The Tin Knight-Chapter 11: The Tin Knight and The City of Pleasure (5)

The city of pleasure, Albert, living up to its name, was famous for being a hub of entertainment.

To the east were various accommodations and restaurants selling delicious food.

To the west was a red-light district that tempted travelers and led them into indulgence and pleasure.

To the south were various shops and the slave market that stimulated the desire for purchase.

To the north were gambling halls where people bet money or something other than money for a big score.

However, this couldn’t be called the “core” of Albert.

While all of these were important facilities that made up the backbone of the city, the most important and irreplaceable facility laid elsewhere.

It was the castle located in the center of the city where the lord of this city resided.

Considering that Albert City itself was surrounded by towering walls, the additional castle at its heart could be seen as an odd structure.

No, it was not just odd but even threatening.

Surrounding the caste were various military facilities, including barracks for the guards.

The very presence of soldiers armed with sharply shining weapons and clad in high-quality armor was a great deterrent in itself.

Even lawless individuals who didn’t hesitate to commit vicious crimes elsewhere had to meekly bow their heads before this military power that could treat the regular army of a decent domain as nothing.

While boasting, of course, that they weren’t scared, they were merely being polite as “guests” so they could enjoy everything the city had to offer.

Such words would have left their victims, who had shed tears of blood due to their criminal acts, incredulous, wondering since when had these bastards cared about politeness.

“Magnificent.”

Yet, even before this terrifying military might Colombo was not intimidated.

It wasn’t because he underestimated the power possessed by the lord of this city, no.

Quite the contrary—Colombo held it in high regard, which was why he felt not fear, but something else entirely.

“How much would all this cost?”

Greed.

That was the true nature of the emotion filling Colombo’s chest.

An army was like a money-eating hippopotamus in itself.

Money went into every act of soldiers eating, dressing, and sleeping, and the higher the quality of the army, the more rapidly the consumed resources increased.

To maintain an army capable of treating a domain as trivial meant possessing wealth far surpassing that of any ordinary domain.

Well, that was only natural.

The city of pleasure was not only a paradise for criminals but also a secret market frequented by high-ranking individuals from various countries.

There were few places as suitable for buying and selling goods that were a bit awkward to handle officially.

“Magnificent, truly extraordinary!”

Like a child lacking in vocabulary, Colombo kept exclaiming similar words, constantly marveling.

Such was his excitement.

It was common knowledge among those in the know that the lord of this city was originally a bandit.

If so, what laws existed to prevent Colombo, also a bandit, from achieving similar success?

No, even if there were such laws, it didn’t matter.

He was an outlaw, a criminal, a bandit.

And now, Colombo held in his hands a “product” that would help him get closer to his dream.

“Hey, Young Lady. What do you think? I mean when Friedel wasn’t in shambles as it is now, but in good shape. Were the soldiers then comparable to here? Not quite? Or were they even more impressive than here?”

“...”

The “product” Colombo addressed as “Young Lady” just glared at him without opening her mouth.

The “product” was a girl with radiant golden hair.

Though her youthful age made her appear more cute than beautiful, her potential to be evaluated as a beauty in the future was quite visible.

Unlike other slaves captured by the Colombo bandit group, the girl’s dress was extremely luxurious and there was even subtle makeup on her face.

This was the result of Colombo going around various shops and dressing her up upon arriving in this city.

Of course, the girl didn’t express any gratitude for this.

Colombo’s intention to enhance the “product value” was far too obvious.

Colombo wore a smirk as if the girl’s silent rebellion was cute.

“Hey, I’m asking you. How did your domain compare to here when it was in good shape? Are you going to answer only after the servants captured with you scream?”

The girl gritted her teeth, and then answered with a venomous glare, “Don’t compare it to this mere city of criminals. If only Father had been safe, bandit groups like you would have been completely eradicated the moment you set foot in our domain.”

The expressions of the nearby bandits turned ugly, but Colombo himself laughed pleasantly, “Hahaha! Is that so? That’s good! It’s great news! Well, we did have quite a hard time bringing you in. We thought it would be easy since we heard it was already in tatters, but we took quite a beating. If it was like that even after losing the lord and having all the main forces swept away, well, it must have been truly formidable in its prime.”

A smile never left Colombo’s lips as he said this.

Displeased by this, the girl asked, “What’s so amusing?”

“How can I not be amused?”

Colombo spoke in an excited voice, “If it was such a powerful place with such strong defenses, then there probably hasn’t been a single instance of a lord’s blood relative being captured as a slave and sold until now.

“If your domain’s strength hadn’t weakened due to your foolish father, the domain’s heir wouldn’t have been captured by a bandit like me.

“It means you’re a rare and highly valuable product, Young Lady. And I got my hands on you before other guys could snatch you away. How can I not laugh?”

There wasn’t even a speck of hostility in Colombo’s eyes as he looked at the girl.

Realizing this, the girl felt a chill run down her spine.

That wasn’t the gaze of a person looking at another person.

Faced with a gaze that viewed her as a mere “object”, the girl unconsciously averted her eyes.

Colombo, who had been staring at the girl trembling with her head bowed, soon lost interest and hurried his steps, looking ahead.

Unlike the outside of the castle where many soldiers ostentatiously showed their presence, there were fewer personnel guarding the inside of the castle.

However, as if inversely proportional to the number of personnel, the equipment became increasingly lavish, so Colombo’s subordinates had to make great efforts not to shrink their shoulders.

At times like this, they couldn’t help but envy their boss’ nerve, who was whistling and completely absorbed in sightseeing.

“The lord is currently receiving another guest. Please wait for a moment.”

