Chapter 112 – A Toast
“Wait a second. Let’s say you spread the rumors. But Lochter is a stubborn old knight.”
When Fenry said ‘stubborn,’ she ant soone who was rigid and unyielding.
Even Kal, despite having him as a knight commander, eventually gave up on recruiting Lochter, choosing instead to use him as a disposable pawn. That’s how much of a die-hard traditionalist Lochter was.
Because of his steadfast and upright nature, he had earned respect and trust from those around him, but it was also that sa unyielding personality that led to his early demise.
Betrayal.
Kal, knowing how much Lochter valued loyalty, had planted traitors around him in advance.
The first betrayal cost him an arm. The second betrayal ended with him being poisoned to death.
“That stubborn guy will probably hear the rumors and go around yelling that it’s nonsense.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“He’s the person in question, though?”
“As long as the rumor reaches Kal’s ears, that’s enough. The purpose of the rumor is to throw Kal into confusion. Whatever Lochter says or does won’t matter.”
He wouldn’t be believed anyway, given his status as a wanted criminal.
“This could beco a problem later. What will that stubborn knight think of you? Are you sure you can convince him if you plan to recruit him into Hunt?”
“Yes, I can convince him.”
“It won’t be easy.”
“It’ll be easier than you think. Especially if I’m the one persuading him.”
Fenry looked unconvinced, but I felt confident.
‘If the enemy we’re up against is the sa, even those who were never allies can develop a sense of camaraderie.’
It was the sa reason Karl, whom I encountered in Laup Forest, showed such favor toward . Our shared grudge against Crux had fostered a sense of unity.
Lochter would soon find himself in a similar position.
His sworn enemy was the Massacre King, Kal Blazer—the man who awakened Lochter’s alias as the ‘Knight of Betrayal.’
“Oh, and it looks like I may have a solution to Beneta’s problem.”
“Problem? You an the mineral supply?”
“Yes, specifically iron ore.”
Dorneth’s eyes lit up with interest, and I nodded before turning to gaze out the window.
The carriage moved slowly, escorted by knights on either side.
Many people stood along the roadside, watching the carriage pass by. Among them, human rchants caught my eye.
Huddled together, they tried to approach the carriage, only to be blocked by the soldiers. Their faces were filled with impatience, as if they were desperate to make contact with us—or rather, with . If I extended my hand, they would probably rush forward, wagging their tails eagerly.
“I hate humans. Especially rchants.”
Fenry scowled and turned her head away sharply, prompting an awkward chuckle from as I scratched my cheek.
For once, I agreed with her.
Lately, those guys had been pestering non-stop.
As I watched them, a good idea ca to mind.
***
Upon arriving at the villa, we hosted a small party.
My original plan had been to quietly leave the territory tonight after wrapping up the blood pact ceremony.
However, after hearing Dorneth’s concerns, I decided to postpone my departure.
A new agenda had erged—one that required my attention.
“Your speech was truly remarkable, Lord Alex!”
“A new hero has been born in Tobaron, without a doubt. Hahaha!”
“And with such outstanding looks! The won of Beneta will surely lose sleep over you, Lord Alex. This is a serious matter indeed.”
The reception hall was filled with cheerful laughter and endless flattery.
A contest of complints, or rather, a competition to crown the king of flattery.
I had invited the heads of the prominent human rchant guilds in the region, and now they were busy competing to see who could praise the most.
Even though I knew they were flattering , I couldn’t help but feel the corners of my mouth twitch. rchants truly had terrifyingly smooth tongues.
Though I was a fallen noble, I now had the backing of Beneta, bound to through the blood pact. That was why they were so eager to curry favor with .
I had asked Nella to invite only the most influential guilds, and she had delivered—there were about ten in attendance.
The heads of most of Tobaron’s major rchant guilds had gathered, likely because they understood the enormous impact the reopening of Beneta’s mine would have on their businesses.
They had brought heaps of gifts, and wanting to enjoy the experience of being ‘flexed on,’ I opened the bundles—only to find they were all filled with pancakes.
