Episode 334 – Tell His Divine Na
Woof!
Keros barked loudly in response to my question.
Did that an he did hear that embarrassing incantation?
Or that he didn’t?
Just as I turned to glare at Keros and ask Reto for an interpretation—
“Wh-Who’s there?!”
Antonio’s startled voice rang out from behind.
Wandering around the building in confusion, he suddenly flinched, then cautiously nodded.
It looked like he’d heard Lily’s voice in his head. Don’t tell ...
“Ah… A-A beautiful Lady Lily, please open the door!”
Damn it, he actually said it. And with such crystal clarity.
Glancing around, I saw the elves politely covering their mouths, giggling quietly.
So you’ve all been playing this ga, huh?
Judging from their reactions, this wasn’t the first ti they’d done it.
I t eyes with Notura the vagrant—he was making a face that was sowhere between a laugh and a cry.
That expression... yeah, he’d definitely been tricked before too.
“W-What? You want to say it louder? Because I wasn’t louder than Sir Alex?”
I let out a quiet sigh.
That mischievous streak again...
I an, the barrier she’d erected to block outside detection had been great and all—
“Beautiful Lady Lily! Please open the door!”
Watching Antonio put on a solo show, I shook my head.
A mont later—
“Gasp!”
Antonio appeared dramatically in the middle of the first floor, visible to all. He gasped and looked around.
His expression slowly stiffened. His eyes finally landed on . He swallowed dryly and asked,
“D-Did you… hear that?”
This wasn’t like him at all.
I was beginning to regret bringing him along.
The building we’d entered was a large four-story inn, which I had rented in its entirety.
Every room was now filled with elves.
For the overflow, we had cleared space in the first-floor dining hall, which was where the later arrivals were staying.
That explained why so many elves were gathered at the front.
I did a quick scan of the interior and checked the mood.
Not bad.
Considering they’d been enslaved and subjected to harsh conditions, their expressions were fairly bright.
I could see them chatting animatedly in a relaxed atmosphere.
Notura, who had followed behind, explained.
“The overseer played a big role.”
“The overseer? That elf?”
“Yes. He was proactive in persuading them. The elves trust him and followed without resistance.”
Huge sums of money had changed hands, and the elf issue had been handled more smoothly than expected.
Things could have gone sideways, but the vagrant before had been a great help.
“It’s all thanks to your guidance, Notura.”
“Not at all. I simply explained how rchants think and focused on the task at hand.”
While Karl was away, Notura had managed the inn’s operations.
He had organized the hundreds of elves by floor, looked after their basic needs, and even prepared for a swift departure if needed.
Always exceeding expectations.
He had no formal affiliation and ca from a vagrant background.
I paused and looked at him. Since Karl wanted to recruit him, now was the ti.
“Notura, would you like to join the World Tree Union?”
“…? But I’m just a vagrant…”
I leaned in and whispered softly into his ear.
“I’m a forr assassin.”
“Your background doesn’t matter to us. What matters is your heart for the World Tree. Will you join us?”
I held out my hand.
Notura fell silent, staring blankly at my hand.
He had lived as a vagrant after losing everything.
To end that aningless life, he had joined the Aintrier land route operation—essentially a death mission.
But through this mission, Notura had found a new opportunity.
He looked into my golden eyes.
Alex Marcia.
He had seen firsthand how much influence I held within the Union.
If I decided on war, the entire coalition would follow without hesitation.
That was how much trust non-humans had in .
And so—
“I’ll stake my life on it.”
A life already forfeit.
Notura decided to entrust his old life to a new world.
“Welco to the World Tree Union.”
I gripped his hand and smiled warmly.
“You said you don’t have a family, right? If you get lonely when you’re older, I’ll introduce you to a nice witch when I get the chance.”
“…A witch?”
Notura glanced aside.
There was Lily, hopping around on the table.
He awkwardly waved his hands in refusal.
“N-No, it’s fine.”
“Hm. Well, the age difference is a bit much.”
“I am a bit old…”
“What do you an? You’re actually on the younger side. Most witches start at a hundred. And they look way younger than humans.”
“I’ll arrange a eting once we get back. Lily! How old was that elder again?”
Notura followed, looking like he was about to cry.
After the playful initiation, we entered the eting room and had a brief conversation.
A while later, I called Antonio in.
“Notura, could you explain our plan to Antonio?”
“Are you sure?”
