[Side story] Double arm scale (1)
No matter which branch of the Elte Chamber of Commerce you go to, there is a large two-armed scale hanging in the lobby.
It is obvious what the exactly horizontal scale symbolizes. It’s fairness.
This is a group with a reputation for doing whatever it takes to maintain their grip on the commercial world. It is truly ridiculous to see such people advocating fairness, but the bigger their size, the more important their cause becomes.
Hypocrisy is not an option, it is a necessity.
Some people may clap their tongues at the hypocrisy of Elte Trading Company, but people who have even a little insight into the commercial world tend to nod their heads.
In the end, leading a group means having a worthy cause for every minor decision.
Even if it is blatant hypocrisy, one must act like a good person.
Lortel Kecheln knew damn well. Even though he always hides his dark and dark intentions, he always smiles on his face and emphasizes fairness to his opponents.
“Is it a justification…? ”
Slog Keldlux, the chairman of the Elte Chamber of Commerce, lowered his head and chanted.
On the desk was a portrait and resume of Lortel Kecheln, the current acting stockholder of Elte Chamber of Commerce.
Along with the profoundly grown beard, wrinkles showing signs of age are harmoniously placed on the face.
The merchant’s wide leather coat, which was neither luxurious nor simple, had an old-fashioned fur trim on it.
Narrowing the corners of his eyes darkly was a habit that veteran Slog Keldlux had whenever he concentrated on something.
Commercial city Old Deck.
The port city that stretches along the Samiel coastline on the west side of the Cloel Empire is responsible for almost half of the empire’s logistics distribution. From the ecliptic Cloeron, the holy city of Karpea, Talkaren, the land of innovation, the Rameln Mountains, the Kohelton Lawless Zone, and Aken Island at the southern tip of the continent… If logistics were to be distributed to any central region of the empire, they must pass through this port city.
A place where large and small merchants gather together to compete. It is a golden land where self-interested merchants gather to make even a penny more.
If you walk along the city’s dock early in the morning, you can see merchants and workers rushing around on the streets before the sun rises.
A city of people who are busy trying to put even more pennies into their pockets.
Those who were born, raised, and spent their entire lives in a place like this all have similar ways of thinking. The same goes for Lortel Kecheln.
“Is this business expansion? ”
While reading Lortel’s business plan to further penetrate the commercial route leading to the capital city of Carpea, Slog became lost in thought.
The current Elte Company’s nominal leader is Slog Keldlux, but most of the real power is held by Lortel Kecheln. It won’t be long before Lortel will attempt to ascend to the position of leader himself.
If you want to take action, now is the time.
“okay. “What is always important is the cause.”
While muttering those words, Slog quietly closed his eyes.
“It has already been a long time since the Golden King Elte left this earth. Even when we gradually abandon the name ‘ELTE Sanghoe’… It worked… ”
In the spacious Hoeju office of the central branch of the Elte Chamber of Commerce, only his political opponents were present.
*
“You went all the way to Pulan? “Because of research work?”
When Lortel Kecheln stopped by the Rosstaylor mansion, the heat of the summer had already subsided.
The weather was still a bit too muggy to be called fall, but cool enough to be called summer.
After graduating from Sylvania Academy, Lortel worked as a business manager at Old Deck for a few months and soon began working outside to expand a new business.
Opening new trade routes while dragging along a few trustworthy confidants is not something that a company owner usually does on his own. The plan was to complete as much practically important work as possible while he was relatively free and had not yet been given his position back from Slog.
In particular, he was concentrating all his efforts on opening a new trade route with the capital Carpea.
Due to the cultural characteristics of Carpea, where Telos believers are gathered, it is very easy to identify the items in demand, and the demand for each period itself is calculated without difficulty.
Telos Cathedral’s Great Prayer Meeting, Lent, Saints’ Prayer Service, Feast Days of the 11 Saints, Solemnity, Central Baptism Day… In addition, if the central agency, Seonghwangdo, could provide all the basic maintenance supplies, the sales would be enormous.
