The Strategic Retaliation

Despite Ensi’s violent coughing fit, Katia simply let out a hearty laugh. He looked as if he had expected exactly this reaction.

“Surprised? But this is the opinion of the acting Guild Leader.”

“Hesperon predicted this?”

Hesperon knew very well how sensitive Ensi was to the name ‘Count Alemier.’ He wouldn’t have brought it up lightly.

Rather than listening to Katia explain, Ensi chose to read the information written in the documents. As his eyes darted rapidly across the lines, reaching the final word of each page, the paper was ruthlessly dropped to the floor.

Katia’s lips twitched as he watched the sheets flutter down like lifeless leaves, but he didn’t dare speak. When Ensi was this irritable, adding unnecessary chatter never ended well, so he swallowed whatever he wanted to say.

“The mana stone mine….”

A sharp, grinding sound of teeth escaped Ensi’s lips. It was a savage sound that made Katia’s shoulders flinch reflexively.

“The fact that the Imperial family lacks a mana stone mine of its own… don’t you think that’s quite problematic?” Katia ventured.

Mana stones could be harvested from monsters, but those obtained through subjugation lacked uniform quality and stable supply compared to those from a mine. Normally, not owning a mine wasn’t a critical issue, but the current situation was far from normal.

“The issue is more that Marquis Centron is holding the mana stone mines over their heads. If he hadn’t used mana stones as an excuse to pressure the Imperial family—.”

Count Alemier would never have had a reason to summon Ensi.

No, perhaps the real problem was that Eclipse Merchant Guild—Ensi’s guild—owned a mana stone mine under its name.

“Should I just sell it off?”

“Pardon? You can’t! Do you know how much profit we gain from that mine?!”

“It’s a white elephant. A burden.”

“Calling it a burden is a bit much… and do you know how much money we invested in the Nordic royal family to acquire that one mine? Don’t you think it’s a waste?”

Snap. A sharp click of Ensi’s fingers expressed his displeasure. He, too, felt it was a waste considering the assets that had flowed into the Nordic royal family. Thinking about how those royals had taken everything he gave and were now throwing tantrums to try and snatch the mine back, he didn’t want to let go out of pure spite.

However, the person he wanted to avoid more than the shameless Nordics was Count Alemier. Ensi bit down on his pipe while leaning back in a slouch. Inadvertently applying too much pressure, he left vivid teeth marks on the stem.

I shouldn’t have acquired the mana stone mine from the start. I should have ignored it when Donovan gave me the tip based on his knowledge of the ‘original story.’

Because it was certain to profit the guild, he had moved on the tip just in case, but that decision had birthed several unexpected headaches.

“Besides, if the Count summons you, what is there to say? It’ll just be a demand to increase the supply of mana stones to the Imperial family at a cheaper price than the market rate. Since they are the ones in need, there’s no reason for the Young Master to sell the mine in a fit of pique, right?”

Katia continued in a very cautious tone, trying to soothe Ensi. He kept his expression perfectly neutral; showing that he was walking on eggshells would only annoy Ensi further.

When the stem of the pipe finally let out a sharp crack under the pressure of his teeth, Ensi set the pipe down as if throwing it away.

“Would that high-and-mighty man ever bow his head to his own child?”

He would undoubtedly issue a command disguised as a suggestion. Knowing his own arrogance, he would treat Ensi like a subordinate. Ensi’s lips curled into a twisted smirk, reflecting his sour mood. Katia, realizing his words had only made things worse, chose silence.

“Reduce the distribution of mana stones within the Empire.”

“Wh-what? The only reason the Nordic Kingdom hasn’t been more aggressive is because our guild is under the Empire’s name. If we reduce the supply now… won’t the Empire have something to say? It’ll hurt the guild’s reputation.”

“If the mining volume decreases, the distribution naturally follows. If we claim we found signs of a potential mine collapse, what can they say?”

Katia shook his head vigorously at Ensi’s drastic order. Some things were simply a bridge too far. The Imperial family was already agitated by Marquis Centron’s schemes. If a mere merchant guild like theirs made a wrong move and ended up taking the blame for everything, it would be a disaster.

“As the Young Master knows, the timing is terrible for an emotional response. Let’s just get through this one and next time—.”

Katia, desperately trying to protect his comfortable job, was silenced by Ensi’s chilling gaze.

