An Absurd Amount of Money
Left alone in the spacious hotel room, Charles lay spread-eagled on the massive bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling.
"..."
By now, Yohan and Falco would be meeting with Louis Dorleans, putting on a theatrical performance of mutual deception. Thanks to Yohan's consideration, he hadn't been dragged along to the dinner, but that didn't mean he could just relax. In fact, he couldn't help but worry.
From the look of things, Louis Dorleans had clearly fallen for Falco at first sight. And Louis was a greedy man who would stop at nothing to possess any object or person that caught his fancy. If things didn't go his way...
Charles shuddered, clutching the bedsheets tightly.
Of course, he had warned the two of them beforehand. Charles had shared every scrap of information he possessed about his older brother, Louis Dorleans. For instance, the fact that Louis could never forgive anyone who flaunted something he himself did not possess.
Charles suddenly sat up. He walked over to the large window and drew back the heavy curtains. Beyond the glass, the dazzling nightscape of the Capital stretched out before him. The two of them had to be somewhere out there, amidst those brilliant lights.
Actually, Charles knew exactly which restaurant Louis had invited the "Martin couple" to. If he wanted to, he could call a carriage and head there right this second.
"But still..."
Facing that man head-on was still too difficult. Besides, both Yohan and Falco had insisted they would handle it themselves, so the right thing to do was to trust them. If there was one lingering worry, it was that Falco might lose her temper and let her true personality slip...
But surely, even Falco wouldn't cause a scene in such a critical situation.
Once he reached that conclusion, the tightness in his chest eased. Charles pulled the curtains shut again, returned to bed, and tried to get some sleep.
"Crescent Port? Isn't that at the eastern edge of the continent?"
"You are well-informed. Yes, it is a port on the eastern coast of this continent. It is primarily used for shipping and receiving goods along the coastline."
Yohan blinked, feigning confusion. Louis Dorleans shrugged, wearing his trademark affable smile.
"The southeastern coastal region generally enjoys a warm climate, but the currents are rough and the coastal soil is poor, making it unsuitable for building ports."
"I've heard that the waters are relatively calm only around Crescent Port and a few other harbors."
The oceans of this world were uncharted territory. Since arriving here, Yohan had spent his entire time deep inland, only hearing rumors about the vast waters beyond the shores. To the north, the Great Mountain Range served as a de facto border, while the other three sides of the continent were surrounded and enclosed by the sea.
Of course, "enclosed" was a relative term; the continent was so staggeringly massive that it never felt claustrophobic. In fact, it was so vast that without teleportation magic, civilization would never have developed to its current level.
So... why the hell was this bastard suddenly talking about ports?
Yohan tilted his head, staring at the beaming Louis Dorleans.
"Mr. Martin. Are you aware that there are sailors' guilds in the eastern port cities, including Crescent Port?"
"I've heard of them."
"Recently, among the seafarers..."
Sure. Let's hear what this slimy snake has to say. Yohan quietly listened to the man's pitch.
Louis Dorleans spent an entire hour explaining his grand plan for the New Continent Exploration Project. To put it simply, they would assemble a massive fleet at Crescent Port on the eastern coast and set sail to find uncharted lands across the sea. Thus far, exploration beyond the sea had yielded nothing more than a few small-to-medium islands. This ambitious project aimed to go far beyond that and discover an entirely new continent.
Once his lengthy explanation finally drew to a close...
"I believe this is an opportunity well worth considering, especially for someone of your caliber, Mr. Martin."
"..."
Yohan wore a peculiar expression at Louis's question. Wait, isn't this... just a total scam?
He clicked his tongue inwardly as he looked at the smug Louis Dorleans. Even if Pharmacist Martin was supposed to be a clueless country bumpkin, wasn't this pitch a bit too ridiculous? No matter how many nations or merchant coalitions were supposedly backing it to inflate its scale, launching an expedition to find a continent whose very existence was unconfirmed was sheer madness.
It was the same in his original world. Aside from a tiny handful of legendary explorers, the vast majority who set out on such journeys never returned, forgotten by history forever.
The Goddess's reaction was no different from Yohan's. Generally, the greater the potential return, the higher the risk. But the business venture Louis Dorleans was proposing didn't just carry high risk—it was a guaranteed disaster.
Honestly, Yohan had expected him to dangle a somewhat plausible bait to reel him in... He was secretly disappointed by the shallow nature of Louis's scheme. The claim that multiple nations and enterprises were participating was undoubtedly a blatant lie.
Still, it was the kind of story that a country bumpkin ignorant of the world's workings might easily fall for. Above all, Yohan had to admit that the proposal masterfully preyed on the instinctive yearning for the unknown. An endless voyage across the seas of a fantasy world. It was the very definition of romance.
But romance was romance, and reality was reality.
"To write such a diverse collection of stories, you must have traveled extensively across the continent, Mr. Martin."
