Radiant Dragon’s Otherworldly Reincarnation

Chapter 213. I Knew This Would Happen (3)

Viscount Haimon was a native noble family that had been established in the east for over 200 years.

He was a lord with fertile farmland, a rarity even in the barren east, who had the capacity to not only be self-sufficient in food but also sell the surplus to the surrounding areas.

But the story changed when a poor harvest hit the east in recent years.

Viscount Haimon, whose farming had failed, was in urgent need of money and food.

Like other nobles, he borrowed money from the eastern pushover, Baron Schneider.

At first, he borrowed only what he needed.

He planned to buy food and necessary goods with that money and pay it back the following year.

But, you know.

Money is a strange thing; you’re grateful when you borrow it, but when it’s time to pay it back, it feels like a waste.

Like it’s your own money being spent?

Moreover, Baron Schneider didn’t even press him to repay the money.

And seeing the other nobles around him just stalling without repaying, he thought.

‘Maybe I just don’t have to pay it back?’

Come to think of it, there was no collateral put up when he borrowed the money.

That good man Baron Schneider just lent it without any collateral.

So, if he just brazenly held out and refused to pay….

‘What can he do?’

That thought occurred to him.

And so, he decided not to repay the money, or at least to repay it as late as possible.

Yes.

That was his plan, right up until today.

Kwaaaang!

“Wh-what is going on?”

Viscount Haimon, who was sleeping in his bedroom late at night, was awakened by the sudden noise.

His favorite mistress, who had been sleeping beside him, also sat up, and he shot up from the bed and shouted.

“Is anyone there? What is the meaning of this?”

At his call, one of the maids hurriedly appeared and said.

“Viscount. A… a guest has arrived.”

“A guest? What rudeness is this at this hour?”

At Viscount Haimon’s words, the maid lowered her head and said.

“I advised him to leave, but he insisted he must see you…. Kyaaak!”

Kwaaang!

It was then.

The door to the Viscount’s bedroom was smashed, and someone, no, something, revealed itself.

Twin swords slung over both shoulders.

Eyes of madness emitting a red glow.

White smoke pouring from a slightly parted mouth.

‘Wh-what is that?’

At first, he thought a wicked black mage had summoned a demon.

But the opponent cleared up Viscount Haimon’s misunderstanding.

“Hellllooooo? Viscount Haimon.”

“Wh-who are you?”

“My naaaame is Patrick Schneider.”

“Pa-Patrick Schneider?”

“Oh, you seem to know me?”

“……”

Viscount Haimon nodded his head frantically.

Of course, he knew.

How could he not know?

There was no one on the continent now who didn’t know of Patrick Schneider.

So how could Viscount Haimon, a noble of the east, not know of him?

An uninvited guest who came to his bedroom late at night.

Normally, he should have shouted and chased him away, but….

“It is an… honor to meet you, Young Master Schneider.”

“The honor is all miiiiine.”

Why are you talking like such a thug?

Can you please stop breathing smoke from your mouth?

It’s very scary.

He wanted to say these things, but the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth.

So instead, he said….

“If you have business with me at this late hour, would you tell me?”

Viscount Haimon was a noble with a title.

And Patrick was still just a young master of a noble family with nothing.

But what was the use of that?

The opponent was that Patrick Schneider.

A man who would chop off the head of even a 7-star knight from another country if he was displeased.

A monster who fought against a regular army mobilized by a nation and actually won.

Title?

Age?

They were meaningless things in the face of the preciousness of life.

Thus, Viscount Haimon’s attitude toward Patrick was extremely cautious.

Thanks to that, did he calm down a little?

Patrick smiled brightly and said.

“You don’t know why I came?”

“…Is… is that so?”

“You don’t know? You really don’t know?”

“……”

“Viscount. I’ll ask you one more time.”

“……”

“I’ll tell you in advance, if you say you don’t know this time either, my weak and delicate heart will be hurt. Then, to heal that wound, no one knows what I might do. Got it?”

