An Inevitable Lie

Franche's eyes widened at my words. "What do you mean by that...?"

I quietly gazed at Franche, acting as though I had finally unburdened myself of a deeply hidden secret. Thanks to that, the atmosphere turned solemn.

"You're lying, right...?" She reached out with a trembling hand and grasped mine resting on the table. Ah, the stage of denial.

"Ha..." Franche let out a hollow breath. She stared down at the table with a conflicted expression, then looked back up at me as if a sudden realization had struck her.

"Does this... have something to do with the headaches you've been having so often?"

"...Yes, my lady."

"Is there absolutely no way to cure it?"

The only way is to get away from you. But telling her that would only break her heart.

"While a complete cure is impossible, we can delay its progression."

"Then this is no time to be focusing on business...!"

Whew. The conversation took a strange turn while we were discussing negotiations. For now, I need to steer us away from this heavy atmosphere.

"Still, you do not need to worry too much. We have Kazar, after all."

"Can that mage actually help?"

"Yes. She can use magic to slow down the symptoms."

One lie always breeds another. I had just told the opening lie, and from this single falsehood, an endless web of deceit would spin. I had always lied to hide my true identity, but the lie I just told was different from the previous ones. Its purpose was entirely different.

...An inevitable lie, told solely to give her temporary peace of mind.

To me, this was the cruelest kind of lie. Creating a mirage of hope to put someone at ease—a deception bordering on pure manipulation.

I forced my conflicted feelings down. It would be best to brush past this as lightly as possible so she wouldn't worry needlessly.

"With magic supporting me, I can leverage a Sword Master's innate vitality to live longer than the average lifespan. Even a 'terminal' diagnosis for a Sword Master is vastly different from that of an ordinary person."

Franche let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief.

"You should have told me sooner if that was the case. You frightened me so badly, I thought my heart was going to stop."

Franche placed a hand over her racing heart to calm herself, keeping her eyes locked onto mine as she continued.

"If you can live that long, why won't you promise to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stay by my side? Why won't you say that you will never leave me?"

I offered a faint, reassuring smile to the anxious girl.

"Because circumstances may change for unforeseen reasons. I believed it better not to make a promise I might not be able to keep."

I despised empty promises. Ever since I was a child, the things I had heard most often were promises that could never be kept—nothing but hollow, meaningless words.

"Fine. Since you did it out of consideration for me, I will let it slide this once. But from now on, make sure you hide nothing from me."

If only you knew how many secrets I'm actually hiding. But there was only one acceptable answer here.

"Yes, my lady. I understand."

Even though this, too, was a lie.

"But what kind of illness is it exactly? Does it have to do with the war?"

"Yes. During the war with the Empire, I sustained severe damage from a mage."

"...The war truly took so much from you. It makes me feel terribly apologetic."

This young lady worries about the strangest things. There was no need for her to feel sorry. I wasn't even the real Jin Barenberg. Besides, what could an abused, neglected lady of a ducal house possibly do about it anyway?

"I no longer dwell on it. One cannot move forward if they remain shackled to the past."

Franche let out a soft chuckle. "Those are wise words."

"Yes. It is one of my favorite maxims."

Finally, the atmosphere began to lighten. Just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠moments ago, it had felt as though we were swallowing shards of ice in the freezing air. Seizing the opportunity, I quickly pivoted.

"Shall we return to our lesson now?"

"Yes, let us. We got quite sidetracked."

I taught Franche everything I knew about the art of negotiation. It was quite a sight to see her listening so intently, quietly taking notes with a serious expression. After a long session, our theoretical lesson finally came to an end.

"Could we do a quick practice run?"

"A practice run?"

"Yes. I think I might be too nervous if I jump straight into the real thing without practicing."

A practice run, huh? Well, people practice for job interviews, so there was no reason why she shouldn't practice for a negotiation.

"Very well. Let us begin our practice run."

The next day. The day of our meeting with Count Dogeza had finally arrived. Franche and I were waiting at the teahouse Seldas had recommended.

"Do you think I can do this?"

