Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Meanwhile, in the West (4)
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The second investigation, which included interrogating the ringleader—the education instructor—revealed his motives: jealousy over Diana's talent and greed for the money she had paid.
Diana, parched for knowledge, absorbed every lesson like a sponge, which was more than enough to sting the insecurities of a man who had been forced into retirement from the front lines due to his own lacking abilities.
In that situation, when she willingly shelled out a hefty sum for the lessons, he decided to go all-in, scheming the whole incident with money as his target too.
"Tch, pathetic. Handle those guys on your own."
"Yes, Lord."
Heinz casually waved off the vampire who had come to report.
He had simply removed an eyesore right in front of him; from his perspective, they were small fry not worth another thought.
After that, everything proceeded smoothly, like a ship with the wind at its back.
They assembled the finest medical team as a precaution and reexamined Rafi's condition, then instructed the Church's priests to double-check it with a massive donation in tow.
They also hounded the bureaucrats to prepare everything in advance for the quickest possible immigration process.
In truth, in this country, nothing he wanted fell through the cracks, so of course everything went off without a hitch.
"Ehehe—You should just toss all this stuff too. We've got so much road ahead. It's all just baggage!"
"Aww, but it's a shame to throw it away. Maybe give it to that poor mom down the street."
"Good idea. Let's just hand off everything that's hard to dispose of to the folks we owe a debt to this time."
The Bolt family, having grown disillusioned with the city through this ordeal, readily agreed to follow Diana.
Of course, not all their neighbors had abandoned them—some had offered small helps during tough times—but far more had coldly turned them away over money issues.
Everyone was struggling in these hard times, so he understood, but it still stung deeply after all the generosity they had shown around the neighborhood over the years.
Rather than stay here with strained relationships, they decided to shake it all off, help out their benefactor Heinz alongside Diana, and make a fresh start.
A few hectic days of bustling preparations later...
The family had finally liquidated all their remaining assets and cleared their minor debts—
and now stood before the magic circle in the Mage Tower, laden only with modest luggage.
"...Gulp."
"Oh my goodness, to think I'd live to see a place like this..."
"Oppa boppa! Shiny over there! Pretty!"
"No, Rafi! Don't touch anything here! You'll get us in big trouble—for real!"
Thanks to the bureaucrats' full support, they swiftly made their way to the capital Talaria, and from there, everything flowed so seamlessly that they soon arrived here.
Deep within the Mage Tower, a place ordinary folk would never set foot in their entire lives.
They had already guessed that Heinz was no ordinary man, but seeing national institutions bend over backward, granting every need like a VIP pass, left them dumbfounded.
And this wasn't even to another territory—it was to a foreign country...
"Alright, everyone, please step onto the magic circle. We're about to activate it."
At that moment, a Mage Tower wizard—the very synonym of arrogance and eccentricity—spoke to them in a kindly voice.
This was just as jarring and unfamiliar.
"No need to be too tense. The Rocapelli Mage Tower is the continent's best at spatial magic. The odds of something going wrong mid-transfer are practically zero!"
That reassurance hid the scary implication that zero wasn't absolute, but the thoroughly tense group had no time to dwell on it as they stiffly stepped onto the circle.
Wooong—!
As if on cue, dazzling light erupted alongside a deafening vibration.
Geiiiing—!
And just like that, an ordinary family of five from the city of Rapella in the Kingdom of Talia was teleported to Tarak in the northern Aonia County of the Tulke Kingdom.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Unlike temple gates, which couldn't be used by just anyone and couldn't be forced open even with power, spatial travel via the Mage Tower was an accessible option—as long as you had the money.
However, it came with two major drawbacks.
The first was the jaw-droppingly exorbitant cost for even a single use...
"My, are you both alright?"
"...Hoo, I'm fine now."
"...Me too..."
And the second was how utterly awful the ride felt compared to a gate.
It was so bad that the arrival wizards handed out buckets like it was routine right after transfer.
The three kids, being young, handled it decently enough, but the two adults slumped on benches, pale-faced, only recovering after some fresh air.
"I couldn't properly greet you earlier amid the chaos. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm Hubert, head of the Hubert Merchant Company."
As they finally steadied themselves, the long-overdue proper introductions began.
"From now on, I'll personally ensure you all settle well in Tarak here, so no worries. Heinz and I aren't just casual acquaintances."
"Ah! So you're the company head. Sorry for the poor first impression. I'm Bolt. Please, speak freely."
Bolt, looking haggard, clasped Hubert's lightly extended hand for a shake with both of his own in respect.
Hubert wasn't acting superior, but Bolt's deference was an instinctive reflex.
The luxurious designer clothes, the jewelry flashing ostentatiously from every part of his body.
At a glance, it might seem tacky like a parvenu's excess, but Bolt's merchant-honed eye could tell none of it was ordinary.
