Chapter 203
Chapter 203
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 203
Chapter Title: Raizen's Gamble
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The moment the Iron-Blooded Duke's gaze turned to Raizen.
"Krahaha!"
Raizen suddenly burst into laughter.
I stared at him in bewilderment, and as all three of our gazes focused on him, his laughter finally tapered off bit by bit.
A smile still lingered on his face... but then Raizen let out a deep sigh and threw both arms up high.
"Fine. I admit it. I misjudged."
Misjudged what, exactly?
Even with his life on the line, Raizen showed no great agitation. He wasn't the type to fail at reading the room, so this had to be innate guts.
"I never slipped up once in a lifetime of high-wire acts with death... but I never imagined you'd give me no time to even utter a last word before killing my son."
The Iron-Blooded Duke's expression didn't twitch, even though he must have clearly heard the mutter.
The Iron-Blooded Duke asked,
"Is what Ruan says true?"
"Yes. There are no demons at my auction. It was never an item we handled in the first place."
"Why orchestrate all this?"
"To protect the honor of the Abyss Auction and our trading company."
"Honor?"
Raizen looked at the Iron-Blooded Duke and said,
"Even if I explain, you wouldn't understand, Family Head."
"...Hm."
Somehow, I got the feeling these two shouldn't continue this conversation any further.
Raizen had the guts not to cower even on the brink of death...
But provoking the Iron-Blooded Duke in this situation wasn't a smart move.
With no other choice, I stepped in to mediate.
"I'll talk to my brother. You two, please step out for a moment. It won't take long."
"You two alone?"
"Yes. There's some peer-to-peer talk to be had."
"......"
The Iron-Blooded Duke showed no sign of backing down easily, but unexpected aid came from Maxim of the Heaven-Cleaving Sword.
"Let it be so, Delac. I also think killing this fellow would be excessive. I didn't get deeply involved since it's a family matter, but..."
Maxim's gaze turned to me.
For a man like him, my involvement gave him justification to add his opinion.
"I came to help because the Abyss Auction was using beastkin... but the atmosphere feels off somehow. Now I'm doubting if they were really being exploited."
"......"
"For now, let's wait on the rooftop. Ruan, ten minutes enough?"
"Plenty."
I nodded...
And unexpectedly, the Iron-Blooded Duke sheathed his sword.
His face was still unreadable, inscrutable as ever.
I couldn't tell if he'd been swayed by my words or convinced by Maxim's.
Either way, with the two behemoths—who'd dominated the room with their presence—gone, the leaden weight on my shoulders finally lifted.
I turned to the now quieter Raizen and said,
"What're you thinking?"
"What?"
"Why stage this whole demon thing."
"Oh. That."
Raizen smirked and said,
"I told you earlier. For the honor of the Abyss Auction and our trading company."
"Your catchphrase about fulfilling every customer request... You lied just to uphold that? Isn't that self-contradictory for a merchant?"
"It would be, if we'd failed."
Raizen glanced over my shoulder and blurted out,
"This conversation of ours. Those guys could probably hear it, right?"
"Probably. But they won't."
"Why not?"
"They're not the type to eavesdrop sleazily. If they wanted to listen, they wouldn't have left. They're leagues stronger than us anyway—enforcing their will would've been effortless."
"Hm."
Raizen nodded, apparently seeing the logic in it.
Then he asked,
"What do you think is the foundation of business?"
It was a somewhat out-of-left-field topic.
I took a moment to study Raizen's expression, then pondered seriously.
On the way to the capital.
Our carriage conversation came to mind.
Zeros Silver.
The heir to the Silver family knew a lot about the merchant world.
Of course, that brief talk hadn't made me an expert on merchants, commerce, or trade...
But at least I could articulate what I thought the way of commerce was.
"Reading the room, isn't it?"
"Reading the room?"
"Buying goods, selling them, where to set up shop, what products to make, which customers to target—all of it boils down to a game of reading cues."
"Oho..."
Raizen looked intrigued and nodded.
"Another way to put it: eye for opportunity. Not wrong... but I see it differently."
Raizen didn't dismiss my view outright but shared his own.
"Listen up. The foundation of business is trust."
"Trust...?"
Catching the subtle skepticism in my tone, Raizen defended himself preemptively.
"I know, I know. You want to say all merchants are con artists anyway, right?"
"Well."
"I won't deny it. But do you think we pros don't know what even outsiders like you grasp?"
"What're you getting at?"
"In this industry, truly reliable outfits are surprisingly rare. Ones that freeze prices until the deal's done, deliver ordered goods on time in perfect condition, stock whatever you want without fail."
"Isn't that just basic?"
"In any trade, those who stick to the basics are few and far between."
"Hmm..."
"We all know it. The folks around us would knife us in the back and rob us blind at the first chance. In a world like that, just plant the thought, 'This guy's reliable enough, maybe?'"
"So the Zaizen Trading Company built that image?"
"From the ground up. After leaving the Bednickers, I headed to Deep City. The most bustling trade hub in the west—but crawling with gangs shaking down protection money. Dozens of outfits popped up and vanished daily. Still, that warped ecosystem meant even snot-nosed rookies could trade if backed by an organization."
"......"
