TERNLF Vol. 1 Chapter 3 Part 4

Full title: The Exiled Reincarnated Noble Lives Freely

Note: If you found any typos/mistakes, pls write them in the comment. Thanks.

Translator: Canon

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“Glaas was nothing but an obstacle since he refused to ally with me. That’s why I had been planning to enlist the aid of other nobles to frame him and dismantle the Kashit house… but progress has been slower than I’d hoped.”

My silence must have seemed like hesitation over whether to accept his offer. Believing he was gaining ground, Lakkra pressed further with his persuasion.

“But Toa, if I were to install you as the new head instead, the process would be far easier. Leave it to me, and within a matter of weeks I’ll have that arrogant brat Glaas eliminated!”

“Eliminated… you mean assassinated, the same way you targeted me? But unlike an adventurer like me, assassinating a noble house’s head isn’t so simple.”

“For me, it’s trivial. Especially since I’ve already made preparations concerning the Kashit family. With a single word from me, the deed could be done.”

So he already had agents embedded within the Kashit household, or had bought out retainers. As I listened, I recalled several faces I’d seen when I last visited.

“Of course, merely assassinating the head would cause a scramble among other nobles for Kashit’s holdings, which would be troublesome. I’ve already been laying the groundwork, but it’s costly; both in money and time.”

“I’ve already been erased from the Kashit family register.”

“To nobles, the bloodline is paramount. Erased or not, it makes no difference. That’s why your brother, after removing your name, sought your assassination; to eradicate all remaining bloodline threats and leave no loose ends.”

“So, if Glaas died and I stepped forward to claim the name—”

At my words, Lakkra seemed utterly convinced that I had agreed. His face split into a revolting grin, spittle flying as he pressed his point.

“Exactly. Kashit would have no choice but to make you its head. Even if Glaas’s mother protested, she is an outsider by blood. Her authority would vanish the moment he died.”

“…”

So he knew it was my stepmother who had orchestrated my exile to the frontier fortress. But he didn’t realize that I bore her no particular grudge anymore.

“Join me, Toa, and I’ll make sure you enjoy a life of privilege and luxury. That’s my promise!!”

“…‘Promise,’ is it?”

“Yes, and I’ll make you another. Once you’re head of the house, I’ll gift you that girl Nikka as your slave.”

“And Grassa?”

“…Nikka alone isn’t enough?”

“No, I’ll take Nikka, certainly. But I asked what would become of Grassa.”

“I’ll claim her. Don’t worry, I won’t treat her badly.”

His slimy smile made those words impossible to believe. Why was he so fixated on acquiring Grassa in particular? With his current influence and wealth, he could easily obtain any girl he desired.

“Now then, won’t you release me from this earthen prison?”

“…”

“What’s wrong? Still wavering? Or is it that becoming head of the Kashit house, seizing higher noble authority, and having Nikka isn’t enough for you?”

“I’m not wavering at all.”

I shook my head. Raising my right hand toward the lump of hardened soil that bound him, his face broke into open relief, utterly convinced that I was about to set him free.

But instead, I delivered words he could never have expected.

“I’ve never wavered, because before you ever spoke of your ‘promise,’ I had already made another promise with someone else.”

“Another promise…?”

His face blanched in an instant, his expectations shattered.

“Yes. Regrettably for you, I have a prior commitment.”

“A prior… don’t tell me! You’ve sided with Glaas’s brat after all!”

I gave him a dry smile and told him the truth.

“No. I promised Nikka that I would protect Grassa. Which means—”

That promise still stood. And any ‘promise’ that contradicted it could never be accepted.

“I cannot accept a promise that seeks to harm Grassa. 【Blessing Earth】.”

I conjured earthen restraints, shaping them into a gag that sealed his mouth. Then I manipulated the soil further, burying even his head until Lakkra was encased entirely in a solid earthen cocoon.

“I’ve left you breathing space. Relax and wait for rescue.”

Not that anyone would come to such a hidden chamber. His muffled voice carried through the dirt. Whether pleading for his life or cursing me, I couldn’t tell.

“I’ll be taking the ledger. You can sit here in your clay coffin and reflect on the countless lives you’ve destroyed. Perhaps then, some god might hear your repentance and send salvation.”

Leaving those words behind, I extinguished every magic lamp in the room and departed the secret chamber.

In that lightless silence, the only sound that lingered was the muffled wailing of the dirt-encased lump lying abandoned in the corner.

—

After turning Lakkra into a lump of earth, I took Zaigo—who was still standing stiff as a board—and led him to Warehouse No. 3.

Once there, I relieved Opos and Az of their watch and escorted Zaigo deeper inside.

At the back stood several cages I had fashioned with 【Blessing Earth】. I shoved Zaigo into one of them.

There were four cages in total. One was reserved for Rozeqush and Nikamino, the two women of Deadly. It wasn’t so much a matter of separating the sexes; rather, because they could wield magic, their cage had to be fitted with a magic-sealing artifact.

