Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: A Cut of the Profits
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The head of the Lauren family had two children: the first, the eldest son, was Kaldor, and the second was Alicia.
However, Kaldor and Alicia were half-siblings with different mothers.
Kaldor was born to the official wife, whereas Alicia was born to the second wife.
Because of this, Kaldor and Alicia had a very poor relationship from a young age.
Furthermore, although Alicia's mother was the second wife, she was not a commoner but a noblewoman, the daughter of a powerful aristocratic family, so even the official wife and her son, Kaldor, could not treat her carelessly.
As a result, the half-siblings' relationship naturally soured, and now that they were both adults, they were engaged in a secret struggle over the succession of the Lauren family.
That was also why Alicia had volunteered to come to Decaron.
She was determined to seize the position of heir, even if it meant joining hands with Decaron.
But to think that Kristan, Grand Duke Guntram's aide, was a spy planted by Kaldor's side…
But that thought was fleeting.
“How foolish.”
Alicia sneered at Kristan with a cold smile.
“Are you sure it's wise for a mere spy to reveal his identity so easily?”
“You need not worry about that.”
Kristan smiled as if finding her words pathetic.
“The Grand Duke's trust in me is absolute. Even if you were to expose me, do you think he would believe you?”
“…”
“You must have been quite desperate. To even consider joining hands with Decaron. Heh.”
Kristan let out a short laugh.
“…Insolent bastard.”
Alicia glared at him as if she wanted to kill him, but Kristan didn't even blink.
“And if you were to reveal my identity for the purpose of seizing the heir's position, do you think the family head would be pleased?”
“…”
“So, abandon any thoughts of gaining something from Decaron, and just stay quiet until you return. Do you understand?”
“You…!”
Alicia trembled with humiliation.
To think she had come all the way to Decaron only to be played by Kaldor from the very beginning…
Who would have thought that she, a lady of the Lauren family, would be mocked by a mere spy like Kristan?
“When I become the head of the family… the first thing I'll do is take your head.”
“That will never happen, so please stop with the empty threats. Before you threaten me, I suggest you consider your own position and circumstances.”
“How dare you…!”
“Well then, I shall take my leave.”
Kristan left the trembling, furious Alicia behind and calmly disappeared.
“I'll get my revenge, somehow…”
Alicia glared at Kristan's retreating back, gritting her teeth with vengeful thoughts.
* * *
Decaron's corps of engineers supplied the dwarves with food and water and helped rebuild their village.
No matter how skilled the dwarves were, one pair of hands could not match ten.
When 500 engineers set to work, the village, which had been nothing but ruins, was revitalized in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, Carlyle sat facing Grand Duke Guntram to discuss the future.
“So, you're saying ten percent of the total profits from the Merel Mountains is your share?”
“Is that too little? Should I raise it to twenty percent?”
“…”
“Or maybe not. Perhaps twenty-five percent would be better.”
Grand Duke Guntram was at a loss for words, watching Carlyle seriously contemplate his own share.
To think that the second son of the Sigmund family would try to do business with Decaron.
“Wasn't this for Decaron?”
“It is.”
“And yet you demand a share?”
“Did you really think it was for free? If so, I'm a little disappointed…”
Carlyle's face crumpled into a frown.
His expression was one of genuine displeasure.
“You seem to be mistaken about something. You are a Sigmund.”
“So?”
“Demanding your own share for something that benefits Decaron is… a bit much.”
“So, do Sigmunds just work for free?”
“All a Sigmund needs is a single sword.”
“Ugh.”
Carlyle covered his face, looking exhausted.
‘This is driving me crazy. How can I negotiate when we can't even communicate?’
From Carlyle's perspective, it was maddening, and not because Grand Duke Guntram was being malicious.
The negotiation was difficult not because of who got how much, but because of a conviction tied to their bloodline.
Grand Duke Guntram was a man who believed that a Sigmund must prioritize Decaron over personal greed, and most Sigmunds thought the same.
As a result, he was utterly incapable of understanding Carlyle's desire to take a share for himself.
“Your Grace. As I mentioned before, did you not agree to make a deal with the Young Master?”
Unable to watch any longer, Maranello whispered in Grand Duke Guntram's ear.
“I did.”
“Please think of this as part of that deal.”
“Hmm.”
“You may be disappointed that he, as a Sigmund, wants to take his share, but you know that, generally speaking, it is a legitimate demand.”
“That is… true.”
“Just think of it as a transaction with a third party, not a Sigmund.”
“But no matter what anyone says, he is a Sigmund.”
“…”
“Very well. I shall do so.”
Seeing Maranello's expression, Grand Duke Guntram nodded as if completely surrendering.
“Fine. I will give you ten percent of the total profits from the Merel Mountains.”
“Thank you.”
“But what do you plan to do with so much money?”
“Who knows.”
Carlyle shrugged.
“I'm sure I'll find a use for it somewhere. The more money, the better. And I need to prepare for my retirement, too. I can't just leech off the family forever.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I'm going to leave Decaron someday.”
“Why?”
“Because I don't want to die fighting barbarians my whole life. Nor do I want to live being exploited by the royal family.”
“What about your brothers?”
“They'll manage. We may be brothers, but we're all grown adults. Why worry about such things? They'll live as they please.”
