The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 157

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 157】

Before becoming the Pope’s treasurer, Wheelton was just one of countless accountants.

Having no connections and unable to secure clients, he tried his best to faithfully fulfill their demands in order to retain customers.

“You’re saying if I just do this, I won’t have to pay taxes?”

“Without a doubt. I’ll make sure not a single gold coin leaves your wallet.”

Since helping with illegal activities could cost him his hard-earned accounting license, Wheelton helped clients by teaching them methods.

Living day to day like this, barely making ends meet, one day.

“This is all your fault! I followed your instructions and now I’ve received a delinquency notice!”

Count Redang threw the notice onto his desk, claiming Wheelton had made him a tax evader.

“I only provided consultation. The choice was yours. I bear no responsibility for compensation regarding this matter.”

“What?”

Though he cited principles, Count Redang was not convinced.

“You bastard, right now!”

“Oh my.”

Running away from the Count who was swinging his cane, he found himself inside a temple.

“What is the meaning of this behavior in a sacred place where God watches?”

The Count had followed Wheelton into the temple, but was stopped by the Pope’s intervention.

Since the temple held strong influence at that time, Count Redang obediently withdrew.

“I, Wheelton, never forget a debt of gratitude. If Your Holiness has any concerns, I will help with all my heart and sincerity.”

Later, when Wheelton learned that the Pope was trying to embezzle temple donations to create slush funds, he worked as his treasurer and helped hide the money.

In return, he was introduced to many clients through the religious order.

Wheelton’s status, once just a mere accountant, changed dramatically in an instant.

As his income stabilized and his life became comfortable, somehow his hometown friends contacted him.

“I hear you’re doing well these days?”

“I thought you just played around hitting calculator buttons all day.”

“That’s what accounting is, you fools.”

In addition to their admiring gazes, when he heard that a wealthy friend he’d envied in childhood had squandered his fortune, he became triumphant.

‘Well, how would someone who became rich without effort know how to protect their assets?’

He, on the other hand, was different.

He had studied on his own without family support and seized wealth.

‘I am the true rich man. I’m the one who truly deserves to be wealthy.’

That pride made his shoulders rise with confidence.

However, as nothing in the world lasts forever, his golden age didn’t last long.

Recently, with the new Emperor’s ascension, the atmosphere had changed.

Clients who had been assigning him illegal work began to be cautious.

“You know this always happens when regimes change. Anti-corruption measures, securing tax revenue. The Imperial Family will quiet down soon enough.”

“Yes, I know. So I’ll contact you later.”

Those who left room like this were the better ones.

“Sorry, but let’s end our contract here.”

“Still,”

“Don’t be too disappointed. You must have made considerable money thanks to me all this time.”

Clients turned their backs one by one.

Soon after, rumors spread that he was involved in illegal activities, and customers completely stopped coming to his office. When even simple bookkeeping work decreased, he felt a sense of crisis.

‘The situation getting worse is understandable. But how could everything collapse so quickly?’

Since his fixed expenses had grown to match his increased income, it was difficult to lower his standard of living in a short time.

Wheelton had become accustomed to meals prepared by chefs and shoes polished by servants.

“Master, this month’s salary hasn’t been paid yet.”

“Was payday yesterday? I forgot. I’ll pay you right away.”

Having no choice, Wheelton covered the servants’ wages with the Pope’s funds.

Since he’d heard that the religious order had collapsed and the Pope had fled, he thought surely no one would come looking for him.

‘Tenacious bastard.’

Even with wanted posters plastered everywhere, the Pope came looking for him saying he needed money.

He wanted to shout that the Pope was here and gather people, but this wasn’t a good option for Wheelton either.

Since Wheelton had helped manage the Pope’s funds, he could also be punished for money laundering.

“Haha, surely you don’t think I’m trying to embezzle Your Holiness’s money?”

Wheelton appeased Malon with a sly smile, just as he did with other clients.

“It just takes time to prepare cash, so I haven’t prepared it yet. You know that banks don’t just keep all their deposits sitting in warehouses.”

Banks made profits by lending deposits to other customers or investing in promising businesses. Therefore, depositors had to give advance notice to withdraw large amounts.

