MTLNOVEL Ch. 4
Chapter 4. Here is a Pushover Who Surpasses You (1)
‘This is troublesome. Who should I trust and judge?’
He wanted to believe his son, Patrick, and he wanted to believe his knight, Brian.
That feeling was creating conflict and preventing him from making a proper judgment.
But.
‘There’s a way. Do you think this is my first or second time dealing with a pushover?’
Patrick had already anticipated this situation.
What should you do when the scales are so evenly balanced that it’s hard to tell?
The solution is simple.
You just need to add a weight to one side.
“Lawrence!”
“You called, Young Master?”
Answering Patrick’s call was an old gentleman with gray hair neatly swept back.
It was Lawrence Gerick.
The butler who managed this Schneider fiefdom had been waiting outside this training ground since some time ago.
And Patrick said.
“Show the materials you prepared to my father.”
“Yes. Understood.”
And Lawrence handed a thick bundle of documents to Baron Schneider.
Baron Schneider took the documents and read them, then….
“Is…. is this really true?”
“These are all materials that I have investigated and gathered, with only those with confirmed evidence.”
“How could this be.”
Baron Schneider was dumbfounded.
The documents he received contained detailed records of the amount and methods of the budget Brian had embezzled over the years.
As long as the butler vouched for the evidence, it was impossible to deny it any further.
“Sir Erickson! What is the meaning of all this?”
Brian flinched at Baron Schneider’s shout, who was furious at the chilling betrayal.
No matter how good-natured Baron Schneider was, he was bound to get angry when stabbed in the back like this.
“Eek…. I trusted you, how could you do this….”
Seeing Baron Schneider trembling, Patrick let out a sigh.
‘Have his eyes finally opened?’
Patrick sighed as he watched Baron Schneider, enraged by the truth.
No matter what a pushover idiot he was, it was only natural to get angry when stabbed so squarely in the back.
Now, Baron Schneider would punish Brian severely and resolve the situation….
“I am sorry, my lord.”
It was then.
Brian had, at some point, knelt and bowed his head, starting to speak in a pleading voice.
“I was blinded by greed and made this mistake. Please forgive me. I will strive to ensure this never happens again.”
Brian moved his dying body and prostrated himself on the spot, begging.
The figure who had shamelessly claimed innocence just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen.
Patrick let out a smirk at the sight, which lacked not only a knight’s honor but even the minimum pride of a man.
‘Pathetic bastard. He should have at least been shameless to the end.’
He was a third-rate knight, but a fifth-rate villain.
Who would accept him now that he was begging for forgiveness like that?
Unless one was a considerable pushover idiot, no one would forgive him here.
“Are you truly repenting for your mistakes?”
“Yes. That’s righ…. Huh?”
Patrick was startled.
And Brian, as if this was his chance, said with tears welling in his eyes.
“Of course, my lord. I will strive to ensure this never happens again.”
“Hmm….”
“Please, for the sake of the contributions I have made to the fiefdom until now, I ask you to forgive my crime just this once.”
“Huuuu…. Yes. Everyone makes mistakes.”
Patrick finally grabbed the back of his neck.
Then he tore at his own hair with both hands and thought.
‘Master, are you watching? Here is a pushover who surpasses you.’
And of all people, it was his father.
It was a truly sad state of affairs.
Leaving the lamenting Patrick aside, Baron Schneider spoke in a somewhat strict voice.
“Sir Erickson. From now on, you can do well….”
“Fatherrr!”
Patrick cut off Baron Schneider’s words with a sudden roar.
Then he went on a rampage and said.
“Does it make sense to forgive this man? He is a criminal who embezzled the fiefdom’s budget for years.”
“But can we not also consider his contributions over the years?”
“Why can’t we? We just don’t.”
“……”
Patrick genuinely had a face that said, ‘I don’t understand why that’s not possible.’
This time, it was Baron Schneider who looked at his son with an expression that said,
Baron Schneider let out a small sigh and said.
“Then what do you think should be done?”
“What else is there? We should just lop off his head.”
“Hic!”
Brian, who was listening from the side, reflexively brought a hand to his own neck.
It seemed that that vicious demon was more than capable of cutting off his head.
“Isn’t that too harsh?”
“Then should we cut off half instead of the whole thing?”
“If you cut a person’s neck in half? Can they still live after that?”
“They can’t.”
“Then what’s the difference, you punk!”
“Tch.”
Patrick, clicking his tongue as if disappointed, scratched his head vigorously and looked at Brian.
‘Just killing him would be clean, but I guess it can’t be helped?’
In any case, the lord was his father.
He had to respect his father’s opinion here.
Patrick looked at Brian and said.
“Let me ask you one thing. Brian.”
“Yes. Please speak, Young Master.”
“Do you want to live?”
“Yes!”
At those words, Brian nodded his head frantically.
He was currently burning with a tenacity for life.
“Hmm, you want to live?”
“Please, please just spare my life.”
“Yes. Good attitude. A person shouldn’t let go of the thread of life so easily. You have to live tenaciously.”
“That is correct.”
“If I spare you, you’ll accept whatever punishment I give you, right? Right?”
“Yes. That’s righ….”
Seeing Brian hesitate, Patrick said.
“What? No? Did I misunderstand?”
“It’s not a misunderstanding, it’s just…. that is, that….”
