Superior and Subordinate
The mysterious beauty who wandered onto the Heartland family's private beach—Anna.
She was quickly taken into custody, and her identity was being verified.
Meanwhile, we returned to the villa.
The moment we arrived, a man, dressed in an impeccably elite-looking manner with glasses, rushed toward us in a panic.
"I sincerely apologize for this incident!"
Without hesitation, he bent at nearly a right angle, bowing deeply as he voiced his regret.
It seemed he was the one in charge of managing the villa and the surrounding area.
Behind him stood five soldiers, their faces pale.
They were likely responsible for guarding the private beach.
In other words, they were the ones at fault for allowing an outsider to trespass.
From their perspective, this must have been a nightmare.
After all, they had failed to prevent an intrusion.
Though Anna's true identity remained unknown, if she had been an assassin targeting the Heartland family, things could have taken a catastrophic turn.
Had that happened, this man would undoubtedly be held accountable.
Even though no harm had come of it, the fact remained that a serious security breach had occurred.
It was no surprise that he was trembling with anxiety.
"This entire incident was due to my own negligence… I know I have no right to ask after committing such a mistake, but please, I beg you—do not punish those who serve under me. If anyone must be held accountable, let it be me alone…"
Oh.
So this guy was planning to take full responsibility for everything himself.
He surely had his own duties to attend to, leaving the security of the area to others, yet he made no attempt to shift the blame onto them.
That was expected of a leader, but it wasn’t something just anyone could do.
Most would try to distribute some of the responsibility onto the ones who actually made the mistake.
Yet, he didn’t do that at all.
He was determined to handle the situation as his own failure. That kind of mindset was truly admirable.
"Senett, raise your head."
President Tricia spoke in a commanding voice—so full of authority that it was hard to believe she was only two years older than me.
But she didn’t seem particularly angry.
"Don’t underestimate me."
"… Huh?"
"Even if that silver-haired girl had been up to no good, I would have crushed her with my own two hands."
She clenched her fist tightly as she spoke.
If someone had placed an apple in her palm, it would’ve been reduced to pulp in an instant.
… Right, back to the matter at hand.
From the flow of the conversation, it seemed that Senett would not be facing any punishment.
"Be more careful next time."
"Y-Yes! Thank you!"
"I don’t recall saying anything worthy of gratitude."
With that, Tricia spun around and walked away without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Senett was surrounded by the soldiers and villa staff, all relieved and congratulating him.
Wow… She really is the ideal boss.
If only my previous workplace had someone like her.
In any case, our vacation was unexpectedly put on hold.
But the real question remained—just who *was* that girl?
—-------------------
【Important Announcement】 Suspension of "Villainous Merchant" and Future Plans
Hello.
This is Ryuichi Suzuki (Author).
As stated in the title, I regret to inform you that "The Unwitting Heroic Tale of a Corrupt Merchant" will be taken down.
There have been multiple comments pointing out that the setting and content of my work bear a strong resemblance to a certain published novel on Kakuyomu. After reviewing it again, I have confirmed that there are indeed several similarities, particularly in the early developments and character designs.
Given this, I have decided that it would be inappropriate to keep the story up as it is, and therefore, I will be removing it from AlphaPolis and other platforms where it has been published.
As for the future, I plan to reevaluate the story's setting and characters and aim to release a new work within this month. I will do my best to ensure that Lake and his companions' story reaches a proper conclusion.
To everyone who has supported this work, I sincerely apologize.
Thank you for your understanding.
What do you think about this chapter?
