I Became the Mid-Boss Who Kidnaps Heroines (5)
A few days later.
"Welcome. The House of Hapsderk bids you greeting."
"I am Edmond, branch manager of the Silverstar Merchant Group in the Midgal Kingdom."
Visitors from the Silverstar Merchant Group had arrived. They pulled wagons loaded with vast quantities of goods into our county seat, and the Hapsderk Count received them as befitting distinguished guests.
The Silverstar Merchant Group. The name suggests a mere trading company, but it's a colossal enterprise spanning the entire continent. As the head of the Merchant Guild Alliance, it handles around 30% of the continent's logistics—nothing surprising there. It started as a small outfit and has kept the name to this day, but given its actual scale and wealth, calling it the "Silverstar Group" might be more accurate. In real-world terms, think something like a "3☆" conglomerate, or "CaCao," or on a more global scale, "Amazon (jungle edition)."
I leaned on them hard during my original playthrough.
They dealt in anything that turned a profit. If the protagonist's actions didn't serve their interests, they'd send assassins his way—but
if he looked profitable, they'd pour investments into him without hesitation.
If the protagonist brought them solid gains and struck a deal, they'd become a massive economic backer.
"And this is...?"
"This is our young miss."
"Ah, I see. Regiph, why don't you show the lady around the gardens."
"Yes, Father."
The count led Edmond the branch manager and the other adults to the drawing room, while I approached the girl accompanied by a single young black-haired maid.
"Welcome to Hapsderk."
"Hello, young master of Hapsderk. I am Yurha Silverstar."
There before me stood the golden-haired, golden-eyed girl herself. Daughter of the merchant group's head and the group's heiress, she appeared in a flamboyant pink dress straight out of a romance novel's noble heroine in her childhood.
"Yurha Silverstar."
"Yes, that's me—Yurha Silverstar."
Despite the Silverstar name, she had golden hair and eyes—no mutation or anything like that. The bloodline didn't demand silver hair and eyes, after all.
"Pleased to meet you. I am Regiph Hapsderk, eldest son of the House of Hapsderk."
"I know. I heard we're the same age. Nice to meet you."
Yurha smiled kindly. If you judged by the smile alone, you'd think it was just a polite, well-mannered seven-year-old child—but
She's dangerous.
This girl was a "monster of commerce" who had opened her eyes to profit from a very young age. That smile concealed a merchant's scale weighing whether the young master of a count's house—and future Count Hapsderk—would be useful to Silverstar or not.
Game lore aside, is this the gaze of a genius who stands out from childhood?
Yurha was a genius. Especially in economics—she had likely mastered it already. Her visit to our house was probably part of early training in running the business.
"What brings you to Hapsderk?"
"My, are you already taking heir lessons?"
When I sharpened my tone a bit, Yurha's eyes sparkled as she asked.
That look—she sees me as her peer.
No matter how much of a genius she'd grow into, shaking the continent's economy, she was still just a seven-year-old child right now.
"Silverstar visits noble houses for trade, so why ask me the purpose? What's that about?"
She didn't hide her excitement at meeting someone "like her."
What to do.
One wrong move, and she'd strip me bare. But playing dumb seven-year-old would ruin the first impression and cause headaches later.
No choice.
It pricked my conscience, but this was just thrashing to survive.
"You're not here just to trade—you're here to swallow our house's assets whole."
"Heh."
A judging gaze. She was analyzing whether I'd figured it out myself or heard it from an adult.
"Miss Yurha, just one question. Answer honestly, and our 'deal' will go nice and smooth."
"......A deal."
Yurha smiled awkwardly. The black-haired maid behind her glared murderously at my sudden casual tone, but I focused only on Yurha, who kept smiling at me.
"I'm not the one in charge."
"But your word alone could replace that branch manager shoving contracts at my parents right now, couldn't it? As Silverstar's sole heiress."
"My. I'm not that reckless a successor."
She didn't deny she could.
"I'll hear you out, but are we going to keep standing here?"
Yurha smiled, pointing at the floor, and I extended my hand to her with the noble etiquette I'd drilled for three months.
"Allow me to escort you to the gardens, Lady Yurha."
Her hand, extended like a lady accepting a knight's escort, was far smaller than mine.
A short while later.
I invited her to the rose garden of Hapsderk and served her tea at the table amid the blooms.
"So this is the site of that storied tradition and history?"
"...It does run deep."
The rose garden. Amid the riot of colorful roses were plenty of secluded thickets perfect for a man and woman to tumble into. Father and Mother probably strolled here hand in hand—
"You don't seem to like that tradition and history much, young master."
