Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Operation (3)
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Someone from the Roderick Merchant Guild.
He was a middle-aged man, seemingly in a middle management position.
“If you don't mind, could I have a moment of your time... It will only take a second.”
He asked to speak with me privately, as if he had business.
That was what I wanted as well, so I readily agreed.
“It is an honor to meet the heir of the Crodain family.”
He went on about my fine physique and the dignity of a young noble.
He praised me to the point of appearing servile, rubbing his hands together.
“...”
*Whoa, hold on... you don't need to go that far!*
It was so over the top it was becoming unpleasant.
*Enough, just get to the point!*
Like the quick-witted merchant he was, he immediately grasped the atmosphere.
“Actually, there is something I'd like to ask. I hope you'll understand that it might be a somewhat sensitive topic...”
“It's fine. Go ahead and speak.”
“I heard that your dantian was destroyed.”
“And?”
“I'm curious as to how you healed it.”
“???”
*Huh? What are you going to do with that information?*
It wasn't a topic a merchant would ask about, though it might be for a knight.
Well, I had overcome the impossible.
It was natural for people to be curious about the details.
However, no one had ever asked me so directly before.
-Hmm, I'm curious, but it's a difficult subject to bring up.
-Jace was always amazing, wasn't he? It's not that strange.
That was generally the flow of things.
I'd told Hector it was the effect of an elixir.
Given the situation, it felt out of place.
*Nah, it couldn't be that, right? Even for a merchant...*
“I'll be direct. If a secret method to heal a dantian exists, please sell it to me.”
“...”
What should I say?
It was a truly remarkable display of professional spirit.
It wasn't entirely illogical.
A merchant's nature is to sell anything and everything for a profit...
Still, wasn't this a bit too bold?
Was this why he had laid on the flattery so thick at the beginning?
He's probably thinking he can sell it for an even higher price, but no way!
I'd be better off monopolizing it myself.
Of course, no such secret method existed in the first place.
“I'll pretend I didn't hear that.”
“I will match any price. Shall I offer you a blank check?”
“No, what I'm saying is...”
“Yes. You must see me as a merchant who only cares about money. That's true, but if the secret to healing a dantian were to spread, countless people would be saved.”
“...”
“Furthermore...”
The words flowed out so smoothly.
His skillful rhetoric alone showed he was no ordinary person.
If I actually had a secret method, I might have really sold it.
A blank check danced before my eyes, but there was nothing I could do.
“It healed by chance, without me even realizing it.”
“Hmm...”
He narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
He didn't seem particularly suspicious.
A moment later, the merchant casually brought up something unexpected.
“Who was the culprit?”
“What?”
“I thought someone might have targeted you, Sir Jace... but it seems that wasn't the case. I apologize for bringing up something unnecessary.”
He immediately backed down, as if he'd just asked casually.
He acted like it was nothing, but perhaps that question was his real purpose.
The merchant's intentions were highly suspicious.
But my mind was focused on one thing.
*'A culprit?'*
That my dantian was destroyed due to a third party's intervention.
I had never considered that possibility until now.
It made sense, as there were no clues pointing to it.
Jace is not the protagonist.
So he wasn't covered in detail.
-For this and that reason, he betrays humanity and becomes one of the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings.
That was all there was to it.
He was written out of the main story right away, so I just moved on.
The only thing I could rely on was this body's memories.
And he had simply considered himself unlucky.
What good is being near-perfect?
Sudden accidents don't discriminate between beginners and experts.
So I had thought the same.
From Jace's perspective, it was 100% his own fault...
But the more I thought about it, the more natural it seemed to assume there was a culprit.
Jace was perfect in many ways.
The chance of his ki and blood twisting during meditation was lower than a monkey falling from a tree.
Even setting that aside, what happened afterward was suspicious.
Considering Jace's personality, he would have rather died than change into a scoundrel.
The honor of his family.
Or he would have controlled his emotions for his fiancée's sake.
Losing his reason so abruptly lacked plausibility.
Could some bastard have used a dirty trick to eat away at Jace's mind?
It wasn't Cedric.
It wouldn't be the other Hero candidates either.
They didn't seem that malicious.
And they didn't have the ability to deceive Jace's senses in the first place.
In other words, if we assume a culprit exists.
It was reasonable to suspect a spy from the Demon King's Army.
“...”
Terrifying growth potential.
A being who might become the Hero in the future.
From their perspective, he must have been incredibly threatening.
So they destroyed Jace's dantian.
