Chapter 60
Melissa, who finished talking with experienced trading company members, approached.
"Craft, I've calculated your greediness."
"Oh, really?"
Pastel who was sitting on a magic stone box drinking beverages with time left after hearing Craft Trading Company's trade report brightened.
She said she'd be right back but it was troublesome since she took so long!
Melissa flinched seeing that reaction.
"I'm sorry. It took longer than expected. Perhaps because they work on ships, once they started talking the content got long."
"Ah it's fine."
Pastel waved her hand good-naturedly.
"Melissa is kind so it was difficult to interrupt others' words. I like that about Melissa!"
"Th-thank you."
Melissa was slightly embarrassed.
"Want to drink this? It's orange juice. A special cocktail made by adding lots of sugar to leftover drinks from the trade!"
Reddish-orange liquid sloshed in a wooden cup.
"I'll drink it well. My throat was dry from talking so long."
"Sit here!"
Pastel patted the space beside her on the magic stone box pang pang.
"Excuse me."
Melissa carefully arranged her magician's robe then sat on the box.
Heeh.
"Even you don't spread a handkerchief to sit on?"
"What? That would be rude."
Ing.
"Is that so?"
Pastel tilted her head and swung both legs.
Now that I hear it, that's true. Spreading a handkerchief as if it's dirty on a box I'm sitting on fine. Especially after being invited to sit beside.
Nod nod, Melissa is kind.
They sat and drank beverages for a while without conversation.
But how did we end up drinking beverages here?
She searched her memories.
Ah, right!
Melissa got angry from experiencing such a rough trade and I was in a situation where I needed to apologize! So I asked Melissa how angry she was!
But fourth-dimensional Melissa suddenly said she'd calculate and started asking trading company members. I really don't know why but that's why she's fourth-dimensional. It's difficult for a normal person to understand.
Pastel subtly examined Melissa's mood. The magician girl drank orange juice with a faint smile.
"Melissa?"
"Yes?"
"Do you perhaps have something you want to say to me?"
"What?"
Melissa was slightly flustered then fell into thought. Then as if realizing something while looking at her drink, she spoke.
"This drink is really sweet. Craft seems skilled at adding sugar."
Ing.
This isn't the response I wanted.
Of course it's proper etiquette to give impressions of a drink I gave, but this atmosphere is really troublesome from the position of needing to apologize.
"Besides that, do you have any thoughts that feel emotional and intense and angry?"
"Ah."
Melissa realized. Blue eyes looked coldly.
"Craft, I was angry. How could you ask for smuggling? It's something I never imagined doing."
Uwaa.
I shouldn't have said anything!
Tremble tremble tremble.
"Melissa~ how angry were you?"
Is our relationship breaking like this?
"I just calculated your greediness. You can tell how angry I was by looking at that."
Melissa took out paper from her chest and handed it over. The calculated greediness was written down. Though I didn't want this much, I can feel the anger anyway.
Melissa pointed at the number in the last line.
"You are 50% greedier than a normal merchant. So I who participated thinking it was normal trade can be seen as feeling 50% betrayal and anger toward you."
Huk.
Pastel's mouth fell open.
To think Melissa was 50% angry.
Uwaa.
She clung to Melissa with a tearful face.
"I'm sorry Melissa!"
She apologized sincerely.
"I'm 50% sorry~!"
Pastel became 50% sorry.
"50%...?"
Melissa heard that and blinked slowly then blanked out. It seemed right yet not right that she's 50% sorry since Melissa was 50% angry.
Pastel also blanked out along with her.
I don't know what's what~
"50%..."
Melissa stared intently at her own calculations written on the paper.
According to Melissa, I was 50% angry~
The blonde girl who updated her dark history gradually turned red. Then she fidgeted her fingers and sipped juice as if hiding her face with the wooden cup.
A small voice was heard from inside the wooden cup.
"Please forget about today..."
Ah.
"Okay!"
I'll definitely remember!
#
Pastel heard about the hardships and adversities Melissa experienced during the trade.
Fleeing from pirate ship groups, deviating from sky routes and getting swept up by flying mackerel, etc.
Since she had already heard that content, the only new information was that Melissa helped expand the Preston Organization during the time they docked in the demon realm to repair the airship.
"How did that happen?!"
To think she even helped a demon realm partner company when I just asked for smuggling.
Is this a close friend?
"A magician is a strong card in group battles. They seemed troubled by organizational conflicts so I swept through once. It was an organization worth sweeping through anyway."
Swept through.
Melissa seemed unexpectedly experienced with killing.
Uwaa, the Southern Commander's successor is scary.
Pastel hugged Melissa.
"Thank you! Trade will go smoothly if the Preston Organization grows."
My pockets are reassured too!
Melissa was uncomfortable.
