Chapter 74
If You Wish
Two hours later, Ferda welcomed his scheduled guest.
“I am Bernard Wayne, Chancellor of Escholeia. It is an honor to meet the consort of the great Aspect of Power.”
“And I am honored to meet the chancellor of humanity’s treasury of knowledge.”
“I sincerely thank you for allowing me to set foot in Valdrova Castle.”
Bernard Wayne, Chancellor of Escholeia, removed his hat and bowed.
The flesh-colored plateau nestled between two patches of brush still gleamed as smoothly as ever.
“You must have had a difficult journey, Chancellor. I saw through the window that you brought an armed escort.”
“Two mages, two knights, and twenty soldiers. Ha ha! I finally feel somewhat like a nobleman.”
The attempt to frame Chancellor Escholeia had failed, throwing the entire academy into turmoil.
No matter how often people belittled the position of chancellor as that of a mere figurehead who existed to shoulder all responsibility, Bernard was ultimately the face of Escholeia.
The assassination attempt had been an incident capable of shaking Escholeia to its foundations.
Because of that, the chancellor had been able to seize greater authority within Escholeia’s council.
“Hoho. Living in such a magnificent castle, you must receive many distinguished guests.”
“I have received more thugs who came to threaten me than distinguished guests.”
“Pardon? Surely not. Lady Valdrova is the Aspect of Power, someone capable of overturning the entire continent...”
“Another one came to threaten us just last week.”
“Ah... I see.”
Unable to think of an appropriate response, Bernard decided to change the subject.
“This is the blueprint for the demon-appearance prediction device that I promised you before.”
Ferda examined the sheet Bernard handed him.
The blueprint had been inscribed upon parchment whose form was preserved by magic. Unlike an ordinary book, it would not burn, become soaked, or deteriorate with age.
Even though the copy was merely being given to Ferda, Bernard had used such precious material for it.
That alone proved that he harbored no ulterior motives.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. However, are you able to read this blueprint?”
Naturally, he could not.
Ferda had never been involved with designs of this nature.
“The castle’s senior researcher should be able to examine it.”
“And who might that senior researcher be?”
“Burnell Marquis.”
“Burnell Marquis...? You mean that complete disaster? He is here?!”
Bernard started in shock, repeating Burnell’s name several times.
“I had heard that he was famous, but he must be far more renowned than I realized.”
“Indeed. There is no one in Escholeia who does not know him. He was someone who inspired tremendous expectations—and then tremendous disappointment.”
Bernard himself was undoubtedly one of those who had been disappointed.
He released a deep sigh before asking Ferda,
“What is he doing now? Did he finally abandon that absurd project and come here?”
“He succeeded in that absurd project.”
“Of course he... Pardon?”
Bernard’s eyes widened.
“You mean he actually succeeded?”
Ferda had anticipated his astonishment.
That was why he had brought one of the samples Burnell had created before Bernard’s arrival.
“It is a mana stone. It was processed from the carcass of a monster.”
“My word... That fellow truly overturned heaven and earth in the end...”
That was how scholars described a revolutionary discovery.
Countless emotions passed across Bernard’s face.
Wonder, admiration, jealousy, and regret.
The man he had turned his back on had ultimately been proven correct, and Bernard did not seem to know how he should accept that.
“What is its efficiency?”
Apparently trusting that Burnell would have calculated everything, he skipped asking whether the efficiency had been measured at all.
“At present, it is ten percent.”
“Do you know what percentage it began at?”
“I was told it was 7.1 percent.”
“I see.”
His expression showed both amazement and unease.
Ferda was not a scholar, so he could not guess what Bernard was thinking.
Instead, he made a suggestion.
“Would you like to meet Burnell Marquis?”
Bernard emerged from his thoughts and shook his head.
“No. There is no need to go so far as to meet and speak with him... Ah, yes.”
Bernard clapped his hands together.
“Do you remember what I said during the Grand Council? I asked you to participate in an exhibition.”
“I remember. You said the exhibition would be held in Halim.”
