Chapter 124

Kukulo Del Conti had a headache.

“So, Mr. President of the Maridadio Trading Company, what you’re saying is…”

He tried to organize his thoughts, going over what he had just heard.

It was so absurd that he felt like Adam's apple would pop out, but he endured it.

He nervously tapped the table.

He was holding a cigarette, and the smoke was acrid.

“You gave the items to the Verchellos.”

“…Yes.”

“And not only did you foolishly fall for that guy Shion, the Verchello’s representative, who offered ten times the price, but you also sold all the items that were supposed to be supplied to us for ten times the price.”

“…That is correct, my lord.”

“…Right, that could happen, I suppose…”

Kukulo rubbed his chest.

He took a deep drag of his cigarette.

He felt stifled, but as the leader of a great family, he had to show his magnanimity.

The crystal ashtray was quickly filled with cigarette butts.

“…One could be blinded by money, honor be damned. So, it’s possible that we don’t have the oil and wood we need right now, right?”

He smiled as kindly as he could and beckoned with his hand.

“Come here, Mr. President.”

“…I’ll go if you put down the ashtray.”

“Come here now.”

“…I said I'll go if you put it down.”

“You’re not coming, you bastard!”

A chase ensued in the room.

The sight of two middle-aged men with social standing chasing each other was comical.

Tibel Bartole, who was watching, couldn’t hold back a giggle.

The president of the Maridadio Trading Company, who was being threatened by the crystal ashtray, let out a high-pitched scream.

“T-ten times the price! What am I supposed to do when he offers ten times the market price!”

“But you should have saved some for us, you son of a gun!”

Kukulo Del Conti flared up in anger.

He had a strong desire to hit the broad forehead of the president of the Maridadio Trading Company with the ashtray.

But no matter how angry he was, there was a limit.

Even though the Maridadio Trading Company had a close relationship with the Del Contis, it was not a master-servant relationship.

It was not a small company that Kukulo could treat however he wanted.

He couldn’t smash the president's head just because he was displeased.

“…Augh!”

The ashtray fell to the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces.

Sharp shards flew everywhere. “Oh dear, that must have been thirty silver coins.” Tibel Bartole’s muttered words fueled Kukulo's anger.

“Get out, you bastard! Get out!”

“I am truly sorry for this incident. I will see you again…”

The president of the Maridadio Trading Company’s footsteps were very quick.

He was out of Kukulo's room in an instant.

Kukulo Del Conti, still simmering with anger, paced around his room.

“…That crazy bastard. I told him not to sell the items, but he went and sold even ours?”

“Don't be angry, my lord.”

Tibel Bartole was already clinging to Kukulo’s side.

She whispered into Kukulo’s ear, and Kukulo naturally wrapped his arm around her waist.

Her breath was hot.

“It’s trivial, my lord, very trivial.”

“But it still makes me angry. Tibel, what should I do about that idiot?”

“What do you mean? Ignore him. What does it matter? We have plenty of materials.”

Tibel brushed back her black hair.

Kukulo gulped.

Her black hair, tied in a single bunch, always set his passions on fire.

He subtly stroked the hair behind Tibel’s ear, and she didn’t avoid him.

“To be honest, I was skeptical from the start. Sepdi oil and Hojen wood, they are good materials, but do you really need them…?”

The Verchello carriage needed Sepdi oil and Hojen wood.

It was because they were repairing an old item.

However, the Del Contis had no need to be obsessed with Sepdi oil and Hojen wood.

“My lord, do you really think the people of Merion have the eye to appreciate the value of art?”

“…Hmm.”

“The public is foolish. They don’t know the difference between elegance and being old-fashioned. There's no reason to use truly high-quality items.”

Tibel Bartole nestled even deeper into Kukulo’s embrace.

“You can just make a carriage with cheaper but more flamboyant materials. Forget about Sepdi oil and Hojen wood. Since the Verchellos paid ten times the price for them, we can just laugh at them for being foolish and not knowing how to spend money.”

“That would be the right thing for you to do, wouldn’t it?” Kukulo was already half-lying on the sofa. Tibel Bartole was on top of him. The fireplace crackled and filled the room with a cozy warmth.

“Tibel, you scare me.”

“Why is that, my lord?”

“Your advice is never wrong. It has always brought a great deal of profit to the Del Contis.”

“Why does that scare you?”

“Because whenever I come to my senses, I'm always just doing what you told me to do.”

Kukulo Del Conti suddenly sat up.

The woman in the butler's uniform, Tibel Bartole, was now lying beneath him.

Kukulo licked his thin lips.

“I have to follow your advice again. Contact our carriage maker.”

“I already have.”

“You’re a scary woman.”

Tibel, who was lying beneath him, tried to untie her black hair, but Kukulo stopped her.

“Leave it as it is.” Kukulo grabbed her wrist. It was slender and white, as if it would break at any moment.

“Still… I can’t leave things as they are.”

He paid ten times the price for all the Sepdi oil and Hojen wood that the Maridadio Trading Company had.

He must have paid at least a hundred gold coins.

The Verchellos could not possibly have that kind of money.

That means there was only one source of the money.

“…His name was Shion, wasn’t it? He keeps getting in my way…”

It was the first time during the duel with the Verchellos, the second time at the ledger storage in the sewer, and now the third.

Kukulo felt the need to settle the matter.

