Recapture of Elte Trading Company (1)
?I remember it from probably over a year ago.
It was a day with unpleasant rain pouring down continuously.
The words he heard back then often still linger in Lortel’s mind.
– ‘Did you say that power gained through betrayal ultimately falls through betrayal? Even though I was so vigilant, it doesn’t make any difference to me.’
Elte, the Golden King, who was bound and sitting in the convoy heading to the imperial palace, glared at Lortel through the wooden bars.
There was even a chill in his appearance mixed with a fishy smile.
– ‘Look at me, am I funny?’
His always luxurious robe was covered in dust and torn here and there, and his heavy beard and mustache were soaked in blood.
The sight of him sitting on the floor of a dirty carriage, drenched in the rain… It was too ugly to be considered the words of a giant who once ruled the continent.
As soon as the convoy departed, Elte Kecheln looked directly at Lortel and spoke.
– ‘You’d better not laugh. Look straight ahead.’
I expected there would be a lot of cursing and verbal abuse, but… Surprisingly, he spoke calmly while looking at Lortel.
As he lifted his arms, a mass of rags was revealed that were so worn, torn, and dirty that they could no longer be called the clothes of a colossus.
In the back compartment of the convoy carriage, which was so narrow that he couldn’t even spread his arms out, he spoke to Lortel with a dark smile.
– ‘It’s your future.’
As he watched the carriage moving away, Lortel felt strangely uneasy.
Those who thrive on betrayal will ultimately end in betrayal.
From phrases in temples to sayings among merchants. It was a phrase you could find similar phrases wherever you went.
The weapon of betrayal is a magic sword that, once in your hand, sticks to you and leaves a curse until you die.
Once someone is labeled a traitor, no one will trust them.
It is possible to continue a relationship out of necessity or interest.
However, no one would work together on a once-in-a-lifetime project with someone who has a history of betrayal, or try to build a relationship of trust that goes beyond interests.
If you gain power through betrayal, you must live in solitude until the day that power is usurped.
The moment I let down my guard and lose my mind, the blade of betrayal that was held in my hand a long time ago will pass into the hand of someone else and pierce my chest.
If you already have that prohibited weapon in your hand, there is no way to escape now.
This goes without saying, especially in the world of commerce where trust and credit are worth thousands of dollars.
As we head toward a planned catastrophe, we struggle to hold on for just one more day… When the time comes, I will have no choice but to face death humbly.
Until that final moment, no one will believe in Lortel Kecheln.
At least in the world of merchants, that was always the end of someone who ascended to the throne through betrayal.
pouring rain.
Lortel Kecheln narrowed his eyes as he watched the convoy leaving.
For someone who was always smiling like a snarky serpent, she had a very serious face.
*
“Why is the atmosphere like this?”
I asked the same question once more, but this time the target was different.
A clean and beautiful private villa in Lortel. After changing his clothes and sitting down in the rocking chair by the fireplace, Lortel looked at Belle, who was standing quietly next to him, and asked her bluntly:
“Why are Senior Ed and Senior Yenika acting cautiously and discreetly with each other, like newlyweds who have just had a one-night stand?”
“… ”
“And Mr. Bell, why can’t you make eye contact with my question?”
Lortel’s question is sharp. Belle’s brain was working full force while shedding a cold sweat.
I’ve experienced all kinds of crises while working at Ofilis Hall, but this is the first time I’ve been cornered like this.
I tried everything I could to find a way to alleviate the situation, but of course there was no solution.
So in the end, there is only one option for Belle to choose from. All it does is convey the facts as they are without any addition or subtraction.
“Lady Jenica and Master Ed kissed.”
One-line summary success.
I only uttered one sentence, but Belle almost lost her breath. When she looked at Lortel’s expression, raising her eyes with difficulty, she felt surprisingly relaxed.
“… ”
No, it was frozen.
“Are you embarrassed?”
“… little bit?”
“You should be embarrassed.”
