Chapter 46
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: What's Left Behind (1)
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“Haa…”
Rabin Timons, the leader of the Timons Merchant Group, let out a sigh at the grim reality.
It had been several years of deficits now, and the debts were piling up considerably.
With his credit in ruins, he couldn’t secure any decent deals, trapped in a vicious cycle.
“Should I just shut down the business for good?”
It was barely worthy of being called a merchant group anymore.
He had only about ten members left, and even the few trading partners they’d scraped by with had mostly cut ties.
‘Whew, Father. You were really something.’
Ruining a traditional merchant group in just ten years was a talent in itself.
He’d stayed by his father’s side to honor his mother’s dying wish, only to inherit a business on the brink of collapse.
“What now…”
He didn’t want to blame his late father, but the hopeless situation made curses inevitable.
He had no clue where to even begin.
“Merchant Leader.”
Just then, a weary-looking group member approached and spoke to Rabin.
“What is it?”
“A guest from the Bellun Count Family has arrived.”
The moment he heard Bellun Count Family, Rabin’s mind went blank.
He’d known this was coming eventually.
“Tell them to come in.”
“Yes, sir.”
The member retreated as if fleeing.
Rabin shook his head and sat in the reception room, waiting for the unwelcome visitor.
“Ahem!”
Not long after, in strode a man with a sour expression—Nior Bellun, the eldest son of the Bellun Count Family. He marched forward and plopped down in his seat with rude force.
“Please, come in, Young Master Bellun. I’ve been expecting you.”
“Where’s Cherban, the Timons leader?”
“My father passed away about a month ago. I’m the leader now.”
“Hmm? Oh, right. You’re Cherban’s son. Just remembered.”
Rabin felt his mood sour at Nior’s arrogant demeanor.
But he was the weaker party here, a debtor who’d borrowed money.
“My father was extremely disappointed, you know. You’re aware the deadline’s next month, yes?”
“…Yes. I am.”
Rabin’s father, Cherban, had borrowed from the Bellun Count Family over the past few years to try salvaging the group’s endless deficits.
The problem was that every attempt had failed spectacularly.
‘I really should’ve stopped him somehow.’
Cherban’s ideas had seemed solid enough on paper.
Securing distribution rights for a newly discovered mine, or importing trendy goods from the Empire.
Nothing that screamed disaster at first glance.
Yet they’d all flopped.
The mine thought to be silver turned out to yield only scraps of iron ore, and the “trendy” Empire goods simply didn’t sell.
‘It’s in the past. No helping it.’
The stress had worn Cherban down until he wasted away and closed his eyes forever.
Rabin recalled those events with a faint sigh.
“I’ll repay it by next month somehow. Please believe me.”
“That’d be ideal, but… what if you can’t?”
“Th-that’s…”
Nior flashed a sleazy grin at Rabin’s fumbling.
“I hear you have a younger sister.”
“Yes, that’s true, but…”
“If you truly can’t pay, you could send her to work as a maid in our Bellun household. We’d forgive the debt in exchange.”
Rabin froze, not grasping Nior’s implication at first.
“Th-that’s a bit…”
“What? So you’re saying you can definitely pay up? If you break your promise… you know what’ll happen, right?”
Rabin gritted his teeth at Nior’s irritated tone.
No matter what, he and his sister were headed for a bad end.
He couldn’t afford to make enemies of the Bellun Count Family, and fleeing would only get him caught quickly.
“…Fine.”
He was starting to think it might be better if he went instead when the reception room door burst open.
“M-Merchant Leader!”
Nior’s face twisted at the frantic group member who rushed in.
“Can’t you see I’m in a private meeting? No manners at all. This is why commoners are hopeless.”
“I-I’m sorry… It’s urgent…”
“Urgent?”
The member hadn’t known Rabin was meeting Nior, as none of the others were present.
For him to barge in anyway meant it was no small matter.
“Speak. What’s going on outside?”
“A-a guest has arrived.”
“A guest? We have no more appointments today.”
Rabin pressed urgently as Nior’s gaze sharpened.
“It’s Count Banheart. He says he wants to see you right away…”
“Count Banheart?!”
Nior answered before Rabin could.
He shot to his feet and grabbed Rabin by the collar.
“You! Have you been dealing with the Banhearts behind our backs?”
“N-no, absolutely not!”
“Then why would Clay Banheart come here? How dare you lie to my face!”
Nior clenched his fist to strike Rabin’s face, but someone seized his wrist.
Turning, he saw a familiar face. Needless to say, it was Clay.
“It’s not a lie, so ease up.”
“You…!”
“You’re lacking manners, Nior Bellun. As I told you before, it’s Count to you.”
Nior ground his teeth at Clay’s smirking face.
‘Everyone from the Founding Festival should be in the capital by now, right?’
The Festival was over, so Clay returning to the kingdom wasn’t odd. The issue was skipping the capital and heading straight to the county.
That led Nior to one conclusion.
‘He must’ve been utterly humiliated at the Festival!’