Lortel, who had received information that Seonghwangdo’s supplies were currently being purchased by various merchants at a heavy cost, wanted to somehow come up with a way to establish a conversation with Seonghwangdo’s key figures. If Elte Trading Co. takes full charge of helping with the purchase, Seonghwangdo will be able to save a lot of incidental costs.
The person I visited in the process was Ed Rosstaylor.
“Yes, I have been doing some research on the highest-ranking spirit from the Pulan side. “In the process, I came across something quite valuable, and I may need some help with the appraisal.”
“That’s not difficult, Senior Ed. “Please include appropriate letters when necessary.”
The opening of school at Sylvania Academy is not far away.
Ed Rosstaylor, who is in charge of selecting and assigning new students to classes and teaching Class A students, will be very busy during the semester. In particular, expectations were high at the academic level because the most promising students had to be managed exclusively.
I’m just getting my affairs in order at home now, but it’s going to be harder to see my face soon.
Perhaps because he wanted to spend his time at least a little more leisurely as the rest period was just around the corner, Ed Rosstaylor did not take on any major tasks. I was just organizing simple report documents in the garden of the mansion.
“… ”
The central garden of the Duke of Rosstaylor can only be described with the cliché expression that it is bright and beautiful.
As it was a mansion site managed exclusively by a competent maid, it was equipped with a magnificent and beautiful mansion comparable to the imperial garden.
A suitable tea table was set up in the center of the mansion, and if you look at my younger brother sitting side by side, each doing his own work… They look quite similar to each other, so it feels like you’re looking at an ordinary brother and sister that can be found anywhere.
However, one of them is a high-ranking spirit teacher who is the continent’s most powerful magic researcher and the youngest full professor, and the other is a girl who holds the title of matriarch of the continent’s most powerful ducal family.
If there is anyone who should never be an enemy, it would be these siblings. What is truly fortunate is that, thanks to their long relationship, the two are infinitely friendly to Lortel.
“Senior Lortel must be busy with business these days~. There have been so many rumors about Old Deck these days. Are there any major setbacks in running the business?”
“well. There are always a lot of problems. “We are just solving everything one by one.”
Lortel responded with a smile when Tanya, who was working with her quill, made a pleasant joke.
Even though Tanya had gained enough power to become one of the best on the continent, she consistently called Lortel her senior. To be honest, Lortel was in a position where there would be no complaints even if he was treated as a subordinate, but it felt like there was a strange intention, as if he was constantly tied to school ties, and Lortel felt uneasy.
Of course, Lortel gave up his position as a senior and treated her with respect, but Tanya seemed determined to maintain that attitude. However, she always just smiles and doesn’t explain the specific reason, so there’s nothing wrong with that.
She is no longer the Tanya she was back then, who was swayed around according to Lortel’s intentions. Thinking back to when he first entered Sylvania, Lortel had such a sly look that it made you wonder if they were the same person, and it felt like time had passed.
“Well, even if we talk about business-related matters, we can only scratch the surface… Ugh, uhhh!”
However, it still seems absurd to try to bring black tea to your mouth and burn the roof of your mouth because it is so hot, so I can’t get used to it.
“Brother… The tea temperature… It looks like a new maid has arrived… ”
“Leave it alone, Bell will have already checked and gone to reprimand you.”
“Bueeek- Bueeeeek-”
Tanya, who was making a meal by sticking out her tongue, put down her quill and closed the document she was checking. It seemed like the immediate work to be done had been completed.
Ed, who was reading the conference papers, was still with his legs crossed and his eyes glued to the papers. As the distinguished guest named Lortel came to visit in person, it was evident that she was busy trying to finish the work as quickly as possible.
As the acting CEO of Elte Trading Company, who is treated as a VIP wherever he goes, it is difficult for him to get used to the fact that his work documents are taking a backseat. But he can’t help it. This is the Ross Taylor duchy.
