Chapter 96
The story continues off the page
The Last Dance Before Midnight
A masked dragon asks the lanternwright for one slow dance
Stephan finally drew in the breath he had been unable to take while delivering his impassioned speech.
His face was drenched in sweat, and droplets fell from his clenched fists.
Herman silently glared at Stephan.
Herman Pascal, who had flogged him for getting even one question wrong on a test and acted like a tyrant, insisting he must never let his guard down when dealing with numbers.
When he opened his mouth again, he said:
“Then do it.”
“……What?”
Stephan blinked stupidly.
Hadn't he armed himself and prepared for a fight, only for the other side to declare its surrender?
“Wait, Father. Is it really ending this anticlimactically?”
“Anticlimactically or otherwise, what more do you expect me to do for you?”
“Isn't it strange that you're ending it like this? If you intend to scheme behind my back—”
“As you said, I'm an old man shut away in the back room. What can that old man do? I told you to do as you wished.”
“Until now, you acted as though you'd devour me if I didn't withdraw, so why are you giving me permission now?”
Herman looked at him as though he were pathetic and asked,
“Didn't you ask me back then?”
“I did.”
“So I merely told you to withdraw.”
“How is that different from now?”
“Back then, you asked what choice you had as an employee. Now you've informed me as the master of this place.”
Herman turned around.
“If the master doesn't like it, what can I do about it?”
With that, Herman disappeared.
The heavy air stabbed deep into Stephan's lungs once more.
“Huh.”
Everything felt empty.
He was dazed, as if a massive bomb had fallen nearby and blasted his eardrums.
“The master……”
Stephan mulled over what his father had said.
Then he noticed what lay on his desk.
Two apples that had rolled off when he slammed his fist onto the desk.
There were two things he had to grasp.
But he had only one hand with which to hold them.
“Haha……”
A foolish thought suddenly occurred to him.
No, it wasn't a foolish thought.
It was the wisest and most ingenious thought available to Stephan, who had been trapped and unable to do anything.
Stephan picked up the two apples with both hands.
“I have…… always had two hands.”
Then he placed the apples back on his fruit tray.
Everything that had been weighing on him vanished.
Stephan smiled at the lightness he felt.
* * *
Herman left headquarters and climbed into his carriage.
A muscular man sat inside, a man who looked more than twice the size of Herman's body.
It was Murchit Pascal.
Herman looked at him and said,
“Let's go home.”
“Yes.”
Murchit signaled to the carriage, and it began to move.
Noticing that Herman was different from usual, he asked,
“Did your talk with that little brother of mine go well?”
Herman nodded at Murchit's question.
“I don't like it, but I am satisfied.”
“Oh-ho, so does that mean Stephan is going to become chairman now?”
“We'll have to watch him a little longer. If you hand it over carelessly, people are bound to let themselves go.”
“Ha-ha! In all my life, I never thought I'd see that brat win Father's recognition.”
Murchit laughed merrily, and Herman clicked his tongue.
“When I see him snapping back at his father, it's like watching you go through adolescence late in life. It doesn't sit right with me.”
“It's not adolescence. He's always had a temper. Aren't all the Pascals like that?”
“And are you all right with it?”
He meant: was it all right to hand over Pascal Trading Company?
Since family businesses were generally passed down to the eldest son, it was an inevitably uncomfortable situation.
But Murchit waved his hands and laughed heartily.
“The mercenary company is more than enough for me. I'm not exactly the brains for numbers, am I? I'm the body, and Stephan's the brains. He has to do the thinking for me, or my head starts hurting, doesn't it?”
“Is that so?”
“That doesn't mean I have no ambition. Looking at our boy, he seems to have inherited his mother's quick mind. If I give him some heir training, I'll have to take the company back for myself in the end.”
“Are you planning to interfere so thoroughly that he won't even be able to marry?”
“Kwahaha! I wish I had anything to interfere with! He has no eye for women and no nerve with them—it's pitiful! How do you think it got so bad that his mother is going around asking young ladies from good families to take a look at our little brother?”
It was impossible to tell whether he wanted to take his younger brother's share or give it to him.
“Still, that insolent brat needs to clear the way if he's ever going to live a little. Father, why don't you do something?”
Herman shrugged.
“I have to discuss it with the master. What would you gain by discussing it with me?”
“Ha, seeing how that bastard's been putting his wits to work lately, even bullying him won't do it. I guess I need to make my boy clever enough to snatch it right out from under him.”
Herman snickered.
In any case, the Pascal succession struggle was over.
And so the carriage headed back to the mansion.
* * *
“Did you hear the news?”
“I take it you came after hearing the news about Dandolo Trading Company.”
“Indeed. Who would have thought Dandolo Trading Company would fall into someone else's hands?”
“With Rico Dandolo dead and Henri Dandolo giving up everything, it's a strange turn of events indeed.”
“Wasn't it that fellow Ferda from the Far East who received it? He must have pulled some kind of trick.”
“I have my suspicions, but Henri was famous for never liking his own work in the first place, wasn't he? Once the shackle of his father broke, he gave up the company.”
