How to Spend a Holiday (5)
A few years had passed, yet Bern Midas's face looked much the same as the first time I had seen it. An ordinary face without any particularly sharp features. A build that was neither thin nor overweight. His clothes were luxurious but not overly flashy, and he wore no excessive ornaments. The only thing that set him apart was his high cheekbones and the piercing gaze that could chill the heart of anyone who met it.
He spoke. "Have you come crawling back now because you want the position of family head?"
"No. If I were some thug trying to become the boss, I would've charged in like this from the start. I would've either joined the succession race openly or schemed quietly from behind. I'm a lover of peace."
"Hah. You talk well. A peace-lover who comes in here smashing everything to pieces?"
"Then who told you to turn us away at the door? Even if you were going to make excuses, you could've at least come up with something plausible. Instead, you made it obvious you found us a nuisance."
Bern Midas's eyes met mine in the empty air.
"State your purpose."
"I need bait to catch the culprit who's been killing off family members one by one. Announce to the entire merchant association that Theo Midas is the designated successor."
He frowned. "Why should I do that?"
"Your children are dying, aren't they? You're not going to catch the killer?"
"If they can't survive, it only proves their abilities were limited to begin with. I'll simply choose the one who makes it to the end as my successor."
The way he said it so matter-of-factly left me momentarily speechless. What was this, the Ottoman Empire? Did he think he was a sultan?
"—That doesn't make sense, does it?"
At that moment, Fiore stepped forward.
"If you truly had no intention of interfering in this matter, you wouldn't have gathered such tight security or refused to meet the children who came looking for you. You prepared because you thought the culprit of this incident might one day turn their blade on you as well, didn't you?"
Bern's gaze shifted to Fiore.
"You are?"
"Fiore Midas. It is an honor to meet you, my lord. This is the second time we've faced each other directly."
"…I see. So you were Delia's daughter. You resemble your mother."
Fiore bowed her head. "I beg of you, my lord. To save Theo oraboni, we need your help."
"Even if what you say is true, that is no reason to hand the position over to Theo."
"There is no need to actually hand it over."
"What?"
Fiore smiled. It was the kind of smile that could be described as cheerful, yet somehow mischievous.
"We simply spread the news, and once the culprit is caught, we can just announce it was all an act. If Theo oraboni himself willingly accepts your decision afterward, there will be no complaints."
"Even so, the fact that I took one child's side will not disappear. There will be those who oppose it."
"Then wouldn't it be fine as long as it wasn't taking sides among your children?"
Bern narrowed his eyes, clearly not understanding. Fiore continued.
"It would be fine as long as the culprit isn't one of us siblings. If it was the work of an outsider who hates the Midas family, then your actions would be seen not as favoritism, but as a family head protecting his household."
Fiore's meaning could be summed up in a single sentence: catch the culprit, and no matter who it is, pin the blame on an outsider.
"……."
Bern fell silent. He was likely weighing the feasibility of Fiore's scheme and calculating the returns and risks for himself.
In the meantime, I assessed the situation around us. We stood facing the family head and his maid in a wide, long corridor. Even as we stalled for time, guards continued to gather behind us. Well, that was only natural, considering we'd tried to minimize casualties. They weren't attacking—perhaps because we were speaking with the family head, or perhaps because our proximity to him made them hesitate. Still, this was getting annoying.
At least there didn't seem to be any mages among them. If I wanted to, I could probably handle the rear on my own. The real problem was the maid beside the family head. Silver-haired with a cold, icy beauty. Two daggers rested in her hands. I'd assumed she was one of his concubines since she was always at his side, but she was a bodyguard. Or perhaps both? The original story's greedy libertine had truly worked hard to subdue this insane family on his own.
Even though Ligret had met her several times at the main house, she hadn't recognized her. That meant this woman was at least stronger than the Ligret from before she entered the academy. Ligret seemed to have reached the same conclusion after confirming the maid's identity—her eyes were gleaming sharply.
I jabbed Ligret in the side. It definitely wasn't because that spot still hurt from earlier. She looked at me questioningly, but when I shook my head, she straightened her posture with a slightly displeased expression. At least she'd understood not to attack until negotiations were over.
Roughly a minute passed.
Having finished his deep contemplation, Bern Midas finally spoke.
"—Very well. I'll go along with your plan. However, there are conditions."
"What are they?"
While preparing to use force at any moment if his demands were unreasonable, I decided to listen first. The truth was, we needed the family head's cooperation for things to go smoothly.
"First, once you secure the culprit, hand them over to me."
"Capturing them alive might be difficult."
"A corpse will suffice in the worst case. They must pay the price for making this situation so troublesome."
Well, if we were being precise, the root cause of this situation was his own doing… but whatever. It didn't matter to me what happened to the culprit.
"Next?"
"We're planning to establish a branch of our association near the city where the academy was founded, but the official in charge is someone who doesn't understand how the world works. Persuade him somehow."
Doesn't understand how the world works, huh. In other words, he was too upright to accept bribes. And he wanted me to handle it. Hmm.
Ligret gave me a look. 'Can't we just beat him up?'
I considered it. Should we? Just close our eyes and crush him without worrying about the aftermath?
"…It will be enough if you simply attempt it. Success is not required."
Perhaps sensing something ominous, Bern quickly changed his wording, proving himself a capable merchant.
Well, that was acceptable.
"Understood. Then please write the letter quickly."
"No, there is one more thing."
I frowned. Did he really have this many demands? Was it so difficult for a father to cooperate with an open heart when his beloved children were engaged in a deadly struggle? In times like this, the universal language of physical therapy was—
"Compensate for everything you destroyed. You weren't planning to pretend it never happened, were you?"
"……."
What a miser.
After a dramatic negotiation, the deal was struck. Letters bearing Bern Midas's name were sent to every branch of the association and to the potential successors, announcing that Theo Midas had been appointed as the next head. The way he slipped in the phrase "provisional successor" was truly an art form. Even if the worst happened and he couldn't retract it, he wouldn't go down without a fight.
Well, anyway.
"Since we've come to this agreement, couldn't you cover the compensation costs for us?"
"Don't you have something else you need to say to me right now? Quite a few things, in fact."
Theo Midas, who had been dragged into becoming the head of the Midas Merchant Association after casually listening to his half-sister's troubles, clutched his head as if it hurt.
"If you were going to cause this kind of incident, you should have at least consulted me beforehand. And if the goal was just to lure out the culprit, couldn't you have used Chrome's name instead of mine?"
"Come on. Everyone already knows I've more or less stepped away from association matters. If I suddenly put my name forward, would the culprit even take the bait? We need to put up a name that looks genuinely plausible to make them panic and come running."
Besides, if I'd consulted him in advance, he would've tried to stop me. The time limit was already tight enough without wasting time convincing people one by one. It was too much trouble.
Theo let out a long sigh. "…You said there are two days left until you return to the academy? So if no assassin appears during that time, I'm supposed to assume I'm dead?"
"Come on, of course not. We have countermeasures prepared for that, so don't worry."
Fortunately, the next class was alchemy. If I buttered up Professor Faust, things should work out somehow. Unlike the combat professors who would probably respond with "So what does that have to do with class?" even if a student's family was being slaughtered, Professor Faust was decent enough when it came to basic human decency.
While calming the anxious Theo, we waited in silence. Finally, the last day arrived.
The fish had taken the bait.