Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: A Treacherous Subject Can Be Useful
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‘Anyway, this means that guy will cling to me even more. Whew~’
Beonald thought that while the man was busy now, reaping profits, once the boom passed and the business stabilized, or if he sold the business itself to someone else for one last big score, he wouldn’t be satisfied with just the profits gained here and would likely come to him again.
‘It’s good timing since I need money too… It was a good idea to sow those seeds back then. Hmm… I should go see him later. I really did well to give him something then.’
In the current situation of devising a plan to save the Princess against the Emperor, any variable, however small, would be helpful. Seeing that the man was making money, Beonald thought it was a good idea to have given him the recipe earlier.
If he had ignored Daren back then, disgusted, he wouldn’t have had this chance.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. The noble line was ridiculously long. Here, take it.”
“Yes, Senior.”
Having resolved to meet Daren later without fail, Beonald headed back to the Academy with Cedron, who had returned carrying soap neatly packaged in a paper box.
Upon arriving at the Academy, they headed straight to where the ‘Garden of Swords’ club was located. Its facilities were as splendid and not to be outdone by its rival ‘Sword and Shield,’ with a building resembling some military headquarters standing there.
‘…This is exactly how things go off the rails when they compete like this.’
Well aware of what noble pride contests were like, Beonald clicked his tongue at the undeniably luxurious facilities.
And thanks to Cedron being the club president, Beonald entered the clubroom without any opposition, joined the Garden of Swords club, immediately convened a meeting to adjust the originally planned knight entries for the athletic festival, summoning all members currently in training and practice, and was able to make the changes right away.
“Of course, some may have complaints, but we must win this ‘tournament’ for this year to go smoothly, and it will boost the honor and reputation of those friends who will go serve as knights in their families or territories. Therefore, I intend to include him in the tournament and large-scale team battle entries. Any objections?”
“None. He gave that Lloyd guy a good hit, so his skills must be good, right?”
“Besides, he’s offering to fight in our place… There can’t be any objections.”
Here, with Cedron as president and everyone having witnessed Beonald’s skills, there was no one who could raise an objection.
Winning this unity tournament would raise their faction’s honor, so regardless of background, if a qualified person was strong, there was no reason to refuse.
Beonald completed the joining procedures and received a uniform, the armor to wear during the tournament, and a sword.
“May I step out for a moment?”
“Go ahead. Will you return today?”
“Hmm~ It would be a nuisance if I returned late, so I’ll stay until tomorrow morning.”
“Understood. Then I’ll take care of that armor and your belongings.”
“Ah, thank you, Senior.”
Expressing gratitude for Cedron’s consideration, Beonald handed over his belongings, dismounted his horse, and moved alone to a certain location.
Arriving directly at the place where Daren’s merchant company was located, Beonald asked a menacing-looking employee on guard duty to relay that he had come.
And not long after he went up, the sound of someone hurriedly coming down the stairs was heard.
“Oh my! Lord Beonald! To what do I owe this honor? I never imagined you would come in person. Please, come in. Come on, come in, come in~”
‘Even though I came of my own accord, this guy’s slick attitude is really unpleasant.’
The moment he saw Beonald, Daren, with a face full of smiles, rubbed his hands and bowed obsequiously, personally guiding him inside the company building.
He took him to a room, which seemed to be his office, filled with stacks of numerous documents and sacks of gold coins.
To have even three expensive candles lit while working, he must have made a considerable profit.
“I apologize for this. Hahaha, I was just tallying today’s income.”
“I wanted it this way, so it’s fine. So? Made some money?”
“Are you asking knowing full well? It’s a huge hit right now, at the peak of the soap business. Currently, raw materials and supplies are insufficient to meet demand, and even resellers who buy soap not to use but to resell are emerging. Hahah! And it’s gradually spreading beyond the capital.”
At the word ‘reseller,’ Beonald found it absurd and let out a stifled laugh but managed to hold it in, sipping the tea Daren served and continuing the conversation.
“Hmm~ That’s good. But other merchant companies won’t just sit still, right?”
“No. Not at all. Initially, the soap market itself was an area no one touched, and no one even thought of a soap factory. It was just a few guild artisans supplying to noble houses.”
“Then didn’t they resist?”
“On the contrary, they took money and got hired by us. Hahah! What business stands before gold coins? Plus, with their know-how combined, productivity increased even more.”
‘A talented merchant is indeed different.’
Despite being a similar young age to his current self, his thinking and resourcefulness were seasoned, making Beonald look at him anew.
With the ability to grow a business to this extent, he was definitely more polished and bold than the average merchant.
“And to protect the recipe, I offered a portion of the profits to the Imperial family, promising to continue doing so, and they dispatched three Imperial Knights to support us. Elite knights of the upper-class level at that.”
“That’s impressive.”
On top of that, despite the increased cost, he had the sense to bring in the Imperial Knights, who are responsible for the capital’s security, to build goodwill while protecting the recipe’s safety.
