A Line Monopoly!
On the Saturday evening two days before the auction, a heavy silence hung over the conference room of the Hetaya estate in the East.
Seated before the communication device, Skadi's father, Bjorn Hetaya, wore a face set harder than anyone had ever seen it. The adjutants before him watched their lord's mood so carefully that they even measured the sound of their own breathing.
"Radson. When did you say the communication would come?"
"One minute from the appointed time, my lord."
"Soon, then. Our Skadi isn't the sort of girl who breaks an appointment."
"The transfer slips have already been prepared, my lord."
"Already?"
"Yes. Word came last night, so..."
"A touch too quick on the draw, isn't that, Radson Ankel?"
"Haha. When the request comes from none other than Lady Skadi..."
Radson carefully sidestepped the sharp look Bjorn leveled at him. Even so, every other adjutant who fell within his sight wore a face just as crumpled as his own. Skadi, the late-born darling of House Hetaya, held a monopoly on the affection of every soul who belonged to the family.
"You—you couldn't even try to talk her out of it!"
"I did not believe the young lady was the sort to speak of such a thing lightly."
"There must be a reason, then?"
"Yes. From what little I heard, it concerns Blow Deblique's business."
"And you didn't ask for the details?"
"The hour was late. I thought it better that we all hear it together at the meeting—"
He was still forcing his voice into something clear and steady when, at last, a communication magic circle bloomed before the device.
"Dad!!"
A single word, soaked through with affection—and in an instant Bjorn and his adjutants all went slack. Only then could Radson breathe again.
"Skadi. Have you been well?"
"Yes!"
"Mm. The thing is, Radson passed along a story that this father of yours could hardly help being startled by."
"That's right! I asked Uncle to send me every last gold I'm allowed to use!"
Her voice was as innocent as ever. A throb started up at Bjorn's temple. He swallowed a sigh and opened his mouth.
"You, who never once indulged in luxury, asking for every coin in your vault. Of course your father was startled."
"Why? I can't? Last time you said you'd leave it entirely up to me..."
"Haha, Skadi! That isn't what your dad meant...!!"
Dealing with his daughter was nothing but difficult. Bjorn sent a pleading look toward Radson, standing at his side. Reading his liege's mind, Radson cleared his throat and spoke in a firm voice.
"My lady, this is Radson. We happen to be in council at the moment. If you mean to spend the whole of your gold, that would be quite a substantial investment, and we were curious as to the particulars. Depending on the substance of it, the house itself might see fit to move."
The words poured out smooth as running water, and everyone in the chamber gave him a silent round of applause, as if to say well done.
"Oh, so that's what this is. Well, first of all, this is about Blow's business!"
"Might you explain in a little more detail?"
"All right! So."
From there Skadi laid the whole matter out in clean order—the patronage Marquis Deschamp had extended for Blow's sake, everything that had unfolded in Caipol, and even the later arrival of Lisleia and Marta. The names in her account carried such weight that gasps of admiration slipped from every mouth before anyone could help it.
"We'd already been briefed on the unrest in Caipol, but this is the first we've heard of the contract with Marquis Deschamp. Reading the reports, I had the sense something more was there, and I'd been meaning to contact you, my lady."
"Of course! It's Blow we're talking about!"
"...I did take a liking to Marquis Deschamp. Quick about it, though. Once winter passes, that boy Blow's name is only going to climb higher."
Bjorn stroked his chin as he spoke, recalling the night he had spent in communication with Deschamp. From the far side of the magic circle came Skadi's voice, crowing as if the triumph were her own.
"Marquis Deschamp even promised that come winter, he would introduce Blow to high society in the Imperial Capital himself!"
"Then nothing more needs saying. So, daughter—your thinking now is to put in a larger stake?"
"No! This time I want to buy the buildings near Hills that are coming up at auction! If Blow's going to do all sorts of things, I think he's going to need a lot of space!"
"My lady, this functions as an investment as well, then? The back alleys have been put in order, and there's Hills and Red Forest besides. Once the value of the whole alley rises, the price of the buildings will soar with it."
"Exactly! That's what I'm saying!"
"Looked at a certain way, it may even be wiser than taking equity. As expected, my lady—you had it all thought through?"
Having heard even that, Radson turned a confident gaze on the adjutants. They hemmed and hawed and looked anywhere but at him.
"Obviously! If I empty out all my gold, I figure I can still buy two or three places! And I hate how Senior Yulia keeps striding right up to Blow."
"...Pardon? You mean the young lady is approaching the young master?"
"She keeps hanging all over him and it's driving me insane! These days Blow won't even drink with me properly. What's he so busy with..."
At the deflated sound of Skadi's voice, a heavy silence fell over the chamber all at once. Everyone shivered and looked to Bjorn, hopeless fool for his daughter that he was. His face had gone rigid. A deep sigh escaped him, and a low groan with it.
...Haah. She isn't actually going to announce she's marrying that Blow fellow, is she? Even so, I can't leave my daughter sitting there looking so crushed.
