Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Crashing the Wheat Talks
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Hurup.
Was that seven cups, or eight?
After so much time had passed that I was starting to lose track of the tea cups from the Marquis's tea set, Saladin returned from the bathroom and asked me,
"Phew, I thought you were gonna piss yourself. Hey, you okay?"
"With what?"
"What do you mean, 'with what'? You're a noble, man. And not just any noble—from one of the richest families around. You cool with being treated like this?"
Just like Saladin's puzzled question, the knights who had entered the reception room with me were visibly irritated.
Sure, I was treated like a bug in my own family, but that was strictly an internal family matter.
Being insulted by nobles from another country was something entirely different.
It was like that classic sibling mentality: "You can trash-talk your brother, but no one else can."
'Yeah, it does feel a bit off.'
Marquis Midas had amassed a fortune through grain trading, so his merchant savvy was not to be underestimated.
Showing up late to a meeting to throw off the other side was a common tactic among merchants.
But for someone of Marquis Midas's stature to be this late risked turning into an international incident. There was no way he didn't know that.
Which meant something truly unavoidable had come up.
To get to the bottom of it, I asked the maid who was pouring what might have been my eighth or ninth cup.
"By any chance, does Marquis Midas have other appointments today?"
She looked genuinely troubled by my question.
"My deepest apologies, Young Master. Unfortunately, another esteemed guest arrived just moments before you... and their meeting seems to be running longer than expected. We're terribly sorry."
Another esteemed guest.
Esteemed guest...
"...!"
Right then, the tangled thread of a long-unsolved 'result' from my memories unraveled.
"You mustn't, Young Master! Even if the Marquis is delayed by his meeting, barging in like this would be a grave diplomatic breach...!!"
Bam!
I shoved past the maids blocking my way and the knights from Nile territory, roughly flinging open the door to the grand conference hall where Marquis Midas was holding his meeting.
"...so, regarding the amount of wheat our house desires this time... Huh?"
The murmur at the entrance drew everyone's heads toward me in unison.
And that's when I saw them all.
An elderly noble with a somewhat aged appearance and a plump belly.
His kindly face might make you drop your guard without realizing it, but his hawk-like eyes gleamed with extraordinary sharpness.
That had to be Philador Kingdom's crafty fox, Marquis Midas.
I'd never met him before, but I knew it was him all the same.
Not because of any aura of greatness he exuded.
It was because of the man sitting across from him, deep in discussion.
I knew that man better than anyone.
"Hahaha! Terribly sorry to interrupt your heated meeting, but might I join in? I know it's rude, but it seems the topic here aligns perfectly with why I came to Nile territory."
The man across from Marquis Midas—his expression hardened at my words. No doubt about it.
He already knew that I, the 'bug' of the Shield Family, was heading to Nile territory.
That's why he'd rushed here while we were delayed dealing with the orcs.
It was a hunch, but I was certain. He was exactly the type to pull something like that.
But he probably never imagined the 'bug' would crash their meeting.
'No wonder. Now it all makes sense.'
That one puzzle piece that had stubbornly refused to fit in my head throughout the journey.
It had seemed strange.
My eldest brother was a stickler for 'chivalry,' sure, but his raw ability was beyond reproach—Ares von Carviot.
No matter the damage from the orcs.
No matter the delays.
No matter that Marquis Midas would betray the alliance in the future.
Not at this point, far from the grand council where he'd reveal his ambitions, failing a simple food procurement mission just didn't add up.
How stupid of me.
Why hadn't I thought of it sooner?
Back during the Theory of Territory Management exam.
I remembered that the central nobles had weathered the famine well.
A little thinking, and the answer was obvious.
The reason even my supremely capable brother had no choice but to fail this simple task.
In my past life, he'd set out to secure food much, much later than I had.
No matter how skilled he was, he couldn't buy what had already been 'sold out.'
Baron Wolfgang Lier.
The 'esteemed guest' sitting across from Marquis Midas—the Sword Family's hunting dog.
And the man I'd clashed with endlessly in the empire after the kingdom's fall in my previous life.
It was a stroke of luck that I was here instead of my brother.