Even if it was just three, the mere reputation of being guarded by the Imperial Knights was a sufficient advantage, but it still seemed too few, so he asked.
“But isn’t three too few? If they rotate shifts, it would be one at a time, right?”
“Of course, it’s not just the three. They lead regular soldiers and attendants, so it’s essentially a guard corps of about a hundred men. Hahah.”
“…Then what about their maintenance costs?”
“Naturally, the Imperial family bears them. I offered a certain percentage of the profits and set the condition that if anything happens at the Imperial Palace, that takes priority. For the Imperial family, knight maintenance is a fixed cost anyway, right?”
“That’s true. But still, you must have had to persuade the Finance Ministry officials……”
“Their wives and daughters also want our soap~ and with a little gold coin added on top, it was resolved smoothly.”
Daren’s resourcefulness, knowing the ways of the world perfectly, was flawless.
The Imperial family gained a fixed income, and Daren could continue growing this soap business while protecting the recipe, making it a win-win for both.
After excitedly boasting about himself, Daren immediately asked Beonald the reason for his visit.
“But what brings you here, Lord Beonald? You don’t seem idle enough to come check on my achievements. Ah, perhaps you came to get products for Her Highness the Princess? Hahah.”
“Has the rumor reached here too?”
“Rumors about Lord Beonald have spread everywhere in the capital now. Anyone who doesn’t know is a fool. Hahah. So, what’s your actual relationship with Her Highness?”
“I don’t know how she thinks of me, but I just… feel sorry for her.”
“Sorry for her?”
“Yes. It’s painfully obvious she’s suffering under that dog of an Emperor.”
“Whoa, that’s… a bit of a dangerous statement, isn’t it? Moreover, isn’t this country’s Emperor doing a decent job?”
The Kalem Empire, as he said, currently boasted national power sufficient to pride itself as the sole empire on the continent.
In these troubled times, he was politically astute, established the Academy to continuously gather and utilize talents from among nobles and commoners alike, ruling for decades and solidifying the Empire’s foundation.
Calling such a man a ‘dog of an Emperor’ was inevitably awkward.
“Ah… he does his job well. That’s right. From the perspective of the Empire’s citizens, that is. It’s just that my perspective is different. Well, to put it bluntly… he’s not a good parent.”
“It seems understandable yet vague… But still, isn’t that another family’s matter? Why insist on intervening? I don’t understand.”
“Anyway, I have no obligation to tell you that much. So, what will you do? Now that you know I won’t do anything good for the Imperial family, shouldn’t you make some gesture?”
“Uuuuuuum~ This is really difficult.”
Since a single misstep could cause not only himself but the entire company to vanish, Daren began to consider carefully.
It was truly treasonous, even absurd to target the Princess, but Beonald’s eyes were filled with sincerity, forcing him to ponder even more.
“First… what do I need to do?”
“That is……”
Beonald opened his mouth and slowly began to explain his plan.
As the story continued, Daren listened with an expression of utter disbelief, but Beonald kept persuading him that this was the only way. After thinking for a moment, Daren nodded as if he had no choice.
“…I have no choice. Let’s give it a shot. But if we succeed, you must properly secure my share.”
“That goes without saying. And one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“I think… it’s likely already the case, but since you’ve had contact with me, agents from the Imperial intelligence or Imperial Knights will surely be attached to you. I’m already a person of interest, and at this point, denying the relationship would be difficult.”
“…Cough! So we’re already in the same boat, more or less. Understood. I’ll keep it in mind.”
With those words, Beonald rose from his seat and left the company.
And thinking that someone was watching him in the darkened capital, he moved swiftly, darting here and there to disrupt their tracking as much as possible.
Kalem Empire, Imperial Palace.
And just as Beonald had surmised, the Emperor continued to have intelligence agents and Imperial Knights tail him, reporting his every move.
While he was quiet inside the Valderian family mansion, it wasn’t a big deal, but once he left the mansion and started moving, they had no choice but to be particularly vigilant.
“Hmm, so you’re saying he intends to participate in the knight club tournament of the Academy’s noble faculty? He’s already joined the Garden of Swords club.”
The Emperor of the Kalem Empire was listening to a report about him from an intelligence agent while attending to official duties.
The agent, clad in black clothes and a mask, remained prostrate, continuously answering his questions.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I couldn’t hear the detailed conversation, but it’s obvious his goal is to achieve merit there and target Her Highness the Princess when granted an audience with Your Majesty.”
“Hehehe, aside from means bordering on treason, that’s about all he can do. And with that capability, he must be aiming for it.”
The tournament between knight-focused clubs was one of the largest and most prestigious events of the Academy’s athletic festival. It was a gateway for the Empire’s promising knight candidates, and the winner was granted great fame and the opportunity for a direct audience with the Emperor to speak.
‘Hmm… If he rises that high, it becomes quite troublesome.’
If that fellow, who had already set the capital abuzz with romance rumors, were to demand the Princess from him there or pull some other stunt, it would be a headache whether he agreed or refused, so the Emperor pondered a solution.