Putting aside Lancelot’s minor insubordination for now…
Our party came to fully appreciate Hans’ driving skills as we made our way toward Praha Manor.
The horses we’d brought along were now tied to the carriage, for the simple reason that every last one of us—including Lancelot—had decided to ride inside instead.
Strictly speaking, this was a breach of etiquette, but since there wasn’t a soul around to see us, who was going to complain? Given all we’d endured here, and the brisk weather outside, crowding together in the carriage seemed the wiser choice.
“We’ve arrived.” I glanced out the window and, at some point, a manor had appeared—so white it looked like a palace of snow.
We had reached the Duchy of Praha. And, more specifically, we’d come within sight of Praha Manor.
“Everyone, out you get. If anyone else catches us like this, there’ll be a scandal,” I said.
“Aw… but it was so comfortable,” Lancelot complained.
“Would you care to stay with me a bit longer, then?”
“Huh? Am I allowed?”
“Just hand over three years’ salary and I’ll allow it.”
“…So, is this where I get off?” Lancelot, a grown man with the backbone of a jellyfish, quietly opened the carriage door.
Anyway…
Thus, Lancelot and the rest of us climbed down from the carriage and mounted the horses we’d brought along.
And so, we arrived at the entrance to the Ducal Residence.
At the entrance, the guards spotted me and snapped to attention in unison.
“Salute!”
Fortunately, since I hadn’t arrived on the very day of the engagement ceremony, they weren’t shooting daggers with their eyes.
“Good work, men. May we come in?” I asked.
“Yes, sir! Please, come right in!”
“Discipline’s running high today.” I let out a quiet chuckle and gave one of the guards a friendly pat on the shoulder. “I’ll be sure to remember your dedication.”
“Salute!”
Passing the guards, I stepped into the manor. Inside, the place was bustling with servants darting about.
“…Looks busy,” I remarked.
“Well, wouldn’t they be? The engagement ceremony’s tomorrow!” Lancelot exclaimed.
…Tsk.
Hard to argue with that.
As I scratched my head and gazed off into the distance, Lancelot seized the moment and began to chatter away.
“Honestly, some people just don’t appreciate the importance of punctuality.”
“…”
“Frankly, it’s a wonder if you can even take good care of Lady Lea. Really now… How did our dear lady end up saddled with a human being like—ow!”
Kai, having watched Lancelot prattle on at me, delivered a punch to his stomach.
I shot the knight a disdainful look, wondering why he never seemed to grow up.
By now, he should at least know when to keep his mouth shut.
Leaving Lancelot groaning and clutching his midsection, I strode on ahead.
Just then—
“Young Lord Louis Berg, the Patriarch requests your presence.”
The head butler had come to fetch me.
* * *
I followed the head butler to the Patriarch’s office.
Knock, knock.
“Patriarch, Lord Louis Berg has arrived.”
“Show him in.”
Creeeak. The heavy door opened with a sort of dignified, addictive squeal.
“It’s been some time,” the Grand Duke remarked.
“It has indeed, sir.”
“You must be busy with the engagement preparations… But first, have a seat.”
The Grand Duke gestured for me to take one of the guest chairs.
It wasn’t the same as the one I’d seen just a month ago.
Looks like a new purchase.
Why a man preparing to depart would bother buying new chairs was a riddle for the ages, but I nodded agreeably all the same.
“Thank you, I’ll make myself comfortable.” I took the seat the Grand Duke indicated.
It was, in fact, noticeably more comfortable than the previous one.
Hmm… Maybe I should get one of these for my own room?
Just as I was about to ask where he’d found it, the guest who’d arrived before me spoke up, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Back already? I suppose that means you’ve sorted out the merchant guild business?”
Roxha Praha. Lea’s third elder sister, and the Trademaster who led House Praha’s merchant guild.
She regarded me with a smirk, saying, “What’s wrong? Lost your tongue? How did things go with the merchant guild?”
“Oh, that’s all settled.”
“Ha, I knew it. Of course you’d—wait, what?” Roxha’s mocking smile froze as she blinked in disbelief.
Then, with an uncharacteristic “Uh…” she managed to speak again. “So you’re saying you’ve actually sorted out the Miph Merchant Guild?”
“Indeed.” I pulled the documents from my breast pocket and handed them to Roxha.
Then I said, “Henceforth, the Miph Merchant Guild will be under the Charlotte Merchant Guild, which is part of House Praha. They won’t ask for any compensation whatsoever. Furthermore, the Miphra Territory has agreed to treat our merchant guild as a partner, too.”
“…Ehh?”
“That document spells out the terms written by the current Trademaster of the Miph Merchant Guild. Well, if you look at it, it’s basically them volunteering to be absorbed.”
“I… What’s all this…?” Roxha stared blankly at the documents, then at me, then back at the documents.
I gave Roxha a wry smile and finished, “So, anything else you’d like to say?”
* * *
Roxha kept staring down at the documents, her face still frozen in disbelief. But no matter how many times she reread it, the words stubbornly refused to change.
…So everything written here is actually true?
It made no sense.
It had been just two weeks. No, if you were being precise, it hadn’t even been a full two weeks.
If this was the sort of thing that could be sorted out in that amount of time, she never would have asked for help in the first place.
It was impossible from the start!
Solved? Fine, let’s say it’s solved.
Honestly, she had no idea how he’d managed it—whether it was threats or some other trick, let’s just say he pulled it off.
But resolving the matter in fourteen days? Even if she tried to make sense of it, her brain simply refused.
Damn it… What is he, really?!
Roxha stared at Louis, sitting across from her.
There he was, back straight, looking every inch the nobleman. The way he sipped the coffee the head butler had brought in—he looked more aristocratic than any noble in the Empire.
It was hard to believe this was the same man who, not long ago, had been called a wastrel.