“…What is this?”
“I heard you were very fond of pancakes, so we prepared the finest varieties for you. Do they please you?”
Seriously, who the hell would be pleased with this?
Apparently, this information had spread far and wide through the intelligence guild, but so bastard had clearly started a weird rumor.
I barely managed to suppress the urge to flip the table, gritting my teeth and forcing a smile.
These pancakes weren’t what I was after.
anwhile, the old werewolf and the servants were all smiles as they received substantial tips from the rchants. Those tips were likely ant to coax information out of them, but I wasn’t worried.
Dorneth had personally selected these rchants, so I doubted they would spread unnecessary gossip.
“Co, have a drink.”
As I raised my glass, the guild leaders smiled and followed suit, lifting their glasses promptly.
Watching them respond so quickly reminded of my old job.
It looked just like those company dinners when the chairman showed up.
Damn it, might as well play the role tonight.
“A toast.”
“To Lord Alex!!!”
Neither I nor the guild leaders knew exactly what we were toasting to, but we raised our glasses and enjoyed the drinks, using the opportunity to gauge each other.
It was a subtle ga of timing—waiting for the right mont to bring up the real issue.
“Oh! What’s this? I’ve never seen this food before.”
“The flavor is delightful. The texture is excellent too.”
“It seems like sothing the public would love.”
The guild leaders, noticing the sandwiches brought in by the servants, inspected them closely, their eyes gleaming.
rchants sure had a knack for sniffing out profit.
I could already picture a sandwich craze sweeping through Tobaron. It felt like opening a Subway franchise would rake in a fortune, but since the ingredients were simple and easy to copy, I decided against selling the recipe, rely licking my lips at the thought.
“Excuse , Lord Alex.”
“Oh, what’s your na?”
“Please, call Grenos.”
“Alright, Grenos. What is it you wish to ask?”
“It’s an honor to have you call my na, Lord Alex.”
Grenos.
Despite his elegant na, he was a chubby man with a thick neck. From the mont we t, he had stuck to my side, showering with flattery—so much so that his skill surpassed even the top-tier bootlickers from my old workplace. No doubt about it, he was today’s king of flattery.
Judging by how others seed wary of him, it appeared Grenos was a well-known figure among rchants.
As expected, when Grenos opened his mouth to speak, the atmosphere grew tense. The other rchants grew quiet, and a faint air of nervousness settled over the room.
It seed Grenos had taken the lead in broaching the main topic.
Finally, we were getting to the real issue.
Why did rchants take so long to get to the point? I’d heard nobles were even worse—truly a headache.
“May I ask why you initially rejected our invitations but later changed your mind?”
“You think I changed my mind?”
“Well… we sent several invitations, but you didn’t respond.”
“Ah, the invitations.”
They weren’t love letters, so why would I bother replying to the slly letters from a bunch of n?
Of course, contrary to my thoughts, I maintained a polite expression.
“It seems I unintentionally caused so misunderstanding. After returning from the abandoned mine, I stayed isolated for a while. I haven’t been active for long.”
“Were you injured?”
Judging by his expression, Grenos looked more distressed than I did.
This guy was sothing else.
“Lifting the curse wasn’t an easy task…”
“Oh my! Are you alright now?”
“I still occasionally hear hallucinations, but it’s nothing serious—just a lingering aftereffect of the curse.”
[Are you talking about ?]
Shut up, old man. That’s not what I ant. Don’t take it seriously.
“We didn’t know… It felt as though we, fellow ‘humans,’ were too distant from each other, and it left us feeling quite disheartened. But I see now that it was all a misunderstanding. Lord Alex would never do such a thing.”
Selling out their own kind for profit—only humans could pull that off, and here this guy was, shalessly talking about ‘humanity.’ Truly bold.
“I understand why you might have felt slighted by my lack of response. That’s why I arranged this eting, even if it’s a bit late.”
“As expected of a true hero! I, Grenos, will sing praises of you wherever I go.”
Yes, this guy was undoubtedly the king of flattery. Had he received advanced training in sucking up?
