#004 The Youngest Son of the Notorious Newly Rich Family (4)
From the moment I began to gather information about the family, and was told by the head of the family that I should observe and learn the family business, I never once thought this would be a proper affair.
But.
“Lord Sardan, no matter how esteemed you are, it’s quite unacceptable for you to do this repeatedly.”
“…Dorf, the acting representative, I beg you, please assist me just one more time.”
“Oh dear, what a predicament.”
No matter how one looks at it, seeing the honorable lord with his graying hair repeatedly bowing his head while a mere representative of a guild struts around like a peacock left me at a loss for words.
Dorf was indulging in exaggerated gestures, rubbing his chin as if deep in thought. Behind him, the members of the ‘Brown Wolf Mercenary Group’ who had provided protection during our travels stood ready, flexing their shoulders. Opposite them stood the lord’s knights, their eyes gleaming with anger as they gritted their teeth.
I mean, even as part of the same faction, I couldn’t help but feel irked while they must be absolutely seething, seeing their lord being insulted.
Baldwin, the lord who received the items from Dorf, had asked if he could postpone the payment, and Dorf, as if he anticipated this, was starting to show off.
This couldn’t have been the first time this kind of thing happened.
“Please raise your head, my lord. For someone as ordinary as me, being treated in this manner puts me in a very awkward position.”
Despite the words, it was clear he was delighted, evident even from where I was standing.
I had noticed during the time with the mercenaries too, this man was quite fond of wielding his authority.
“Not at all, my lord. What’s the harm in such courtesy towards someone here to assist our territory?”
In that regard, Lord Baldwin was certainly a heavyweight. He was in a humiliating situation, yet not a hint of displeasure showed on his face.
Dorf wore a slightly regretful expression, but deciding that any further provocation would yield no results, he soon got down to business.
“Hmm, while I admire your honorable intentions for the territory’s residents, the fact that the payment from our last transaction has been postponed is indeed a significant burden for me.”
“I’m fully aware that I’m making an unreasonable request.”
“If you proceed to make arbitrary decisions again, there’s a chance the representative may hold me accountable. However, if you could provide some sort of collateral, that would change the conversation.”
“…Is there something you have in mind?”
In response to Lord Baldwin’s question, Dorf promptly discarded the semblance of courtesy he had been maintaining.
“The mining rights in the Baldwin territory. Or perhaps the vision passed down in the Baldwin family. If you can provide either, I can offer support similar to what I brought this time for five years. If both are provided, I can extend that support for 15 years.”
“What an audacious scoundrel! ! ! !”
The shout that pierced the air didn’t come from the lord but from one of the knights behind him.
“Listening to you is a nightmare! Just offering food, and you think you can demand this much!”
The young man with deep blue hair glared at Dorf with a flushed red face.
It seemed like he was on the verge of drawing his sword, and even the normally composed Dorf quickly took a step back. As the hulks blocking his path moved closer, the knights surrounding the young man placed their hands on their sword hilts.
Hmm, I was warned to keep a close eye on things, but it seems like this is going downhill—
“What are you doing to our guest! ! !”
It was Lord Baldwin who stepped in during this tense situation.
“Not only are you interrupting an important conversation by shouting, but you’re even thinking of drawing weapons—are you out of your mind!?”
“But Father! ! No matter what, this is going too far! ! !”
“Oh dear, this rascal! What are you all doing! Quickly take this fool away!”
“Father! You mustn’t be fooled! Father! ! ! ! !”
The young man, held by the knights, was dragged away while continuing to scream, and it took some time before his voice faded completely.
Lord Baldwin opened his mouth with a somber expression.
“I apologize for my son’s rudeness.”
“Oh, um, it’s alright. It’s perhaps something that can happen with youthful exuberance.”
Though he tried to act bold, the slight tremor in his voice was hard to hide.
After all, just moments ago, the young man’s expression showed he was ready to kill someone, so it wasn’t unexpected.
