Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

“Naturally, it is the unauthorized disposal of your property, Master—don’t misunderstand, I didn’t mean to ‘move’ them,” Skottie said somewhat conflictedly. “As I mentioned before, my husband has spent a lot of money on repairing the castle and other facilities.”

"This is a large sum of money, and a long-term expense, which means that the taxes collected by the territory can hardly be saved. Later, when disasters occurred, it was inevitable that we would be short of money and have to rob Peter to pay Paul."

"So... cough, I got the idea to steal your property—I gave this property list to my husband several times, and I had planned it many more times before that. I'm afraid the brothers stumbled upon it during this period and thought it was their property."

Skadi glanced up at Raslaufer somewhat guiltily, but the mercenary didn't react much and continued walking along the city wall with her without pausing at all.

“Hmm,” Leslaufer’s nasal tone betrayed no emotion, “but the sealing wax on this envelope hasn’t even been removed.”

“...Yes, the only time he tried to open it was after I first took it out and before I told him where it came from. He said it was about the spirit of nobility, but to be honest, I’ve never seen anything like that in other nobles,” Skuld’s eyes showed reminiscence. “In the end, he sold all the books in his study that were just for show and cut a lot of unnecessary expenses, including the hunting expenses for his two brothers.”

"Perhaps he's referring to stubbornness? Ha."

“Well, you’ve finally found your match, Skadi. You two are alike,” Leslaufer suddenly laughed. “How hard could it be to dig out that box? It’s a fait accompli. He has no choice but to use it! Even if it’s not enough, he can at least patch it up, right? Do you think I’d find out?”

"Mending and patching?" A strange smile suddenly appeared on Skadi's face. "Master, it seems I should regret this, because you really won't find out."

Chapter 383 The Treasure of Raslaufer

“Sketch’s list says I have seventy gold pounds in savings, tsk, what a load of rubbish!”

The next day, just as dawn broke, Angelita and the others were woken up by Raslaufer and rushed toward Zebrech. However, this had nothing to do with being eager to get home; Raslaufer seemed more like he was eager to prove something.

“How could I not know how much money I have? Hiring her to manage the accounts was definitely a mistake—Annie, you and Mary take a look at this list and see where things went wrong.”

Leslaufer casually handed the lists to Angelita, while clutching the corner of the map, wishing he could get to the marked locations on it the next second.

Seventy pounds? He could almost believe it was seventy Imperial pounds! That was back in his early days, before he could be considered a veteran, and naturally he didn't have his current net worth. Since he discovered his previous savings were missing and started saving again, he's only...

Hmm, how much was it again?

When did he start saving money again?

On the way, Raslaufer pondered the matter, but the more he thought about it, the clearer Skudy's rolling green eyes became—he really didn't seem to remember it!

Although Reslaufer learned a lot of arithmetic in order to negotiate with his employer, it was completely useless when he couldn't recall the details!

Now, they can only hope that Angelita and her companion, both genuine nobles, can find some clues on those lists before they arrive.

But in any case, in Raslaufer's subconscious, it seemed unlikely that he was that rich, at least not back then.

When they heard that Raslaufer actually had seventy gold pounds, which was equivalent to seven thousand or eight thousand four hundred Imperial gold coins in savings, Angelita and the others were stunned. After all, in the Empire, mercenaries rarely received salaries like Dople's; many, even chapter leaders, died penniless. Although that might be related to the cost of living in the Empire, Raslaufer had lived within its borders for quite some time, and even if his salary was high, the difference shouldn't be so vast.

Seventy gold pounds—that's probably the most an earl could save in a year if he neither squandered his wealth nor practiced frugality. Many nobles, however, often lived beyond their means in order to maintain appearances. And this wasn't all of Raslaufer's savings; the rest of his fortune should have been roughly equivalent.

If there were really that many, Raslaufer could have retired as a minor nobleman like the mercenaries who were even older than him!

Soon, Angelita and Mary finished checking the list: "Uncle Leslaufer, Madam did make a few mistakes."

“I knew it…” Leslaufer nodded, as if relieved. “After all, Skadi comes from Amprii, so it’s not a big deal that she’s not good at this.”