“Even so, didn't he give up far too much? Why would anyone give up enough money to live in luxury for the rest of his life?”
“There must have been some deal between the bigwigs.”
“You can't disregard his popularity either. Every executive voted in favor, so I suppose they decided to hand it to someone suitable.”
“If it were me, I'd support Regent Ferda. He's already on a meteoric rise after discovering western mineral veins and rare earth elements, and now he can even obtain that rising star called magitech.”
“So is the Dandolo name staying?”
“No way. I hear they're changing it—to Hestia Trading Company.”
“Not Waldrova?”
“People believe keeping the name of that terrifying evil dragon will bring a curse. How could they keep using it? They say they'll name it after the village they're building.”
“The village is called Hestia? Sounds like a girl's name.”
“Isn't that why it's good? Heh-heh.”
“But with so many people and so much money gathering in the grand duchy, is the Empire really going to sit still?”
“They have the pretext of conquering the Far East, don't they? Iorga declared its support there and said it would build a village to accommodate adventurers.”
“Adventurers? What are they planning to do in such a place as the Far East?”
“From the looks of it, the Adventurer's Guild seems to be planning a full-scale exploration of the Demon Lands.”
“Hah! Are you saying they have the means to enter those Demon Lands!?”
“Apparently they have some means of resisting the demonic energy.”
“Then does that mean they have found a way to uncover the mysteries of the East?”
“There are so many strange things in alchemy and magic as well. We might finally see with our own eyes things we'd heard of only in legends.”
“Grrr…… this won't do! I need to change the destination of this trading trip!”
“You're thinking of heading to the Far East?”
“Money gathers where people gather! How could I not go? I'll try selling food and whetstones there!”
“Oh, then let's go together!”
“Brother, save me a place too! I want to tag along!”
* * *
A gold rush was sweeping through Hestia.
It was drawing people in, and even the dormant winter was stirring as people sought to establish themselves.
As people flooded in, the streets grew lively.
“Come one, come all! Just thirty for today! Grilled flat catfish, a specialty of the western provinces—only thirty available!”
“Bracelets that bring good fortune! Wear one and enjoy health and longevity, success in everything! And that's not all! In exactly one hundred days, a vast fortune will come your way!”
Street stalls filled every spot that should have been empty.
There were jobs, so people gathered; people gathered, so money began to move.
As street vendors ignored by the big cities set up one by one and took their share, everyone started opening a street stall.
The refugees had had little to spend their money on, but now the stalls gave them at least a way to improve their quality of life.
“A lot of people are gathering.”
Isabella said as she watched the place from afar.
She had judged it with her own eyes, rather than merely checking it in documents.
“Expand the streets a little further, and discourage traveling merchants.”
“Yes.”
“And don't forget to collect proper stall fees from the vendors. While things are not yet firmly established, please don't be pointlessly greedy.”
“Yes, ma'am!”
She meant that they were not to accept under-the-table money under the pretext of stall fees.
Had it been an ordinary administrator, they would have snorted and ignored her, but she was dragonspawn.
She was meticulous to the point of being terrifying, and her martial prowess was formidable as well, so no one dared risk lining their own pockets under her watch.
The collectors moved into action, and a man in armor stepped in front of her.
He wore half-plate armor, with a shoulder insignia reading “Captain of the Guard.”
It was William, the knight cadet who had led the refugees here.
“Administrator. Captain of the Guard William reporting on patrol. Other than three thefts, there were no unusual incidents.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Captain. With so many people gathering, it looked as though there might be trouble, but nothing happened.”
“That's right. The guard has ordered traffic control to prevent the crowds from causing problems, so there shouldn't be any major incidents.”
“Good work. In that case, there is nothing else to order.”
William walked beside Isabella and asked,
“Um, Administrator Isabella……”
“Yes?”
“Is it really all right for me to serve as captain of the guard?”
Isabella pushed up her glasses and replied.
“Of course. I imagine you have many complaints because the rank is lower than that of a knight cadet, but the Regent said he would consider making you a knight later, so you needn't worry too much.”
“No, that's not what I meant……”
It was an awkward matter for William.
Being a knight cadet, having distinguished himself under Duke Yurray…
All of that belonged to the past, something he had laid down.
William had come to Hestia prepared to live as a refugee.
‘But captain of the guard…….’
What was a captain of the guard?
He was practically the second-most powerful person after the administrator.
He commanded the guard and, if necessary, could legally use force within the village.
Because of its responsibilities and privileges, it was a major post that could not be filled without considerable trust.
“Since the Regent personally appointed you, the only authority I can exercise over you is the power to dismiss you. But I also think you are doing a good job, so I have no complaints. And……”
“And?”
“If you quit, I will send you straight back to Duke Yurray, so don't even dream of it.”
“Ugh…… that's such a heartless thing to say……”
His face went pale, but he did not dislike hearing it.
It also meant that Isabella, known as the cold-hearted witch, needed him, which was embarrassing in its own way.
“Then I shall go write my report. Good work.”
“Yes, you too.”
The village was stabilizing as the guard took shape.
But how wonderful would it be if only good things happened?