"To hawk wares on the street there, you had to prove your worth to a gang. A sort of initiation test. Guess what mine was?"
"No idea."
"'Make 100 gold in sales, any goods you like.' Deadline: one month."
100 gold.
An ordinary person might never touch that much in a lifetime.
Obviously impossible for a greenhorn without family backing.
Yet Raizen said it casually.
"I did it in a day."
"How?"
"I swiped some jewelry when I left the Bednickers. Sold that. Had to look penniless for the gang, though, so I showed up in rags on purpose."
I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Born con man, huh."
"Yeah. But the key is I passed the test. After that, the gang gave me odd jobs, and I never failed once. Not just the grunts—even the execs started trusting me. Took less than a year to make advisor."
"Hm."
If I ever cut ties with the family, I'd thought I might be the first Bednicker to leave...
But clearly not.
There was a guy who'd ditched the Bednickers long before me and carved out his spot.
Impressive, sure—but I felt a twinge of regret at being scooped.
"So you bluffed about handling demons to hype it up?"
"Exactly. Though even our company's reach couldn't snag a real demon. Like you said, there never was one."
"Then how'd you plan to handle it?"
"No plan to."
Raizen said that, then looked at me.
"I knew the Family Head would pass through the capital."
"What?"
"The Family Head's movements are top secret in the family, sure—but a Demon King nearly descended on the capital? Word spreads like wildfire."
What was this guy on about?
"The Family Head would've never tolerated demon sales. He'd storm in to dismantle this Abyss Auction for sure. If he did, my gamble would've been half-won."
"What the hell are you saying?"
"I was gonna negotiate with the Family Head."
"Negotiate?"
"Yeah. Nearly died trying, though. Krahat! Without you, it definitely would've gone south."
I smacked the head of Raizen, who was laughing brazenly.
"Ow, why'd you hit me?"
"You deserve it, you lunatic. And be grateful it's just once."
If Hector—who I'd beaten black and blue—saw this, he'd envy Raizen. Bet on it.
"Anyway, long story short... You tanked the auction on purpose, then pinned it on the Iron-Blooded Duke?"
"Right! Quick on the uptake!"
Raizen rubbed his sore head tenderly as he spoke.
"Better to highlight incompetence at repelling the Iron-Blooded Duke's intrusion than suffer image damage from failing to deliver a demon."
"Huh..."
Now I finally got his thinking, his scheme.
In short: pure madness.
A madman had a mad idea and executed a mad plan.
"Was that really the better play? Scrapping the auction means massive losses. Customers would've rioted."
"That damage is recoverable, and complaints die down easy. The Iron-Blooded Duke's basically a national disaster. You don't dodge lightning by being careful, right? Customers would've shrugged it off. No casualties anyway."
"......"
He had a point.
The Iron-Blooded Duke hadn't come to unleash a bloodbath.
Even if he'd forced entry roughly, only one would've bled.
Raizen Bednicker, right here.
'Crazy bastard talks sense, though.'
If the plan worked, he might've shielded his company's rep without big losses.
"But brother."
"Yeah?"
"You keep saying you survived, I saved your neck... Don't get comfy yet."
Raizen's eyes went wide.
"The Family Head might still kill you outright. Your punishment's on hold."
My tone stayed even.
"...Hm."
Raizen sensed I meant it; his face paled slightly.
"...So survival odds aren't great?"
"Can't say they're high. And I don't pretend to know what that man's thinking most days."
"Then what do I do? I don't wanna die yet."
Raizen said in a troubled voice.
Dead serious, he clutched his head and groaned.
This was where I showed my hand.
"I could persuade him."
"You?"
"Yeah."
"Think it'll work? Family Head won't just cave 'cause it's the baby boy's say-so."
"Of course not. But I've got a track record. Plus, I'm acting deputy head now."
Raizen's eyes bugged out.
"Acting deputy? You? First I've heard!"
"Not announced yet."
"Whoa, seriously? Thought Hiro was shoe-in for next head."
"Don't tell anyone I'm acting deputy."
I sighed.
"I don't wanna be Family Head anyway."
"Hmm..."
Life returned to Raizen's eyes.
"So to sum up: you're acting deputy, and you just notched a huge win stopping the Demon King's descent?"
"Yep."
"Makes sense. With a Family Head big on merit and demerit... he'd have to hear you out."
"Right."
"Haha! Then I'm saved!"
I watched Raizen relax completely, then spoke in a similar tone.
"But brother."
"Yeah?"
"As head of a trading company, you must source rare stuff easy, right? Elixirs and such."
"Well... more chances than a regular joe, yeah. Why the sudden interest?"
A hint of wariness crept into his voice.
Classic merchant instinct.
I flashed a warm, reassuring smile.
"I'm in that wild growth spurt lately—got a wishlist a mile long. Any chance third brother might gift-wrap something for his baby sib?"
"...We jumping straight there?"
"Don't wanna?"
"Just checking: what if I say no?"
I pulled out my ace as the youngest.
"I'll tell Dad you're a hopeless idiot."
"Heh..."
Raizen looked at me, let out a defeated laugh, and said,
"You've got a real knack for dealing, kid."
The highest praise he could muster. I nodded graciously.
"No big deal."