“You truly are…”
“Still, as long as I'm part of this family, I'll try to fulfill my responsibilities and duties, at least to the minimum extent, so don't worry. I know you'll force me to if I don't.”
“That is true.”
“Well then, I'll have a formal contract drawn up and sent to you soon, so please sign it.”
“I will.”
The hatchling, who had been listening, asked Carlyle.
“Butler, are you rich now?”
“Not yet. It'll take at least a year for the money to come in. Though I will be rich in a few years.”
“Phew. That's a relief.”
“What is?”
“I was worried you were broke, Butler.”
“…”
“A butler with no money. That's just too horrible.”
The hatchling shuddered as if the very thought was repulsive.
* * *
Carlyle's party headed for Decaron with Grand Duke Guntram.
Borodin, the chieftain of the Firehammer Tribe, also accompanied Carlyle's group.
The reason was simple: to inspect the Sigmund family's succession swords and repair any that needed it.
Inside the carriage.
“By the way, I don't see Corporal Kudo.”
“Kudo didn't come.”
“He was too lazy, so he just sent us. That bastard.”
Marder and Wilson replied.
“Ah.”
Carlyle nodded.
No wonder he wasn't around; he'd just taken off.
‘He came as he pleased, and he leaves as he pleases. That man.’
Of course, his actions weren't particularly problematic, so there was no need to make an issue of it.
“Hey.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“When my leave is over, I want you and Maranello to look around Decaron.”
“Like the other day?”
“Yeah.”
Carlyle nodded.
“We need to see if there are any other resources.”
“Yes, Young Master. Leave it to me.”
“Take good care of her.”
Carlyle turned to Maranello and made the request.
“Now that you know how precious an earth spirit contractor is, you'll have to be even more careful with her protection.”
“Of course. You can leave it to this old man.”
Maranello readily nodded, accepting Carlyle's request.
Although he had retired as a knight, his patriotism for Decaron and loyalty to the Sigmund family remained unchanged.
It was unimaginable that such a man would be negligent in guarding Evangeline, Decaron's treasure.
‘The Grand Duke had better accept my proposal.’
Carlyle was very curious about what decision Grand Duke Guntram would make.
‘He'll make the right decision on his own. I've done my part. The rest is up to the Grand Duke.’
The ball was now in Grand Duke Guntram's court.
After all, Carlyle had already given him the solution to the royal family's tax hike and the coming [Winter of the End].
Carlyle simply hoped that by accepting his advice, the Decaron soldiers serving in Kuberin would not be forced into unreasonable mana stone mining operations.
Like the recent surge in casualties…
Like Gwen, who had died so unfortunately just as they were getting to know each other…
“So, what are Corporal Marder and Corporal Wilson going to do?”
“We'll have to meet up with Kudo once we get to Decaron.”
“Things should have quieted down by now, so we're planning to go to a tavern and drink ourselves silly.”
It was truly a textbook answer for a soldier on leave.
“By the way, do I really have to attend the Victory Day ceremony?”
“If you really don't want to, there's nothing to be done, but if you intend to get something from the Grand Duke, it would be best to attend.”
“Get something?”
“You could demand something from the Grand Duke in exchange for your attendance, could you not?”
“Hmm.”
Carlyle thought for a moment before speaking.
“Should I ask him to send a mage to our unit?”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Marder and Wilson shot up and shouted.
“Yes!”
“That's it!”
The reason Marder and Wilson were so excited was that a unit's capabilities were worlds apart depending on whether or not they had a mage.
However, mages were not common in this world, and while the Sigmund family was renowned for its swordsmanship, they were novices when it came to magic.
Furthermore, there were no proper magical education institutions in the North, so even those with magical talent had no choice but to leave Decaron and study abroad in other territories.
For example, to the Belmark family, a prestigious house of magic…
“That is an excellent idea, Young Master.”
Maranello said, agreeing with the idea.
“Why don't you take this opportunity to ask for a mage to be sent to your unit?”
“A mage… not a bad idea. Since I've earned quite a bit of money, I should probably donate some to the unit's operating budget. Upgrade all the equipment and weapons, maybe bring in some cannons.”
“Gasp!”
“C-cannons?!”
Marder and Wilson were on the verge of worshiping Carlyle.
“As expected of a rich man's son!”
“Please!”
Marder and Wilson's reaction was only natural.
The stronger their allies and the better their equipment, the exponentially higher their chances of survival would be.
“Sure, why not. I'll talk to my father. I don't think he'll agree to everything, but I should at least try. If it doesn't work out, I can just hire a mercenary band.”
“Ooooh!”
Having earned an astronomical sum of money, Carlyle had no intention of going to the battlefield empty-handed.
“By the way, you'll be commissioned as an officer soon. How do you feel about that?”
“I'm not particularly thrilled about it, but I'm going to give it a try.”
Carlyle replied to Maranello's question.
Having spoken with Helen about it, he thought it might not be a bad idea to try it out, and if it really didn't suit him, he could just renounce his officer status and return to being an ordinary soldier.
‘Can I really bear that weight? A single command from me will decide someone's life or death.’
Carlyle couldn't be sure.
From what he had observed so far, being a commander was not a job for just anyone.