Where there is one person, there is one worry; where there are a hundred, there are a hundred worries.
Isabella forcibly suppressed her urge to sigh.
“Hey, you horned girl over there.”
An insolent voice provoked her.
“You abandoned the Mage Tower only to come here and do nothing but clean up after humans? No, I suppose you were kicked out of the Mage Tower, so that's all you can do, huh?”
She was rational, but she was not the sort of person who could hear an insult to a dragonspawn and remain unruffled.
“What insolent bastard dares—!”
Just as Isabella was about to unleash her anger, she turned her head—and her expression changed.
Though she had no horns or tail, the dignified appearance belonged to a face Isabella knew well.
She had served beneath her for several hundred years; there was no way she could fail to recognize her.
“Lady Erica?”
“Long time no see, Bella.”
Erica Iorga.
She waved lightly, greeting her warmly.
Isabella swept her gaze over Erica from head to toe, then asked,
“Are you indulging in a game?”
“A game? You make it sound like I'm out having fun.”
“You are pretending to be human despite it not suiting you, so that is how it appears.”
“How absurd…… I don't just go around playing, you know? Even if I look like this, I came as Eri, a platinum-rank adventurer.”
Erica showed her adventurer's card.
It was a card awarded only to those with the highest achievements in the Adventurer's Guild.
“Isn't it embarrassing for the Wisdom of the Twelve-Man Expedition to behave like that among humans? These days, they call it massacring the weak.”
“Anyone listening would think I'm some wicked woman. It just happened naturally while I was solving difficult problems.”
Despite her claim that it was unintentional, the hand holding the card radiated intense pride.
Erica felt a little embarrassed and decided to steer the small talk elsewhere.
“How have you been lately?”
“I've been doing well. After listening only to the groans of those old men, it's refreshing to hear the voices of young, lively people.”
“Young and lively? Are you talking about Waldrova's maidservants like that?”
“Is there a problem?”
In response to Isabella's retort, Erica said incredulously,
“That girl has lived for hundreds of years too?”
“She is younger than I am, isn't she?”
“She is also known as the Nightmare of the Frost Giants.”
“I can see why. She is beautiful enough to bewitch anyone with such a pitifully lovely face.”
Isabella murmured with an enraptured expression,
“Ah, if only I could give her one tight hug, this old fatigue would melt away.”
Erica stared at her with an incredulous look.
Something Isabella had said struck her as oddly significant, and she could not let it pass.
“But you said ‘things,’ didn't you? Is there someone else? That…… fresh thing?”
“A girl named Mori. She is a beautiful young woman who looks as though she leaped out of a painting.”
“You haven't touched that girl?”
“It seems the damn witch residing in the castle is managing her.”
Isabella's face was full of jealousy.
It was a rare moment when even Erica, who had spent several hundred years with her, saw so many emotions cross her face all at once.
“……Does the Regent know you are like this?”
“He seems to know vaguely, but he does not appear to care.”
“Then I suppose it's fine……”
“In any case, let us discuss something constructive.”
Isabella changed the subject away from the fresh ones.
“Lady Erica, have you come here as an adventurer?”
“I thought I should inspect the Adventurer's Guild here as an adventurer. What do you think? The adventurers who have come here?”
“They couldn't be worse.”
Isabella sighed.
“The ones who think they have spirit are merely immature, while the adventurers of the ranks we actually need don't seem interested in coming anywhere near this place. They seem to have come just to act like back-alley thugs.”
“I suppose that's understandable. They worked like dogs to earn those ranks.”
Building up achievements is difficult, and dying takes only an instant.
So it was only natural for them to be cautious once they had risen high enough.
“I'll have to make a suggestion to the central guild. We need to wake those gold-rankers up a little.”
“Won't they object?”
“Let them object, then. After I've risked my life and fought time and again to help save this continent, do you think I can't even speak my mind?”
Erica bit her lip and spat out a curse.
“Those goddamn bastards. I don't give them money so they can sit on their asses and stuff their faces with expensive food.”
“Tower Master. Please maintain your dignity.”
“What are you talking about? I'm not Erica, I'm Eri, a platinum-rank adventurer, so I don't need dignity. I can swear like a sailor anytime, anywhere. Want to hear Eri's dirty girl talk?”
“I am truly proud of myself for leaving the Mage Tower.”
Erica smiled playfully.
“Is the Regent here?”
“He is probably sitting in his office today as well. Would you like to see him? I can ask him through telepathy.”
“It feels a little awkward to show up without an appointment, but I have some good news, so it should be fine. Can you let him know?”
“Understood. I will report to him in advance so he can prepare.”
Just as she was about to prepare the telepathic message, it happened.
Ding-ding-ding!
The warning bell installed in the middle of the village was ringing noisily on its own.
Everyone stopped moving and looked toward it.
Erica looked up at the warning bell as well.
“What's that? What is that warning bell?”
“……That is a warning bell connected to the monster detection and prediction device. It rings automatically when something is detected.”
“You mean……”
“Unless it is malfunctioning, it means a monster has appeared.”
The warning bell continued to ring noisily without any sign of stopping.