“Well, these lists are from many years ago, and the conversions on them should be outdated by now,” Angelita poured cold water on him before Leslaufer could say anything more. “Take this for example, a belt decorated with thirteen Moon Shells—Moon Shells were already rare in the southern waters of the Empire a few years ago, and she estimates that this item would fetch at least three times the price now.”

In addition, the relationships between different currencies are constantly changing. For example, the Valu and Sou, which originated from the city of Tranquil, are probably useless now.

With mixed feelings, Leslaufer finally stood under the oak tree that Skuld had specially marked and dug up his past possessions again.

The three large wooden crates wrapped in cowhide were soon brought to light again. Each crate was heavy, as if it were filled with stones. However, in fact, the contents inside were probably even heavier than stones of the same size.

When Raslaufer opened the heaviest one, the neatly stacked piles of gold and silver coins inside almost dazzled everyone's eyes—although Angreta's Matt family gold pound was more valuable, it was only a small piece and nothing compared to the dazzling sight of such a large box!

"Hmm... Lady Skadi must have OCD." Looking at the coins arranged neatly from largest to smallest and from gold to silver, the bard swallowed hard and blurted out this remark.

Although the specifications are completely different, Raslaufer's deposit can be regarded as equivalent to Angelita's, and its value can be calculated by weight!

The other two chests were lighter. One contained only half a chest of coins and some gems, while the other held some durable loot, including the Moonbone Conch Belt that Angrita had specifically noted on the list. The leather from some unknown creature had undergone special magical treatment, showing no signs of decay even under these harsh preservation conditions.

“Oh, I remember now,” Leslaufer slapped his forehead, “The lord only offered 60% of the payment after hiring us that time, so we had no choice but to keep the rest ourselves.”

“So, your savings can’t be calculated based on the amount of reward at all,” Angelita waved the belt in her hand, then put it back. “These ‘self-earned’ rewards are much higher than theoretically possible.”

The oak forest here wasn't a suitable place to calculate their value, so the three boxes were quickly loaded onto the carriage. After that, Raslaufer went to another place to retrieve another portion of his stock. This time, however, he only took a small bag.

"Oh, I know that! A storage bag—no, a dimensional bag!" The bard exclaimed with delight. "A genuine magical item; this one alone must be very valuable!"

“What dimensional bag?” The mercenary glanced helplessly at the poet, who was starting to act silly again. “If I really had that thing, why wouldn’t I carry it with me instead of burying it in the wild? It’s just an ordinary bag.”

As he spoke, he pulled out several iron plaques and a number of slips of paper of varying ages. Although he still had some coins left in his pocket, Raslaufer clearly didn't care much for them.

“After discovering that the previous items were missing, I felt it would be better to have someone keep them safe, so I entrusted most of the rewards to a few old friends. This is the proof of ownership,” Raslaw waved the nameplate and slip of paper in his hand. “The nameplate corresponds to the cabinet where spoils like that belt are stored, and these slips of paper are the money itself. If I were in Eastern Inassassin, I could take these to them and withdraw the money at any time, which would be quite convenient.”

"After they retired, they ran several mercenary meeting points in different places and also took on some debt collection and lending business. Sometimes when they didn't have enough money on their own, they would take it from me and use the money I lent them to borrow from others, so I could have an extra income."

Chapter 384 Goodbye Little Devil

These things weren't unfamiliar to Daisy and Mary, but Angelita listened with great interest. Although the Empire's merchants might have been the first group to engage in similar businesses, as an Imperial princess, she clearly had no need for them.

“But I do understand one thing,” Daisy raised her hand, “usually these kinds of things require a guarantee of credibility, right? But if I may be frank, do you mercenaries from Eastern Inas not have any guarantee of credibility in this regard?”

Of all the mercenaries in the world, those from Eastern Inassis are the most untrustworthy. Why would Raslaw put his money here? Just because it's his hometown—the kind of place he doesn't return to for years?

“It’s very simple,” Leslaufer said, puzzled by the question. “I told you, they are all my friends, or at least acquaintances. They dared to steal my money, so I skinned them alive. It’s that simple.”

"...I made a foolish mistake."

Skuld buried the box in a relatively remote location, while Leslaufer placed the bag much more casually. After only half an hour's drive, a small village appeared at the end of the road.