“Most importantly, if you suddenly withdraw large sums, banks ask about the purpose of withdrawal. But it’s not easy to make excuses. To be safe, I had no choice but to withdraw small amounts gradually.”

Malon’s momentum softened at the plausible explanation.

“Please give me just a little more time. I’ll quickly prepare the necessary funds.”

As for the location.

“Do you know there’s a gambling den in the outskirts?”

He pointed to a gambling den run by a criminal named Martan.

“The boss there has a tight grip on the surrounding area, so investigators don’t even go near. It’s truly the optimal place to hide.”

It wasn’t that he wouldn’t give the money, just that he needed time.

Since Malon had no other source of money besides Wheelton, he decided to wait a bit longer.

“I’ll give you one week. Make sure to prepare it within that time.”

“You know I maintain credit with clients meticulously. Rest there and I’ll come find you.”

Malon left the cafe with his hat pulled low.

The expression that had been rubbing hands like a fly until he disappeared turned cold.

‘Hmph.’

Whether for tax evasion or to accumulate assets secretly from family and relatives.

Cases like Malon’s, entrusting assets to others, were more common than expected.

Among those who kept others’ assets like this, there were often cases like Wheelton’s where greed arose and they swallowed the money themselves.

In such cases, the actual owner of the funds could file a lawsuit to confirm depositor status and demand return of the funds to prove the money was theirs.

‘What crazy person in the world would file a lawsuit while on the run?’

Wheelton picked up the wanted poster.

He wasn’t interested in the bounty on Malon’s head.

What mattered was Malon’s money sitting in his account.

‘If Malon just disappears like this, I’ll be able to maintain my previous lifestyle.’

With Malon’s money alone, he could fill the recent income gap and remain successful Wheelton to his hometown friends.

He wasn’t worried about his secret being discovered.

After all, money doesn’t have names written on it.

‘Who would know?’

* * *

The gambling den was noisy.

But rather than being chaotic, organized splendor caught the eye first.

‘They said it was a gambling den managed by its owner.’

Judging by the discipline of not only the employees but also the organization members guarding the surroundings, Wheelton’s information seemed accurate.

Malon stood near a wall some distance from the entrance.

Having lived as a clergyman for so long, he didn’t know how to enjoy pleasures.

As he stood there, one of the gamblers approached him.

“Want to play a round?”

“Not interested.”

Since he was waiting for something, he didn’t want to divert his attention elsewhere.

Malon crossed his arms and stared at the wall clock.

‘By the way, when is Wheelton coming?’

He needed to get the money and leave quickly. Though the appointed time had long passed, Wheelton hadn’t appeared.

‘Could he be harboring other thoughts… No, it’s not time to conclude that yet. Let me wait a little longer.’

While he was desperately trying to hide his anxiety.

The entrance area became noisy, and organization members lined up on both sides of the door, bowing their heads.

A tall man entered through the wide open space.

The man scanned the gathered crowd while smoke drifted from the cigar clenched between his teeth.

Though there was no particular introduction, Malon could tell he was the owner of this gambling den.

‘That must be Martan.’

The man didn’t even look around the establishment and began interrogating his subordinates one by one.

“You bastard, did you pay all your taxes?”

“Of course. The boss told us to pay.”

“You sure? Then why are those tax bureau bastards lurking around?”

Malon’s heart sank when he heard words that absolutely should not be heard here.

‘What, what did he say?’

Malon pressed himself against the wall like someone who wanted to disappear from this place.

“Some bastard evaded taxes. Come forward.”

“It’s really not me, boss. I even have the payment receipt here.”

Martan glanced at the receipt his subordinate held out.

“Yeah? Then you step aside. What about you? Did you pay?”

Martan’s gaze, which had been looking around, fell on Malon.

Malon hurriedly turned his head, but Martan was already right in front of him.

“What’s with the old man. Never seen your face before.”

“No, I’m just—”

“Your eyes look suspicious. Did you evade taxes?”

Malon was speechless and couldn’t respond.

It was partly because he had a lot to feel guilty about, and partly because it was absurd to see a boss who probably had hundreds of corpses buried in his backyard trembling over mere tax evasion.

“Drag this bastard out.”

The price of hesitation was having his collar grabbed.

