Winning the Contract

Two weeks had passed since the incident at the Crown Prince's social gathering. I had been having a dizzying time dealing with the countless people clamoring for Blue Stones.

The day before yesterday, I visited the potion guild, Sage's Medicine; yesterday, it was the mage guild, Lapis; and today, I found myself at the Blue Magic Tower.

Honestly, I hadn't particularly wanted to meet them, but they had practically begged for an audience, so I had no choice but to drag my heavy feet over.

And today, I successfully closed a deal with the Master of the Blue Magic Tower. The terms? Twenty tons of Blue Stones at a whopping 300,000 Zenon per kilogram! It was an absolute jackpot.

"Thank you, Kyle. I will never forget this favor."

"Think nothing of it, Tower Master Elias. We should all help each other out in times of need."

Elias, the Master of the Blue Magic Tower, grasped my hand and expressed his gratitude with utmost sincerity. In truth, I was the one who should have been thanking him.

As of today, I had sold roughly one hundred tons of Blue Stones in the imperial capital. Having purchased them at 40,000 Zenon and selling them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at an average of 300,000 Zenon, I had already pocketed a profit that more than doubled my initial investment.

Since cash alone wasn't enough to cover the massive sums, I was accepting payments in gold bars, silver bars, various magical artifacts, and even real estate.

Ah! And of course, I was accepting promissory notes as well—though only from guilds with guaranteed credit, like those ranked in the top one hundred.

"We truly survived thanks to you, Kyle. Those bastards from the Zeb Merchant Guild... how on earth can they justify trying to sell Blue Stones at 440,000 Zenon?"

"My thoughts exactly. They ought to sell them at a reasonable price of 300,000 Zenon, just like us."

Currently, the price of Blue Stones in the capital was skyrocketing. Leading the charge was the Zeb Merchant Guild, who had bought their stock from me.

Using the Blue Stones they purchased from me along with the few tons they already had in reserve, they did everything they could to drive the prices up.

Thanks to them, the price of Blue Stones soared crazily even without me having to pull any strings. If anything, my strategy of selling at roughly eighty percent of the Zeb Guild's price was actually keeping their price hikes in check. If not for us, the price of Blue Stones might have surged all the way to 800,000 Zenon.

"If I ever get the chance, I'm absolutely changing our supplier... If we keep letting them drag us by the nose, the tower will go bankrupt!"

"Oh dear... You must be going through so much trouble because of the Zeb Merchant Guild, Tower Master Elias."

Thanks to this, the Zeb Merchant Guild's reputation was currently in the gutter. Helchen was playing the role of the perfect bait, exactly as I had intended.

In his desperate struggle to squeeze every last drop of profit out of his meager supply of Blue Stones, he was alienating all of his future clients. Well, it made me incredibly happy. The Zeb Guild took all the heat, while I raked in all the cash! It was a beautifully perfect picture.

Despite this favorable situation, I was feeling a bit anxious. Now that the stage was set, it was time to move on to the next step. It was about time for some news to arrive... yet there was still no word. Hmm... Is the bait not enticing enough?

Just as I was about to board my carriage with those thoughts in mind, a group of knights clad in silver armor approached me.

"Excuse us, but are you Lord Kyle Lorend of the Lorend Merchant Guild?"

"...What is this about?"

Sensing the intimidating aura of the knights in white armor, Elina stepped forward to protect me. I raised a hand to stop her. The white dragon crest engraved on their silver armor belonged to none other than the Albinium Knights, the imperial guard directly under the royal family. What was meant to come had finally arrived. Suppressing my joy, I replied calmly.

"I am Kyle. Who might you be?"

"We are the Albinium Knights. A noble personage wishes to meet you, Lord Kyle."

"Understood. Lead the way, and I shall follow in my carriage."

At my words, they nodded and mounted their horses. I climbed into my carriage and followed them. I thought we were heading toward the social hall from last time, but they veered off, directing us toward a different imperial palace.

