Chapter 74

Chapter 74: If You Wish

If You Wish
Chapter 74. If You Wish

Two hours later, Ferda received his scheduled guest.
— It is an honor to meet the spouse of the Great Aspect of Power, Chancellor of Escolleia, Bernard Wayne.
— I greet the President of the Repository of Humanity’s Knowledge.
— I sincerely thank you for setting foot in Valdrova Castle.
The Chancellor of Escolleia, Bernard Wayne, took off his hat and bowed his head.
The flesh-colored plateau nestled between two thickets still gleamed slippery and shiny.
— You had a long journey, Chancellor. I saw through the window that you came with an army.
— Two mages, two knights, and twenty soldiers. Haha! Now I finally feel a bit like a noble.
With the operation to set a trap for the Chancellor of Escolleia having failed, the place fell into chaos.
As much as the position of chancellor was despised as one that threw all responsibility onto a scapegoat, at the end of the day he was the face of Escolleia.
The assassination attempt was something that could have shaken the foundations of the place.
For that reason, the Chancellor was able to seize power in Escolleia’s internal parliament.
— Yoho, living in such a splendid castle, you must have many distinguished guests visiting.
— More ruffians come to blackmail me than distinguished guests.
— Eh? That cannot be, no matter what, the Aspect of Power that could turn the continent upside down…
— Just last week another one came to blackmail me.
— Ah… I see.
Not knowing what to say, he decided to change the subject.
— This is the blueprint for the Monster Appearance Prediction Device I promised to deliver to you earlier.
Ferda looked at the paper extended to him.
It was engraved on parchment that maintained its shape with magic power, an object that would never burn, get wet, or wear out like an ordinary book.
The fact that he used such valuable paper even for a copy to hand over to Ferda also meant he harbored no ulterior motives.
— Thank you.
— You’re welcome. But, can you read this blueprint?
Naturally, it was impossible.
Ferda was someone exceedingly foreign to such designs.
— The castle’s chief researcher will take a look at it.
— The chief researcher… who might that be?
— Marquis Vernel.
— Marquis Vernel… That, that disaster?! He is here?!
Bernard choked back a gasp of surprise, uttering his name over and over.
— I had heard he was famous, but he seems truly famous.
— He is famous. There is no one in Escolleia who does not know that fellow. They had as high expectations of him as the disappointment he ended up causing.
The disappointed person was, without a doubt, Bernard.
He let out a deep sigh and asked Ferda:
— What is he doing now? Did he give up on that nonsense and come here?
— That nonsense succeeded.
— As expected… eh?
Bernard’s eyes went wide.
— He succeeded in that?
Ferda anticipated his shock.
That was why, before he arrived, he brought one of the samples Vernel made and showed it to him.
— It is a mana stone. An object processed from the corpse of a monster.
— Holy heavens… that fellow truly turned heaven and earth upside down…
Among scholars, an innovative breakthrough was described in that manner.
All kinds of emotions paraded across Bernard’s face.
Astonishment and admiration, jealousy and regret.
The person he had turned his back on was right in the end, and he didn’t know how to accept this.
— By chance, what is the efficiency?
With the faith that Vernel would have calculated everything, he skipped asking if he had calculated it.
— 10% so far.
— Do you know what percentage he had at first?
— He said 7.1%.
— I see.
He seemed to feel astonishment, but also an annoying dissatisfaction.
Ferda was not a scholar, so he couldn’t know what was passing through his head.
So he proposed:
— Would you like to meet Marquis Vernel?
At that, Bernard came to his senses and shook his head.
— No. It’s not enough to meet and talk… alright.
Bernard clapped his hands and said:
— Do you remember the Grand Council? Didn’t I ask you to participate in the exhibition?
— I remember. You said there would be an exhibition in Halim, right?
— All scholars and nobles will gather there fifteen days from now. It lasts three days. There is a presentation for the opening, the main part, and the closing.
The following words were his proposal.
— I will pull strings to put Vernel in the main segment. Could you attend?
— —
— Chancellor Bernard… made that kind of proposal? Putting me on the main stage?
Asked Vernel, eyes wide open.
He had seen Vernel throw a fuss a couple of times, but this was the first time he saw him so shaken.
His hands were frozen in place from how surprised he was.
— It must have been an unprecedented proposal.
— The most important thing in the three days of Escolleia’s exhibition is the main stage. Even famous scholars can barely secure that spot.
— Then it turned out well for you.
— It turned out… well.
Contrary to his words, Vernel showed a complicated expression.
He finally set down his pen and leaned back against the table.
— I don’t know. I don’t want to go.
Ferda felt Vernel was overwhelmed by emotion.
— Will you reject that glorious place where all scholars wish to be?
— Glory or whatever, it’s obvious Chancellor Bernard dug a trap. Why would I accept his favor?
