Chapter 23
Chapter 23
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: The Lady Waits in the Wheat Field
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 23 - #4 Guest (6)
"Wh-what do you...?"
Armin's supply officer said.
Elric's response on the matter was the same as before.
He wore a bright smile, as if stating the most obvious thing in the world.
"Is there a problem? From our perspective, the Empire is the most reasonable buyer. Unless Armin can match the same terms?"
There was no way they could.
Setting everything else aside, Armin didn't have the Empire's budget.
Why else would it be called the Empire? Even beyond its vast territory, its power, wealth, and everything else dwarfed other nations by double.
In the end, there was only one thing Armin's supply officer could do.
"Th-that would destroy the market! It's setting a bad precedent! Don't you understand that forcing the buyer to cover distribution costs will harm Weibin in the long run?"
It was certainly a possibility.
But no one present was ignorant of the holes in his argument.
The one who stepped forward was Polo.
"Hmph! It's laughable to worry that a single deal here will collapse the entire market. The wheat import competition ends right here to begin with. And this is wartime. That's why the Empire made its decision. Try pulling this off again next year! Who would buy that territory's wheat then?"
"What about the chance we'll still be at war next year?!"
"Can you guarantee the front lines will remain stalled like this?"
"That's...!"
There was no answer.
The battlefield situation had reached an extreme with Chevor's fall.
Most who understood warfare knew it.
At longest, half a year—more than half the nations at war now would be wiped out by then.
"Is the discussion over?"
At Elric's question, Armin's supply officer could do nothing but tremble.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
The moment the thought surged, his gaze turned to Tiria.
"What do you think, Lady? Is this deal acceptable?!"
That iron-willed young master had said it himself.
That she was the real power in this territory.
So she was the only one left to cling to...
"...If that's the Family Head's decision, then I must follow."
She answered with her eyes gently closed.
Armin's supply officer glared with a flushed face.
The veins bulging in the whites of his eyes showed his rising fury.
"Hmm, everything wrapped up the moment we arrived. I was hoping to savor a bit of the countryside charm."
Polo's words were a clear jab.
Elric's response matched in kind.
"The trains will stop running soon anyway. Stay the night."
"I appreciate the kindness. But as soldiers in a nation at war, we can't prioritize personal comfort. We'll catch the last train out."
They traded words smoothly.
It couldn't end like this, yet there was no card left to change the situation.
Even Disa's supply officer nodded in resignation, going along with it.
"Hmm, we lacked information. This is our loss. The meal was excellent. We'll be off today as well."
"Wait!"
"Armin, that's enough."
Clunk—
Armin's supply officer shuddered.
Disa's supply officer's demeanor was that menacing.
"Know when to rein in your tantrum. Disa is a nation of knights. We value honor and accept victory or defeat as true soldiers do."
"I-I..."
"Remember this. The only reason we face each other without drawing swords is because this is the last time."
He was absolutely right.
Though their front lines were far apart, as the war intensified, Armin and Disa would inevitably clash blades.
The sole reason these two weren't going for each other's throats was one thing.
This was foreign soil, and as representatives of their nations, they couldn't cause a scene abroad.
"Then we're settled."
Even as the situation spiraled beyond control, Armin's supply officer was powerless.
He could only scream inwardly.
This was wrong.
Such a one-sided deal was disastrously wrong, yet there was no chance to fix it.
'What in the...!'
With the two supply officers leaving today as if scripted, begging alone would be utterly pathetic.
Beyond pathetic—it would be rude.
Considering diplomacy, it was obvious he couldn't act as Armin's representative that way, so Armin's supply officer hung his head.
A total defeat.
*
Watching the three departing supply officers, Elric let out a long breath.
'If only I could just cut their throats.'
The scrawny man's bony nape grated on him.
But acting on that impulse would only trouble Tiria.
So the solution he'd devised was incitement.
