Chapter 4
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: An Offer She Can't Refuse
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A grand mansion of over five stories.
The beautiful garden visible beyond the window, along with the antique wall and main gate, was incredibly magnificent.
The finest dormitory at the Armian Imperial Academy, existing only for the top 10%, a place where only those who have proven their great qualifications and dignity may enter.
La Vie Douce Dormitory.
As if to prove it was the pride of the Armian Imperial Academy, it was supremely splendid and dignified.
Ruina Bercefe sat in the exact same spot where she had been stood up yesterday.
‘Pernyan Fallenberg.’
She stewed in her anger toward him.
‘He’s trying to put me in my place.’
She was the one in debt, the one at a disadvantage. What made it more infuriating was that she couldn't deny it.
The enormous debt the Bercefe family owed the Fallenberg family.
Her once-brilliant family had collapsed after a single incident, losing all its glory.
They had to sell everything to survive, and when that wasn't enough, they had to take on debt.
“Sorry I'm late.”
Just then, the door opened. A man entered with a maid.
Hair as black as obsidian and red eyes. It was Pernyan Fallenberg, the eldest son of the Fallenberg family.
His neat attire always exuded elegance and a sense of loftiness. The very model of a high-ranking noble, as if from a painting.
“Lord Pernyan, here is your coffee.”
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome. Please call if you need anything at all.”
The maid left. Only the two of them, a man and a woman, remained in the closed reception room.
“I'm sorry about yesterday. I was distracted and forgot our appointment.”
“Someone saw you leaving La Vie Douce Dormitory just before our scheduled time.”
“…”
“It's fine. It is always the one at a disadvantage who must endure unfairness.”
“That's not what I mean.”
“Yes, then I'll consider it not so.”
*Clink.* Ruina elegantly lifted her teacup.
“I mean, it's not a matter of considering… Forget it.”
*Hah.* Pernyan let out a short sigh. The more excuses he made, the more pathetic he sounded.
“So, what is the reason you wanted to see me?”
“Ahem. Magical Survival Techniques. Combat, War, and Magic. Demonic Beast and Monster Studies. Do you know what these three subjects have in common?”
“They are practical, combat-oriented courses.”
“And.”
“The Knight Department has similar subjects…”
Ruina's aquamarine-blue eyes stared directly at Pernyan.
“Starting in the second year, there are frequent joint classes between the Knight and Magic Departments. Is that your purpose?”
“There's one more thing.”
“There's more?”
“The most important part. They're all worth five credits.”
“…”
“Why the long face? Isn't this more important for you, someone who just barely missed the top spot and absolutely needs the scholarship?”
“I won't deny it. Then you must also know what my answer will be.”
“That you don't want to partner with me?”
From the second year onward, these three subjects emphasized cooperation and experience between knights and mages.
Therefore, who one partnered with was a very important matter.
“Yes. You are ranked tenth in the Magic Department. And I am second in the Knight Department. Is there any reason I should partner with you?”
Second place and tenth place. It was quite a significant gap.
“I have already received several offers. All of them are better options than you.”
“Of course, as the second-ranked student, you would have plenty of better options than the tenth-ranked.”
But reality wasn't so simple.
“If you agree to be my partner for the next three years, I will waive all the interest on your family's debt from now on.”
“…!”
The County of Bercefe, which had served as margraves for generations, was a powerful family that guarded the northern part of the empire.
The reason for using the past tense was that an unexpectedly massive monster wave had breached their fortress and devastated their domain. The damage was so immense it was beyond words.
It was so bad that even after receiving support from neighboring nobles and selling the rights to their precious Golden Bull, it wasn't enough, and they had to borrow from the Fallenberg family.
The "child" named interest, born each year from that massive debt, was a great burden in itself.
“…As I understand it, that is not a decision you can make on your own.”
“I am Pernyan Fallenberg.”
“But you are not Duke Fallenberg.”
“Trust me. I never lie. I'll even draw up a contract if you wish.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. However, there is one additional condition.”
*Of course, there's a catch.* Ruina's expression hardened in an instant.
“I knew it couldn't be this good for me. What is it?”
“I want to sponsor you.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. I mean that I, personally, want to sponsor you.”
“As the second-ranked student at the academy, I receive a full scholarship.”
“And everyone, except for the new freshmen, knows that you send most of it to your family, leaving you to live more poorly than a commoner, aside from your dormitory.”
“…”
Ruina fell silent. She couldn't understand Pernyan's intentions.
Her mouth went dry. She suddenly craved sweet chocolate.
“…What are your intentions?”
“A merchant sponsors someone for only one reason. You should be pleased to hear it. You are a talent.”
“That's not what I'm asking. I am the eldest daughter of the Bercefe family.”
