Chapter 427: Proof of Existence (15)
Chapter 427: Proof of Existence (15)
Unexpected encounters always brought a peculiar thrill.
Bewilderment, joy, or even hatred and anger could be the fruits of such coincidences. The emotion I felt immediately after facing Senior Sienne Alphenhauser through the crystal ball was no different.
At first, I was flustered.
Why was Senior Sienne appearing here? She was supposed to be busy teaching students at the Academy. I couldn't fathom why she would contact me privately.
Doubt and anxiety followed. Not knowing the reason for something usually invited fear. But the final sentiment that settled over me was 'composure.'
A sour expression, pouting eyes—above all, it was Senior Sienne who had called me, claiming she had urgent business.
That meant there was only one answer.
I wasn't the one with the problem. Senior Sienne was the one in a bind, and she was reaching out to me for help. There was absolutely no reason for me to feel intimidated.
The moment I realized this, my expression grew remarkably calm. Seeing the composure return to my eyes, Senior Sienne snorted and turned her head away.
It was still difficult to tell exactly where she was looking. Her silver pupils were so pale that the boundary between them and the whites of her eyes was blurred.
However, her words pierced my ears with perfect clarity.
"You look well. I suppose life in the Holy Kingdom suits you?"
"And you, Senior Sienne, don't look so well yourself. Also, my name isn't 'Hand Axe Dummy,' it's 'Ian Percus.'"
Despite my relaxed rebuttal, Senior Sienne only pouted further.
Actually, it was more than a pout; she closed her eyes and looked utterly disgusted. I could almost hear a chorus of booing in my ears.
Naturally, her nagging followed.
"Was it? I didn't know. I had such a strong impression of you being a thug who threatens helpless women with a hand axe."
"Think of it as a sign of affection."
"What kind of crazy person interprets that as a sign of friendship?!"
The silver-haired woman slammed her desk repeatedly, raising her voice. I scratched my head, lost in thought.
It had been successful until now.
Unfortunately, it seemed Senior Sienne was an exception. Then again, I suppose a normal person would react that way.
Besides, I didn't particularly intend to be close friends with her anyway.
"Don't boys usually get closer by trading punches at a young age?"
"You sound just like a middle school brat... Normally, violence is a signal that a relationship is over. Favor? There's none of that! Our relationship is finished, and it's finished in my heart too! Do you understand?!"
The way she growled and bared her teeth made it seem like she still hadn't recovered from the shock of our last meeting—even though I hadn't actually harmed her with the hand axe.
Eventually, I shrugged and decided to cut straight to the chase.
"So, is there a reason for us to be talking again if our relationship is already over?"
It was a sharp point.
Senior Sienne, who had been passionately condemning my rudeness just a moment ago, clamped her mouth shut. After a brief silence, a sigh finally escaped her lips.
Soon, a more submissive voice followed.
"……What do you want?"
"What do I want?"
I had to ask back because I genuinely didn't know. She was the one who had contacted me out of the blue, yet she spoke as if I were the one with demands.
I couldn't help but tilt my head in confusion.
But Senior Sienne only narrowed her eyes, looking at me as if I were being loathsome on purpose.
"You did it intentionally, didn't you? You knew our Alphenhauser Merchant Guild had bid for the supply of demonic beast corpses, so you seized control of it."
"Ah," I let out a faint exclamation.
Now I understood the situation. Because of the contribution made by Sir Reynold and me, the Holy Kingdom had decided to grant a massive quantity of demonic beast corpses to Ria's merchant guild. And this region, where a large-scale outbreak had recently occurred, was one of the primary supply routes for such remains.
For a merchant guild involved in the demonic beast industry, this would be devastating. While they were preparing their bid, someone else had suddenly monopolized the entire supply.
However, there was one thing I didn't understand.
"Isn't that just one of many businesses the Alphenhauser family runs? It shouldn't matter much whether you have it or not."
"The problem is that there's a contract involved."
Senior Sienne snorted as she spoke.
