Chapter 114
Hearing the name Demon World Corporation, one might assume it is a trading group originating from the Demon Realm, but it isn't.
The company was a proud Empire-affiliated Trading Group. In fact, calling it a Trading Group felt a bit ambiguous, as it was more like a quasi-governmental organization created to manage the Demon Realm using the Empire's budget investments.
When the Demon Realm's trade embargo became so strict that it affected magic stone imports and brought cutting-edge industries to the brink of halting, a measure was created to break through by vitalizing private smuggling.
A merchant alliance is heavily influenced by the Empire.
Yet, it has a scale on the scale of a quasi-state.
Ultimately, after the conquest of the Demon Realm, it monopolized and managed rights such as the magic stone mine mining rights, so calling it a mere Trading Group felt too light a title. It was to the point where the United Kingdom would sometimes succumb to the company's pressure and dismiss reformist cabinet members.
Now that time had passed, it had attempted insubordination against the Empire a few times, gotten on its bad side, and suffered cracks in its various monopolies, but its influence and authority had remained the same.
However, having more money than the entire budget of the Sky Island was a story from its golden age. It wasn't quite at that level anymore.
No matter how much of a toothless tiger the Demon Realm's United Kingdom was, a nation was still a nation. As it made long-term investments in engineering, gradually grew in size, and began to ignore the company, the company's profits went down a path of continuous deterioration.
Although they managed to catch their breath by continuously innovating—providing safe smuggling routes to the Demon Realm and collecting commissions—it wasn't a very satisfactory result for a Merchant Alliance.
Even if it was their original main business, providing smuggling services felt a bit pathetic for a quasi-state entity to do. The income was very good, so it absolutely didn't mean they hated doing it, though.
Even if they had returned to their roots and innovated, their golden age had passed. The true golden age—when it was fine even if they were caught handing over weaponry to the Demonkind Radical Faction and supporting them to commit terror attacks against annoying Empire trading groups—was over.
"But if they pulled together their assets and credit, their cash would be more than enough to match the Sky Island's total budget."
Troublesome.
Pastel wiggled the lollipop in her mouth as she walked. The administrative staff in suits followed her in a swarm. The sound of footsteps filled the corridor.
The railway project was well worth emptying one's assets to invest in. But it was also true that it was too much of a new technology sector to objectively gauge its business viability.
Was there a high enough chance of misjudging the property's value?
"Give me the company's last quarter."
An administrative staff member immediately pulled it out of a briefcase and handed it over. Pastel skimmed through the company's accounting report.
The details organizing sales revenue, total assets, and total liabilities caught her eye. Because the Demon World Corporation was an advanced joint-stock company just as its name implied, it disclosed its ledgers every quarter.
So their cash assets decreased somewhat as they purchased Sky Island real estate last quarter.
According to the detailed explanation in the Accounting Report, their prediction that the Sky Island would gain importance with Marquis Kraft's admission had been correct, so they proceeded with additional investments. An explanation was added that they had also hurriedly bought up real estate at its lowest point when prices temporarily plummeted due to the Academy Terror Attack.
"Real estate investment is good."
Stable and consistent.
Even if it was a move that made one tilt one's head when one considered it was preparing to purchase the Railway Merchant Guild.
Pastel was currently doubting the relationship between the company and the Imperial Bank.
Specifically, it was a reasonable doubt: wasn't this a rigged auction between the two of them? Might we just be treated as uninvited guests?
When she asked Ellie, who as a member of Demonkind would be more well-versed in the Demon Realm's affairs than anyone else, Ellie answered through a dense report.
"The Imperial Bank intentionally bankrupting the Railway Merchant Guild is certain. I don't know if they prepared a whole series of plans to sell it to the company, but they do have the motive for it."
"You're saying the motive itself is sufficient?"
"Because it's convenient for the Empire if it gets its hands on the Demon Realm railroad construction rights owned by the Trading Group. The United Kingdom doesn't give construction rights to Empire-affiliated Trading Groups, you see. From the perspective of the Imperial Bank—no, the Imperial Family—it would be easier to interfere in the Demon Realm later on if the Demon World Corporation owns it."
Even if Ellie's opinion, spoken with a nuance filled with a lot of ill feelings, was biased toward the Demon Realm, it seemed correct that the Imperial Bank had intentionally bankrupted the Trading Group.
The company's Accounting Report stated it increased investments because the Sky Island would become important, yet the Imperial Bank forcibly recalled its loans and bankrupted them, claiming future investments looked risky.
If one of the two was wrong, wouldn't it likely be the Imperial Bank, which had plenty of room to lie out of a political motive?
If the Imperial Bank was acting on a plan, there was a high chance the company was too. If so, was it really a rigged auction between the two of them?
It also made sense why it was an auction instead of a direct sale. There wouldn't be any Trading Group bold enough to clash with the company in an auction and risk future retaliation, so they probably intended to hand it over through an auction to gain political exoneration.
