Chapter 24 - An Eye for People

If asked to name the most well-known merchant in the Arken Empire, most would give the name Herman Pascal.

Herman Pascal.

He founded a trading company named after his own surname, Pascal, and was a man expanding it with the ambition of exerting influence not only within the empire but across the entire Serdes Continent.

He had three children—two sons and one daughter—all of whom grew up being called geniuses.

However, the one who showed the greatest genius among them was his second son, Stephan Pascal.

Right now, he was thinking this:

'If things keep going like this, I'm dead for sure!'

The reason being that a full-scale battle for succession had begun.

He was a man with a merchant's sense that was in no way inferior to Herman Pascal's.

Once he thought something would make money, he invested in it, possessing an aggressive disposition that never regretted a failure.

He tried to prove his position purely through his abilities as a merchant.

So Stephan focused solely on honing his merchant's sense under his father, Herman Pascal.

But when his father actually set the stage for a succession battle, Stephan realized Herman had not taught him something crucial.

'The charisma to captivate people!'

Stephan lacked the decisive charisma necessary for a merchant.

The eldest son, Muchit Pascal, and the youngest daughter, Tilda Pascal.

Compared to the influence and charisma those two wielded, Stephan was merely an outsider, essentially 'Crowd Member A.'

With no presence, he had no choice but to be gradually pushed out of the succession battle.

It was then that Muchit made a proposal to Stephan.

["I will become the practical successor, but since you run the merchant guild better, you should take charge of it. I will only manage the guild mercenaries that I operate. If we do that, we can at least prevent the disaster of it falling to our sister. What do you say?"]

Muchit Pascal, who hit the jackpot after jumping into the mercenary business under the pretext of protecting the merchant guild.

He had excellent intellect, but he was also a man who had properly equipped himself with personal martial arts by hiring a knight-turned-instructor.

Stephan might have lacked charisma, but he was no fool.

'You take the guild mercenaries and I just manage the guild side? What a joke.'

No matter how much money moved people, there was no winning against physical force.

Even now, he was steadily building up his military strength; what would happen if he was chosen as the successor?

'The hound that catches the hare is always destined to be boiled and eaten.'

He could not join hands with Muchit Pascal.

'Then do I join hands with that little sister of mine?'

Stephan let out a hollow laugh, finding the thought ridiculous even to himself.

He would rather hang himself.

'That bitch of a sister is only thinking about bewitching men to merge with another merchant guild before swallowing it all.'

His younger sister, Tilda Pascal, who was engaged to another large merchant guild within the empire.

Resembling their mother, who was famous for her outstanding beauty, she used it as a weapon to build a vast network of connections.

She acted like an innocent and foolish woman, but on the inside, she always held a knife and had the sociopathic temperament to stab anyone at a moment's notice.

If there was one thing those two's mentalities had in common, it was simply that two suns could not exist under the same sky.

'If I want to live, I have to beat those two.'

But how was he supposed to do that?

Stephan had no connections.

Even the board of directors belonging to Pascal were only mentioning the names of those two, Muchit and Tilda.

As if Stephan were completely out of the question.

"Uuurgh..."

Stephan collapsed onto his desk with a groan.

He needed to work, but he couldn't focus.

They said there was always a way out, even if the sky fell, so why was he denied even that?

As he was groaning in resentment,

"Um, Director? Are you in?"

His secretary opened the door and entered.

Stephan quickly sat up and smiled brightly as if nothing was wrong.

"What is it?"

"It's an urgent report that just came in. They say there is a demand for the exact same item across the entire empire, and we need to secure stock."

"Stock? Is this the season for needing anything specific?"

"That's why it's an urgent report, sir."

"Fair enough. What do they need?"

"Well... it seems the wandering knights are demanding monster corpses."

"What? Monster corpses?"

It was such a peculiar order that it warranted being an urgent report among urgent reports.

There was a myth that just keeping one close brought terrible bad luck, so there was no way something like monster corpses would be left intact.

"Don't we have quite a few of those in our warehouse?"

Of course, Stephan was a man whose common sense diverged from that of ordinary people.

He was the type to keep things around if he thought they might make money.

This was because he had judged that monster corpses could serve as a sort of trophy.

"Yes. I've confirmed we have about 150 of them."

"Then we can just hand those over and sell them. Why would they need more?"

"Well... the volume currently being demanded is several times that."

"What? What are they going to use all that for?"

Wasn't bringing in about 10 monsters usually enough to get praised for a job well done?

Even if they didn't receive a medal, it was an amount that could leave a good impression.