“Hey, where’s the law that says you can do this…!”

Malon struggled not to be dragged away, but organization members grabbed both his arms.

Thrown outside, he hurriedly propped himself up on his elbows and got up, but.

“There you are.”

The woman he most wanted to avoid cast a shadow over his face.

“We came to verify facts based on a report we received…”

Behind her, the Bureau Director of Special Taxation also appeared.

“We didn’t expect the report to be true.”

“Why are you people here…!”

“We’re temporarily handling Inspection Bureau duties.”

The only change that had occurred in the Empire was the new Emperor’s ascension. That alone didn’t drastically change the administrative system or suddenly improve the existing personnel’s work capabilities.

Since they couldn’t rashly increase civil service staff, they were making the most of the existing system while filling necessary gaps.

This was why the two had come to arrest Malon directly.

Malon frantically looked around.

Imperial Knights were blocking his escape routes.

“Considering the possibility of the suspect fleeing, we requested military support from the Imperial Knights.”

Malon gritted his teeth as reality finally hit him.

It was obvious who had reported him.

‘How dare that bastard Wheelton!’

“Your embezzlement of public funds, tax evasion, and various other criminal charges have been confirmed. Additional investigation is needed, so please accompany us to the investigation bureau.”

Malon clenched his fists.

The reason he had remained near the Imperial Capital despite recognizing the risk of arrest was because he believed there would be another regression.

After all, this was a world inside a novel.

As long as the book existed, loops were predetermined, so Malon had tried to secure the original just before regression.

He thought this because he didn’t know that Yuna had returned to the original world or that the book had been burned.

‘I can’t be dragged away by those bastards when the book hasn’t come into my hands yet.’

He couldn’t end this cycle, this life, in such a wretched place.

Malon reached into his jacket.

Inside was a summoning circle that could call forth the demon Seir.

‘I didn’t want to use this here.’

He had been carrying it in case of emergency situations while fleeing, and though he preferred not to use it, there was no other way.

His aged body didn’t have the strength to break through the sturdy knights.

Malon muttered quietly.

“To the one who devours light and spits out shadows, I offer my rest.”

The surroundings darkened enough to make the daytime meaningless. The lanterns illuminating the inside of the gambling den flickered simultaneously and went out.

“What, what’s that?”

“Did my wife come to catch me?”

“Oh shit.”

Next, trees swayed despite the windless weather. Then household items fell from tables, and even people standing on the ground lost their balance and staggered.

Rianel, sensing the abnormality, looked around warily, and the moment Asil placed his hand on his sword hilt and pulled Rianel into his arms.

The summoning ritual was completed.

“I call upon your name, you who become the last hope of those who feed on despair. Please answer my call.”

In the deepened darkness.

Air untouched by light gathered and drew a long shadow on the ground.

Soon it formed a shape and burst into laughter.

—Hahahaha.

Thus appeared the demon Seir.

He could have been mistaken for a tall, blonde adult male, but no one perceived him as human.

Even though most didn’t know it was a demon, they instinctively felt revulsion, displeasure, and fear.

The gamblers threw down the cards they were holding, and Martan narrowed his eyes and stared at the demon.

The knights didn’t break their encirclement, but held their breath trying to assess the situation.

In the silence where no one dared speak rashly, the demon Seir opened his mouth.

—Who summoned me?

“It, it was me.”

Malon raised his hand.

His hand trembled. Even he didn’t know if it was from fear or excessive excitement.

Seir bent his elongated body to look down at Malon.

—We meet again. Are you prepared to pay the price?

“Of course. Please crush this world and save me.”

Malon reached out toward his only savior.

Just before his desperate hand could touch the demon.

“We meet again.”

Rianel’s calm words cut off their conversation.

“We’ve confirmed that you still have unpaid taxes.”

Rianel held out documents.

The uncollected tax bill was laden with accumulated late fees.

“Please make the additional payment.”

Seir hesitated.

The air grew awkwardly tense as he remained silent.

Torn between his desire to disrupt the world to gain power and the delinquent amount imposed by the world’s order, Seir reached a conclusion.

—…I’ll do it next time.

Hahahaha.

Where the darkness folded and the demon disappeared.

“…?”

“….”

“….”

Only deep silence existed.

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