A gulp of saliva went down.

And to the nervous Viscount Haimon, Patrick brought his mad eyes close and said.

“Why do you think I caaaame?”

Viscount Haimon’s legs trembled in fear as he said.

“I… I will do my best to repay the borrowed money as soon as possible.”

At that, Patrick’s madness, which seemed to have boiled up from the depths of hell, subsided.

“Aaaah…. What a relief. Our Viscount Haimon is a conscientious person. Since you say you will repay the money.”

“Ha… hahaha….”

“Yes. Then pay up.”

“……”

Seeing Patrick extend his hand, Viscount Haimon was flustered.

Could he mean to pay it back right now?

That didn’t make sense, even by common sense.

“Ahem, I don’t have the money right now.”

“I see. You don’t have the money.”

Viscount Haimon desperately said.

“Please understand my situation. I cannot repay money that I don’t have, can I?”

“Umm…”

“If this year’s harvest is good, I will have some spare funds. I will definitely repay you then.”

“Hmmmm…”

“So please, go back for now.”

Go to hell, you demon bastard.

Viscount Haimon, hiding his true thoughts, pleaded with a heartfelt voice.

At that, the demon before him….

“Well, then it can’t be helped.”

Unexpected.

Surprisingly, the demon took a step back with a dejected expression.

‘As expected of the pushover’s son.’

For a moment, Viscount Haimon let out a sigh of relief.

Of course.

Parents and children are bound to resemble each other, aren’t they?

His father, Baron Schneider, was such a pushover, so his son, despite being good at swordsmanship, was the same kind of pushover.

Just as he thought that….

“Then, from now on, we will begin the seizure.”

“Right. Huh? What did you say?”

“You don’t have money, so it can’t be helped, right? Then, I have to take things instead.”

And when Patrick snapped his fingers, soldiers from the Schneider fiefdom poured in from all sides.

And then….

“Young Master. Do we take down the painting on this wall too?”

“Of course, take it all down. And move the marble sculpture carefully, and tear up the carpet on the floor. Oh, that cat over there. It looks expensive. Take it for now.”

Viscount Haimon’s jaw dropped.

What in the world….

“What in the world is the meaning of this?”

“Huh? Didn’t you hear me? I said we’re seizing your assets.”

Seizure.

The belongings of someone who doesn’t pay back money are all mine, so it’s okay to take them.

Not illegal.

-Source, Sayings of the Radiant Dragon Great Master-

Viscount Haimon stared with a dumbfounded look and then screamed.

“Does this make any sense?”

“Why? You said you don’t have money.”

“That’s why I asked you to wait, didn’t I?”

“Why should I?”

“……”

“Why should I have to wait?”

At Patrick’s question, Viscount Haimon’s lips sealed shut.

And the words he managed to utter were….

“How can you be so heartless to a fellow noble of the east? Is there no affection and righteousness that we have shared for hundreds of years?”

“Aaaah…. Affection? Righteousness?”

“That’s right. Your father would not want this either. As an elder of a neighboring fief, I will politely admonish… kuweehk!”

Puuuhk!

Patrick Schneider’s uppercut accurately struck Viscount Haimon’s jaw.

The fief’s soldiers watched the scene with a pained expression.

I knew this would happen.

In the end, it turns out like this again.

Just before Viscount Haimon, who had soared high into the sky, hit the ground, Patrick grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

And then….

“Is this bastard crazy? Affection? Righteousness? The bastard who backstabbed my good-natured father dares to talk about righteousness?! Affectionnnnn!”

Powpowpowpowpow!

“Keok…. Wai, wait… cough….”

Patrick’s fists mercilessly slammed into Viscount Haimon’s face.

The soldiers who saw this said.

“Wow. Our Young Master is still the same.”

“I know, right. Don’t they teach things like character and moral education at the Academy?”

“I’m sure they do.”

“Then why hasn’t he changed at all?”

