CH 15

I glanced at Jansi and went on.

“Even if it is Angellus, if he has bought all the magic stone mines, it would have been very difficult financially.”

Although the number of mana stone mines wasn’t that big, it was not easy to buy all of them in the Wallentian Empire.

Perhaps even Angellus used his funds to the limit.

The Perdia family will be able to withstand Angellus monopoly for the next few years, but the small merchants won’t last long.

It was here that Angelluss’s ambition to devour all the military supplies businesses would have the most impact.

No one disagreed with me.

“Therefore?”

“Then Perdia can monopolize as well,” I answered the Duke of Perdia without hesitation.

“We spoke earlier about it, Lili. Most of the magic stone mines have already been sold to Angellus,” Jansi retorted affectionately, as if admonishing me. 

But that’s not what I meant by “monopoly”.

“We don’t need a magic stone mine.”

“What?” Jansi questioned.

“Mana stones aren’t the only material used to make munitions, right?”

“…….!”

“We can just buy all the other supplies.”

People’s gazes toward me were mixed with surprise.

Even the first prince, who had always been skeptical of my words, looked at me with startled eyes.

Seeing their expressions change to this extent, I suddenly had doubts about my previous reputation.

In any case, even Angellus, who was said to be able to fly for a long time, could not compare to the accumulated wealth of Perdia.

The Duke of Perdia was in control of the underworld to the point that he was called the underworld emperor.

The imperial family was also powerful enough.

“The Angellus family has just entered the military supply business, so there won’t be many suppliers they have connected with for other materials. After some time, they will eventually have to reach out to Perdia, and that’s when you sell the ingredients to Angellus at a high price.”

At that point, the game was already over.

The Duke nodded a little and agreed with me.

“Yes, if they want to maintain the business, they will have no choice but to buy more supplies from our family. No matter what.”

“But in the end, they will only suffer losses, so they will have no choice but to withdraw from the munitions business.”

The head of the Angellus family will admit his defeat if he has a head on his shoulders. An idiot who would insist on the military supply business despite huge losses would not be able to occupy the position of the head of a family.

Since Perdia continues to carry out the business, there will be no big loss even if they increase the supply of materials.

“Jansi, find out about the financial situation of Angellus.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Carlot. You too, help Jansi.”

“Yes, I will bid for the other materials.”

The Duke of Perdia, who gave orders to his two sons, smiled obliquely and said, “Then the discussion is over.”

I was at the end of that satisfied look.

The way he looked at me in a natural manner as if he knew that would happen, was just awkward, so I turned my gaze away.

While listening to the conversation between the duke and the first prince discussing future plans, I suddenly looked at Jansi.

Still smiling. I still had no idea what he was thinking.

“What’s wrong, Lili?”

“Nothing.”

My conscience hurt a little when I told them the plan in advance Jansi would have come up with in the future.

“That’s great, Elodie.” The Duchess smiled and praised me, but I couldn’t laugh.

“Thank you……”

It was because I felt some way.

‘Was I too bad……?’

I said I knew my place well and wouldn’t threaten her two sons’ positions, yet I presented a solution as if I had been waiting for it.

But if I hadn’t said it, the small merchants would have disappeared due to Angellus’s tyranny.

I’m going to get out now.

I got up from my seat, hoping that I didn’t offend the Duchess.

“I’m not feeling well, so I’m going now.”

I left the dining room as if I were running away before the words of permission fell, all while making a resolution to myself.

‘Next time, I’m going to act moderately……!’

***

As Elodie hurried out of the dining room, the Duchess opened her mouth anxiously.

“Oh, my. To leave in such a hurry, is she really sick? Carlot, will you follow her?”

“Huh, why me!”

“Hmm?”

“You’ll do it on your own. I’m not going!”

When Carlot burst out screaming, the Duchess did not recommend it again.

“He’s my son, but his personality is really ugly.”

Tsk. She clicked her tongue lightly.

“I’m sorry for showing you a bad image, Your Highness the Prince.”

Adenmir smiled and shook his head at the Duchess’s words.

“It’s not even a bad look. More surprising than that, I never imagined that my fiancée would handle the situation.”

“Recently, our Lili has become very thoughtful. Since it’s her coming of age ceremony soon, she’s acting like an adult.”

“Is that so?”

Adenmir quietly rolled the bottle in his hand.

‘I’ve been thinking deeply.’

It was one of the vials from Elodie´s bedroom desk.

Adenmir did not miss Elodie secretly covering the medicine bottles with her body when he looked at them.

‘What the hell are you hiding?’

He couldn’t explain it as just that she became more thoughtful or mature.

It was a completely different attitude, as if she had become a different person.

A delicate position within the Perdia family.

Even the unexpected side she showed today.

‘If I figure out what’s in this vial, I might be able to get a little closer to what Elodie is hiding.’

It was an intuition close to Adenmir’s instinct.

PHOTO

***

Rodrigo Angellus.

As the head of the Dukedom of Angellus, he was a man full of ambition.

He was from the 4th generation and was different from others since his birth; he was the heir and was quite quick-witted.

Rodrigo Angellus had only one goal.

To crush down all the other families and make Angellus the best.

The biggest obstacle to that plan was Sylvester Perdia.

‘You´re bad luck,’ Rodrigo cursed bitterly at the Duke of Perdia in his mind.

