Chapter 260

[Side story] Double-arm scale (1)

No matter which branch of Elte Company you go to, there is a large double-arm scale in the lobby.

It is obvious what the exactly horizontal scale symbolizes. It’s fairness.

This is a group with a reputation for doing whatever it takes to maintain their grip on the commercial world. It is truly ridiculous to see such people advocating fairness, but the bigger their size, the more important their cause becomes.

Hypocrisy is not an option, it is a necessity.

Some people might clap their tongues at the hypocrisy of Elte Trading Company, but people who have opened their eyes even a little to the commercial world tend to nod their heads.

In the end, leading a group means having a worthy cause for every minor decision.

Even if it is blatant hypocrisy, one must act like a good person.

Lortel Kecheln knew damn well. Even though he always hides dark and dark intentions, he puts on a smile on his face and emphasizes fairness to others.

“Is this a justification?”

Slog Keldlux, head of the Elte Chamber of Commerce, muttered while lowering his head.

On the desk was a portrait and resume of Lortel Kecheln, the current acting president of Elte Chamber of Commerce.

Along with the profoundly grown beard, wrinkles showing signs of age are harmoniously placed on the face.

The merchant’s wide leather coat, which was neither luxurious nor simple, had an old-fashioned fur trim on it.

Narrowing the corners of his eyes darkly was a habit that veteran Slog Keldlux had whenever he concentrated on something.

Commercial city Old Deck.

The port city that stretches along the Samiel coastline on the west side of the Cloel Empire is responsible for almost half of the empire’s logistics distribution. The Imperial Capital, Cloeron, the Holy City, Carpea, the Land of Innovation, Talkaren, Rameln Mountain Range, Cohelton Lawless Zone, all the way to Aken Island at the southern tip of the continent... If logistics are to be distributed to any central region of the empire, this port city must be passed through.

A place where large and small merchants gather together to compete. It is a golden land where self-interested merchants gather to make even a penny more.

If you walk along the city’s dock early in the morning, you can see merchants and workers rushing around on the streets earlier than the morning sun.

A city of people who are busy trying to put even more pennies into their pockets.

Anyone who was born, raised, and spent their entire life in a place like this will have a similar way of thinking. The same goes for Lortel Kecheln.

“Is this business expansion?”

Slog was lost in thought as he read Lortel’s business plan to further expand the commercial route leading to the capital city of Carpea.

The nominal leader of the current Elte Company is Slog Keldlux, but most of the real power is held by Lortel Kecheln. It won’t be long before Lortel will try to ascend to the position of leader himself.

If you want to take action, now is the time.

“okay. “What is always important is the cause.”

While muttering those words, Slog quietly closed his eyes.

“It has already been a long time since the Golden King Elte left this earth. It was time to abandon the name ‘Elte Chamber of Commerce’...”

In the spacious office of the head of the central branch of Elte Chamber of Commerce, there was only silence.

*

“You went all the way to Pulan? “Because of research work?”

When Lortel Kecheln stopped by the Rosstaylor mansion, the heat of the summer had already subsided.

It was still a bit too muggy to call it fall, but it was cool enough to call it summer.. that kind of weather.

Lortel, who graduated from Sylvania Academy and worked as a store manager at Old Deck for a few months, soon began working outside to expand a new business.

Opening new trade routes while dragging along a few trustworthy confidants is not something that a company owner usually does on his own. The plan was to complete as much practically important work as possible while he was relatively free and had not yet been given his position back by Slog.

In particular, he was concentrating all his efforts on opening a new trade route with the capital city of Carpea.

Due to the cultural characteristics of Carpea, where Telos believers are gathered, it is very easy to identify items in demand, and the demand for each period itself is calculated without difficulty.

Telos Cathedral’s Great Prayer Meeting, Lent Period, Saints’ Prayer Service, Feast of the 11 Saints, Central Baptism Day... If we could provide not only all the basic maintenance materials for the central organization, the Holy Church, the sales would be enormous.

Lortel, who received information that Seonghwangdo’s supplies were currently being purchased by various merchants at a heavy cost, wanted to somehow come up with a way to establish a conversation with Seonghwangdo’s key figures. If Elte Trading Co. takes full charge of helping with the purchase, Seonghwangdo will be able to save a lot of incidental costs.

