Chapter 98
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98
“I should have known from the moment Leopold brought that Akhal-Teke and gave it to Sabine. When they were on the brink of ruin, they acted like they’d do anything for us, but now they want to use the canal to play games?”
Oscar let out a dumbfounded scoff. As he hurried down the stairs and placed a cigarette between his lips, Simon immediately lit it for him and added his report.
“They say that for the next two months, only merchant ships belonging to King Leopold’s nobles and Holland will have exclusive use of it. They promised to send the penalty for breach of contract immediately…”
“And the Ishas Ambassador is running away after dropping that bomb on me?”
“Yes, sir.”
Furious, Oscar stopped dead on the landing. He took a deep drag from his cigarette and spat out an order.
“Catch him.”
“Understood.”
Simon signaled one of the Wolves with a nod, and the man slipped down the stairs ahead of them. Oscar continued his descent, brushing his hair back with an irritated hand.
“What’s the scale of our losses if we can’t use the Ishas Canal for two months?”
“If we can’t use the canal, we’ll have to detour around the continent. In that case, shipping costs will quintuple, and the journey will take an extra three months. Our current iron ore reserves are at twenty percent. If we don’t receive any iron ore for three months, the combined shipping costs, various breach-of-contract penalties, and maintenance fees will result in a maximum loss of four hundred and fifty billion Kerte.”
The astronomical sum was one thing, but the real problem was the lack of any guarantee that this wouldn’t happen again.
A bastard who stabs you in the back once will do it again. Considering the sheer amount of money they had provided to fund the construction of the Ishas Canal, the thought was enough to make his teeth grind.
“The best-case scenario is, of course, for Ishas to reopen the canal,” Simon said.
“And if not? The Tekan Canal?” Oscar shot back.
Simon’s expression darkened at the question.
“The Norfolk Royal Union won’t sit idly by.”
Oscar let out a sharp laugh. “They were fighting like a pack of wild dogs just a century ago, and now they’re calling themselves a union? Fuck.”
“That is likely what King Leopold is aiming for. If we use the Tekan Canal, the Norfolk Royal Union will immediately protest. Your Excellency’s relationship with the Royal Union will sour, while King Leopold’s ties with them will only grow stronger.”
As they stepped through the wide-open doors, a chilly dawn mist greeted them, completely enveloping the manor. The fog was so thick that even the outline of the annex across the way was barely visible.
Running a business was much like walking down a fog-laden path. The only way to find the right direction was to keep moving forward. In any case, both the responsibility and the consequences were his alone to bear.
Without hesitation, Oscar stepped into the mist and boarded the carriage.
“If it’s useful, I’ll use the Tekan Canal or whatever else is available. We’ll adapt to the situation.”
“…”
“The first time is always the hardest; the second is easy. If we want to prevent this issue from ever cropping up again, we have to handle it properly this time. Detain the Ishas Ambassador, but don’t go too far. And make preparations so we can contact the Tekan Ambassador immediately.”
Simon swallowed hard before finally nodding.
“Understood, Your Excellency.”
As Barbara closed the carriage door, the Wolves bowed deeply toward their departing master.
Simon, who was about to hand Oscar some documents, tilted his head in confusion when he noticed blood seeping through the bandages wrapped around Oscar’s hand. A wound like the one from yesterday should have healed in a single day.
“It seems the wound was deeper than I thought.”
Oscar did not reply. When Simon stole a glance while sorting through the papers, he saw his master staring blankly at a spot on the manor grounds. Seeing Oscar seemingly lost in thought, Simon prioritized the urgent documents.
“I have Abel’s report as well, but I’ll set it aside for now and present the other documents first.”
“No, it’s fine,” Oscar said, his voice laced with boredom. “It’s a trivial report anyway; it won’t take more than a few minutes to read.”
His tone made it sound as though the report wasn’t even worth postponing. Simon placed Abel’s report, which he had set aside, back on top of the stack and handed it to Oscar.
Resting his right elbow on the carriage window frame and gazing outside, Oscar brought the cigarette from between his fingers back to his mouth as he took the documents. He set the heavy stack down beside him, then picked up Abel’s report from the very top.
It was at that moment that the sharp instincts of a high-bred red wolf kicked in. Simon held his breath and watched his master’s reaction.
The target had a strange knack for causing trouble, but it was never anything major. The “trouble” the woman caused was so minor it barely qualified as such. It wasn’t as if Oscar had to clean up after her, and since Barbara was managing her, there was no need to pay it much mind.
