43 - The Bookworm’s Second Life

The Exemplary Sample of a Good Deal "Was it a bust again yesterday?" "... Yeah. There weren't any particularly suspicious movements." "Hmm." "Shion, what's up? I don't know much about the human world, but the royal palace is a super important place, right? Are you saying there are suspicious people doing things right under its nose?" "They say the darkest spot is right under the lamp." "That's... kind of a cool thing to say." Lilith admired the words at a rather odd point. Watching her with a calm gaze, Lishikida slowly opened her mouth. "Lilith is right, Master. I mean, Young Master..." "Just call me whatever's comfortable. Even I'm confused now whether I'm the Master or the Young Master." "Oh, yes. Thank you, Master." "..." Staring at Lishikida, who without a second of hesitation called him Master, Shion inwardly mumbled, "Such a puppy." "Young Master Shion. May I ask what's going on?" Lucia, sitting beside him drinking tea quietly, spoke. Revealing future events carelessly here could complicate matters unexpectedly and, above all, make him seem suspicious. He needed to answer carefully. 'In this situation, the best response is to mix 20% truth with 80% lies.' After all, even Kim Yu-hyeon didn’t know what would happen next. He was just a guy who transferred from the modern world to Murim in 2006 based on a novel, and then again to another world. "There are some very suspicious aspects." "Suspicious aspects?" "While negotiating with Nudiah, we discussed various stories, and I got the strong impression that someone might deliberately be trying to sow discord between Hispania and Nudiah." Shion worried for a moment that Lishikida might counter-question if she ever witnessed such events. However, being the loyal subordinate she was, she merely waited silently for his next words, possibly trusting him or thinking there might be unknown occurrences even she wasn’t aware of. "That's just... isn't that too far-fetched?" "I thought the same, Lucia. But listening closely to Nudiah’s side, there were definitely strange parts. Declaring war only to be startled after one or two battles and then ending it... it's as if someone falsely urged 'Hispania's border defense capabilities are lacking.'" Lucia, and even Kim Yu-hyeon, nodded slightly at those words. It sure seemed odd to initiate a war and then immediately propose a truce. 'What’s odd about it? I was the one who drove a wedge between the Nudiah royal family and Count Basura's territory, ensuring neither had the ability or will to continue the war.' Laughing inwardly, Shion maintained his calm appearance and continued. "So I thought about it. Does that mysterious force really exist? If it does, what purpose, for what reason, are they acting so? Where will they go next?" "Their next destination..." "They are those who aim to cause chaos in the kingdom. Lucia, where do you think they'll go next?" "The royal party, where all the influential nobles gather...?" Exactly! That's exactly it! Clapping lightly, as if saying "Yes, that's it," Shion applauded, causing Lilith to mutter, "Tsk, I knew it too," while Lishikida continued to gaze quietly at Lucia. "But Young Master Shion, it's the royal castle and the palace. I don’t understand how they could possibly do such a thing." "Madmen performing irrational acts don’t have processes in mind. They disregard any means to achieve results and then seek the harvest. I’m trying to discover those means." In truth, he already knew the conclusion. And he's well aware of those backing them. What Shion sought now was justification—a definite pretext to swallow their supporters whole. "Well... no suspicious points noticed despite what Shion says." "The nobles have made the atmosphere more lively than before, Master." "They claimed to be working on the fortress wall repairs." "Inside the castle, parties everywhere to match the kingdom's festive spirit..." "Hold on." Something got picked up by Shion's radar. "Lilith, what did you just say?" "Huh? The fortress wall repairs. But there shouldn’t be any issues with that, right? I heard that a large corporation hired workers to handle the repairs under the supervision of palace officials." ...Got you, you bastards. "Explain more. Fortress wall repairs? The palace ordered the construction, and the corporation hired workers for the repairs?" "Yep. Nothing seemed off, as it's a trustworthy corporation that's been dealing with the castle for over five years. The workers are ordinary residents from the castle, so..." Right, there's truth in that till now. A corporation managing part of the castle's commerce for over five years, with workers who originally resided there. But alternatively, they might have had a singular goal from the start or abruptly changed recently. "Which corporation took the construction order?" "They said it’s Heines... Shion? Why are you so concerned? Is something off?" Heines, yes, that was it. Helen Heines. A half-breed, part human, part fairy. A woman who experienced the worst atrocity from a nobleman in the past, abandoned by her kind and even the man himself. Roaming the world aimlessly, her heart filled with sorrow and resentment. When the radical faction of the fairy race began to stir up the human kingdoms, claiming they would accelerate the Seraphim's world purification project, "The Seven Horns," it was none other than Heines, led by her, that supported them from the shadows. Her reason was singular: to punish those who ruined her completely. And furthermore, to obliterate all humans, whom she considered nothing more than garbage. 