— A trap?
— He hated me terribly. Remembering the insults he hurled at me, I cannot accept that goodwill.
— What did he do?
— He criticized my research plan.
Vernel clenched his fist tightly.
— When academy cadets move to the second year, they participate in something called an Academic Conference. It is a place to talk about the future, even if it is a bit far-fetched. Given that it is a place to draw out fresh ideas, criticizing there carries enormous meaning. It is the same as pulling down my pants and showing my crotch to the entire audience.
One might say “just for that?”, but Ferda didn’t think so.
It meant the future he had conceived was that sincere.
Having that sincerity denied was a painful thing.
Ferda knew he had gone from top of the class at the academy to dead last.
And he only knew he had barely graduated and was brushing against the field of magitechnology.
He had no idea the rift with Bernard ran that deep.
— If he insulted you, isn’t that even more reason to participate?
At Ferda’s question, Vernel turned around and questioned:
— How is that deduced?
— You were not wrong, so simply be confident.
— Getting revenge feels good. Yes… but what if that is a scheme to trap me?
— Then will you simply keep running away forever?
At Ferda’s counter-question, he could not answer.
He was trying to avoid it, but deep down he also knew that running from this problem was not right.
— I don’t know what happened back then, but you are no longer an academy cadet, you are my chief researcher. If Bernard attempts any unreasonable maneuver with you…
— …
— It won’t be with you that he has to settle things, but with me.
At those words, Vernel came to his senses and looked at Ferda.
Right, he was no longer alone, was he?
He realized once more that he had solid backing.
— Understood. I will face him once, as you say. May I ask what you are holding? Looks like blueprints…
— Chancellor Bernard’s sprout.
— Sprout?
— He said it is the blueprint for the Monster Appearance Prediction Device. Can you take a look at it?
— Ah, I see. The Monster Appearance Prediction Device… I will take a look at that too.
While Vernel examined the blueprint, the door opened and someone walked in.
It was Stefan.
Good timing, he was about to tell him something.
His complexion was not good.
It seemed he would drop bad news at any second.
— Th-this is…
Stefan stammered.
— —
A few days ago, Stefan was traveling in a carriage.
He wore a top-quality robe that he didn’t normally wear.
The best among the best, the kind that was frightening even to put on.
Unlike his flashy attire, worry never left his face.
— Whew…
— Are you alright, my lord? Your complexion is bad, you’re going to faint at this rate.
— A little… whew.
— Shall I loosen the knot?
The servant sitting across untied the ribbons at his shirt collar.
Stefan looked at the servant and said:
— Tie it tighter. So it doesn’t come undone.
He must not be disheveled.
It was better to choke on the knot and die.
The reason he couldn’t help but be this tense was the massive mansion before him.
The mansion of Herman Pascal, founder of the Pascal Merchant Company, Great Merchant, and Stefan’s father.
Stefan’s natal home and, at the same time, a battlefield.
Stefan stepped down from the carriage and entered through the mansion’s entrance.
— Welcome, young master Stefan?
At the familiar face, Stefan laughed and embraced him.
— Long time no see, Grandpa Sebastian! Are you doing well?
— My body isn’t what it used to be. It is about time for me to retire.
— What nonsense. You said you would bury your bones here. You have to work until your body breaks, right?
He was trying to hide this trembling with jokes.
The butler realized and played along to calm him down.
Through the long hallway, passing employees and servants by, they reached a splendid door.
— The second son, young master Stefan, is entering.
The door opened.
Before him, a long table was laid out like a red carpet in the center welcoming him, and at the end of the table, an old man sat as if on a king’s throne.
Herman Pascal.
Leader of the Pascal Company, a man who started as an itinerant fruit peddler and extended his hands to all things.
A dictator who once could have seized all imperial trade.
Unfitting of such fame, he had the appearance of a frail old man.
— You’re late, younger brother.
The man sitting to his right made a reproach.
A man with a solid build, closer to a mercenary than a merchant.
The eldest son, Merkat Pascal.
— I apologize, it was an incredibly busy season, so I was wrapping up…
— What can you do. Isn’t the company more important than family? I like how you work faithfully like a retainer, older brother.
The woman wearing heavy makeup and smiling shrewdly was the younger sister, Tilda Pascal.
At first glance she seemed to be supporting him, but her smiling eyes were closer to a “what can someone like you do anyway?”.
This is why I hate this house.
I returned to my family of origin, but I feel like an outsider.
— Sit down quickly.
Stefan was pushed to a distant seat by his nephews and nieces who were already seated.
The whole family gathered.
— Now, let us eat.
The butler’s bell rang and the maids entered.
Worthy of the richest man on the continent, all the food gave off intense aromas of hard-to-obtain spices.