Furthermore, with word that her identification papers had safely reached the Danguk Embassy, there was no reason not to let things run their course.
But then, why did Oscar go to the exhibition yesterday?
Was he worried the target might die? Surely he knew that while she might face some trouble, her life was never in danger.
No one could force Oscar to attend Sabine’s exhibition. Not even the King himself. Simon could not fathom why Oscar, who loathed even breathing the same air as his own family, had gone.
In the end, nothing had been gained from attending.
Just then, Oscar took a deep drag of his cigarette, his cheeks hollowing as he read the document. Through the billowing smoke, Simon saw his master’s lips curl into a crooked smirk. Resting the back of his head against the seat, Oscar crossed his long legs and muttered, “She followed Sabine von Jerome to stop Abel Sting from getting slapped?”
He clearly found it baffling. Simon calmly explained the trivial details.
“When Lady Jerome tried to take the target away, Abel stopped her. Infuriated, the young lady slapped Abel twice. The target intervened just as she was about to strike him a third time, and that’s why she went with the young lady…”
Simon trailed off as he watched his master’s expression shift rapidly, as if he had just heard something utterly preposterous. Since the details were already in the report, there was no need to recite them further, so Simon added his own thoughts instead.
“Doesn’t this prove that Abel’s mission to secure the target is progressing well?”
“…”
“It seems the target wanted to stop Abel from getting slapped at all costs. She wouldn’t have done that unless she harbored favorable feelings toward Abel Sting. I told him to keep up the good work and bring us good news soon.”
“…”
Oscar laughed. Nodding slowly, he took a few more drags from his cigarette before stubbing it out in the ashtray. “What a saint,” he murmured.
“…”
What is this?
While the high-bred wolf’s crimson eyes darted back and forth in confusion, Oscar tossed Abel’s report aside as if it were trash. He then pulled the truly urgent documents toward him and began reviewing them. Finding it difficult to say anything more, Simon quietly returned to his own work.
By the time the carriage crossed the boundary of the estate, Simon had forgotten the strange tension he had briefly felt and was fully absorbed in his tasks. Thus, he failed to notice his master’s gaze lingering on the manor behind them.
The fog-shrouded estate quickly receded into the distance.
In the early hours of the morning, the Marquis of Reinhardt’s carriage cut through the mist and began to speed through the streets of Luxen.
*
Meanwhile, at the Luxen Royal Palace.
Even in the early dawn, the King’s Chief Lady-in-Waiting was dressed in a high-collared gown. Spotting Count Jerome walking through the mist, she offered a polite greeting. Welcoming the count, who had just arrived through the damp morning air, she led him straight to the King’s audience chamber.
When they arrived, Leopold was already there.
“How did it go?” the King asked, skipping any pleasantries as he questioned the count, who had just returned from a day-long trip.
“You must have already received word, but…”
“I’m not asking about that idiot Baden’s death,” the King cut in, stepping closer. “I’m asking if you cleaned up the mess properly so that no traces remain.”
“You have nothing to worry about. It will be concluded that the Grand Duke committed suicide out of despair.”
“And what about the Ishas Ambassador?”
Standing behind Leopold, the Chief Lady-in-Waiting answered. “By now, the news should have reached Reinhardt. The Marquis will undoubtedly try to contact the Ishas Ambassador first, but he will fail. The ambassador is scheduled to board a high-speed vessel back to his home country in an hour.”
Leopold turned toward the Chief Lady-in-Waiting, his brow furrowed. “But wait. Now that I think about it, couldn’t Oscar just go and meet the King of Ishas directly?”
“Even on a high-speed vessel, it takes a month to reach Ishas. Furthermore, he is a man who never forgives anyone who betrays him. Remember what he did to Grand Duke Baden. The trust with Ishas has already crumbled with this single incident.”
“So he’d risk making an enemy of the Norfolk Royal Union?”
“The immediate loss is one thing, but knowing that the King of Ishas could block the canal again at any moment, the Marquis will surely seek out the Tekan Ambassador himself.”
Only then did an irrepressible smile touch Leopold’s lips. He strode over to the table and looked down at the map spread across it. Marked on the map was the route Oscar would have to take to find the Tekan Ambassador.
The road running along the border of Pelfe was a habitat for demonic beasts, but it was still open to civilians. Before the development of the Magic Dome, which kept the beasts at bay, it had been classified as a danger zone accessible only to soldiers. However, since the installation of the Magic Dome, a Special Task Force utilizing mana had been working in twenty-four-hour shifts to prevent the beasts from approaching.