“Wow, our Brian was the type to value things like honor or pride more than his life?”
“That is, that….”
“You should have said so earlier. Here, stick your neck out. Good boy. I’ll cut it painfully for you.”
Wouldn’t one normally say they’ll at least cut it painlessly?
In any case, Brian snapped to his senses.
That one will do it.
He’s more than capable of doing it.
“No, sir. I want to live. I absolutely want to live.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s true.”
“Tch, well, I guess it can’t be helped then.”
Patrick looked at Brian with a pathetic gaze, then said to Baron Schneider.
“Father, would you not entrust the disposal of the criminal to me?”
“To you?”
“Yes. Didn’t I contribute to the fiefdom with this incident? Correct.”
“That’s right.”
It felt a bit uncomfortable, but he wasn’t wrong.
As his father acknowledged his contribution, Patrick said.
“Therefore, as a reward for that contribution, please entrust the disposal of the criminal to me.”
Logically, it made no sense.
Wasn’t punishing a criminal the inherent right of the lord who manages the fiefdom?
Entrusting that to a child who was only ten was normally an impossible thing. However….
“Son.”
“Yes, Father.”
“You really won’t kill him, will you?”
“Of course.”
“And you won’t do things like cutting something off and making him disabled?”
“I will avoid it as much as possible.”
“...Alright. Then I will trust you and leave it to you this once.”
“Yes. Thank you, Father.”
As expected of the pushover who surpasses his past life’s Master.
He was truly a person who loved to trust people. But there was something he didn't know….
‘Hehehe. Right. Thinking about it, just killing him would be a waste. I have to get my money’s worth for what this bastard embezzled. If I use that, it should be more than possible.’
Sometimes, it might be better to just die.
For real.
* * *
A few days later.
Patrick appeared before Brian, who was locked in prison.
“Yo, been well?”
“You’ve come, Young Master.”
Brian bowed to Patrick, bending his waist in half.
“Yeah. Right. Prison life must be manageable, right? You’re looking much better.”
“Haha…. It is all thanks to the Young Master’s consideration.”
“You’re laughing?”
“……”
“Tsk tsk, this is why they say you shouldn’t take in a black-haired beast. Now that you're a little better off, you're showing your teeth.”
Brian wanted to say that his hair color was brown, but he wasn’t so clueless as to open his mouth here.
Patrick spoke to Brian.
“I came today because your punishment has been decided.”
“……”
“Ahem, first, about the amount of damages. The total amount you have embezzled over the years is estimated to be over 50 gold.”
“That’s not true. It is absolutely not that much.”
Brian jumped up and down, denying it.
“What? It’s not?”
“That’s right. In this remote fiefdom, how could I possibly have such an enormous amount…. Keok!”
Patrick’s fist twisted Brian’s jaw.
Then he mercilessly stomped on the fallen Brian and said….
“Is this bastard crazy? Remote? Remote-ooooh! Are you dissing our fiefdom now? Huh?”
“Aack! Sorr…. Keoheok…. That’s a vital point…. Kuaaak!”
After stomping on Brian for a while, Patrick cracked his neck from side to side and said.
“Let’s get this straight. Okay?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
And Brian said, as if genuinely wronged.
“But Young Master. It really isn’t that much. I swear to God….”
“It’s not?”
“……”
“It’s not?”
“……”
“Am I wrong? Is that it?”
With every word he spoke, a deeper madness began to creep into Patrick’s eyes.
So you’re saying I’m wrong and you’re right?
Are those your last words?
The moment Brian saw the gaze filled with that meaning, he realized.
‘Ah, I’m screwed.’
Even if it were 5,000 gold instead of 50, the atmosphere was one where he had to just say, ‘Yes. That’s right.’
That is if he didn’t want to die.
“It seems to be about 50 gold.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“……”
A bright smile returned to Patrick’s face, and Brian lowered his head gloomily.
“Ahem, anyway, if a person steals money, they have to pay it back.”
“Are you telling me to pay it back?”
“Yes. From now on, you will be demoted to a rank-and-file soldier, and with that salary, you must repay five times the amount you embezzled.”
“Fi…. five times?”
“Yes. Why? Too little?”
“Y-Young Master. To repay 250 gold, even if I save every penny without spending anything, it would be an amount exceeding twenty years’ worth of salary.”
“What are you talking about? Twenty years? How do you calculate that kind of time?”
“My monthly salary is 1 gold, so 250 gold would be….”
“No, no. 1 gold was your salary when you were a knight. I said I’m demoting you to a rank-and-file soldier.”
“……”
“I’m going to demote you to the lowest-ranking rank-and-file soldier. Your monthly salary will now be 10 silver, so if we subtract the minimum expenses for your food and lodging and this and that….”
Patrick thought for a moment in his head, then smiled brightly and said.
“Wouldn’t it take about 444 years?”
“……”
Brian’s mouth fell wide open.
And he said to Patrick.
“Do you… think I will accept such outrageous conditions?”
“Why? You don’t want to?”
“Of cour….”
Kwaaang!
In that instant, Patrick’s fist slammed into the thick prison wall.
His fist sank deep into the wall, and crumbling stone dust fell onto Brian’s shoulders.
And Patrick said.
“Then you can die?”
“……”
“What’ll it be?”
Tears streamed down Brian’s eyes.