Upon arrival, I was immediately escorted to a reception room. It boasted a level of opulence that put our mansion's drawing room to utter shame, making my eyes widen in awe. My god, how much is all of this worth?!

But I had no time to be distracted by such things. Recalling all the effort I had poured in to seize this precious opportunity, I kept my tension taut. A moment later, the door swung open.

A woman with dazzling golden hair, roughly my age, and possessing the presence of a sun goddess stepped confidently into the room. She was one of the most noble figures in the entire empire.

Shuren von Alpeit, the Second Princess of the Alpeit Empire.

"Hello! Nice to meet you. So you're Kyle Lorend."

"I greet Her Imperial Highness, the Princess."

She addressed me with the same bold demeanor described in the original novel. Showing absolute disregard for formal etiquette, she plopped down onto the seat of honor and spoke.

"I suppose I should introduce myself first. As you probably already know, I'm Shuren von Alpeit. Just call me Lady Shuren. I detest stuffy titles like 'Her Imperial Highness.'"

"Understood, Lady Shuren."

I recalled how the novel, Stop Loving Me!, had compared her to a hyena. It was the perfect description. Though she was a princess, her gaze was closer to that of a wild beast, a predator. No wonder she would eventually crush her rivals and ascend the throne as Empress.

"I hate beating around the bush, so I'll get straight to the point. Is that fine with you?"

"Yes, I prefer directness as well."

She dove right into the core of the matter. This fast-paced style of conversation was exactly to my liking.

"I hear your guild is overflowing with Blue Stones. We'll buy all of it at 100,000 Zenon per kilogram."

Her opening offer was shocking. She wanted to buy Blue Stones, which were currently peaking at over 400,000 Zenon, for a mere 100,000 Zenon. Yet, without a single moment of hesitation, I replied:

"Yes! I will sell them to you."

"I know it's an absurd price, but for the sake of the Empire... Wait, what? Seriously?"

For the first time, a look of utter bewilderment crossed her confident face. For a split second, the fierce hyena actually looked rather cute. Ahem, get a grip, Kyle. I quickly switched back into merchant mode and spoke.

"Yes!"

"Hmm... You clearly have an ulterior motive."

"Yes! Of course I do."

"You're just going to admit it openly?"

"There is no need to hide it. In exchange for accepting your terms, Lady Shuren, grant us the exclusive supply rights for the Blue Stones delivered to the imperial palace and the imperial administration starting this year."

Matching her directness, I laid my cards on the table. What I was aiming for was none other than the Blue Stone supply rights. Currently, the Zeb Merchant Guild held the imperial supply rights for Blue Stones.

Given the nature of the Empire, they naturally enjoyed what was essentially a monopoly. With that power alone, a guild entirely dependent on a single commodity had managed to climb to the impressive rank of fifty-first. Stripping them of that authority! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That was my ultimate goal.

"The supply rights?"

"Yes. If you do, we will supply them to the imperial palace not at 100,000 Zenon, but at our original purchase price of 40,000 Zenon."

The Princess's eyebrow twitched at my words. This was a playing field for pros. She immediately caught on to what I was saying and what I truly wanted.

"Hmm... So this was your play all along."

"Yes, indeed it was."

"Aren't you honest?"

"Honesty is my greatest virtue. I believe it does far more good for the world than hypocrisy."

The Princess stared at me intently. I didn't shrink from her gaze. I had absolutely no reason to feel intimidated.

"Hmm... You're quite interesting."

Okay, there it is. The classic line indicating her favor from the original novel. Time to push a little harder!

"Furthermore, wouldn't it be far more beneficial for both you and the Empire if we handled the supply?"

"And why is that?"

I finally reaped the harvest of the seeds I had sown.

"They say a person's true nature is revealed in times of crisis. The Zeb Merchant Guild showed their true colors during this incident. If we hadn't kept the prices in check, the price of Blue Stones would have easily reached 800,000 Zenon."