The other three cages held Zaigo, Demand, and the warehouse manager respectively.

The cages I had created contained no doors. No matter how skilled a thief might be, one could not unlock a door that did not exist. And, of course, they were not weak enough to be broken through brute force.

“Behave yourselves inside those cages and reflect on your crimes for a while.”

“W–Wait! You said if we helped with the plan to trap Lakkra, you’d forgive us!”

Zaigo bellowed from inside the cage.

But I had never promised such a thing.

“I only said I’d spare your lives if you cooperated. I never once said I’d forgive your sins.”

Zaigo’s face flushed scarlet at once.

“You tricked us, damn you!”

“I didn’t trick you at all. I kept my word; you’re alive, aren’t you?”

I laughed as I threw the words back at him, watching his temper boil over.

Then, one after another, complaints rose from the other cages.

“Let us out! Hurry up and let us out!”

“Liar!”

“I hope you die!”

Clearly, none of them had reflected on their deeds.

“I see. Looks like I’ve been too kind.”

I let my smile vanish in an instant, lowered my voice, and stretched one hand toward the prisoners.

“I promised not to take your lives. But I never promised you’d keep your bodies intact.”

They understood at once. Their furious, crimson faces turned ashen, and they scrambled to the farthest corners of their cages.

“Y–You wouldn’t…”

“Nooo!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“W–Wait!”

“Eek!”

I almost marveled at how quickly human expressions could change. Then, without a word, I conjured five icy spears before their cages.

“Listen well. What happens to you from here on depends entirely on your behavior. Do not forget that.”

As I spoke, the five spears shot downward, striking the floor just at their feet.

Leaving the now-quieted prisoners behind, I stepped outside the warehouse.

“I doubt they’ll try anything stupid after that… though who knows.”

Well, if they did, harsher punishment awaited them. For now, what mattered most was examining the contents of the black ledger.

“Time to head back to the base and start looking it over.”

By “base,” I meant the room in an old inn that Wind Fang had been renting. It was also the safehouse where Grassa had been evacuated, and where Nikka currently stayed.

The inn stood at the edge of the capital. There were two reasons for choosing such a remote place.

First, the closer to the city center, the higher the lodging fees. For a D-rank party like Wind Fang, the outskirts were all they could afford.

Second—and more importantly—most adventurers traveled from town to town, seldom settling in one place. Maintaining a grand headquarters that would only be abandoned later was unnecessary.

Of course, it was different for large-scale clans that gathered dozens of adventurers under one banner. But such groups were unpopular among independent adventurers, and only a handful existed in the entire kingdom.

After sprinting back from Warehouse No. 3 with 【Quick】, I arrived at the ramshackle inn in about ten minutes.

Climbing to the second floor, I opened the door to the large room Wind Fang had rented under a long-term contract.

“I’m back.”

“Welcome back, Toa.”

“You’re late! Nikka’s been fussing nonstop—‘I hope Toa’s okay. What if he’s hurt? What if he’s captured and tortured?’—she wouldn’t shut up!”

“I–I didn’t say that!”

“You did. Edra heard it too, right?”

The moment I entered, I was greeted by a storm of noisy voices.

Apparently, Nikka had been very worried about me.

“Yeah. She was so distracted, fretting over you that she barely paid any attention to treating my arm.”

Edra chuckled, raising her partially healed hand. It had regenerated enough that in a few more days, it would be as good as new.

“S-Sorry… I didn’t mean it like that…”

“I’m joking. You did plenty for me. And you weren’t the only one distracted—Grassa, you were too.”

“Eh? M-Me?”

“That’s right, Grassa. You kept saying, ‘I wonder how Toa’s doing. I should’ve gone with him.’”

“I-I only said that because… you never know what Uncle Lakkra might do.”

This wasn’t about to settle anytime soon. With a wry smile, I pulled out a chair beside Edra’s bed and sat down.

Then, while the girls bickered, I drew the black ledger from storage.

“That’s the one?”

“Yeah. The so-called black ledger.”

Redroal stepped closer with keen interest.

“Looks expensive.”

“Even the paper and cover feel unnecessarily lavish.”

Nikka and Grassa peered at it, voicing their impressions.

True enough, the cover bore no title, but golden threads embroidered intricate patterns upon it, and the parchment itself was of the highest quality by this world’s standards.

Strange choice, I thought. For something that needed to be hidden, it was certainly conspicuous.

“So this is the black ledger you mentioned, Toa.”

“What’s written inside?”

Both Grassa and Nikka leaned forward, their eyes alight with curiosity.

“Well… quite a lot.”

I gave them a vague answer, then added with a rueful smile.

“But one thing’s certain: it’s better if you don’t know the details.”

—

About two hours must have passed since I began examining the secret ledger.

At last, I reached the final page.

“Phew.”

“Good work. I brewed some tea. Please take a break and have some.”