Brother was so rigidly honorable he wouldn't even dream of disrupting a meeting with prior guests—it'd be dishonorable.
I could picture it. He'd wait politely until this meeting ended, they'd sign and split the Sword Family contract amicably, and then he'd stand outside the next one sucking his thumb like a dog that chased a chicken onto the roof.
But I'm different.
I had no honor left to lose, and I'd wallowed in as much filth in my past life as Wolfgang had.
Ignoring Wolfgang's stiff expression, I casually crossed the conference hall and took a seat at the triangle point between Marquis Midas and him.
Come on.
Let's roll in the mud again, you and me—just like old times.
Looking at me as I sat, Wolfgang spoke.
"Young Master Jerome, interrupting an international meeting like this is a grave breach of etiquette."
"Haha, is it?"
"Indeed. I humbly request you conduct yourself in a manner befitting the heir of the kingdom's premier noble house."
It sounded polite, but it was really just 'Don't shit all over the place without manners—get out.'
"Sadly, I've been kicked out of home so long I've built up some distance from etiquette. But you seem to know me? I don't know you."
I played dumb about Wolfgang.
"My apologies. Young Master Jerome. I am Baron Wolfgang Lier. I humbly serve under the Sword Family's shadow."
Wolfgang greeted me with elegant, old-fashioned courtesy.
"Ah, I see. Pleased to meet you, Baron. However..."
"...?"
I looked at Wolfgang and said calmly,
"Nile's master, the wise Marquis Midas, has said nothing to me. What gives you the right to lecture me on etiquette?"
Before I knew it, Marquis Midas was watching the exchange with keen interest, while Wolfgang slithered out like the weasel he was.
"My apologies if I've offended you, Young Master. As a senior noble of the same kingdom, I merely offered advice to spare our host any embarrassment. Please don't take it to heart."
"Oh? Advice, you say. Advice."
I smirked on one side.
"Since when could a Sword Family vassal noble lecture a direct heir of the Shield Family? Should I take that as the Sword Family looking down on us?"
Wolfgang bowed his head at my aggressive jab. Disgusting as it was, he had no choice. A wrong response could escalate this into an inter-family incident.
"My deepest apologies, Young Master. That wasn't my intent..."
"Enough. What a disgraceful display in front of the Marquis."
I waved him off irritably and bowed to Marquis Midas.
"Once more, my profound apologies for my rudeness, Marquis. I should have apologized immediately, but I beg your broad magnanimity."
Marquis Midas, whose face had been alight with amusement, laughed heartily and waved it off.
"Hahaha! No harm done! Quite the spirited young man. Earlier, you said your reason for visiting Nile matched Baron Wolfgang's? So, wheat for you too?"
"Precisely."
I didn't deny the obvious.
Marquis Midas stroked his short mustache at my quick affirmation, muttering to himself.
"Hmm! Fascinating. Two from Ikenia Kingdom's top houses, both seeking me out at once? Intriguing, most intriguing!"
It was muttered like a soliloquy, but anyone could tell it was for our benefit.
Marquis Midas slid forward what I assumed was the contract he'd drawn up with Wolfgang before I arrived.
The seal beside him was unused. Meaning the deal wasn't finalized yet.
"For me, more buyers the better. I just sell to the highest bidder. What's your offer?"
"Hahaha, Marquis. What kind of negotiation shows all its cards upfront?"
"Tch, fair point."
After clicking his tongue, Marquis Midas tore the contract in front of him to shreds.
Riiip!!
As Wolfgang and I stared in shock at the sudden act, he asked casually, as if wondering what the fuss was.
"What? With a new player, we review everything. That paper's no better than trash now. Haha. It's late anyway—let's reconvene tomorrow."
With that, Marquis Midas left the hall leisurely, instructing the maids to escort us to our lodgings, leaving the torn papers behind.
In the now-empty conference hall, with the shredded documents on the table, Wolfgang spoke to me.
"Ha... Thanks to you, Young Master, that old fox is thrilled. I'd secured good terms, and now... Why complicate things?"
He chided me.