And took advantage of that opening to corrupt his mind as well.
That alone was enough to eliminate one Hero candidate.
But not satisfied with that, they likely approached Jace after he was expelled from the academy.
A state of not being in his right mind.
Being betrayed by those he trusted.
It's easy to picture a scene where various factors combined to cause his corruption.
It was perfectly logical.
But I hope I'm wrong this time.
According to that assumption...
This body is still exposed to danger.
“...”
I searched through my memories.
The spy who appears in the main story wasn't very strong.
I could eliminate him even at my current level.
But the one who targeted Jace seemed to be about mid-boss level.
Normally, they would have corrupted Jace and left, but I don't know what they'd do now.
If they're cautious, they'd give up, thinking a second attempt is too risky. If they're persistent, they'd still be looking for an opening even now.
I really hope it's the former.
*If you're a spy, act like one and lay low!*
This was a situation that made Cedric's meddling seem trivial.
The Demon King's Army were truly bad guys, which gave me a headache.
Aah, I suddenly feel depressed...
At this rate, even the academy wasn't safe.
I couldn't rest easy until the Demon King was dealt with.
I forced myself to pull it together.
I'll have to trust in the protection of the one and only god, the system window.
A long tail is bound to be stepped on.
If events unfold according to the main story.
The Hero candidates will take care of the Demon King's spy on their own.
As I finished my thoughts, the merchant cautiously studied my expression.
“May I take my leave now?”
“...”
This guy is also a bit suspicious.
No matter how I looked at it, it didn't seem like it was just my imagination.
If I confronted him with just my suspicions, he'd surely talk his way out of it, being a merchant.
“I haven't even stated my business yet.”
“What business might you have with me...?”
“I'm planning a business and would like to receive an investment.”
“???”
He flinched as if caught off guard.
I know it was out of the blue, but even so, his reaction was slow.
“Hmm, well, I'd have to hear the details first.”
As if belatedly catching the scent of money.
He showed a merchant's characteristic smile, but it didn't feel genuine.
*What should I do about this?*
I got a distinct feeling. He was definitely not on my side.
I didn't sense any hostility, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth.
I suppose I'll have to look for another merchant guild.
I can't have my business idea stolen. Well, it's not like it could be stolen anyway...
Actually, I was planning to sell our little cutie.
Of course, not really selling her, more like using her cuteness?
For example, at a restaurant on a busy street.
What if they put up a sign with Aruru drawn on it?
“A restaurant approved by Hero candidate Aruru!”
If they added that phrase, it would sell like hotcakes.
If things go well.
The final stage is to start producing merchandise in earnest.
Posters, T-shirts, bags, writing utensils, and so on.
People wouldn't be able to ignore a brightly smiling fox beastkin.
It was bound to be a hit.
That's how the setting of this world worked.
Humans were designed to react to the cuteness of beastkin.
And Aruru, in particular, boasted outstanding looks among them.
There were no flaws in my plan.
But I hesitated to say it out loud.
Embarrassment aside, it was because it didn't match this body's concept...
“...”
I clamped my mouth shut.
I didn't like the merchant in front of me from the start.
It's such a big project that I'd need to talk to a guild master.
“You're not saying anything. Did I perhaps commit some discourtesy...?”
The more I look at him, the more suspicious he seems.
The thought of a spy from the Demon King's Army had put me on edge.
Well, it should be fine to just let him go.
Thanks to him, I became aware of the spy's existence.
Even if he had some wicked scheme, I'll let it slide this once.
Just as I was thinking that.
A girl's voice pierced my mind.
-Say little and send him away quickly. It's highly likely that merchant approached you with impure motives.
Chloe had transmitted her voice with magic.
I decided to follow her advice for now and hear the full story later.
I waved my hand at the merchant.
He reacted with a puzzled expression but bowed his head as if he couldn't disobey and retreated.
A moment later, Chloe took his place.
Her expression seemed a bit complicated, but I didn't sense any urgency.
“Now, explain.”
“That man works for the Roderick Merchant Guild.”
“I already know that...”
“And the Roderick Merchant Guild is a subsidiary of the Venice Merchant Guild.”
“???”
“Well, it's understandable that you wouldn't know. They've disguised it to seem completely unrelated.”
She said it was secretly connected to the Venice family.
In other words, that merchant was Chloe's subordinate. To put it differently...
“Yes. He might have been acting on Cedric's orders.”
“...”
Now I was starting to understand.
Asking about my dantian.
