In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 99

I waited a little longer in that position, then leisurely walked out.
The sunset was slowly painting the sky red.
Outside, where all the luggage had already been unloaded and organized, was quiet and deserted.
As I walked with my hands behind my back, looking up at the sky like someone out for a stroll, I saw a flock of birds flying in formation.
They were migratory birds.
Every year, birds that cross the continent with the seasons often visit the Lombardi mansion to rest their tired bodies after flying all day.
This was because there were few people and many trees within the mansion’s grounds.
“So, you’re the ones resting at the mansion today.”
Watching the birds hide among the trees of the mansion, I checked the contents of the pouch in my hand.
What I had specially prepared for today was safely tucked inside.
“Then everything’s ready.”
Now that I had confirmed Bellezac’s luggage had been unloaded, it was time.
Full of joyful anticipation, I two-stepped towards the stable.
It was Bellezac’s habit to visit the stable to check on his beloved horse after returning from a hunt.
I waited on the path Bellezac often used to go to the stable.
There were many trees nearby and no people.
It was a perfect path.
Before long, Bellezac’s figure began to appear.
But he wasn’t alone.
“Hold it straight! You’re dragging it on the ground!”
“Hee-ing…”
Craney was walking beside Bellezac, grunting while carrying something heavy.
Looking closely, it was a horse saddle.
And it was a very heavy one, made of leather.
“I-it’s hard…”
It was an unreasonable weight for young Craney to carry.
But then.
Whack-!
Bellezac smacked Craney’s small head hard and threatened him.
“Do you want another beating?”
“N-no! Ugh!”
Craney finally burst into tears.
And my patience reached its limit there.
“Craney.”
I blocked the path the two were walking on and said.
“Throw what you’re holding and you, go.”
“T-Tia…?”
Craney, with wide, surprised eyes, wiped away his tears with his sleeve.
“What, you again?”
Bellezac crumpled his face, looking at me.
No matter what he did.
I just quietly watched Craney.
“U-ung!”
Craney, as if gathering courage, clenched his lower lip and defiantly threw the saddle in front of Bellezac.
“Hey! Are you crazy!”
Bellezac roared, but Craney was already scurrying away in the distance.
“Bellezac. How much have you been tormenting Craney, really?”
Seeing what just happened, I had a strong feeling that what I knew was just the tip of the iceberg.
Bellezac sneered at me.
“Why? Do you want to do it instead of him?”
“Ha, this crazy psycho…”
I thought he had quieted down lately, maybe even matured a little.
But Bellezac hadn’t changed at all.
It seemed only the target of his torment had shifted from me to Craney.
“Fine, half-wit. Then you carry it.”
Bellezac kicked the saddle towards me with his foot.
“Hmph. Hey, Bellezac. Do you have no brain?”
“W-what?”
“I clearly told you. Don’t call me a half-wit. You idiot.”
“Y-you little wisp of a girl!”
Bellezac, having entered his growth spurt, intimidatingly raised his fist, boasting about his physical superiority.
I, on the other hand, straightened my neck and said.
“Go on, hit me. If you can.”
“Ugh!”
“You can’t hit me. If you hit me, it’ll be a huge mess. Grandfather will be the first to make a fuss, and my father isn’t the type to just endure things anymore.”
Bellezac, who had been huffing and racking his brain at my words, smiled crookedly.
“Oh yeah? But Grandfather and your precious father aren’t here, are they? If I just throw a few punches, you’ll be too messed up to even go tattle!”
Bellezac’s eyes gleamed.
I remembered those eyes exactly.
In my previous life, every time he tormented and hit me, every time I cried in pain and was terrified, he would laugh with glee with those very eyes.
As expected, you can’t fix people.
Confirming this eternal truth once again, I put my hand into my pouch.
And I grabbed a handful of what was inside and threw it at Bellezac’s face as he approached me step by step.
“Pwat! Wh-what is this! Cough!”
Bellezac, who was coughing in surprise as a sudden grainy powder was sprayed on him, began to scoff at me.
“Ha! Is this all… choke! Just some powder like this… cough!”
He’s noisy. Take this.
I kept sprinkling it on Bellezac’s face so he couldn’t speak.
“St-stop…”
With the feeling of sprinkling coarse salt on kimchi cabbage, I meticulously poured the remaining powder all over Bellezac’s body.
“Phew, done.”
I finally stopped only when the pouch was completely empty.
“Oof! This crazy girl! What are you doing!”
“Hey, Bellezac. Do you know what that powder is?”
“How should I know! You’re dead…!”
“Why don’t you try smelling it? It’s on your body.”
At my words, Bellezac lifted his arm and smelled the grains on his clothes.
