Chapter Eight
"Your Grace?"
"Ah, Hans. Right on time."
I didn't look up immediately. I remained focused on the child in my arms, my expression softening for one final second.
My little money bank...
"Mrs. Hans," I said gently, "would you be so kind as to take Lily for a moment? We have matters to discuss."
Mrs. Hans, still visibly shaken by Kaelen's recent "demonstration" of my honor, moved with frantic haste. She scooped up the girl as if retrieving a porcelain doll from a wolf's den. Lily let out a soft whine, her large, SSSS-Class eyes welling up with tears that could melt a glacier.
"Hush now, little one," I murmured as I stroked her hair. My smile never quite reaching my eyes. "Daddy just needs to settle some business. Be a good girl and don't trouble Mrs. Hans. Yeah?"
Lily nodded so furiously that I was afraid her head would come off her weak, fragile body.
As they left, my eyes turned to Hans as I plopped back down on the bed.
At least the springs on this mattress don't just pop out like the ones back at estate.
Wow... A merchant is richer than a duke. How shameful.
"Sit, Hans," I commanded, gesturing toward the rickety chair with a languid flick of my wrist. "I heard you waited every day at the Duchy's door demanding compensation."
Before Hans could reply, I snapped my fingers—a sharp whip-crack sound that made him flinch. I didn't turn my head as I pointed a single finger toward the entrance.
"Kaelen. The door."
Click.
As the latch clicked shut, the room plunged into a stifling silence, I leaned forward. "Hans, you're wasting my time. Sit."
[Ping!]
[Please suppress your archmage aura. Everyone in the room is feeling terrified of you.]
What aura? I don't have a magic circle.
[Ping!]
[It's your soul! Your soul is giving off a scary vibe! It has nothing to do with mana!]
Hah… how troublesome.
I ran my fingers through my hair as my eyes flicked between the trembling merchant—who still refused to sit—and Kaelen, who no longer looked as relaxed as he had a moment ago.
"Y-Your G-Grace… are you planning to kill me because I demanded compensation?" Hans was trembling so violently that the floorboards beneath his boots began to rattle. The man looked as though he were ready to jump out the window to escape the "human trash" who had just moments ago kicked down his door.
"Sit, Hans. I won't tell you a third time," I said, my voice dropping as my eyes squinted from the impatience coursing through my veins.
I wanna see my money bank. Can't he just sit and listen? So we can get this over with.
Hans practically collapsed into the chair.
"Kaelen mentioned you've been quite the regular at my gates," I began, leaning back and ignoring the groan of the bedframe. "Demanding money for a wagon. It's a fair request in my opinion."
"I… I just want to feed my family, Your Grace," Hans stammered, his eyes darting toward the door where his wife and Lily had vanished. "The wagon was my livelihood. Without it, I can't bring goods from the South to sell to North."
"And yet, you just gave me that vial of Winter Blight tonic for twelve measly copper," I noted, watching him closely. "Twelve copper doesn't cover the import tax, let alone the profit margin. Why?"
Hans swallowed hard, his eyes darting to the floorboards. "The girl… she was dying. Even a greedy merchant has a soul, Your Grace. And, in a fief where the tax rate is 80%, if the people won't look after one another, who will?"
A bitter laugh bubbled up in my chest.
Would you look at this? A man who lived by the coin was still prioritizing human life. In my previous life, a merchant with a heart was a merchant who went bankrupt, yet here he was, showing more nobility than the man whose body I now inhabited.
This world is seriously making my head hurt.
I forced my voice to soften, a rare sensation for a man who used to bargain with kings. "Look, Hans. I'm sorry about what I did to your wagon and your door."
Hans flinched at the apology, his shoulders hunching. "Your Grace doesn't need to apologize for the door. If it was me, I would have done the same to save a life. I just ask for the compensation to fix my wagon, Your Grace."
He seriously has no backbone for a merchant. Did I make the wrong choice?
Too much of a soft heart in business is also a flaw. You'll just end up getting scammed.
I let out a long sigh, looking down at my frayed sleeves. "I like you, Hans. Truly. But here's the reality, I cannot afford to pay you for the wagon. I have zero gold, I'm 1.2 million in debt, and I'm currently wearing a coat that smells like mothballs."
Kaelen let out a sharp snort from the shadows of the corner, his ruby eyes glinting with dry amusement. I ignored the brat and kept my gaze fixed on the merchant.
"However," I leaned forward, my expression shifting from weary noble to predatory capitalist, "what I can do is offer you a deal."
Hans leaned back into the chair, his hands raised defensively. "Your Grace, I'm a poor merchant. I won't be able to invest. I can barely afford the coal to keep this tavern warm."
"Don't worry," I said, a faint smirk tugging at my lips as I tapped my temple. "I'm not asking you to invest a single copper. Just listen. I'm offering you an opportunity to be at the ground floor of a new Halcrest. I promise you'd have nothing to lose but your poverty."
[Ping!]
[Kaelen is wondering if you're considering your new profession in scamming.]
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[DING! CHARACTER INFORMATION EXTRACTION SUCCESSFUL!]
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[Character: Keiran Hans]
[Position: Merchant, Tavern Owner, Fallen Noble Of South]
[Age: 25]
[Potential: A-Class (Logistics & Distribution)]
[Mana Heart: None Detected (Civilian)]
[Charm Points: 450 (Reliable 'Commoner' Vibe)]
[Loyalty Points: 0]
[Likability Points: 25 (Since You Saved Lily)]
[Description: A merchant with a rare moral compass who prioritizes lives over profit—a trait that makes him a terrible businessman but a decent human. He has survived the Duke's 80% tax rate through community ties in South.]
[SYSTEM Warning: While Hans lacks combat power, his knowledge of local trade and his reputation among commoners make him the perfect bridge for your capitalist ventures.]
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A-Class, huh? It's not a bad talent. Plus, he has connections to South.
It's a good opportunity for me.
"In that case," Hans said, his voice cautious, "I would like to hear Your Grace's offer."
I watched him closely. He was trying to maintain a mask of professional indifference, but the slight tension in his shoulders gave him away. He was hooked.
"Excellent. To be brief, Hans," I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees to close the distance between us. "I intend to develop a series of mines in the North. Mana stone mines."
Hans tilted his head, the syllables clearly foreign to him. He looked like a man trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing.
Did I say something too confusing?
"Mana stones? Forgive me, Your Grace, but... what is 'mana'?"
How... How do they not know mana!?
[Ping!]
[Kaelen is confirmed you're trying to scam the kind-hearted merchant.]
[Likability: - 45]
[Loyalty: 1]