The Road to Riches
"Kuhahaha! The weather is so fine today, it feels like a windfall is coming my way!"
Count Ariente gazed at the neatly split mountain range and burst into hearty laughter. On that day, when he witnessed the wave of darkness cleaving through the mountains, he had been genuinely startled. He thought someone was attacking Ariente with malicious intent. Yet after splitting the range, that black wave advanced no further.
Anyone else would have felt relieved to have survived an unexpected accident. But Count Ariente was different. He was the kind of man who could spot a money-making opportunity in any situation.
"Hyjik! Ride to Belmont territory at once!"
"Father, that distance takes at least ten days. If I had a little time to prepare..."
"There's already a passage right there!"
"But we don't even know if it's safe! How am I supposed to go through it?"
"You'll find out by going yourself! Depart immediately! Right now!!!"
Only after driving his eldest son Hyjik out did the count feel somewhat at ease. Belmont territory lay beyond the mountains, an isolated frontier. But now that the range had been split, if they built a road connecting Belmont to the capital, the territory would instantly transform into a central hub. Traffic would surge, and the toll revenue would be beyond calculation.
Securing the construction rights for this project would guarantee Ariente an enormous fortune. That was why he had sent Hyjik with the contract, urging him to hurry to Belmont.
"Aslan Belmont has no other choice."
According to the scouts who returned first, the outer wall of the fifth floor of Belmont Manor had been severely damaged. Moreover, the damage faced the direction of the split mountain. That alone was enough to guess what had happened.
'He must have caused an accident while experimenting with black magic.'
As usual, he had been researching evil magic when it went out of control. The black light that erupted from the building must have struck the mountain range. Having clearly remembered that nauseating, foul black light, Count Ariente could reach no other conclusion.
When he asked Belmont whether he knew about that black light, an affirmative answer would be an admission of black magic research. A denial would mean relinquishing all rights to the passage created by the split mountain. It was a choice between two hells.
Unless Belmont wanted to be wiped out on charges of studying black magic, he had no choice but to meekly agree when Ariente claimed the road construction rights. And since Ariente wasn't even demanding extra money, wasn't that rather generous?
While Count Ariente chuckled and stroked his beard, a procession of riders returning from afar came into view. His eldest son, Hyjik Ariente, was waving one hand while holding a scroll in the other. That expression—did it mean he had secured the contract?
The count's face lit up, and he rushed outside in a single bound.
"Father!"
"My son!!! Did you succeed?"
"Yes! I hooked the sucker! I got the road construction rights transferred for free!"
"Kuhahaha! Well done, my boy!"
"There was just one tiny additional condition..."
"Get down and stretch out, Hyjik."
"...Pardon?"
The count's expression soured. This little bastard. He modified the contract without my permission?
"Ghk, ghhk... Father..."
"If you fall, that's ten more. Stay still."
"M-my head is spinning from the blood rush..."
"Stay still! I'm concentrating on reading the contract!"
While Hyjik trembled with his face planted on the floor, Count Ariente suppressed his anger and carefully examined the contract his son had brought. He had repeatedly warned him to stamp the contract exactly as written. Yet this boy, who wasn't even the head of the family, had arbitrarily modified it and stamped it? If he had known this would happen, he never would have sent the seal.
Strength entered the count's grip, slightly crumpling the contract.
'Nothing on the front has changed.'
At least none of the pre-written sections had been altered. Then the problem must be the "additional conditions."
The count nervously checked the section listing the additional conditions, and his face soon filled with bewilderment.
"What is this? These conditions are completely meaningless."
"Right? See, Father? If I'd come to ask whether I could add this, you would've gotten angry and said it wasn't worth the trip!"
"Quiet."
The additional conditions were as follows:
First. The amount invested by Belmont shall be fully refunded on the day construction ends. This condition shall be upheld under any circumstances.
Second. If Ariente abandons the construction, the construction rights shall be transferred to Belmont.
'Aslan Belmont is every bit as foolish as the rumors say.'
