Chapter 74 - If You Want

Two hours later, Ferda welcomed his scheduled guest.

"The Chancellor of Escolaia, Bernard Wayne, is honored to meet the Consort of the great Aspect of Power."

"I greet the treasury of humanity, the president of knowledge."

"I sincerely thank you for allowing me to set foot in Valdrova Castle."

The Chancellor of Escolaia, Bernard Wayne, took off his hat and bowed his head.

The flesh-colored plateau situated between two thickets was still shining smoothly.

"You have worked hard traveling such a long way, Chancellor. Looking out the window, I see you have an army with you."

"Two mages, two knights, and twenty soldiers. Haha! I finally feel a bit like a noble."

As the operation to frame the Chancellor of Escolaia failed, Escolaia was turned completely upside down.

No matter how much they disparaged the Chancellor position as a mere figurehead meant to shoulder all the blame, he was ultimately the face of Escolaia.

An assassination attempt was something that could shake the very foundation of Escolaia.

Therefore, the Chancellor was able to seize power within Escolaia's council.

"Haha, seeing as you live in such a splendid castle, you must have many distinguished guests visiting you."

"There have been more ruffians coming to threaten me than distinguished guests."

"What? Surely not, no matter what, she is the Aspect of Power who could turn the continent upside down..."

"Even just last week, someone came to threaten me again."

"Ah... I see."

Not knowing what to say, he decided to change the subject.

"This is the blueprint for the Demon appearance prediction device I promised to give you the other day."

Ferda looked at the paper he handed over.

It was engraved on parchment that maintained its form with magic power, an object that would not burn, get wet, or weather away like a simple book.

Handing Ferda a copy using such precious paper meant that he harbored no ulterior motives.

"Thank you."

"Not at all. By the way, are you able to read this blueprint?"

Naturally, it was impossible.

Because Ferda was someone far removed from this kind of engineering.

"The head researcher in the castle will take a look at it."

"Who might the head researcher be?"

"It's Burnel Marquis."

"Burnel Marquis... you mean, Complete Mess? He's here?!"

Bernard spat out his name repeatedly in utter shock.

"I heard he was famous, but it seems he really is quite well-known."

"He's famous, all right. There's no one in Escolaia who doesn't know that guy. He was someone who received that much expectation, and caused that much disappointment."

That disappointed person was undoubtedly Bernard.

He let out a deep sigh and asked Ferda.

"What is he doing right now? Did he give up on that nonsense and come here?"

"He succeeded in that nonsense."

"I knew it... Excuse me?"

Bernard's eyes widened.

"You mean he succeeded at that?"

Ferda had anticipated his shock.

Because of that, he had brought one of the samples Burnel made before he arrived and showed it to him.

"It's a mana stone. It's an item processed from a monster's corpse."

"My god... Are you saying that guy ended up turning the world upside down...?"

That was how scholars referred to an innovative discovery.

A myriad of emotions flashed across Bernard's face.

Wonder and admiration, jealousy and regret.

The person he had turned his back on was right in the end, and he didn't seem to know how to process this.

"By any chance, what is the efficiency rate?"

Perhaps trusting that Burnel would have calculated everything, he skipped the question of whether it had been calculated.

"So far, it's 10%."

"Do you know what percentage it was at first?"

"I heard it was 7.1%."

"I see."

His face showed that while he felt wonder, he also felt an uncomfortable lingering sentiment on the other hand.

Since Ferda was not a scholar, he couldn't know what was going on in his head.

Thus, he made a suggestion.

"Would you like to meet with Burnel Marquis?"

At that, Bernard snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head.

"No. It's not quite to the point where we need to meet and talk... Oh, right."

Bernard clapped his hands and said.

"Do you remember the time at the Grand Council? Didn't I ask you to attend an exhibition?"

"I remember. You said there would be an exhibition in Halim, right?"

"In 15 days, all the scholars and nobles will gather there. It will run for about three days. They hold presentation sessions for the opening, main event, and ending."

The next words he brought up were his proposal.

"I will use my influence to put Burnel in the main spot. Could you please attend?"

* * *

"Chancellor Bernard... made such an offer? He said he'd put me on the main stage?"

Burnel asked with his eyes wide open.

He had seen Burnel make a fuss a few times before, but this was the first time he looked so shocked.

He was so surprised that his hands were completely still.

"It seems it was quite an unprecedented offer."

"Out of the three days of the Escolaia exhibition, the most important is the main stage. Even for renowned scholars, securing that spot is like plucking a star from the sky."

"Then it's a good thing for you."

"It's a good... thing."

Contrary to his words, Burnel wore a complicated expression.

He finally put down his pen and leaned against the table.

"I don't know. I don't want to go."

Ferda could tell that Burnel was overwhelmed by emotion.

"Are you going to reject the glorious spot that every scholar wants to stand in?"

"Glory or not, it's obvious Chancellor Bernard has set a trap, so why would I go?"

"A trap?"

"He hated me terribly. When I recall the insults he threw at me, I can't accept his goodwill."

"What did he do?"

"He criticized my research plan."

Burnel clenched his fists tightly.

