As Roxha exclaimed upon recognizing me, the Grand Duke raised his eyebrows in an arch, asking, “Hmm? You two know each other?”
Do we now...?
I let out a short, dry laugh and replied, “We’ve met once before.”
“Well, that’s good, then. It’s always easier when you’re not total strangers.”
The Grand Duke nodded lightly, as if things were going swimmingly, and then turned to Roxha. “Roxha, hand over your Aura cultivation technique to him.”
“What?! Father! What are you saying?!” Roxha looked flabbergasted as she screamed. Her voice was so loud I nearly winced.
Regardless, she kept right on shouting at the Grand Duke. “You want me to give my Aura cultivation technique to a complete stranger?!”
“Hmm? Complete stranger? Haven’t you met this young man here before?”
“…I did, technically! But that was just a quick conversation regarding Lea, that’s all!” Roxha glared at me with eyes sharp enough to fell a tree.
And to think I even helped her blow off some steam back then, only to be rewarded with that look.
As they say: no good deed goes unpunished.
Though I’m the so-called good deed, come to think of it.
Amused by my own pointless joke, I let out a snort and said, “To be precise, it was you who made a mistake, Lady Roxha, and I simply let it slide.”
“Th-that was—!”
“Hm, and if I recall, I never did get an apology for that. Would you care to offer one now?” I asked with a smirk.
Roxha clenched her small fist so tightly her whole body trembled.
But soon enough, biting her lip, she spat out her words. “Fine! I’ll give it! If that’ll make you happy!”
Whatever had gotten under her skin, she was practically fuming as she barked at her attendant to bring paper and pen.
When the attendant brought them over, Roxha began to write something on the sheet.
At last…
Thwack!
Roxha slammed the pen down on the table and shoved the paper toward me.
“Satisfied?!” she snapped.
“I must thank you for your kindness.”
“Don’t bother. It’s not free.”
Not free?
I eyed Roxha with confusion, then shot a glance at the Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke just shrugged, as if to say, “Sort it out yourselves.”
He looked like a man who had reached the absolute limit of his parental obligations.
Sure enough…
Roxha, eyes blazing, whipped her head around to ask, “Father, I trust this is fine?!”
“Do as you wish.” The Grand Duke nodded.
With her father’s approval, Roxha looked back at me, the corner of her mouth twisting up in a crooked grin.
“Since Father’s given permission, this is a fair deal. Got it?”
“…All right.”
It felt a little off, but since this was a cultivation technique personally recommended by the Grand Duke, I nodded.
“Good. I like someone who’s decisive.”
“…I can’t say I’m thrilled about it, though.”
With a faint sigh, I asked Roxha, “So, what are the terms?”
“Simple.” Roxha flashed a smile that was all teeth and no warmth. “Stop the Miph Merchant Guild from bullying people. If possible, absorb them into our guild.”
Her eyes shimmered with allure, her smile as patient and predatory as a spider waiting in its web.
* * *
Roxha Praha was the Northern Grand Duke’s third daughter, and the current Trademaster of the Charlotte Merchant Guild.
Unlike the other direct descendants, her Aura cultivation technique didn’t originate from House Praha. It was a technique she’d found herself—the one that suited her best.
That was Roxha Praha’s Aura cultivation technique.
I’m pretty sure she bought it for thousands of gold coins on the black market.
Even for an Aura cultivation technique, thousands of gold coins—several white gold coins, at that—was a steep price.
And it wasn’t even a secret family technique.
Of course, if we’re talking about rarity, that one’s even rarer.
So why, then, did Roxha Praha choose a cultivation technique that wasn’t the family’s closely guarded secret?
The reason was laughably simple.
She had no talent for it.
The Praha secret cultivation technique was rooted in the element of cold. It was a style forged in frost—honed to resist the chill around them and channel it into powerful techniques.
Such was the Aura cultivation technique of House Praha: the perfect way to survive in the North.
Yet Roxha Praha hadn’t mastered that cultivation technique. Which was why, among all the direct descendants, she alone was swaddled in a thick fur coat.
It was quite the shock to find out that wasn’t a fashion choice.
In any case…
Even setting aside such juicy gossip, there was still plenty to talk about.
For example, House Praha’s secret cultivation technique was said to be one of the most renowned on the continent.
And as for the Grand Duke’s own version—well, rumor had it that lords were willing to hand over their entire domains just to get their hands on it.
Or so the stories went.
Of course, if you only listened to the stories, you’d think the technique was flawless. But the reality was utterly different.
The one and only catch of the Praha family’s cultivation technique?
It was fiendishly, ludicrously difficult to learn.
With anything less than prodigious talent, you’d be lucky to scratch the surface before giving up.
Aura cultivation technique weren’t something people could just pick up with a bit of willingness.
They required talent, effort, and, if the old tales are to be believed, a generous helping of luck from the heavens themselves.
Of course, if you had someone to teach you, you might manage a bit of dabbling. But that was the extent of it.
The real snag was Roxha Praha herself—a woman with more ambition than talent.
She had no intention of living an ordinary life. Driven by nothing but sheer obsession, she tried to buy with money what she’d been denied by nature.
For someone like her, a cultivation technique she could never truly master—no matter how rare—wasn’t much of a prize at all.
Yet, by coincidence, an Aura cultivation technique appeared on the black market, and it was enough to enchant her.
Of course, it didn’t grant resistance to the cold or any elemental powers.
No, it had just one trick up its sleeve: a sword style that gave shape to obsession itself, and an Aura forged from that very fixation.
In short, the strength of this Aura cultivation technique waxed and waned with the depth of one’s feelings and the ferocity of one’s obsession.
