The Worst-Case Scenario Has Begun
Helchen’s eyes trembled violently. He looked utterly incapable of accepting reality under the weight of the sudden shock.
"What do you mean... The ones who signed the contract with the Hunter Guild are us, the Jebb Guild!"
"Ah, that contract was terminated as of yesterday."
You didn't value the contract, did you?
I casually tossed the fresh, crisp contract I had just received from Young Master Ivan toward Helchen. His hands began to shake uncontrollably the moment his eyes locked onto the document.
His eyes shook, his hands shook—his entire body was vibrating so hard he looked like a human smartphone on silent mode.
"Th-this is..."
"An official contract stamped with the seal of the Duke's representative."
"L-Larc! Is this true?!"
Helchen desperately threw an SOS to Larc, the only person in this clearing he had any prior acquaintance with. But oh, what a pity. Larc of the Jebb Guild had just evolved into Larc of the Lorend Guild after swallowing my generous kickback.
Larc deflected Helchen’s desperate gaze with the cold, unfeeling eyes of a seasoned hunter.
"Yes. I am sorry, Lord Helchen, but we have decided to supply the Lorend Guild from now on."
"This is absurd... This is invalid! It's invalid, I say!!"
Riiip! Tear! Shred!
Unable to accept reality, Helchen tore the contract to shreds. Wow... tearing a contract bearing the seal of the Duke of the North right in front of a crowd of Northerners... The man certainly had balls.
Since he had already crossed the line, I threw him another copy to let him cross it even further.
"Tear it to your heart's content. It's just a copy anyway."
"Pant... pant..."
Helchen must have finally realized his mistake after seeing the predatory glares of Larc and the other Northerners. He froze, not daring to do anything else to the paper in his hands.
Now, shall we dismiss this uninvited guest of the North?
"More importantly, Helchen, isn't it about time you ran away?"
"What do you mean by that..."
What do I mean? I mean you're screwed, obviously.
I checked my pocket watch and said, "Judging by your looks, you smuggled yourself in here illegally from Outerloon... and the Northern Border Guard is about to arrive to welcome us, their 'rightful guests.'"
"What?!"
"Out of the goodness of my heart as an old friend, I won't report you myself. So, good luck escaping."
Unlike me, who had legally entered through the gates while escorting Lady Matilda, Helchen was an illegal immigrant who had snuck in through the back alleys of Outerloon.
Honestly, I could have had him arrested on the spot without any repercussions, but for the sake of my future business plans, I needed Helchen to escape.
His expression paled as he listened to a whispered report from one of his ragged-looking subordinates. He had probably just received confirmation that the Northern Border Guard was indeed on their way.
Geez, has he lived his whole life being conned? How could he be so distrustful of people?
"Kyle... I'll see you back in the capital..."
"Sure. We have a lot of handovers to process, so let's definitely meet up."
Helchen and his men hurriedly fled into the snowy woods, while the people of the Lorend Guild, the Hunter Guild, and I watched them go.
I think the most meaningless saying in the world is "revenge is empty." Watching Helchen run away with his tail between his legs made me feel incredibly refreshed.
It was as satisfying as waking up on a Sunday morning, having a glorious bowel movement, sipping a hot cup of coffee, and looking up at a clear, sunny sky.
Just then, Elina quietly approached my side.
"Young Master... there are many monsters in the North. What shall we do?"
Should we disguise it as a monster attack and dispose of Helchen permanently? That was the translation of Elina's deadpan question.
Savoring the refreshing breeze, I shook my head. "Let him go. He still has things to do for me."
"Yes... I understand."
Elina complied, though she looked slightly disappointed to lose a target. The reason I let Helchen go alive wasn't because I liked him, nor was it out of some noble sense of human morality. It was because I still had things to extract from him. Yes, Helchen was going to give me a massive gift. A very, very big one.
That evening, back at Blakemore Castle, I met with Young Master Ivan again in a private study.
"Yes, the food has been safely received. On behalf of the people of the North, I thank you."
"And I have confirmed the Blue Stones. On behalf of the Lorend Guild, I express my gratitude, Young Master Ivan."
Having confirmed each other's gains, we both wore satisfied smiles over a highly successful transaction. However, Ivan's brow soon furrowed with worry.
"But will you be alright?"
"About what, my lord?"
"If the North wins like this, we will gain much, but you might face severe backlash from the Prince's faction back in the capital."
Ivan was already thinking about the aftermath of a Northern victory. The fact that the Lorend Guild was involved in this matter was something all the nobles in the capital would soon know.
The Prince's faction would likely vent their anger over their political defeat on the Lorend Guild, and Ivan was genuinely concerned about that.
This was also one of the reasons my father had opposed my plan until the very end. Even if we won and secured the monopoly on Blue Stones, the political damage we might suffer could far exceed the financial gains.
But who was I? I was Kyle Lorend, an obsessive fan—cough, reincarnator who had memorized even the minor settings of this world due to my ex-girlfriend's relentless quizzes! I knew very well that such a thing would never happen.