"Do not worry, my lady. Just do exactly as we practiced."

"Whew. I am incredibly nervous."

Franche took deep, deliberate breaths, inhaling and exhaling repeatedly. Watching her struggle to calm her nerves was starting to make me feel anxious as well.

I hope this goes well.

Count Dogeza's merchant group was absolutely vital to our business. The labor force he commanded was far from ordinary. They were accustomed to heavy physical labor, and given the nature of their work, they were incredibly sharp—able to understand exactly what was needed even with the vaguest instructions.

It's just a hunch, but human nature is the same no matter where you go.

Back when my university semester ended, I had worked a job to make some quick cash. A construction site—what people commonly referred to as "manual labor." Even back then, there were seasoned veterans who worked with terrifying efficiency, and this world would be no different. For the record, I had spent my time there completely lost and spacing out, earning myself a lovely, "Is this bastard out of his mind?" from the foreman.

After some time had passed, the bell chimed. *Tinkle.* The door of the teahouse opened, and a man walked in.

He had male pattern baldness. Specifically, a glossy, reflective bald head that served as his defining feature. He was a young man with a sharp, intense impression. He wore a pristine white suit, though his shirt looked as if it were about to burst at the seams from his bulging, rugged muscles. It was truly tragic to see someone so bald at such a young age.

"They are over there."

"Thank you for the guidance."

One of Seldas's dark guild members guided Count Dogeza to our table.

"I shall take my leave, then."

Having fulfilled his duty, the dark guild member slipped away. Once he departed, Count Dogeza offered a greeting.

"Pleasure to meet you. I am Armom Dogeza. I run a labor agency."

"I am Franche Decartes, lady of the Decartes Ducal family."

Hearing his name—Dogeza—straight from his own mouth made me snort, a muffled chuckle escaping my lips before I could stop it.

Count Dogeza glanced at me briefly, then dismissed me and got straight to the point.

"I was told you wished to discuss a business proposal."

"Indeed. I am launching a new business venture, and it requires a substantial amount of manpower."

"Ah, is that so? Well, when it comes to manpower, we yield to no one."

An immediate sales pitch. I wondered if Franche would manage the negotiation exactly as I had taught her.

"I have heard much about your merchant group, Count. That is precisely why I wish to partner with you for this venture."

A solid start.

"While there are countless prominent labor agencies throughout the Empire, yours is undoubtedly the most exceptional. Therefore, looking ahead to our future endeavors, I wish to establish a strong relationship with you."

Translated from noble-speak, that statement carried two distinct undertones: *We don't strictly need you to make this business work. However, out of respect, we are giving you the opportunity to join us.* Something along those lines.

"Haha, I am honored by your high ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠praise. It would be a privilege to work with you, Lady Franche, but..."

The Count wore a troubled expression as he continued.

"With all due respect, is this not your very first business venture? I fail to see why we should abandon our other commitments to invest our resources in this."

*I didn't expect him to be so blunt.* But he wasn't wrong. They had existing bookings. Asking them to cancel those and invest in an unproven venture was a tough sell.

"Is that so? What a pity. Once this project is complete, we have several large-scale developments lined up that will require massive amounts of labor. If you cannot trust us, then I suppose it cannot be helped."

*Oh, excellent delivery.* The negotiation tactics I taught her yesterday were working beautifully. As expected, she had successfully piqued the Count's curiosity.

"A large-scale development, you say... Just how large are we talking?"

Franche stole a quick glance at me. Come to think of it, I hadn't told her the exact details of the future business plans yet. I leaned in and whispered in her ear. Franche stared at me for a moment, looking utterly bewildered by my words, before turning back to the Count.

"We are going to construct the grandest tower this Empire has ever seen. Once built, it will exert a monumental influence over the Empire's commerce."

Franche smirked confidently as she pressed on.

"If such a magnificent tower is successfully erected and reshapes the Empire's economy, what do you think will happen?"

"Well, as it would be an unprecedented architectural marvel, everyone would naturally wonder who built it."