“In fifteen days, scholars and nobles from across the continent will gather there. The event will continue for several days, with presentation sessions held during the opening, main program, and closing.”
Then came his proposal.
“I will use my influence to place Burnell on the main stage. Would you please attend?”
***
“Chancellor Bernard... made that proposal? He said he would put me on the main stage?”
Burnell asked with his eyes wide.
Ferda had seen him make a fuss several times before, but he had never seen him this astonished.
He was so shocked that even his hands had stopped moving.
“It must have been an extraordinary offer.”
“The main stage is the most important part of the Escholeia Exhibition. Even renowned scholars have an almost impossible time securing a place there.”
“Then this is good news for you.”
“It is... good news.”
Contrary to his words, Burnell wore a complicated expression.
Eventually, he put down his pen and leaned against the table.
“I do not know. I do not want to go.”
Ferda could tell that Burnell was being overwhelmed by his emotions.
“Are you going to reject an honorable position that every scholar dreams of standing upon?”
“Honorable or not, Chancellor Bernard has obviously prepared some sort of trap. Why would I walk willingly into it?”
“A trap?”
“He despised me. When I remember the humiliation he inflicted upon me, I cannot accept his goodwill.”
“What did he do?”
“He condemned my research proposal.”
Burnell clenched his fist.
“When academy students enter their second year, they participate in something called the Academic Conference. It is a place where they discuss the future, even when their ideas may be somewhat unrealistic. Since the entire purpose is to draw out fresh ideas, criticizing someone there carries tremendous weight.”
He gritted his teeth.
“It was like pulling down my trousers and exposing my crotch to the entire audience.”
Someone might have asked whether such a thing was truly worth this much resentment, but Ferda did not think that way.
It meant that Burnell had been completely sincere about the future he envisioned.
Having that sincerity denied must have been painful.
Ferda had known only that Burnell had once ranked first at the academy before falling to last place, barely graduating, and eventually entering the field of magical engineering.
He had never realized that the rift between Burnell and Bernard ran this deep.
“If he humiliated you, should that not give you even more reason to participate?”
Burnell turned toward him.
“How does that follow?”
“You were not wrong. Why not hold your head high?”
“Of course I would love to rub it in his face. Yes... But what am I supposed to do if this is all a scheme to lure me into a trap?”
“Then will you spend the rest of your life running away?”
Burnell could not answer Ferda’s question.
He wanted to avoid the issue, yet deep down, he already knew that continuing to flee from it was not right.
“I do not know exactly what happened back then, but you are no longer an academy student. You are my senior researcher. Should Bernard attempt anything unreasonable against you...”
“...”
“He will not be settling matters with you.”
Ferda looked him directly in the eye.
“He will have to settle them with me.”
Those words pulled Burnell from his thoughts, and he looked at Ferda.
That was right.
He was no longer alone.
Once again, Burnell realized that he now had a powerful supporter standing behind him.
“Understood. As you said, I will face him once and see what happens. May I ask what you are holding? It looks like a blueprint...”
“It is Chancellor Bernard’s brainchild.”
“His brainchild?”
“He said it was the blueprint for a device that predicts the appearance of demons. Can you make sense of it?”
“Ah, so that is what it is. A demon-appearance prediction device... I will take a look at that as well.”
While Burnell was examining the blueprint, the door opened and someone entered.
It was Stephan.
Ferda had been meaning to tell him something, so the timing seemed perfect.
However, Stephan did not look well.
He appeared as though he were about to deliver bad news at any moment.
“Well, the thing is...”
Stephan stammered.
***
A few days earlier, Stephan had been traveling in a carriage.
He wore a top-quality tunic that he rarely put on.
It was among the finest of the finest, the sort of garment so expensive that one might be afraid even to wear it.
Yet despite his splendid attire, worry never left his face.
“Haa...”
“Are you all right, my lord? You look terribly pale. At this rate, you may collapse.”
“I am feeling a little... Haa.”
“Shall I loosen the knot for you?”