“Zebrecht, this is it,” Raslaufer pointed to the entrance of the village, where there was a rather old two-story building. “Look, that’s my house. It cost me about three thousand Imperial gold coins back then. Don’t be fooled by how the paint is almost falling off now; it was quite grand back then.”

“If we repaint it now, it shouldn’t look bad,” Angelita said immediately. “Great, we’re finally home!”

Even Leslaufer himself wouldn't say that.

Although Angelita readily accepted the arrangement to stay there, everyone was stunned by what they found inside the house when they entered—although the house occupied a considerable area and had two floors, there was hardly any furniture to be seen. There was only a bed, a table, and a three-legged chair!

"It's pretty much the same upstairs," the mercenary added, though he might have meant that the place wasn't as shabby as it appeared. This addition was enough to completely dispel any remaining hope. "It was alright when Skadi was here, but now that I'm all alone, what's the point of having so much?"

“That’s no good… Well, let’s look on the bright side, Annie,” Daisy patted Angreta’s shoulder helplessly. “At least when you come in, you won’t see any trash or empty bottles on the floor except for dust. If there were a hundred or so pretty girls from all over the world lying here, you’d be in real trouble.”

The girl thought about it seriously for a moment, then nodded vigorously: "That's right."

"No? You actually think this makes sense?!"

Although Daisy was picky and fussy, it was still a shelter from the wind and rain. After being used to sleeping in the open for the past six months, the group didn't find anything completely unacceptable; it just needed to be "slightly" tidied up.

As dusk approached, the long-abandoned empty room finally began to look somewhat presentable. However, cooking utensils and beds could not be conjured out of thin air. In the end, the group found the small tavern in the center of Zebrech and, just like when Reslaufer returned to his hometown in previous years, had a piece of black bread and a bowl of meat soup for dinner.

“Looks like your teacher was quite prescient,” Daisy said, mimicking a farmer at the next table, tearing off the last piece of bread and wiping the plate of broth clean. “If he had come with us, wouldn’t he have broken off the contract on the spot if he saw this?”

“Professor Paul isn’t that kind of person,” Angelita shook her head. “Besides, it would be even more dangerous for us if he came with us.”

Tracking down Angelita, who at the time did not possess magic, was not easy for Richard VII's men, but tracking down a royal mage was not.

"It's like chasing a star in the dark. Even if it's not the brightest one, you won't mistake it for the brightest one or lose track of it," Angelita said, using this analogy.

Ordinary people who don't know magic are like a tree or a blade of grass on the ground. Although they can still be found if you look closely, they are not as obvious as spellcasters.

The local villagers cast curious glances at them, but ultimately no one dared to approach and strike up a conversation. After all, Raslaufer was practically a knight in Zebrech; although he rarely returned, his house was always there! Who would dare to provoke a man like Duple? At least, there wasn't anyone like that in this small mountain village.

But if we broaden the scope...

As night fell, after Angelita and Mary rested upstairs, Daisy, who was assigned to the first floor, was not sleepy at all. She sat on the edge of the bed with the mattie on her lap, and above the strings, a small, dark red figure was floating, pretending to walk on a tightrope. But its tail, with a poisonous barb at the end and never still for a moment, gave it away.

"Oh, poor Chengling, soft-hearted Chengling, you still couldn't win over this little girl?" The little devil's wings flapped behind its back. If you had good eyesight and observed carefully enough, you would not have found that there was a clear color difference between its wings and tail and the joints with its body. "Barbasabalun, I pity you. You are such a failure, little guy."

“If you’ve had enough fun, let’s get down to business,” the little devil said, the strings beneath his feet vibrating faintly, no longer speaking through the mind link, but directly into the air. “If the mistress intends to punish me, there’s no need for you to interfere.”

“Ha, Grand Duchess Philna won’t punish you. You can’t redeem yourself; she’ll be overjoyed!” Barbasabalon shrieked. “You’ll be in her theater, on her stage, for all eternity!”

"But Barbasabalon envies you. What great mistake could a guy like you possibly make? You won't get freedom or a promotion, but at least you won't be punished, right? Look at me, if it weren't for the fact that this place needed a suitable nail, I would have been demoted to a lesser demon. Sigh."