'No way—are those all magic tools? Heavens, how much is he wearing around?'
And what about the burly bodyguards naturally encircling the area, or the poised attendants?
Their sharp gazes flicking this way, laced with predatory aura, sent chills down his spine unbidden.
"Ah, sorry about that. I upped security after some recent trouble. Bear with it if it's inconvenient."
"Oh no, not at all! Safety first, right?"
Hubert's natural air of authority instinctively straightened Bolt's posture.
It was a golden charisma born purely of wealth—different in texture from Heinz's bloodthirsty menace.
He might run only a small grocery, but a merchant was a merchant.
To merchants, the one with the most money was always the top dog.
Hubert exchanged greetings one by one with the family, then glanced at Diana.
As expected, she had clocked his identity, her eyes wide and lips moving silently.
'Smart girl, not letting on.'
Since they'd be working together anyway, Heinz had given her a heads-up a few days prior, glossing over the details.
That he, as a vampire, couldn't travel together, so he'd go ahead disguised and wait.
Thus transformed into "another form of Heinz," Hubert winked at Diana.
"Well, looking forward to working with you."
Reading the signal, Diana gave an awkward smile, pretending not to know as she greeted him.
She already knew he could alter his face and had seen him hide his presence herself.
The scents differed slightly since the bodies were different, but on second thought, identical scents would have been weirder for perfect concealment.
Having convinced herself, she gave a small nod.
"Alright, seems everyone's recovered. Time to head out. I've got a carriage ready—if you feel unwell en route, just tell the coachman."
"Thank you for your consideration, Master Hubert."
The Bolt family clustered together and boarded one carriage.
Rafi bounced excitedly at the grand, ornate carriage, with Diana calming her.
Watching the scene, Hubert slowly stroked his chin.
'Come to think of it, Diana's ability is efficient for this industry—almost like my own Appraisal.'
Even when working at what was basically a corner store grocery, she had greatly helped with stocking fresh goods, from what he'd heard.
In a much larger operation like the Hubert Merchant Company, the ways to leverage her talent were endless.
'Normally, lack of experience would hold back even a good ability...'
But who was he?
The master of the Hubert Merchant Company—now the largest trading firm in northern Tulke Kingdom, beyond just Tarak!
With his full backing, no one would dare touch her.
A talented individual he trusted highly due to their connection with Heinz.
Her secrets? No way to uncover them now anyway—not worth worrying over.
'Sniff sniff—smells like money.'
A thick scent of it, too.
Hubert gazed at Diana with sparkling eyes and a warm smile.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Managing a nation was no simple task.
Power came hand-in-hand with heavy responsibility, and accordingly, short reigns were common among history's kings.
Judiciary, administration, economy, public order, military, diplomacy...
Even trivial decisions required endless considerations, and every choice spawned unpredictable, myriad outcomes.
A single wrong move didn't just affect one person—it could involve the entire nation, making it a hotbed of stress and a fast track to an early grave.
'But that's only if you're handling every little thing yourself.'
Seated in the office chair, Talia Kingdom's de facto ruler—Heinz 2nd—leisurely sipped his wine while skimming reports.
[National Blood Donation Center Establishment Plan (Addendum 2)]
[Criminal Punishment Standards Draft (4th Revision)]
[Design Plan to Minimize Confusion from Changes (3rd Revision)]
[Hybrids in Response to International Situations···]
"Hm, much improved from before."
He nodded as he read through them one by one.
The surest way was always to leave it to the experts.
For someone like him, whose only experience "managing a nation" was from games, meddling deeply in state affairs would tank a perfectly fine country in no time.
So he only set the overall direction, never micromanaging details.
"...Tch, this one's off."
Of course, plans sometimes veered from his vision for various reasons.
But as mentioned, he lacked the expertise to fix what the pros missed...
So the only thing he could do was obvious.
-I'm not happy with this part, so rethink it including that.
Work them until it was right.
This counted as intervention, sure, but he never forced through bad policies.
He just spurred his smart subordinates to come up with better ones.
There were always multiple paths in worldly affairs, and people had the potential to find breakthroughs in dire straits.
'They're capable folk. They've been coasting until now, so time to put in the work.'
Naturally, in this class-based society, experts in statecraft were few and far between.
None other than the nation's top echelon—the intellectuals like royalty, nobles, and high officials.
These lethargic figures, who had inertly repeated the same policies under Brocoslak Clan rule, finally had a stage to bloom their talents!
...Whether they wanted it or not.
'Not my problem.'
He had just set the stage for them to shine.
And so, the proposals soaked in the blood, sweat, and tears of Talia's elite began getting approved one by one.
Until even the ink seemed to ooze their resentment, laments, and fury...
Finally, in the far western reaches of the Ion Continent's Talia Kingdom,
the Vampire Clan Alliance, "Hybrids," stepped boldly onto history's stage.