Chapter 192: The Master of the Trade Route (29)

After negotiating with Eric, I returned to the Angde Plains.

Because of the grand event involving the Emperor’s visit, both Helena and Istina had also completed their respective territorial matters and returned to Angde.

This time, we gathered in my office.

From now on, Eric must not find out that I’m meeting with them, so I chose a private location.

I brought them in first, then checked the perimeter security before returning.

During that time, the Saint…

Perhaps curious about my workplace, had her hands behind her back and was thoroughly looking around when our eyes met.

“Oh, you’re back. Roger…!”

“Were you touring the office?”

I closed the door and asked in a leisurely tone.

Instead of Istina, Helena, who was sitting on the guest sofa, answered in her place.

“She seemed eager to figure out your taste or something—kept moving around.”

“……!!”

Startled, the Saint must have felt a pang of guilt, as she immediately stood up.

Then she pointed nonchalantly at the Western Grand Duke’s daughter, who was calmly dropping sugar cubes into her tea.

“You’re one to talk. You were sneakily snooping too, especially at the suits hanging on the coat rack.”

Helena cleared her throat and turned her head.

After a brief silence, she smoothed it over with a somewhat plausible answer.

“I was just checking if there were any outfits made by the Yekaterina family.”

“Clothing from that house is so expensive. For someone young like me, wearing it might seem pretentious.”

At my reasonable remark, Istina let out a soft laugh and gestured toward Helena.

At that, the blonde woman said with a lion-like scowl,

“Are you saying our clothes are only for aging businessmen?”

“Haha… of course not. It’s just that the garments are so luxurious that if a newly twenty-year-old businessman wore them, people might get the wrong idea.”

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter let out a short sigh.

True to her business-minded nature, she immediately started calculating after hearing my words.

“Then we should launch a clothing line for the trendy new generation of businessmen.”

“If you do, I’ll gladly purchase them.”

While expressing my gratitude to Helena, I also gestured for the Saint to take a seat.

Responding to the cue, she, too, sat down on the guest sofa.

I hadn’t chosen the upper seat when receiving them.

Sitting across from the two of them seated side by side, I began to report on recent developments.

“At present, I’ve gained a decent level of trust from Eric. He’s growing anxious because he doesn’t know how to dispose of the illegal inventory.”

“I heard. It was your doing, wasn’t it—getting the Northern Kingdom to issue the ban first?”

The quick-witted Saint asked.

Though the sharp Western Grand Duke’s daughter had suspected something was up, she apparently hadn’t guessed it was my handiwork. Her blue eyes widened like a cat’s.

“That’s right. I secretly scattered raw material samples at Miss Cindy’s foundation, where I owed Sir Bennet a favor.”

Unlike before, Istina had shed some of her reserved demeanor.

She crossed her legs slightly as she sat…

And with a cold gleam revealing her ambition, she began speaking business.

“Then shouldn’t we just raid the factory, seize the inventory, and arrest them? Simple.”

“Exactly. If the Luton family’s eldest son is as sly as we think, he’ll try to hide it fast.”

I nodded slowly, acknowledging the merit in their words.

However, I soon added one more thing.

“That’s not enough.”

Weak.

At the word so plainly filled with malice toward the eldest son, the two distinguished women tilted their heads in unison.

“This alone isn’t enough to bring him down completely.”

I recalled Anna, whom I’d met at the Erian Hotel.

She retrieved the documents prepared after discussing with Tabor from under the table.

“Among those who invested in him, there are quite a few big shots. They’ll try to protect Eric desperately to recover their principal.”

The content of the documents detailed the punishments that could be applied if Eric were luckily apprehended right away.

At best, he’d get a year in a detention facility, and considering his elite defense team and pedigree, even that was unlikely.

“That’s why the best way to land him with the heaviest sentence is to catch him trying to smuggle the toxic inventory abroad.”

If we chased him down and arrested him now, all he’d get is a fine.

But if he was caught trying to export illegal substances across borders, a sentence of more than ten years in a detention facility could be applied.

Ten years would be enough time for the mountains of the Nord range to change.

A hiatus of that length would cause his entire power base to collapse…

And the title of the Grand Duke of the North would fall to Echina.

“But will he really act as we hope?”

This time, Helena, well-versed in international affairs, stepped in.

It sounded convincing in theory, but ultimately, everything hinged on whether the eldest son took the bait.

“He no longer has a way to deal with the inventory. At best, he could bury it underground, but since it was supposed to be used to pay off Royal Luton’s debt, there’s no way he’ll just discard it.”

“If we leave him be, those powerful investors you mentioned will tighten the noose around his neck.”

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter let out a dry chuckle and sipped her tea.

Five sugar cubes had vanished from the container.

It was a mystery how she could enjoy such sweetness and not gain any weight.

“Exactly. Among those backers, there are surely ones close to Duke Luton, his father. If they report this, Eric will take a major hit in the competition for family head.”

“True. In that case, gambling on a risky move might be his only shot at survival.”

The Saint added her thoughts.

She, too, could have lived a comfortable life if she stayed only as a Saint, but had instead ambitiously claimed the bishop’s seat.

Ambitious people understood one another well.

“Let’s see… The Northern Kingdom is already closed off, and the United Northern Seas is maritime-based, so surveillance will be tight.”

With the back of her hand propped under her sharp chin, Istina quickly began to calculate.

“That leaves only the Eastern Kingdom and the South…”

“The East is tough due to the desert. The heat during transport might degrade the inventory.”

To support this clever woman, I shared what I had already considered.

“Indeed. Heating it too long could cause problems.”

“Which leaves only the southern city-states.”

