Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Master of the Trading Company (5)
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I was flustered. I'd planned to just circle the canyon once casually and head back, but why had they come all the way here at this early hour?
Maybe because they were from the Empire, they didn't sleep in. Or perhaps, as Kael said, it was because of the lake city's sorcerers. They'd been gathering stones and ropes near the lake lately.
In any case, Meb and Kael's party safely exited the canyon. I wiped the blood from my axe as I watched their backs hurrying away with bowed heads.
Was it because of her reaction at the end? I felt a slight unease. Surely she wasn't really planning to cross into the Empire and not come back? Sure, she'd survived thanks to me, but people’s minds change between entering and leaving the bathroom, after all.
Now that we'd confirmed Alhena couldn't erase the twin stars, living like she was dead shouldn't be a problem. On the other hand, if she started up the merchant house, she'd have to face her sister head-on.
Maybe she figured she didn't need the emperor's gifted treasure and was just going to return to the mansion. Making my worries unfounded, exactly three days later, Meb returned. This time, she'd assembled a proper caravan complete with wagons and merchants.
Whether it had been my imagination that day or not, her attitude toward me hadn't changed at all. The only thing different was...
"Meb."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Get off my lap. There's a chair right next to you."
"No."
The distance between us when we were alone had gotten much closer. Quite seriously so.
"The quality of the beast cores and byproducts is so good that demand is exceeding expectations across every caravan. Conversely, the mass-produced goods from other northern cities are being welcomed by the tribes."
"I see."
"It'll take time for currency to circulate, and item valuations vary wildly, so we set up a checkpoint at the big rock mountain like we discussed in the meeting. It's like an exchange—we'll station staff there to help smooth out trade and get it flowing."
"...Right."
Meb was far more capable than I'd imagined. Though she didn't have operating rights to Alhena's merchant house, she made full use of her shares.
She'd attended the grand assembly in the north, passionately arguing the value of the goods she'd brought and swaying the shareholders. She didn't tell me what conversations or actions took place. The only rumor that trickled in like gossip was that a few noble ladies had burst into tears.
In any case, she'd leveraged the merchant house's supplies, customs documents, and even public funds to assemble the caravan and returned to my side. It was blatant embezzlement and overreach, but she moved like it didn't matter as long as she swiftly dominated the north's distribution networks.
Then afterward, she'd use that to negotiate with Alhena? Before asking, I decided to make one more request.
"The key is the pyroxenite. The mining company's inspector confirmed the reserves themselves, and as long as profitability is secured..."
"Meb. Get off my lap."
"I said no."
"You don't want to?"
"No. Absolutely not."
Absolutely not, huh. Well, no helping it then.
Meb openly leaned into me, pressing the back of her head against my chest. The way she stretched like a cat acting cute, subtly shifting points of contact—it was a fresh boldness Serath in her prime couldn't even imitate.
At some point, her fondness for me had turned into affection, though the exact trigger was unclear. True to her sharp nature, Meb defined it in words.
"While I was in the Empire, I thought it over carefully and did the math?"
"Math on what?"
"Which is more valuable: Ivar's candidacy as Prince Consort or my role as Imperial Vault Keeper."
The result was unexpected.
"Mine's a massive loss. Because as Prince Consort, you'd at least marry one imperial royal, but I'm not her, right? In other words, it'd more than cover our personal debt and then some."
"That's assuming marriage as a prerequisite."
"I calculated that too. A Great Warlord like Ivar who's never married must not have a match in the tribe, right? So you'd have to broaden your horizons, but in my view, no woman across the entire Empire would like a barbarian, no matter how great a warlord you are. At best, it'd be a woman who's spent most of the year confined to a mansion under threat of death, then dramatically rescued on the plains. Sound familiar?"
It was strangely familiar phrasing. Like some template—the overall structure was spot-on...
Barbarian, or marriage partner. Was the mindset of Empire women all this extreme? I had nothing to say.
"Combining it with my shares in the merchant house makes the decision even clearer. And do you know the side benefit? I can crush my sister without agonizing over it..."
"Ivar! You there!?"
At that moment, the real Raggedfoot Brothers barged in without knocking. The soft, warm sensation on my lap vanished in an instant.
Whether by magic tool or sheer speed, Meb was now seated in her chair beside me, seriously signing documents. She knew it looked unseemly to others—her ear tips were red.
"What is it, Raggedfoot."
"A wagon's coming."
"There are plenty of wagons outside already."
The merchants had a nose for money like no other. Meb was the first and representative, but wagons kept arriving after, bottlenecking the canyon approaches.
"Not like that toy. It looked like a moving mountain!"
But the wagon the Raggedfoot Brothers mentioned was coming from the direction of the city walls. To bestow the emperor's gifted treasure alongside the Prince Consort candidacy. Crossing the plains boldly toward us.
Alhena, the Minister of Finance's eldest daughter and Meb's sister. Her treasure caravan had arrived.
*
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The wagons halted on the plain. It wasn't sunset, yet it felt like the sun hung on the horizon.
Not just the treasure chests, but even the escorting army gleamed gold. Naturally, it wasn't the 9th Legion Northern Defense Force.