"Is there anyone who doesn't know that the demonic beast industry is the most sought-after business lately? It's especially popular near the Holy Kingdom. There are people who will buy demonic beast corpses blindly."
'Demonic beast corpses,' huh.
I felt a goal I had momentarily forgotten resurface. The reason I had followed Ria here in the first place was to hear rumors about a certain merchant guild that traded in demonic beast corpses.
After a moment's hesitation, I asked, feigning nonchalance.
"I'm not sure I follow."
"Are you really going to play dumb until the very end? I'm talking about the 'Shylock Merchant Guild'! Just what kind of conditions are you trying to set...!"
I had heard the name 'Shylock Merchant Guild' somewhere before.
It was the place that did business with the orphanage. I was certain because I had intentionally asked the Saintess for the name before leaving on this trip. That made me even more curious.
They were a guild large enough to sweep up demonic beast corpses. They could have participated in the bidding directly without going through other guilds.
Especially in a place where a massive amount of corpses were being circulated due to an outbreak, it would have been more advantageous to do so.
Yet, since arriving at the military camp, I hadn't heard the name of the Shylock Merchant Guild once. I'd probably have to ask Ria for the details, though.
Were they intentionally paying extra costs to coexist with small and medium-sized guilds?
That was nonsense. I shook my head with a bitter smile.
Misinterpreting my gesture, Senior Sienne's face grew anxious.
"Wh-why... what are you dissatisfied with?"
I wasn't particularly dissatisfied. It wasn't a decision for me to make anyway.
The merchant guild belonged to Ria. The right to make decisions regarding the guild's affairs lay with her, not me.
But Senior Sienne, clearly misunderstanding something, began to lose her nerve as she watched my reaction.
"Ahem. My tone was a bit rude, wasn't it? I apologize. However, there are few guilds that can handle such a large volume at once. I hope you'll remember that our Alphenhauser family can be of help."
I remained silent instead of answering.
There was no particular reason; I just found it amusing to watch Senior Sienne steal glances at me so nervously.
Eventually, she looked like she was about to cry.
"I said I'm sorry! Even after Sienne Alphenhauser herself apologized, are you still going to be like this?!"
Is this woman really the one called the 'Sun and Moon of the Alphenhauser Family'?
I swallowed a dry laugh, feeling doubtful.
Come to think of it, there was one thing I wanted to ask Senior Sienne.
Intelligence regarding the Saintess.
Somehow, the meeting ended before I could even bring it up. Feeling a strange lingering discomfort, I decided to head to Ria's tent.
"No."
It was a flat refusal before I could even get a word out.
I let out a long sigh, feeling dejected. I knew all too well that my younger sister's stubbornness wouldn't be easily broken.
Especially regarding certain matters.
Ria currently had her face buried in my chest. She was practically clinging to me as I sat on the edge of the bed. It was a posture that would have been embarrassing for others to see.
Ria's "No" was a rejection of the request she knew was coming.
I already knew the outcome, but I had no choice but to voice the request anyway.
"Ria, please let go... You've been like this for two hours. And without saying a word, too."
"B-but I'm scared..."
Her damp voice momentarily shook my firm resolve. This wasn't good; Ria looking up at me with teary eyes was practically cheating.
In the end, I had to pull her back into my arms and stroke her hair.
"It's okay, Ria. Nothing's going to happen now. The Holy Kingdom has dispatched an investigation team, and they've agreed to escort us on our way back."
"I'm still anxious!"
Ria raised her voice, tears dripping from her eyes. She seemed quite traumatized.
"People without faces suddenly attacked us—how could I not be scared?! We couldn't even communicate properly... Ugh, and then monsters started surging out of the ground."
I decided to empathize with the shuddering Ria first. Trying to dig up her memories of that time to get a detailed testimony would only backfire.
"Right, it must have been terrifying. I'm just glad you aren't hurt."
