Chapter 183: Master of the Trade Route (20)

There had definitely been no sign of mana.

Even if I had left the academy, I hadn’t become that dull.

And yet…

“……”

Who was that outside the bedroom window?

Unless I was dreaming right now…

It was Echina, cloaked in black, gazing at me with cat-like round eyes.

“Eek… mmph!!”

Linie grabbed a pillow and was about to scream.

I quickly covered her mouth and shook my head.

“I know her, it’s fine—please calm down!”

While I was trying to soothe Linie, Echina slightly parted her lips, red like fruit.

Then she breathed onto the window and wrote with her finger.

「Roger. Open up.」

My thick eyebrows lifted high above my eyes.

I stood there stunned for a moment, then hurriedly moved to open the window.

“Huff…!”

‘This is the second floor—how did she even get here…?’

Once the window opened, the Grand Duke’s daughter of the North, dressed in the Black Knights’ uniform, nimbly stepped into the bedroom.

Already black-haired, Linie trembled as if seeing a grim reaper, spooked by the all-black figure’s sudden appearance.

“Wh-Who on earth are you…?”

“That’s not something you need to know.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter spoke in a chilling tone, golden eyes sharp as if facing barbarians.

Then, she slammed the window shut behind her.

Bang!!

There was no mana involved.

But the force was strong enough to make the ceiling tremble slightly.

“Roger. What exactly is going on here?”

Echina stood with arms crossed, staring up at me.

A beautiful blonde woman trembling as she tried to cover herself in her undergarments.

And me, with my wrinkled, disheveled shirt.

I had no idea how she managed to find me, but the scene really did look scandalous.

“What do you mean, what’s going on?”

Still, I didn’t flinch or feel embarrassed in the slightest.

So I looked down calmly at the tense Grand Duke’s daughter and spoke confidently.

“And what are you doing, barging in like this? This place might as well be the enemy’s base. How could you invade so recklessly?”

“……?”

I crossed my arms just like her, and when I answered, Echina’s expression froze for a moment.

Normally sharp-eyed, she looked exactly like a young wolf cub now, round-eyed and speechless.

“I, uh…”

“How did you even get in? The estate is crawling with escort knights.”

Echina, looking slightly flustered, gently pinched the cloak wrapped around her shoulders.

“It’s a special unit cloak. It blocks magic detection…”

“Using military equipment for personal reasons? I’m sure your family head would be proud.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter cleared her throat, clearly annoyed that I had seized the upper hand so quickly.

Then she pointed her finger at my chin and said,

“This is all your fault. I told you, you’re mine—and this is what you’re doing?!”

Just for today, the usually fierce and dignified deputy commander of the Black Knights seemed like an ordinary woman in her twenties.

Maybe that’s why I could respond with such calm on my face.

“Could you kindly explain what exactly you think I did wrong? Because I’m honestly not sure.”

“Well, that’s…”

Echina’s pale face turned bright red.

She glanced briefly at Linie’s smooth shoulder and let out a short breath.

That was my cue to stop teasing her.

After all, we were still deep in enemy territory.

“I understand what you’re worried about.”

I gently brushed off a leaf that had stuck to her hair from sneaking in.

“But you don’t need to worry. Absolutely nothing like that happened.”

“Really…?”

Echina asked again, sounding disheartened.

Just then, Linie stepped in at the perfect moment, trying to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Yes, that’s right. Nothing happened between us.”

To be honest, hearing that from a woman standing there in only her undergarments wasn’t all that convincing.

Maybe that’s why Echina kept her knightly demeanor when addressing Linie.

“Then why are your clothes off?”

“Th-that’s…”

As expected, she was at a loss for words, since her initial approach had indeed been with questionable intent.

“To be honest… I did approach him with that kind of purpose. I was ordered by Eric to find out the truth about the Grand Duke.”

Echina’s brows drew slightly together.

“But… such tactics didn’t work on Lord Roger. In fact, he was the one waiting for me to make a move—so he could make a counteroffer.”