"When academy cadets reach their second year, they participate in something called the Academic Conference. It's a place to discuss the future, even if it's a bit far-fetched. Since it's a place meant to draw out fresh ideas, criticizing someone there carries an incredibly heavy meaning. It's like pulling down my pants and showing my crotch to the entire audience."

'Just for that?' one might say, but Ferda didn't think so.

It meant that the future he had envisioned was entirely sincere.

Having that sincerity denied is a painful thing.

Ferda only knew that he had gone from being the academy's top student to dead last.

And that he had barely graduated and was dabbling in the field of magical engineering.

He had no idea the rift between him and Bernard was this deep.

"If he insulted you, shouldn't you participate even more?"

At Ferda's question, Burnel turned to look at him and asked.

"How does that make sense?"

"Since you weren't wrong, shouldn't you just stand tall and proud?"

"Screwing him over sounds great. Yeah... but what if this is a ploy to lure me into a trap?"

"Then are you just going to avoid it forever?"

He couldn't answer Ferda's counter-question.

Though he tried to avoid it, deep down he knew that running away from this problem wasn't right.

"I don't know what happened back then, but you are not an academy cadet, you are my head researcher. If Bernard tries anything absurd with you,"

"..."

"He won't be dealing with you, he'll have to deal with me to the bitter end."

At those words, Burnel broke out of his thoughts and looked at Ferda.

Right, wasn't it true that he wasn't alone anymore?

He realized anew that he had a solid backer.

"Understood. As you said, I'll go and face him. May I ask what you're holding in your hand? It looks like a blueprint..."

"It's Chancellor Bernard's baby."

"His baby?"

"He called it the blueprint for a Demon appearance prediction device. Could you take a look at it?"

"Ah, so that's what it is. A Demon appearance prediction device... I'll take a look at that as well."

While Burnel was checking the blueprint, the door opened and someone walked in.

It was Stephan.

Thinking his timing was perfect, Ferda was about to say something to him.

But his complexion did not look good at all.

It looked as if he might spit out bad news at any moment.

"Uh, you see..."

Stephan stuttered.

* * *

A few days ago, Stephan was traveling in a carriage.

He was wearing a top-tier tunic that he rarely wore normally.

A tunic that was the absolute highest quality among top-tier clothes, the kind that made one scared just to wear it.

Despite his splendid attire, endless worry clouded his face.

"Haa..."

"Are you alright, milord? Your complexion is poor, you might collapse at this rate."

"I feel a bit like that... Haa."

"Shall I loosen your collar a bit?"

The servant sitting across from him untied the string of his collar.

Stephan looked at the servant and said.

"Tie it tighter. So it doesn't come undone."

He couldn't afford to look disheveled.

He would rather be strangled to death by the knot.

The reason he was so incredibly tense was because of the massive mansion situated right before him.

The mansion of Herman Pascal—the founder of the Pascal trading company, a great merchant, and Stephan's father.

It was Stephan's hometown, and simultaneously his battlefield.

Stephan got out of the carriage and entered the mansion's entrance.

"Welcome back, Young Master Stephan."

At the sight of a familiar face, Stephan smiled and hugged him.

"It's been a while, old man Sebastian! Have you been well?"

"My body isn't what it used to be. The time for me to retire has finally come."

"What are you talking about? You used to say you'd bury your bones here. Shouldn't you work until your body falls apart?"

He tried to hide his trembling by joking around.

The butler noticed this and played along so he could calm down.

Taking the long hallway, he passed by the employees and servants before arriving at a set of ornate doors.

"The second son, Young Master Stephan, is entering."

The doors opened.

What lay before him was a long table laid out like a red carpet welcoming him, and at the very end of that table, sitting in a seat fit for a king, was an old man.

Herman Pascal.

The head of the Pascal trading company, the man who started as a fruit vendor and extended his reach to all things.

A dictator who could have once seized control of the entire Empire's commercial supremacy.

Yet in stark contrast to such a reputation, he bore the appearance of a frail old man.

"You're late, little brother."

The man sitting to his right gave him a scolding.

This man, whose sturdy build resembled a mercenary more than a merchant.

Was the eldest son, Merchit Pascal.

"I apologize, it was a particularly busy time at work, so I was wrapping things up..."

"What can you do? Isn't the company more important than family? I love seeing you work as a faithful attendant, brother."

That woman smiling radiantly with heavy makeup was his younger sister, Tilda Pascal.

At first glance, it sounded like she was defending him, but her smiling eyes were closer to saying, 'That's the best a lowly thing like you can do.'

'This is why I hate this house.'

'I've returned to my own home, yet I feel like a stranger.'

"Sit down quickly."

Stephan, pushed aside by his nephews and nieces who had seated themselves beforehand, took a seat far away.

All the family members were gathered.

"Now, let's eat."

The butler's bell rang, and the maids came inside.

Befitting the wealthiest family on the continent, all the food strongly gave off the smell of hard-to-find spices.

It was a moment when he could consume things that were normally difficult to even taste, but Stephan couldn't taste the food.

"Lately..."

The moment Herman opened his mouth, the hands sitting at the banquet table stopped.

"How have you all been doing?"