"If you need wheat, you could've negotiated separately with us. It's not too late. Pull out, and I'll ensure the Shield Family gets a substantial share."
Wolfgang offered his 'generous' concession.
"Baron Wolfgang, was it? I understand. But there's a better way."
I turned to meet his eyes.
"Why don't you skip tomorrow's meeting and leave Nile at dawn? I'll offer better terms than what you nearly signed today. Since I've stirred things up, 20% below what the Sword Family planned. Sound generous?"
"...That's."
"Won't work? Of course not. The Sword Family doesn't just need wheat. They need the position of dispensing it. That's the prestige the kingdom's top house deserves."
"......"
Wolfgang neither confirmed nor denied, but his silence spoke volumes.
"So while we bled in your vassal territory of Mano fighting orcs, you scurried here like rats. Scared of losing that prestige, right?"
"......"
Wolfgang said nothing again.
"Sorry, but not this time."
"Hey, mind if I ask one thing?"
Saladin asked on the way back to our lodgings. Annoying.
"Keep it short."
"Acting all high and mighty. Fine, short question. Can't you just split the wheat with them or buy from another territory? Why are you both pulling all-nighters here for it?"
Though unspoken, Beskin seemed to share the doubt. Fair question.
"Good one. First, simple reason. Neither the Sword Family nor us need a small amount. Nile's rich, but it's just one territory. Not enough to feed our kingdom's two biggest houses and their vassals. Impressive it can handle one, though."
I held up a second finger and continued.
"That answers the next: Why only Nile? Consider Philador and Ikenia's international ties."
We reached the lodging entrance as I explained.
"Philador Kingdom, Five Nations Alliance, Ikenia Kingdom, even Osiris in the continent's east. These nations have long formed a tight alliance against the Holy Empire, maintaining a fragile balance. Break it, and the war turns in an instant."
I turned the doorknob, then asked Saladin and Beskin back.
"Question for you: If our kingdom's houses buy up all Philador's wheat and they starve in the famine later, will Philador still see us as dear allies?"
"...!"
"Nile has so much wheat it rots. Taking only the 'excess' from Nile alone gives Philador no reason to hate us."
I murmured softly as I entered the room.
"So this wheat run isn't just Father's test for me. It's about our house's standing, the kingdom's people's welfare, and international diplomacy. Everything."
I lay on the bed, eyes closing slowly, cards for tomorrow's negotiation in mind.
Cards Marquis Midas couldn't ignore.
"Jerome von Carviot... The rumors were wrong."
Wolfgang revised his assessment, recalling Jerome's parting figure after saying his piece and leaving gracefully.
He despised those who threw their weight around on bloodline alone.
Incompetents with nothing but the same red blood to boast.
And he'd pegged Jerome as the epitome of that.
But today's display defied the rumors.
"Whether someone tipped him or he figured it out himself—he knew exactly why our house wants the wheat."
If it was just need, he could've tossed some scraps after salvaging the deal. But if he had to clash with the great Sword Family...
"No choice but to use it."
Wolfgang thought of the secret weapon the family head had personally given him, heading to the lodging's conference room with his staff.
To prepare for every variable in tomorrow's talks, one night wouldn't suffice.
The next morning.
In the grand conference hall, the three of us—me, Marquis Midas, and Baron Wolfgang—sat in a triangle facing each other, just like yesterday.
"Heh heh, hope you all slept well."
Marquis Midas leaned forward, chin in hand, chuckling leisurely.
"Curious why I'd host such esteemed guests at once, I did some digging. Seems Ikenia Kingdom might face troubles soon."
As expected. He might seem provincial in Philador, but a man like him had ways. One day was plenty to learn of our kingdom's woes.
Had only Sword Family or I come, he might've wondered. But both? Only a fool wouldn't connect dots.
Baron Wolfgang showed no surprise—he'd anticipated it too.
"No need to worry, though. Our kingdoms are longtime allies. I'll provide ample wheat—rest easy."
Grinning broadly, Marquis Midas alternated glances between me and Wolfgang.
"But alas, my humble stores aren't infinite. I can supply only one of you. Bear that in mind for negotiations."
If you want the wheat, bring your A-game offers.