Merchants hire adventurers or mercenaries to guard cargo. This time, being the emperor's gift, it was more special: Golden Edict Soldiers. Like Shratma's Ironclad Soldiers, they were magic-animated constructs. But their armament and precision made the Ironclads look like paper toys.
Meb and I entered the simple tent pitched in the plain's center. Alhena hadn't come personally, so a transparent communication crystal sat before us instead.
Mana infused it, and the orb glowed. A beautiful woman with faint dark circles under her eyes appeared and greeted—not me, but Meb.
"Meb~ It's been ages~."
"Yes, sister. This is..."
"I heard you're struggling up north. Why not return to the capital? I'd love to chat at the mansion."
I was background dressing, apparently. Natural from Alhena's view. She wouldn't care about martial prowess, and without entering the capital, the candidacy was worthless.
Instead, she suggested talking out Meb's misunderstanding. Like a harmless butterfly, wings dipped in poison.
Meb's response was icy, of course.
"I don't want to watch a sister bound by fate freeze in the cold winds either."
"Whatever. Just hand over the imperial treasure."
"But it's not yours, Meb~? I'm under imperial orders too, so I can't just give it to anyone..."
"It's mine. Hand it over."
I grabbed the crystal, turned it to meet her gaze. Her golden pupils dilated slightly, then fluttered down.
"Ivar."
"Ivar... You know? The imperials~ just ordered massive gold bars and jewels delivered to you—no responsibility if they get lost en route."
Alhena handled transport. Security against theft was the Golden Edict Soldiers' job, so misappropriation aside, loss from accident wasn't her fault.
At Alhena's gesture, flames erupted outside the wagon. Purple blaze where corrupted blood met sanctified holy water—the heretical fire I'd encountered at the walls before.
"We can remelt gold, but jewels and items are useless once melted~."
"... ."
"Handing it straight to you means they'll return intact to choke me. Why would I give you that?"
Fortunately, this level of interference was expected. Meb pulled another communication crystal from her bosom. Kael's face appeared—he was now in the Goldline mansion.
"You'd better put out the fire?"
"Oh my."
"Or Dad contacts the imperials, and the soldiers in the capital come rip you apart."
Alhena immediately doused the heretical fire. A black mage's corpse tumbled from under the wagon.
The defensively enchanted wagon exterior was singed, but the treasure intact. She'd destroy her sister but wouldn't bet her own life. That was Alhena through and through.
"You know me well, Meb. You've watched me since we were kids~."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"But that's why you should be certain. Thrashing where I can see means getting crushed."
Her smile vanished. Like a beast eyeing prey, only her innate golden pupils gleamed.
Even with status and wealth backing her, running an empire-spanning merchant house was beyond mortals. No matter the funds poured in, the size difference was clear.
"The moment this call ends, I'll commercially isolate the north completely."
"... ."
"The other nobles who cooperated with you too. They won't sell a single straw outside their lands?"
Was that all? She could also prosecute Meb for using merchant house goods, handing her to the courts. Dragged to the capital, it'd be over. No sunlight for the rest of her life.
"Can you block it? Can you handle it? Making me your enemy."
At Alhena's brutal declaration, Meb and I fell silent together.
I'd anticipated the situation flowing this way. That's why, when pushing Meb as merchant house head, I'd first summoned Aiter to ask about severing the twin stars. The lifespan cost was too high, and killing Alhena myself unrealistic, so I'd given up.
Surviving direct confrontation with the Empire's greatest merchant. I hadn't found a way. Or rather, I hadn't found one then.
Just before coming here. After the Raggedfoot Brothers left and we were alone, before Meb continued her unfinished words. She'd whispered to me.
— Do it quick.
"Do I have to?"
— I permitted it. It's my body.
"Your permission isn't the issue."
Unlike appearances, I'd enjoyed civilization's benefits and knew common sense. There are things fine to do without laws, and things you shouldn't.
For example, promising the warrior who hunts the most beasts in the canyon one request to the Great Warlord. It draws in Bigo and others to secure the caravan. Fine.
Toying with Serath's prime. She's not here, so fine.
Let Uni blindly believe she won't betray you, then seize the sweet fruit at the very last moment.
Good... no, heart-wrenching, but for Kara's growth, I'd swallow tears and do it. Anyway, doable.
But what I was about to say now? At least by my thinking, it was something not to do. Rationally. And ethically.
"What if she retaliates against you instead...?"
— Sister could never do that. She's the same as me but worse. See how vicious she is with the mask off? How much sibling rivalry to reek of poison like this.
"Sigh..."
— Keep hesitating and I'll say it myself. Want a noble lady raised in luxury spouting vulgarities?
No, not that. In the end, I picked up the communication crystal.
And so Meb could grow into a fine merchant free of Alhena's checks. I gave her some pointed advice.
"Hey, Alhena, was it?"
"Yes, what is it~? I have nothing to discuss with a barbarian who won't even converse..."
"Keep acting cheeky, and I'll knock you up."
Thud. The orb dropped. On her end.
One second, two, three.
Finally, a scream—or gasp—indistinguishable, echoed from afar.
"Wha, thaaat...?!"