What he was about to say was high-level classified information, so he looked to for one more confirmation.
But Antonio, as part of the Lenon Workshop, was already in the sa boat as the Union.
I nodded, and Notura began outlining our plan.
Antonio, listening, blinked in surprise.
“…To the Grade-1 warehouse district?”
“Yes. We’re planning to covertly move the elves there.”
Notura unfolded a costly map and pointed to a location.
The Grade-1 warehouse I had previously acquired was circled in red.
The location where Samuel’s portal had been installed.
Currently guarded by Elton, it was vital to move the elves there before the portal was activated.
Once it was, they would escape to the World Tree instantly.
Antonio chuckled faintly. Hearing the plan, he realized it had been prepared from the very beginning, back when we arrived in Aintrier.
Was he that confident of success?
Antonio clicked his tongue and looked at .
The mastermind behind all this.
He now saw as more terrifying than he had imagined—yet also felt reassured to have joined hands with .
“We need to move them without Azonne noticing. Can it be done?”
At my question, Antonio let out a low hum and considered it.
Moving hundreds of elves secretly.
And doing so without the territory’s master, Azonne, catching on.
It seed impossible—but Antonio didn’t take long to decide.
“I think it can be done.”
He pointed to a building on the map.
It was close to the target warehouse and belonged to the Rain Workshop.
“That building stores rare ores. Only dwarves can process them, so they only built one entrance.”
“So it’s not a normal entrance.”
Antonio gave a knowing smile.
“Do you know what dwarves are best at?”
Notura looked puzzled, but I chuckled.
This was exactly why I’d brought Antonio.
“Digging tunnels.”
I knew the Lenon Workshop had left behind an escape tunnel.
With the elf extraction plan shaping up, Notura and Antonio began talking rapidly.
I watched them, nodding in satisfaction.
Looks like things here are wrapping up.
Now all that remained was negotiating with Azonne for the southern distribution rights.
Shipping rights to Ship Gridnt.
Ownership of the dock along the lower Kenline River.
I asked the two about the leaf monopoly deal.
In exchange for the monopoly rights, what I wanted from Azonne was a portion of his distribution control in Hell Gri.
How did they view this negotiation?
“I’m not sure.”
Antonio frowned and shook his head. He couldn’t read Azonne’s mind.
But Notura had a different opinion.
“It’s one of two things.”
“One of two?”
“He’ll either fully acknowledge the World Tree Union… or try to erase it completely.”
“You an based on your past?”
A rchant who once begged Azonne for distribution rights but lost everything and fled.
That rchant was Notura himself.
Reflecting on his experience, he continued,
“If Lord Azonne is staying quiet, it’s not because he doesn’t care.”
“He’s waiting for the perfect mont to cut the lifeline. He hates mistakes. He’d rather make a friend than take a risk. That’s Azonne’s motto.”
“…You know him well.”
Notura looked surprised, so I chuckled softly.
Azonne Vistas?
“There’s probably no one who knows him better than .”
I know everything he has.
I just need confirmation.
After excusing myself from the room, I called out—
“Lily!”
She ca running with a bright smile.
“Yup! You called?”
“What were you doing?”
“This!”
Jingle-jingle—
As the bell rang, a distant shout of “Stop that!” echoed from sowhere.
Probably the innkeeper.
Just how much work had she dumped on him?
Shaking my head, I asked,
“You said you confird their Divine Nas at the banquet, right?”
I’d gone to the VIP banquet at Azonne’s invitation to get a read on the situation—but more importantly, to identify key figures I needed to watch out for.
To see whether my presence had warped their fate.
I’d asked Lily to do that, and she’d fulfilled the request.
Upon hearing my question, Lily quietly set down the bell and pulled a small mirror from her pocket.
Divine Na curses were powerful and dangerous.
Handling them required focus.
She closed her eyes and pressed the mirror to her chest, then nodded and looked up at .
“Whose Divine Na do you want?”
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
I smirked and answered.
“Azonne Vistas. Tell his Divine Na.”
In that instant, the mirror shimred.
And within Reto, who would take the curse in my stead, his heart trembled.
[Azonne Vistas – Hand of Midas (Fortune)]
[Eye of Greed]
[Gilded Eye of the Golden Castle]
[Coinmaker of Midas]
[Greedy Adjudicator (Target: Bearer of the Divine Na)]
All of this… was just as I expected.
[Owner of the Black Market]
Even the final na.
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