The person I visited in the process was Ed Rosstaylor.

“Yes, Pulan has been doing some research on the highest-ranking spirit. “In the process, I came across a rather valuable item, and I may need help with the appraisal.”

“That’s not difficult, Senior Ed. “Please include appropriate letters when necessary.”

The opening of school at Sylvania Academy is not far away.

Ed Rosstaylor, who is in charge of selecting new students and class assignment for Class A students, will be very busy during the semester. In particular, expectations were high at the academic level because the most promising students had to be managed exclusively.

I am currently getting my affairs in order at home, but it will soon become more difficult to see my face.

Ed Rosstaylor did not take on any major tasks, perhaps because he wanted to spend his time at least a little more leisurely as the rest period was just around the corner. I was just organizing simple report documents in the garden of the mansion.

“...”

The central garden of the Duke of Rosstaylor can only be described with the cliché expression that it is bright and beautiful.

As it was a mansion site managed exclusively by a competent maid, it had a magnificent and beautiful mansion comparable to the imperial garden.

A suitable tea table was set up in the center of the mansion, and if you look at them sitting side by side with their younger brother, each doing their own work... they look quite similar to each other, so it feels like you are looking at an ordinary brother and sister who are everywhere.

However, one is a high-ranking spirit teacher who is the continent’s most powerful magic researcher and the youngest full professor, and the other is a girl who holds the title of matriarch of the continent’s most powerful ducal family.

If there are people who should never be turned into enemies, it would be these siblings. What is truly fortunate is that, thanks to their long relationship, the two are infinitely friendly to Lortel.

“Senior Lortel must be busy with business these days~. “There have been so many bad rumors about Old Deck these days. Are there any major setbacks in running the business?”

“well. There are always a lot of problems. “We are just solving everything one by one.”

Lortel smiled and responded to the pleasantries Tanya, who was working with her quill pen, made.

Even though Tanya had gained enough power to become one of the best on the continent, she continued to call Lortel her senior. To be honest, Lortel was in a position where he would not be dissatisfied even if he was treated as a subordinate, but it felt like he had a strange intention, as if he was constantly tied to school ties, and Lortel felt uneasy.

Of course, Lortel gave up his position as a senior and treated her with respect, but Tanya seemed determined to maintain that attitude. However, there is no such thing as a sly snake that always just smiles and does not explain the specific reason.

She is no longer the Tanya she was back then, who was swayed around according to Lortel’s intentions. Thinking back to when he first entered Sylvania, Lortel had a sly look that made you wonder if they were the same person, and the years seemed to have passed.

“Well, even if we talk about business-related matters, we can only scratch the surface... Ugh!”

However, it still seems absurd to try to bring black tea to my mouth and burn the roof of my mouth because it is so hot, so I can’t get used to it.

“Onii-sama... the temperature of the tea... it looks like a new maid brought it out...”

“Leave it alone, Bell would have already checked and gone to reprimand her.”

With a voice that seemed to creep in, Lortel succeeded in smiling as seductively as a fox. As expected, the facial expression management was so perfect that even Tanya, who had become an adult, didn’t even notice.

“We will discuss detailed practical matters at the dinner party.”

Lortel smiled and said this to Ed. Ed nodded, saying he understood.

“Well, I’ve taken care of all the urgent matters right now, so you can go in and get some rest until evening! “It hasn’t been long since we returned from Pulan!”

Once the story was over, Tanya spoke again in a lively tone.

“okay? “I’m not that tired.”

“Body fatigue accumulates without you even realizing it. “Senior Yenika, who went to Pulan with me, didn’t even go back to the Baron’s residence and lay down all day today!”

There, Lortel’s expression slightly hardened.

When I heard the name Pulan, I wondered if it was possible, but...

“Yenika... senior...?”

“Oh my, Senior Lortel... You don’t know the details of the itinerary, after all. Well... Brother Ed went to Senior Yenika’s hometown, the two of us.”

Is it an illusion that I feel a slight excitement as Tanya speaks while covering her mouth?

Hiding a strange smile, Tanya whispered to Lortel in a tone that seemed to contain her true intentions.