Colombo’s confident stride came to a halt in front of the door of the reception room, which was the original meeting place.

“Another guest? We came exactly at the appointed time, though?”

Colombo grumbled, but the retainer with a gray mustache maintained his calm demeanor.

“Due to an unexpected guest, there has been a slight disruption in the schedule. I will guide you to another room, so please wait a moment.”

“Who on earth is it?”

“I cannot tell you.”

“Huh, so you’re unilaterally breaking the appointment, and you can’t even properly explain the reason, is that what you’re saying?”

“My apologies, but I have nothing else to say.”

It was a polite yet firm answer.

The subordinates Colombo had brought along twisted their rough faces, but the retainer’s expression remained calm.

Colombo understood this.

The owner of this place was a senior in the industry Colombo was involved in.

A direct retainer of such a senior must have gone through quite a few chaotic situations. It was natural that he wouldn’t yield to minor threats.

However, understanding was one thing, and business was another.

Colombo had come here to strike a deal, not to pay tribute. He couldn’t be looked down upon from the start.

“I’m a busy man, as well, so it’s difficult for me to wait. Please relay a message to the lord.”

“My apologies, but—“

“Don’t give me that ‘My apologies, but that’s difficult’ line again. Or should we just leave? There seem to be many other places that would buy our young lady.”

The retainer’s face, which had been calm all along, twisted slightly.

Seeing the emotion of displeasure linger in that gaze, Colombo smiled.

Truthfully, he had found it annoying how this man, a fellow bandit bastard at heart, was acting all dignified just because they were a bit older and had a somewhat decent position.

The hesitating retainer glanced at Colombo once before entering the reception room.

And after a while.

“The lord will see you now.”

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“Ah, yes, good work.”

After patting the retainer’s shoulder as if dealing with a subordinate, Colombo moved his steps.

He felt a sharp gaze on the back of his head, but even that amused him.

Colombo surveyed the inside of the reception room.

Five guards stood near the walls, glaring at Colombo and his subordinates.

One old man with snow-white hair sat in the most honored seat, wearing a gentle smile.

Lastly, one black-haired woman, teetering the boundary between girl and woman.

Ha, I see. Even if he’s old, a man is still a man, huh?

Colombo inwardly whistled.

He had wondered who this supposed important guest was to have made him wait, but if it was a beauty of this level, he thought he would have acted the same even if he were an old man.

“Greetings, Lord. I’m sorry to interrupt while you’re having a pleasant time, but this junior of yours isn’t exactly free either.”

“Haha, no need to worry. Overflowing enthusiasm is the privilege of youth, after all. I should be the one apologizing for not keeping the appointed time.”

The lord’s tone was gentle, and his entire demeanor exuded kindness.

To Colombo, it just seemed laughable.

He knew very well that the old man before him was a vicious criminal who had turned several domains into a sea of fire during the war decades ago.

“Now then, Miss Dorothea. Could you spare some time for this impatient friend of ours? It shouldn’t take too long.”

“I don’t particularly mind.”

“Hoho, thank you for your consideration.”

The lord’s gaze passed over Colombo and moved to the girl beside him.

Upon confirming the girl’s brilliant golden hair and violet eyes, an exclamation escaped the lord’s lips.

“Hoho, you really did bring the young lady of the Lion Duke’s bloodline. Colombo. Aren’t you afraid of the consequences? Even if it’s not the main family but a branch family, surely you’re aware of the weight that name carries.”

Colombo shrugged his shoulders.

“Our senior is saying strange things. Even a ten-year-old child knows which has a stronger background between a countryside commoner girl and a noble girl from the royal capital. But if a bandit is told to choose only one of the two, of course, he’ll choose the latter. Isn’t that right?”

The lord burst into laughter.

“That’s right! If you’re going to commit a crime anyway, it’s natural to target the one with bigger gains. Well, if you cross the line too much, you might end up dead in an instant—“

“—But if you survive, you can make a big score. And if luck favors you a bit more, you can live comfortably being called ‘Lord’ like our senior. Isn’t that so?”

The lord started laughing while holding his stomach, and Colombo joined him with hearty laughter.

The girl’s face turned pale blue.

To the girl, both the lord and Colombo seemed out of their minds.

And now the girl’s fate was in the hands of these two madmen.

After laughing for a while, the lord flicked his hand, and one of the guards placed a heavy wooden box on the table.

Colombo also had his subordinate check the contents instead of touching it directly.

“Gasp.”

As the box opened, Colombo’s subordinate swallowed his breath at the brilliant golden light revealed inside.

Colombo picked up one of the gold coins in the box with his hand and marveled at the delicate design engraved on it.

“These aren’t just ordinary gold coins, are they?”

“They’re Imperial coins. The gold ratio is 10% higher than those minted in the kingdom, and the actual value is double, no, it can jump even higher depending on the region. You and your friends won’t run out of money even if you hold lavish feasts every day for 10 years without missing a day,” the lord said with a warm smile.

“It might be a bit excessive for the price of a single slave, but well. Think of it as a favor given to a junior who sees eye to eye with me.”

The bandit group’s subordinates couldn’t suppress smiles.

They had engaged in slave trades many times before, but the price was usually paid in silver coins.

It was certainly a lot compared to the money ordinary people earned through labor, but it was incomparable to the amounts handled by those called nobles or wealthy merchants.

To the bandits who had never seen or used gold coins in their lives, the mountain of gold coins filled in the box felt like a limitless treasure.

“It’s not enough. Now that I look at it, Senior, you seem a tad bit stingy.”

So when Colombo said that, his subordinates felt their hearts sink.