"Well, something like that..."
Yohan let his voice trail off. It wasn't exactly a lie that he had traveled around. It was just that the contents of Martin's Fables were simply adapted from the classic stories of his original world, with a few minor twists thrown in.
"That's right. And thanks to those travels, he met me."
Suddenly, Falco, who had remained quiet until now, chimed in with an unusually bright voice and linked her arm tightly with Yohan's. Louis Dorleans tried his best to maintain a calm facade, but Yohan could tell the bastard was grinding his teeth in fury.
It seemed Falco had done that purely to mock and provoke Louis. In truth, Yohan wanted nothing more than to shake her off, but he had to endure it since they were currently roleplaying as the married couple "Martin and Dahlia." Whether she knew his inner thoughts or not, Falco simply beamed with a look of pure bliss.
This pointy-eared brat is definitely trying to screw me over along with Louis.
"Ahem. In any case... even a well-traveled man like you, Mr. Martin, has likely never set foot on lands beyond the sea."
Louis resumed his pitch. He was putting on a perfect show, but he had to be boiling on the inside. One had to admire his sheer self-control.
"Isn't it a wonderful proposition? Do give it some thought."
"Hmm..."
Yohan put on a conflicted expression, pretending to be deeply tempted and torn by the offer. Though he had already seen right through the absurd scam, he needed to play along to a certain extent now that they were here.
Time to throw out some more bait.
Yohan turned his head slightly to lock eyes with Falco. They exchanged a subtle, knowing nod.
"Actually..."
"Actually?"
As Yohan hesitated, Louis barely hid his eagerness.
"I have a substantial debt."
Their goal here was to provoke Louis Dorleans into revealing his true colors. At the same time, Yohan decided to satisfy a personal curiosity of his own.
"I've completely washed my hands of it now, but back when I was young and foolish, I was heavily addicted to gambling."
Louis already knew this from the wiretap he had placed in their room.
"Oh dear. I would never have guessed you had such a past, Mr. Martin."
Of course, the bastard feigned complete ignorance.
"The story of 'The Young Man and the Swallow' in my book was actually born from that painful experience."
It was a fable about a man who squandered his entire fortune on wine and gambling. He intended to sell his last remaining possession, his coat, once the cold winter passed. Seeing a single swallow fly by one day, he assumed winter was over and sold the coat, only to freeze to death when the bitter cold returned. Since Martin's Fables was ostensibly a general literature book, it also contained stories that had little to do with justice or poetic retribution.
"But you didn't freeze to death like the young man in the story."
Falco chimed in once more, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on Yohan's cheek. Yohan flinched, goosebumps erupting across his entire body, but through sheer, superhuman willpower, he managed to keep his expression perfectly composed.
"And that's not all. I met a lovely woman like you and even have a precious daughter. I am incomparably luckier than that foolish young man."
I'm not going down alone. Yohan deliberately piled on the cheesy, affectionate words.
"..."
Falco looked momentarily flustered by his retaliation, but more importantly, a brief flash of murderous intent flared from Louis Dorleans across the table. A little more of this, and I might just make him snap, regardless of his stupid proposal. Yohan thought to himself as he met her sweet, lingering gaze.
Louis Dorleans had wiretapped the room where the "Martin couple" stayed. And the couple—or rather, Yohan and Falco—already knew exactly what Louis was up to. In other words, every single person sitting at this table was a liar.
The Goddess's giggling echoed in his mind, but Yohan ignored it and pressed on with his performance.
"Anyway, as I was saying, I still carry a massive debt. Fortunately, I have a knack for brewing medicines, so I've been chipping away at it by selling High Potions, but the remaining balance is still a mountain."
"A debt so massive that even the profits from selling High Potions cannot cover it... I cannot even begin to imagine the sum."
Louis quickly suppressed his anger at Yohan's explanation. He was undoubtedly twisted, but he was also a man capable of controlling his emotions when the situation demanded it.
"Of course, I won't deny that your proposal is highly attractive, Mr. Dorleans."
But the moment Yohan spoke his next words, a crack appeared in Louis's smooth, smiling facade.
"However... if I fail this time, there will be no turning back for me."
According to Charles, Louis Dorleans could not tolerate others flaunting things he lacked. And right now, "Martin" possessed something Louis did not. Yohan let his lips curl into a gentle smile. He reached out and warmly clasped Falco's hand with both of his.
"Mr. Dorleans. Back when I was consumed by gambling, I was nothing but a worthless scoundrel who cared for neither family nor future. But now... I have a wife whom I love dearly."
Louis had undoubtedly planned to exploit Martin's gambling instincts.
"I appreciate your offer, but I must decline to participate in this venture. Leaving my wife and daughter behind to board a ship and go exploring? It is simply out of the question."
Yohan spoke with a look of polite regret, sealing his refusal.