Never before in the history of the Empire had there been such a severe shortage of Blue Stones. At the very first moment of crisis, the Zeb Merchant Guild made the worst possible choice out of pure greed, laying their true nature bare for all to see.

"You speak as if you are any different."

"I am. I do not commit the folly of burning down the future for short-term gains."

A 'wolf' devours everything in sight for immediate gain without a single thought for tomorrow. A 'hunting hound' acts with disciplined movements, keeping its eyes on long-term rewards.

While wolves might seem like alluring creatures, there was a very good reason why humans chose to domesticate the hunting hound.

At my words, the Princess spoke as if she had made up her mind.

"Very well. I accept your terms."

"Thank you, Lady Shuren!"

Yes!!! I threw a triumphant mental uppercut! How much agonizing effort had I poured in just to win this contract? The humiliating memories of being mocked as the Milk King for the past eight years flashed before my eyes.

The drafting of the contract proceeded swiftly. I had already prepared a draft beforehand, and we summoned an official from the Imperial Ministry of Finance on the spot to finalize the document.

Finally, with the seals of both the Princess and myself stamped upon the parchment, the contract was officially executed. On that day, the Lorend Merchant Guild became the second guild in history, following the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Zeb Merchant Guild, to hold the rights to supply Blue Stones to the imperial court.

"Let me hear you scream!!!!!"

That evening, a small celebration was held in the warehouse of the Lorend Merchant Guild. To maintain secrecy, only a select few, including my father, knew that I had been aiming to secure the Blue Stone supply rights.

Now, I officially announced it to everyone and threw a party to reward them for all their hard work during the past two weeks of the Blue Stone crisis.

Since the Crown Prince's incident had yet to be fully resolved, we couldn't make it too grand, but it was my firm philosophy that one must celebrate when there is cause for celebration. Standing before the ecstatic crowd, I shouted:

"My beloved Lorend Guild family, you have all worked incredibly hard over the past two weeks!"

"It was nothing!"

"We're completely fine, Young Master!!"

The guild employees shouted back. Every single one of them had massive dark circles under their eyes. Oh dear, oh dear. Looks like I need to administer some dark circle medicine. I wasn't a doctor, but I was exceptionally good at curing dark circles of this variety.

"To reward our hardworking Lorend Guild family, I shall be handing out a... two hundred percent bonus this month!!!"

"You're the absolute best, Young Master!!!!!!"

"We love you, Young Master!!!!"

Instantly, the dark circles vanished from everyone's faces, replaced by ecstatic, wild grins. Ah! Yes, this is exactly why I make money!!

As the alcohol and food flowed and everyone lost themselves in the small festival, Elina quietly approached my side. Having been the only one present during my meeting with the Princess, she looked deeply concerned.

"What's wrong, Elina? It's a festival, the first in a long time. Let's enjoy it together."

"...Young Master, are you truly alright?"

"About what?"

"There is a loophole in that contract."

"Ah... that..."

What the Princess could grant us was merely the right to supply, not a monopoly. In other words, securing the Blue Stones to actually deliver them to the imperial court was entirely our problem to solve.

I reached out, grabbed Elina's arm, and pulled. Whoosh! "Ah?!" Elina tumbled straight into my arms. Ah, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been a while since I smelled her scent. The sweet fragrance of jasmine, uniquely hers, tickled the tip of my nose. Hugging her tightly, I spoke.

"Don't worry, I have a solution for everything. Have you ever seen me fail to solve a money-related problem?"

"...No, I haven't."

"Exactly. So just trust me this time too."

"Yes... I trust you, Young Master."

Elina's cheeks flushed crimson as she gazed up at me with an enchanted look in her eyes. It had been a while, and we shared a deep kiss before spending a passionate night together. Well... now that I've recharged my energy, it's time to get back to work! Our next destination was the source of the Blue Stones: the North.