Rather, Lortel smiled at ease.
No matter how many times you see him, Ed Rothtaylor will always be Ed Rothtaylor. It is truly typical of this man to show a look of welcome to Lortel when he visits him, but not to put his work on the back burner.
As I waited a little longer, Tanya lifted the tablecloth and glanced at the space under the tea table.
“Stop thinking about useless things, Tanya.”
“Ugh! Oh, no… Can’t I just stare? “You can check it.”
“… Why are you checking… ”
“… ”
Lortel could not help but tilt his head at such a mysterious conversation between siblings.
Eventually, Ed put down the quill and shook out the documents, making sure that the work he had to check immediately was completed.
“Anyway, my impression has improved a lot. Lortel. It seems a lot brighter than when it was Sylvania. Since I’m going to officially pretend to be a member of the family, I need to show off my appearance in many ways. Goes well.”
“Oh, I see~. Since I have pretty reddish-brown hair, it would be nice to have it loose and loose if possible. Senior Lortel.”
Although the two people were praising Lortel’s appearance, their inner meaning was completely different.
Ed is literally just talking about Lortel’s appearance as beautiful, but Tanya seems to be seeing right through the effort Lortel has put in. Is it her intuition as a fellow woman?
Her hair, which would normally be easily tied to one side, was undone, a pretty blue rose hairpin was put on, and she was wearing a royal blue skirt. It may seem decorated or not, but even that feeling is intentional. It is the result of effort.
As for why he went out of his way to improve his appearance, as Ed said, he is trying to gain authority as the head of the club in advance… In fact, it is right to emphasize the fact that it is because I came to see Ed.
Of course, it’s inevitable that Ed’s comments that purely compliment the exterior will make you feel better.
Lortel has heard so many formal compliments while living as a merchant, but it is a strange feeling that he shrugs his shoulders and gets excited every time Ed says something. I thought I was completely immune to praise, but I am woefully defenseless in this regard.
“Yes!”
Lortel himself quickly swallowed his breath at the sudden voice. Oh, I can’t believe he was so excited by the polite way of saying something that the end of his sentence was floating. This is a rudimentary mistake that cannot be imagined on the commercial front.
Fortunately, this is not a commercial front, but an outdoor tea table at the Ross Taylor mansion.
“Hmm… Thank you for seeing it that way. It’s time for me to consider my status… ”
Ed doesn’t seem to attach much importance to it, but should I say it’s a woman’s intuition… Tanya’s eyes were already narrowing slightly. What does the eye smile mean? How did Tanya become such a tired person? There is nothing wrong with saying that the environment makes the person.
“Well, you must be busy, but I’m glad you came all the way to Ross Taylor’s home to show your face. I feel like I want to clear up some of my past worries, but let’s have an honest conversation at dinner. first… We have to talk about business first. is not it?”
Ed got straight to the point and came in.
Yes. Even after graduation, Lortel Kecheln continued to flirt with Ed and showed affection like a sly fox… First of all, I prioritized handling the piled up work.
At this point, I can already guess whether Lortel came for business reasons or simply to flirt with Ed.
“And once the business talk is over, there is something else to talk about. hmm… I’m from Pulan… ”
“Brother, now is not the time to talk about such things! Day! Let’s talk about work first! Isn’t it? aha!”
Tanya suddenly slapped the table and raised her upper body, raising the tempo of the story.
“Actually, it’s obvious that it’s the story of Elte Trading Company. I heard through various sources why Mr. Lortel is busy these days. “I was expecting her to visit soon.”
In the end, all important decisions of the Rosstaylor family come from Duchess Tanya Rosstaylor.
“You want me to connect you with Seonghwangdo Island, right? If possible, to Saint Clarisse at the top.”
Did you understand it up to that point? In fact, if you know Lortel’s whereabouts, it is not difficult to infer that much.
Rather than answering, Lortel grinned.