Thinking that, he opened his mouth again.
"To return to the investment. Skadi, your view is that this Blow will develop the whole of Dusk Block?"
"That's right."
"How certain are you?"
"As certain as the cold of the North."
It was a turn of phrase he himself often had on his tongue—the northern idiom for absolute certainty. The words had weight. The adjutants swallowed dryly, and when Bjorn had finished thinking, his mouth opened once more.
"If you're that certain, then I think the scale is far too small."
"What?"
"To do it properly, we ought to buy every property nearby, shouldn't we?"
"Ah, Dad!"
"In exchange, I'll send Radson's daughter, Nanna. See that you talk everything through with that child and carry the work forward with her."
"N-Nanna? Last time you said you were sending her to a school in the Imperial Capital?"
"No. You're in Caipol yourself, and from here on Caipol looks likely to grow noisy in all sorts of ways. I've decided to send her to the academy there instead."
"What? When did you decide that?"
"Just now."
As he said it, Bjorn looked at Radson, and Radson bowed as if to receive the command. Bjorn answered with a glance, drew a deep breath, and spoke.
"I'll grant you half the reserve funds."
Right after the auction, in a coffee house near city hall, Marchen, Yulia, and Blow sat beside Skadi and stared, dumbfounded, at Nanna, who was grinning with every tooth on display.
"So you're saying you mean to buy our entire alley—the whole line of it?"
"Yes, Young Master! From this point on, we'll acquire them piece by piece! The short-term goal is to link everything right up to Nynix, the one opening a donut shop!"
"Even so, isn't the scale a bit much?"
"This is being carried out in the name of House Hetaya. It ought to be at least this grand!"
Yulia's eyes narrowed. She swallowed a sigh and cut in.
"Nanna, was it?"
"Yes, Lady Yulia! Nanna Ankel, at your service!"
"The reason you didn't purchase the lich's mansion..."
"The young lady came to me separately and told me so, and I didn't bid! Of course, if we had bought it, seizing the entire alley would have taken even longer!"
"When you're moving on something this large, you might have spoken with me or the young master beforehand."
"Ah! It isn't that I failed to consider it! But from what I heard from the young lady, you had your eye on the lich's mansion alone! Once I started thinking strategically, I had no choice but to proceed that way!"
"Strategically?"
"Yes, ma'am! By good luck, the auction order began with the properties near Hills. If you want to set the tone early, I judged that as few people as possible ought to know what I was thinking."
"Ah."
"After all, everyone would be watching your face, my lady."
"I am, if I may say so, rather good at acting."
"Oh! I didn't know that. The young lady never passed that along to me! Next time I'll be sure to factor it in and run the operation accordingly!"
Nanna answered in a bold, ringing voice. Even so, both of the people actually concerned—Yulia and Blow alike—sensed by instinct that the girl replying with such gusto was no ordinary person.
...To think a girl this sharp would end up at Lady Skadi's side.
Yulia forced back down the sigh that wanted out.
"So, the final tally! We acquired them at seventy percent of the original price! A fine result, wouldn't you say?"
"True enough. From a certain point on, they went for the opening bid. No one could even bring themselves to bid."
"Haha! You noticed, of course?"
Nanna answered Yulia without a shred of shame, and Skadi, watching her, shot a thumb into the air. Blow smiled, pleased at the pair of them, and lifted his coffee cup as he spoke.
"Impressive kid, in more ways than one. Anyway, Skadi—what are you planning to do with all that?"
"Hmm?"
"You're a landlord now. Going to start a business of your own? You've even picked up a solid right hand. Seems like you could do whatever you wanted."
At his question Skadi tilted her head for a long moment, wearing a look of pure incomprehension, then spoke.
"That's what I wanted to ask you. Buying the buildings is my job. Everything after that is yours."
"Hmm? Why...?"
"Why do you think? This isn't just me—the house itself is investing in you! And it's an opening gift, besides..."
"An opening gift from when, exactly..."
"You even dropped hints that I never gave you one!"
Skadi shouted it, aggrieved, almost pouting. Only then did Blow remember the offhand remark he had made back when he was sitting in the stands with her and Rachel.
...She'd been holding on to that all this time?
Something like guilt stirred in him, and he stole a glance at Skadi. Arms folded, she whipped her head the other way. Nanna, who had been watching, stared straight at Blow, then carefully lifted the corners of her mouth.
"Young Master! In that spirit, might this Nanna Ankel make a few marks in your catalog?"
"Marks of what?"
"The buildings slated for purchase! Circles for what we bought today, triangles for what's still to come, and Xs for anything that will be difficult to acquire!"
With that, Nanna marked the buildings at speed. Seeing circles and triangles go down across the properties near Hills, Blow could only feel his mouth fall open.
And then, into his head—
The game he had loved and then quit, back in his days as Han Ji-hoo: the one where you started from an inn, raised a building, built a hotel, and at last planted a landmark.