"It is fine. That will not happen."
From my relaxed expression, Ivan seemed to sense that I had a hidden card. He quietly sipped his tea.
"...You seem to have something you trust."
"Yes. A merchant always prepares a second lifeline."
"I must hope that second lifeline will be of help to the North as well."
"Do not worry. It will certainly be of help."
Ivan did not pry into what that second lifeline was. Between pros, many words were unnecessary. I looked down at my pocket watch. It was about time for *that* event to occur in the capital.
At the exact moment Kyle and Young Master Ivan were talking, an anomaly was occurring in the imperial palace of the capital. In the most luxurious and secretive space of the palace, the "Emperor's Bedchamber," the highest-ranking person in the empire lay fast asleep.
The Emperor, in his fifties, looked like an old man in his seventies due to his long, magic-induced coma. He looked so frail that it wouldn't be surprising if he drew his last breath at any moment. But then, the finger of the corpse-like, motionless Emperor... twitched.
A moment later, a raspy voice slipped from the Emperor's lips.
"Uuuugh... Water..."
The attendants who always stood vigil near the bed heard that voice clearer than anyone. They immediately screamed so loudly that the sound echoed through the entire palace.
"His... His Majesty has awakened!!!"
The 32nd Emperor of the Alpeit Empire, Julius von Alpeit, had finally regained consciousness from his long illness. The worst-case scenario imagined by the Prince's faction had officially begun.
Having regained consciousness, the Emperor recovered rapidly under the treatment of the sages of the Magic Tower. Having regained enough strength to handle state affairs, the Emperor was immediately briefed on what had transpired during his coma. The first words out of his mouth were cold and sharp.
"You have truly lost your mind."
"............"
When he heard that the Crown Prince had declared the annulment of his engagement to the daughter of the Duke of the North at a social gathering hosted by the imperial family, thereby turning the North and the imperial family into enemies, the Emperor briefly wondered if his mind was still hazy from his illness.
The Prince's actions were so utterly insane that they defied all imperial comprehension.
"So, in such a state, no one stopped the Prince's madness, and you have been locked in a battle of nerves with Cromwell until now?"
Cromwell de Ludmily had saved the Emperor's life during a past rebellion, earning a bond so deep they became sworn brothers. Yet they had insulted Cromwell's daughter, and the vassals of the Prince's faction had clung to the Prince's coattails, waiting for scraps to fall.
The sheer, unimaginable incompetence of the Prince and his faction sent the Emperor's blood pressure skyrocketing.
"And you call yourselves ministers of this Empire?!"
"Y-Your Majesty..."
"P-Please calm yourself, Sire."
"Silence!"
Thud! Crash!
Unable to contain his rage, the Emperor slammed his hand down, shattering the wooden table before him into splinters. A moment later, attendants hurried in to carefully clear away the broken pieces, and the Emperor roared:
"This matter shall be severely punished! Lukas!"
The Emperor glared at his son, the root of all this evil. The Prince stared back at his father in terrified silence.
"You are hereby placed under strict house arrest. You shall not take a single step outside the imperial palace without my explicit command."
"F-Father..."
"Take him away!"
For a member of the imperial family, house arrest was by no means a light punishment. It meant an official imperial sanction had been handed down.
Unless he achieved some monumental feat, the Prince would have to live with the permanent stigma of being 'the prince punished by his own father, the Emperor.'
The Prince, who had foolishly believed his father wouldn't be able to punish him, paled as he was dragged away by the Imperial Guard like a beast to the slaughter.
Then, the Emperor's expression softened in an instant. He looked at his daughter, Shuren, who had managed state affairs since he collapsed. While he was unconscious, her brother had been committing such utter madness.
If Shuren hadn't stepped up to keep her wits and manage the empire, what would have become of it? The Emperor shuddered at the mere thought.
"I have heard the reports, Shuren."
"Father..."
"I heard you managed state affairs while I was unconscious. Truly magnificent, Shuren."
"No, Father. It was only possible because of everyone's help."
The Emperor had always thought of his daughter as merely a spirited, tomboyish girl. Yet, for the future of the empire, she even showed the virtue of sharing the credit with the vassals.
To think his daughter possessed such qualities of a ruler... Seeing this new side of her, the Emperor felt foolish for his past obsession with primogeniture, which had led him to deliberately keep Shuren away from politics.
"You have worked hard, my daughter."
"Father..."
Unlike when he dealt with Lukas, the Emperor's gaze was infinitely warm, and the heavy air of the palace instantly dissolved into a golden warmth. The Emperor declared before all the assembled vassals:
"From this day forward, Princess Shuren shall attend all state council meetings. Is that understood!"
At the Emperor's declaration, mixed emotions crossed the faces of the vassals. Attending all state council meetings meant that the Princess's education as the successor was officially beginning. The Princess's faction was beginning to soar in the political arena of the empire.