After finishing her conversation with the experienced merchant members, Melissa approached.
“Craft, I’ve calculated your greediness.”
“Oh, really?”
Pastel, who had been sitting on a gem box, sipping drinks during the Craft Family’s shipment report, perked up when she heard this. It took so long for her to arrive that it had become quite a problem!
Seeing this reaction, Melissa flinched.
“I’m sorry. It took longer than I expected. Maybe because they work on ships, but once they start speaking, the details just go on and on.”
“Eh, it’s fine.”
Pastel waved it off with a warm smile.
“Melissa is so kind that it must’ve been hard for her to interrupt someone. I like that about you!”
“T, thank you.”
Melissa blushed slightly.
“Do you want to drink this? It’s orange juice. I made a special cocktail by adding a ton of sugar to the leftover drinks from the shipment!”
The wooden cup swayed with a reddish liquid.
“I’ll enjoy it. I’m quite thirsty after chatting for so long.”
“Sit here!”
Pastel patted the seat next to the gem box eagerly.
“Excuse me.”
Melissa carefully adjusted her magician’s robe and sat on the box.
Heh.
“Even for you, you’re not going to put down a handkerchief before sitting, huh?”
“Wha? That would be rude.”
Huh.
“Is that so?”
Pastel tilted her head and wiggled her legs.
Thinking it over, that did make sense. After all, she was sitting on a perfectly fine box, so laying down a handkerchief would imply it was dirty. And she was the one invited to sit there.
Yup, Melissa is kind.
They sat together, sipping their drinks in silence for a moment.
But how did I end up drinking here, anyway?
I racked my brain.
Oh, right!
After going through rough shipments, Melissa got mad, and I was in a position to apologize! So, I had asked her just how angry she was!
But then the fourth-dimensional Melissa suddenly grabbed a merchant and started calculating things. I really didn’t know why, but that’s probably why she’s in another dimension. It’s hard to understand from a normal person’s perspective.
Pastel glanced at Melissa to gauge her mood. The magical girl was sipping her orange juice with a soft smile.
“Melissa?”
“Speak.”
“Don’t you have something you want to say to me?”
“Huh?”
Melissa looked slightly flustered and fell into thought. Then, as if realizing something, she said while looking at her drink.
“This drink is really sweet. I think Craft is good at adding sugar.”
Huh.
That’s not the reaction I wanted.
Of course, since it was the drink I gave her, it was polite for her to share her thoughts, but being in a position where I needed to apologize, this atmosphere was quite problematic.
“How about something emotional, intense, or a thought filled with rage?”
“Oh.”
Melissa realized. Her blue eyes narrowed coldly.
“Craft, I was angry. How could you ask me to facilitate smuggling? It’s something I cannot even imagine.”
Wahh!
Why did I even say that!?
Shivering.
“Melissa, how angry are you?”
Is this how our relationship breaks apart?
“I just calculated your greediness. By looking at that, you can gauge how angry I am.”
Melissa pulled out a piece of paper from her robe and handed it to me. The results of her greediness calculation were all neatly written down. I didn’t wish for this much, but I could definitely feel the anger.
Melissa pointed at the last line of numbers.
“You are 50% greedier than a normal trader. Therefore, considering I thought this was a normal trade, you can say I felt 50% betrayal and anger towards you.”
Whoa.
Pastel’s mouth dropped open.
Melissa is 50% mad?
Wahh.
I clung to her, looking like I was about to cry.
“I’m sorry, Melissa!”
I sincerely apologized.
“I’m 50% sorry!”
Pastel felt 50% sorry.
“50% sorry……?”
Melissa blinked slowly after hearing this, looking dazed. Since she felt 50% anger, it seemed right to feel 50% sorry, but also maybe not.
Pastel also felt dazed in sync.
What even is this?
“50%…….”
Melissa stared hard at her calculations.
Melissa said, “I was 50% angry.”
The blonde girl, who just renewed her dark history, slowly turned red. Then she started wiggling her fingers, trying to cover her face with the wooden cup while sipping her juice.
A small voice came from the cup.
“Please forget about today…”
Oh.
“Got it!”
I’ll definitely remember!
#
Pastel heard about the hardships and tribulations Melissa faced during her trading shenanigans.
Dodging pirate ship gangs and getting caught in a sky whale’s path after straying off the trade route, among others.
But since she was already aware, there wasn’t much new information, except for the fact that she had helped Preston’s organization expand while they were docked to repair the airship in the Demon Realm.
“How come?!”
She only asked for help with smuggling, yet here she was, helping collab companies in the Demon Realm.
Is this what best friends do?
“In multi-way conflicts, a magician is a strong asset. It looked like they were struggling in their organizational battles, so I figured I’d clear them out. After all, they were a low-grade organization to wipe out anyway.”
Wipe out.
Melissa surprisingly seemed to have a wealth of experience in murder.
Woaah, scary, future southern commander.
Pastel hugged Melissa.
“Thank you! If Preston’s organization grows, trading will become smoother.”
Then my wallet will be full!
Melissa looked uneasy.