It was, in a way, a rather dubious sort of Aura technique. But for Roxha Praha, there was nothing in the world more fitting.
By turning her own greed into power, she could produce an Aura stronger than anyone’s.
Of course, since she had no talent in the sword or combat, she never got past Aura Expert, and the results were never particularly terrifying.
But Roxen was a different story.
If Roxen were to get his hands on this cultivation technique, the murderous intent he felt toward the cause of the Ayla Tragedy would blossom into Aura itself.
And so long as that happened, his swordsmanship and this new Aura would create a synergy that could only be described as explosive.
I found myself nodding in satisfaction before I even realized it.
It wasn’t as if I’d gone along with the deal just because the Grand Duke had recommended it.
Thunk.
“We’ve arrived, sir.” The coachman brought the carriage to a halt and called out to me.
Jolted from my musings, I turned to look out the window.
Everywhere I looked was blanketed in snow, and yet the domain hadn’t lost a scrap of its beauty.
The roads were neatly paved, and the buildings glowed in every color imaginable, each one more flamboyant than the last.
It was like staring into a kingdom of winter.
I opened the carriage door, stepped down the stairs, and handed the coachman a small tip for his trouble.
“Good work.”
The coachman, tip in hand, bowed so deeply his nose nearly brushed his boots, beaming as he showered me with thanks. “Oh, sir! You really shouldn’t have!”
His mouth was busy protesting, but his hands had already stashed the money away with speed. Clearly, his body was far more honest than his words.
He raised his head just enough to flash a servile grin and asked, “Is there anything else you need, sir? I know this place like the back of my hand—lodging, food, and…”
The coachman took a quick look around, then flashed a wide grin before carrying on.
“…and I know the red-light district inside and out, too.”
I pretended to consider this for a moment, then spoke up slowly. “In that case, you must be well acquainted with the black market as well.”
“Oh, absolutely! Of course! I was actually born and raised here, you see! I’ll make sure your journey goes off without a hitch—leave everything to me!”
The coachman bowed deeply again.
I gave him a brief look, then nodded. “Then I’ll be counting on you.”
“Oh, no, sir, the pleasure’s all mine! I’m at your service!”
The coachman kept bowing, then led us into the city. “This way, please.”
“Ah, wait a moment.” I stopped him, turned my head, and asked quietly, “Kai, how far off is the luggage?”
Kai poked his head out of the carriage, his face as expressionless as a statue.
“Lancelot’s just dawdling again.”
“What? How is this my fault? It’s that old guy’s fault!”
“Wouldn’t things move faster if you just hurried up?” Kai accused.
“You little—ugh!”
Lancelot, riding behind the carriage, scowled from atop his horse.
Only Kai and I had ridden in the carriage; Lancelot and Roxen had followed on horseback, officially as our knightly escort.
But since Roxen had never ridden a horse in his life, he couldn’t manage on his own, so in the end, he’d had to ride behind Lancelot.
“How am I supposed to go any faster with two grown men on one horse?!”
“With skill?”
“Noooo! Old man, you tell him! Can you really say we’re late?!”
“I couldn’t say,” Roxen replied. “Still, it is a bit cramped, so I did suggest you move up a bit.”
“If I go any further forward, I’ll be sitting on the horse’s neck, you maniac! And seriously, how does someone who wants to be a knight not even know how to ride a horse?!”
“I was a squire until just recently. What, are you looking down on me because I used to be a squire?”
“When did I ever say that, you lunatiiiic!”
I closed my eyes and let the noise of my squabbling companions wash over me.
Then, with a small flick of my hand, I signaled the coachman to get moving.
“Eh? Is it really all right to just leave them like that?” the coachman asked, looking puzzled.
I replied with a faint sigh. “…Just go.”
Wishing they would all drop dead, I followed after the coachman.
I stepped into a land that felt like a winter kingdom—Miphra Territory, home to the main office of the Miph Merchant Guild.
* * *
Meanwhile, Roxha Praha, who had sent Louis’s party off to the Miph Merchant Guild’s headquarters, sat in her room with a faint smile.
“Ah, what a relief.”
It was like having a bad tooth finally pulled.
The Miph Merchant Guild was so massive that even the Charlotte Merchant Guild—her own family’s guild—had no power over it.
The thought of absorbing a guild that size into Praha’s was laughable.
Even Roxha had to admit, it was completely absurd.
But Louis Berg had agreed to it—accepted the terms and even walked off with the reward. Which meant he wouldn’t be showing his face here for quite some time.
“If he ends up late for the engagement ceremony, well, there goes the engagement.”
He’d already accepted the terms, so he wouldn’t be able to return until it was all resolved.
And if, by then, he missed the ceremony, the engagement would simply fall apart.
Miphra Territory was famous for its pleasures and gambling, so none of Praha’s other family members would find any excuse convincing.
“Well, still, it’s something of a resort, so he’ll probably get a good rest while he’s there.”
His life wouldn’t be in danger, and he certainly wouldn’t run out of money, so it wouldn’t be all that bad for Louis Berg.
He’d just have to give up on Lea.
“Still, he does seem capable, so maybe they’ll find some use for him at the guild.”
Humming to herself, Roxha Praha poured steaming black tea into her cup.
The fire crackled, but the North’s chill was still biting.
“Honestly, it’s freezing. Feels like it’s getting colder every day.”
Roxha sighed quietly and sipped her black tea. Then, burrowing deeper into her furs, she murmured hesitantly, “But surely he’s not actually going to sort out the Miph Merchant Guild and come back, is he?”