Did I let it show that badly? Yurha eyed me amusedly.
"Do you dislike your little sister?"
"No way. Objectively and subjectively, she's cute and lovable."
Her expression from the original protagonist's individual route was still fresh in my mind.
"If I weren't her real brother, I might've wanted to be her fiancé for real."
I glanced toward the mansion. A silver-haired girl plastered to the window startled and hid, but it was just getting caught and hiding anyway. Did she actually hear? No chance.
"Heh."
Yurha laughed.
"You really treasure your sister."
"She's family."
And family didn't do that sort of thing.
"Alright, let's settle the deal first, then chat. What do you want to say?"
"We'll give you 30% of the mana stones from the Monster Zone, so please don't bankrupt Hapsderk."
"......."
Yurha's eyes widened in surprise. The black-haired maid behind her flinched and stared at me.
"I think I need to hear how you arrived at that...?"
"I've heard Silverstar shakes hands with those who bring satisfying profits, but if they're lacking, they snap their wrists clean off."
"Such harsh words, young master. We're just a humble trading group."
"I know all about the Nadlangsia Marquisate."
I named one case, and Yurha's smile deepened.
"You approached the marquis and bankrupted them over ten years."
"......."
"And that's not all. Countless nobles across the continent have sold off heirlooms because they couldn't repay Silverstar loans. Then you develop those territories' resources or build new revenue streams and rake in massive profits."
Information a Regiph could access, but also gamer knowledge.
"The Nadlangsia heir is probably sharpening their grudge for revenge as we speak."
Some side characters had their houses "developed" by Yurha's group, leading to major conflicts in her personal route.
"I don't want that. Even if it means 30% less meat tomorrow, I don't want to lose my noble young master seat."
"......."
"I know Silverstar wants the mana stones from the Monster Zone. Take your 30%, and spare our house?"
Right now, House Hapsderk monopolized all mana stones from hunting monsters in the Monster Zone. Unfair of Silverstar to eye them?
"Young master. Our investigations show House Hapsderk only clears about 20% of the Monster Zone. Is that right?"
"Probably."
It made sense from Silverstar's view.
"If Hapsderk worked harder at securing mana stones, the continent's prices would've crashed from oversupply."
House Hapsderk was sitting on a gold mine and slacking.
"From Silverstar's 'max efficiency, max interest' standpoint, it'd make more sense to just take it."
"...Young master."
Yurha leaned forward, extending her hand.
"How about 40%?"
"Isn't that too much?"
I'd already thrown out my bottom line.
"Don't negotiate. I've shown all my cards."
"Hmm... I don't know how you pegged the negotiation figures from our branch heads and 'Grandfather' so closely, but..."
Probably around 33%.
"Fine. 30% it is, but I'll claim something else to make up for it."
Yurha smiled.
"Young master, we get along better than I thought, don't we?"
"......."
Of course. I was a seven-year-old with an adult soul; she was the genius those adults had set up to converse like one from childhood.
"So?"
"Be my companion while I'm here."
"Companion?"
"Yes. Chatting with other young ladies my age sounds less fun than with you."
"......."
"My. Don't you want to?"
Yurha smiled, aiming her fork at the slice cake before her.
"Hapsderk could go bankrupt and get torn to shreds."
Stab.
The cake mashed under the fork.
Not a threat from Yurha.
"What do you think?"
"Whatever I say won't change the group's decision. If negotiations go well, we trade; if not, no holds barred. ...Grandfather's way."
Silverstar's threat, and Yurha couldn't intervene.
Just one thing.
"Tell the Silverstar Group head: The 'next Count Hapsderk' looks fifty years ahead and wants a close alliance with Silverstar."
If Yurha passed that unforeseen variable up the chain, they wouldn't crush Hapsderk with capital right now, at least.
"Sure. Sounds good."
Yurha cupped her hands like a flower bud and beamed.
"Let's get close, then. Young master."
"Of course."
Silverstar bankruptcy ending: Blocked for now.
And Seia's painful past, too.
"Thanks, Yurha."
"For what?"
"Everything."
Regiph's past didn't matter, but without Hapsderk, Seia's would be starvation and abuse.
"Without you, someone might've ended up in the slums. Really, thank you."
"......That."
Yurha looked away, mumbling softly.
"...You're welcome."
Her ears were a bit red.
Phew.
Good.
Affection unlocked.
Even if Hapsderk fell, I'd survive now. Seia too, if things went well.