A Spectacular Success
It had been quite some time since Franche Corporation poached Frida's core talent. Up until now, there had been no movement, but it seemed they were finally starting to plot something.
They must have made up their minds after seeing the reaction at the imperial party.
Unless Frida's Madame was an absolute fool, she would have realized that Franche was behind it all. It was the only explanation that made sense.
Well, I wasn't particularly worried. Whatever the Madame was cooking up would ultimately be futile. With the Empire's top dark guild and the strongest being in this world on our side, it would be stranger if we actually lost.
It's finally time to put that plan into action.
The plan I had drawn up before—the espionage operation. We would dismantle them from the inside out, eventually absorbing their jewelry and accessory boutiques into Franche Corporation. Once that happened, Frida would face total ruin.
With my thoughts sorted, I wrapped up my musings.
I should go see how Franche is holding up.
Franche had spent a long time navigating high society. Since the primary clientele of our clothing store was the nobility, Franche, with her social expertise, was bound to handle them perfectly on her own.
Anticipating how she was managing the boutique, I set off toward the shop.
"Clean up this area first!"
"Yes, President!"
Franche was moving busily, managing the floor. The promotional effect must have been immense, as the stream of customers showed no signs of stopping.
"Lady Descartes?"
Noble ladies who used to do nothing but gossip behind her back approached her now, acting as if they were her dearest friends. Though Franche found them incredibly tiresome, they were paying customers, so she had no choice but to put on an amiable smile.
"Ah, thank you for coming."
When she offered them a bright smile, the noblewomen beamed with delight. Inside, however, Franche felt a wave of nausea at their sheer shamelessness.
"Of course! After seeing your dress, how could we possibly not visit?"
"I am glad you think so. Have you found a dress to your liking?"
"Yes! Every single dress displayed in your boutique is of exquisite quality and absolutely beautiful."
The pleasantries dragged on. Franche forced a smile as she entertained the visiting nobles, and the hours slipped away.
"We don't have much stock left!"
"Check the inventory of the suits and dresses first."
"We have sixteen suits and twelve dresses remaining."
The remaining stock was dangerously low, and it hadn't even been three hours since the doors opened.
I never expected this many people to show up.
She knew the publicity would be effective, but she hadn't anticipated things selling like hotcakes.
"Let's do as much as we can," Jin had said. He told her she could do it. Recalling his words, Franche threw herself into the work, burning her energy like firewood.
"I quite like this suit."
"This would make an excellent gift."
"I suppose we arrived too late; there's barely anything left."
Countless nobles who had attended the imperial party, along with those who had heard the rumors, flooded the store.
"My Lady, are you accepting custom orders at the moment?"
"I'm afraid we aren't accepting them just yet."
"Is that so? What a pity..."
Custom orders had to prioritize the imperial family. Providing bespoke attire to other nobles before the Empress, Prince, and Princess would only invite unnecessary trouble.
After some time, not a single dress or suit remained on the racks. It was a testament to Andrea's outstanding talent. Of course, Franche's silver tongue played a part as well, coaxing even the most hesitant nobles into making a purchase.
"Phew."
Franche slumped into a chair and leaned her head back. She had been so frantically busy that she hadn't taken a single break.
"You did an amazing job, President!"
The employees of Franche Corporation handed her a cold drink. Wondering when they had even found the time to prepare it, Franche let out a soft chuckle, touched by their thoughtfulness.
"You all did wonderfully. It's a massive success."
"This is all thanks to you, President! It's an honor to work here!"
"Exactly! The newspapers are absolutely covered with articles about our boutique."
"I feel so motivated. To think people love the clothes I worked on this much..."
Perhaps they felt all their past hardships and efforts were finally being rewarded at once; everyone was beaming, some even shedding tears of emotion. Watching them, Franche felt a deep sense of pride. Just a few months ago, these were the very people being brutally exploited at Frida.
Seeing how their lives had transformed because of her, Jin suddenly came to mind. After all, Franche's own life had completely turned around the moment Jin entered it.
Jin...
Thinking of him caused her elevated mood to plummet. She was suddenly seized by the gnawing anxiety that he might leave her one day.
She wanted to keep that man by her side for the rest of her life. She wanted to hold onto him so tightly that he could never escape her grasp. Lost in these thoughts, she conjured his image in her mind.
Right at that moment—
"You've been doing well, I see."
Jin appeared.
"Jin!"
Delighted to see him, Franche beamed and threw her arms around him. She immediately looked up and asked, "How was the examination? What about the treatment?"
"I'll tell you in a bit."
"Is it bad news?"
"Well, it's not bad news."
Was it good news then? What a relief. This man had to stay by her side forever. He was her possession, eternally, and she would never let him go.
Previously, when she first heard that Jin's days were numbered, Franche felt her heart drop. Her only ally, her final pillar of support, was dying. Just the thought of it was horrifying.
Perhaps sensing her inner turmoil, Jin continued in a relaxed tone.
"In any case, don't worry about that matter anymore."
With those words, Jin scanned the boutique and smirked.
"Seeing how empty the store is, I take it things went well?"
Looking at his smirk, Franche couldn't help but smile too. She was absolutely thrilled with their very first achievement.
"It's all thanks to you. It really is possible to bring down Frida."
At her words, Jin smiled with satisfaction.
