I Bought the Villains With Money - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 12
“Ah…”
His sudden confession of loyalty caught me off guard. Not knowing what to say in response, I scratched the bridge of my nose and studied his face.
Why would the heir to the House throw his life away over a simple promise to work hard as House Lord?
Matthew was still wiping tears from his sleeves, overcome with emotion.
“Right, Matthew. Once I’m officially House Lord, I’ll do my best, I promise. Now, would you mind leaving? I need to review some documents.”
I barely managed to usher Matthew out. Even as he left, he continued prattling on about the history and glory of Irenber House.
I couldn’t count how many cringe-inducing compliments he’d heaped on me about carrying forward the brilliant legacy of Irenber.
“Phew, he’s completely out of it.”
As I settled back onto the sofa, I found myself recalling the Matthew of years past.
After my parents passed, Matthew had cared for me like a fledgling. But then, one day, he’d begun to distance himself.
I’d assumed he’d been bought off by Count Colcos, but seeing him today, it seemed Matthew had merely been disappointed that I showed no interest in the House.
‘Now that I think about it, Matthew never acted particularly familiar with Count Colcos either.’
Unless Count Colcos visited Irenber Mansion, the two of them had no reason to see each other.
‘And I suspected him for that.’
While it’s wise to be cautious—even checking a bridge before crossing—I should have observed more carefully rather than entertaining baseless suspicions.
Once my doubts about Matthew dissolved, it felt as though I’d shed a weight pressing on my shoulders. My heart considerably lighter, I threw myself into the stack of documents.
Reading through them didn’t take long. Most were petitions written by literate Domain residents, aside from the report placed at the top.
‘Nobel is the problem.’
Nobel—the most barren of Irenber’s domains.
Nobel is the only land in the kingdom where Monsters dwell.
As the burning war between Monsters and humans was waning, the King drove the remaining Monsters into Nobel.
Though vast, the land sits at the far northern edge and is surrounded by mountains; three seasons of the year are bitterly cold.
Perhaps the King thought such a place wasn’t worth keeping from the Monsters.
And so Irenber House took charge of it. For centuries since, come spring, knights of renown have led expeditions into Nobel.
The Silver Expedition.
Despite its romantic name, the expedition was nothing more than a Monster slaughter operation.
Nobel had always been a burden to Irenber House. Yet my father loved it dearly.
It was my mother’s birthplace.
‘A love story between a simple country girl and the heir of a Domain Lord—how romantic.’
The innocent girl living in Nobel and the heir who led the Silver Expedition fell in love at first sight.
How beautifully romantic.
My father had always told me to marry someone I truly loved.
‘I didn’t listen to him and carelessly rushed into marriage, ruining my life.’
Which is why one ought to heed their parents’ words.
Nobel, where my mother was born, raised, and where my father had felt such love, was a domain full of troubles and complications.
And now, reading the report, it came back to me. Recently, the residents of Nobel, struggling under tax burdens, had sparked an uprising.
At the time, my guardian Count Colcos had attempted to suppress them by force. The Silver Expedition had drawn blades against Nobel residents, not Monsters.
Enraged, the residents of Nobel shattered the Monster boundary stones, causing all hell to break loose.
‘That idiot Count Colcos!’
The moment his image surfaced in my mind, fury coiled through my body.
“Miss, you’re creasing the documents.”
Without realizing it, I’d gripped the papers so hard my knuckles whitened. Jenith set down the tea she’d brought and spoke gently. I smoothed out the documents and offered an awkward smile.
“Matthew thought you’d be hungry and asked me to bring these.”
Jenith placed a plate of sweet cookies and a teacup before me in neat order.
Whether from straining my mind so hard or the sweet aroma, saliva pooled in my mouth.
I still needed to review the documents, but I was tempted to eat.
“Once you’ve had a bite, I’ll prepare a proper meal for you.”
With Jenith insisting I eat, I had no choice but to hold documents in one hand and cookies in the other.
I was so absorbed in the papers that I didn’t even notice Jenith leave.
Matthew had said the documents were about revising the Regional Tax Law, but most consisted of grievances from Domain residents struggling under taxes rather than specific figures.
‘This suggests it’s not a problem that can be solved by tweaking a few numbers.’
I crunched through the cookies while staying focused.
‘If I lower the taxes, someone will suffer the consequences. I can’t recklessly tamper with tax law.’
Moreover, Irenber House’s tax rate was already considerably lower than other Houses, and we still drew complaints from other House Lords.
‘And Nobel’s rate is already lower than other regions, according to this.’
To lower taxes further, I’d have no choice but to reduce what the Royal Capital collects, but even for Irenber, I couldn’t simply demand the King slash the royal taxes.
And Nobel paid less to the Royal Capital than other regions. This was because the Crown understood the Monster-related damages.
‘Wait—what’s this? The taxes went up right after Father passed away?’
As I continued reading, something odd caught my eye.
Nobel’s taxes had been raised.
Nobel was a special region where Monsters appeared, so raising taxes required the House Lord and the King to at least go through the motions of negotiation.
But I had no memory of conducting any such negotiation.
Of course, it was possible since I wasn’t yet the official House Lord. Still, it was strange not to have even heard mention of negotiations taking place.
Currently, no one in Irenber House held the authority to negotiate on behalf of the family, and if that were the case, word should have reached me first.
‘Did His Majesty raise the taxes at his pleasure? I’ll have to lodge a formal complaint about this.’
That was something only the House Lord could do.
But I couldn’t simply sit idle and watch. If I couldn’t become House Lord immediately, I’d have to find another way.
