Chapter 24: Chapter 24
Chapter 24 - The Eye for Judging People
If you were to ask people to name the most renowned merchant in the Arken Empire, most would answer with the same name: Herman Pascal.
Herman Pascal.
He founded a trading company bearing his family name, Pascal, and was a man driven by the ambition of expanding its influence not only throughout the Empire but across the entire Cerdes Continent.
He had three children—two sons and one daughter—and all of them had grown up being called prodigies.
Among them, however, the one who displayed the greatest genius was his second son, Stephan Pascal.
At this very moment, Stephan was thinking,
’At this rate, I’m as good as dead!’
The reason was simple.
The battle for succession had officially begun.
Stephan possessed business instincts that rivaled even Herman Pascal’s.
Whenever he saw an opportunity to make money, he invested without hesitation, and even when those investments failed, he never regretted them.
He had an aggressive nature befitting a true merchant.
His goal had always been to prove himself solely through his ability as a businessman.
Because of that, Stephan devoted himself entirely to learning the art of commerce under his father, Herman Pascal.
Only after Herman set the stage for the succession battle did Stephan realize that his father had failed to teach him the one thing that truly mattered.
’The charisma to command people!’
Stephan lacked the decisive charisma that every great merchant needed.
His elder brother, Merchit Pascal, and his younger sister, Tilda Pascal.
Compared to the influence and charisma those two wielded, Stephan was little more than an insignificant extra in the crowd.
Without a commanding presence, he found himself gradually being pushed aside in the succession struggle.
Then one day, Merchit approached him with a proposal.
"I’ll be the actual successor, but you’re the better merchant, so you should manage the trading company. I’ll only oversee the company’s mercenary division. That way, at the very least, we can prevent our sister from taking everything. What do you think?"
Merchit Pascal had entered the mercenary business under the pretense of protecting the trading company and had made a fortune from it.
Not only was he highly intelligent, but he had also hired a former knight as his instructor and had become an accomplished fighter himself.
Stephan might have lacked charisma, but he was no fool.
’You take the company’s mercenaries while I just manage the trading company? What a joke.’
People might say money makes the world go round, but brute force always trumped wealth.
His brother’s military power was already growing steadily.
What would happen once he officially became the successor?
’The hunting dog that catches the rabbit is always the one that gets boiled in the end.’
Joining hands with Merchit Pascal was impossible.
’Then what, should I side with my little sister?’
Stephan let out a bitter laugh at the absurdity of the thought.
He would rather hang himself.
’That woman only seduces men so she can swallow up other trading companies after marrying into them.’
His younger sister, Tilda Pascal, was already engaged to the heir of another major trading company within the Empire.
She had inherited the breathtaking beauty of their mother, who had once been famous for her looks, and used that beauty as a weapon to build an enormous network of connections.
She always acted like an innocent, airheaded young woman.
But beneath that facade, she constantly held a knife in her heart, always prepared to stab someone.
She possessed the mindset of a sociopath.
If there was one thing she and Merchit had in common, it was this:
There could never be two suns beneath the same sky.
’If I want to survive, I have to defeat both of them.’
But how?
Stephan had no network of his own.
Even the directors within Pascal spoke only of Merchit and Tilda.
As though Stephan didn’t even exist.
"Grrrr..."
Groaning in frustration, Stephan collapsed face-first onto his desk.
He needed to work.
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to focus.
People always said that even when the heavens collapsed, there was still a way out.
So why wasn’t there one for him?
As he continued groaning in resentment—
"Um... Department Manager? Are you inside?"
His secretary entered after opening the door.
Stephan immediately straightened up and smiled as though nothing had happened.
"What is it?"
"We’ve just received an urgent report. Apparently, the same item is being requested all across the Empire, and we’ve been told to secure as much stock as possible."
"Stock? Is there something in particularly high demand right now?"
"That’s why it’s an urgent report."
"I suppose that’s true. So what’s being requested?"
"Well... the wandering knights are asking for monster corpses."
"What? Monster corpses?"
It was such an unusual order that it qualified as an emergency among emergencies.
There was even a common superstition that simply keeping monster corpses nearby brought terrible misfortune, so they were rarely left intact.
"Don’t we have quite a few of those in storage?"
Of course, Stephan was the kind of man whose way of thinking differed completely from ordinary people.
If he thought something might make money someday, he kept it.
He had judged that monster corpses could eventually become valuable war trophies.
"Yes. We confirmed that we have around one hundred and fifty."
"Then just sell them. What’s the problem?"
"The issue is... the requested quantity is several times greater than that."
"What? Why would anyone need that many?"
Normally, bringing back around ten monster corpses was already considered worthy of praise.
Even if it wasn’t enough to earn a medal, it was certainly enough to get noticed.
