Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The crimson-stained battlefield reeked of blood. Amidst the wounded and the surviving soldiers, weariness was etched into every face as they slumped to the ground, utterly drained. Among them was Damian’s unit, visibly exhausted after an intense battle.

“...Commander, it looks like relief supplies are coming our way.”

“Ugh... Someone go fetch me some water. I’m dying of thirst here.”

At his subordinates’ words, Damian turned his head. The symbol he saw—a pair of angel wings interwoven in blue and red—belonged to the continent’s most prominent merchant guild, the Yurek Merchant Guild.

One of Damian’s subordinates remarked, “Wow... The Yurek Merchant Guild. Aren’t those guys the richest guild on the continent right now?”

“Damn, I’m jealous. Here we are, slogging it out in the trenches, while they’re raking in the gold selling wheat and weapons.”

Sensing some resentment, Damian glanced at the soldier and said, “You do realize that without that wheat and those weapons, we’d be dead, right?”

“Yeah, I know. Just a bit of envy talking.”

Damian chuckled softly. He could understand the frustration and fatigue his men were feeling after the battle. It was only natural that the sight of well-fed merchants, who seemed to live in an entirely different world, might grate on them.

“But it’s not easy to be so dedicated to charity work in a place like this,” another soldier commented.

The Yurek Merchant Guild’s staff were distributing water and bread to the soldiers, offering words of encouragement. It was no small feat to come to a warzone to provide aid.

Damian silently observed the scene. But then...

“Commander! Over there, it’s the head of the Yurek Guild!”

“...The guild leader?”

Damian’s eyes followed his subordinate’s pointing finger. It was rare, even for a guild leader devoted to charity, to personally visit a battlefield.

“Wow... I heard they personally participate in these charity activities, but I didn’t think it was true.”

The other soldiers turned their gaze toward the man identified as the leader of the Yurek Guild. Damian did the same.

‘So that’s the leader of the Yurek Guild, Yurek himself.’

Despite being the head of the largest merchant guild on the continent, Yurek had a surprisingly delicate build. He wore a white robe, an odd choice for a battlefield, and his golden wavy hair was striking. But what stood out the most...

“Doesn’t he have an annoyingly pretty face for a guy?” one soldier muttered.

“Yeah, seriously. Why does a man look that good? It’s just irritating.”

“Damn it, this obsession with looks. It’s guys like him who are probably going to get us all killed.”

Another soldier laughed, “You’re probably right, but you’d look like you were about to die even without him.”

“What did you say?!”

“Hahaha!”

Laughter spread among the group, and even Damian couldn’t help but smile.

“Those of you still in decent shape, go help them out. It’s good to contribute to a worthy cause.”

“Yes, sir.”

As memories from the past began to resurface, Damian found himself lost in thought.

“...”

Why did the face of the Yurek Guild’s leader he remembered overlap so much with the man standing before him now? He had only seen him once, but the memory was vivid and clear. Damian’s gaze shifted to the woman who had just entered the guild.

“Ah?”

Noticing Damian staring at her, the woman looked startled and quickly apologized, “Oh, I didn’t realize we had a guest. My apologies.”

She greeted Damian with a polite bow, to which he quickly waved his hand.

“No, it’s fine.”

“This is my daughter, Diel. Diel, meet Damian. He’s here to discuss investing in our charity work.”

“Hello, sir. You’re here to invest in our charity?”

Their warm demeanor made it clear that they didn’t consider Damian’s age at all, which struck him as a bit unusual.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Damian nodded, still feeling a bit confused but deciding it was best to continue the conversation.

‘The guild leader’s name is Yurek... and he has a daughter?’

But if he had a daughter, why did the Yurek from his memories look so much like this woman?

Damian’s eyes flickered with realization.

‘What if Yurek... is actually a woman?’

Suddenly, it felt as if something in his mind had shattered. The age seemed to match up as well. Diel looked to be about twenty at most, which would align with the timeline. And considering how excited she seemed about the charity work...

‘If she continues the charity work after inheriting the guild...’

This was starting to seem like the most likely place among all the guilds he had visited.

Damian stared at Diel, sitting across from him.

‘The resemblance is striking.’

The impression Yurek had left on him was so strong that he remembered it clearly. If this was Yurek as a young woman, it would make perfect sense.

‘But why...’

He glanced at the older man beside him—Yurek, the guild leader. Why would this woman inherit the guild under the name Yurek instead of her father? And why would the guild’s name change from Hamel to Yurek?

‘There must have been some kind of situation.’

Damian couldn’t guess the reason, but he could speculate.

He looked at the pamphlet Diel handed him about their charity work. It was concise, detailing the purpose, ongoing projects, and future plans without any unnecessary information.

“But how much were you thinking of investing? I’m only asking because the amount would determine where we allocate the funds.”

Her tone was polite, and she conveyed her intentions clearly without offending him.

Damian thought for a moment.

‘For now...’