When had it started, exactly?
When had this man become so competent?
No, there’s no way he’s actually competent. This has to be a scam. Who trusts a single piece of paper, anyway?
Roxha shook her head, trying to see it from a different angle.
When she thought about it, all Louis had as proof was this single document.
No witnesses, no other evidence—just this sheet of paper. And yet, here she was, about to believe him.
Ugh… I really am pathetic, aren’t I?
Roxha curled her lips into a smile, doing her best to suppress her frustration.
How could she have fallen for such a trick? She had done a disservice to her reputation as a genius merchant—
“Oh, and for the record, it’s all written on a document stamped with the Imperial Family’s seal. If any of it’s false, it’s off with my head.”
“Wait, what? Why?!” Roxha yelped in a shrill tone.
Why on earth was there an Imperial seal on this document? She’d been trying very hard to ignore that little detail!
I was ignoring ittttttt!
Roxha clutched her head and buried her face in her hands.
It wasn’t the sort of display one expected from a noble’s daughter, but no one in the office seemed inclined to scold her for it.
And so, A few moments of silent agony passed.
“…I’ll be going now.”
“Don’t you want to check it again?”
Louis called after her as she made for the door, but Roxha didn’t answer.
She simply left the office.
* * *
There she goes.
I glanced at the spot where Roxha had been, then took a sip of coffee.
Even after storming out like that, she’d definitely go and verify whether I was telling the truth.
Then she’d calculate, down to the last coin, what this business would bring her—and act accordingly.
Whatever anyone might say, she really is a genius merchant.
There was a good reason the Artezias had once sent out an official notice to eliminate her first.
Anyway. Looks like this is the chance for the Charlotte Merchant Guild to finally spread its wings.
Before I turned back time, the Miph Merchant Guild had kept their growth in check. But now, with no real competitors left, neither the Charlotte Merchant Guild nor Roxha would be stopped.
Well, technically, there were still other guilds, but none of them would be able to do any real damage.
Not that it mattered, since I’d already pocketed all the best bits for myself. Trade routes, Mithril, that sort of thing.
Soon enough, whenever they needed money, they’d probably have to come and see me.
Even the Miph Merchant Guild would end up under my influence, one way or another.
This whole affair had gone rather well.
Wearing a look of deep satisfaction, I lifted my coffee cup—only for the Grand Duke to let out a dry chuckle and say, “I didn’t expect you to truly succeed.”
“It was a business deal, after all. I took the advance, so of course I had to deliver.”
“Hah… I really misjudged you. I never imagined you’d be this resourceful.” The Grand Duke shook his head in disbelief, then asked, “So, aren’t you going to tell me how you managed it?”
“It’s a long story.”
“That’s fine. Roxha couldn’t pull it off, but you did—so what’s a little inconvenience compared to that?”
…What I meant is, I’m too tired for that.
I bit back the words that tried to escape and let out a quiet sigh.
After two days of being bounced around in a carriage, exhaustion was setting in, but this was the Grand Duke, after all.
The continent’s greatest knight—a Grand Master.
Throwing a fit in front of him would be the sort of thing only a madman would attempt.
I’m not Lancelot, after all.
With a faint sigh, I gave him a rough summary of what had happened, and the Grand Duke listened with genuine interest.
And finally…
“Hmm… a puppet Trademaster, is it?”
The Grand Duke nodded thoughtfully when I explained how I’d made the Miph Merchant Guild’s Trademaster into a puppet.
“Not a bad method. Especially if there’s a weakness to exploit.”
Naturally, I didn’t mention anything about feeding drugs to the youngest of Artezia or shopping in the black market.
Same went for the Mithril.
Only a fool would volunteer information that didn’t need to be shared.
I simply said I’d killed the original Trademaster of the Miph Merchant Guild.
“Killing the Trademaster was another sound decision. Since he attacked a noble, you had all the justification you needed.”
“I was just lucky.”
“All the better, then. Clearly the Goddess is watching over you.”
Mm… is that how that works?
I chuckle wryly as the Grand Duke smiled at me.
Then, setting down my coffee cup, I continued, “So, Your Grace… Why did you call me here? I doubt you just wanted to hear my story.”
“Hmm… You’re quick on the uptake, and that’s certainly one of your better strengths,” the Grand Duke murmured.
Then, as if the cheerful face he’d worn was just another prop in his acting kit, he wiped away his smile and continued. “His Majesty has summoned me to the Imperial Capital.”
“…The Imperial Capital?”
“Yes. I suppose it’s about time he sent me off to the Demonic Realm.”
The Demonic Realm…
For a moment, my own face went blank.
The moment the Grand Duke set off for the Demonic Realm, the Elder Council would get down to the serious business of trying to gobble up the Grand Duke’s household.
And the first tasty morsel in their way? That would be me.
…Can I really take on the Elder Council alone?
I asked myself, but the answer that came back was hardly reassuring.
Sure, in my previous life I’d clawed my way up to Aura Expert, and I possessed outstanding archery talent.
But at present, I was just an Aura Adept. No more, no less.
Of course, my progress since coming back in time was leagues ahead of the past, but that didn’t make me some invincible hero. Not by any stretch.
At the very least, I’d need to reach mid-level Expert. That was the minimum requirement if I wanted even a fighting chance.
“…When do you leave for the Demonic Realm?”
“If I dawdle, half a year. If I hurry, I’ll have to move within three months.” The Grand Duke let out a thin sigh as he answered.
In other words, I had at most half a year to reach mid-level Expert. And in the meantime, there were little things like Mithril and the trade routes to sort out.
…Looks like I’ll be running around quite a bit.
Just as I was busy redrawing the blueprints for my future…
The Grand Duke turned to me and asked, “So, have you gathered all your unit members?”