“no. Actually, when I think about it again, it’s not something to be embarrassed about. “I was the first one to put it on in the first place.”
“… .yes? Have you two ever kissed?”
When Belle asked in surprise, Lortel swallowed in vain.
“… “I made a mistake.”
“… it’s okay. “I have a heavy mouth.”
“No, it’s not something to hide in the first place. If possible, it might be better to reveal it to the world.”
Lortel, wearing skirt-shaped pajamas and braiding her hair on one side, looks different from usual. She looks more like a girl than a cool-headed merchant.
Unlike the Ofilis branch, where you must always maintain your dignity, or the Elte Chamber of Commerce, where you must maintain your cool as a merchant… It’s okay to be as comfortable as you want in Lortel’s private villa.
This was better and more comfortable than expected, so Lortel was secretly excited even before returning to school. Although he has accumulated a lot of wealth, there are not as many environments where he can rest comfortably and put the burden on his shoulders.
“You’re going around exposing it to the world?”
“Yes, that’s right…” I was the first person to kiss senior Ed… Perhaps making such a fuss and making it a fait accompli… ”
“… ”
“… ”
“… ”
“… That’s not quite right either. “I also have something called shame.”
Although she goes around looking sly and fox-like, Lortel is still a girl of that age.
I can’t be the type of person who proudly boasts about who I kissed. Anyway, in terms of dating, it’s not even that much better than Yenika. She is more like a fool.
“Ugh… .”
I came here dreaming of a wild, bumpy camp life where I would run into Ed whenever I got the chance, but when I saw Yenika with a pink aura blooming as soon as I arrived, I wasn’t in a very good mood.
The conflict with Yenika was something I had prepared for to some extent. Still, the situation is more troublesome than expected.
Lortel pressed his pounding head and sighed.
“After taking care of the backlog at Old Deck and squeezing out some pus, Aken Island is acting completely differently than I expected. “There is not a single day when I feel at ease.”
“that… Lady Lortel.”
“… why?”
“Are you planning on using any other moves?” ”
For a bell, I was asked a fairly personal question. Basically, the more skilled a maid is, the better she is at drawing a line between herself and her employer and never going beyond that… That’s how desperate Belle looked.
In fact, Bell had already expected it. As for the messed-up heterosexual relationship around Ed Ross Taylor, he has already given up on stopping traffic.
In the meantime, he tried to blame the fact that there was progress with Yenika, but in any case, that fact doesn’t clear things up around Ed.
If anything, it only accelerated the chaos, but it cannot be a solution.
Therefore, Bell had no choice but to ask. Are you planning something?
“well… “One thing is certain: you can’t stay still.”
“… ”
difficult!
I don’t particularly want to root for just one person, Belle Maia.
In fact, all the women around Ed have their own stories or have gone through complicated life stories.
I applauded when there was progress with Yenika, but I was just happy that there was progress in Ed’s personal relationship.
As the head maid who manages the Ofilis building, she watched all the girls from up close, so it’s not surprising that Belle actually knows them much better than Ed himself.
In the end, no matter what, Bell is just a character stuck in the middle… When it comes to sharp eyes, he is second to none.
“Lady Lortel is very busy… Aren’t there some things that can’t be helped?”
In the end, all Dori can do as a servant is to agree with Lortel’s words.
It’s an unfortunate situation, but Bell couldn’t have taken the initiative to create the situation.
“But that doesn’t mean I have no choice but to go back to Old Deck during vacation… ”
“It seems like work on Alldeck is very urgent.”
“Rather than urgent… ”
Lortel was about to say something more, but then closed his mouth. It wasn’t all that embarrassing for Bell.
No matter how comfortable you are with someone, you are in a position where you have to choose your words. When you work at Ofilis Hall, you see countless people in that position.
The same goes for Lortel. No, rather, Lortel was in a more special position.
“The old foxes of Oldek… “I just live my life thinking about what to do next.”
She has already been stabbed once by her former maid, Jean Ellis.