As I rubbed the tired corners of my eyes, Nikka approached with a warm cup.

In this country, “tea” essentially meant black tea.

The taste was thinner and the variety fewer compared to my previous world, but that much was unavoidable.

The leaves themselves weren’t very different, and if I recalled correctly, the difference between green tea and black tea came down to whether the leaves were fermented after being picked.

If I ever visited a tea-growing region, I might try negotiating to have them produce green tea.

“Thanks, Nikka.”

While sipping the warm tea, I glanced around the room and realized the members of Wind Fang were absent.

“Huh? Where did Edra and the others go?”

“They left a little while ago. Said they were going to the Guild for some paperwork.”

The one who answered was Grassa, seated in a chair while tending to her short sword.

I had been so absorbed in the ledger that I hadn’t noticed when everyone but the two of them left.

“What kind of paperwork?”

“They hadn’t collected the reward for the goblin subjugation yet, so they went to claim it.”

Ah, right. Edra’s party had originally headed into that forest for a goblin-slaying request.

I had completely forgotten in the chaos that followed.

“More importantly, Toa.”

“What is it?”

As I savored the tea, Grassa rose from her chair and stepped closer. Her eyes were fixed intently on the ledger in my hands.

“How was it?”

“What do you mean?”

“That ledger—you’re going to use it to bring down Uncle Lakkra… no, to bring down Lakkra, aren’t you?”

Leaning across the desk, she pressed further.

“If there’s anything I can do to help, tell me, I’ll do anything!”

“M-Me too! I’ll do anything you need!”

That’s not something young maidens should be saying so lightly…

No, this wasn’t the time for such thoughts.

I pressed on Grassa’s shoulder, pushing her back from the desk, and began explaining in broad strokes what the ledger revealed, leaving out the details too dangerous for them to know.

“According to this, Lakkra’s black market—let’s call it that—actually has fewer clients than I expected.”

“Then you can’t corner him with it?”

“No. It’s fewer than I thought, but the names include nobles of high status and influential figures from other nations. That alone makes it valuable.”

Among them were members of the Senate.

The Senate was second only to the king in power, essentially deciding nearly every matter of governance.

Technically, ultimate authority lay with the crown, but as with most monarchies, the longer it lasted, the more real power drifted to the king’s advisors.

Here too, after nearly a century, the king had become little more than a figurehead.

“Against Lakkra alone, this is more than enough. But for the nobles who used him… this ledger might not be enough to push them into a corner.”

I tapped the cover of the book as I spoke.

“So those people will get away with it? What about the ones suffering because of them—are they just abandoned?”

“Nikka, calm down.”

“But Toa saved us—if he hadn’t, and I imagine what could’ve happened—then I…”

Her voice faltered. But of course, I had no intention of letting such scum walk free.

That conviction wasn’t just about justice; it was likely shaped by my memories of my past life, where I had failed to live properly and died in obscurity.

Perhaps that was why I wanted to rescue others from suffering even worse fates.

“Don’t worry. Alone, it would be impossible. But if I enlist his help, I think we can deal with the nobles too.”

“His help? Who is it?”

“A friend of yours?”

They both leaned forward expectantly.

“I’ll explain later. For now, I need to copy down the necessary parts of this ledger onto separate sheets.”

For the plan ahead, I would need a duplicate. To gain that ally’s cooperation, I’d have to hand over the ledger.

But if I gave it away, I’d lose my own evidence. So first, I had to make a copy.

“If word spreads that Lakkra’s gone missing, his partners will rush to destroy evidence. We have to move before that happens.”

The odds of anyone finding Lakkra in his current state were slim.

But once his absence became obvious, his trading partners would certainly react.

“I’m going to start copying now. Can you two wait a little longer?”

“We’ll help!”

“That’s right, if we work together, it’ll be quick!”

“I can’t let you. You mustn’t see what’s written inside. Not until this is over.”

Copying would mean reading its contents.

And anyone who knew the details would be targeted for assassination. The information inside was that dangerous.

“Why not? We don’t have time!”

“Because if those names become known, the people they belong to will kill without hesitation to protect themselves. I can defend myself, but can you?”

“…No.”

Their shoulders slumped. I softened my tone.

“This is insurance. If I fail, at least you won’t be dragged down with me.”

They already had been targeted once, true, but I wanted to minimize the risk as much as possible.

“So I have to do this alone.”

“…I understand.”

Unlike Nikka, who still pouted in frustration, Grassa wore an oddly resolute look.

“I’m glad you understand.”

“You’re wrong.”

“…What?”

Before I could react, Grassa snatched the ledger from the desk.

“What are you doing?”

“I’ve made up my mind.”

She stepped back a few paces, putting distance between us.

Then, clutching the ledger tightly to her chest, she closed her eyes.

For an instant, the thought flashed: Is she about to betray us and destroy it?

I moved to reclaim it, but—

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