Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Party is Over
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The party was over.
“Leaving right away?”
The teacup in her hand trembled, its contents sloshing as if about to spill over.
Vanessa composed her startled heart as best she could and waited for his response.
“Yes.”
“The party’s ended, and now I’d like to head back to the territory at last.
His Majesty the King even said there’d be no issues with the royal family if I became the successor.”
“Even so… Young Lord Sion.
Couldn’t you stay just a little longer…?”
“I have a lot to do.”
Sion wanted to hurry back, pick up Trisha Faker, and spend the rest of his time just resting.
From the start, he’d met Kim Yoo-hyun, checked in on his survival, and made a contract with Lily.
Then he’d jumped straight into the war, suffered through hell, and before that fatigue had even faded, he’d come all the way to the capital, handled the party schedule, and even gotten caught in an explosion along the way.
*What kind of insane forced march is this?*
He’d stepped up a bit to prevent Kim Yoo-hyun’s mentality from shattering, but that was more than enough.
Now, all Sion wanted was to return to the territory and get some peaceful sleep.
*…So he truly has no intention of enjoying the capital’s bustle or splendor.*
Of course, Vanessa was thoroughly misunderstanding him again.
“When you return, the next time we meet, you’ll be the official successor—or perhaps the new Claussen Margrave.”
“Or maybe I’ll be meeting Your Highness not as a princess, but as a queen.”
It was a highly dangerous statement, but Vanessa said nothing in particular.
Instead, she just brought her teacup to her lips with a slightly stiffened expression.
“Your Highness.”
“What is it.”
“Keep a close watch on the North.”
Vanessa’s face showed confusion at Sion’s sudden warning.
“It’s just a request from me to Your Highness.
Claussen is busy enough just guarding the border with Nudia.
Don’t they say there are people in the North bothering the kingdom too?”
“…It’s been three years since they went silent.
This comes out of nowhere, Young Lord Sion.”
“Whenever the noisy ones suddenly go quiet, that’s when things get suspicious.
And three years? That’s a long time for some, but not nearly enough for a group to sharpen their swords.”
If any other noble had said this, Vanessa wouldn’t have taken it seriously.
The northern barbarians had signed a pact with the kingdom, exchanging set amounts of food and goods, which had nearly halted the annual raids.
To suddenly urge vigilance in the North now would be like pouring cold water on the current atmosphere of peace.
*But…*
She couldn’t just brush off the words of the man before her with a laugh.
His eyes, his voice, his very demeanor—all brimmed with conviction.
As if something in the North was bound to erupt, Sion was utterly certain of it.
“…I understand.
I’ll quietly send out some people to keep watch.”
“Make sure Prince doesn’t find out.”
Vanessa realized he was indirectly telling her to claim the credit for herself.
She opened her mouth with a faint smile.
“How strange.
We’ve only met twice now, yet you speak as if you know me so well and act for my sake.”
“…Just a hunch.
A hunch that Your Highness will make a fine ruler.”
“That’s a pretty dangerous and hard-to-believe reason.”
She gave that answer, but her expression didn’t show any displeasure.
Whether that “hunch” he spoke of was truly just a hunch, or words drawn out by affection.
Vanessa wanted to believe the latter.
“…I really must be going now.”
“Yes.
It’s about time I left the palace.”
The princess rose from her seat and extended her hand.
The young man stood to match her, gently taking the hand she offered.
“I’d rather we not have to wait years like last time before meeting again.”
“I’ll do my best.”
With those words, Sion gave a parting bow and left the princess’s room.
He’d already said his goodbyes to the king and prince; this separate meeting had been just to see Vanessa last.
“…”
As a princess, it was unprecedented for her to escort a mere noble scion—who wasn’t even head of his house—out of the palace to see him off.
So Vanessa simply sat in her room, gazing out the window at the young man growing ever more distant.
“We’ll meet again soon.”
For a fleeting moment, she thought how cumbersome it was to be a princess.
But she soon shook her head, gathered her thoughts, and recalled what Sion had left behind.
*Keep a close watch on the North.*
Beyond the kingdom’s northern borders lay barren lands inhabited by various tribes.
Even though they were of the same race, they never united—instead, fighting and devouring one another was their daily life.
Everything was scarce there, but food most of all, so whenever the kingdom’s defenses slackened even slightly, they’d come raiding.
In the end, the Hispania side had mobilized a massive force to subjugate them, but it was a war that left wounds on both sides, leading to a peace brokered through trade in goods.
*That was three years ago.
Since then, the northern barbarians had stayed quiet, dutifully trading without causing any major disturbances.*
They’d enjoyed three years of peace, but these were the same people who’d clashed with the kingdom for over thirty years before that.
Their belligerent nature—fierce enough that they hadn’t stopped killing each other—wasn’t something that could vanish in just three years.
“…You must have your reasons for asking that of me.”
Sion’s words about possibly meeting her as queen.
Vanessa knew how dangerous they were, yet she hadn’t scolded him for them.
It wasn’t that it made her feel good so much as a quiet relief at being recognized by someone.
As princess, she lacked real power, but she could still mobilize those around her to gather news from the North, monitor the situation, and make predictions.
Vanessa decided to pay attention to the North, just as Sion had said.
―
“You’re leaving right away?”
Déjà vu?
It felt like the same line he’d just heard moments ago.
Sion smirked and nodded at Helen’s words.