And she was also in a position to hit the back of the previous leader, Elte Keheln, and many merchants in Old Deck also often tried to hit Lortel.
That’s why Lortel behaves even more cautiously.
There is no one in the world whom you can completely trust. We will only continue our partnership in line with each other’s interests.
It’s sad, but Lortel’s relationships were like that all his life.
“If I don’t go back to Old Deck periodically and cut out all the insiders who are manipulating me, I might get stabbed in the stomach at any moment. “When the weight of power is heavy, there are more people who covet that position.”
“Then it looks like you suffered a lot during this homecoming season.”
“Things like bookkeeping and embezzlement are at a cute level. The old foxes at the upper headquarters pushed me to the extent of the deep-rooted evils left behind by Elte Kecheln, the vested interests of the old generation. Well, because I was that person’s adopted daughter… “There is enough justification to drive it that way.”
Belle had to be careful about what to say when she heard that.
This is an inevitably sensitive issue for Lortel, and even Belle, who is good at handling herself, is quite embarrassed.
“Oh, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. “I’m sorry for talking about such dark things.”
“no. When I work at Ofilis Hall, I meet a lot of people with complicated personal lives. “You don’t have to feel too uncomfortable.”
“Anyway, Mr. Bell has an aura that softens people’s hearts. He makes me talk about unnecessary things… ”
“I will take it as a compliment.”
As Lortel settled back into the armchair, Belle said, collecting the traces of the meal left on the table.
“Anyway, isn’t Lady Lortel just trying hard to maintain her position and safety? “It’s natural, and I don’t think there’s any need to be offended or attach great importance to it.”
Bell always speaks the truth. This means that although it is theoretical, it is ultimately correct.
Although it does not contain any great truth, its soundness has a strange power to heal people’s hearts.
“Isn’t it a world where everyone is busy trying to make a living? “When you live there, sometimes good things happen and sometimes bad things happen.”
“Sounds like Mr. Bell.”
Lortel quietly closed his eyes and sighed.
“When you get money and power in your hands, something really amazing happens. “When I come to my senses, it erodes my life and livelihood, ultimately making it difficult to lead a daily life without money and power.”
“I’ve never had both, so I can’t sympathize with you… ”
“What is certain is that whether it is money or power, it is better to not have it from the beginning than to disappear after it exists.”
What on earth does Lortel want to say? Why did you bring up this story?
Bell’s intention was starting to be understandable, so Bell just listened without responding.
“There are already only flies around you who are entangled in money and power, and if you lose both money and power in that situation… “For the rest of my life, I will be left with nothing but endless solitude.”
“Lady Lortel… ”
“Yes, I am no different. I guess I’m afraid of that too. “Magic skills, natural speaking skills, past achievements, they are all useless.”
Lortel has already lived in the merchants’ swamp since he was a child who could barely read.
“If I lose money and power, what will I have left? “I and my surroundings become empty, with nothing left.”
“You don’t have to think that way.”
“Oh, thank you for denying it. However, I also know how to at least self-objectify.”
Lortel, who was sunken into an armchair, felt even more dispirited than usual.
Every time I visit Alldeck, I feel reality more and more.
Ultimately, all of Lortel’s authority comes from money and power.
The numerous achievements achieved at a young age and the profits left in his hands make people around him look at Lortel and bow their heads.
The employees of the trading company, the management team of the business partner, the head of the competing trading company, the ruler of the back alley of Alldeck, and even the captain in charge of the sailing ship… The core of all human relationships that Lortel had built was money and power.
Lortel in Belle’s eyes… It seems infinitely lonely.
I’m at an age where I don’t need to know anything about the cold winds of reality. You are at an age where you can set goals that are far from reality and dream in a romantic place like Sylvania.
Because I had to get up on the empty street with my own strength, I became an adult too early.
It wouldn’t have been very pleasant.
“So, they are risking their lives to protect their vested interests. “There is no great reason such as accumulation of wealth or proof of ability.”
“… ”
“Because this is all I have.”