I unfolded a map of the southern continent.

There, countless city-states clustered together in a way that made my head ache just to look at.

One glance was enough to tell they weren’t on friendly terms.

If they were, they would’ve become a unified state like the Empire from the beginning.

“On top of that, every southern state has its own medical system. As long as it treats illness, they’ll buy any drug available.”

“If we catch him at that moment, we can completely bring Eric down.”

Helena set down her teacup and looked over the map with interest.

Before we knew it, strands of gold and silver hair softly landed on the map.

By chance, they both settled near the tiny village in Nord where I lived.

“Yes. However, this time, the Black Knights must not be involved.”

This was the moment when the reason for Echina’s absence became clear.

Of course, she was currently away due to her performance in the duels and ongoing events within the knights.

“There are still those within the Black Knights who support Eric. If they catch wind of this, it’ll be troublesome.”

I pointed to Istina and Helena in turn.

“This time, I’d like the Holy Knights and the Western Order to take action. With only the most trustworthy people from your sides.”

Even among the elite knight orders, only those most trusted by the highest authorities.

With them, there would be no risk of leaks.

The more someone is trusted, the more they strive to live up to that trust—and the less likely they are to be swayed by temptation.

“It’s doable. I can narrow it down to about ten people.”

“Same here. You won’t have to worry about any leaks from our side.”

I looked at the two women with a satisfied smile.

Echina would be fully rewarded—becoming the head of her house.

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter would earn her first major achievement as the next Grand Duke. She’d be pleased.

The same went for the Saint.

It would be her first success since becoming a bishop, likely strengthening her standing even in the capital.

“If all goes well with this, everyone will receive a great reward.”

“……”

Istina and Helena gave me a quiet look of agreement.

But then…

A brief silence fell, as if something was on my face.

“Thank you, Roger. But don’t you want anything for yourself?”

“Me?”

They looked at me with concern, always seeing me as someone who helped others without seeking personal gain.

As expected of women—their instincts were sharp.

“Don’t tell me… you have a grudge against Eric?”

“Right. Like maybe your family got caught up in one of his misdeeds?”

I wanted to tell these sharp women the truth.

But no matter how much trust we’d built—who would believe a story like that?

Not even my parents would.

“It’s not so much a grudge against the eldest son, but that his very existence is a blight on the North.”

I had decided to focus only on the future now.

So I responded with a plausible excuse.

“Once he’s gone, when I become a noble, I won’t have to worry about outside pressure. That’s a gain for me.”

“But you’ve already lost the funds to rebuild your family. If things go wrong, you could end up dishonored for getting involved in shady business.”

The Saint, who valued honor above all, looked at me with pity in her eyes.

To that, I offered her a genuine smile of gratitude.

“Money can always be earned again. You know what I’m capable of.”

“Still, having money alone doesn’t raise a family’s standing.”

This time, the Western Grand Duke’s daughter chimed in.

Along with Echina, she was one of the most prominent women on the continent.

“Then… is there any other way?”

The two women exchanged meaningful smiles, their eyes glinting.

“You might find out soon enough.”

“……?”

I blinked like a fox from the highlands.

「――――――」

That day, in Cosmo, a small village in Nord.

In an old house, a middle-aged man who resembled Roger was tending the garden.

He looked on warmly as his second son and a young woman had tea together in the small yard.

“That rascal Ronie… Must’ve taken after me. When did he bring home such a fine young lady again?”

It was Sonia, a mysterious and beautiful girl with eyes of different colors.

While on a date with Ronie in Nord, she had naturally ended up visiting his family home.

“The bishop’s daughter, no less. Our family’s finally seeing the light—.”

Hearing that, Ronie flinched and quickly threw out a joke.

“Come on, I’m not the one you should be praising. It’s my older brother who’s putting in all the effort, Father.”

“Your brother? He’s working hard too, but… ha…”

Robin Julius let out a deep sigh at the sudden thought of his eldest son.

He was well known for being unusually perceptive, reading the room better than most.

He had always read women’s interest in him well, and used his good looks to his advantage.

But the eldest son had a different temperament.

In other ways, he was quick-witted like himself and good at maneuvering social situations…

But when it came to women, he was completely clueless.

“He didn’t take after me in that area—he takes after your mother, tsk…”

“What about Mother?”

This time, Sonia showed interest.

The boy and girl moved closer to the father, watching him water the plants, ears perked at the intriguing story.

“Your mother was hopeless when it came to signs. She didn’t even realize I liked her until I confessed directly.”

“Ah, so you were the one who confessed first, Dad…”

Ronie nodded along, as if it all made sense.

But unexpectedly, this was the first time Sonia had heard the story, and a faint, curious smile spread across her lips.

“Well, I have a slightly different thought.”

Sonia gazed at the beautiful flowers blooming in the garden.

Her lovely eyes shone with maturity.

“Maybe… she knew. She was just waiting for the right time.”

“Waiting for the right time…?”

Robin Julius listened to her words.

The way he looked was just like his son.

“Yes. The perfect moment when she could accept it—knowing full well all along.”

A flower only blooms after receiving water and sunlight.

Perhaps that man too… was waiting for the best days to come.

Robin let out a soft laugh at the young girl’s mature guess.

Perhaps he liked her even more now. He put down the watering can, intending to warm up the tea.

But then.

He had to stop abruptly at a sound from the mansion’s entrance.

“Excuse me—.”

“……?”

In the distance stood a luxurious carriage in the Western style.

Servants were unloading luxury goods from it—things that could be turned into money.

As if to repay a favor, as if someone was repaying Roger and his family for the help they’d received…

They were watering the garden.

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