“Noble families are not barred from receiving sponsorship.”
“Most of them are not from equal families.”
“That might have been true in the past, but aren't our families in a similar position now?”
“…Are you trying to insult me?”
Ruina's face became rigid. The coldness in her pupils was beyond imagination.
But Pernyan was confident that Ruina Bercefe would accept this offer—he had the confidence to make her accept it.
‘I'm sorry, Ruina Bercefe. But you are not Aint Armian.’
Her family's honor may be great, but it couldn't compare to the former imperial family, and unlike the imperial family, she had direct ties that bound her.
“Originally, I rated Almon Doneretz higher than you.”
Almon Doneretz. The top student of the second-year Knight Department, whom Ruina Bercefe had never once defeated.
“However, I happened to see your swordsmanship recently. It was incredibly beautiful, elegant, dignified, and righteous.”
“I won't be swayed by compliments.”
“I am not a knight, but I am a merchant with an eye for people. You were a more valuable gem than any knight I have ever seen. More so than the likes of Almon.”
Pernyan closed his eyes.
“I can still never forget your sword dance, unfolding under the moonlight that day.”
To be precise, it was Aint who saw it.
In the future, at that.
“…Under the moonlight? I haven't gone out to practice my sword at night recently…”
So they haven't met yet. Well, Aint hasn't even enrolled yet. In any case, that's even better.
“I never said it was recent.”
“You said ‘recently’.”
“To me, a year ago is also ‘recently’.”
“…So you're saying you spied on my sword dance.”
“Is that important?”
“You spy on someone's sword dance and say it's not important?”
Faced with Ruina's fierce reaction, frowning and flaring up in anger, Pernyan took a step back.
“…I apologize for that, but that's not the point of this conversation, is it? If you wish, I can keep the fact that I'm sponsoring you a secret.”
“…Why go to such lengths? What do you possibly gain from this?”
“A talent like you.”
Whatever she was thinking, contempt slowly filled Ruina's eyes.
“Don't tell me…”
“It's you as a knight, and nothing more.”
“…Do you expect me, a member of the Bercefe family, to pledge loyalty to you?”
“I don't expect anything like that. You just need to be my partner while we're at the academy.”
The return was minuscule compared to the investment. It was an overly generous deal, but this was the best way.
Ruina was a fool who revered chivalry and justice, who valued faith as much as her life—things that, in Pernyan's view, were utterly useless to die for.
That's why he had to bind her not with coercion, but with the shackles of goodwill and familiarity.
“Even so…”
Of course.
“The empire's interest rates went up recently.”
He didn't just offer a carrot. A sucker. To a merchant, there was no word to be more wary and fearful of.
“…Are you threatening me now?”
“I am a soft-hearted merchant. I get hurt when my goodwill is ignored.”
“…Soft-hearted? You?”
“In return, although I'm only ranked tenth, I will prove that I won't be a burden to you.”
“Prove?”
“You'll see soon enough. Now, choose.”
In the end, Ruina had no choice but to accept.
That's how it always was. A skilled merchant always makes an offer the other party cannot refuse.
Whether it was filled with goodwill or brimming with malice, it was all the same.
***
“You're back, my lady.”
“Nanny.”
When she returned to her room, the nanny who had followed her from her family's estate greeted her.
“How did it go…? What did that money-grubbing fiend who stood you up have to say?”
“Watch your tongue, Nanny. He is the grand heir of Fallenberg.”
“Yes. And what did that grand heir scoundrel have to say?”
“I just want to lie down for a bit.”
Ruina threw herself onto the bed. She hadn't swung a sword or even trained, yet her body felt completely drained, as if from exhaustion.
It meant she had expended a great deal of mental energy.
“He said he saw potential in my sword dance.”
The nanny reacted to her low murmur.
“Saw what in your sword dance, my lady?”
“Potential.”
“I'm not quite following…”
“He said my swordsmanship was supremely elegant and beautiful. That's why he saw potential.”
“So that scoundrel dared to spy on your practice? And then tried to use it to woo you? For all his faults, he has a good eye! Surely he didn't threaten you with the debt, did he?”
Ruina let out a small laugh at the nanny's simmering anger.
“Don't worry, Nanny. It's not what you think.”
“Then what is it? Don't be so frustrating, just tell me everything at once.”
“Nanny, you know how there are many joint classes between the Knight and Magic Departments in the second year, right?”
“Yes. I'm an academy graduate myself. Wait, don't tell me?”
“That's right. He asked me to be his partner.”
Seeing her speak so calmly with her eyes closed, the nanny shot up from her seat.
“I knew it! That scoundrel has fallen for you, my lady, and is trying some dirty trick!”
“It didn't really seem that way.”
“How could you not see that in his offer?”