"I figured you’d ask, so I looked into it. This is what I found."
The secretary handed him a copied notice.
"It seems they’re appointing an official in the Far Eastern frontier. They’re looking for brave knights capable of fighting monsters. It says that anyone who presents thirty monster corpses will be granted the territory and title formerly held by the recently executed Teshalos Wolcher... That’s why the wandering knights are placing all these orders."
"That’s certainly tempting."
Those wandering drifters were always chasing achievements.
If they had the chance to obtain a noble title and a territory, naturally they’d rush toward it with burning determination.
Sure, the territory bordered the Land of Demons in the Far East.
But so what?
"Hmm..."
Stephan rubbed his chin.
His eyes never left the notice.
’This can’t possibly mean exactly what it says...’
He began analyzing the hidden meaning behind it.
’Telling those people to bring monster corpses... Could it actually be a way to gather individuals capable of hunting monsters?’
Perhaps requiring thirty monster corpses was simply the first screening test.
And perhaps there was something waiting after that.
’That’s one way to interpret it... but let’s look at it differently.’
Stephan examined the situation through the instincts of a merchant.
Anyone who delivered more than thirty monster corpses would receive an entire territory.
’That’s an obviously lopsided deal.’
It certainly wasn’t easy.
But slaying thirty monsters was nowhere near enough of an accomplishment to justify rewarding someone with a territory.
An excessively generous reward usually meant one of two things.
Either the person who posted the notice was catastrophically stupid.
Or—
’It’s bait.’
Wandering knights from every corner would gather in hopes of obtaining the title.
And what would they bring?
Their subordinates...
And piles of monster corpses.
’So the Grand Duchess Valdrova’s domain needs monster corpses.’
At that realization, Stephan’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
Why would a place overflowing with monsters need even more monster corpses?
It was like importing sand into the middle of a desert...
Or buying fish at the seaside.
’Are they trying to manipulate accounting records? Some kind of black-market scheme? Stock manipulation through manufactured chaos?’
Out of countless possibilities, there was only one explanation that involved publicly requesting such a massive number of corpses.
’Research.’
Someone was conducting research that required enormous numbers of monster corpses.
The government position was merely bait to lure capable people there.
’Perhaps...’
This could make him a fortune.
His eyes, once clouded with despair over the succession struggle, suddenly began shining with excitement.
"Is the monster corpse trade already underway?"
"Yes. Wandering knights are flooding in, and they’re even fighting each other over them."
"I see. Tell every affiliated merchant company to start buying monster corpses immediately. We secure them before anyone else. Understood?"
"Uh... Are you sure that’s a good idea?"
"Just do as I say."
"...Understood."
"Good!"
Stephan leaped to his feet and grabbed his coat.
"W-Wait, where are you going, Department Manager?"
"I’m going on a business trip for a few days. You said there’s a wandering knight downstairs, right?"
"Y-Yes, but... Department Manager?"
As though every second counted, Stephan sprinted out.
***
"Mwahahaha! Rejoice, for you have been granted the honor of traveling alongside this great hero, Robelrus!"
The wandering knight named Robelrus declared with an oily grin.
Every word and gesture practically oozed narcissism.
Stephan forced an awkward smile.
"Ah, it’s an honor. Hahaha..."
"As long as you are with this great Robelrus, you shall feel as safe as though the Empire’s walls surrounded you on all sides. As for this magnificent self of mine..."
As the tale began once again, Stephan let out a sigh inwardly.
’I really have the worst eye for judging people.’
Out of the ten wandering knights who had visited the trading company, the one he had thought was the most promising turned out to be someone like this.
For the entire two-day journey to the Grand Duchess’s domain, the man had done nothing but boast about his accomplishments.
Whenever he finished, he would start over.
Then repeat it again.
Strangely enough, parts of the story changed each time.
It meant he couldn’t even memorize his own tales.
’This is exactly why I hate wandering knights.’
Wandering knights!
Nearly eighty percent of the stories bards recited were heroic tales about wandering knights.
Their adventures and achievements stirred the heart and offered catharsis from the monotony of everyday life.
Of course, that was merely a fantasy cherished by children listening to the bards’ stories.
Stephan knew what they were really like.
’They call themselves wandering knights, but they’re nothing more than bandits and thugs...’
They were military forces that had received proper training, yet belonged to no one because no one truly commanded them.
An armed group that could turn into bandits or criminals at any moment without anyone finding it strange.
’In fact, every single week there were a few idiots asking us to sponsor them.’
There was no shortage of shameless people who demanded money and identity verification despite having proved none of their abilities.
Sponsoring talented people was useful for building connections, but he had no desire to stain his network by associating with riffraff like them.
’And what would I even gain from it?’
They wandered around proclaiming that they’d do anything for a single noble title.