He was fairly certain, but it wasn’t 100% confirmed yet. Even if this was indeed the Yurek Guild, they might still choose a different path in the future...

“For now, I’d like to start with 300 gold.”

“Th-three hundred gold?!”

Diel’s eyes widened in shock.

When a young boy came in talking about investing, she hadn’t expected much. But he was still an investor, and she had no intention of dismissing him, regardless of his age.

But 300 gold? That was over a year’s budget for their entire charity operation.

“Are you serious? That’s a huge amount...”

“Yes, for now, it will be 300 gold... and depending on how things go, I may contribute more in the future.”

“.......”

Even 300 gold alone was an enormous sum, not to mention the additional investment.

With that, the expression in Yurek’s eyes grew serious.

Yurek asked, “But you mentioned it as an investment, not a donation. Is there something specific you would like in return for this money?”

“I’d like to acquire a portion of Hamel Trading Company’s shares. Of course, I don’t intend to involve myself in the management or anything of the sort. I would simply like to receive a portion of the company’s profits as a return on my investment.”

“Hmm... This is something that we would need to consider. Moreover, our trading company isn’t particularly large, so we don’t have a clear policy on shares at the moment.”

Yurek’s gaze toward Damian changed.

It wasn’t negative, but rather...

‘No matter how I look at him, he can’t be older than his mid-teens...’

How could someone so young have access to such a large sum of money and make such bold decisions?

With a serious expression, Yurek asked Damian, “And if it’s not too much to ask, could you tell me where this money is coming from?”

By any chance... if there’s even the slightest possibility that this money is connected to crime or illicit activities, we absolutely cannot accept it.

Damian responded to Yurek’s question with a small smile.

“If you’re worried that the money might be from a bad source, there’s no need to be. The source is...”

Damian placed an insurance certificate he had prepared on the table.

“It’s an inheritance I received as insurance money after my parents passed away. You can see the insurance company’s name and the Imperial Bank’s seal on it.”

“Ah... My apologies.”

“No, I completely understand.”

With that, Yurek’s doubts seemed to be cleared.

Yurek nodded.

“Then we’ll discuss the matter of shares in a meeting and let you know afterward. Can we talk about the investment again then?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

For now, it was enough just to establish a connection with Hamel Trading Company.

The shares were just a small setup for the future; it didn’t really matter how much he received.

‘Who would have thought... it would be such a small trading company.’

Having made up his mind, Damian glanced around the interior of the company.

Although the scale wasn’t large, the interior was well-organized, and a monthly plan was clearly displayed on the wall.

There were still some unanswered questions, but...

‘I’ll need more time to figure that out.’

Time would tell.

“Then where can we contact you?”

“Ah, that would be...”

As Damian continued speaking, Yurek’s eyes wavered slightly.

* * *

It felt like a storm had just passed through.

After entering the office with Diel, Yurek sat down and recalled the meeting, letting out a chuckle.

“...Heh.”

“Why are you laughing?” Diel asked, noticing Yurek’s smile.

Yurek replied, “The more I think about it, the more surprising it is. Who would have thought a mere thirteen-year-old boy would come to us with such ideas?”

There are many trading companies in the capital conducting charitable activities, not just ours.

Yet, he sought us out specifically. It made me curious as to why...

‘Those eyes... That boy was far from ordinary.’

And the talk about the investment and shares was no less impressive.

“But a soldier too, huh? Hahaha.”

On top of that, he was a highly promising young man who had passed the kingdom’s military entrance exam.

There wasn’t a single flaw to be found in that boy.

The only thing I found a bit unfortunate was...

“If only he were five years older, he’d be perfect.”

“...Excuse me?”

Diel tilted her head in confusion at Yurek’s muttering.

Yurek grinned and said, “Maybe he likes older women?”

“...Dad!”

Diel’s exclamation was met with a hearty laugh from Yurek.

* * *

“Should I consider this an unexpected gain...?”

Back at his lodgings after leaving Hamel Trading Company, Damian reflected on the events that had transpired.

He was quite surprised by the revelation about Diel, but...

‘It makes sense.’

It would indeed be difficult for a woman to run a trading company alone in this world.

But at least he had found what he was looking for.

‘I’ve solved one thing.’

The next steps with Hamel Trading Company would follow once they reached out to him, so all he could do now was wait.

So now...

“Sigh, time to get ready.”

Once he enlisted, he’d be locked in training for at least a month.

During this period, some of the recruits wouldn’t be able to endure and would choose to drop out, or so the rumors said, but...

“That won’t happen to me.”

Right now, his primary goal was to perform well during the training period and apply to “that place.”

‘If I get there... will I see him?’

The reason Damian had come to the 3rd Training School.

It was the first step to getting into that unit.

The unit where his senior, friend, and most trusted subordinate had served.

Damian thought back to the times he had spent with that person, a small smile forming on his lips.

And then...

“Wasn’t it the Lion Eagle Shop?”

Damian recalled the military supply store mentioned by Apel and set off to buy the necessary gear.