LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 46 - Family Treasurer. (3)
Rain poured down, darkening the sky.
Only a few faint figures hurriedly walking with umbrellas populated the empty streets.
Despite this foul weather, a carriage pushed forward.
The sound of horse hooves mixed with the rain shattered the silence of the city.
So, no one knew of the changes occurring inside the carriage.
“The leader has given an order. We will now destroy the Merchant Guild Alliance headquarters.”
Herbert looked at the green slimes that had turned into auditors.
They perfectly replicated human appearance, just lacking emotion.
This would be impossible for ordinary slimes, but it was all thanks to an item.
[Doppelganger’s Liquefaction Extract]
The ‘Doppelganger’s Liquefaction Extract’ item provided by Black Raven.
It was a whopping 5-star hero-grade item.
The slimes created with this item gain the characteristics of doppelgangers.
The downside was that it was consumable, destroyed after summoning a certain number of slimes.
Still, it was no problem.
Although those who were his colleagues until a moment ago had died, he felt no particular sadness.
After all, hadn’t he become an official of the Arcadia Empire to carry out orders?
Not just him, but ravens were already in place throughout the Empire.
This order also came from the higher-ups of the audit agency where he currently worked, not the Supreme Council.
Just this showed how deeply Black Raven had infiltrated the Empire.
Herbert continued.
“However, we won’t destroy everything. We’ll just cause enough problems for the Empire’s investigators to intervene. As the investigation progresses, our audit agency will naturally dig in and conduct an audit….”
With Herbert’s words, the carriage stopped.
“Now, run wild to your heart’s content.”
The slimes in the form of auditors changed their appearance once more.
With completely different faces, they rushed towards the Merchant Guild Alliance headquarters in unison.
Their steps were fast and determined, but there was an unnatural stagger somewhere.
Soon, they arrived at the Merchant Guild Alliance headquarters.
It was a grand building with a flashy exterior and eye-catching gold decorations, clearly flaunting its wealth.
The first slime approached the main gate of the building.
There was a guard at the main gate, but he didn’t draw his weapon.
“What business do you have?”
The slimes had transformed into human form, and above all, who would attack a building in the heart of the Empire?
That was the guard’s misjudgment.
“Graaaah…!”
The person’s mouth opened to a bizarre size.
Inside the mouth was filled with a dark green liquid, which was then spewed out.
“Aaargh!”
With the guard’s scream, the armor he was wearing began to melt away in an instant.
The acidic substance that touched his skin ate into his flesh.
“Intruders! Everyone, take up arms!”
The alarm rang belatedly, but it was already too late.
While the first slime bought time at the main gate, the other slimes were already entering the building.
They had already transformed into the appearance of the guards.
A moment later.
Bang-!
Explosions were heard from various parts of the building.
Some even collapsed.
In just a few minutes, the Merchant Guild Alliance headquarters turned into a scene of carnage.
“Quickly inform the Imperial Guard!”
The inside of the building was in chaos.
Because someone had suddenly attacked the building.
“I-I already reported it! They’ll be here soon!”
Traces of being melted by acid could be seen here and there, but fortunately, not everything was destroyed.
As per Herbert’s instructions, the slimes left enough evidence for investigation and auditing.
Having completed their mission, the slimes leisurely left the scene.
Onlookers had already gathered around the building due to the explosive sounds.
But it didn’t matter to the slimes.
As their bodies melted, they returned to being green liquid.
The liquids exited through the building’s cracks, and no one noticed their presence in the rainy weather.
The slimes returned to the carriage where Herbert was and regained their form.
“Good work. Now, as soon as the guards and investigators arrive, we’ll move right away.”
No sooner had Herbert finished speaking than the sound of horse hooves and clanking armor filled the streets.
The Imperial Guard had finally arrived.
“Move quickly! Report as soon as you assess the situation!”
With a booming voice, dozens of guards rushed toward the Merchant Guild Alliance headquarters.
Seeing this, Herbert narrowed his eyes.
“The guild people will be confused now, so the audit will proceed smoothly. Once the audit begins, you must bring all the documents inside the building to me. I alone will be enough for the audit.”
The slimes nodded.
This was exactly what Herbert was aiming for.
No matter how much they conducted an audit on-site, the Merchant Guild Alliance could exclude the unfavorable parts if they wanted to.
But this audit was an order from the Leader.
There was a reason for conducting an audit on the Merchant Guild Alliance, so they couldn’t tolerate a typical audit like before.
That’s why they deliberately destroyed the Merchant Guild Alliance headquarters and caused chaos.
With the fear of possible additional attacks, no one would want to stay inside the building.
“Let’s go.”
Herbert was the first to get out of the carriage.
Behind him, the slimes in the form of auditors followed one after another.
They didn’t immediately enter the building but headed towards the captain of the guards surrounding the building.
“Hmm?”
Noticing Herbert and his group approaching, the guard captain waved his hand.
“You can’t enter here now! Quickly….”
But the guard captain’s words didn’t finish.
Because Herbert’s hand held an official identification.
The identification had the Imperial seal of the Arcadia Empire and stated that he belonged to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Herbert showed a pleasant smile.
