Chapter 75 - Loyalty

"...ord."

"..."

"...ord!"

"..."

"My lord!"

"Uh, yeah?"

Stephan was startled out of his wits.

His servant had turned around and was shaking Stephan's shoulder.

"Are you alright? You haven't said a single word all day since getting in the carriage."

"Ah, I'm fine."

He was perfectly fine.

Stephan turned his head and looked out the window.

They were on the move after leaving Herman Pascal's house.

"Since when has the carriage been moving?"

"Since thirty minutes ago, sir."

"Thirty minutes..."

He had no memory of those thirty minutes, nor did he even remember finishing his meal.

Stephan's mind felt as if it were surrounded by a thick fog.

And the moment that thick fog seemed to clear, it tried to encroach on him once again.

That fog was made up of Herman Pascal's words.

It was clear that he had attempted to openly interfere.

If it were Herman Pascal,

As a great merchant and a respected one at that, it meant it was something he normally wouldn't have done.

Had anyone actually ever taken an interest in the east before?

Stephan agonized over it again and again.

But it wasn't a problem that could be solved just by agonizing over it.

"Where is the carriage heading?"

"Where else but home, sir?"

"Ah, right. I suppose so..."

He had asked an all too obvious question.

Why had he asked such a thing?

Stephan tossed the question back to himself.

Deep in his heart, he was thinking that he shouldn't go home.

Then where should he go?

The destination was clear.

"How are the horses?"

"They're fine, sir."

"Then let's not go back and head somewhere else."

"Where to, sir?"

"To Valdrova Castle."

"It'll take days, without even making preparations? You'll need to pack clothes and send letters, won't you? Let's just go back, alright?"

"Cut the chatter and go."

Seeing his dazed state, the servant couldn't bring himself to argue and had the coachman change the route.

Stephan's head filled with that thick fog once again.

Stephan tentatively walked into that fog.

'The far eastern front.'

What kind of place was the far eastern front?

There were occasionally those who dreamed of a gold rush in that unpioneered wasteland, but they were thwarted every time.

It was only natural.

Demonic energy was a disaster that even immortals couldn't do anything about, so how could humans overcome it?

Like tiger moths charging into a furnace, the result was obvious.

With such an obvious result, what was he trusting to act like this?

'Is it because of the mana stones?'

Stephan had been fixated on those mana stones and caught the scent of profit.

But his father, Herman, had not.

Tilda, and even Muchit, hadn't seemed interested in the item either.

If they had caught the scent, they would have been desperate to interfere or take it for themselves somehow.

Stephan asked himself.

'Then am I wrong?'

He wanted to believe in himself, but he had always been like this.

A person always fell after growing arrogant with the belief that they were being objective.

His father, Herman Pascal, had always made him witness the miserable ends of such merchants with his own two eyes.

He had advised Stephan both as a merchant who had seized wealth and as a father.

'Am I being arrogant?'

'Am I blinded, and he merely looks like a savior to me?'

'Is he just another con artist as well?'

The thought that he might end up exactly like those who died while arrogantly trusting their 'own' judgment wouldn't leave his mind.

'Am I a person ready to dedicate my entire life to him?'

'I'm scared.'

'I'm scared that I'll slowly die inside the Empire, unable to step outside because of the tolls.'

'I need something that can make me forget this fear.'

'Alcohol? Women?'

'Or...'

"...ord!"

"Ugh! You scared me! What?! Why!? What!?"

"We've arrived, my lord! Please snap out of it now!"

"What? We've arrived at Valdrova Castle? In just a few minutes?"

"What are you talking about? It took four days, sir."

He had been in a daze for a whopping four days.

He reeked because he hadn't been able to wash properly, and even his top-quality tunic was stained yellow with bodily fluids.

'Why did I come here?'

He realized his question was strange.

Hadn't he come here to find that answer?

Stephan walked through the inner castle and found Ferda.

He was with the head researcher, Burnel.