“I had my suspicions about how the Craft Family makes money this way, but please do it moderately. There’s no need to walk a path of sin.”
“Got it!”
It seemed she wasn’t as mad as I thought, considering the Craft family’s downfall.
Melissa is so sweet!
After hearing about Melissa, Pastel talked about the Academy’s recent happenings—mentioned the Sky Whale and described the one-on-one tournament for transfer students.
“Bellamont?”
Melissa’s displeasure began to show at this moment.
Huh.
“Why did Elshire Bellamont enroll? It would be better for her to stay in the North for the rest of her life.”
“Uh, I don’t know!”
Melissa scrunched her brows together.
“Pastel, you’re not saying you’ve become friends with that Bellamont, right?”
Whoa.
How did she know?
Pastel’s mouth dropped open.
Although I hadn’t accepted the challenge, we had definitely become friends through deep conversations the first time we met. Surely, Elshire thinks so too.
Melissa frowned.
“I shouldn’t meddle in your unrestrained social activities, but this time it’s different. It’s better to not get too close to Bellamont.”
Pastel tilted her head.
“Why? Are you guys not on good terms?”
“On good terms?”
Melissa raised one corner of her mouth. It wasn’t her usual expression, and it seemed a bit awkward, but she was smiling in a mocking way.
A mocking expression!
It’s the first time I’ve seen kind Melissa present such a face!
“My mother said, ‘The Craft must never step on shadows.’”
Ouch.
Pastel, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly felt hit.
Melissa flinched as she spoke.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I didn’t intend to say that. Experiencing smuggling makes me feel uneasy again, but you have your own circumstances too.”
The girl steadied her voice.
“Anyway, my mother said, ‘The Craft must never step on shadows.’ And…”
Her blue eyes turned icy.
“Stay away from Bellamont, even if it’s in the same space.”
Pastel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What on earth?!”
“Just how bad are things between you two?!”
Melissa shook her head without answering.
“I’ll excuse myself first. I want to have an in-depth conversation with you, but I need to figure out what Bellamont’s intentions are.”
The magician girl clicked her heels and walked off.
Huh?
Pastel froze in shock.
Camerlot is the Southern Commander, isn’t Bellamont from the Northern Duke family?
What on earth is happening?
Ugh, ugh.
What if I don’t know?
“Demon Lord! Demon Lord!”
Please tell me, Demon Lord!
『The two families are sworn enemies.』
“Why is that?”
『Both wish to enter the central political scene as they’re on the empire’s outskirts. But if both forces make a move into politics, the royal family would face significant burdens. Only one faction at most could. Thus, they sabotage each other’s attempts to enter the central political landscape.』
“So they’ve built up animosity over time?”
『Exactly. When they say you shouldn’t even be in the same space as Bellamont, it means you cannot advance into central politics together.』
Ugh.
“Can’t they be good and cooperate? Darn it! Can’t they think of several ways?”
Friend-friend methods!
『That kind of cooperation is one of the multiple scenarios that the royal family fears. Camerlot and Bellamont represent Southern and Northern military power, respectively. If they ally and attack from both fronts, it would destabilize the empire. Whoever becomes the Emperor is unclear, but it’s certain that someone else will take the throne.』
Uh-oh, suddenly my brain capacity is overloading.
I just wanted to make friends; I don’t know about this stuff.
『So, every time that possibility arose, the Craft Family, under the royal family’s order, sowed discord between the two. After a few instances of betrayal due to Craft’s meddling, it turned into a deep-seated enmity.』
Whoa!
The Craft Family’s dark history was just revealed again.
Pastel felt a pang of guilt!
Just breathing made her feel wrong!
She covered her ears.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that!”
『Do as you wish.』
#
A blizzard raged in the Northern Bellamont Duke family. The frigid air whitened the windows, causing even breath inside to show.
A man sat on the sofa with a wine glass, crossing his legs. The crackling sound of the nearby scarlet fire filled the room.
“So, when are you going to kill Elshire? Is this slow deal really the sacred deal the cult speaks of? Or is your capability simply lacking for something as simple as expelling someone from the Academy?”
A figure in a black robe knelt on the opposite side, dipping their head.
“I’ve sent the demons. Word will arrive soon.”
“Demons?”
The eldest son of the Bellamont family frowned. The wine glass rotated leisurely, red liquid swirling within.
“Why should I believe in such inferior demons?”
It was a sharp taunt.
“The Academy was originally the demon’s holy ground. It would be easy to infiltrate through the old sewer system to carry out the assassination.”
“Easy assassination, huh.”
The eldest son briefly stared at the wine glass and red liquid.
Then he poured the liquid toward the fire. The liquid overtook the flames, causing a huge blaze. In the fierce flames, a shadow of a person flickered.
“Once I finalize the succession contest, I can comply with the cult’s deal anytime.”
The empty wine glass was set down on the table.
“So, I hope you won’t disappoint me.”
Leaning back against the sofa, the eldest son waved his hand. The figure in the black robe lowered its head and left.
Silence enveloped the room.
Only the fire crackled quietly.
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