“A counteroffer…?”

I shrugged.

Then, I showed her the napkin on which the Erian Foundation employment agreement was written.

“Have a look. I’ll go check outside for any trouble.”

“Ah… alright…”

I gave her my usual relaxed smile.

Then I stepped out briefly into the corridor to check for any signs of movement.

“……”

Echina stared blankly down at the neatly folded napkin.

Written inside was a note stating that I would support Linie in receiving dance education through the Erian Foundation.

“You’re the second daughter of the Grand Duke of the North, right? Eric’s sister… or rather, Eric’s younger sister.”

“That’s right.”

Echina replied curtly to Linie’s question.

But the golden-haired woman didn’t back down easily.

She spoke calmly about what had happened between us.

“I’m not lying. Lord Roger didn’t even spare me a glance.”

“I don’t particularly doubt you.”

Surprisingly, the Grand Duke’s daughter no longer seemed suspicious of Roger.

“Just from the look in his eyes, I can tell whether he’s lying or not.”

“Then why…”

Linie stared blankly at Echina as she crumpled the napkin in her hand.

“I just don’t like seeing Roger caught up in something like this.”

Echina’s gaze had turned sorrowful.

Her snow-white hand trembled as if trying to suppress her anger.

“Eric, that bastard… Is this how he chooses to get to Roger—with something so filthy?”

“……”

Only then did Linie realize it.

Echina didn’t care for Roger on a whim or out of fleeting affection.

“Lord Roger must be a much better person than I thought… seeing how dearly you care for him, Your Grace.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter quietly met her sincere gaze.

Then, the two of them sat side by side on the bed with a quiet sigh.

“That’s right. He’s truly a good person.”

Maybe it was because of the memories that suddenly surfaced.

Echina turned her gaze toward the door he had exited, saying nothing for a while.

“He’s far more than I deserve.”

“You’re standing up to Eric. I don’t see anything about you that’s lacking, Your Grace.”

Linie, carefully watching her expression, buttoned up her wrinkled shirt.

“I was only able to come this far because of that boy.”

As if it were the most natural thing, she headed toward the table—very much like a woman who had once been favored by Eric.

She poured the tea with such grace that the mood naturally followed.

“Really…?”

“When Roger persuaded you, didn’t he mention it? That I helped him.”

“He didn’t say a word about it.”

Echina gently closed her eyes.

Not even when trying to win over a necessary ally had he used her name.

“That’s the kind of person he is. He’s always hated causing trouble for others.”

There was a tear in the stocking of the Grand Duke’s daughter where a branch had caught it.

Echina quietly ran her fingers over the snag as she continued.

“Even when he helped me grow, he never exploited anyone. If he had to take something, it was always from those who already bore sin.”

“I felt the same. Instead of threatening me, he tried to reason with me… to make it an exchange where we both got what we wanted.”

Linie agreed and sat beside her again.

At the same time, she handed a cup of tea to the knight.

“Linie, was it?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Echina gently held the teacup and gazed calmly at the golden-haired woman.

Gone was the wary stare from their first meeting; now her golden eyes shone with sincerity.

Faced with such a beautiful gaze, Linie swallowed hard.

“We may not seem trustworthy right now. But I’ll promise you one thing.”

“What is it…?”

The most beautiful woman in Nord asked, her hands tightly clutching the cup.

Echina, whose own beauty was in no way inferior, offered a soft smile as she answered.

“Trust Roger. That man would never do anything to hurt someone else.”

“……”

Eric had never said anything like that.

All he had ever promised was vague, indefinite talk about fulfilling her dreams if she helped him.

“I’ll make a promise, too. That you’ll be able to achieve the dream you wished for.”

But the Grand Duke’s daughter before her was different.

“I know it’s hard to betray Eric. So I’ll offer you something just as valuable. A reward worthy of your courage.”

Understanding Linie’s difficult position, Echina spoke with sincere compassion.