They seemed to have just finished a conversation.

"What is it?"

Ferda asked.

"Well, that is..."

What was he going to say upon arriving here?

There was only one phrase lingering in Stephan's mind.

'I'm pulling out of this.'

'Since I can't trust myself and I'm terrified of becoming a beggar, I'll cut my losses here.'

He was about to say those words, but Ferda beat him to the punch.

"There happens to be some good news. The Chancellor of Escolaia made Burnel a huge offer."

At those words, different words rose up from his throat.

"Wh-What kind of offer?"

"He offered him the main stage at the exhibition to be held in Halim in two weeks."

Stephan felt as though his head had been struck with a heavy blow.

The fog cleared, and a ray of light poured down.

"Congratulations! Being the main stage at an Escolaia exhibition is a huge deal, isn't it?! At least as far as I know!"

"Yes. It's the very spot that is an honor for every scholar."

Being recognized among those picky scholars held great significance.

It was also noteworthy among merchants, and nine times out of ten, it meant money.

"We can't just let this pass, can we? How about we eat and drink to celebrate today?"

"Haha, I think we might be counting our chickens before they hatch..."

"So what!? I'll throw a huge banquet for you even if it's out of my own pocket. Haha!!"

Stephan laughed heartily.

It was an exaggerated gesture, unlike his usual self, but they let it slide, assuming it was because the news was just that joyful.

"Stephan."

"Yes?"

"Weren't you trying to say something?"

At Ferda's question, Stephan scratched his head and answered.

"Ah, that... I just came to tell you that we should do our best! Haha!"

The fog covering Stephan's mind was no more.

'Let's trust myself.'

'Even if I end up a beggar.'

'I will move forward without regrets.'

* * *

A week later, Iorga and Valdrova officially declared an alliance.

The Serdes Continent was completely flipped upside down.

A Guardian Dragon and an Evil Dragon were like oil and water, unable to mix.

There had been numerous exchanges of opinions through the contact point of the Grand Council, but their conflicts had always ended without being resolved.

An alliance between such an Evil Dragon and a Guardian Dragon.

Doubts grew as to whether the Iorga faction was suffering from some sort of delusion.

Her stance was as follows.

-Although it is Valdrova who caused the second calamity, the Regent has demonstrated his will to clear away the past and conquer the Land of Demons, and thus we have decided to support his cause and join him.

On the surface, it was the best-looking excuse.

Her support lent strength to the ambitious young Regent's declaration.

Even so, the majority of public opinion was that the conquest would fail.

-Even if the Blue Eye has given its support...

-How could a mere human accomplish such a thing in a purification operation that everyone else has failed?

Since Godwin died, no one had approached that Land of Demons, and those who had approached had all died.

However, there were quite a few people who pinned their hopes on Ferda's ambitions.

-Perhaps the conquest of the far eastern front is actually possible?

-Retaking the beautiful land of the far eastern front that now exists only in history would be a monumental achievement.

Whatever the case, the wind had begun to blow.

For a lonely drifting sailboat, either direction was a tailwind.

* * *

Halim.

It was considered a city of gambling and entertainment, and a place he had dropped by once to recruit Zed.

He was visiting again for the exhibition.

If there was one difference, it was that Luri was not accompanying him this time.

This was because Ferda already had enough people around him, and there was another dragon spawn residing in the inner castle.

Luri still harbored a small belief that Isabella had come to sabotage them.

Since there was no harm in keeping her in check, he left Luri to her own devices.

On the way to see him off, Luri had only given him one brief warning.

"Do not gamble."

"Aren't we lacking in finances? It's the perfect way to draw out some mo—."

"Do. Not. Do. It."

Her silver eyes glared at him full of murderous intent.

It felt as though a Magic Blast would come pouring out at any moment.

Watching her act like that sparked a sense of rebellion in him.

'What kind of expression would she make if I just blew my entire fortune?'

Since he didn't have two lives, he had no choice but to engrave that single remark into his heart and head for Halim.