"A line monopoly."
"A line monopoly—see, Blow, you really do know how to put things!"
"Skadi, this is... a little heavy, though."
"Heavy, nothing! I'll say it again—I'm investing!! If you develop this side properly, the property values go up!"
"Truly, truly right, my lady!! Of course, for that to happen, our Young Master Blow will have to do a truly splendid job! This Nanna Ankel will also do her utmost to help!"
Nanna was shouting right alongside her, at Skadi's elbow. Watching them, Blow tapped the table with a finger and sorted through the conversation they had just had.
...Well. It isn't as if they're handing the buildings over outright. Maybe it isn't so bad? Back in that other world, once a restaurant took off, the landlord sometimes drove you out. At least Skadi would never do that.
His mind made up, he held out his hand to Skadi, who was already blinking at him.
"Leave it to me, and I'll give it everything I have. I'll put the rent in on time, every time."
"Good! Make me a fortune, Blow Deblique!!"
"Do you have a plan, Young Master?"
"Mm. The scale's bigger than I thought. For now, this building—the one farthest from Hills—would do well as a dormitory for the staff. The rest we'll have to settle bit by bit."
While he went back and forth with Nanna and Skadi, Yulia, who had been watching, slid a glance at Marchen beside her, cleared her throat, and inserted herself into the conversation.
"Well, something just occurred to me as well! Young Master, until things are sorted, how would it be if you used the lich's mansion?"
"What?"
"The staff has grown quite a bit, and while the upper floor of Hills where you're staying is nice—it hasn't been long since the remodel—there's a restaurant downstairs, and it's the middle of the alley, so it's noisy besides."
"Didn't you say the mansion you purchased would be used as a hotel?"
"That's right. But that was speaking of after you've brought Dusk Block up to a certain height. At least until I graduate, I think it would be fine for you to use it."
"No, I..."
"In exchange, I'll take one of the guest rooms for myself now and then, when I'm tired! The school is close, after all."
What Yulia was doing was a kind of improvisation. In truth, from the moment she bought the mansion she had thought it would be nice if Blow used it before it became a hotel—but it was Skadi's aggressive charge just now that had pulled the words out of her.
"I'm grateful, but."
"I'll be taking rent as well, just like Lady Skadi! That's what I'll do!"
She added it in case Blow might say the offer was too much to accept.
...A sum like that—later she could simply gather it up and slip it quietly into his sleeve when he needed it.
None of this, of course, had been arranged beforehand, and Marchen's eyes were trembling when yet another proposal landed out of nowhere and Blow had no choice but to sink back into thought.
...The second floor of Hills was built so well that it would be a fine place to lodge. If I go to the mansion, do I have to pay rent?
The faces of Linne, Alice, and Cosette—lodging in Dusk Block—flickered through his head. From what he had heard at the staff dinner, they lived somewhere less than good, and considering how much they had grown in three months, it seemed the retainers and employees would only keep increasing from here.
"If you're offering me the chance, I'll think on it favorably."
"Of course, Young Master!"
"Then Young Master Blow would be nothing short of the master of Dusk Block, wouldn't he!? Once you're even lodging in the mansion!"
"I said it like a joke. Who knew it would turn out to be today? Mwahaha!"
"Haha, of course. That sort of thing is better the sooner it happens, isn't that right, Lady Skadi...?"
"It is!"
They were plainly smiling at each other, and yet the air between them seemed to drip with cold. Blow simply drank his coffee and took the measure of them both.
"Senior, then—in that same spirit, may I use one of the guest rooms?"
"...Haha. Someone who already possesses an estate vast as the sky hardly needs to do such a thing, does she?"
"You have a hotel, Senior, and a mansion besides!"
Skadi did not yield a single inch to Yulia's attempt to wave her off. Sparks were flying between them. Seeing it, Blow shook his head and spoke in a firm voice.
"If I do move into the mansion, a guest room stays a guest room. I won't set any of them aside as someone's room."
"What!? Young Master, truly? There isn't even a room for this Yulia Edfolk?"
"It's just—if I start giving them out one person at a time, then, well, Cindy, for instance..."
Caught short, Yulia cleared her throat and recovered.
"As expected of the young master! How wise. That would be better."
"Well, in any case, it seems we'll need another meeting. I have my experiment tomorrow, so shall we take it up after that?"
"Ah, that's right. You had an experiment, Young Master?"
"Yes. It'll be tomorrow morning."
"I truly want to see it myself, but I have a number of things in the morning. I'm sorry."
"Not at all. Herbena and Jane will be there, so it'll be fine."
Blow answered with an easy smile, as if he had room to spare.
...Something this good happened today. Surely nothing's going to go wrong tomorrow?
Unbidden, the image rose of the white sphere that had hung in the air during the spirit rite, chilling enough to crawl the skin. Then the faces of Lisleia and Mnevoir came to him, and he let out a long, deep sigh.