Chapter 37
Chapter 37
When Calix asked bluntly, the Smith Marquis let out a groan.
From the faint noise in the background, it sounded like the officials beside him were offering their opinions.
Pretending to deliberate when he’s going to accept it anyway.
No matter how many times they calculated it on the abacus, lowering the timber price by thirty percent and preventing the river from flooding was still far cheaper than using magic.
Of course, there was no guarantee the flooding could actually be stopped, but there was no reason to consider such details.
“You brought this upon yourself, Your Grace. Please do not expect mercy from me.”
That’s right. Compared to what you’ll do to me in the future, this is nothing.
Calix’s gaze, directed at the lark device, sank coldly.
“…How about twenty-five percent?”
Just as the wait was starting to become tedious, the Smith Marquis spoke in a subdued voice.
“Anything more than that would be very difficult for us.”
“Then twenty-five percent it is, and make the term five years.”
When he added the condition, the sound of the marquis taking a breath came through the lark.
“…Very well. Agreed.”
“Good.”
Satisfied with the deal, Calix smiled.
Noah Rohaim was also pleased that they would be able to purchase the expensive Nereia timber at a twenty-five percent discount.
“Then we’ll send the train tickets immediately.”
“First the contract. I don’t trust verbal promises.”
“Understood. We’ll send the contract first, and then the train tickets—”
“Instead of train tickets, open a magic portal.”
“…Pardon?”
The Smith Marquis responded in a stunned voice.
Major cities of the Empire had magic portal gates, but operating them was extremely expensive, so they were normally used only for diplomatic matters or imperial commands.
Naturally, the marquis was flustered by the request.
“A magic portal is a bit…”
“It takes a week just to travel from here to Nubiar. If we handle business there as well, it’ll take at least a month. I have no intention of spending that much time on your territory, so open the magic portal.”
Calix spoke firmly, leaving no room for argument.
“…You truly intend to squeeze even the liver out of a flea.”
“I didn’t know a flea’s liver could be this large.”
Calix laughed quietly and picked up the lark device.
“Contact me again once everything is prepared.”
“W-Wait a moment, Your Grace the Grand—”
The Smith Marquis hurriedly called out, but Calix simply removed the Arcana embedded in the lark’s chest.
At once, the chattering beak closed and the wings slowly folded.
“I’m glad the negotiations went well, my lord,” Noah Rohaim said with a bright smile.
“We should thank Miss Aileen as well. Thanks to her, the Nereia timber supply problem has been resolved, and we’ll even be able to import it at twenty-five percent cheaper for five years.”
“Indeed.”
Calix had intended to speak with the Smith Marquis at some point about the Nereia timber issue, but he hadn’t expected such a deal to emerge.
“The more I think about it, the more capable Miss Aileen seems.”
Calix acknowledged the remark with silence, tapping the desk lightly with his fingertips.
Should I really send that woman to Nubiar?
The more Aileen’s abilities became known, the more people would begin targeting her.
The thought bothered him for a moment.
But the concern didn’t last long.
“Prepare to depart immediately once the marquis’s side contacts us.”
If more people started targeting her, he could simply deal with them all.
“…Let’s end today’s meeting here.”
The strategy meeting for the coming summer monsoon, which had lasted over two hours, finally concluded.
When the lord left the conference room, the officials finally let out the breaths they had been holding.
“Ugh, it’s finally over.”
I stretched and loosened my stiff body.
Normally, meetings like this were attended only by team leaders or higher, but since I was the one who designed the drainage canals, I had been required to attend as well.
Ah, I shouldn’t be sitting around.
I need to ask Noah Rohaim how the negotiations with the Smith Marquis went!
It had already been two days since I suggested negotiating with the marquis.
You’d think they would have told me the results by now, but I hadn’t heard anything.
Please don’t tell me the negotiations failed.
Hoping that wasn’t the case, I went looking for Noah Rohaim, but he had already left.
He couldn’t have gone far yet.
“Good work today, Miss Aileen.”
