Free Web NovelSeveral days later, at the Gray Wolf Tavern.
Leon sat on a sofa inside a private room. The velvet cushions softly enveloped his body. He patted the newly replaced luxurious sofa and looked around at the lavish décor of the room.
Compared to when he had first acquired the tavern, the place had undergone a complete transformation.
The Gray Wolf Tavern's business was now thriving.
The cocktails and specialty snacks Leon had introduced had attracted numerous customers. As a money-laundering operation, the revenue shown on the books was several times greater than the actual income.
Not long ago, the manager introduced by Father Auden had helped Leon purchase the neighboring property. The entire tavern had been expanded and renovated, with several luxurious business suites added for customers seeking privacy.
Leon had come today to hear Father Auden's financial report.
“This renovation must have cost quite a bit, right?” Leon asked.
“Twenty-seven hundred thousand and some change on the books, including the property expansion,” Father Auden answered.
“And in reality?”
Leon already had a rough understanding of Father Auden's methods.
The expenses listed on the books were always much lower than the actual costs. The hidden portion represented the dirty money they had consumed.
“Excluding miscellaneous expenses, five hundred and thirty-five thousand six hundred Fenni. The details are all recorded in the black ledger. If you want to look, feel free.”
Father Auden pointed at the ledger lying on the marble tabletop.
The red ledger was relatively thin.
That was the official accounting book shown to tax officials.
The black ledger beside it was significantly thicker.
Besides the visible expenditures, it also recorded the flow of all hidden funds.
That one was for Leon.
“Oh.”
Leon responded indifferently and did not even bother opening the books.
At this point, he had completely lost any sense of whether such amounts were large or small.
“Other than the tavern expansion, business this month has been pretty much the same as usual.
“The biggest development is that we've accumulated enough proof of assets. Through some connections, I successfully helped you obtain a professional lending license.
“You can now conduct lending operations throughout South Harbor County.
“That gives us much more room to maneuver the books in the future. Both money laundering and profit generation will become far more efficient.
“Don't worry. My fee is calculated only from the actual interest earned...
“Hey, are you even listening?”
Halfway through his explanation, Father Auden noticed that Leon seemed distracted.
“Mm.”
Leon responded absentmindedly.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
“Father, do you know anyone who understands firearm and artillery design?”
“You already have weapon acquisition channels. Are you planning to set up a gun manufacturing workshop too?” Father Auden asked.
“I want to allocate some funding to specifically improve firearms. Do you know any suitable people?” Leon asked.
“I know a few. But progress isn't something you achieve simply by hiring a few people and holding a meeting,” Father Auden replied.
“I have some ideas. I'd like to find skilled craftsmen in that field and test them out. If they can make it work, money won't be an issue,” Leon said.
In this era, firearms were still dominated by muzzle-loading flintlock weapons.
Some even older models remained in service.
Compared to the cutting-edge theories already exploring Atomic Theory, firearm technology was strikingly primitive.
The Churches that governed the nation had promoted many technological advances, including military technology.
Both the Church and local lords enthusiastically funded improvements to naval warships and cannons.
Yet when it came to individual firearms, the Church showed remarkably little interest.
Investments in that area were rare.
Leon suspected the reason was simple.
Firearms dramatically narrowed the gap between ordinary people and Transcendents.
Methods of acquiring supernatural power—aside from Witch Blessings—were almost entirely controlled by the Four Gods' Churches.
Firearm technology, however, could spread among ordinary people.
Percussion caps.
Cartridges.
Gunpowder improvements.
Magazines.
There was enormous room for advancement in this world's firearms.
Leon possessed only fragmented modern knowledge. It was not enough to independently design new weapons.
His only hope was to provide concepts and let professional craftsmen of this era turn them into reality.
Once a weapon technology appeared, imitators would inevitably follow.
But pioneers always enjoyed the first-mover advantage.
“Why the sudden interest?” Father Auden asked.
“I've always been interested. I just feel like now might be the right time to try,” Leon replied casually.
He had considered these ideas long ago.
He simply had never acted on them.
Weapons existed to kill people.
Improved weapons merely made killing more efficient.
But now that he had begun considering how to deal with the Earl, he had no choice but to explore every possible method of strengthening his forces.
“Also, I'd like to recruit some mercenaries. Do you have any connections?” Leon continued.
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
The more Father Auden listened, the stranger the conversation seemed.
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly stared at Leon in shock.
“Don't tell me you've finally decided to kill the Earl, you madman!”
Leon's heart skipped a beat.
How had Father Auden guessed his objective so quickly?
Connecting weapon development and manpower recruitment directly to assassinating the Earl seemed absurd.
Had he accidentally revealed some other clue?
“What are you talking about? Would any normal person jump to that conclusion?” Leon asked calmly.