Casually probing about the existence of a culprit.
These were all things Cedric would want to know.
It was pathetic, but this time, I too had realized something important.
*Hmm, that's annoying in its own way.*
I would have been more at ease if I didn't know about the culprit.
Of course, it's better to be aware of it, even if it's uncomfortable, but anyway, he was a nuisance.
“Are you sure?”
“There's a high probability. He could have planned it on his own, too. Information about you would be valuable.”
She said it would reach Cedric's ears one way or another.
Well, I hadn't revealed any secrets, so it wasn't a problem.
I said the dantian healed by chance.
And I simply ignored the question about a culprit.
My guess is that it might just make him overthink things unnecessarily...
“What did you talk about?”
“Why?”
“Because I don't know.”
“Weren't you listening to everything?”
“???”
I hadn't said anything.
But I had often sensed Chloe's presence.
Including the times I couldn't detect her, like just now... it was almost at a stalker level.
It was scary, if I thought about it.
But thinking of it as a girl's one-sided crush, I felt a pang of pity and just let her be.
*Still, a stalker is a bit much!*
When I looked at her with that thought, her reaction was quite surprising.
“I-I don't like you *that* much!”
“...”
“...”
The girl who suddenly self-destructed.
She hung her head low, perhaps out of embarrassment.
I felt awkward along with her.
*I don't know what to say!*
She could have just said she loved me, or insisted I was mistaken.
But it was neither, so I was at a loss for words.
Chloe peeked at my expression.
Then, in a barely audible voice, she threw me for another loop.
“On second thought... maybe that's right?”
“...”
For a moment, I thought she was a little cute.
As I fell into a strange sense of self-loathing, Chloe had already recovered.
“Let's continue our conversation.”
She was one of my few allies.
So I told her the facts as they were.
“A culprit? Does a culprit really exist?”
“What do you think?”
I couldn't ask Ceria.
She had just finally stopped worrying; how could I make her worry again?
“I think so.”
“Why?”
“Because you're not the type of person to fall apart on your own.”
As if utterly certain.
She looked at me with unwavering eyes.
At this point, it seemed she trusted me as much as Ceria did.
“Could it be Cedric?”
“I doubt it.”
“True, the consequences of getting caught would be too great. Then...”
“You don't need to worry about it.”
“Why not?”
*Because it's dangerous.*
It would be troublesome if she got into trouble by poking around unnecessarily.
We weren't deeply involved, but she was trying hard for my sake.
If she were to get hurt, I wouldn't be able to control my anger.
“It's not even certain.”
“That's true, but... I understand.”
She looked slightly displeased.
It seemed like she planned to investigate secretly, little by little.
Well, that much is fine.
How could she possibly find a spy from the Demon King's Army hiding in the shadows?
“Oh, right. What was that about planning a business?”
“...”
The Venice family focused on commerce.
And our dear Chloe is the daughter of that house.
She should have extensive knowledge in that field.
There would be no harm in hearing her opinion.
I began my business presentation, prepared to accept any reaction.
“That's good.”
“???”
“It's completely revolutionary.”
“The potential?”
“It's to the point where I want to take charge of it myself.”
“...”
*Hmm, should I take this at face value?*
*She's the type of girl who'd say whatever I say is right, so...*
“However, it would be best to wait for the right time. 'Hero candidate' is a bit so-so, but the title 'Companion of the Hero' would be more effective. And if you become the Hero, we'd have to consider selling the Hero's face, too.”
“...”
She's somehow more serious about this than I am.
It was so plausible it made me nod.
She was a perfect business partner. Should I really entrust it to her?
“Ugh, I want to... but it's realistically impossible.”
“Not enough influence?”
“Yes. I've tried my best, but it was nowhere near enough.”
Influence over the merchant guild.
Cedric had fifty percent, while she only had twenty.
Wait, isn't twenty percent a pretty high number?
She's not even the heir, let alone from the direct bloodline. That much proves her competence.
“One wrong move, and we could do all the work just to give it to a dog.”
Even though they were half-siblings.
She referred to her older brother as a dog.
Yes, this is how a sibling relationship should be.
“If we could just deal with Cedric, it might work out somehow...”
“...”
In the end, that bastard was the obstacle.
Until now, Chloe had been fired up on her own, but it was about time I joined in.
*I can't take it anymore!*
This is no time to be picky about the means.
An opponent with whom I could not compromise.
One of us was going to be finished.
Of course, I was going to be the one to survive.