“He said if I partner with him, he won't collect interest on the debt for the duration of my time at the academy.”
The nanny, who had been raging like a fire, suddenly faltered. Her voice died down.
“Pernyan Fallenberg might not be such a bad match for you, my lady… He's rich, handsome…”
“Isn't your attitude changing a little too quickly?”
“…I couldn't help myself.”
*Ahem.* The nanny cleared her throat, avoiding Ruina's gaze, and asked.
“We got a little sidetracked, but it's still suspicious. Who was it that interfered with the imperial support and forced us into debt in the first place?”
“To think he did all that just for this would be too much of a stretch, right?”
“He planned for nearly eight years just to become your partner? Absolutely not. It's definitely about the secret sword arts.”
She didn't know why he'd suddenly changed course, but that much was certain.
“…In any case, I couldn't refuse.”
A three-year interest waiver and sponsorship. Not to mention the clause stating the sponsorship would be kept secret, and the contract would automatically terminate upon graduation.
“The terms were just too good to refuse.”
Ruina handed her the contract. After carefully reviewing it, the nanny nodded.
“There are certainly no poison pill clauses. Everything is heavily in your favor, my lady. Why would Pernyan Fallenberg offer such a contract? Is he really smitten with you?”
“I told you. He said he saw potential in me.”
“Because he spied on your sword dance?”
“He said that as a merchant, he's confident in his eye for people.”
“Considering Pernyan Fallenberg's reputation, it doesn't seem like a lie, but there are one or two things that bother me. Especially the idea that the Fallenbergs would suddenly give up on the secret sword arts—that's hard to believe.”
“I feel the same way, Nanny.”
Even so.
“But you're still going to do it, right?”
The nanny asked with conviction.
“The terms are too good. I just have to endure being his partner for three years. A three-year interest waiver will be a huge help to the family. And I've already signed.”
The moment she signed the contract, Ruina had made up her mind.
“Honestly, I want to advise against it, but if you've already made your decision, my lady, I will follow it. However, my immediate concern is your grades. Tenth place isn't bad, but compared to you, he's quite lacking…”
“He said he would prove he's not lacking.”
“Prove it? How?”
“I don't know.”
“I wonder what that money-crazed fiend is plotting…”
“I'm curious about that too.”
Why would he give up such a vast amount of money just to sponsor me and make me his partner?
‘Do I really have that much talent?’
She had never felt she lacked talent, but aside from her parents and family, he was the first person to praise her to this extent.
Moreover, if he was willing to take this much of a risk, she felt he could have tempted not just her, but even the top student, Almon.
“…”
Whatever his true intentions were, it would be a lie to say she wasn't happy to be acknowledged.
“Nanny.”
“Yes.”
“I need to write a letter to Father.”
“He will be saddened. That you are sacrificing yourself for the family, my lady.”
“This is hardly a sacrifice. It's only natural.”
“Still, just in case, I think it would be best to leave out the part about the sponsorship contract.”
“Yes.”
“But what about this proof?”
“I wonder.”
Surely he doesn't intend to fight me.
No, that can't be it. His skills are nowhere near a match for mine.
Ruina shook her head.
***
“My lord, will you be all right?”
The question was loaded with meaning.
The scheme targeting Bercefe had been planned by Duke Fallenberg himself. The Fallenbergs were a great family, but unlike magic, they lacked expertise in swordsmanship.
They coveted superior secret sword arts, and the secret arts of the Margrave of Bercefe, who had long defended the empire's northern frontier, looked irresistibly sweet.
Bercefe had collapsed at just the right time, and they had set the stage accordingly. And it was just about to bear fruit.
‘And I'm the one who just flipped that entire board.’
An incredibly fine secret sword art and a person who was a shoo-in to become a Royal Knight.
If the Ducal House of Fallenberg were a family that lived and died by the sword, it might be different, but swordsmanship was just a secondary asset; the Fallenbergs had much more.
There was no need to risk everything just to lose the goodwill of a future Royal Knight.
And his future destitution, too.
The problem was that he was the only one who knew this, and he had no way to explain it.
“I will write a letter to my father soon.”
“What will you write?”
“…I'll have to write something.”
“Since you've already done it, I won't say any more, but I wish you luck. I pray I'll be able to serve you again while you're still alive…”
“…Get out.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The attendant disappeared.
“How should I explain this?”
No matter how well I write it, I'm in for a beating.
He could vividly picture his father clutching the back of his neck and collapsing after seeing the contract, crying about the unfathomable losses.
If he himself had a son who did something like this, he would have kicked him out, calling him a fool who would sell out his family for a woman.
“…I don't know. I should sleep on it.”
Clutching his throbbing head, Pernyan lay down on the bed, choosing the easy path of escape for now.