An awkward silence followed until Lord Baldwin finally spoke again.
“I cannot hand over the mining rights. It’s not just a matter of interests; the forest where the mine is located is closely tied to the lives of the territory’s inhabitants.”
The development of the mine would inevitably lead to environmental pollution.
To facilitate mining and transportation, the soil would have to be overturned, and the waste and contaminants generated during the sorting and refining of the mined minerals would greatly harm the surrounding environment.
This was also why the lords of Baldwin territory had refrained from tapping into the mine despite knowing of its existence.
Especially now, when food supplies within the territory were already strained, destroying the forest, which served as a source of food, would be unmanageable.
The situation was that they were in debt just to feed the territory’s residents, yet if that led to starvation, it would be completely counterproductive.
Ultimately, Dorf’s proposal was akin to a predetermined option from the very start.
“Ten years. If you extend the support period to ten years, I will grant you the family’s vision.”
“That won’t do, my lord…!”
“How can that be!”
At Lord Baldwin’s words, the surrounding knights sighed.
‘Not unreasonable, really.’
Recalling what I knew about the ‘Planetarium,’ I could understand their reactions.
In this world, individuals referred to as “magic users” were exceedingly rare.
To be precise, while everyone born has some degree of magic, it’s quite uncommon for one to possess a significant amount of magic that produces meaningful effects and have the control to wield it at will.
Moreover, just because someone is called a magic user doesn’t mean they are necessarily strong.
Having a sword and arms capable of wielding it doesn’t make anyone a master swordsman.
While it would be much more advantageous compared to an unarmed opponent, many have self-destructed in their inability to properly wield swords—in other words, manipulate magic.
Thus, groups with considerable history and influence have constantly improved their methods of handling such magic and powerful techniques while simultaneously keeping them hidden from spreading to others, a practice referred to as *vision* (秘傳).
In simpler terms, the Midas Guild was essentially trying to leverage the food, medicine, and, more dramatically put, the lives of the territory’s inhabitants as hostages to extract the family heirloom from the Baldwin family itself.
“Ten years, ten years you say? There’s no helping it.”
Dorf appeared to contemplate for a moment, but soon nodded.
Perhaps he felt this was something he could handle at his discretion, or maybe he had already discussed it with the head of the family. It was impossible to tell which it was.
“Since someone like Lord Baldwin is making such a request, how could I not strive to assist? Just leave it to me.”
“…I truly thank you.”
Only the starkly contrasting expressions of the two clearly represented their positions in this matter.
“So, it has come to this, has it?”
Sardan Baldwin’s son, a promising knight, grimaced upon hearing the contents of the negotiations.
His heart felt as if it was aflame with anger, and an impulse to throw everything in sight and smash it to bits lingered through his entire body.
Why must they endure such humiliation?
How did the proud Baldwin family end up in this predicament?
The answer was clear.
The Barhart Empire.
The hateful enemy who had brutally murdered the young man’s great-grandfather and the heroic figures alongside him, reducing their glorious kingdom to a mere shell of its former self.
And another name— the Midas family!
Descendants of a despicable man who betrayed their nation for selfish interests and, instead of atoning for their sins, continued to commit atrocious acts without end.
The young man was convinced that the very same people were responsible for not only selling overpriced food and medicine to the cornered territory but also cutting off access to other merchant groups that previously traveled to and from the territory.
‘Not to mention now, they’ve even gone so far as to covet the vision itself…!’
It was already a crime deserving of at least a hundred executions for even a mere deputy of the Midas Guild to swagger in front of the lord, yet they were now attempting to seize what should be the family’s pride and treasure—the vision.
Having respected his father’s intentions up to this point, the young man had tolerated it for long enough, but now he had reached his breaking point.
‘I will make them pay for their sins.’
He resolved himself, recalling the figure of the youngest member of the Midas family, who was observing the negotiations with a look that revealed nothing of his thoughts.
The Midas must—and would—pay the price for their accumulated evils.
With nothing less than their blood.
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