“I didn’t say reduce it immediately.”

“Then what should we do?”

“At the next delivery, subtly inform the Imperial family that a problem has occurred at the mine. Maintain the Imperial supply for now, but gradually reduce the amount released to the general market.”

He was telling them to maintain loyalty to the Imperial family while planting the seed that there was a problem with the mining process.

Certainly, if that happened, the likelihood of Count Alemier summoning Ensi would decrease. Katia groaned inwardly at this response, which was fueled entirely by Ensi’s desire to avoid the Count at all costs.

“The profit from mana stone sales is substantial… won’t there be internal backlash?”

“If you’d rather hand over mana stones for pennies, then keep the distribution as it is.”

Katia understood Ensi’s reluctance to deal with the Count. But if the truth behind this manipulation were ever discovered, the guild would have to bear the full weight of the consequences. He wanted Ensi to reconsider if it was truly worth the risk, but the blunt reply ended the conversation.

Katia bowed his head with a silent sigh. “I will follow your instructions.”

Lily returned to the inn holding a bundle of snacks, evidence of her successful outing. She blinked stupidly when she saw Ensi’s face.

“…You look like you’re in a bad mood.”

“Where’s Agniele?”

“I ran into him on the way back and showed him to his room.”

Since they were essentially crashing at a place rented out by the Eclipse Merchant Guild, Agniele had looked incredibly awkward, so Lily had practically pushed him into his room.

“I see.”

“Yeah. But why? Did something happen?”

Lily added that it was fine if he didn’t want to talk, stepping carefully as she approached him. Just in case, she pulled a baked cookie from her snack bundle and slipped it into Ensi’s hand.

Ensi let out a hollow laugh at the soft but firm touch of the cookie that had suddenly landed in his palm.

“It’s nothing. I might just have to go to the capital.”

“To the capital, not the estate? Wow—that’s the worst.”

Lily, who knew a bit about Ensi’s circumstances, grimaced. If he had to visit the family estate, it might have been okay. Count Alemier wasn’t there, and Ensi’s sister, Dalia, was at least trying to be kind to him, perhaps out of guilt. Not that it erased the past, but it was something.

“It’s not confirmed yet.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen these kinds of predictions turn out wrong… what are you going to do?”

Ensi tilted his head as he bit into the crunchy cookie. What else could he do? There was only one course of action.

“I just won’t go.”

“Is that allowed?”

“Do I have to drop everything and go just because he tells me to?”

“What if you get disowned? If you lose your noble title, the losses will be immense.”

“Let him disown me. I’ll just find some failing noble family and become their adopted son.”

With enough money, what couldn’t he do? It was essentially buying a title, but if it took the form of an adoption sponsorship, there would be no procedural issues.

Knowing Ensi, he wouldn’t have said it if it weren’t a real possibility. However, Lily looked skeptical, hearing the irritation in his voice.

“An—.”

“What?”

“Ah, no. I mean, it makes me angry just hearing about it.”

Lily had almost asked the “worst” possible question—Are you angry?—and quickly changed lanes. She met Ensi’s suspicious gaze with a brazen look and breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

“Even if he calls, tell him you can’t go because the semester is in session. Don’t just ignore him. Changing families isn’t exactly a great thing unless there’s a serious reason.”

“And if he calls during the break?”

“That… what then?”

Lily’s movement stopped abruptly at the valid point. Ensi gave a bitter smile at her obvious confusion. If he couldn’t think of a plan, how could Lily?

“It’s late, Lily. You should head to bed.”

“Oh, right. We’re leaving for the Academy tomorrow morning, right?”

Feeling like he might snap at her if he kept her there, Ensi gently suggested she return to her room. It was perfect timing, as his body was starting to feel the effects of the unfamiliar environment.

“Business is finished here. Barring any emergencies, we should return.”

Since he had come out only to hear unwanted news, Ensi was desperate to get back to the Academy as soon as possible. It was much better to cut off outside news and live a leisurely life within the Academy walls.

“Then I’ll go tell Agniele separately.”

Lily watched Ensi lie down on the bed, told him to rest well, and left the room. She only let go of the doorknob after hearing the latch click shut. She turned around with a faint sigh.

“—!”

Her eyes widened as she belatedly discovered someone leaning against the wall directly across from her.