For a bard who roams the world with a light body, the lute hanging around his neck is the greatest treasure.
A beggar who begs for alms on the street has an empty can that he uses to collect coins.
Lortel is not much different. However, it is just a little more massive.
This is all I have left, so I hold it tightly in my arms and don’t let it go because I’m afraid someone will snatch it… Is it nothing more than a child’s antics?
Would it be an inappropriate analogy to compare one’s own ugly inner self to a child throwing a tantrum when he hears the cries of a sinister and vicious fox?
With a self-mocking smile on his face, Lortel was basking in the fire in the fireplace.
“There’s Master Ed, right?”
“… ”
“I feel like at least Master Ed is looking at Lady Lortel as a person herself.”
Bell is sharp. She always comes in by poking at blind spots.
“Isn’t that why you were so obsessed with Master Ed?”
A boy who always sat by the camp fire, sharpening his bow with a dagger.
He is a man who somehow seems to be detached from reality.
Whether it’s three gold coins or hundreds of millions of gold coins, everyone looks at them with indifferent eyes and seems to say hello to Lortel.
He is a person who is completely different from Lortel’s world view.
Until we left the cold streets of Oldek and came to Aken Island, where Sylvania is located.
I have met many people, but I could say that he was the most unusual person among them.
What is trust that can be given and received without compensation? How much do you have to pay to buy it?
How valuable is the mutual trust that can be gained because something is not purchased with money?
“There are quite a few people like Master Ed in the world.”
“… ”
Human beings are truly sad. We are designed to crave more of what we cannot have.
Therefore, for Lortel, interacting with Ed is as nerve-wracking as walking while holding expensive glasswork in hand.
If things go astray and their relationship diverges, the relationship between Ed and Lortel becomes defined by the logic of self-interest… It will become that kind of transactional relationship.
However, if you just give it away, completely detached from the relationship of interest, it will end up being no more or less than a relationship maintained by money.
Maintaining that sense of balance is a suffocating and nerve-wracking task even for Lortel, who has trained his management skills on all kinds of commercial fronts.
Whether I go this way or that way, I’m afraid that if I make even the slightest mistake, my mutual trust with Ed will disappear.
fear.
Yes. The name of that emotion is fear.
It feels like I’m clutching a handful of sand in my fist. It feels like if I let my guard down even a little, it will slip through my fingers and turn into dust and disappear.
If you open your fist too late, there will be nothing left there. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid of that.
“Actually, these days, I’m feeling all kinds of emotions that I’ve never felt in my entire life.”
“Well. “You must have suffered greatly.”
“No, it’s not difficult. On the contrary, it may be more appropriate to say that I am happy.”
Sense of loss, jealousy, desire to possess, love, fear, joy, excitement, tension, anxiety, sense of accomplishment, relief.
It feels like pouring lubricant into my heart, which has hardened like a cold machine while living in the soggy world of commerce.
All my life, I have lived the life of a merchant, building a wall and drawing a line with whomever I meet, and observing the other person’s movements from the outside.
To Lortel, these arrogant thoughts and feelings are rather special. It feels like someone who has lived blind for a long time sees the world in full color again after decades.
I think of a boy sharpening his bow over a campfire, not of a business representative across the negotiating table.
Rather than looking for toxic clauses in contracts or thinking about how much our profits will go down… I think about what the boy is thinking, what his worries are, what he ate today, what plans he has for tomorrow, etc.
The sound of the crackling fireplace tickled his ears like the sound of a camp fire, and warmth permeated Lortel’s body.
Seeing Lortel slowly closing his eyes and resting peacefully, Belle quietly closed her eyes without saying another word.
If every moment of pushing and pulling with Ed is a treasured time for Lortel, then it would also be valuable.
In the first place, that value judgment was not made by Bell. A maid’s job is only to do housework and assist with daily living.
With that in mind, Bell busily prepared to leave work.
*
“By the way, I received food supplies from Elte Trading Company… The unit price has increased a lot. From next time, I think we will have to reduce the order quantity to match the delivery price, or apply to the academic affairs headquarters for a budget increase.”
