Ch.16Invoice (2)

# Chapter 16

Trade Federation Headquarters, Main Port of Helvetia Edelweiss.

“Oh! We sincerely welcome you to Helvetia, esteemed guests from the Holy Sebelli Empire.”

“Pleased to meet you. I am Duke Arto Virtorius Sebelli, special envoy of the Holy Sebelli Empire.”

“My goodness, the renowned Duke Arto himself has come as a special envoy.”

“It seems the Sebelli Empire is quite serious about this matter.”

“Indeed, indeed.”

As soon as my vessel arrived, I was greeted by an overwhelmingly lavish welcoming crowd.

By my previous life’s standards, it felt like being welcomed right on the airport runway after arriving on a private jet as an important foreign dignitary.

Of course, thinking about it, this was a natural response.

While we were here because of a debt incurred by our emperor, we were nonetheless a massive nation that couldn’t even be compared to theirs.

It’s meaningless to hypothesize, but if we really wanted to, we could easily crush them underfoot.

‘…That’s exactly the impression they want to create, and once you let your guard down, they’ll suck out all your capital. That’s these bastards’ specialty.’

They portray themselves as harmless.

They claim they have no intention of doing anything malicious to you.

This was the Trade Federation’s characteristic approach when dealing with powers too strong for them to confront directly.

Of course, with smaller, weaker nations, they showed exactly what it meant to be ruthless and cold-blooded businesspeople.

But as I was thinking this while exchanging greetings with the Trade Federation’s senior officials in turn…

“…By the way, is that person behind you perhaps a newly discovered species?”

“What do you mean… oh.”

At the bewildered trailing words of one official, I slightly turned my head in that direction…

“Heeeng.”

I saw someone following behind with a massive lump on their head, apparently having been disciplined with an etiquette injection rod.

“Ah, you mean that? We had a slight issue during our journey…”

“I-I see.”

Of course, I had been seeing this sight throughout our entire journey here…

I knew this was a kind of self-deprecating comedy act that Riel was doing, so I remained expressionless, but…

-*whispers*

“Just as I heard, he’s an extremely cold-blooded individual.”

“That woman must be the minister’s assistant… yet he can punish her without hesitation even in public.”

“Should we really call that punishment?”

“Of course! By publicly humiliating a lady, he’s demonstrating to the world what happens to those who defy him…”

‘No, that’s not it, for fuck’s sake.’

Witnessing this ridiculous misunderstanding repeat itself, I had to inwardly shed tears of blood.

[Your reputation within the Trade Federation has decreased!]

And with the status window delivering a delayed attack, how much sadder could this situation get?

Since I couldn’t just walk up to the person spouting nonsense and confront them, I had no choice but to swallow my tears, ignore it, and proceed with business.

-*tap tap tap, swoosh*

Riel must have sensed the atmosphere too, as she finally reduced the swollen lump and moved closer to my side, but…

-*whispers*

“See that? As soon as it became a topic, he immediately forced her to heal and return to duty.”

“Frightening indeed. With such cold-blooded resolve, these negotiations will certainly not be easy.”

[Your reputation within the Trade Federation has decreased!]

[Wariness toward you within the Trade Federation has increased!]

The situation was backfiring even more, making me feel dizzy.

“…Hmm.”

“Let’s head inside first.”

“Yes, that would be best.”

————————-

To be honest, I was quite tense when coming here.

Despite having ten years of experience under my belt…

Our counterparts were people who had dedicated their entire lives to this field—the very definition of experts.

“This negotiation alone has brought us great benefit, allowing us to meet such a noble person from the Holy Sebelli Empire with excellent character and intellect…”

On top of that, they subtly praised me while slightly asserting their own pressure.

“Allow me to introduce you—this is the lobby of the Federation’s Grand Conference Hall, which we proudly consider the most modern and luxurious venue in the entire universe!”

Being shown around a conference room that was indeed impressively lavish, having gathered capital from across the universe, I was starting to feel overwhelmed.

“Ah, and the working-level staff should come this way.”

“We need to assist the minister…”

“There’s no need to worry. The negotiation process typically begins with discussions between working-level staff before reporting to superiors.”