Duke Angellus hated Duke Perdia extremely.

The reasons were varied.

First, he hated the arrogance of looking down on people as if they were nothing.

Second, they were from the same 4th generation and he was compared in every case just because they were the same age.

Third, he hated that Duke Perdia was being praised by people for having a youthful and beautiful appearance that was different from his age.

Fourth, his son, Jansi Perdia, was bad luck.

Fifth, Perdia, who took control of the underworld and became a stumbling block to his business, was a hindrance.

In addition, there were so many other reasons why he hated the Duke of Perdia that he could stay up all night to give a speech about it.

So again, he made a plan to withdraw Perdia from one of their businesses.

‘To come up with such a thought… he is an extraordinary human being.’

Thinking about the person who visited and advised him, Duke Angellus leisurely enjoyed his favorite drink.

Since he bought all the mana stone mines, Perdia couldn’t hold on no matter how much wealth they had.

Wouldn’t self-sufficiency have its limits? The buried resources will eventually come to an end.

The amount of mana stones required to make magic armor was quite large, so the amount mined in the mines owned by Perdia would not be able to handle it.

In order to deliver to the imperial family, a certain quota had to be met, which was physically impossible.

Although the possibility of breaking through overseas trade routes cannot be ruled out, it was a loss in the end considering the tariffs that would be imposed while buying from overseas.

Just then, an aide came into the office and reported the current situation.

“Your Excellency, I have completed my bid. It was a close call, but I also paid for it by issuing a bill.”

“Well, then we just have to wait.”

This was just the beginning.

They would supply military supplies, which accounts for the largest portion of the external business of Perdia, the ruler of the underworld.

Even if only one business is withdrawn, Perdia will not mind. But the Duke of Angellus’s plan looked further into the future.

What the Duke wanted was clear.

The fall of Perdia.

In the future, he will destroy them one by one and eventually devour Perdia.

***

The Duke of Perdia’s office.

In front of the Duke, who was sitting at his desk, stood his two sons ready for a report.

“Report.”

Jansi nodded. “Yes, it’s exactly like Lili said. In Angellus, it is said that they gathered all their funds and bought the mana stone mines.”

As soon as Jansi’s report was over, Carlot opened his mouth.

“We bought all the mines and other material suppliers around Bruman.”

“In Angellus, these are resources that do not have smooth business partners. That’s also what Lili expected.”

Upon hearing the report, the Duke nodded his head calmly.

“Get started.”

It was time to pay the price for daring to touch Perdia.

***

A few days later, at the Angellus capital mansion.

An aide ran into the Duke’s office in a hurry.

“Your excellency, it’s Perdia…….!”

“Oh, Perdia! Did they finally withdraw from the military supplies business?”

The Duke of Angellus, who was waiting for the news of Perdia’s failure, jumped up with a big smile.

However, the assistant’s response was unusual.

“Oh, no they did not.”

“Then?”

“They bought all the regular mines around Bruman. Not only that, but the supply of other materials has been blocked. There is no place to trade other than Perdia!”

“…….!”

The Duke of Angellus opened his eyes wide.

Shit.

‘I got hit.’

Immediately, the thought filled his head.

The Duke of Perdia returned the technique he used. 

(T/N: Uno reverse, bitch xD)

He didn’t expect it at all. He thought it was the perfect plan.

His head spun quickly.

Even if he dragged it out, he was the one who lost.

If Perdia had a monopoly over the other materials, they would definitely try to sell them at a high price. 

Therefore, it was the right decision to withdraw from the business before the loss increased.

But he couldn’t stop his anger from rising.

It was at the time when the Duke of Angellus was trying to suppress his rage.

Knock knock.

There was someone knocking on the office door.

“Looks like I’ve come to the right place.”

“Sylvester……….”

The visit without a sound probably hasn’t been noticed by anyone else in the mansion.

Because there is hardly anyone in this mansion capable of recognizing Sylvester Perdia’s presence if he does not wish it.

Duke Perdia asked, “Did you enjoy my gift?”

“Ha, what a disgrace. I didn’t expect it to come out like this.”

“It’s not like you want justice from Perdia. More than that, Rodrigo, the word disgrace came out of your mouth. Are you introducing yourself?” 

“…….I was just trying to compete fair and square.”

“Fair and square. Unfortunately, that’s a word that’s far from describing you.”

Duke Angellus managed to calm down his anger at Duke Perdia’s provocation, who was deliberately intent on scratching his insides.

He could roughly predict how things turned out.

He knew Sylvester Perdia’s first son, Jansi, had a good head on his shoulders, but he never thought he’d come up with a solution like this all at once.

“I’m sure Jansi Perdia was the one who tricked……”

“You are wrong, Rodrigo.”

“What? If not Jansi Perdia-.”

“Well.”

It’s not?

Then who is it?

‘I’ll have to find out.’

This was not an issue that could be easily ignored. Doesn’t it mean that the Perdia family has another talent to keep him in check?

Duke Perdia turned around and went out, regardless of whether Angellus looked curious.

It didn’t feel so bad to see his neat face wrinkled.

“I guess I should give my daughter a prize.”

No matter what anyone says, the key to solving this case was his youngest daughter, Elodie Perdia.

The Duke increased his pace a little.