Lesser devils are already a low-level category of devils. It takes countless efforts to advance to this level as a lesser devil, but falling down can happen in an instant, and there is almost no chance of climbing back up. Unlike advancement, a devil's demotion means losing everything, including their memories.

"Then you should cherish this opportunity even more and serve the mistress!" The piano music rose slightly. "Stop with the nonsense and immediately fulfill your duties!"

“You—fine.” The little devil lowered his head reluctantly and rubbed the strings hard with his claws as revenge. “Reslaufer, although you did not sign any contract, the Duke’s favor needs to be repaid. Now that your own affairs are almost completed, you should be able to serve the Duke better.”

“The Mayer Territory of Eastern Inassus, a despicable mortal, actually played a trap in the contract, making the Grand Duke look foolish! However, due to the binding of the contract itself, neither the Grand Duke himself, nor any of his demons, mortal believers, or even any being manipulated by magic can erase him from the world. This matter has been a thorn in the Grand Duke’s side ever since.”

"It's time to end all this. Go kill that girl and let her get some sleep."

Chapter 385 The Devil's Trap

“Meyer Territory,” Leslaufer closed his eyes, sketching out a map of the surrounding area in his mind, “and what else?”

"Anything else? That's all!" Barbasabalon blinked his eyes, one after the other. "The only thing is, you'd better not drag this out too long. The target is an old guy. If he kicks the bucket before you know it, you'll have a hard time repaying this favor."

“You haven’t said who you’re going to kill?” Daisy looked at the little devil’s back with a strange expression. Being so close to this creature made her feel very novel, and she didn’t feel too uncomfortable. “At least you have to tell us the name of the target.”

“No need, this is easy to guess,” Reslaufer opened his eyes, “the Earl of Meyer’s Territory, and also has a higher title.”

In Inassus, a count is usually the highest rank, followed by the king. Moreover, if Raslaufer's memory serves him correctly, the current king, if not yet replaced, is likely approaching seventy years old, an age considered advanced in the empire, let alone in Eastern Inassus.

"You're sending me to kill my lord here, and an old man at that."

"What, are you feeling guilty?" the little devil chuckled slyly.

“Tell me more, or I think I have the right to ask that devil to give me a few more targets to kill—she only said I should help her kill three bastards, but she didn’t say who they were.”

"And I believe that she wants to deal with more than three people, even in this world."

“And you yourself are one of them…” Barbasabalon grinned at the mercenary, clearly displeased. He didn’t like it when mortals obeyed him unconditionally, going east and never west, as he considered this a healthy state.

But circumstances were beyond its control. The little devil already knew that the creature before it was a "mortal" capable of easily tearing a low-level devil like itself apart; it had even witnessed the battle with the Night Witch. Therefore, unless it was absolutely certain of victory, it was best not to reveal its venomous sting to him.

“Erich Wenzel, that’s the name of your nominal king. Do you think this old fellow has lived this long because he’s strong and healthy or knows how to maintain his health? Actually, it’s because he signed a contract with Grand Duchess Fernana in his early years.”

Barbasabalone cleared his throat: "I can't see the specifics of the contract, but in general, the cunning and despicable mortal Erich set a double trap in it: first, he learned some kind of esoteric ritual from an ancient classic, so even the Demon Grand Duke cannot have absolute interpretation rights over the manipulated contract; and then, in revising the text, he took advantage of the similarities and ambiguities between the Imperial language and the three Inasan languages ​​to seize absolute power over the kingdom for himself!"

"Do you know what that means? It means his soul will only be taken when he loses the throne, but he can't lose the throne. It's a vicious cycle!"

"In other words, if you don't kill him with external force, you will find out in a few decades that you have an immortal ruler."

"Then why did it have to be Old Lei who killed him?"

"As I just said, neither the Grand Duke himself, nor any of his demons, mortal believers, or even any being manipulated by magic can erase him from the world. In fact, when he faces other threats, he needs protection and assistance. Of course, there is more than one suitable candidate, but when there happens to be a knife on hand, why not use it?"

“I have to remind you, I’m the devil designated by someone—his name is Belial, I think. Doesn’t that count as a breach of contract?”