“Well, since it’s so far away, it’s hard to send a lot of people, so... I gave the carriage to the two of us so that we could go there alone. With one coachman. As you know, you two aren’t the kind of people who would go somewhere and get kidnapped, right? So, it’s most efficient to go there with just the two of you. “Just the two of us.”

Just the two of us.

I didn’t like the tone that seemed to emphasize that part, but Lortel was having a hard time managing his facial expressions, so it was difficult to go into detail.

“I don’t know what happened in Pulan, but anyway, since it was just the two of them, they definitely handled everything well. I don’t know how reassuring it is from my perspective. “A person like Ed’s brother is in the mansion, and someone like Senior Yenika is a vassal.”

Tanya trailed off but continued speaking subtly.

“Next time there’s something to do, it’s okay if I send just the two of you?!”

“Don’t make a fuss, Tanya...”

“Yes...”

Tanya responded politely and slumped down in the chair, but the way she cocked her nose and smiled seemed to have a lot of intention.

Lortel glanced at the tip of his chin, then inhaled and exhaled a small sigh. Actually, there is nothing to be too upset about.

However, I can’t help but be curious.

How far have these two people... gone?

*

After sending Ed off to take a short rest, Lortel walked along the garden.

In fact, the biggest reason why he came all the way to Duke Rosstaylor’s house was to make a deal with the Holy Emperor, but after hearing the story about Yenika, he seems to be a little distraught.

Thanks to the merchant’s unique calmness, he didn’t show it outwardly, but he couldn’t help but have random thoughts. They must have stayed together for a long time in their own space, with no vassals or people using the mansion.

I know that Ed’s personality is such that he will never cross the line, but he still doesn’t know what’s going on in the world.

What if two people crossed into an unknown world? What if we held hands and walked through a fairyland across a distant rainbow?

What if we danced hahahahoho along the garden where pretty pansy flowers were blooming............... In short, what if we slept together for one reason or another?

Lortel had no choice but to swallow dry saliva.

From what I heard, Yenica hasn’t returned to the Baron’s residence yet and is taking a break here at the Ross Taylor Mansion.

How would you react if you encountered Yenika?

Lortel could imagine it without difficulty.

While she was busy surviving day to day on the commercial front, the expression on her face that Yenika would make after leaving for their own country with Ed’s arm in her arms... Let’s

try to come up with all the possible cases.

Will he raise his nose and snort triumphantly at Lortel?

Will he look at Lortel with a pitiful expression and laugh?

Or will he brag and mock Lortel?

When it comes to Yenica, the first case seems the most likely. In any case, he must have been alone with Ed for a long period of time and communicated a lot, so he would try to express a sense of psychological superiority.

Lortel had to be prepared to handle that proud expression, which looked cute on the outside.

“Ugh...”

I saw Yenika sitting in a small pavilion in the garden in the distance. Did you come out for a moment to get some air? It was an unwelcome encounter for Lortel, but it was an ordeal that he would have to face at some point.

I can’t exactly predict how far Ed and Yenika’s progress will go or how Yenika will react. Still, Lortel somehow approached Yenica with a smiling mask on.

Yenica has come up with numerous ways to express her superiority toward Lortel and has completed a simulation of how she would respond to them all.

In any case, Lortel’s smiling mask will never come off. After thoroughly preparing my mind, I raised my voice in a polite tone.

“Oh, Senior Yenika. “There you are.”

Yenika, who was quietly touching the persimmon flowers hanging on one side of the pavilion, suddenly raised her head. Then he makes eye contact with Lortel.

Yenika always pouts or looks wary every time she sees Lortel who comes to the mansion. I thought that since I had the right opportunity this time, something would be revealed, but...

“Oh, Lortel is here! long time no see! “You’re very busy with business these days, right?!”

Yenica said hello to Lortel with a smile as pure as white drawing paper.

There is not even a single sense of caution or crisis inside.

“But the weather has become much cooler! I’m glad it’s not hot... Anyway, I’ll just go back to my room. I’ve been out too long, so my retainers might be worried... See you later for dinner! huh!”

Yenika returned to the mansion, waving cheerfully with a smile full of pure brilliance. Even as he walked away, he continued to wave at Lortel with a bright smile.

“...”

Lortel stood still and gathered his thoughts.

“......”

“................................................”

And cold sweat pours down came out

This was the most dangerous reaction... more than any reaction I could have expected from Jenica...