Merchit and Tilda put down their forks and knives and wiped their mouths, as if they had been waiting for this.

The eldest son, sitting closest, opened his mouth.

"I have been extending my reach to the south lately. You know of Colossenia, right? It's one of the largest entertainment cities, famous for its spectacular gladiator spectacles. I've signed a mercenary supply contract with the gladiator training ground there."

"Are you only going to deal in meat?"

"How could I? Isn't that land so hot they say even the moon is like the sun? The spices there have become so potent that their quality is just as good as the Empire's finest."

"Indeed, luxury goods like those are more precious than gold."

Herman calmly nodded his head.

As if he had barely met the standard, Merchit let out a sigh of relief.

Soon after, Tilda Pascal shared her update.

"I'm looking toward the west following my dear husband. They call it a mysterious land of magic, but wouldn't they have needs too? The moment we open a trade route, the Pascal trading company will become a storm."

"That sounds a bit like an empty dream."

Herman glared at Tilda.

However, Tilda fired back, as if she had expected this.

"I thought so too at first. But wouldn't the story change if I've secured a contract for a crystal stone mine? It's something mages go crazy for, isn't it?"

"Hmm..."

Herman withdrew his gaze.

Since Tilda was also skillfully securing contracts, there was no issue.

Now there was only one left.

"Stephan."

"Y-Yes?"

"Why are you silent?"

"I apologize. I just assumed you wouldn't be very curious about my affairs..."

"Don't make me say it twice."

A situation he tried to avoid, but could not.

Thus, Stephan also spoke about his recent activities.

"I'm... currently trying to establish a foothold in the east."

"The east?"

"Oh my, you're starting a business in the east? Last I heard, you were targeting the north?"

Tilda acted as if this was the first time she'd heard of it.

She was preparing to pour oil on the burning house.

"It seemed like maintaining the status quo in the north wouldn't be much of an issue. So to make a bold investment, I expanded toward the east this time."

"Hmm, brother. From what I've learned, bold investment and throwing money into the dirt are quite different things, aren't they?"

Tilda was indirectly asking why he was acting like an idiot.

"It doesn't look good to me either, brother."

Merchit agreed with her.

"Isn't it a profitable business just selling booze, smoked meat, and leather to those northerners? If you simply followed Father's formula, you'd avoid deficits and do well, so why go out of your way to do such a thing?"

'Isn't it obvious?'

'To survive in this godforsaken house.'

"I merely wish to run a business with potential as well."

"Potential! Look at the current situation in the east. The Land of Demons is steadily encroaching even now, so the territory is shrinking, isn't it? Are you going to scoop up dirt from there to make contamination weapons or something?"

"A contamination weapon, what a great idea. It would smell less than scattering feces and have a good effect. If you want, I'd like to invest in that, brother."

Just as a mocking peacemaker is more detestable than the actual aggressor, Tilda's words grated on him far more than Merchit's.

"Enough."

Herman, who had been silent, quelled the mood.

He scratched his head with his emaciated hand before speaking again.

"Stephan."

"Yes, Father."

"I know very well that you aren't doing something foolish. After all, you have the best head among them to understand me."

'This is not going to end well.'

Stephan intuitively felt it.

"However, when persuading your opponent, what did I tell you to do?"

"I must show them proof..."

"Do you have that proof in your possession?"

"I'm not investing company money. Even if I did, I put in my personal assets first, and..."

"You're saying you don't have it."

"It's not that I don't have it. I just don't want to make it known right now—"

"It must be that mana stone thing or whatever."

"!!"

As Stephan's eyes went wide, Herman rebuked him with a disapproving glare.

"Why are you so surprised? This company is still in my hands, you fool. Your sister and brother are already onto it too."

Even if he was proceeding in secret, it was something they would eventually find out.

Setting his father, Herman, aside, it was deeply shocking that the other two already knew about it as well.

That meant there was someone on Stephan's side leaking inside information.

But what was even more shocking was that, despite knowing the truth, things were proceeding smoothly.

Just like people watching Stephan dig his own grave.

Before the shock could even fade, Herman threw a question.

"Speak. Tell me on what basis you jumped into that venture."

"I just saw the future in it."

"So it's intuition. That means you're doing this because you believe in that man, Regent Ferda?"

"Yes."

Stephan answered immediately.

"How certain are you?"

"If he wanted it..."

Stephan's tongue moved on its own.

"I'm willing to hand over the entire company to him."

Silence fell.

Stephan hurriedly shut his mouth, realizing what he had just said.

His mind had gone blank, and he ended up blurting out his true feelings.

'I've done it now.'

The water was already spilled.

But he did not regret it.

Because he actually thought that way.

"So you've bet your entire fortune, bewitched not by a woman, but by a man."

The sigh mixed into Herman's words pierced Stephan's heart.

"You have only one hand, and can hold only one thing. Yet there are two things you must grasp. Overreaching brings ruin, so the time will come when you must make a choice."

Being quick-witted, Stephan could tell what Herman was saying.

Would he give up the far east and choose the company,

Or would he give up the company and choose the far east.

"Think carefully on it."

That was the ultimatum from the man who built everything with his bare hands, Herman Pascal.