And thanks to her thoughtful kindness, a faint smile finally returned to the blonde woman’s lips.

“I think I understand now… why you two care so deeply for each other.”

The most perceptive beauty in the North lightly laid her hand over Echina’s.

“It makes me hope I’ll meet someone like that someday too.”

She then gently took both of Echina’s hands.

And quietly leaned in to whisper in her ear.

“If someone carries warmth like this… I think I could trust them with my fate as well.”

The secret she knew about the eldest son.

「――――――」

“Good, nothing strange outside.”

After surveying the hallway, I carefully returned to the bedroom.

And of course, the first thing that caught my eye was Echina.

She had infiltrated deep into enemy territory flawlessly.

If she wasn’t the second-in-command of the Black Knights, I’d be shocked—it was an incredible feat.

And the sheer determination to come all this way just to see me…

Not even the Saint or Helena could rival that.

“Did the two of you have a good conversation?”

“Of course we did.”

Echina had quickly regained her confidence during my short absence.

She raised her chin proudly, golden eyes gleaming.

“I found out Eric’s weakness.”

“Truly? Yup. I heard it straight from Linie, so it’s reliable.”

She pointed proudly at the blonde woman as if offering her thanks.

The most beautiful woman in the North bowed her head demurely in agreement.

“I don’t know every detail. All I have is what I heard while entertaining him.”

“That’s enough. If it was discussed in a business setting, it’s reliable. Please, speak freely.”

I sat down beside them on the bed, ready to listen in detail.

Echina promptly pulled out a chair and placed it beside me.

So I took the chair, and the spot next to Linie now belonged to a smiling Echina.

“Recently, he had a meeting with the president of the Royal Medical Association and an alchemist named Tisil. It was a three-party meeting.”

Medicine and alchemy together?

Already, the stench of something rotten filled the air.

“The topic of their discussion was a ‘drug.’ A treatment for pneumonia so severe that even high-ranking healers with devout faith struggle to cure it.”

Pneumonia…

A name from the future surfaced in my mind.

“The drug is called Anes. A miracle medicine that supposedly cures the illness after just one month of use.”

“A complete cure for pneumonia, with medicine?”

Echina, who had seen many patients on the battlefield, looked at her in disbelief.

She knew all too well the horrific toll of pneumonia.

“Yes… But it’s said there’s one side effect.”

“What kind of side effect?”

Echina asked seriously, and Linie slowly shook her head.

“That part I don’t know. But I heard they’ve been unable to resolve it for years.”

“If it’s been years, then they must’ve poured an enormous amount of money into research.”

Linie nodded and added that this was the real crux of the issue.

“That’s right. From what I gathered, it seems Eric intends to distribute the drug to society while hiding the side effect.”

“Unbelievable…”

Echina bit her lip, her eyes burning with fury.

“Now he’s even tampering with medicine? That filthy piece of trash…”

“It wasn’t said to have side effects as severe as a narcotic. But still, it’s clearly a problem.”

I smiled lightly and agreed with her words.

“That’s right. The severity doesn’t matter.”

Then, with a sharp glint in my eye, I added something more ominous.

“But the fact that its existence was hidden—that qualifies as a major crime.”

In the past, the side effects of Anes had once been revealed in the newspapers and caused quite a stir.

In truth, the side effects weren’t that severe.

Mild skin irritation, and in worse cases, blistering.

Even that eventually subsided after a few months as the body gradually adjusted.

But what patient wouldn’t panic upon seeing visible blisters on their skin?

In the end, the president of the Medical Association couldn’t win over public opinion and was forced to step down.

‘Eric must have used him as a scapegoat and stuffed his pockets with hush money.’

Now all the pieces were falling into place.

And because of that, the smile never left my lips.

‘If evidence is found that Eric mass-produced Anes despite knowing about the side effects…’

Then the ownership of this trade route could very well change hands.

And whoever owns this place…

Becomes the master of the Grand Duchy of the North.

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