"I had guessed the Craft family earned money this way, but please do it moderately. There's no need to walk the path of evil excessively."
"Okay!"
She's not as angry as expected, probably considering the Craft family's downfall.
Melissa is kind!
After hearing Melissa's story, Pastel told her about recent academy happenings. She talked about the sky whale and transfer students and one-on-one tournament.
"Bellamont?"
Melissa started becoming very displeased from this point.
Ing.
"Why did Elsior Bellamont enroll? It would be good if she stayed in the north for the rest of her life."
"Umm, I don't know!"
Melissa narrowed her brows.
"Pastel, you didn't become friends with that Bellamont, did you?"
Huk.
How did she know?
Pastel's mouth fell open.
Though she didn't accept my duel request, we became friends through deep conversation the moment we first met. Elsior must surely think the same.
Melissa frowned.
"Though I can't comment on your indiscriminate socializing, this time is different. It's better not to be close with Bellamont."
Pastel tilted her head.
"Why~? Are you two not on good terms?"
"On good terms?"
Melissa raised one corner of her mouth. It was an unfamiliar expression unlike her usual, so it was a bit awkward, but it was a sneering expression anyway.
A sneering expression!
It's the first time seeing kind Melissa sneer!
"Mother said. Don't even step on Craft's shadow."
Eh.
Pastel hit while standing still.
Melissa spoke then flinched.
"Ah, I'm sorry. It came out like a habit. I didn't mean to say anything. It's true I'm uncomfortable again after experiencing smuggling, but you have your circumstances too."
The girl cleared her voice.
"Anyway, mother said. Don't even step on Craft's shadow. And."
Blue eyes became cold.
"Don't even be in the same space as Bellamont."
Pastel's eyes went round.
To that extent?!
"How bad are your relations?!"
Melissa shook her head without answering.
"I'll excuse myself first. I want to have a deep conversation with you Pastel, but I need to find out what Bellamont's intentions are."
The magician girl left with clicking footsteps.
Oing.
Pastel was dumbfounded.
Isn't Camelot the Southern Commander and Bellamont the Northern Ducal Family?
Just what happened.
Eeng eeng.
When I don't know?
"Demon! Demon!"
Please tell me, demon!
『The two families are mortal enemies.』
"How did that happen?"
『They're both on the empire's borders so they want to enter central politics. But if both forces enter politics it's too much burden on the imperial family. At most only one force is possible. So they're in a situation of interfering with each other's entry into central politics.』
"Did their hatred grow too large as the history of interfering with each other accumulated?"
『That's right. Saying not to even be in the same space as Bellamont means they can't enter central politics together.』
Uwa.
"Can't they cooperate well? Makmak! Consider various methods!"
Friend friend method!
『Those various methods are one of the scenarios the imperial family fears. Camelot and Bellamont are in charge of military power in the south and north. If they unite to form a two-front war and push toward the capital, the empire would be overturned. Though we don't know who would wear the crown, the emperor would certainly change.』
Eh, suddenly a story exceeding brain capacity.
Pastel who just likes making friends doesn't know this stuff~
『So whenever that possibility arose, the Craft family instigated by the imperial family drove a wedge between them. After several cases of agreeing to cooperate then betraying each other due to Craft's instigation, they became mortal enemies.』
"Uwaat!"
The Craft family's wicked past revealed again.
Pastel who was just standing still got pricked by conscience!
Feeling like I did wrong just by breathing!
She pressed both ears.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear~!"
『Do as you please.』
#
A blizzard raged at the northern Bellamont ducal residence. The bitter cold dyed the windows white and created visible breath even indoors.
A man sitting on a sofa crossed his legs while holding a wine glass. The nearby crimson bonfire made crackling sounds.
"So when will you kill Elsior? Is such a slow deal the holy deal the cult speaks of? Or is your capability lacking with just chasing her to the academy?"
A black robe kneeling opposite bowed its head.
"We sent demon race members. There will be news soon."
"Demon race?"
The eldest son of the Bellamont ducal family frowned. The wine glass was leisurely rotated. The red liquid spun.
"What to trust about inferior demon race."
It was a biting sneer.
"The academy was originally demon race holy land. Infiltrating through past sewer facilities allows easy assassination."
"Easy assassination, you say."
The eldest son stared at the wine glass and red liquid for a moment.
Then he sprinkled the liquid toward the bonfire. The liquid covered the bonfire. A large flame arose. Human shadows flickered in the intense flames.
"Once the succession structure is finalized, I can grant the cult's deals as much as they want."
The empty wine glass was placed on the table.
"So, I hope you won't disappoint."
The eldest son leaned back on the sofa and waved his hand. The black robe bowed its head then left.
Silence came.
The bonfire crackled alone.