"I figured you would be curious, so I looked into it. I found this."

The secretary showed him a handwritten copy of a poster.

"From what I hear, they're hiring an official in the far eastern region, supposedly looking for brave knights who can fight monsters. They say if you offer 30 monster corpses as tribute, they'll grant you the territory and position previously held by the recently executed Thessalos Vulture... That's why the wandering knights are placing orders."

"That's certainly something to covet."

Since they were vagabonds desperate to establish a single merit, it made sense they would rush in with fire in their eyes if it meant receiving a territory and a title.

The location was the far east, adjacent to the Land of Demons, but did that really matter?

"Hmm..."

Stephan scratched his chin.

His eyes never left the poster as he stared down at it.

'No matter how I look at it, this isn't meant to be taken literally...'

Stephan racked his brain to interpret the hidden meaning behind these words.

'Telling those bastards to bring monsters... Is it to simultaneously gather people who possess the ability to hunt monsters?'

Did they set the minimum condition of 30 monsters as a screening process, with something else waiting after that?

'I could interpret it that way, but let's look at it a bit differently.'

Stephan analyzed it with his merchant's sense.

They claimed they would give out a territory for catching 30 or more monsters.

'It's an obviously lopsided trade.'

It was somewhat difficult work, but it wasn't a heroic feat worthy of bestowing a territory.

An excessively generous reward meant one of two things.

Either the guy who put up the poster was ruinously stupid...

'Or it's bait to draw them in.'

Wandering knights from all over would gather to try and snatch a position of power.

Carrying what?

Their subordinates and monster corpses, that's what.

'It means the Grand Duchy's territory needs monster corpses.'

Here, Stephan felt completely stumped.

They wanted monsters in a place where monsters were a dime a dozen?

That was like importing sand to the middle of a desert, or fish to a coastline.

'Are they trying to cook the books? A black-market tactic? Stock manipulation through chaos?'

Among all those countless possibilities, if it involved demanding a massive amount of corpses and could be publicly posted, there was only one answer.

'Research.'

They were conducting research that required a large number of corpses, and were luring people in with a government post as bait.

'Maybe...'

This could make money.

He was so excited that a light began to shine in his eyes, which had previously been weighed down by the succession battle.

"Are we currently trading the monster corpses?"

"Yes, we are. The wandering knights are flocking in huge numbers and fighting amongst themselves."

"Understood. First, tell the other branches to buy up all the monster corpses too. We will secure them as our top priority. Got it?"

"Uh... is that really okay?"

"Do as I say."

"Understood."

"Right then!"

Stephan shot up from his seat and grabbed his coat.

"Uh, where are you going, Director?"

"I'll be out on a business trip for a few days. You said those wandering knights were downstairs, right?"

"Yes, they are, but Director??"

He ran off as if every single second was precious.

* * *

"Mwahahaha! Be honored to have joined this brave warrior, Robellus."

The wandering knight named Robellus said this with a greasy smile.

His words and actions were heavily laced with narcissism.

Stephan offered an uncomfortable smile.

"Ah, it is an honor. Haha..."

"As long as you are with me, Robellus, you will feel a sense of safety as if the empire's walls were surrounding you on all sides. As for myself..."

As that story began, Stephan let out a sigh inwardly.

'I really have a fucking terrible eye for people.'

To think that this guy was the one he considered the best among the 10 wandering knights who visited the company.

For the entire two days it took to travel to the Grand Duchy's territory, the man had been bragging about his achievements.

When he ran out of material, he repeated himself, and while repeating, some parts strangely shifted around.

It meant he didn't even bother memorizing his own stories.

'This is exactly why I hate wandering knights.'

Wandering knights!

Eighty percent of the stories bards absolutely had to memorize were the heroic tales of wandering knights.

Their adventures and achievements made hearts race and delivered a catharsis to soothe the boredom of daily life.

Of course, that was just a fantasy harbored by little children listening to bards.

Stephan knew their true nature all too well.

'They call themselves wandering knights, but they're nothing more than a bunch of bandits and thugs...'

They were an armed force trained above standard levels, but they had no affiliation since they didn't acknowledge anyone above them.

They were an armed group that could suddenly turn into bandits or thugs at any moment without it being strange.

'In fact, several of these bastards come asking for sponsorships every week.'

There was more than one shameless bastard demanding money and identity guarantees without even being able to prove their skills.

Sponsorships were necessary for building connections, but he had no desire to leave a stain on his reputation by bringing such hooligans into his network.

'Besides, what's the point of doing it?'