'To be honest, barging in there with just this and demanding the truth is frankly absurd.' Without knowing the endgame and only observing the process, there seemed to be nothing amiss. A royal palace-declared project for fortress wall repairs. A trusted corporation that received the order. Workers constituted of residents from the royal castle, diligently monitored by knights. On the surface, nothing seemed wrong. But Shion was different. Knowing who the culprit was from the start made any attempt to explain their movements or establish an alibi seem like mere noise, completely meaningless. “Let’s go.” As Shion stood up and spoke, everyone except him was caught off guard. All it took was mentioning the name of the corporation, and he was ready to visit immediately? Their reactions were, of course, warranted. "Shion? Right now?" "Yes. It's still morning, so there's no need to worry about being late to the royal party. It’s better to get this done quickly." "Young Master Shion, if I recall correctly, Heines is a reputable corporation within the royal castle. It might be a bit much to suddenly show up demanding to find suspicious elements." Shion responded to their concerns with a smile and a shake of his head. In reality, without a search warrant, you might be rebuffed and told to leave, but here, "social status" and "class" are much more persuasive. Even though it may seem forceful, pushing through generally leads to one of two outcomes: If there's truly nothing to hide, they may say, "Do as you please," or they might nervously warn, "There will be consequences if no evidence is found." In the end, all those gathered were decided to accompany Shion. Originally, Shion only intended to take one excluding Kim Yu-hyeon, but that would leave the others feeling unfairly excluded, leading them all to tag along. To prevent any commotion during transit, no knights or guards accompanied them. Though they expressed concerns, Shion, with a smile, reassured that “it’s just a short visit to the corporation, so there's no need to worry too much,” prompting them all to remain at the villa. “Master.” “Yes, Rishi?” “Is it really true? That there might be forces attempting to sow discord between Nudiah and Hispania?” Of course, it’s a complete lie. “Of course I suspected something, Rishi. Think about it. Even though they lost, the truce negotiations were too swift, weren't they? If Nudiah declared war based on false information, it's likely they proposed negotiations so quickly.” “...I see.” The truth was, truce negotiations were expedited not due to false intel but because he thoroughly exploited all of Dishe Basura's weaknesses. The royal family of Nudiah didn't step in because their internal power struggles were too intense. Lishikida, spending most of her time in Count Basura’s territory, wouldn’t have been privy to the details of the Nudiah royal family’s internal situation. "Lilith, make sure your hood is secure." "Ugh, it’s suffocating. Can’t I just take it off?" "Then transform properly." "I can't. I can’t pour all the power Shion gave me into just that. I need to reserve enough strength for battle, just in case." "Then wear it properly. If nothing else, that silver hair is way too conspicuous." Even though the immense allure pheromones a succubus exuded, the black horns on her head, and her otherworldly charm that drove men to insanity were hidden, her hair color wasn't. Thus, Shion emphasized that Lilith absolutely had to wear a hood, topping it off with persistent nagging. “We’ve arrived, Young Master Shion.” Lucia, who knew the layout of the royal castle well, guided them to a building. This was evidently the office of the Heines corporation. Simultaneously, it would be the hideout for radical fairies. “Welcome. What brings you to Heines?” Approaching the counter, a woman greeted Shion and his party with a cheerful expression. Rather than responding verbally, Shion silently placed a gold coin down from his pocket. “Uh, sir? What’s this...?” The woman, who had attempted to inquire about the significance of the gold coin, instantly froze on the spot. Not the coin itself, but what Shion discreetly slid beneath it caused her reaction. ‘This... this is...’ The intricately wrought shield on a silver disc, adorned with meticulously etched inscriptions. Lastly, the ruby embedded right at the center. ‘The Crest of the Marquis of Clausen!’ Would anyone dare forge nobility proof of such a grand aristocratic family? No, of course not. It was practically unthinkable for someone to pull such an outrageous stunt at a prominent corporation. With the recent influx of nobility congregating in the royal castle, the likelihood that the badge before her was authentic was 99.99%! ‘A, a VVIP!’ The counterwoman hurriedly bowed her head. While regular nobles might be considered decent patrons to a corporation, a colossal family like the Clausen were the crème de la crème, a truly extraordinary entity even among titans. “W-welcome. May I have your name...?” “Shion Clausen. I wish to speak quietly with the head of the corporation, not you.” “Ye-yes. Right away. Please wait a moment.” The woman hurriedly pressed a bell. Upon hearing the ring, two men emerged from the back room to inquire about the situation, and upon being briefed, turned to Shion and his companions with eyes wide in disbelief. The sudden visit by a war hero who had led victories against Nudiah, and was touted as the main star of the upcoming royal party was naturally alarming. "They all seem quite flustered." "Of course, Lucia." "For a grand noble family, shouldn't they feel a bit of tension for things to get interesting?" While sitting on a plush sofa, waiting for them, Shion organized his thoughts about what to do next. He had pondered extensively between whether to block them or use them. And the conclusion he reached was to moderately block, moderately let go, and moderately exploit them. "Y-young Master. The head of the corporation has invited you inside." At those words, Shion and his party stood up and proceeded towards a room inside the corporation. At the far end of a long table resembling a conference room, a woman stood with a blank expression, waiting for them—or rather, specifically for Shion. "Welcome, Young Master Shion Clausen. I never expected the war hero of Hispania to visit my corporation." "There are a few things I'd like to discuss, and some favors to ask, Corporation Head." "Is that so." With a gesture inviting him to sit, Shion comfortably took a seat. Behind him, Lishikida took her place, and Lilith, Lucia, and Kim Yu-hyeon sat by his side, attentively observing the situation. "...If this seems rude, there's nothing I can do, considering it's an occupational hazard. I'm curious about the purpose of your visit. Could you please answer directly without stalling?" At her words, Shion looked at her intently. She had a very pure appearance, with bright green hair and eyes. What particularly stood out were her ears, pointed differently from human ones, marking her unmistakably as a fairy who might live in the forest. Her eyes were as cold and lifeless as a frozen lake, which was slightly eerie. "Helen Heines." "Yes, Young Master." "Let's make a deal." "A deal, you say?" The fairy, Helen, looked at Shion as if asking him to state his terms. Her gaze remained lifeless, absent of any spark. Yet, as soon as Shion's reply emerged, a flicker of interest appeared in her eyes. "If you would concede the handling of the Kashgar Count's family to me."