“He was said to be a wealthy person who runs a small gallery. He must have been living arrogantly with a little more than others. It's time to put him in his place for good.”

“What are you going to do to him?”

“I’ll invite him in the name of Del Contis. I’ll call him to the mansion and talk to him over a meal.”

“Then we should prepare. How should we prepare?”

“It’s already decided.”

Kukulo Del Conti embraced Tibel Bartole.

“With the utmost courtesy and splendor.”

***

Art Gallery Lamponé.

A place that deals with various works of art, such as paintings, calligraphy, and sculptures.

However, its main item was antique books, so the store was always dusty.

It was also the home of me, Shion Pollinglight, and Amethus.

It was an ordinary art gallery.

Except for the fact that it had a large number of works of art that even a king would find difficult to obtain and that a secret place for overthrowing the Empire was hidden underground.

“It’s a good day.”

I held a broom and swept the floor.

I had a peppermint and raspberry lozenge in my mouth.

It was part of my daily routine.

“Until you showed up, that is.”

“…You’re not very hospitable, Mr. Shion.”

“You should know the reason, Mr. Pneuve.”

Del Conti’s guest knight, Pneuve Freira, laughed awkwardly.

I, Shion, who was usually smiling, didn’t smile at all and just swept the floor.

He spoke as if spitting out the words.

“It wouldn't be good to run into me. If I were you, I would have avoided me.”

“I sincerely apologize for what happened in the sewers.”

“Will an apology be enough?”

“No, it won’t.”

This was the first time they had met since the sewers of Bururade, the place that was swarming with cockroach fiends.

He had been caught and ran away, yet he was so brazen.

I had a cruel side when it came to the brazenness of others.

Pneuve Freira bent his tall body and acted courteously.

“That’s why my lord insisted on inviting you, Mr. Shion.”

“Kukulo Del Conti?”

“Yes. That is correct.”

An invitation. I stroked my chin.

Of course, this was something that had never happened before the Regression.

But it didn't feel like it would be a major variable.

I, the regressor prince, was too prepared for someone like Del Contis to be able to shake me.

“He said that since you two met under bad circumstances, it only caused misunderstandings, and he would like to have a chance to show his hospitality.”

“What a mouthful of flowery words.”

“It’s sincere.”

Pneuve Freira took out a small magic tool from his pocket and mumbled something.

Soon, a clattering sound came from the other side of the road.

“I hope you will understand my lord’s sincerity in wanting to serve you with the utmost courtesy, Mr. Shion.”

The four-horse carriage was black and antique.

It had a very aristocratic appearance.

Even all four horses were black horses with sleek, black coats.

It must have been the most precious and expensive carriage the Del Contis had for guests.

An old man was sitting on the coachman's seat, with his hat pulled down so low that only his stubborn lips were visible.

His appearance was shabby.

My eyes, Shion’s eyes, shone with a strange light as I looked at the old coachman.

I chuckled softly.

“With a welcome like this, I can’t not go.”

I, Shion Pollinglight, started to walk.

“I also felt like I needed to talk to the Del Conti lord, one way or another.”

“You will have a very good evening.”

“I don’t know about that. Amethus.”

“...!!”

When did you get there!

Pneuve Freira was startled and took three steps back.

He hadn't noticed that the jade-eyed man had appeared or that he had been standing by their side.

If Amethus had been after his life, his head would have been cut off twenty times over.

“Watch the store for me.”

“Understood.”

Amethus didn’t try to stop me or worry about me.

Seven years ago, I was Shion Pollinglight, who was able to handle Amethus and Niko Nereyades even in an eleven-year-old body.

There was no one in Merion who could threaten me, Shion, now.

Maybe Brass Arm Onseu Om could give me a scratch or two, but that was it.

“But this carriage…”

I looked at the black and antique four-horse carriage.

It was of the highest quality, with a spell that prevented sound from leaking out when the doors were closed.

It was probably for talking about business.

I, Shion Pollinglight, frowned as if I was suffocating.

“It feels a bit suffocating to be alone with Mr. Pneuve inside.”

“…Then?”

“I’ll sit here.”

I jumped lightly and landed on the coachman’s seat.

The old coachman was startled to see me suddenly sitting next to him and gripped the reins.

I chuckled, and the old coachman pulled his hat down even lower.

“It’s alright, isn’t it? There's a lot of space.”

“…Won’t the coachman be uncomfortable?”

“If he gets uncomfortable with this, how can he be a coachman for the great Del Conti family?”

I, Shion, smiled gently and leaned my face close to the old coachman.

The old coachman tried to avoid me without hiding his discomfort, but I kept following him and leaning my face closer.

“It’s alright, Mr. Coachman… or should I say, Grandpa?”

“…It’s alright.”

“He says it's alright.”

Pneuve Freira let out a deep sigh.

He was a boy who never followed his plans from beginning to end.

Still, should he be happy that he could invite him to the Del Conti mansion?

“Understood. Mr. Coachman, please let me know if anything happens.”

Pneuve sat in the passenger seat alone and closed the door.

The magic that cut off the sound from the inside and outside widened the distance between them.

I, Shion, smiled even more and urged the old coachman.

“Let’s go, Grandpa Coachman.”

I was certain it would be a very pleasant evening.

“To the Del Conti mansion, where a magnificent meal awaits!”