“Connects are an asset. Plus, if I could work directly with the person who is the heart and idol of the Telos Church… At the level of our company, we would like to give the best possible return… ”
“There is no need to repay.”
Tanya didn’t even show any signs of being embarrassed by Ed’s words that came out without even warning.
The attitude of simply saying the obvious. Those words were thrown out casually while sipping black tea, as if nothing had happened… It is both as expected and unexpected.
The acting chairman of Elte Chamber of Commerce and the highest decision-maker of the Ross Taylor family.
There are words that always follow places where power meets the pinnacle of power.
Gains and losses, negotiations, nerves, contracts, guarantees, confidentiality, deadlines.
In the list of cold, icy words, each person stares at every single period of the contract in order to keep one more penny in each other’s hands.
In Lortel’s difficult life, the negotiation table was such a space.
However, the man in front of me casually says that he will just do it.
In fact, it is natural. The two have already confirmed each other’s existence to the point of exhaustion.
Ed Rothtaylor is from Lortel Kecheln.
Lortel Kecheln is Ed Rothtaylor.
‘My person’.
Transcending the interests of gain and loss, ultimately taking sides until the end… For Lortel Kecheln, he is the first person in his life to whom he has entrusted everything.
It seems like a moment of confirmation that even though we were both busy with each other’s business and duties, we never once forgot each other… Lortel was speechless for a moment.
From the position of Duchess Tanya, who is in charge of the Rosstaylor residence, she would like to use this as an excuse to make various demands to the Elte Company.
However, after Ed made such a nail-biting declaration, Tanya did not say anything more. Basically, Ed entrusts all matters related to the management of the mansion to Tanya, and since he trusts Tanya’s judgment… When Ed comes forward and says something like this, Tanya doesn’t really object.
Usually, there is a good reason for that.
At this point, Lortel felt the tip of his nose twitch, but wiping away tears and politely saying thank you was not the right answer.
This is natural for Ed, and it is also natural for Lortel.
When Ed needs help, Lortel helps. If Lortel needs help, Ed helps.
There is absolutely no calculation or understanding involved in the process.
Like the proposition, one plus one, it has become a natural fact.
“is it so.”
With a crawling voice, Lortel succeeded in smiling as seductively as a fox. Indeed, the facial expression management was so perfect that even Tanya, who had reached the end of her snobbery, did not even notice.
“We will discuss detailed practical matters at the dinner party.”
Lortel smiled and said this to Ed. Ed said he understood and gave her a nod.
“Well, I’ve taken care of all the urgent matters right now, so you can go in and get some rest until the evening! “It hasn’t been long since we returned from Pulan!”
Once the story was over, Tanya spoke again in a lively tone.
“okay? “I’m not that tired.”
“Body fatigue accumulates without you even realizing it. “Senior Yenica, who went to Pulan with me, didn’t even go back to her baronet, and she was lying down all day today!”
There, Lortel’s expression slightly hardened.
When I heard the name Pulan, I thought something might happen…
“Yenika… Seniors… ?”
“Oh my, Senior Lortel… You probably don’t know the detailed itinerary, after all. that is… . Brother Ed went to Senior Yenika’s hometown, the two of us.”
Is it an illusion that I feel a slight excitement as Tanya speaks while covering her mouth?
Hiding a strange smile, Tanya whispered to Lortel in a tone that seemed to contain her true intentions.
“Well, since it’s so far away, it’s a bit difficult to send a lot of people… They gave us a carriage so that the two of us could travel alone. With one coachman. As you know, you two aren’t the kind of people who would go somewhere and get kidnapped, right? So, it’s most efficient to go there with just the two of you. “Just the two of us.”
Just the two of us.
I didn’t like the tone that seemed to emphasize that part, but Lortel was having a hard time managing his facial expressions, so it was difficult to go into detail.
“I don’t know what happened in Pulan, but since they were the two of you, I’m sure they handled everything well. I don’t know how reassuring it is from my perspective. “Someone like Brother Ed is reliably in the mansion, and someone like Senior Yenika is in the house as a vassal.”