The servant seated across from him loosened the cord around his collar.
Stephan looked at him and said,
“Do not. I cannot afford to look disheveled. I would sooner let the knot strangle me to death.”
The reason he was so tense was the enormous mansion waiting ahead.
It belonged to Herman Pascal, founder of the Pascal Trading Company, a great merchant, and Stephan’s father.
It was both Stephan’s childhood home and a battlefield.
Stephan stepped down from the carriage and entered the mansion.
“Welcome home, Young Master Stephan.”
Stephan smiled at the familiar face and embraced him.
“It has been a long time, Grandpa Sebastian! Have you been well?”
“My body is not what it used to be. The time has come for me to retire.”
“What are you talking about? You once said you would be buried here. You should keep working until your body falls apart.”
He joked in an attempt to conceal his trembling.
The butler noticed and played along to help him calm down.
They proceeded down a long corridor, passing employees and servants, until they reached an ornate door.
“The second son, Young Master Stephan, has arrived.”
The door opened.
A long table stretched through the center of the room like a red carpet.
At its far end, seated as though upon a throne, was an elderly man.
Herman Pascal.
The head of the Pascal Trading Company, a man who had begun as a fruit seller and eventually extended his reach into every kind of merchandise.
He was a tyrant who had once come close to seizing control of the entire Empire’s commercial sphere.
Yet in stark contrast to that reputation, he now looked like nothing more than an aged old man.
“You are late, little brother.”
The man seated to Herman’s right reproached him.
With his sturdy build, he looked more like a mercenary than a merchant.
He was the eldest son, Merchant Pascal.
“My apologies. It has been an exceptionally busy period, and I needed to finish handling several matters...”
“What could be done? The company is more important than family, is it not? I admire how diligently you serve as a loyal subordinate, Brother.”
The heavily made-up woman who smiled as she spoke was his younger sister, Tilda Pascal.
At first glance, it sounded as though she were defending him, but her smiling eyes conveyed something closer to, That is about all someone like you can manage.
This was why Stephan hated this house.
He had returned to his own family home, yet he felt like a stranger.
“Tie it more tightly. Make sure it does not come loose.”
“Sit down already.”
With his nephews having already taken the better seats, Stephan was forced to sit far away.
The entire family had gathered.
“Now then, let us eat.”
The butler rang a bell, and maids entered the room.
As befitted the wealthiest family on the continent, every dish carried the intense aromas of rare spices that were difficult to obtain.
It was an opportunity to taste delicacies most people could never hope to encounter, but Stephan could not taste any of it.
“These days...”
The moment Herman began speaking, every hand at the dinner table stopped.
“How have all of you been?”
As though they had been waiting for the question, Merchant and Tilda set down their forks and knives and wiped their mouths.
The eldest son, seated closest to Herman, spoke first.
“I have been expanding into the south. You know Colosenia, correct? It is one of the largest entertainment cities, famous for its extravagant gladiatorial spectacles. I signed a mercenary-supply contract with one of its gladiator training schools.”
“Do you intend to sell nothing but meat?”
“Of course not. That region is so hot that they say even the moon shines like the sun. The spices grown there are exceptionally potent, and their quality rivals the finest goods of the Empire.”
“Indeed. Such luxuries are more precious than gold.”
Herman nodded calmly.
As though he had barely met the required standard, Merchant let out a sigh of relief.
Next, Tilda Pascal spoke of her recent activities.
“I have been looking west alongside my dear husband. They call it a mysterious land of magic, but surely even they have things they need. The moment we open a trade route, the Pascal Trading Company will become a storm.”
“That sounds rather fanciful.”
Herman glared at Tilda.
However, as though she had anticipated his reaction, she immediately replied,
“I thought the same at first. But would that not change if I secured a contract for a crystal-stone mine? Mages go mad for those, do they not?”
“Hmm...”
Herman’s harsh gaze softened.
Tilda had also been securing contracts with practiced skill, so there was little to criticize.
Only one person remained.
