Business Launch (4)
Benjamin had not brought only his youngest son, James.
Accompanying him were the third wife who had borne the boy, along with several retainers.
Whether he had left the first and second wives behind because relations with them were strained, or simply because he needed a guardian present while bringing James—any number of explanations were possible. Only those involved would ever know the truth.
Once the guests had finished their introductions, it became time to present the baron’s family, beginning with Ana.
Roy waited in silence until then. Only after his sister Anna had been introduced did his own turn arrive.
"So this is the hero who felled that ogre?"
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Roy Greenhilt. The matter of the ogre was pure chance. My father and his companions had already finished the hunt; I merely had the good fortune to deliver the finishing blow."
"Hmm. You certainly seem more mature than most your age."
Benjamin fixed Roy with a piercing stare, the gaze of a predator that had just spotted prey. Roy had no desire to meet those eyes and deliberately looked elsewhere. James made a convenient target.
"James. Go on and greet him. Your younger brother looks ready to burst with the desire to say hello."
"Nice to meet you. I’m James."
"A pleasure. My name is Roy."
Even as he exchanged greetings with James, Roy could not suppress the irritation rising in him. This was the most aggravating part of reincarnation: having to deal with children. Worse still, children older than his current body. Anna was tolerable enough, but the mere memory of handling Jerry still made his blood boil from time to time. At least Jerry’s departure for the Knight Academy had restored a measure of peace. The other children who visited the mansion these days were commoners or distant relatives he himself had summoned for his own purposes. This was the first real problem.
For the next several days he would have to endure a child who was both older and of higher rank than himself.
Please let him be the quiet type…
Roy prayed fervently. If the boy proved to be anything like the old Jerry, patience would eventually snap.
Apparently the baron shared the same concern. The moment the reception ended, Roy was summoned straight to the study.
When I asked to talk earlier he claimed to be too busy…
Roy’s list of recent grievances against the baron was growing longer by the day.
"Ibaldo. Go and impress upon the servants that they are to give Sir Benjamin and his family no cause for offense."
"Yes, my lord."
Benjamin and his household had settled into the guest wing where Sissel was already staying. They had brought their own attendants, yet guests were still guests; the household could not simply stand by and watch.
Once Ibaldo closed the door behind him, only Roy and the baron remained in the study. The baron clearly had a great deal to say. He began with the business.
"Today, is it?"
"Yes. Sales should already have begun. I asked Teacher to remain at the shop all day and gauge the customers’ reactions."
"You’re ordering people about as if they already belong to you."
"Because they do. From now on I will be paying Marek’s and Teacher’s wages myself."
The baron wore an ambiguous smile—half pleased, half amused.
"You still don’t even know how much has sold."
"I already have the money earned from the pieces Father commissioned. That alone will last several months. And I dare say the goods will sell far better than you expect."
"I already expect as much. I’ve seen how people react once they hold those weapons. What I mean to say is this: do not grow overconfident. Business is no children’s game. Variables exist at every turn, and no one can foresee them all. Always prepare for the worst in advance."
"I will keep that in mind."
They left the subject of business there. Serious discussion could wait until the first sales and profits appeared.
The baron leaned back against his chair and thought for a long while.
"Father, there is a request I would like to—"
"Did we not agree to leave that until after your birthday?"
"But—"
"Whatever it is you want, this is a busy season. Between that and the preparations for your birthday, I have no time for anything else. Wait."
"Understood."
Roy made no effort to hide his disappointment. The baron paid the expression no attention at all. After another stretch of silent deliberation, he seemed to reach a decision and spoke the words he had been holding back.
"Roy. Listen carefully. In social circles of late, rumors have been circulating about the health of Margrave Biswald."
"……?"
Roy was startled.
What on earth is this man telling a child still so young?
"If the rumors are true, questions of succession will inevitably arise. The margrave is already past fifty-five. That he has lasted this long is remarkable enough. In any case, from what Sir Benjamin has told me, I find the rumors highly credible."
"Why are you telling me this…?"
"I will ask you a question. In the midst of so grave a situation, why do you think Sir Benjamin—who commands one of the largest factions among the margrave’s sons—would travel all the way to this mansion? Answer carefully. This is a test of sorts."
Roy was more curious about the baron’s motives than about Benjamin himself. Why pose such a question to him at all? Still, he could not blurt out something foolish like, "Because it’s my birthday?" That would only make him look childish—and the freedom to come and go from the mansion as he pleased remained his foremost goal. Showing immaturity here would be counterproductive. Better, then, to…
"If Sir Benjamin is currently locked in a struggle for power with his brothers, he may have come to invite Father into his faction. Had he merely wished to display his strength, there would have been no need to travel so far. The distance alone is considerable. That he moved in person means he has a purpose equal to the effort. Given the background Father has just described, that purpose seems clear."
Recent rumors circulating through the streets, the ogre subjugation, the enchanted weapons—ordinary folk might covet Geren, but any noble truly intent on expanding his influence would want Baron Greenhilt under his own banner. Both Geren and the shop that was about to sell magic weapons were either connected to the baron or operating within his territory.
"Let us assume you are correct. Even so, is it wise to spend several days so far from the heart of the conflict at so critical a time?"
"In ordinary circumstances, no. But if the circumstances are extraordinary…"
"Extraordinary?"
"Suppose, for example, that war has not yet begun, yet everyone knows it will break out soon. If one must urgently strengthen oneself before that day arrives—what then?"
Applied to the margrave, the picture was this: the margrave still lived, but his illness was severe. He might die at any moment, and once he did the brothers would move in earnest. Benjamin had acted now, before that moment, in order to grow stronger first.
"Is that not precisely when one should refuse to leave the field?"
"In a real war, yes. But this is a fight over succession—not a one-on-one duel. It is entirely possible to wait until the others have exhausted themselves fighting, then appear last and claim the seat. For the present, consolidating one’s own power base takes priority. Moreover, word of Sir Benjamin’s personal movement will already have reached his rivals and their factions, and the fact that his destination is this mansion has likely become known as well. With this single journey he has already secured one advantage."
"Which is?"
"Even if his negotiations with Father fail, he has made it far more difficult for Father to ally with any of the other contenders."
"……!"
"From Father’s perspective, when no one yet knows who will become the next margrave, committing hastily to one side is dangerous. They understand that perfectly well. Even if they cannot have you themselves, they will want to ensure no one else does either."
The baron was astonished by the young boy’s analysis, yet he continued to press.
"Very well. Let us grant that purpose. Still—did he truly need to come in person? A letter or an envoy would have been enough to apply pressure. Why bring his wife and son as well?"
"Sir Benjamin’s actions may carry multiple meanings, but I believe the greatest remains his desire to bring Father under his own banner. Anyone who has actually used the magic weapons, as Father has, will understand why. Teacher Geren is already known, both inside and outside the territory, as Father’s man."
"So we have circled back to the beginning."
"With my immature insight, that is as far as I can go."
"No. It was not bad at all."
Insight incomparable not only to Jerry’s but even to that of the eldest, Eric—and the child was barely seven. The baron nearly voiced an extravagant compliment, then deliberately swallowed it. The time for praise had not yet arrived.
"My own thoughts run close to yours. He came because he wants something from me. And he will do whatever is necessary to obtain it."
"What do you believe that something is, Father?"
"Exactly as you said—to place me beneath him."
Their eyes met.
Even if dirt fills my eyes, that will never happen.
This man is not so easily handled.
Roy could roughly predict the baron’s thinking. What truly puzzled him was why the man was confiding such adult affairs to him at all.