"Excuse me, do you have a moment?"
"Huh?"
Rest inserted himself between the two of them.
"Agh—"
The village chief tried to speak up, but Rest put an index finger to his own lips, silencing him.
Then... he stepped forward before the lord once more.
"Forgive my rudeness, but doesn't your argument have some holes in it, my lord?"
"Who do you think you are?"
"A traveler staying at an inn nearby."
Rest deliberately concealed his status and name, introducing himself as such.
"Hmph... Don't you dare stick your nose in where it doesn't belong, ordinary traveler. Know your place!"
The lord swatted his hand away in annoyance, as if shooing off some pesky insect.
(Ah, so he really doesn't realize I'm a noble either.)
Can't really blame him.
After all, Rest had come outside still in the nightclothes he'd been wearing at the inn.
If it were Celestine, already transformed into her fully armed young-lady appearance, it might be a different story—but no one would look at Rest in his current state and think "noble."
Celestine, standing behind him, was also hidden from view by the wall of villagers around them.
"However, I'm not exactly an uninvolved party. I'm the one who carried out the subjugation of the sea serpent."
"What did you say...?"
The lord's gaze shifted, his eyes narrowing into suspicious, appraising slits.
"Could it be you were an adventurer?"
"Well, something like that. I make a living subjugating monsters."
It wasn't a lie.
Ever since becoming a count, he'd been made to do nothing but slay monsters.
It had gotten to the point where that was practically his main occupation.
"I had my companions sell the sea serpent's materials to a merchant, and I donated the entire sum toward the village's reconstruction. Donations shouldn't be subject to taxation, I believe."
"Tch…"
The lord clicked his tongue loudly.
Yet without dropping his overbearing attitude in the slightest, he drew himself up with a smug huff and spoke.
"Something a lowborn commoner like you wouldn't know, I'm sure… but for nobles of our standing, there exist extraordinary measures that supersede even the rules from time to time."
"I beg your pardon… and what does that mean?"
"It means there are things that take priority over the kingdom's laws."
The lord glared at Rest, his nostrils flaring with heavy breaths.
"This village has always enjoyed preferential treatment over other domains, at the behest of the great landowners. The villagers were dragged away from their proper work and forced to cooperate in some incomprehensible venture, which reduced tax revenue. I've been granting them special treatment all this time, so what's the problem with collecting a little extra?"
"…………"
"This is a perfectly legitimate decision by the lord who governs this land! Outsiders should keep their noses out of it!"
As Rest stood there listening in silence, soldiers who appeared to be the lord's personal guards stepped forward and blocked his path.
"If you persist in causing any further trouble, you will be arrested as a traitor! Your assets will be confiscated, and your family will be sold off!"
"Incredible… honestly, I'm genuinely surprised…"
Did such an overtly villainous person actually exist?
He wasn't even being pressed, yet he kept volunteering information about his own crimes.
More like grayish-black — no, at this point he was pitch black.
"If you're going to confess this much, I suppose that's enough…"
"I've heard everything I needed to hear."
When Rest gave a subtle nod… Celestine stepped forward from among the villagers.
"Oh, and you are…?"
The lord, who had been puffing out his chest with arrogance, suddenly shrank back at the arrival of Celestine, whose noble attire and bearing were unmistakable.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Celestine Crocus, and I have been traveling in the company of that gentleman over there."
"C-C-Crocus!?"
House Crocus.
A legendary noble house known to every soul in the kingdom — the foremost aristocratic family, wielding power second only to the royal family.
"Here is proof of my identity. If you have any doubts, I can have my father prepare documents that will formally verify my status, if you'd like?"
"Guh… hhh…"
Celestine produced a silver pocket watch emblazoned with her family crest.
In this world, there were no driver's licenses or national ID cards, so nobles used swords, accessories, and other items bearing their family crests to prove their identity.
"I-Im… no, b-by how… why would the young lady of House Crocus be here…"
So shaken was the lord that strange noises escaped his lips as he stumbled backward.
His face drained of color in an instant, cold sweat pouring down his face, and Celestine pressed on without mercy.
"For your information… the gentleman standing here is also the head of House Clover, a count's household. In other words, he is an active count."
"B-b-baronic hubris…"
The lord of this domain held the rank of baron.
He had blustered against a noble far above his own standing, even going so far as to call him a traitor.
"You also mentioned selling off one's family. Would a fiancée count as family? She is the young lady of House Rosemary, you know."
"L-l-lord… D-Duke…"
"You spoke of extra-legal measures, I believe. Certainly, there are times when a noble must bend the law to protect their domain and people. However… would that truly apply in this instance? I am no expert, so shall we ask my father, who is well-versed in the law, and his friend, the Minister of Justice?"
"B-b-braying like a donkey, huff huff huff…!"
By now, the sounds escaping the lord's mouth were no longer words. One wanted to ask what kind of exotic beast he was.
"Y-y-y-you-you-you-you-you-you! I-I-I-I remember an urgent matter, sh-sh-showing myself out…!"
And with that… he left behind a string of nonsensical words and sprinted from the fishing village at full speed.