“How can you reform a demonic practitioner with an education system tailored for humans?”

“That makes sense.”

This was already the fifth time today.

Patrick had led the soldiers on a tour of the neighboring fiefdoms.

He focused on the places that had borrowed large amounts of money and showed no signs of repaying, demanding debt repayment.

They, as if it were obvious, said they couldn’t repay.

Then Patrick, without hesitation, seized their assets in kind.

Artworks, jewels, precious metals, weapons, and so on.

He swept up anything that could be turned into money.

Did the other party just stand by?

Of course, they threw a fit, yelling, “How dare you seize a noble’s property? Does this make any sense?”

The result….

“You bastard! Do you think I worked my ass off to earn money and send it home just to feed a guy like you? Huh?!”

“Cough… Keok….”

They all ended up in that state.

A short while later.

In the end, Viscount Haimon was beaten to a pulp by Patrick and had his assets seized.

Not only the assets currently in the family, but also the land documents of the fief and the ownership documents of a mansion prepared in the capital under the Viscount’s name were all taken away.

And the Schneider fief’s army loaded the Haimon family’s assets onto the prepared wagons.

There, dozens of wagons were already lined up, including assets seized from other fiefdoms.

“Young Master. Where to next?”

“There are no empty wagons, should we go to the fief and come back first?”

“Are you an idiot? If we search the stables here, we’ll find a few, won’t we?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Watching the soldiers who were now accustomed to looting, Sanson let out a sigh.

‘Anyone who sees this would think they are professional bandits.’

In less than a day since Patrick’s return, the soldiers of the Baron Schneider family, renowned as the strongest army in the east, had become excellent bandits.

Sanson sighed and thought to himself.

‘Yes. I understand how you all feel.’

How frustrating and angry had it been all this time?

The soldiers of the Schneider fief were all reserve knights and also vassals of the family.

In other words, Baron Schneider was their lord.

How much had their hearts ached watching such a lord being treated as a pushover?

Not only did the fief develop day by day and the living conditions of the people become more prosperous, but even their own salaries and the quality of their equipment improved.

Yet, the lord of that fief, Baron and Baroness Schneider, continued to live a frugal life.

There was not a single person in the Schneider fief who didn’t know the reason why.

It was to the point that whenever a wagon of an unknown noble family was seen in the fief, they would whisper, ‘Those beggars are here to borrow money again.’

However, no one could directly advise the lord to ‘stop being a pushover,’ so the situation had been left unchecked.

But now that Patrick had returned and resolved the matter so refreshingly, they were ecstatic.

Just then, Patrick approached Sanson.

“Sanson.”

“Yes. Please speak, Young Master.”

“Take all the confiscated assets so far and return to the fief. There are many expensive things, so be careful not to break them.”

“I understand. But aren’t you coming with us, Young Master?”

“I have a separate place to visit.”

At Patrick’s words, Sanson was about to ask for the reason but stopped.

Since it was something the Young Master was doing, there must be a reason.

“Understood.”

Thus, Sanson led the fief’s soldiers and returned to the fief, pulling the wagons piled high with assets.

And Patrick, alone, looked in the opposite direction and said.

“I cannot repeat the same mistake twice.”

* * *

Count Jaden Parmas.

An uninvited guest appeared at the window of the office of the Margrave of the East and the leader of the eastern nobles.

“You’re working hard until late, Count.”

“…And you are?”

At the sudden appearance of the figure, Count Parmas’ eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly composed his expression and said.

“It seems you have returned, Young Schneider.”

“Yes, that is correct. May I come in for a moment?”

“Would you not have come if I said no?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then, there is no point. Come in.”

At Count Parmas’ blunt reply, Patrick entered with a sly smile.

“Don’t be so unwelcoming. I even brought a gift like this.”

In the hand of Patrick who said so, there was a bottle of liquor.

“It’s Jonnie Black 20-year-old.”

“You brought a strong one.”