"Didn't I tell you before? Failure was never an option."
Franche's eyes sparkled. His overflowing confidence. His mindset of never even considering failure. And Jin, who never lost his composure under any circumstances and always pointed her in the right direction. Without him, Franche would have broken down long ago.
"By the way, My Lady."
"Yes?"
"I think you're a bit too close...?"
"Ah...!"
Franche's mind went blank as her face flushed crimson. She had been so overwhelmed with joy that she lost control of her emotions. Normally, she would never show such a disheveled side of herself. She hurriedly stepped back from him.
"Still, seeing you so happy makes me glad as well, My Lady."
Was it because of what she had just done? Seeing Jin chuckle as he looked at her made Franche feel strangely self-conscious.
"Ahem."
Franche cleared her throat to regain her composure, quickly slipping back into her usual dignified self.
"Now that the store is closed, let us go grab a bite to eat. We have much to discuss."
The place we arrived at was the most famous restaurant in the Descartes Duchy, Joeunnamasiseo. It was a peculiar name. Was it just my imagination, or did I feel like I knew exactly what it meant?
Why does this game name everything like this?
There were so many hidden elements that I hadn't even noticed when I was playing the game. I wondered if they were intended as jokes, or if the developers had just slipped them in secretly.
"You may order whatever you like," Franche said, handing me the menu.
My eyes darted across the pages, quickly scanning for any dishes containing meat.
"Everything from here to here, please."
"Were you that hungry?"
"Yes. Just undergoing the examination drained a lot of my energy."
That was a lie. I just wanted to eat meat. Since this was the most famous restaurant in the duchy, I had to try everything.
"Alright, then I will order it all."
Franche smiled warmly and summoned the server.
"The boar tomahawk, the roasted deer leg, and..."
The ordering process went on for quite a while. Did I order too much? Well, I'd still be able to finish it all. Maintaining a Sword Master's physique required a massive amount of calories, after all.
Once the order was placed, Franche locked eyes with me.
"Now, tell me in detail."
"Are you referring to my illness?"
"Yes. I need to know exactly what the situation is."
How should I explain this to her? Kazar had told me it was a hopeless situation. She had found the cause, but because she couldn't decipher it, a cure was impossible. If I told Franche the truth, she would fall into deep despair...
I have no choice but to lie again.
I forced the brightest smile I could muster. "Kazar said she would brew a medicine for me. It seems that will take care of it somehow."
"What a relief. Thanks to Kazar, you'll be able to stay by my side forever."
I merely offered a faint smile and refrained from replying. If I dragged out the conversation, it might lead to another interrogation like before... I quickly steered the topic toward trivial matters.
As our idle chatter continued—
"Your food is served."
The dishes arrived with perfect timing.
"Please call for me if you need anything else. Enjoy your meal."
The food looked incredibly mouthwatering. I wanted to stuff my face immediately, but as a noble—or rather, to maintain a semblance of dignity—I couldn't just gorge myself like a beast.
In the middle of the meal, Franche asked, "This venture is a massive success. What is next? Didn't you say there was more to do?"
The next step. But before that, there was something we had to clean up.
"There is indeed more to do, but we must take care of something else first."
Franche tilted her head. "What is it?"
"Cleaning up Frida."
Since the Madame had started making her move, we now had a justification to absorb them. Soon, Franche's Clothing Store would be able to handle accessories and jewelry as well.
"You mean what you mentioned back then?"
"Yes. We are going to absorb Frida."
Franche nodded. "Then we will have a complete monopoly over luxury goods."
"Precisely. Money breeds money."
The plan had been set from the very beginning. We would ruin the Madame and plant spies inside. Generally, employees wouldn't stay at a failing company that could go under at any moment. Their livelihoods depended on it.
But what if a rising, prosperous new corporation made them an offer? They would have no choice but to accept.
"Everything is going exactly according to your plan."
"Of course. I've had this all mapped out from the start."
As the only person to have cleared the game's true ending, there was nothing I didn't know. I knew where everything was, what would happen in the future, and the traits of every character.
And now that I have Jin's body, there's nothing I can't do.
Feeling like an omnipotent god, I let out a quiet chuckle.
"Are you reminiscing about the past?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
"There you go again, leaving me curious."
Leaving people curious is always the most entertaining. The first way to annoy someone is to stop talking mid-sentence, and the second is... Well, anyway.
"Actually, there is one more thing I should tell you."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Frida's Madame has started to move."
Franche's eyes widened. "The Madame? What is she going to do?"
"She will target Franche Corporation."
"Then we must prepare ourselves thoroughly."
Time for a quick quiz.
"In that case, what should we do here?"
"Uh... well..."
Franche stared into space, tapping her finger on the table. Yes, keep thinking like that. One day, you will have to survive on your own without me.
"It is a simple problem. We can just use Exeed, since we have a friendly relationship with them, right?"
Correct.
"Exactly. And while we are there to place the request, we can show off just how wildly successful our business has become."
A sly smirk spread across Franche's face.
"Finally, I can knock that man down a peg. I have been waiting for this exact moment."
It seemed Seldas had wounded her pride deeply. Then again, it would be stranger not to get angry when someone dismissed you so openly.
"Then let us go knock him down a peg. Let's show him just how much you've changed, My Lady."