As amusing as it was, it was about ti to end this sweet session of praise.
“There’s no need for praise. I only acted in return for what I received.”
“…In return? What do you an?”
“I’m referring to the shares in the mine. The lord of Beneta was kind enough to grant a share.”
The cheerful atmosphere instantly turned cold.
The mont I ntioned ‘shares,’ I could hear the sound of throats gulping nervously.
Shares ant a right to profit off the mine’s resources for life—a perpetual golden goose.
The rchants’ minds were racing.
They all shared the sa thought: How can we get our hands on those shares?
Grenos, too, seed no exception.
“Do you understand what it ans to have shares?”
“I’m not well-versed in comrce.”
“For a hero, shares in a mine are nothing but a tireso burden. Perhaps you might be willing to sell that burden to soone…”
“These are honorary shares and cannot be sold. It’s rely a right to receive a portion of the mined minerals.”
My words elicited sighs from several corners of the room. Their disappointnt was evident, but I could tell what they were thinking without needing to ask.
They had likely hoped to secure shares for themselves, no matter the cost.
The rchants’ enthusiasm visibly cooled.
After all, they could still source minerals from Blyer’s mines. It wasn’t as though Beneta was their only option.
Even if they secured the rights to a portion of the mine’s output, it wouldn’t be the jackpot they had hoped for.
Instead, they began considering how to use this young noble as a bridge to strengthen ties with the dwarves. While they were mulling over their options—
“It’s mana stones.”
“…Excuse ?”
“Oh, I was referring to the minerals I’ll be receiving. Although it’s a small amount, I have the right to receive a portion each year.”
“Ma… mana! Cough! Cough!”
“Mana stones!”
“Are you serious?! Mana stones?!”
Suddenly, the rchants’ reactions beca frantic.
Mana stones were exceptionally rare minerals.
I had heard from Sharbadin that Beneta’s mine occasionally yielded mana stones alongside various other ores.
The nurous artifacts produced in the dwarves’ forge were possible because of the mana stones.
Although the quantity was limited, even a small amount was of imnse value to humans.
The Tower Alliance.
Mana stones were a key resource for establishing trade relations with the mages.
For rchants, having a connection to the mage towers was akin to holding a treasure map.
“Please, sell them to !”
“That’s outrageous…!”
“Lord Alex, please hear out first!”
One by one, they jumped to their feet, clamoring to approach .
The party descended into chaos.
Knowing that indulging their pleas would never end, I decided to cut straight to the point.
There was only one reason I had gathered them here.
A large-scale supply of iron ore.
“To the rchant who brings the highest contract value to the lord’s castle within fifteen days, I will grant a one-year right to receive mana stones.”
“…One year? How much is that exactly?”
“Enough to fill that box over there.”
I casually tapped the box that had held the pancake packages, and the rchants’ eyes lit up.
It wasn’t a large amount, but it was enough to give them an edge when negotiating with a mage. This was a jackpot they couldn’t afford to miss.
“However, I will only accept paynt in iron ore.”
“…Iron ore? That’s quite an inconvenient thod of paynt. It’s bulky and heavy.”
“To find a rchant who is truly serious about trading with the dwarves, wouldn’t it be best to give this opportunity to the one who deals most in minerals? Whoever brings the largest amount of iron ore to the castle will have the rights to the mana stones personally granted by Lord Dorneth.”
The opportunity to gain both mana stones and a personal connection to the dwarf lord.
If they didn’t take the bait now, they might as well quit being rchants.
Everyone here was a leading rchant.
Within monts, they had finished their calculations and made up their minds. From that point on, they began fidgeting restlessly, eager to leave.
They looked ready to bolt from their seats imdiately.
From now on, everyone in this room was a competitor. To dominate the iron ore market, they would need to act faster than the others. Yet they hesitated, wary of making the first move in my presence.
Leaving now would seem rude.
I slowly raised my glass.
This was exactly like back at my old job.
Damn it. I just want to go ho, but they won’t let .
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