“Oh my, what is that… That’s how it happened. “For some reason, prices around Aken Island are rising.”
“okay… I checked the unit price list this morning and was really surprised. Ofilis will take action as soon as possible, so could you maintain the distribution volume for the time being? Deteriorating meal quality is something that cannot be tolerated according to the operating policy of Ofilis Museum… ”
Talk about work as briefly as possible.
To begin with, Lortel, who is in a private villa, is in a position to rest. Bell is not tactless enough to want to discuss logistics and distribution at an event like this.
After completing all basic tasks, Belle opened the door and went out to return to Ofilis Hall.
Just before saying goodbye, I was planning to finish my business by sneakily adding work into the mix.
“Hmm… I expected that grocery delivery prices would rise… Was it really that burdensome?”
“I thought you were aware of it because Lady Lortel’s approval was included in the price list document.”
“Because I was away. While I am away, Dune, our chamber’s action agent, is taking charge of the practical areas of the Sylvania branch. The decision was probably made at the dune line.”
Lortel pulled away the fluttering collar of his pajamas and tilted his head as he spoke.
“However, I was expecting a rise in prices, but I didn’t know it would be to that extent. I’ll have to check it myself tomorrow. “I wonder if there are any materials left in the file room of the Chamber of Commerce branch.”
“It was probably finalized yesterday or today, so it will probably remain.”
“all right. We will maintain the distribution volume itself. Ofilis is a blue-chip customer, so they should be able to provide that level of convenience. From what I can see, the distribution volume is so large that it doesn’t look like there will be a loss.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
So Belle greeted Lortel politely. I thought it would be enough to end the work conversation here.
“Oh, that’s right, Mr. Bell. Next time you come, please bring some wine. “It’s the kind I personally kept in my room when I was at the Ofilis Building.”
“There is no problem with bringing it… “Can you keep it?”
“I personally gave instructions to build a small wine cellar in the basement of the villa. I haven’t checked it yet… ”
“I haven’t received the basement key yet. “Work on the basement was recently completed, so it hasn’t been properly cleaned yet.”
“is that so. That’s a bit unfortunate. Next time, please get the keys and clean up after me.”
“All right.”
After receiving Lortel’s greeting, I closed the door and left the villa. Lortel’s villa, which was built quite neatly and nicely, looked attractive even late at night.
When I look at the other side, I can see Ed’s camp a little far away. Although it was already midnight, the bonfire was still burning.
When I got a little closer, I saw a blond boy sitting around the campfire. He had not yet gone to sleep, but was quietly looking at the fire and smelling the forest grass.
In the middle of the forest, filled with only the sound of rustling leaves, the boy sat alone.
“Are you not sleeping?”
Belle packed her bags and glanced at Ed as she passed through the camp.
Ed was sharpening his bow with a dagger. As expected, he was working.
“… ”
“Don’t make that face. Polishing the equipment doesn’t take that much effort. “It’s perfect for rehabilitation exercise.”
“Not much to say… “I didn’t.”
“… ”
Bell already knew from experience. Ed is not a person who will be stopped just because he is stopped.
However, Bell’s concerns went in a slightly different direction.
Looking at Lortel, who attaches deep meaning to his relationship with Ed and feels at peace just from that connection… Her mood became complicated.
Whether it’s Lortel, Yenica, or Lucy, they all have a part of them that leans on Ed in their own way.
However, Ed’s body and mind are all one. Why can’t humans be divided into three? God is also truly cruel.
Feeling complicated, Belle sat across from Ed for a moment.
“… Why are you making such a tired expression? thing… If I have some time left, I can refine my bow… I won’t overdo it, so don’t worry… ”
“It’s not like that. only… ”
Belle sat down and looked at Ed for a long time with a pained expression on her face.
“if… Do you know how to use something like self-immolation?”
“… “Did you eat something wrong?”
“no… sorry… ”
The night at camp was getting deeper.