Yet the moment things turned against them, they would flee wearing nothing but their underwear.
There was always a reason they remained wandering knights.
Neighhh!
"Huh? What’s gotten into them?"
The horses pulling the carriage suddenly panicked.
They had caught the scent of a dragon.
The horses within the Grand Duchess’s domain were accustomed to that smell and felt no fear.
But for horses brought from outside, it was as terrifying as being forced to leap into a blazing fire.
Stephan offered advice to the coachman, who was struggling to calm them.
"Put the scented mask we prepared on them, and they’ll settle down. There’s one in that pouch. Fit it over the horse’s muzzle."
"Ah, that thing? Understood."
The coachman placed the mask filled with aromatic herbs over the horse’s muzzle.
Only then did the horses stop struggling and quietly stare ahead.
The halted carriage began moving once more.
Stephan raised his head and looked toward the sky.
A solitary mountain known as the last bastion of the Far East.
Atop it stood Valdrova Castle.
A castle built upon the dwelling place of a dragon that could never abandon its savage nature.
’The Red Dragon, Valdrova.’
He unconsciously swallowed.
A merciless Tyrant capable of tearing apart even an imperial prince.
A demonic dragon seeking to absorb all demonic energy and rule the world!
’Just what kind of idiot agreed to become engaged to that dragon?’
At the same time, another thought crossed his mind.
’What kind of person could that idiot become to me?’
***
Upon entering Valdrova Castle, Stephan looked around inside the fortress walls.
Since the announcement had been made openly to the wandering knights, many of them had already gathered there.
"Hey! No cutting in line!"
"Oi! I see you sneaking toward our monster corpses. Try stealing them, and you’re dead!"
"The hell are you staring at, bastard?!"
Hot-blooded men stood around their wagons, glaring each other down in contests of intimidation.
Judging by their appearance, their armor varied wildly in size and design, and most of it was poorly maintained.
’As for their so-called subordinates... every last one of them looks like a bandit.’
In contrast, the wandering knights themselves were extravagantly dressed.
Some wore brand-new weapons and armor crafted by famous artisans just to stand out.
One had even hired a bard to recite his glorious profile.
Another had deliberately left battle scars on his equipment to advertise himself as a veteran knight who had survived countless battles.
’Isn’t that the guy who bought corpses from our trading company?’
Stephan distinctly remembered selling him thirty monster corpses.
And there were exactly thirty loaded onto his wagon.
Each of them walked through the corridors with the dignified elegance of refined knights.
’Every single one of them is all style and no substance...’
They hardly ever bathed, yet drenched themselves in expensive perfume.
The mixture of sweat and overpowering fragrance was so nauseating it made him want to vomit.
Eventually they arrived at the banquet hall.
After all the tables had been pushed aside, the center of the room was left completely open.
Even with nearly fifty knights standing apart from one another, there was still plenty of space.
"Come to think of it."
Robelrus spoke up.
"Have you ever seen the person who owns this castle?"
The fact that he was asking about someone else instead of talking about himself was proof that he was nervous.
Stephan shook his head.
"I’ve never met him, but I heard he’s a member of House Rosnova."
"Ah! House Rosnova! The sword that protects the Empire. But why was someone like him chosen to become the Grand Duchess’s fiancé?"
"I heard he was physically frail. And unlike the rest of House Rosnova, he had blue eyes instead of the family’s characteristic ones, so people were almost certain he was the product of an affair. Apparently, the family wanted an excuse to cast him out... and he accepted it. Now he’s the Grand Duchess’s fiancé and serves as the Regent of her domain."
"Oh... is that so?"
Robelrus stroked his chin.
His eyes gleamed with greed far beyond his station.
"Hmm. If some half-wit who got thrown out of his family can act like a king just because he’s the fiancé... then perhaps I could steal that position for myself."
The words spilling from a knight’s mouth were exactly what one would expect from a bandit.
What made it worse was that he spoke so brazenly while standing inside the territory governed by that very "half-wit."
’To think this bastard was once the son of a knightly family that was called the sword of the Arken Empire...’
People said the Empire’s knights were in decline.
But seeing a level even lower than the bottom made Stephan want to sigh.
Still, Stephan was a merchant.
He understood that swords were often closer than the law, and he knew how to say whatever people wanted to hear wherever he went.
"Haha... w-well, I suppose that’s possible."
Even Stephan himself hadn’t expected much from Ferda before coming here.
Rumor had it that Ferda had executed Teshalos Wolcher and brought the lords of the Far East under his control.
But rumors were always exaggerated.
’A guy who got kicked out because he had nothing going for him... what could he possibly accomplish?’
Having completely given up any expectations for Ferda, Stephan simply waited for him to appear.
Then, at last, when the head of this castle revealed himself...
He realized once again.
He truly had the worst eye for judging people.
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