Chapter 97

I too used to have a lot of dreams. I wished to have my first car, first house, first love, first invention, and many other things.

But those hopes were quickly dashed when I discovered my first crush moaning like a bitch and fucking my school bully behind the school building. And she was underage. Shortly after, a real estate scam took our house away from us. The crappy truck we had was also a victim of insurance fraud.

As for my first invention…

“Boson Motors has launched the very first self-driving car.” I felt blood drain from my face as soon as I heard that news. That car was mine. That idea was mine. The very essence of that invention was mine.

I went to protest and was given a substantial amount of money—about ten million—that wasn't even close to what I was promised. I was then threatened so badly that I had no choice but to give up and let it go.

I was too much of a coward to do anything else, not even plan my revenge. However, from then on, I promised myself one thing. If I ever worked, I would only work for myself, and if I ever lost something, I would make sure it was useless to anyone.

And that was why I was here. By the field where the magical plants I had grown were. Naturally, my presence was not only a result of my prior traumas; it was also a calculated and strategic move that would guarantee my survival in the event that my identity was ever compromised. As I may have mentioned, I couldn’t quite trust Zara. 

She could always take advantage of me to get away with it, and I didn't want that to happen. Of course, I would deal with her if she betrayed me, but what would I do next? One word—"insurance"—was enough to answer that question.

[Cursed Parasite]

[Type: Item]

[Nature: Laxative]

[ Description: It's a parasite that gets into the hearts of consumers.

Although the parasite's peculiar characteristics do not pose a threat to the individual, the parasite's container might think about using their bathroom as a bedroom.

But exercise caution; although the vessel is not at risk, your nose may be if they consumed any spicy foods]

[Price: 1000 SC]

[Duration: Until the antidote is consumed by the vessel]

This would be the strongest weapon in the store if I had to rank the deadliest ones. Naturally, it wasn't as horrible as it sounded. Hence the low price. It was incapable of reproducing, so this parasite could be eliminated if one knew how to examine one's own heart, which was impossible for people in this era because of the lack of X-ray machines and other tools.

And all it did was send the parasite's vessel to the bathroom once a day. The issue was that, once the urge arrived, it would start working within ten seconds, which is why it was advised to use the bathroom as a bedroom.

And as for the second warning. Now, think about this: the king consumed this parasite while he was in the royal court, making decisions that would affect the entire kingdom. He had consumed something spicy before getting the urge to use the restroom, which was ten minutes away, and he had ten seconds to do so.

What do you believe would happen to those present in court?

For about a thousand of them, I had to sell a lot of things and plant them in crops so that at least one would get to someone important. Most likely the king, the princes, or someone very powerful.

I chose this not because it was the only thing that made sense to me when I thought of evil. Not at all. I did it because this was the only parasite that was too small for the people who could use mana to find it. Even holy mana would have no effect on it. Even though the punishment was minimal, it was equivalent to exile for those in positions of authority.

Furthermore, it was because other parasites were frequently uncontrollable. This one, however, would always be under my control, and aside from the once-daily condition, I could either stop the urge from coming or trigger it whenever I wanted. But to do that, I had to eat these eggs, which looked gross and slimy. But once I got past that, there was no more danger, and it was easy to let them out through... well, that.

Anyways, when I was done with everything, I used my shadow skills to disappear from where I was and show up at home, where everyone was asleep. Despite my desire to visit the sleeping beauties, I knew that tomorrow would be a significant day and that it would be best to wait and see how things worked out.

But just in case…

“Why, Jack?” Rayla asked when I told them to do something for me.

“Just trust me, Mother. It is for our own good.” I replied. The other family members were also perplexed; however, the focus of the conversation was primarily on Rayla, as she was the de facto ruler of the household.

No one got why I was suggesting something like that, but it was important. We'd have to run away if something went wrong, and I wasn't going to run away by myself. Living in this kingdom would become challenging if I had to kill Zara, her family, and the royal envoy. At least out in the open would be outright impossible.

I could only hope Zara would make a wise choice, but if she didn’t…

Well, too bad.

After settling up with my family, I left the house and went to the big house next door. Despite the manor's strict security, no carriages were visible, suggesting that no one had yet arrived.

No one had arrived as anticipated, but news had flown in from the next town that the Royal family's envoy had passed through their town an hour prior, indicating that they would be here shortly.

It was like the devil was called out just at the right time. I had just walked inside and hadn't even had a chance to greet the woman I worked for when the sound of flutes caught my attention. Zara, holding her dress, was running toward me, or the front door of the house, from the direction I was going, along with her children. Although she didn't say anything to me, I followed Cassandra's call to follow them.

We came outside to find a man standing with a dignified expression on his face, wearing a ridiculous hat and holding a scroll. When the man lifted the scroll in his hands, I knew what it was, and we all knelt down on the ground wherever we were.

“Heed the royal message, Lady of Anemose.”

Then, everyone kneeled where we were, and the man opened the scroll and began to read the message once everyone else had done the same.

A breakdown of that was because the message was, how should I put it, royal-ish.

"You are to relinquish the town to Count Redford," probably him, "until his investigation and research of the magical plants are completed. For an unknown amount of time, all businesses would remain under his control, and we are to follow him like servants. Even Zara.”

It was interesting to see the man's face at the end of the message. He looked like he was the king of the world.

As for the town's rulers, they were forced to take deep breaths, but neither Zara nor her daughter Cassandra seemed to react; however, her two sons had the most absurd looks.

And the rest of the day was, well, chaotic.

The Count Redford, who arrived with the royal message, moved in with his confidants after Zara and her family, who had lived there for an unknown amount of time, were moved out—loosely put, kicked out.

After that, we were also told to empty the house because the Count's close friends and family couldn't live there with him. Around five merchants who lived in the noble district were moved out against their will, and that's where we settled down.

Zara's sons resided in one residence, her daughter in another, and she occupied the largest of the three. However, it was still inadequate for a princess of Zara's rank. Our house was a lot smaller than the one we were in before. 

And then it got dark.

And only then did…

“BASTARDS!!!” Zara let out her anger.