Otherwise, he’d have attended the grand banquet for the Festival’s stars.
Having caused a huge scene, he had no face to show there.
Nior smoothed his scowl into a grin.
“What brings you to our territory? There should be a lavish banquet in the capital right now—for those who shone at the Founding Festival.”
You’re not welcome there, so you’re hiding out here.
Clay instantly caught the mocking intent and curved his lips oddly.
‘Well, well?’
The rumors about Clay hadn’t spread here yet. Otherwise, Nior wouldn’t dare act this way.
So Nior’s thinking was obvious.
“Ah, that’s nothing for you to worry about. Mind your own business. Can I step in on this deal?”
“Pardon?”
“I have business with Merchant Leader Rabin too.”
Clay scanned the stunned Rabin appraisingly.
‘Just as the setting described.’
He was highly capable. No way Clay could let him get stuck here.
And above all, Rabin’s sister.
Maria Timons couldn’t be sold off to the Bellun Count Family.
“Count Banheart, what are you saying?”
“Looks like Timons owes Bellun a fortune. I’ll stand as guarantor.”
“Guarantor?”
“If Timons can’t repay Bellun within three months, the Banheart County will cover it.”
Nior’s eyes widened at the unexpected offer.
“W-why all of a sudden…?”
“That doesn’t matter. You just want the money, right? I’ll tack on interest since the deadline’s extended by two months.”
Clay’s tone was mild, but his eyes were ice-cold.
“You’re just following orders to collect from Bellun Count, so it’s not a bad deal. What do you say?”
It was phrased as a proposal, but it was extortion in all but name.
* * *
Nior Bellun took the contract from me and finally left the merchant group.
He eyed me suspiciously right up to the end, but he couldn’t fathom why I’d do this.
‘I absolutely can’t let Maria Timons go to them.’
Rabin was one thing, but the real prize was his sister, Maria Timons.
A frail woman of brilliant intellect.
In later episodes, Maria played a major role as one of Fabian’s key allies.
‘Soon, the Bellun Count Family suffers a massive scam and falls into crisis.’
Maria, working as their maid, helps them overcome it.
Bellun Count borrows her wisdom to survive, then invests heavily in Timons as thanks.
Timons grows beyond Talua Kingdom to become one of the continent’s top three merchant groups, bringing Bellun unimaginable wealth in tandem.
‘Too bad, but just go bankrupt.’
Bellun Count was greedier than even Nior. What he’d do with even more riches was predictable.
No guilt in taking that wealth for myself instead.
“Thank you for the help. But… I don’t understand why you made that offer.”
Rabin, oblivious to the reasons, just looked dazed.
“The debt we owe is 100,000 gold. We can’t let you cover that sum.”
As if convincing me of my own odd contract, Rabin honestly revealed the debt’s scale.
“Even if you say that, the contract’s signed. Can’t undo it now.”
“But…”
“You have three months, so no need to worry. Actually, three’s too much. Timons can repay in two.”
“What? That’s impossible. Who’d trade with us now…?”
“Me.”
“Huh?”
I grinned at his blank stare and pulled out another document.
“If this goes well, let’s relocate Timons Merchant Group to Banheart territory.”
“Huh? W-wait a moment. What do you mean…?”
“First, the trade goods.”
Rabin tilted his head as I flipped through the papers.
“As far as I know, Banheart territory only has grain as a notable product…”
Just like he said, Banheart had no real specialties.
Until now.
“Mithril.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’d like you to handle distribution for mithril from the mines.”
Excluding orichalcum, mithril was the most expensive, finest metal.
Its price was beyond imagination.
“You can manage that, right?”
Just distributing mithril would make Bellun’s 100,000 gold pocket change.
* * *
‘Alright, then…’
After sealing the deal with Timons, I returned straight to Banheart territory.
Two weeks—that was the timeline. I’d find the mine by then and fetch Rabin.
‘Rabin will handle the rest.’
Hiring miners and building facilities would cost a fortune. Once I found the mine and told him, he’d take it from there.
Rabin was capable and wouldn’t squander a hard-won chance.
‘A bit disappointing I didn’t meet Maria.’
The woman who’d become Fabian’s ally later.
Missing a chance to see a key player was regrettable.
[But where’s this mine? You said only two are left: the dungeon and the merchant group.]
“There’s a mine in the dungeon.”
[Unbelievable.]
She hadn’t even considered a mine inside a dungeon.
“The protagonist’s path is always like that. Why do you think they’re the protagonist? They pick up money tripping over it.”
Plus, Mone was always by Fabian’s side.
She’d been key to discovering the Kitten Forest dungeon.
Kitten Forest was called the Fairy Forest.
Those who entered wandered lost due to the fairies’ barrier, eventually returning to the entrance.
But Mone was different.
The fairies saw her pure heart and miraculous innate luck, opening the path for her.
Thanks to that, Fabian met the Fairy Queen and received a request.
To clear a certain dungeon in Kitten Forest.