Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Second-in-Command (3)
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After securing actual control over the Lapis Lazuli Merchant House's operations...
Lian's top priority was a massive organizational overhaul.
Or, put another way, modernization.
The strategy was to boost operating profits through improved work efficiency.
If calculations held true, they might double their surplus by next spring.
"Do whatever you want."
Isabel wasn't thrilled, but since she'd promised, she was willing to let him try.
Of course, there was some pushback from the merchant house staff.
But most complaints vanished once wages went up without issue.
Plus, with departments being subdivided, the pressure of forced layoffs lifted too.
Overall, everything seemed to be going smoothly.
Assuming no unexpected variables cropped up.
"Looks good. No issues here..."
Lian's hand froze mid-signature on the reviewed document.
A faint mumbling emanated from the paper he was staring at.
"What the...?"
Lian scrutinized the document again, meticulously.
It was a proposal for investing in a new copper mine.
Copper ore had been discovered in a coastal cave on an island not far from South Port.
In exchange for partial initial development funding, they'd get shares plus half the market price on the ore.
"What's this? Everything checks out."
He double-checked the attachments, but nothing seemed off.
Still, with that hallucination kicking in, he couldn't just brush it off.
Especially right as he was about to sign?
"Hold on. Could this be...?"
Lian untied the bundle, pulling out one sheet separately.
The Royal Geological Survey Team's report.
Oddly, only from there came a madman's mutterings, that ominous whisper.
"Forgery? Or some corrupt officials? Damn, this feels filthy."
Tsking, Lian retied the documents, drawing a long red diagonal line instead of signing.
He set it atop the other rejected pile.
"Huh. Who knew this ability could help like this...?"
It made him freshly curious about what this power really was.
"Wait."
Lian eyed the documents and his quill pen alternately.
Why bother reviewing? Just sign blindly, and maybe the whispers would filter it out.
"...No dumb ideas. Back to work."
He shook his head firmly and refocused on the papers.
An ability even he didn't fully understand.
Over-relying could lead to disaster.
Knock knock knock.
The knock halted Lian's paperwork again.
"Lian. Isabel wants you. Urgently."
"Got it. Be right there."
Isabel summoning Lian was routine.
So at first, he didn't think much of it.
Clank. Clank.
But those metallic footsteps didn't fit the mansion.
His gut said this wasn't trivial.
"...Greetings, Commander Leon."
"Mm. You're always working hard."
"How'd that incident turn out?"
The organized crime using slaves as assassins.
It could've been his business, so Lian had kept tabs.
"Back to square one. The merchants who sold those slaves were all murdered."
Sounded like a tangled web of complicated forces.
Maybe some high noble pulling strings.
But Leon gave a wry smile and brushed past.
Clearly not here for Lian's advice this time.
Lian shrugged off the unease and entered Isabel's room.
"You called?"
"Ah, Lian. Sit here."
"Yes. Looks like a guest just left."
"...More like an unwelcome intruder."
Lian noted Isabel's irritation as he sat opposite on the sofa.
A few parchment documents littered the table between them.
"Um, Isabel...?"
Isabel held a gold-rimmed goblet, silent for a long stretch.
The heavy quiet deepened the furrow in her brow.
"The Lord has accused our merchant house of colluding with a spy."
Her words after the long pause were absurdly out of left field.
"Pardon? Out of nowhere?"
"Yes. They caught a Bordia spy at the government offices."
Lian flinched slightly at his homeland's name, though it was inevitable.
"But we're not the only merchant house dealing with the offices..."
"Read this."
The accusation bore the Lord's seal.
A spy's confession claimed accomplices in the Lapis Lazuli Merchant House.
But the spy died mid-interrogation, so no names.
"This is..."
"They're coming in force three days from now. Using this as an excuse to tear us apart."
Pure malice in the move.
They could've just asked for cooperation to catch the traitor.
Instead, indicting the whole house?
