“No touching.”
“Yes!”
“Once Lulu grows accustomed to you, you may pet and hold him.”
“Your name is Lulu? Lulu, you sweet little thing!”
Soichiro had consulted the source novel in advance.
It contained many scenes in which Leonard fixed an ardent gaze upon the white cat accompanying the Saintess, much to the animal’s disgust.
The intimidating former sailor was in his forties and built entirely of muscle, yet the sight of a cat reduced him to a humble servant.
In a story filled with grave developments, Leonard’s behavior provided some of its greatest comedy.
*Is this what my colleagues looked like when they became addicted to cat cafés?*
Soichiro sat upon the luxurious chair brought into the residence for Zephal’s use.
Lulu occupied his lap and wore an irritated expression.
At Soichiro’s feet, Leonard had thrown his enormous body upon the floor so he could peer up at the cat.
“I would like to support your organization’s activities.”
“Haa…haa…”
“To begin, I thought we might discuss the matter with Gilbert of the Adelberg Trading Company.”
“Look at those adorable flattened ears. Haa…haa…”
“Are you listening?”
“Ah, yes. I’m listening.”
Although Leonard offered the appropriate responses, his attention remained wholly fixed upon Lulu.
*Perhaps I miscalculated. I may need to ask Melia to take Lulu away for a while.*
Just then, hurried footsteps thundered along the corridor.
“Lord Zephal! Are you unharmed?”
“We heard an unnaturally deep scream!”
The door flew open, and Raficel and Lude rushed inside with alarmed faces. Behind them stood Gilbert and Laila, who held Melia in her arms.
“Ah…”
Cold sweat broke across Soichiro’s skin.
An enormous man was crawling at his feet in a posture very much like prostration.
Zephal was a prince of cold and exquisite beauty. To an observer, the scene must look like a villain trampling a slave beneath him.
*They will misunderstand!*
But before the flustered Soichiro could explain, relief appeared upon everyone’s faces.
“As expected of Your Highness! You have already tamed him!”
“I would like to kneel at Lord Zephal’s feet as well! Ah—no, I am delighted the meeting went well!”
“More giant muscles.”
“It was within the range of our expectations, but even I did not think you would conquer him in an instant. You truly are the prince in whom we placed our faith.”
Melia alone looked as disgusted as Lulu while the others celebrated.
Soichiro wondered whether he ought to explain that Leonard had become *Lulu’s* servant.
Still, perhaps he should simply be grateful that they had not mistaken him for a villain.
*If I regard this as everything proceeding successfully, I suppose it is fine.*
* * *
“Provoke the nobles? I’d like nothing better, but that’s a gamble with our lives.”
Once Melia took Lulu out of the room, Leonard could finally participate in the discussion.
He narrowed his uncovered eye as he considered Soichiro’s proposal. The grim presence he now projected made it difficult to believe that he had been crawling upon the floor in adoration moments earlier.
“If danger arises, we will arrange for your people to take shelter in businesses connected to the Adelberg Trading Company.”
“If we pick a fight, we can’t avoid every clash.”
“There must be no confrontations in which anyone could be injured.”
“What?”
Soichiro spoke to Leonard in the same gentle tone.
“Do not challenge the nobles directly. Find ways to provoke their anger instead.”
“And how are we supposed to do that?”
Leonard’s scowl was intimidating enough to make Lude, who stood beside Soichiro, tense.
Soichiro restrained the knight with one hand and considered the problem.
“For example…you might throw horse manure at a noble’s carriage.”
“What?”
“Then immediately hide in a nearby shop. That should prevent any injuries.”
Nobles valued their honor and took great pride in the beauty of their clothing and carriages.
Soichiro therefore proposed pelting those beautiful possessions with filth.
“That is…vicious,” Gilbert muttered.
“Is it truly so terrible? I am not suggesting that we drop anyone into a manure pit. Besides, horses are herbivores.”
Herbivores ate only plants.
Soichiro believed their dung was considerably less offensive than that of carnivorous or omnivorous animals.
*More importantly, we depend upon horses for our daily transportation.*
He had intended the plan to be merciful.
And yet everyone in the room stared at him with bloodless faces.
*If they react this strongly, perhaps it is worse than I realized. In that case, could it also be used as a punishment?*
When the corrupt nobles and Richard were finally condemned, Soichiro intended to punish them severely without leaving so much as a scratch.
“Raficel.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Would immersing a noble waist-deep in a manure pit for an hour be effective as a sentence?”
“Eek…”
Raficel went pale and clutched Lude’s shirt with a trembling hand.
Some infamous punishments from Chinese history involved dropping prisoners into pits filled with venomous insects or snakes. Compared with those, this would merely be smelly and filthy, with no true danger to life.
Thinking Gilbert might understand, Soichiro turned toward him.
“What about shaving every hair from the head of a noble who prides himself upon his beauty?”
“My… No one can rival Your Highness for ruthlessness. Magnificent.”
*That does not feel like praise.*
Soichiro rested his cheek against one hand as he considered the matter. Then inspiration struck.
“As a trial, let us shave the heads of the priests who frequented brothels.”
“Oh, an excellent idea.”
“You agree?”
“The instant we announce it, every one of them will cling to you in tears and beg for mercy, promising to become Lord Zephal’s most faithful servant.”
Gilbert’s narrow eyes remained cheerfully untroubled.
Once again, Zephal’s devoted followers felt the terror inspired by their beloved master sink deep into their bones.
Meanwhile, at the royal palace—
Duke Forlvain was roaring with fury inside Zephal’s deserted residence.
