Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Betting (1)
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A small port town nestled along the coast, surrounded by cliffs.
A single brigantine that had diligently crossed the sea all night long slowly came to a stop at the dock.
Amid the sailors bustling about to unload the cargo they had brought,
three passengers who had traveled on the ship dawdled their way up onto the deck.
Lian and Firka.
And Pablo, who was little more than a baggage handler masquerading as an escort.
It was early summer now, but the chilly dawn sea breeze still roused the trio from their sleepy haze.
"The town's smaller than I expected. No issues finding a carriage to take us, right?"
"Don't worry. Even a small port town like this has everything you need."
Lian scanned the village with a furrowed brow.
To think the closest mainland port to Madella was this modest.
It was proof that trade between the two regions was still far from brisk.
"Hmm. Looks like developing specialties that can sell on the mainland is the top priority after all."
"Huh? You're still thinking about work even after coming all this way? You're relentless."
"Hey, isn't that exactly Lian's secret to success?"
"Nah, I think he's overdoing it. He'd probably agonize over how to sell a roadside pebble if he spotted one."
Pablo nodded quietly in agreement.
"You're both annoying. Let's hurry up and rent a carriage."
"Fine. Just follow me."
Firka took the lead with quick steps toward a large two-story building in the center of the village.
A sign announcing it as a public office greeted them.
"What's this place?"
"Can't you tell? It's the village office."
"That's why I'm asking—why here?"
At Lian's repeated questions, Firka dramatically flung open her cloak.
"Show the royal crest at an official office, and you can borrow a carriage easy as pie! No need to pay exorbitant fees."
How about that? Impressive, right?
This is the power of a high-ranking official!
She wore a triumphant expression, as if proclaiming as much.
Lian looked down at her and let out a light scoff.
"Pass. A government carriage isn't a real carriage—it's just a cart."
"You ungrateful rich bastard..."
"Plus, don't you have to return it and rent a new one every time you arrive at another village or city?"
"W-Well, yeah..."
"Too much hassle. Just pay the premium and be done with it."
Lian grabbed the pouting Firka's shoulder and turned her toward the post office.
This was a private enterprise run by a merchant guild, not a public institution.
Simply put, it was like a courier service that transported people too.
Lian had his eye on this line of business and planned to start something similar in Madella soon.
"Mm. A carriage with a roof does feel nice."
"See? You knew you'd say that eventually."
The carriage carrying Lian's group exited the valley between the cliffs and headed out onto the vast plains.
Gazing out the window, an endless horizon stretched before them.
It truly sank in that they had crossed over to the continent, not some island.
"How much farther now?"
"About seven days?"
"Ugh. It really is far."
"Just think of it as a vacation. Didn't you tell me to do the same? Heh."
Firka sprawled out on the seat, flaunting the perks of being petite.
"Man, I could really go for a sweet night right now."
Her smug attitude nearly made Lian's fist twitch involuntarily.
"So, what kind of knighthood reward are you getting, Lian?"
"Who knows? This incident blew up bigger than expected, so maybe even a title's on the table."
"Whoa! For real?"
"Yeah, sure. Though it'd just be honorary, like knights or quasi-nobles."
"Still, that's huge!"
A mere honorary rank without land or inheritance rights.
Even so, it came with tax perks and such, so it wasn't bad for Lian.
"But quasi-noble status might dump annoying official posts on you too. I'd pass on that."
"Why? You love working."
"That's investing in an easy future. A government post? One slip-up and you're enslaved to the state for life."
"Hey! Even you wouldn't go that far... or would you?"
Firka counted on her fingers, calculating furiously, her face gradually darkening.
Even as a half-elf, she lived several times longer than humans—would it really...?
Eventually, Firka gave up midway, shook her head vigorously, and spat out the bitter pill.
"Still, with your talent, you'd rocket straight to grand noble status, Lian!"
"Well, it'd be nice if that happened..."
"No joke. It could really happen."
"See? Even the mage lady says so!"
What wind blew this way, making her say that?
Lian eyed Firka curiously.
Her deadpan expression suggested it wasn't just flattery.
"Madella's situation has gotten so tangled lately—who knows what'll happen next."
"Anyone can see that."
"I hate politics; it's boring and annoying. But in this position, you end up hearing things whether you like it or not."
"Like what, specifically?"
"Honestly, Madella's pretty big as a single fief, right?"
Just the south and north ports alone were major cities.
It was rare elsewhere to have such metropolises under one lordship.
Administratively, it felt forced into the 'fief' label.
"So, they're thinking of chopping it up while the head's freshly lopped off."
"Makes sense. The nobles who were practically lords themselves gave up those positions to create Madella as it is. With no one left to stop it..."
Having intervened in several inheritance disputes over the past month, Lian could definitely sense it.
Madella had lost its center.
The capital could slice it up with impunity, and instead of resistance, hyenas were swarming for scraps.
And those hyenas weren't just from within.
"Isn't that good for you, though? Surely some scraps will fall your way."
"Nah, not really. If Madella's fief gets divided, taxes get messy."
"...You're something else."