Just as I was about to go look for him, Anton Brown stopped me.
“It’s almost lunchtime. Why don’t we go eat outside while checking the work sites?”
“Outside?”
“Yeah. I know a great place that serves excellent skewers and stew. I’ll introduce you.”
Anton Brown enthusiastically described how delicious the skewers and stew were, almost spraying saliva as he spoke.
“Ah, I’m sorry, but I have somewhere to go.”
Right now, finding Noah Rohaim was more important than food.
If necessary, I planned to go directly to Calix Krauvel and ask him.
Leaving the disappointed Anton Brown behind, I hurried out of the meeting room.
“Aileen.”
Calix Krauvel was waiting for me in the corridor.
“Where are you going? We have an appointment, don’t we?”
An appointment?
What appointment?
No matter how hard I searched my memory, nothing came to mind.
Anton Brown, who had been following behind me, vanished the moment he saw the lord.
The other officials did the same.
In an instant, I was left alone with him.
Carefully observing his mood, I asked cautiously,
“My lord… what do you mean by an appointment…?”
“I’ll give you one hour. Pack your belongings and come to the main gate of the main building.”
Calix cut me off with an order.
“We’re going to Nubiar.”
…Excuse me? This suddenly?
I had wanted to go to Nubiar because of the Main Quest, but I never imagined it would happen so suddenly.
After stuffing my belongings roughly into a rugged leather bag, I came out to the main gate of the castle and stared blankly at the clear sky without a single cloud.
“But how long will it take to reach Nubiar?”
The remaining time for the Main Quest was only about two days.
I was worried whether we could reach Nubiar within that time.
“Is there a way to extend the quest time?”
As I checked the quest window to see if there was any method, Noah Rohaim appeared.
“You came out early, Miss Aileen.”
“Good morning, Sir Noah.”
Calix Krauvel was nowhere in sight.
“It must feel sudden to hear that we’re going to Nubiar.”
“A little. I suppose the negotiations with His Excellency the Marquis went well.”
“That’s part of it. But the lord was also moved by Marquis Smith’s earnestness and decided to change his mind.”
The idea that that man had been moved by something like sincerity was hard to believe.
It felt like he had some other motive, but I didn’t bother asking.
“By the way, how long does it take to reach Nubiar?”
Please let it be within two days.
I asked earnestly.
“It’ll take about one minute.”
“…One minute?”
Thinking he was joking, I asked again.
Noah Rohaim chuckled softly.
“It seems the lord didn’t explain anything. We’ll be traveling to Nubiar through a magic portal.”
“Oh… a magic portal.”
Something I had only seen in movies or novels.
And now I was actually going to ride one myself?
Just thinking about it made my heart race.
“Come to think of it, Sir Noah Rohaim, you seem able to use magic too. Are you a mage?”
I remembered the time he created a droplet of water with magic and asked.
Noah Rohaim shook his head.
“No. I can manipulate a bit of mana, but I’m not a mage. That time I used a magic scroll.”
Ah, magic scrolls existed too.
“They must be very expensive.”
“They are. The one I used that day alone cost over a hundred gold.”
Over a hundred gold.
My mouth fell open without me realizing it.
“By the way, is that all your luggage?”
Noah Rohaim asked while looking at the bag I was holding.
“Yes. I don’t know how long we’ll stay in Nubiar, so I packed lightly.”
“Good thinking. If you need anything, you can request it from Marquis Smith once we arrive.”
“Is that really okay?”
“Of course. I’m sure he’ll grant anything Miss Aileen asks for.”
Oh? It sounded like Marquis Smith was quite a kind and generous person—unlike someone else.
While I was talking with Noah Rohaim, Calix Krauvel appeared, leading several officials.
Perhaps because he was traveling to another territory, he looked more formally dressed than usual.
His already handsome appearance stood out even more.
Even I, who knew well the kinds of wicked things he would do in the future, found myself staring absentmindedly for a moment.
“Is everyone here?”
Calix Krauvel glanced over the group and then turned around.
“Then let’s go.”