"We didn't hand the Railroad Construction Rights over to the company with the intention of politically interfering in the Demon Realm later; we held an auction and it coincidentally went to the company. It was merely a coincidence, and we had no such intention at all."
With that somewhat familiar excuse.
Oing.
Pastel went Oing-oing for a moment, but since she was truly innocent, she let it slide.
Anyway, if this were the case, the Sky Island Administration—an entity even the company would find awkward to deal with—suddenly making an appearance to participate in the auction would be incredibly unexpected.
"We're uninvited guests."
Pastel wiggled the lollipop as she walked. When she bit down, the candy broke and made a crunching sound.
It was merely a coincidence, and she had no intention of doing this at all.
She might feel a bit sorry.
Not that she was going to back out obediently, though.
She felt a gaze from slightly behind and to the side.
“Don't bite your candy.”
The demon tapped his own cheek and gave a warning.
Pastel and the Red Eyes looked at each other without answering. Then Pastel looked back. Officials in suits were following behind.
Looking forward, she saw the closed main doors of the banquet hall. The formally dressed ladies and gentlemen changed their expressions to surprise. The crowd parted to the left and right.
She kicked the doors open and entered the Banquet Hall.
The Herald, who had been checking another noble's invitation, hurriedly shouted.
"His Excellency Marquis Kraft is entering!"
The chandelier, the tables, the candlesticks, and the curtains and framed paintings were present.
The people were among them.
Countless gazes poured in.
The uninvited guest was Kraft's appearance.
She smiled brightly.
Tension swirled in the Banquet Hall.
She handed the finished candy stick to a passing waiter and leisurely looked around the Banquet Hall.
Melissa's group was in an area that seemed to take up a third of the Banquet Hall. As she approached, Melissa set down her wine glass and was welcomed.
"You came at just the right time. The banquet is almost over now. They say the briefing for the Trading Group put up for sale will start soon."
"Did you check the atmosphere? Did you check whether we're really uninvited guests or not?"
"Melissa was busy greeting the people coming in, so Alcier did that."
Ellie pointed at Alcier with her wine glass.
Alcier stopped just as she was about to bite into a sausage she had poked with her fork.
"Yeah, I did."
"How was it?"
"We are uninvited guests."
Her finger pointed to various spots around the Banquet Hall. Personnel who appeared to be from the Imperial Bank and the company mingled together.
It was a different sight from us being gathered separately in our own area.
"They actively talk about the auction among themselves, but they don't really talk with us. Even when I go over, they only talk about Bellamont-related things."
So that was how it was.
However, Melissa looked slightly flustered at that answer.
"I think Bellamont misunderstood because she has little banquet experience. It's somewhat impolite to talk about business too blatantly with nobles."
It was vulgar, as Melissa sometimes expressed openly and usually expressed subtly.
"Compared to that, many of the company people have commoner status over there. They're just conversing comfortably with each other."
Heh.
"Of course, that doesn't mean we aren't uninvited guests. When I talked with the others, they said the Imperial Bank was flustered. If it's an auction format, having many bidding competitors should be good from the bank's perspective, so it's a strange thing."
Yeah, yeah.
Within the expected range.
Pink Eyes scanned the company's area.
"Where is the chairman?"
"Well."
Melissa looked troubled.
Ellie shrugged her shoulders.
"He hasn't arrived yet."
Heh.
Pastel became sullen.
She lost the battle of wills.
The main doors of the Banquet Hall opened.
"His Excellency Count Macenas Pembroke is entering!"
A middle-aged man with a heavy build entered, leading the board of directors. He looked around the Banquet Hall, searching for the conspicuous Pink Hair and immediately upon spotting them, walked over in a straight line.
"It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Marquis Kraft. I am Macenas Pembroke, the head of management of the Demon World Corporation."
A rough hand was held out.
When Pastel saw that, her Pink Eyes trembled. The trembling was because of the ornaments that immediately caught her eye.
Gold rings sparkled on the extended hand. He wore so many that there were more fingers with rings than without. Furthermore, there was even a flashy gold bracelet on his wrist.
Melissa slightly furrowed her brows as if she had seen something indecent, then gently smoothed them out.
In contrast, Pastel couldn't even respond to the handshake and gasped. She scrutinized the other party with trembling eyes.
Looking closely, he was wearing a flashy suit with a black base mixed with brilliant gold patterns, and was even equipped with a gold necklace.
Gasp.
Gaaasp.
This is.
This is...
Gold rings, a gold bracelet, a gold necklace.
Black and gold.
Hwaaa!
I'm being pushed back in the corruption level!
A realm that her kind self could never reach.
Pastel suddenly lost her spirit.
It absolutely wasn't her shaming him for offering a handshake first rudely despite his being only a Count.