“Stephan.”
“Yes?”
“Why are you silent?”
“My apologies. I did not think you would be particularly interested in hearing about me...”
“Do not make me ask twice.”
He had tried to avoid it, but there was no escape.
And so Stephan began explaining his recent activities.
“I am currently attempting to establish a foothold in the east.”
“The east?”
“My, you are starting a business in the east? I heard you were focusing on the north.”
Tilda acted as though this were the first she had heard of it.
She was preparing to pour oil onto the fire.
“The northern operations should remain profitable as long as they are maintained at their current level. So I decided to make a bold investment and expand eastward this time.”
“Brother, unless I was taught incorrectly, I believe there is a difference between a bold investment and throwing money into the dirt.”
Tilda was merely finding a polite way to ask why he was going around doing something so idiotic.
“It does not look promising to me either, little brother.”
Merchant agreed with her.
“Was selling liquor, smoked meat, and leather to the northerners not already profitable? If you simply followed Father’s formula, you could avoid losses. Why go out of your way to do this?”
Was the answer not obvious?
He was trying to survive in this household.
“I merely want to pursue a venture with future potential.”
“Future potential? Look at the state of the east. The Demonic Lands are still steadily encroaching upon it, and its territory continues to shrink. Are you planning to scoop up the soil and make contaminated weapons with it?”
“Contaminated weapons sound like a wonderful idea. They would smell less than flinging excrement and probably work better. I would be willing to invest in that, Brother.”
It was said that the sister-in-law who pretended to intervene was more hateful than the mother-in-law doing the beating.
Tilda’s words irritated Stephan even more than Merchant’s.
“Enough.”
Herman, who had remained silent, brought the atmosphere under control.
He scratched his head with a thin hand before speaking again.
“Stephan.”
“Yes, Father.”
“I know you are not simply acting like a fool. After all, you are the cleverest among them, and the one who understands me best.”
This was not going to end pleasantly.
Stephan sensed it immediately.
“But what did I teach you to do when persuading someone?”
“Show them evidence...”
“Do you possess that evidence?”
“I am not investing company funds. Even then, I first put in my own personal fortune—”
“So you do not have it.”
“It is not that I do not have it. I simply did not wish to reveal it yet—”
“You mean that mana stone or whatever it is called.”
Stephan’s eyes widened.
Herman scolded him with a displeased look.
“Why are you so surprised? This company is still in my hands, you fool. Your sister and brother have already noticed as well.”
Even if the project was being conducted in secret, they would have learned of it eventually.
It was understandable that his father, Herman, knew.
But discovering that the other two already knew as well came as a profound shock.
It meant that someone among Stephan’s own people had been leaking internal information.
Yet what shocked him even more was that, despite their knowledge, everything had continued without interference.
It was as though they had simply been watching Stephan dig his own grave.
Before the shock could fade, Herman asked,
“Tell me. On what basis did you involve yourself in this venture?”
“I merely saw its future.”
“Intuition, then. Which means you are doing this because you trust Regent Ferda.”
“Yes.”
Stephan answered without hesitation.
“How certain are you?”
“If he wished...”
Stephan’s tongue moved before he could stop it.
“I would be willing to hand him the entire company.”
Silence descended.
Realizing what he had said, Stephan quickly closed his mouth.
His mind had gone blank, and he had accidentally spoken his true feelings.
I have done it now.
The words could not be taken back.
Yet he did not regret them.
Because that was what he truly believed.
“So you have become enthralled not by a woman, but by a man, and wagered your entire fortune on him.”
The sigh mixed into Herman’s words pierced Stephan’s chest.
“You have only one hand and can grasp only one thing. Yet there are two things you must seize. Excessive greed invites ruin, so a time will come when you must choose.”
Stephan was perceptive enough to understand exactly what Herman meant.
Would he abandon the Far East and choose the company?
Or would he abandon the company and choose the Far East?
“Think carefully.”
Those words were the final ultimatum of Herman Pascal, the man who had built everything from nothing.