“I’ve tried various famous liquors in the capital, but this one suits my taste the best.”

What Patrick brought was a strong liquor with an alcohol content of over 80 proof.

Patrick, who brought it, freely took out two glasses from one side of the office and poured for the Count and himself.

Then he raised his glass and said.

“First, I would like to say thank you. Thanks to you sending me to the capital, Count, I have gained many things.”

At first, Patrick had wanted to cut his throat for sending him to the Academy.

But that was just his initial sentiment.

In the end, the past four years had allowed Patrick to learn about a wider world and became an opportunity to prepare for more things.

In that sense, Patrick owed a small debt of heart to Count Parmas.

‘Though it is a very small debt.’

Patrick lightly downed the strong liquor in one shot and said to the Count.

“Do you know why I came to see you today?”

“Well, I have no way of knowing the mind of the renowned 7-star swordsman, the Double Dragon.”

Count Parmas’ attitude towards Patrick had certainly changed from before.

Before, he had seen him as a promising talent of the east and a prospective son-in-law.

But now, he was showing clear hostility and wariness.

‘I knew this would happen.’

Patrick was not very surprised by this change in the Count.

It was something he had fully expected.

“It will soon reach your ears, Count, but I caused a small disturbance as soon as I arrived.”

“What kind of disturbance?”

“I went to the homes of those who borrowed money and tried to skip out on it and seized their assets. In the process, there might have been a very slight show of force.”

“……”

To speak like this after beating them to a pulp….

Count Parmas, who already knew the situation, frowned.

And he grabbed the strong liquor in front of him and poured it straight into his mouth.

“Oh, you drink well.”

“Kuhhh…”

Count Parmas grimaced at the feeling of fire in his stomach.

And he spoke to Patrick.

“What is the reason for telling me this?”

“You are the Margrave of the East and the leader of the eastern nobles, Count.”

“……”

“It’s obvious that those guys will come crying to you, Count, so shouldn’t I come and get a head start?”

“……”

The Count’s expression became complicated.

Yes.

It was obvious that the nobles who had been dealt with by Patrick would come to him and complain.

But so what?

Should he impose sanctions on Patrick or the Schneider family in the name of the Parmas family?

Should he order them to return the confiscated assets of the nobles?

‘There’s no way that would work.’

The prestige of the Baron Schneider family now clearly surpassed that of the Count Parmas family.

Although the Count Parmas family held the position of Margrave of the East, they could not dare to lord it over the Baron Schneider family.

It was all because of the young man standing before him.

‘I never thought he would become such a big shot….’

To the bitter-faced Count Parmas, Patrick said.

“Count. There is one thing I must make clear.”

“What is it?”

“Our Baron Schneider family has no reason to be hostile towards you, Count Parmas. And we have no intention of creating a faction centered around our family.”

“……”

“In a word, we have no intention of trying to do anything to the noble society of the east. So, could you please stop being so wary?”

“You think I am wary of your family?”

“Am I wrong?”

“On what basis do you say that?”

“The guys who treated my father like a pushover bank manager and extorted money from him are the basis, aren’t they?”

“That has nothing to do with me.”

“Really? Do you think it would have been possible for those guys to be so brazen without Count Parmas’ tacit approval?”

“……”

Count Parmas fell silent.

This was the truth.

Normally, if something happened to disturb the order of the east, Count Parmas would appropriately mediate and nip the seeds of conflict in the bud.

That was also his duty as the leader of the east.

But Count Parmas had pretended not to know even while watching Baron Schneider being treated as a blatant pushover.

The reason was one.

It was to keep the Baron Schneider family, which had grown enough to threaten the position of the Count Parmas family, in check.

Patrick looked at the unresponsive Count Parmas and let out a sigh.

‘I knew this would happen.’

The sight of Count Parmas right now reminded Patrick of a memory from long ago.

‘He’s just like that Plum Blossom Sword Sect Master. Exactly the same.’