"Of course I'm not hurt! They kept muttering something at me, but I was so scared I couldn't even move. 'Saint,' 'Saint'... something? Just what were they planning to do...?"
It was immediately after she vented her anger while trembling that the strength left Ria's body.
Recalling the nightmare had triggered another bout of crying.
"Sniff, I was so scared... Brother..."
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here now... Let's talk about work tomorrow, then."
At that moment, Ria's attitude, which had been one of sobbing, shifted dramatically.
It was a theatrical change that occurred the instant she heard the word 'work.'
I could almost see the hallucination of her ears perking up as she stopped crying abruptly.
"……Work?"
"Your merchant guild's work, of course. I had some discussions with the Holy Kingdom while you were away."
I heard the sound of someone swallowing hard.
Naturally, it came from Ria. Soon, eyes filled with equal parts anticipation and excitement turned toward me.
"Wh-what kind of discussions?"
"About how to handle the demonic beast corpses. Also, Sir Reynold and I need to be rewarded for our efforts. But what would I do with the money?"
Ria's heart rate began to climb rapidly. The saturation of her sparkling eyes was so high it was almost blinding.
My younger sister clenched her fists and asked me.
"S-so, what did you decide?"
"I decided to leave it to your merchant guild."
Pant, pant. Now, even Ria's breathing was becoming ragged.
A younger sister panting with a flush on her face while being held in her brother's arms.
It was truly a sight I didn't want anyone else to see.
Ria asked again, her voice thick with excitement.
"Don't tell me... all of that volume...?"
"Yeah."
And in the next moment.
"Kyaaaaaaa! My brother is the best! I knew I only had you! I'm going to marry you, Brother!"
The tearful girl was nowhere to be found. Ria let out a cheer and rubbed her cheek against my chest. To top it off, she even started kissing my cheek.
Mwah, mwah, mwah.
If I left her be, my face would be covered in lip marks. I had to stop her with a hollow smile.
"Stop, stop... Anyway, you have no complaints now, right?"
"Of course not! I can earn this much just by being attacked once? I wouldn't mind being attacked a few more times! Should I write a letter to the Dark Cult?!"
Only a dry laugh escaped my lips in response.
She was still young. She didn't even know how terrifying the Dark Cult was.
Of course, I didn't scold her. I wasn't so tactless as to ruin my sister's happy mood.
Instead, I simply asked Ria, who was hugging me in her joy.
"By the way, Ria. Have you heard of the 'Shylock Merchant Guild'?"
"Huh? Of course I know them. They're a big player in the demonic beast industry."
Ria answered without a hint of suspicion. She didn't even seem curious as to why I was asking.
This allowed me to dig for information even more freely.
"Did that guild come here too?"
"No, they weren't on the bidder list. More importantly, Brother, let's calculate the money! Look, do you know how much we need to live a comfortable retirement...?"
Ria continued to chatter after that, but my mind was elsewhere.
'Shylock Merchant Guild.'
It seemed like it was time to start investigating them in earnest. Even if I had to force the issue a little.
The day after finishing the necessary consultations with the Holy Kingdom, we finally set out on the road back to the orphanage.
Though no one showed it, everyone was exhausted. Since the Holy Kingdom provided an escort, we spent the journey dozing off. However, Sir Reynold did show some strange behavior.
"So, Sir Reynold, what was it about that 'girl's' eyes?"
It was a question I threw out when it suddenly came to mind. At my question, Sir Reynold let out a soft exclamation. He looked back and forth between Ria and me for a long while.
Then, a nonchalant voice escaped his lips.
"……I don't know. I must have been mistaken."
It was an anticlimactic conclusion, but it would have been ridiculous to interrogate him further over it.
Above all, an incident occurred shortly after that completely occupied my mind.
On the day we arrived at the orphanage, the Saintess approached me amidst the bustling atmosphere and said:
"A masked assailant has appeared."
I couldn't help but let out a short laugh.
"They really don't give me a moment's rest."
It seemed that recovering from the fatigue of the journey would have to wait a little longer.