Count Dogeza gasped, his eyes widening in realization.

"Are you saying... you would grant that glorious role to me?"

"Indeed. Once that tower stands complete, the prestige of the Dogeza family will soar to the heavens, will it not?"

*So far, so good.* She had played all her cards perfectly—the mutual benefits of partnering with us, our ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grand ambitions, and the scope of the project. Now, the only remaining hurdle was "credibility."

Count Dogeza spoke cautiously.

"However... while a grand vision is well and good, there is still a distinct lack of concrete proof to inspire trust, is there not?"

"We will prove our capability with this initial project. We are going to crush the luxury brand, Frida."

"Crush Frida? Surely you don't mean you are entering the apparel industry?"

"Precisely. We are preparing to launch our boutique, and we are offering this commission to you as an opportunity to forge a lasting connection."

Count Dogeza fell into deep thought once more.

"Very well. I have made my decision. I shall accept your commission, my lady."

The Count paused, as if he still had one more condition.

"However, as our schedule is currently fully booked, adjusting our priorities will incur a rather hefty premium. Will that be acceptable?"

*So he wants to squeeze us to make up for his opportunity cost.* It wasn't an incredibly complex job anyway, so it shouldn't require an exorbitant amount of gold.

Franche spoke up.

"Hmm. We will pay the standard rate."

"Pardon...?"

"I said, the standard rate."

"That is a bit..."

Franche shook her head dismissively.

"Then it cannot be helped. We only offered this commission to build a relationship, but we shall have to take our business to another agency. I suppose we will have to hand over the construction rights for the tower to them as well..."

The Count frantically waved his hands.

"No, wait! We shall do it at the standard rate. However, you must agree to one condition in our contract."

"What sort of condition?"

"If the tower construction project is not executed, you must pay a substantial breach-of-contract penalty."

*Ah, so he wants to secure an insurance policy.*

"Very well. We shall agree to your terms. However, we have a demand of our own."

"And what might that be...?"

"If the contract is successfully fulfilled, you must discount the construction costs of the tower by thirty percent."

"What...?!"

The Count's face went completely blank. I had no idea Franche could negotiate this brilliantly. She was walking a tightrope, squeezing every bit of profit she could out of him.

*Flick!* Franche snapped her fan open, concealing the lower half of her face. Her eyes curved into elegant crescents.

"Is the only reason you demanded such a penalty not because you do not trust me, Count?"

"T-That is correct..."

"Then, if we fulfill our promise, we must receive a fitting reward for proving our trustworthiness."

As the Count remained silent, his expression growing increasingly strained, Franche drove the point home.

"This is hardly your first business transaction, Count. Why do you hesitate so? I had thought you possessed a far more discerning eye for opportunity."

*She landed the finishing blow.*

"...Very well. Let us draft the contract immediately."

"Now that the formalities are out of the way, let me explain the details of our current commission."

Franche explained the immediate task to Count Dogeza. They needed to renovate a building, which included structural repairs, exterior remodeling, and interior redesign. We would provide all the materials; they only needed to supply the labor. Given the massive scale of the building, it would require a significant workforce.

"Understood. When would you like us to begin the work?"

"The sooner, the better. We do not have much time to spare."

"Then we shall prepare as quickly as possible. I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise. I look forward to a fruitful partnership."

With the contract finalized, Count Dogeza offered a polite bow and departed from the teahouse.

Franche let out a long, heavy breath and turned to me.

"How was it? Did I do well?"

"You did exceptionally well, my lady."

I clapped my hands, giving her a warm round of applause.

"You handled it so flawlessly that it is hard to believe it was your first time. This will make our future endeavors much easier."

"Is that so? I simply did what felt right in the moment, but I am glad it worked out."

She was indeed a remarkably fast learner. It made teaching her highly rewarding. There was still so much I needed to impart to Franche before my departure—management, politics, magic, and more. Under my guidance, Franche would become a truly flawless individual.

Though by the time that day comes, I won't be by her side.

From this moment on, so many things would change. Both for Franche, and for this entire Empire.