.”
Karl examined the pages one by one as if clutching a lifeline.
A loophole… I have to find a loophole…
It was impossible. Karl, who was hardly an expert in law, could never properly review a contract dozens of pages long by himself.
As expected of a witch…
Witches were said to be second only to demons when it came to the vileness of contracts. When Ferda had spoken of putting a dog collar on him, Karl had vaguely expected ordinary contract magic—never that a witch would be used.
After three pages he gave up and simply wrote his name on each sheet. No matter how he twisted it, the fact that he was becoming a dog did not change.
The moment he finished signing the final page, the contract began to glow.
“Ugh.”
Karl groaned as pain rose from beneath his skin. A tingling sensation settled into his wrist, etching the mark of the contract there. With that, the pact with the gloomy witch was complete.
“Okay, confirmed. From now on you should… watch what you say, all right?”
“Watch what I say…?”
“Well, I expected it, but you really didn’t read carefully… So… um… if you do anything against the Lord Regent’s will, or if you try to drop even a hint about this contract… your head goes boom!!”
Her shoulders gave a little bounce.
“And flies off. Always be careful with your thoughts and your words, okay?”
Even while stammering like a half-wit, she spoke of death without the slightest hesitation, making it feel all the more chilling. Fifth-circle contract magic held absolute force within the terms of the document. If there were no gaps, forced dissolution was required—and even that process was complicated and troublesome.
The circle rank is secondary.
Karl had contracted with a witch. If that fact ever came to light, he would not only be beheaded by the Empire; he could also die at the hands of the brothers who had long been eyeing his position. He had to hide it no matter what.
“……”
“Ehehe, I’d… really like an answer.”
He flinched. An ominous aura was pouring off her. That awkward smile held a madness without killing intent—and that made it even more terrifying.
“Y-yes, of course!!”
“Okay, got your answer. You can go now. Bye-bye~.”
Karl fled the room as if running for his life. Echidna waved cheerfully after him as he bolted away with his tail between his legs.
He barely made it outside and was just catching his breath when—
“The contract finished quickly.”
Having escaped one tiger’s den, he found another tiger prowling. That tiger laid a hand on Karl’s shoulder.
“To the member of the Punitive Force who has sworn loyalty to the Grand Duchy of Baldrova—your first mission.”
There was nowhere left to run.
“What is the mission?”
Ferda answered.
“Helus Fobidas.”
The man called the Sage of Water.
“Bring that man here.”
He intended to put a leash on that one as well.