Chapter 80 – Conflict (6)
80
Carl never left the house. Others had to come to Carl to get the work story going. Carl’s men who lived near Carl’s mansion were working hard to find the guards, but at least one or two guards attached by the emperor were watching Carl’s mansion.
If it is confirmed that the sword has gone somewhere, the emperor will move the warrior to attack the sword’s house. The hero will gladly carry out the mission of destroying the sword’s house and rescuing the saintess. It doesn’t take very long to get there.
The opposite was also true. If the hero vacated the imperial palace, the sword could take the life of the emperor. He couldn’t guarantee that he would succeed unconditionally, but the odds were close to 90%, and the emperor didn’t want to gamble like that.
It was even worse when the emperor wandered out of the palace. Back then, he could kill even without a knife. If that were the case, the emperor would have to carry the warrior by his side at all times. However, when such a murder occurred, the culprit was most likely Carl Leben, so Carl did not hastily aim for the emperor’s head first.
A traitor who kills the emperor becomes an empire’s achievement. Fighting against the world was an adventure with such a high level of difficulty that even the demon lord and his subordinates failed. Of course, it was a problem that the Demon King had two beings, Carl Leben and Lloyd, as enemies at the same time.
As a result, this fight had no choice but to proceed behind the scenes. Carl was relaxed. He didn’t think the emperor would actually try to kill him. He may act to take Sophia away, but even that won’t be very active. What the emperor wants is total loyalty. It is not the emperor’s wish that the long-awaited, unfettered power be bruised by the war with the sword.
However, even Carl could not show complete loyalty to the emperor. Loyalty to the emperor meant being defeated by the underworld, and if so, the respect that other underworld leaders had so far would be lost. Just as the Emperor’s control over the local lords was bound to weaken, Carl was also unable to dominate the underworld in all territories.
However, it was not that the underworld in other regions wanted a confrontation with Carl Leben, so most of them were only showing favor to Carl in the name of ‘respect for Carl’s achievements’. If the sword reveals weakness, the hyenas will change their expression and bite. Just like the lords and noble families who serve the emperor. Nothing is perfect in this world.
“There is a lot of money being made in the new drug business. Perhaps the Emperor’s side will preemptively strike there. Because drugs are enough justification for crackdown. Whether for the purpose of warning or for the purpose of declaring war.”
“The emperor was highly poisoned even from the explosion that occurred inside the imperial palace. It wasn’t a particularly large explosion. It’s just that one person died spilling out his intestines. But I guess that was the person the emperor was interested in. He shouted in Daejeon.”
“You can move the hero. How about sending a warning at this time?”
Each boss in attendance brought up a story. In this place, those under the protection of the sword gathered. There were only a few people who were qualified to enter Carl’s mansion.
“Let the warning be sent in a different way. It’s not yet time to kill the Emperor. If you make the defenses inside the imperial palace strict for no reason, the imperial palace might get scared. There may be a delay in receiving news within the imperial palace. Instead, kill an emperor faction commoner official. It could be the accidental murder of a drug lord who couldn’t get drugs.”
“How about making it reminiscent of the explosion in the imperial palace?”
“There’s no way drug dealers can kill you by injecting drugs that cause explosions. But spilling the intestines would be a good warning. It would also imply that I was the one who led the matter. Order the stomach to be cut into large pieces.”
“A drug dealer would be unable to do such a delicate murder. I’d rather send my gang members to commit murder first and then get them drugged. And the handling of those friends.”
“Using point tissue. To leave no traces. They are the ones the emperor will directly interrogate. It’s hard to get out.”
“All right.”
Besides this, we had a few more conversations. It was a story about whether the money from the drug dealer was transferred to another legal institution in advance, how to fight the emperor in the future, and where the goal was. Carl had a duty to reward those who remained loyal to him.
Carl talked about the construction of the academy, which he is currently working on. It will be an institution that systematically creates special forces such as warriors, and it will also create jobs such as assassins and thieves. Such a story set fire to the hearts of the bosses gathered at the table.
There are thieves and assassins in this position. No, it was usually from such a profession. Carl’s remarks showed the possibility that their origins could be recognized socially. The more immoral they commit, the more they become obsessed with honor, respect, and social status.