The conditions were absurd. Not only did he want a full refund without interest, but the second condition's intent was painfully obvious, making it even more ridiculous.
"He plans to hire thugs near the end of construction to cause trouble and drive us out. Tsk tsk."
It was a scheme worthy of a third-rate villain. He intended to force them to abandon the project, then swallow up the partially completed construction site.
"Too bad for him. We've been burned by such crude tactics so many times that we always station mercenaries at our sites."
When taking on construction contracts, one encounters all sorts of people. Clients who refuse to pay, rival companies claiming the area as their territory and telling you to scram. Having experienced it all, Ariente had accumulated tremendous know-how. Naturally, they stationed mercenaries at construction sites to respond to emergencies. Even if Belmont brought an army, sufficient forces would always be on standby to repel them.
"Kuhahaha! Well done, Hyjik! Well done!"
"Hahaha."
The count laughed while heartily patting his son's back. This road construction project would yield the highest profit margin in history. Just thinking about the toll revenue made him grin from ear to ear.
***
"Young master! Why on earth would you agree to such an outrageous contract...!"
"What about it?"
"The mountain is located in Belmont territory, so the construction rights naturally belong to Belmont! Handing them over for free like that! There must be something I'm not understanding, right? Please tell me that's the case!"
"They'll build the road for us without us having to lift a finger. Isn't that convenient?"
"Aaaagh!"
Silvia clutched her head and screamed. It was the reaction of a fool who had just encountered someone even more foolish than herself.
"Don't worry. The construction rights will come back to us anyway."
"If you're thinking of interfering and forcing them to abandon the project, it won't work. Ariente operates their own contracting company, and they have thugs guarding the site."
"Do I look like a thug? Why would I interfere with people who are just doing their job?"
"Then what exactly are you planning...!"
Silvia looked like she was about to die from frustration. Of course, I had no other answer to give her.
Ariente would eventually have no choice but to abandon the construction.
'This is information no one could know unless they'd seen the future.'
Even if I explained further, she wouldn't understand anyway. She'd just think I was crazy. Perhaps they were in such a rush to start construction because they wanted to collect tolls as soon as possible.
Ariente began the road construction in a hurry, as if being chased by something. They first leveled the road surface, then seemed to be widening the area by cutting into the slopes of the corridor.
When I visited the construction site once out of curiosity, a swarm of mercenaries rushed over, making the atmosphere quite tense. Did they think I was going to cause trouble? Of course, I had only come to observe the progress. I truly did nothing but watch.
A week passed after that.
Charlotte and Julia had made rapid progress. In Charlotte's case, whenever she drew the Super Strong Sword, mana would automatically flow into it and attempt to release Sword Aura. Now she could suppress and control it.
"I-I did it! Mister! Look at this! A tiny flame!"
"That's called Sword Aura."
"It's hard to pronounce! I'm going to keep calling it a tiny flame!"
"..."
What she had achieved was the ability to maintain a small amount of Sword Aura—the kind Sword Masters normally wrap around their blades—rather than the abnormally massive aura that had split the mountain range.
Meanwhile, Julia...
"You. What exactly did you do to these children? The spirits really dislike you."
"..."
"...yo."
She had become able to converse not only with ghosts but also with spirits. Lately, whatever the spirits had been telling her, she seemed to be keeping her distance from me. Damn it. I preferred it when Julia couldn't understand what the spirits were saying.
"Julia. How much of what the spirits say can you understand?"
"Hmm. I think I can understand everything except when they're all talking over each other at once. ...yo."
"Good. Then preparations are complete."
Of course, Julia gaining the ability to communicate with spirits was also part of the plan. It was an essential condition that couldn't be omitted.
Around this time, news should be arriving soon...
"Young master! At the construction site...!"
"Slowly. Catch your breath and speak."
"An accident has occurred at the construction site!"
That day, the long-awaited bad news finally arrived. Continuous earthquakes were occurring at the construction site.
"The Great Earth Spirit must be angry."
"Pardon...?"
Our Great Spirit seemed to be in a very foul mood.