"You've even met Grand Duchess Belial?" the little devil asked, quite surprised. "Don't worry about that. Even if you break the contract, it has nothing to do with you—you should believe that the Grand Duchess would never allow herself to lose face again after making a mistake once. She has a thorough and meticulous plan. A mortal can only deceive a devil once in their lifetime at most."

“Comprehensive and meticulous…” Daisy narrowed her eyes, a chilling voice silently warning her through the mental link, but the bard still spoke up, “You just mentioned ‘protection’?”

"Oh, it's just a formality, nothing serious. The Grand Duke wants to kill him, doesn't he?"

“One formality isn’t 'thorough' enough,” the bard shook his head. “Although I don’t like to nitpick, we’re dealing with you guys after all—didn’t you just imply that Old Lei is also one of those to be eliminated?”

"Absolutely not!" Zheng Ling had to step in to smooth things over. "I can vouch for it, the Grand Duke absolutely did not mean that!"

"Damn it, Barbasabalon! Even turning you into a lesser demon is too lenient a punishment! You should become a maggot; only then would your big mouth be befit your status!"

Despite Zheng Ling's repeated assurances as a favored person, once suspicion arises, it is not easily dispelled. Leslaufer looked at the little devil in front of him with an ugly expression, already considering whether to completely turn against him and at the same time "turn over" Barbasabalon's face.

“It seems that if I continue to hide it, you will never believe me no matter what,” after the negotiations failed, Zhengling dejectedly played a tremolo on her zither, “Give me a little time, and if the master agrees, there may still be a chance—but that will have nothing to do with you, Barbasabalun.”

The little devil, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly turned pale again.

Perhaps it was because Philna was used to relaxing in the theater, or perhaps time in Purgatory was different from that in the material world; in any case, soon, Zhengling brought back a message: "Lord Raslaufer, since some little scoundrel is talking nonsense, then we have no choice but to be frank: the Grand Duke has no intention of targeting you, but a good, sharp knife usually doesn't split a plank piece by piece, do you understand?"

“Those who protect King Wenzel are also targets that need to be eliminated.” Raslaufer nodded. If that was the case, it would indeed reduce his doubts. “It was agreed that there would be three, but things changed in practice, which is not surprising.”

“Just as you said, there are far more than three who are threatening the Grand Duke, both openly and secretly,” Zheng Ling’s voice was apologetic, which made her seem much more sincere and credible than Barbasabalon. “Actually, given your strength, this shouldn’t cause you any trouble, but none of us want to damage our relationship.”

"Therefore, the mistress agrees that if you can kill the devil who was sent to protect King Wenzel once in the material world, it can also be considered as fulfilling one of the three criteria."

"But remember, you must kill him. Only in this way can the mistress take further action against him who has escaped back to hell. If he returns unscathed, you will have to kill two more of the mistress's enemies."

Chapter 386 Raslaufer's Favorite

The devil's favors are not so easy to repay, and since such an opportunity has arisen, it's best to end it as soon as possible. Raslaufer readily agreed to the task of killing the devil in the material world, but with the same condition as before: at least he should first find out why the devil died.

“The vast majority of devils plot against their superiors, from the lowest to the highest,” it’s no secret. “Most devils don’t act because the timing isn’t right, but some are not intelligent enough to make such a judgment, and the one you’re going to kill is one of them.”

"His name is Oses. He was originally a horned demon promoted by Grand Duke Belial. He was a high-ranking demon and therefore regarded the Grand Duke as his father. However, he actually thought that he was the one who could share the co-rule of Phrygsos. This undoubtedly angered my mistress—even Grand Duke Belial would not support him."

Few can now clearly explain why the fourth level of purgatory is ruled by two great beings, but one thing is certain: it was certainly not a result of their own volition. To replace one of them, the demon must either be insane or inherently mentally deficient.

"In short, his farce was easily shattered, and he was demoted to a bone demon, or at best, a foreman. The matter should have been over, but what is alarming recently is that the pathetic fellow has once again begun to crave a higher position of power after his fall, and the mistress does not intend to let such unrealistic delusions bother her again."

"However, while a normal demotion is just a matter of the mistress's word, a complete demotion without a proper reason can easily provoke opposition, and failing to protect the mortal target who signed the contract is undoubtedly a valid reason to question his competence."