Tanya trailed off, but continued speaking subtly.
“Next time there’s something to do again, do you think it’ll be okay if I send just the two of you?!”
“Don’t make a fuss, Tanya… ”
“Yes… ”
Tanya responded politely and slumped down in her chair, but the way she cocked her nose and smiled seemed to have a different intention.
Lortel glanced at the tip of his chin, then inhaled and exhaled a small sigh. He actually doesn’t have anything to be embarrassed about.
However, I can’t help but be curious.
What the hell are these two people…? How far did it go?
*
After sending Ed off to rest for a while, Lortel walked along the garden.
In fact, the biggest reason he came all the way to Duke Rosstaylor’s house was to make a deal with the Holy Emperor, but after hearing the story about Yenika, he seemed to be a little distraught.
Thanks to the merchant’s unique calmness, he didn’t show it outwardly, but he couldn’t help but have random thoughts. She must have stayed together for a long time in their own space, with no vassals or people using the mansion.
I know that Ed’s personality is such that he will never cross the line, but he still doesn’t know what’s going on in the world.
What if two people crossed into an unknown world? What if we held hands and walked through a fairyland across a distant rainbow?
While dancing hahahoho along the hill where pretty pansy flowers bloom… … … … … In short, what if they slept together for one reason or another?
Lortel had no choice but to swallow dry saliva.
From what I heard, Yenica hasn’t returned to the Baron’s residence yet and is taking a break here at the Ross Taylor Mansion.
What would your reaction be if you encountered Yenika?
Lortel could imagine it without difficulty.
While she was busy surviving day to day on the commercial front, the expression on Yenika’s face after she left for their own country with Ed’s arms around her… .
Let’s try to derive all of the numerous cases.
Will he raise his nose triumphantly towards Lortel and snort?
Will he look at Lortel with a pitiful expression and laugh?
Or will he brag and mock Lortel?
When it comes to Yenica, the first case seems the most likely. In any case, he must have been alone with Ed for a long period of time and communicated a lot, so he would try to express a feeling of psychological superiority.
Lortel had to be prepared to handle that proud expression, which looked cute on the outside.
“Tsk… ”
In the distance, I saw Yenika sitting in a small pavilion in the garden. Did you come out for a moment to get some air? It was an unwelcome encounter for Lortel, but it was an ordeal that he would have to face at some point.
I can’t exactly predict how far Ed and Yenika’s progress will go or how Yenika will react. Still, Lortel somehow approached Yenica with a smiling mask on.
Yenica has come up with numerous ways to express her superiority towards Lortel, and has completed a simulation of how she would respond to all of them.
In any case, Lortel’s smiling mask will never come off. With his mind thoroughly prepared, he raised his voice in a polite tone.
“Oh my, Senior Yenika. “There you are.”
Yenika, who was quietly touching the persimmon flowers hanging on one side of the pavilion, suddenly raised her head. Then she locks eyes with Lortel.
Yenika always pouted or looked wary every time she saw Lortel who came to the mansion. She thought that this time she would get the chance and she would reveal something, but… .
“Oh, Lortel is here! long time no see! “You’re very busy with business these days, right?!”
Yenica said hello to Lortel with a smile as pure as white drawing paper.
There is not even a single sense of caution or crisis inside.
“But the weather has become much cooler! I’m glad it’s not hot… Anyway, I guess I’ll just go back to my room. I’ve been out for so long that my vassals might be worried… See you later for dinner! huh!”
With a smile filled with pure brilliance, Yenica returned to the mansion, waving cheerfully. Even as she walked away, she continued to wave her hand to Lortel with her bright smile.
“… ”
Lortel stood still and collected his thoughts.
“… … ”
“… … … … … … … … … … … .”
And cold sweat poured out.
This is worse than any reaction I expected from Yenika… It was the most dangerous reaction… .
