Everyone Wants Me Dead: The Villain Lord's Survival Diary-Chapter 23 – Express letter

After a lingering kiss, Sylvie reluctantly let go of Loli when he noticed her breathing becoming labored.
"Master..."
Loli murmured softly, lying back in Sylvie's arms, her hair cascading down, her slender hands still wrapped around his neck. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes misty, and she bit her pink lips gently. Her fluffy tail was tightly coiled around Sylvie's waist, showing a submissive and shy demeanor.
Sylvie felt his fingers itch with desire and was about to lean in again when the girl's warm fingers gently pressed against his lips.
"Master... no, there are monsters... let's escape first, and then... I'll let you have your way."
Loli struggled to sit up from Sylvie's embrace, but her body was limp, drained of strength from the kiss, and she fell back down.
"There are no monsters. What you saw was a Minotaur Warrior, a new retainer I've recruited."
Sylvie chuckled, playfully tapping the girl's nose, and helped her sit up on the bed.
"No monsters... it's the master's retainer?"
Loli nestled obediently in his arms, her soft pink cheeks pressed against his chest, her voice filled with confusion.
Sylvie held her waist with one hand and clasped her delicate hand in his, gently stroking it as he spoke softly, "That's right, the one you saw when you came in, with the bull's head and horns, big eyes, and you only reach his knees."
Loli stared blankly at Sylvie, suddenly recalling something, and with a soft whimper, buried her face in his chest, playing the ostrich.
Just as the atmosphere grew more intimate, Goodbye's figure appeared at the open door, his loud voice breaking the moment:
"My Lord, there's an urgent letter for you, you... uh..."
Goodbye, holding the door frame, looked up and wished he could gouge out his eyes.
Awkwardly, Goodbye smiled, looking up at the ceiling, "Well, My Lord, you continue, I'll leave the letter on the floor, I didn't see or hear anything..." He quickly placed the letter on the ground and was about to dash off.
"Come back!"
The low, angry voice made Goodbye stop in his tracks, cursing his luck, he turned back to the door with a mournful expression.
Sylvie looked at Goodbye with a forced smile, speaking slowly:
"I thought making you wash underwear and socks for a month was too lenient. Now it's three months. You don't have any objections, do you?"
"No..."
"Alright, you can go."
Sylvie waved his hand dismissively.
"Yes..."
...
Shortly after Goodbye left, Loli slipped out of Sylvie's arms, blushing as she climbed out of bed. She smoothed her wrinkled clothes and curtsied to Sylvie, stammering:
"Master, you have things to attend to, Loli... Loli will leave now, I have to go to Mrs. Chris for lessons..."
Without waiting for Sylvie's response, the girl fled the room, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Sigh—"
Sylvie raised his hand, intending to call her back, but the little maid had already vanished.
He could only shake his head helplessly and picked up the letter Goodbye had delivered.
...
The urgent letter was sent by Baron Talamb. Sylvie skimmed through it.
Aside from over ten thousand words of flattery and nonsense, the remaining less than a hundred words conveyed the letter's main message—asking for aid.
Baron Talamb sought help from his neighbor Sylvie because his Blackriver Territory was under attack by orcs.
Blackriver Territory was located below Eaglehold, adjacent to Morninglight Town, named for a river rich in Spotted Blackfish.
As for whether to aid Blackriver Territory, the answer was affirmative. Blackriver Territory served as a barrier between Eaglehold and the Orc Empire.
If the orcs bypassed Blackriver Territory and attacked Eaglehold directly, they would have to cross the treacherous Sorento Mountains.
If Blackriver Territory fell, Eaglehold would be next.
But wars cost money, and Eaglehold was not wealthy. Talamb's lengthy flattery wouldn't make Sylvie send troops and resources to clean up Blackriver Territory's mess for free.
He had to seize this opportunity to extort something substantial from Talamb.
At that moment, the system's robotic voice echoed in Sylvie's mind.
"Ding! Daily Villain Quest refreshed.
Villain Quest 1: Steal a pair of stockings from any maid in the castle.
Villain Quest 2: Extort resources worth over ten thousand gold coins from a neighboring territory.
Villain Quest 3: Flirt with the Demi-human Saintess."
Well, the system seemed to know he planned to extort Talamb and meet with the player, hence the quest to flirt with the Demi-human Saintess.
Sylvie found it appealing; the system quest was exactly what he wanted.
As for stealing stockings? Loli was the only maid in the castle; the system might as well have named her directly.
A quick look at "pawread.com" will leave you more fulfilled.
Given his relationship with Loli, he didn't need to steal; he could ask openly, and Little Loli wouldn't refuse.
Having made up his mind, Sylvie quickly penned a brief reply to Talamb, outlining his conditions for sending troops.
He was confident Talamb would agree to his terms.
Because no noble wanted to die.
...
"Extortion! This is outright extortion!"
In Blackriver Keep, a slightly balding, portly middle-aged man was shouting angrily, his face flushed.
Since receiving Sylvie's reply, he had been cursing all afternoon.
Broken plates littered the floor, silently testifying to his rage.
This impotent man was Baron Talamb, lord of Blackriver Territory.
In the council hall, the butler and guards stood aside, eyes downcast, not daring to speak.
"Look at what he wrote in the reply! Ten thousand gold coins! And five hundred sets of armor! And food!"
"If I had those things, would I be holed up in Blackriver Keep? I'd have counterattacked the Orc Empire's royal court long ago!"
"The most outrageous part is, this bastard even said if I can't pay immediately, I can write an IOU!"
"Doesn't that bastard know if Blackriver Territory falls, Eaglehold is next?"
Talamb stomped around the council hall, furious at his subordinates' indifferent expressions.
"A bunch of useless fools! What's the point of having you?"
He kicked the butler, drawing his longsword, and snarled:
"Doug, aren't you the cleverest? Don't think I don't know you've been skimming my taxes. If you don't come up with a solution today, I'll chop off your head and feed it to the dogs!"
The butler, Doug, was terrified, pleading:
"Spare me, My Lord! Let me think... let me think."
Doug was sweating profusely, his usually sharp mind failing him at this critical moment.
Seeing the lord's increasingly sinister gaze and the sword nearing his neck, he suddenly had an idea.
"I've got it!"
Doug's body relaxed, and he let out a fart.