“I’m Herbert from the Ministry of Internal Affairs audit agency.”
The audit agency had strong authority even within the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
In other words, the fact that the audit agency came here meant it was approved by the higher-ups.
An ordinary guard had no grounds to stop them.
The guard captain immediately saluted and stepped aside.
“Oh, I apologize. I didn’t recognize you. But just in case it’s dangerous, I’ll assign separate guard personnel to you!”
It was as he wanted.
If there were people remaining inside the building, he intended to send them out.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Herbert smiled and entered the building.
* * *
A voice flowed out from the darkness.
“As ordered, an audit has been initiated on the Imperial Merchant Guild Alliance.”
Upon hearing the report, Ariel waved her hand.
With that, the presence disappeared into the darkness.
In any case, the Leader’s orders were absolute.
Even if this audit failed, they could just mobilize other members.
“……”
Although the audit of the Merchant Guild Alliance had begun as per the Leader’s order, Ariel’s expression wasn’t very good.
The pile of numerous documents in front of her.
Even excluding the reports from various parts of the Eluncia continent, the search for the leader’s whereabouts never stopped.
No matter how many orders were given, there was a big difference between the Leader showing himself and not.
And that wasn’t the only reason Ariel wanted the leader.
“Its growth has stopped.”
Her gaze turned to the flowerpot.
There was a small sprout, the World Tree, the mother of the elves.
“The savior shall appear with the seed of the World Tree.”
A prophecy passed down among the High Elves since ancient times.
And the seed of the World Tree was a gift the leader gave.
It was the last remaining sprout in a world where the World Tree had already disappeared.
‘The Leader is the savior.’
Ariel had planted the seed of the World Tree and nurtured it for 10 years. Thanks to that, a sprout had emerged, but its current state wasn’t good.
Others might think it looked the same, but it was different in the eyes of Ariel, a High Elf.
The World Tree was now dying.
‘To solve this, the leader has to come….’
The leader’s influence was significant in Black Raven gaining its current power.
No, it wasn’t simply that the leader’s influence was great, but Black Raven was the leader himself.
Among them was the leader’s knowledge and strength, but there was one more important thing besides that.
Items.
The items the leader possessed were all precious.
Beyond being precious, they were at a level that couldn’t be obtained.
‘Walter said the leader also bestowed the sword he possesses.’
After becoming the vice-captain, she learned a lot about Black Raven from Walter.
Walter’s sword was also a gift from the leader. It was a superior sword to the one used by the captain of the Imperial Knights.
The same went for the shadow monsters raised by Celestia.
Their official name was ‘Hounds of Darkness,’ and as the name suggests, they were loyal hunting dogs that bit until the target died.
With infinite reproduction and magic-blocking effects, it was obvious that they were tremendously powerful summoned creatures.
The seed of the World Tree given to Ariel was the same, and the ‘Doppelganger’s Liquefaction Extract’ used in this order was also an item the leader had bestowed upon the members.
Like this, every member of Black Raven had at least one item given by the leader.
Whether it was a consumable item or equipment, they were all rare.
And there was a report in Black Raven that such items were dormant in countless numbers.
The leader’s warehouse.
However, that place was an area no one could enter except the leader.
Not only the Supreme Council and the vice-captain, but even the Phantoms of the guard couldn’t access it.
An area permitted only to the leader.
Of course, the items the leader gave were sufficient for Black Raven even now.
But if the warehouse were to open, how many items would be inside?
That day would be when Black Raven would soar once again.
At the same time, if the World Tree could be revived with the leader’s help, not only the elves but also the High Elves in hiding would reveal themselves to the world again.
And they would pledge their lifelong loyalty and follow the leader.
Ariel fervently hoped for that day to come.
* * *
Fredrick’s daily routine was no different from usual.
It was important to review the finances of the Hartwell family and check the status of the main sources of income.
Of course, checking the status of income sources involved a lot of legwork, but that wasn’t a problem for Fredrick.
No, it was rather good.
Because only by going outside the mansion could he secretly siphon off the family’s money.
Above all, Fredrick’s true identity was that of a branch member of the Rosemund family.
Following Viscount Rosemund’s orders, he had been steadily diverting the Hartwell family’s finances for several years.
In other words, he was keeping double books.
“Another peaceful day.”
Fredrick stretched and looked around.
Other than a few children playing nearby, there was nothing unusual.
After checking the surroundings, he entered a nearby dilapidated building.
Although it looked old and rundown, the interior was surprisingly neat.
Clean wooden floors and white walls, as well as strict security with personnel guarding the place.
Above all, a flag with the Rosemund family’s coat of arms hung on the wall.
“Welcome, Fredrick.”
As Fredrick entered, a figure spoke.
“You’re finally here. Fredrick, what’s the current situation inside the mansion? The Viscount has been curious about how the Hartwell family is doing recently.”
They were all people of Viscount Rosemund.
They were like vipers raised in the Hartwell territory.
Their existence would bite the neck of the Hartwell family in the future.
But they didn’t know.
The fact that the children nearby were monitoring Fredrick.