Wandering around just to get a title, they bluffed loudly that they could do anything for a peerage, only to flee in their underwear the moment things went wrong.

There was a reason they were wandering.

NEIGH!

"Whoa? What's wrong with them?"

The carriage horses began to buck wildly.

They had caught the scent of a dragon.

The horses of the Grand Duchy's territory were used to the scent and didn't panic, but to outside horses, it was a smell as dangerous as jumping into an open fire.

Stephan advised the coachman, who was failing to get them under control.

"If you put the prepared herb masks on them, they'll start moving again. There's a pouch right there, so fit them over the horses' muzzles."

"Ah, you mean that? Understood."

He fitted the masks filled with herb pouches over the horses' muzzles.

Only then did they stop their thrashing and stare blankly ahead.

The stopped carriage started moving again.

Stephan lifted his head and looked up at the sky at an angle.

The lonely mountain known as the final bastion of the far eastern front.

Valdrova Castle, built atop it.

The castle built above the lair of a dragon that could not abandon its vicious nature.

'Red Dragon Valdrova.'

He naturally swallowed his saliva.

A ruthless tyrant capable of tearing apart even the empire's prince.

A demonic dragon seeking to dominate the world by absorbing all demonic energy!

'Just who is the idiot that went ahead with an engagement to that dragon?'

At the same time, he wondered:

What kind of person could that idiot become for me?

* * *

Having entered Valdrova Castle, Stephan looked around the inside of the walls.

Since the announcement had been directed at wandering knights, many of them had already gathered.

"Hey, let's not cut in line!"

"Hey, you there! I see you sneaking a touch at our monsters. If you steal them, you're fucking dead!"

"You little shit, you glaring at me!?"

Hot-blooded men stood around their carriages, engaging in a battle of nerves with each other.

Looking at their appearance, the sizes and shapes of their armor were all over the place, and even their maintenance was sloppy.

'These so-called subordinates are nothing but a bunch of bandits...'

Unlike them, the wandering knights were incredibly flashy.

To stand out, some wore newly crafted armor made by famous artisans, and one had even hired a bard specifically to read out his profile.

Another had cleverly left battle scars on his armor to appeal himself as a veteran knight of a hundred battles.

'Isn't that the guy who bought the corpses from our company?'

Stephan recalled that the man had bought 30 monsters.

And exactly 30 monsters were loaded on his carriage, nothing more.

They all walked down the corridor as if they were knights possessing gentle and elegant dignity.

'Every single one of them is just full of hot air...'

They hadn't washed, yet they sprayed perfume excessively, creating a subtle, horrific mix that made him want to vomit.

The place they arrived at was the banquet hall.

With all the tables pushed aside and the center emptied, there was plenty of space even with nearly 50 knights standing far apart from one another.

"Come to think of it."

Robellus spoke to him.

"Have you ever seen the person who will be the master of this castle?"

Asking about someone else instead of talking about himself was proof that he was nervous.

Stephan shook his head.

"I've never seen him, but I hear he is someone from House Rosnova."

"Ah! If it's House Rosnova! The sword that protects the empire. But why was he selected as the Grand Duchess's fiancé?"

"I heard he was frail. And because he had blue eyes instead of the trademark eyes of House Rosnova, an affair was almost certain. So they used that as an excuse to kick him out of the family... but he accepted it and is now the fiancé and the Regent of the Grand Duchy's territory."

"Hoh... is that so?"

Hearing this, Robellus scratched his chin.

An unwarranted greed shimmered in his eyes.

"Hmm, if a half-wit kicked out of his family can play king as her fiancé... does that mean I might be able to snatch that fiancé position if things go well?"

Words fit for a bandit poured out of a knight's mouth without hesitation.

Even though they had just entered the territory where that 'half-wit' resided, they had no self-awareness.

'To think that this bastard is a scion of a knight family that was once called the sword of the Arken Empire...'

He knew the knights of the Arken Empire were rotting away, but seeing a bottom even deeper than the bottom made him want to sigh.

However, Stephan was a merchant.

He was a seasoned man who knew that the blade was closer than the law and who could spout sweet words anytime, anywhere.

"Haha... I-I suppose that could happen."

Even as Stephan came here, he hadn't expected much from Ferda's existence.

There were rumors that he had executed Thessalos Vulture and seized control of the lords of the far eastern front, but all rumors were bound to be exaggerated.

'What could a guy kicked out for having nothing special going for him possibly do...'

Putting aside his expectations for Ferda, he waited for him.

When the lady of the house finally made an appearance, he realized it once more.

That he had a fucking terrible eye for people.