The bosses even felt like they were participating in some ’cause’. A world where all the assassins and thieves of the continent can walk the streets with their shoulders back. No, it would have been nice to have a world where I could even mention that possibility. Even if it was that much, they could be proud of their children.
This was the best value and pride that only a hero named Carl Leben could promise. Who is Carl Leben? Isn’t he a person who became an object of admiration for countless criminals in the same situation by going to war on his own as a criminal and beheading the demon king?
Carl told him not to get excited, but the bosses just grinned. They knew full well that it was just excitement. However, the reason why he was able to hit such a thrill was because a man named Carl Leben reigned as the boss of the bosses.
The seat was broken. The meeting, which started in the morning, ended before lunch. Carl got up from his seat as he joked.
“Sorry about lunch. Because the beautiful saintess is waiting anxiously.”
The bosses greeted each other with laughter and parted ways. Carl smiled. There were no people who even accidentally spoke of sexual harassment against Sophia. He was reluctant to even exude such an atmosphere. It was said that bosses fear swords as much as they respect them. It’s something to be satisfied with.
*
Osott did not come in for lunch.
Sophia wondered for a moment whether it was because she listened to her, then went on to assume that if she really was like that.
If Sophia says she doesn’t want to eat, she really won’t even bring her food, and if she doesn’t even ask him to eat, then Carl has no affection for Sophia.
If Carl loved her, she had to put her heart to the story that Sofia was about to starve. She had to suffer. She should have been angry. Why did you try to ruin yourself, she should be outraged. If Sophia was going to die of starvation, Carl would have to feed her, either by slapping her on the cheek or by forcing food into her mouth.
If Carl loves Sophia, he must not be able to bear seeing Sophia suffer from starvation – and be threatened with death from it. A loved one should suffer for the pain of a loved one.
What Sophia could not bear the most was not her own limbs severed by her sword.
Of course, that was also very difficult and vomited, and because of that, I hated the knife, and I could have prepared a curse for him and prayed to the goddess every day, but at least that wasn’t the most painful thing. The discomfort she experiences due to the absence of her arms and legs is second or third in turn.
The thing that bothered her most was her doubts about whether she really loved Sophia when the knife cut off Sophia’s arms and legs.
If Carl had loved her Sophia, there was no way she would have let Sophia’s arms and legs be cut off. If Carl had endured the spectacle with her superhuman patience, there must be a reason for that. Also, seeing Sophia feel her pain, she must have suffered very much herself. Sophia, she wanted to know why, she wanted to know if Carl was suffering.
If the reason why Carl had made her decision to cut off her arms and legs hadn’t been because she loved her wholeheartedly, if it had been her simple lust, Sophia couldn’t stand the truth. It must be a story that she was just a street for entertainment, a street for playthings. Could there be another sound as miserable as that? As much as the sad story of her having her arms and legs cut off to become a sex doll?
Sophia thinks Carl liked her to suffer. It remains to be seen whether it is simply sexual arousal, or whether it is because she does not value Sophia very much.
Along with the agony of not having arms and legs, the agony of competing for the second or third time was the agony of whether Carl loved himself ‘now’. Carl may have grown tired of her having her arms and legs cut off.
If Carl still loves Sophia, he’ll accept her Sofia’s foolishness no matter what. Even if that foolishness cost Carl her love for her, she would have to accept her the first few times. Then Sophia could make her sword agonize. Even if it’s just a little bit, it will be a minor revenge.
But if her sword doesn’t love her anymore, Sophia would rather pray to her goddess to kill her, and her life becomes better for her. It was funny. Sophia found her own predicament very funny.
He hates Carl, hates him, hates him, but still wants him to love him. She finds herself in the position of having to hope that the culprit who let her own arms and legs be cut off is still lusting after her. He wants to make Carl angry, but he has to hope that even when Carl is angry, he still loves him. I hated it so much, I was sad, I was unfair, I was annoyed, and I was sad.
*
Lunch. Carl opened the door to Sofia with a hard face.
Sophia was happy that Carl was angry, and she was sad that she was happy.