“Anyone else? Absolutely not.
“The thought wouldn't even occur to them.
“But you?
“You're different.”
Father Auden shook his head.
“You can't be judged by ordinary standards.
“When I first heard you'd gotten aboard the Earl's ship, I already suspected there might come a day when you'd want to kill him.”
“What kind of person am I in your eyes exactly?” Leon laughed bitterly.
“A lunatic.
“A complete lunatic.
“A normal person wouldn't have killed Caron Eso under those circumstances, but you did.
“A normal person wouldn't have gambled his life negotiating with Potter the way you did, but you did.
“You once told me Potter was killed by assassins when he came under investigation.
“But honestly?
“I suspect that even without those assassins, you would've killed Potter yourself sooner or later.
“The reason I advised Potter against cooperating with you was because I figured he'd probably end up dying at your hands someday.”
“By your logic, why would you voluntarily recommend yourself as an advisor to a lunatic like me?” Leon asked, half amused and half exasperated.
He suddenly remembered that Father Auden's impression of him had always been somewhat distorted.
The priest still regarded him as an exceptionally dangerous madman.
“Your madness has structure.
“Your eyes are always aimed upward.
“You want to climb higher, not lower.
“People above you might attract your attention if they block your path.
“But people below you are safe.
“As long as I don't get in your way, you won't take my life.
“Most of the time, you're actually easier to get along with than someone like Potter.
“And you're generous.”
“Do I really seem that ambitious to you?” Leon raised an eyebrow.
He found it oddly interesting.
One of the reasons the Earl appreciated him so much was because he supposedly lacked ambition and would never try to fly too high.
Yet according to Father Auden, he was the very image of ambition.
“That's the strange part.
“You don't seem particularly interested in money or power.
“Maybe you're somewhat interested in women.
“I honestly don't know what you're risking your life to pursue in this business.
“Only you know the answer to that.”
Father Auden shrugged.
Leon froze slightly.
He suddenly remembered the pitying look Rena had given him earlier.
For a long time, he had been obsessed with making money.
Yet once he possessed more money than he could ever spend, he had abruptly stopped caring about wealth entirely.
Thinking carefully about it, perhaps he had never been that obsessed with money.
Even back then, his goal had merely been to earn enough.
He had always talked about retiring someday and living peacefully with Rena.
But when Rena questioned him, he could not offer a convincing rebuttal.
Because even he could feel it.
He knew perfectly well that killing the Earl would probably make retirement impossible.
Yet he had still made the decision with astonishing ease.
He had even started planning how to seize markets after the Earl's death.
And he felt no sense of loss whatsoever.
It was almost as if...
Deep down, he genuinely wanted to continue taking risks and running this enterprise.
But if he wasn't obsessed with money or power, then what exactly was he fighting so hard for?
After hearing Rena's questions and Father Auden's evaluation, Leon felt slightly lost.
There were questions he himself could not answer.
Sometimes outsiders saw more clearly than the person involved.
Just as Rena had instantly recognized that the dream of peaceful retirement belonged to her rather than him.
And in Father Auden's eyes, Leon was a complete madman.
The priest knew nothing about the full story, yet had still somehow guessed Leon wanted to kill the Earl.
Perhaps his evaluation, even if one-sided, was not entirely wrong.
“Fenrir, I know you're probably dissatisfied with your current situation.
“Maybe you feel like a circus monkey...”
Father Auden began speaking earnestly.
“What circus monkey?” Leon interrupted.
“Isn't that exactly your relationship with the Earl?
“You're a monkey who was nearly hunted to death with the Earl's shotgun.
“In the end, the Earl decided you were valuable, spared your life, and put you in his circus to work and make money for him.
“I know your personality well enough to know you're unhappy with that arrangement.
“But think carefully.
“At least the circus feeds you.
“You get full meals every day.
“That's a lot better than starving in the wilderness.”
Father Auden was trying to imagine things from what he believed was Leon's perspective.
“Maybe... don't try counseling people like this,” Leon said helplessly.
The priest lacked the full context and simply assumed Leon viewed himself as completely shackled by the Earl.
In reality, Leon had never considered things that dramatically.
If anything, Father Auden's analogy only made killing the Earl sound more appealing.
“My point is this.
“Even if you're unhappy, you need to face reality.
“The gap between you and the Earl is enormous.
“A monkey in chains attacking a hunter with a gun only ends one way.
“Can you honestly imagine the Earl exposing any weakness to you?
“Meanwhile, he knows your weaknesses.
“Even I know them.
“If you really care about Miss Lothark, then don't do something you'll regret forever.”
Father Auden's expression became serious.
Weakness...
A thought suddenly flashed through Leon's mind.
If he had to be honest—
The Earl was not entirely without weaknesses.