A moment to taste things that were usually impossible to bring to one’s mouth, but Stefan couldn’t taste the food.
— Lately…
The moment Herman opened his mouth, every hand at the banquet stopped.
— How has everyone been?
Merkat and Tilda set down their forks and knives as if they had been waiting, and wiped their mouths.
The eldest son, who was the closest, spoke first.
— Lately I am expanding toward the south. Do you know Colosenia? One of the largest entertainment cities, famous for its splendid gladiator shows. I signed a mercenary supply contract at their gladiator training center.
— Just meat trading?
— Of course not. It is a land so warm that even the moon is like the sun, is it not? The spices are so potent that their quality rivals the best of the empire.
— True, luxury goods more valuable than gold.
Herman nodded calmly.
Merkat let out a breath of relief, barely meeting the standard.
Next, Tilda Pascal gave her news.
— I am looking toward the west following my husband. They say it is a land of mysterious magic, but don’t they need goods too? The moment trade routes open, the Pascal Merchant Company will become a storm.
— A rather absurd story.
Herman glared at Tilda.
But Tilda retorted as if she had expected it.
— At first I thought so too. But if I secured a contract for a magic stone mine, wouldn’t the story change? Mages go crazy for that sort of thing, right?
— Mmm…
Herman withdrew his gaze.
Tilda was also securing contracts skillfully, so there was no problem.
Now one remained.
— Stefan.
— Y-yes?
— Why are there no words?
— I apologize. I didn’t think you were curious about my story…
— Don’t make me say it twice.
He tried to avoid it, but he couldn’t escape this seat.
So Stefan also shared his news.
— I… am currently trying to establish a foothold in the east.
— The east?
— My, business in the east? I had heard you were aiming for the north?
Tilda acted as if it were news to her.
Adding more fuel to the fire.
— The north seems fine with the status quo. So I am attempting a bold investment, I went to the east this time.
— Mmm, older brother. Does what I learned say that a bold investment and throwing money on the ground are a bit different?
Tilda was indirectly saying “why are you doing stupid things?”.
— It doesn’t seem right to me either, younger brother.
Merkat agreed with her.
— Selling alcohol, smoked meat, and leather to northerners turns a profit, doesn’t it? If you just follow Father’s formula you avoid deficits and it’s good, so why do that?
That’s the obvious story, isn’t it?
To survive in this pigsty of a house.
— I also want to do a business with potential.
— Potential! Look at the east now. The Demon Land keeps eroding, territory shrinking, isn’t that so? Are you going to dig up soil there and manufacture contamination weapons?
— Contamination weapons, good idea. They smell less than spreading feces and work better. If you wish, I will invest there too, older brother.
The meddlesome sister-in-law was more annoying than the nagging mother-in-law; Tilda’s words ground more gratingly than Merkat’s.
— Enough.
The silent Herman calmed the atmosphere.
He scratched his head with a withered hand and spoke again.
— Stefan.
— Yes, Father.
— I know very well that you are not doing something stupid. After all, you are the smartest among them, the one who understands me best.
This will not end well.
Stefan sensed it.
— But when convincing someone, what did I say you had to do?
— Show evidence…
— Is that evidence in your hands?
— It isn’t company money. I put my personal assets first…
— So you don’t have it.
— It’s not that I don’t have it. I simply don’t want to reveal it now…
— That mana stone thing or whatever.
— !
Stefan’s eyes widened, and Herman reprimanded him with a look of disgust.
— What is so surprising? This company is still in my hands, you useless piece of work. Your sister and your brother have already realized.
Even if it was done in secret, they would eventually notice.
Father Herman was one thing, but for the other two to know was far too shocking.
That meant that among those on Stefan’s side, someone was leaking internal information.
But even more shocking was that, despite knowing, things proceeded without issue.
Like people watching Stefan dig his own grave.
Before the shock dissipated, Herman threw a question:
— Tell me. On what grounds did you throw yourself into this?
— I simply saw the future.
— Intuition. So you are doing this believing in Regent Ferda, that fellow?
— Yes.
Stefan answered immediately.
— How confident are you?
— If you wish…
Stefan’s tongue moved on its own.
— Enough to want to give away the entire company.
Silence fell.
Stefan knew what he had said and hastily shut up.
His mind went blank and he blurted out his true feelings.
“I really messed up.”
The water had already been spilled.
But he did not regret it.
Because he actually thought that way.
— So you are betting your entire fortune on a man, not a woman.
Herman’s sigh mixed into his words pierced Stefan’s chest.
— One hand, one thing to hold. But two things to grasp. Greed invites disaster, so the time to choose will come.
The shrewd Stefan knew what Herman meant.
Abandon the Far East and choose the company,
Or abandon the company and choose the Far East.
— Think it through well.
That was the final ultimatum of Herman Pascal, the man who built everything with his own bare hands.