Moreover, they separated the staff who had been accompanying me, taking them elsewhere, leaving only Riel with me, which gave me complicated feelings.

But around that time, one question began to coil in my mind:

‘When exactly do these people intend to start working?’

They had urged us to go inside quickly, but then kept taking us on a tour of the interior.

“Then I shall take my leave now, Duke Arto.”

“Hmm.”

“From here on, Secretary Cento will guide you.”

They even switched guides midway and continued the tour.

While I was wondering what on earth was going on but still following along…

-*ding♪*

[Time Pause]

Upon hearing the familiar sound effect after a long time, I immediately activated the time pause and checked the newly appeared status window.

[Event: Sinister Scheme]

[The Trade Federation is using a shallow trick to assess “Duke Arto,” whom they’ve only heard about through rumors.]

[While pretending to give you a tour, they believe that the sooner you notice their scheme, the more highly they’ll regard you.]

[Conversely, the longer it takes you to notice, the more exponentially your evaluation will decrease.]

‘Well damn, these bastards, really.’

Upon confirming this status window and event message, I felt an immense wave of anger.

‘What are they trying to accomplish? I’m very curious what price they’ll pay when they’re caught.’

I was about to release the time pause immediately to vent this frustration, but…

‘…Wait, I wonder just how far these guys will take me?’

A small curiosity suddenly captured me completely.

[Time Pause Released]

“…is our finest art exhibition in Helvetia, filled with various collectibles created by numerous nations and species.”

“I see.”

With the thrill similar to completing various challenge quests in a game…

Enjoying the feeling of embarking on an adventure, I continued to tour around Helvetia Edelweiss with the help of numerous guides.

————————-

Meanwhile, at the central command center of Helvetia Edelweiss.

“Hmph, rumors indeed cannot be trusted.”

“Huhuhuh, he can’t even notice something this obvious and just follows wherever he’s led.”

Through numerous surveillance cameras installed throughout Helvetia, they were watching Arto being subjected to their “test.”

The directors of the Executive Board, the highest position in the Trade Federation, were thoroughly mocking Arto.

“A pity, isn’t it, Director Maximus?”

“Grr…”

“You should have chosen a safer asset, just like I did… ohohoho!”

They weren’t just mocking him—they were even placing small bets on when Arto would notice.

Of course, from the directors’ perspective, it was merely pocket change, nothing more, nothing less…

But for the servants attending to the lavishly dressed directors…

And for the personnel in the central command center, the astronomical sums of money changing hands…

It was truly like witnessing a scene from another world.

“Ah, he should have noticed by now, this fool!”

“Hahahaha!”

And in the midst of this, as Arto once again failed to pass their “test” and received further guidance, another director burst out in frustration.

It was truly a sight that would incite extreme rage if Arto himself knew about it, or if any uninvolved person witnessed it!

But after some time had passed…

“Hey… is he really not noticing?”

“That can’t be. The guides’ acting was perfect.”

As Arto continued to receive “guidance,” some directors began to sense something strange.

“That’s impossible. He must be just another incompetent noble whose reputation was merely inflated.”

“Indeed, it’s clear that he simply took credit for all the work done by his numerous staff members.”

Although this was still a minority opinion…

It didn’t take long for it to become the dominant view among the entire board of directors…

-“This is our pride of Helvetia, the finest art museum in the universe…”

-“Haven’t I seen this place already?”

“We have a problem! There are no more places left to use for the test!”

Arto had finally succeeded in visiting every accessible area in Helvetia.

The directors watching this in real-time couldn’t help but realize something was amiss.

“How could he not notice this?!”

“Someone in his position couldn’t possibly lack even minimal intelligence…!”

Of course, some still refused to face reality, but…

-“I-I’m sorry. Then I’ll guide you to the next location immediately…”

-“No, I think I’ve seen all the worthwhile places in Helvetia by now.”

After Arto’s subsequent action, the expressions of the directors in the central command center instantly froze.

-“Are you watching, Trade Federation Board of Directors? Let’s move on to the main topic now.”