Stephan had returned early to prepare the props and such needed for the main presentation, agreeing to meet up with them in Halim.

Burnel was organizing the contents of his presentation inside the carriage, completely unable to let go of his tension.

As it was an important occasion, Ferda had spared no support and created an environment so that Burnel wouldn't have to worry about anything else.

The other companions were the knights, Zed and Malcolm.

"Waahhh, am I really going to be okay? Are you sure it's okay?"

And Penelope.

She was wailing like a marmot standing in a meadow.

Just as they arrived at the entrance of Halim, stepped out, and were about to go through the entry procedures,

They were only one step away from the magic circle protecting Halim.

"It's fine, so let go of my arm, you crazy bitch."

Zed forcefully peeled her off, pushing away Penelope's head as she clung to him.

She clung to him tenaciously and didn't stop whining.

"I heard about it when I was in Hell! Demons can't enter Halim! They say if you try to go in there, your body melts! My half-brother actually died that way, you know!?"

"No, I'm telling you, you'll be fine! That was just bullshit to scare you, so trust me and step inside."

"Are you sure it's okay? I'm not going to die, right?"

Zed shut his mouth, no longer wanting to answer her questions.

Instead, he grabbed Penelope back as she held tightly onto his arm and simply dragged her along.

Penelope began to wail like a cat being dragged to the water.

"Waahhh! What are you doing!? No, I don't want to die! I don't want to dieee, ugh my stomach is turning... huh? Nothing happened?"

Penelope confirmed that nothing was wrong the moment she stepped inside the magic circle.

Her bawling face vanished, and she stood up abruptly as if bored by the anticlimax.

"Human magic circles are nothing special."

"..."

Zed looked at her as if she were pathetic.

The others, including him, felt the same way.

'Was bringing her a mistake?'

Penelope possessed Sitri's Life Vessel.

He had brought her along this time to keep her somewhere visible just in case.

Besides, he still didn't have any trust in Penelope.

He had worried that bringing a demon along might cause noisy incidents around them, but that fear had been misplaced.

Swallowing Sitri's Life Vessel had granted her a special ability: she could not be detected by ordinary demon-detection magic.

As long as she maintained her human skin, she was practically human.

'And the only noisy thing around was her.'

He had expected her to be frivolous and loud, but she had completely exceeded his expectations.

She was like a storm.

The type where incidents just happened even if she was standing completely still.

How on earth had Sitri gotten her Life Vessel stolen by a kid like that?

'Still, there must be something more.'

Everything happened for a reason.

Not wanting to overlook anything, Ferda asked Penelope.

"Tell me about your abilities. You're Sitri's descendant, so do you handle illusion arts?"

"Yes, just a few spells for light illusions and trickery."

"An Arcane Trickster, then."

"Oh, that's a cool name! Yes, exactly that."

As she nodded triumphantly, Zed snorted.

"Arcane Trickster my ass. More like Trouble Maker."

"What did you say!?"

Her pale pink eyes glared at Zed.

Not backing down, Zed shoved his face right back at hers.

"Did I say something wrong? Not a single day goes by quietly when I'm with you!?"

"That's not my fault! Who told you to catch the eye of a witch like her? Isn't it because you go around sleeping with every woman you get your hands on!?"

"Do you think I did it because I wanted to? I know perfectly well who I shouldn't mess with!?"

The two of them squawking at each other.

Ignoring their bickering, Ferda thought about the abilities Penelope and Zed possessed.

Penelope the Arcane Trickster, and Zed the Great Thief.

"Say what you will, but you two seem like a good match."

"Excuse me?"

Zed looked at Ferda in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, but could you not lump me in with this empty-headed crybaby?"

"Isn't she exactly the kind of woman you like?"

"You're talking as if I just pick up and eat anything I see, but I strictly decline hanging around a walking disaster whose very existence causes accidents."