‘What am I to do? Even if the taxes were raised arbitrarily, I can’t lower them just in Nobel alone.’
Because Monsters appear had already been used far too many times. Even if actual damages were severe, outsiders would see it as a stale excuse by now.
‘Just how dire is the situation?’
I’d need to go to Nobel myself.
To see the Domain’s circumstances with my own eyes and find out whether there was any way to resolve it from within Nobel, and understand why the Monsters were running wild.
But I couldn’t go right away. I couldn’t go to Nobel empty-handed or alone.
And Nobel would prefer me to come as the House Lord rather than merely as the House Lord’s daughter.
I really did need to charm that cute prince quickly.
‘Since it just occurred to me, I should go visit Cassion.’
I set the documents I’d read aside and brushed the cookie crumbs from my hands. Just as I was about to stand, the door burst open with a bang.
“I brought him. Maniac.”
Cho dropped an enormous bundle she’d dragged along at my feet. It hit the ground with a dull thud and stirred slightly.
“Is this what you asked me to fetch?”
Surely she hadn’t wrapped a person in a bundle and dragged him here?
I pointed skeptically at the bundle with one finger.
“He was putting up a fight.”
Cho shrugged casually.
“You certainly possess remarkable strength.”
I genuinely admired her superhuman power while praying she’d brought Lebert back unharmed.
To drag a bundle containing a human all the way to the fourth floor? Was that even possible with human strength?
“There’s something good about it.”
Cho grinned and held up her hand.
Mana Stones were embedded in the Leather Gloves she wore.
It meant an expensive Magical Artifact.
A Magical Artifact was an item imbued with Permanent Magic by embedding a Mana Stone into it. The price of a Magical Artifact varied wildly depending on what kind of Permanent Magic was applied. Naturally, items with higher-grade magic enchantments cost more.
Magical Artifacts that amplified strength required considerably advanced magic among all spells, and even finding a Mana Stone capable of handling such magic was difficult.
Mana Stones were formed when the bones of Monsters buried underground for a long time underwent transformation.
The transformation alone took considerable time, and not all Monster bones could become Mana Stones. Only the bones of Monsters that possessed Magical Power could transform into Mana Stones.
On top of that, mining and processing them were both difficult.
Now that mages had become scarce, demand for Mana Stones was high but supply was critically short. Naturally, the price of Mana Stones skyrocketed without limit.
In short, what Cho had on was
‘a rare item.’
Where had she gotten it?
‘It’s not something my aunt would have, the one who can’t even pay her subordinates’ wages.’
“I didn’t steal it. What do you take your aunt for?”
Cho furrowed her brow, apparently noticing my look of suspicion.
“An Information Hunter. But there’s nothing strange about exchanging information for money, is there? My aunt always says that information is money.”
I began untying the knot on the bundle Cho had bound while muttering to myself.
“Did I say that to you?”
Of course I hadn’t. That famous saying was attributed to Chorni, who had acted as a spy and ended a certain nation’s war, and then said it afterward.
‘That war won’t happen for several more years.’
I couldn’t afford to act as though I knew that.
“She mentioned it in passing once. Anyway, he’s still alive, right?”
My aunt wasn’t sensitive about anything except when deals were involved, so I could let it slide.
“Open it.”
Instead of answering, my aunt prodded the bundle with her foot. Anxious because she wouldn’t give a clear answer, I hurriedly opened the sack.
From the opening gap, a terrible stench emerged along with the crumpled form of a person.
“My lady! Dinner! Ah!”
Jenith appeared.
Seeing the blood-stained light blue hair jutting out from between me, Cho, and the bundle I was holding, her eyes blazed with fierce light.
“My lady, you’re in danger!”
Jenith set down the tray of food and rushed over.
I wonder if she realizes that Jenith rushing toward us is even more terrifying.
She pulled me out of the bundle and extracted Lebert from the package. It was the moment when Jenith’s remarkable strength truly shone.
Jenith laid Lebert flat on the ground, pressed her ear to his chest, and checked for breathing.
“He’s alive, Miss.”
“I can tell he’s alive without going that far. But we can’t leave him like this. Aunt, would you help move him to a bed?”
“Have the servants do it. Am I someone who does menial work?”
“No servants allowed! We can’t let anyone know that a man covered in blood was in the lovely young lady’s room!”
Jenith added in protest.
“At least he should be cleaned up before anyone finds out!”
“……What difference does that make?”
Cho asked Jenith in a tone that suggested complete bewilderment.
Jenith answered, still in an excited voice.
“That way, if rumors spread, they’ll be more respectable! Young ladies have their preferences too, after all!”
I have a feeling I know what kind of rumors she means, but I’m only thirteen. I’m at an age where I’d rather avoid romantic gossip altogether.
“Jenith, enough. Listen.”
Since Cho showed no intention of helping, moving Lebert fell to me and Jenith.
‘His ankles are so thin.’
I know how black market dealers treat children they bring from the Slum District.
‘Children must suffer quite a lot of injuries and illnesses.’
Was Lebert driven to develop a revolutionary medicine because he directly treated injured friends during his childhood?
The thought struck me as entirely plausible.
Bribing the Villains with Money (Serialized)
Author | Inhye Lee
Publisher | Ju-hyung Kim
Published by | J Plus Media Co., Ltd. – Tiramisu
Marketing | Jae-hyeok Han
Address | 11F, 1101, Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Techno Tower 8th, 11th Floor)
Email | [email protected]
Website | http://blog.naver.com/jayplemedia1
ⓒ Inhye Lee 2021
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder,
and no part of its contents may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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