“Sniff, sniff. G-grains?”
“Oh, you got it. It’s a mixture of corn, sunflower seeds, millet, and such. It’s going to be delicious. And that’s Xexousan, you know? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get Xexousan grains these days?”
“Wh-what did you say?!”
Bellezac, who couldn’t understand what I was saying, yelled.
I stepped back three paces from him and said with a wide smile.
“What do you mean? It means it’s bird feed that birds absolutely love.”
Flap, flap, flap.
The sound of wings, growing closer from afar, could be heard.
“H-hee-eek!”
Bellezac must have heard it too, as his face began to turn pale.
“Right, you’re scared of birds, aren’t you?”
That was one of Bellezac’s hidden weaknesses that people didn’t know about.
He was very afraid of birds.
So much so that he was even uncomfortable with chicken dishes served at the table.
“N-no!”
Bellezac tried to run away when he saw the birds flying, but his legs gave out, and he tumbled ungracefully onto the road.
“Where are you going? I put so much effort into making you bird feed.”
“S-save me!”
Flutter! Flutter!
About thirty birds resting in a nearby tree rushed at Bellezac all at once.
“Aaaargh!”
Bellezac curled up, trying desperately to avoid them, but perhaps recognizing the premium Xexousan grains.
The birds showed no mercy.
Peck! Chirp! Coo coo!
It was quite a sight to see all sorts of wild birds causing a ruckus!
The birds meticulously pecked at every nook and cranny of Bellezac’s clothes, hands, and hair. Once the scattered grains ran out, they flew away without a second thought.
Flutter!
And in the place where the birds had been, a disheveled Bellezac lay pitifully curled up.
His hair was messy and torn, his top-quality clothes were all ripped, and his face was smeared with tears and snot.
“Hmph… Hmph…”
“You said you’d mess me up. But you’re the one who got messed up, aren’t you?”
Even at my taunting words, Bellezac was too scared to move.
“You’ve enjoyed the pain and fear of others enough. How about your own suffering? Was it enjoyable?”
“H-hup, ugh!”
I approached Bellezac and looked down at him, lying on the ground, with cold eyes.
Just as he had done to me when I cried.
“If you torment Craney one more time, it won’t end as easily as this.”
I spoke each word precisely so that it would be properly ingrained in Bellezac’s stupid mind.
“I’ll knock you out without anyone knowing, throw you into a ‘large’ migratory bird sanctuary, paint your entire body with bird feed paste, and tie you tightly to a pillar. Got it?”
“H-hee-eek!”
Just imagining it seemed horrible, as fear flashed in Bellezac’s eyes.
I gave him one last scornful look, then turned and walked away.
Ah, so refreshing.
Without the pouch of feed, my body felt much lighter.
Now, Bellezac wouldn’t torment Craney anymore.
He was as cowardly as Astaliu.
Someone had to protect Craney, but his brother Astaliu didn’t have the courage to protest against Bellezac.
Their parents, Laurels and Ronette, were too busy trying to curry favor with Viese.
So, I had no choice but to step in.
“Well done. Good girl, me.”
My heart felt lighter, more than just having avenged Craney.
“What should I say…”
It felt as if my past self had been healed too.
The young Florentia, who had no one to help her and was helplessly bullied, must have also felt a belated sense of triumph, just like Craney.
***
A few days later.
I visited the Pellet Trading Company office.
“With this, Pellet Trading Company has become the merchant group that currently holds the most harvested southern grains this year.”
“Wow, good job, both of you!”
It truly wasn’t easy.
The South was a market tightly controlled by long-established, large and medium-sized merchant groups.
But thanks to the diligent work of Clerivan, Violet, and the rest of Pellet Trading Company, we were able to purchase a large quantity of food.
“And as expected, many merchant groups are sending us love calls.”
“Because they have to buy from us at a premium if they want to sell it in the East.”
“That’s right.”
Clerivan handed me a thick stack of documents.
“These are the merchant groups that have requested from us so far.”
“Quite a lot. Let’s see…”
I scrolled down the long list.
Then I found the name I was looking for at the very bottom of the list.
“Here. Send a letter to this one, offering to sell about a quarter of what we have. Give them a bit of a discount too.”
“Yes? That much?”
“Yes. Of course, we should share a little with the other merchant groups too. It’s a world where we all live together, right?”
Actually, my intention was to minimize bothersome jealousy and envy.
Violet, who tilted her head, looked at the name of the merchant group my finger was pointing to and her eyes widened.
“Ah, this place was the one last time…”
Then she stared at me.
I smiled at Violet, conveying my trust in her.
Soon, Violet nodded briefly and replied.
“Understood. I will send a letter to ‘Red Merchant Group’ as you instructed.”