"I don't want to be tied down to a violent brute like him either! I like women. And only the beautiful ones! I just want to uncontrollably suck dry the essence of beautiful women!"

"What the hell are you talking about when you sucked my essence dry just yesterday?"

"I need to eat meals too, you know, meals! I eat very small portions, just enough to sustain myself in the mortal realm! That's partly why I'm able to look human like this!"

'They're so loud it's killing me.'

Ferda decided to retract his previous statement.

"If you want, I'll let you find new partners."

"Eh?"

"Pardon?"

The two, who had been acting like they were going to eat each other alive just a moment ago, began to make subtle expressions at those words.

'What's wrong with them?'

"Ahem, well, I'd like to maintain the status quo for now."

"Why?"

"Because it's hard to find another tall, handsome guy who is this good at smooth-talking beautiful women into bed..."

He could let Penelope's reason slide, but he couldn't quite grasp Zed's reason.

"She said she'd erase the memories of the girls I hook up with after sucking out their essence..."

Hearing that, Ferda realized he had been sorely mistaken.

'They're both the exact same kind of degenerates.'

They were a match made in heaven.

They were absolutely forbidden from being released into the wild.

* * *

The Escolaia exhibition was taking place in a casino they had rented out entirely in Halim.

It was one of the largest casinos even in the city of entertainment, making it a suitable venue to accommodate the many nobles, merchants, and scholars.

When Ferda arrived, it was the first day of the exhibition, right around the time the preparations for the opening were to be finalized.

"Ohh, Regent! Did you arrive safely?"

Stephan, who had been pacing nearby, walked over to Ferda and bowed politely.

"Safely enough. And you?"

"I've been quite well myself. The exhibition booth was built exactly as planned too. Would you like to take a look?"

"I came here for that very reason, so shouldn't I take a look?"

Stephan guided Ferda as they moved.

Ferda roughly observed how the exhibition was running.

The scholars arranged their items in booth formats at the exhibition, allowing the merchants and nobles to view them one by one as they walked past.

And every scholar participating in the exhibition was burning with fighting spirit.

What researchers always lacked was money.

This exhibition was a crucial moment that would determine the continuation of their research lives.

The ones who would fill that lack of funds were the merchants and nobles browsing the exhibition.

If they were lucky, Ferda could become their sponsor as well.

Ferda roughly inspected the scholars' items starting from the entrance.

'Nothing particularly catches my eye.'

Everything in sight was either purely theoretical or severely lacking in marketability.

That was likely why they felt so isolated out here on the outskirts.

However, the deeper they went into the center of the exhibition, the larger the booths became, and the items grew flashier as well.

Among them were items that would be quite useful in the future.

Burnel's booth was located in the center.

Constructed with the power of the Pascal trading company, Burnel's booth was just as flashy as the massive booths sponsored by other major enterprises.

"How is it?"

"Well-made."

"Right? I brought in our decoration experts to put it together, haha."

Standing out as much as it did, it was bound to attract many people's attention.

The booth was ready, but there was nothing on display yet.

Ferda was supposed to bring the items, so they were currently waiting for him.

"By the way, where are the mana stones we were supposed to prepare?"

"It seems Burnel has them. Where did Burnel go?"

"I believe he headed back to his lodgings first."

"Without a word?"

Since he hadn't slept properly for days, was he trying to catch some sleep before the main stage?

Having been right by his side, Ferda knew exactly how hard Burnel had worked.

"I'll go and fetch him."

"No, I'll go."

Figuring he had nothing else to do anyway, Ferda decided to go himself.

Firmly ignoring Stephan's attempts to stop him, he set off and walked toward the lodgings.

Contrary to his expectation that Burnel would be passed out in his room, he found Burnel in the hallway leading to the lodgings.

Chancellor Bernard, the host of the exhibition, was also there.

The two were in the middle of a conversation, and Ferda eavesdropped on them.

"Burnel Marquis."

Chancellor Bernard said, looking at Burnel.

"I cannot hide my disappointment in you."