"You don't know the terror of double taxation."
As the saying went: greed brings loss.
Claiming one piece of a divided Madella meant losing the rest.
"They won't just sit idly by and let that happen."
Maybe Isabel was right after all.
Lian wanted more than he realized.
As the sunset began dyeing the green barley fields gold,
the carriage carrying Lian's group pulled into their first stopover city.
A modest little city that couldn't even compare to South Port.
Yet the castle looming atop the hill proclaimed it the lord's seat.
"Neighboring Madella and it's total countryside."
"Even neighbors are only connected by sea routes—it's actually pretty far."
"Still, the local beer here's killer. Let's grab one right now!"
"You definitely have dwarf blood. How's booze beat unpacking?"
"Shut it!"
Anyway, it was dinnertime now.
Lian's group hurried toward an inn.
That's when
a neatly dressed old gentleman approached them straight from the castle's direction.
"Pardon the intrusion, gentlemen."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Might you be Lian of the Lapis Lazuli Merchant House?"
"That's me."
"I am the butler serving Lord Moritz of Guelba Domain. Upon hearing you'd passed through our lands, I've come to escort you."
The butler bowed deeply in courtesy.
But Lian regarded him with puzzled eyes.
"How did you know I was coming? I didn't announce it anywhere."
Was it you?
Lian shot Firka a sidelong glare.
She shook her head vigorously, denying it.
"The court mage here... er, she's great at divination. Probably her."
"Yes, that's correct, Mage."
"Hmm. I see."
Whatever Firka had almost said before correcting herself,
Lian found the whole thing intriguing on multiple levels.
First, even this rural domain had a court mage.
And he'd sensed nothing about his movements being divined.
"Huh? But last time I was here, no one paid me any mind. Why this time...?"
"Ahem. In any case, Lord Moritz awaits. Would you kindly accept his invitation?"
"Hey! Did you just ignore me!?"
The butler brushed off the king's servant Firka lightly and politely extended the invitation to Lian once more.
The treatment had shifted somehow.
"Does a mere merchant like me warrant a lord's personal attention?"
"Mere merchant? You're far more humble than the rumors suggest."
"...Well, refusing an invitation without cause would be rude."
"Thank you for accepting."
But it wasn't incomprehensible.
A neighboring lord seeking Lian was nine times out of ten about money.
For a poor rural lord, a wealthy merchant's visit was an unmissable windfall.
Revitalizing trade and boosting the economy wasn't a bad deal for Lian either.
"My lord. Lian of the Lapis Lazuli Merchant House and his companions."
"Oh! You've arrived?"
Upon reaching the castle, a burly middle-aged man—already sucking grease from his fingers at a laden table—greeted them.
First impression: a man faithful to his desires.
Even for an impromptu invitation, making guests wait while he ate showed his impatience.
"Thank you for the invitation, my lord."
"So you're Lian? Handsome as the rumors say! Back in my youth, I was..."
"Ahem. My lord?"
"Oh, right. Silly me. Have you all eaten? Sit, sit! You too, escort fellow—no need to stand on ceremony!"
Lord Moritz wiped his greasy hands roughly on the tablecloth and laughed heartily.
Upon closer look, he seemed the free-spirited type who ignored formalities.
What was it?
He was starting to seem less like a lord and more like a bandit playing dress-up.
"I've heard about Madella. You handled quite the ordeal. As a neighbor, it's a shame I couldn't assist."
"Not at all. Lady Monteir and young Louis surely appreciate your sentiment."
"Haha! Hearing that from you lightens my burden a bit!"
His tone treated Lian as Madella's de facto power already.
Or hoped he would be.
The court mage was skilled in divination, they said.
Lord Moritz seemed to be looking not at the present Lian, but a future one.
"By the way. Is this your first time in my domain?"
"Yes. I haven't had much freedom to travel until recently."
"Of course! What a foolish question."
Lian sometimes forgot he was a slave just months ago.
Others must find it even harder to believe.
"So, what's your first impression of my lands?"
"Forgive me for saying so, but... it feels quite impoverished."
"Haha! No offense taken! It's the truth!"
Of course, the spread and the lord's girth didn't scream destitution.
Just poor comparisons.
"Our court mage, see—she's uncanny with divination. Sometimes I wonder if it's useful."
Lord Moritz drained a frothy beer mug in one go and continued.
"Predict a drought? Can't skip sowing. Predict a bumper crop? No more land to sow anyway. Same difference."
"Fair point; it's ambiguous."
"Can't very well drag her to gambling dens either, can I? Haha!"
As Lian strained to catch the point,
Lord Moritz's eyes suddenly sharpened, fixing on him.
"But one game I could join caught my eye."
"What kind...?"
"Oh! Have I prattled too long? You must be starving—eat up!"
But Lord Moritz laughed heartily again, tore off a hunk of bread, soaked it in meat grease, and devoured it.
'Thought he was a bear, but he's a sly fox.'
He piqued interest without revealing the crux.
A strategy to linger in the mind, etching his presence deep.
'What on earth did the court mage divine?'
And Lian had no choice but to take the bait knowingly.