Lian could already picture trading partners bailing en masse.
"Lian. You probably know the staff better than I do."
"You want me to find the colluder?"
"Yes. Luckily, we have three days' grace."
Isabel nodded calmly, sipping her drink.
"What if the confession's fake? Maybe there's no traitor at all."
"Then we make one."
Dumb question, in hindsight.
Pretexts rarely hinged on facts.
"I'd love to pin it on Diego. But recalling him here in three days... tough."
His retirement timing was perfect.
And he'd fled the island like a fugitive.
Suspicious, if you squinted.
"And your homeland is Bordia, right, Lian?"
"Isabel...?"
"A painful loss, but better one arm than your head."
She'd casually threaten to sacrifice him right to his face.
"...I'll find them. I promise."
Lian hid his bitterness with a nod.
Lately, the gap between dreams and reality felt wider.
Lian felt like a shrimp caught in a whale fight.
Not wrong.
This screamed power struggle between the island's two big shots.
But Lian couldn't fathom the Lord's play.
The Lapis Lazuli Merchant House propped up the island's economy.
Rivalry? Sure.
But scheming to smash it outright like this?
"Ha. The taxes we pay alone. He wants the guillotine, that jerk."
Lian slumped in his chair.
Were French traditions the real fix for noble clashes?
"How do I find a maybe-nonexistent traitor in three days? Am I a wizard?"
The island's sole wizard? Some court mage under the Lord.
No help there.
"Sigh... Let's think this through."
Merchant house staff: 58 total.
Excluding annex lobby workers and guards.
Notaries and such meant everyone frequented the offices anyway.
All suspects.
Pick a colluder from them on the spot?
Even if real, how? Tricky.
Sudden one-on-ones? Suspicious.
Just giving the culprit time to destroy evidence.
"Damn. Digging might turn something up."
No answers brooding alone.
Lian headed to the annex office.
"Good work, everyone."
"Hello!"
"Any trouble adapting to the new setup? Or other issues? Tell me anytime."
As usual, at the inspection office.
Some still eyed him with resentment.
If he couldn't nail a real traitor, maybe frame one of them...
Lian milled about, ears perked for chatter.
"Hey, been to the offices lately?"
"Nah. Why?"
"That super-friendly guy there. Freckles, red hair. Haven't seen him in days."
"Maybe caught up in those family murder rumors?"
"Nah, we'd have heard if so."
Security kept the spy arrest secret, apparently.
To lure the accomplice.
So suspect anyone probing that guy's whereabouts.
"You know? Bordia silver crafts are surprisingly good. Don't underestimate barbarians."
"What? Where'd you get that?!"
"Relax! Bought from an Aslan merchant. They trade via Rondel with Bordia."
"Man, those desert folk are tough."
Lian's ears pricked again.
Interest in enemy culture? Risky grab.
Looked suspicious.
"Hey! My pal Lian! You look rough today. What's up?"
"Oh, Miguel. Nothing much. Just a restless night."
"Ahh. Hmm? I see~?"
Miguel squinted meaningfully.
"Don't overdo it, buddy."
He grinned, patted Lian's shoulder, and vanished.
Come to think of it, why had Miguel clung so hard to the house before?
Just money?
Or maybe...
'Damn! I'll go nuts like this!'
Lian pinched his brow, sighing deeply.
Once suspicion rooted, it snowballed.
Everyone seemed shady.
If only those whispers pinpointed someone.
'Wait. Can I make it happen?'
Lian pondered, chin in hand.
He'd always reacted after the fact.
What was the source, anyway?
Like a shaman's divine possession...
'Let's try.'
Lian closed his eyes, meditating to clear his mind.
That whisper in his ear...
No, something's murmur.
Now, he strained to hear it first.
"......"
Just ambient noise.
Reminded him of childhood, futilely bending spoons for hours like psychics.
Face flushing at impending failure...
Giggle giggle.
A child's tiny laugh echoed from the far corner.