She gazed at the man before her for a moment before continuing.
“You’re really going to wrap this up with just a verbal agreement, no documents at all?”
“That’s right.”
Sion had handed over all rights to the beverage—born from his own idea—to her.
The Highness Trading Company had handled distribution from the start, but the detailed production aspects were essentially his own creation.
In exchange, she’d agreed to transport all the goods he’d requested to Claussen Margrave Territory within three months.
A deal of considerable scale, begun and ended with mere words, no papers involved.
“…What makes you trust me?”
“I trust you.
Helen Hainess, the woman who built a single trading company into something this grand, even if it was for revenge.”
At the embarrassingly direct praise, Helen let out a small cough and looked at Sion.
As head of the trading company, she’d heard plenty of compliments from many clients.
From her appearance to her abilities—truly, all sorts.
But she’d never heard them in such a straightforward voice from a man like the one sitting before her now, utterly devoid of flattery, just calm and matter-of-fact.
As if he’d known her worth from the beginning—that made Helen mutter in a voice edged with a slight barb before she knew it.
“I’m not sure how many days it’s been since you learned who I really am.
I hope you’re not judging me just by my looks.
You know fairies aren’t all beauty and grace.”
“Of course I do.
The way they brainwash humans like madmen and shove them into the palace to die, or treat half-breeds so coercively like mere underlings, no matter what.
Fairies aren’t so different from humans.
I know all about it, so don’t worry.”
“But….”
“But why do I think so highly of you?
Isn’t that obvious?”
Sion leaned in slightly, looking at Helen as he continued.
“You endured whatever it took to achieve your goal, biding your time for an opening.
You turned a nameless trading company into a major player in the capital.
That’s more than passing grade, isn’t it?
I’m looking for a capable trading company head, not some kind-hearted fairy woman.”
“…”
“And we’ve already done not one, but two deals that left us both satisfied.
That should’ve built plenty of trust between us.
Or am I wrong?”
At Sion’s question, Helen slowly shook her head.
Even after seeing her true form, even after glimpsing the depths she’d sunk to for revenge, this man showed no aversion.
A noble who prided himself on his nobility, no less.
“You really are a strange one.
The opposite of the rumors, yet somehow even more so—utterly impossible to pin down.”
“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.”
With business concluded, Sion moved to stand without hesitation.
Helen hesitated a moment, wondering if she should say it, then finally spoke.
“That’s a shame.”
“What is?”
“That… you can’t handle mana.”
“Oh, that?”
Sion, who possessed a body with zero mana sensitivity—the kind that even Helen, with her unfortunate life, would pity.
*This guy,* he muttered inwardly in disbelief, then shrugged it off like it was nothing.
“Never considered it a misfortune.
So it doesn’t bother me.”
“…I see.”
“No one can make me feel inferior or pathetic, Helen.
Not but myself.”
“Pardon?”
“I only become inferior and pathetic when I accept myself as such.”
At those words, Helen felt a sudden ache in her chest without knowing why.
As if they’d been prepared just for her.
“In that sense—my perspective, of course.
You’re a fine woman, more than enough.”
“…Unnecessary words.”
She was nothing but a wilted flower petal, already torn and broken by someone else.
The light had long faded; she could barely recall if her life had ever held any brilliance.
If not for this man named Sion Claussen, she’d have lost even the trading company she’d barely built by now, rotting away inside while fixating solely on Sefer Kashugar’s death.
Whether he knew her inner thoughts or not, Sion smiled and said,
“Anyway, just make sure you follow through without a hitch.
Delays will give us both headaches.”
“…I’ll handle it without issue, but may I ask one thing?”
“Of course.”
“With the war over and no clouds of war anywhere in the kingdom, why stockpile such massive amounts of food all of a sudden?”
As expected of a trading company head—she’d caught the odd vibe.
Sion looked at her for a moment, then lightly pressed his index finger to his lips.
No need to explain, it’s a secret to me.
“I can never quite figure you out.”
“Let’s just say I’m the much-rumored young lord of the eventful Margrave Territory.”
“Saying it yourself makes it sound even stranger.”
At Helen’s retort, Sion chuckled with a *“Does it?”* and left the trading company.
He stretched his back with a groan and looked up at the sky.
*The reason for stockpiling food, huh.*
After coming to the capital, Kim Yoo-hyun would head north to suppress the northern nobles’ rebellion, only to clash with the tribes living there.
The war’s scale would suddenly balloon, forcing the royals to dispatch reinforcements in a panic.
Right on cue, the long-dormant southern pirates would start rampaging again.
Thus, the era of *utter chaos* would begin.
*Not gonna stop it, you ask?*
Pfft, as if.
Everything he’d done so far was solely for the safety of Claussen Margrave Territory—his home—and to redesign the image of the thoroughly ruined Sion Claussen.
As a bonus, he’d looked after the half-broken dimensional traveler’s mentality.
*The world-saving hero gig? That’s Kim Yoo-hyun, you do it.
That’s your destiny anyway, right?
Out of basic courtesy, though, I’ll keep an eye on your mental health, bro.*
Truth be told, calling Kim Yoo-hyun “bro” was a bit—okay, a lot—off-base, but Sion didn’t care.
*The dumb villain vows to destroy the world, the average villain to rule it, and the clever villain? He catches those two, dons the hero’s mask, and takes it all.*
Sion’s ultimate goal was to be that clever villain.