He twisted the deal's direction using Polo, then made Disa's supply officer's opinion the flow. Polo handled the execution, of course.
As a result, ten percent of the wheat went to Disa... but Portman's territory could bear that burden.
The Empire would cover distribution costs externally anyway.
"Family Head."
Tiria spoke.
"Was this your doing?"
Elric's eyes shook violently.
"Uh, huh?"
Why were the arrows turning his way all of a sudden? Panic rose naturally.
Meanwhile, Tiria lowered her gaze and replied.
"I see."
Her attitude suggested she understood completely.
Elric felt his heart drop.
"Wh-what are you talking about? I didn't..."
"I didn't know you had ties to the Empire."
Had she overheard his talk with Polo?
Crisis gripped him.
"Did you not befriend Empire officials during your wandering days? That's the only explanation for their favor."
"Ah...!"
"Armin's supply officer seemed too flustered to notice, but to me, it looked like the two of you were conspiring. If I'm mistaken, my apologies..."
"N-no, it's true! I actually befriended a noble there when I visited the Empire!"
Cold sweat trickled down Elric's back.
Who knew she'd figure it out and provide the perfect excuse? No need to scramble for one—relief.
Elbus Graham's words suddenly came to mind.
-Those who trust their own competence often get trapped in their assumptions. When faced with sudden or inexplicable situations, they weave causes from visible clues to make sense of it. Those guesses are usually wrong. I've been there myself.
Tiria’s competence had led her into the trap.
Whatever the case, it was good for Elric.
"I hope to make introductions next time."
"Mm, yes. Shall we head inside for now?"
"Right."
As Tiria turned toward the manor first, Elric exhaled in relief.
'This wraps it up.'
The crisis of his identity being exposed was safely averted.
No such incidents for a while now.
With tension gone, his strength ebbed.
Elric rubbed his especially sore knees today and followed her into the manor.
*
Polo returned to the capital of the Mahir Empire.
A city of steel and steam, rightfully called the continent's heart, on vast land.
Weibin's scenery felt all the more pastoral against that massive fortress's grandeur.
Lost in such thoughts briefly, Polo soon pulled a note from his pocket.
'Will this really work?'
Polo swallowed dryly.
The note was a letter scrawled hastily on paper Kasha had torn.
His destination was none other than the Graham manor.
The recipient: Elbus Graham.
Polo arrived at the Graham manor, doubts lingering.
"What brings you here?"
"I'm Polo, third son of the Notem Count family. I'd like to see Lord Elbus."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"Not exactly, but this is... rather urgent."
So it wouldn't work after all.
As he thought that—
"Hmm, follow me. He has no schedule today, so I'll ask."
Polo was mildly shocked at how easily he gained access.
A bastard he might be, but Elbus Graham was one of the capital's top promising geniuses among geniuses.
To meet him just by showing up and asking?
It even felt like some prank plotted by Kasha and Elbus Graham.
Right then—
"A guest? From the Notem family, no less?"
A voice leaked from the closed drawing room.
"Hmm... fine. I was bored anyway. Send him in."
The voice was as beautiful and unchanged as five years ago.
Polo flinched, recalling the banquet from five years back.
Creak—
The door opened.
"Notem Heir... no, supply officer."
Beyond the door sat a man in a wheelchair.
Backlit by sunlight pouring from the window, his features weren't clear.
Just dazzling platinum hair, golden eyes like molten gold embedded, and an androgynous silhouette that disordered Polo's vision.
"What brings you here?"
Polo swallowed dryly.
"Long time no see. I was asked to deliver... a letter."
And so Kasha's letter reached Elbus Graham.
Eager to finish and leave, Polo grasped little.
Amid his anxiety, one thing stood out.
"Khahat...!"
Laughter.
"This guy—wondered what he'd been up to. Enjoying a vacation in some backwater."
Polo looked up and saw it.
On the enigmatic beauty's lips, a mischievous smile like a young boy's.