Ch.207207. You might as well clear away the furniture and luxury items before we talk.

“Hello. I’m Loris.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Selden Alphonse.”

Village Chief Loris respectfully gestures to the chair across from him.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you, I will.”

After I sit down, Village Chief Loris looks up at Jawil Wilson, who is standing there blankly.

“You’ve gained quite a bit of weight suddenly, haven’t you?”

At the village chief’s words, Jawil Wilson flinches and then laughs heartily.

“Haha! My young master has been giving me too much food since our safe return to Lake Territory, and this is the result.”

“…Would you mind stepping out for a moment so I can have a word with your master?”

He gives a gentle smile to Jawil Wilson, who is standing there awkwardly.

“It’s fine, you can wait outside.”

“Understood.”

Only then does Jawil Wilson turn to leave.

Village Chief Loris makes an interested expression.

“I see the hierarchy between you is quite clear.”

“Jawil Wilson simply follows me well.”

“Haha… He’s certainly different from how he was in our territory. It’s hard to get used to this Jawil Wilson. He was just a disobedient little boy back then, but now he’s a proper knight…”

“I’ve never seen what Jawil Wilson was like as a child, so I wouldn’t know. I’ve only ever seen him being respectful, both then and now.”

I don’t particularly like praising Jawil Wilson, but what can I do?

It’s not like I can tell the truth that the guy seems to be shortening my lifespan day by day.

Village Chief Loris picks up a steaming teacup.

“When he was young, unlike now, he was quite timid.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“If I had known he would become such a dependable knight, I would have stopped him from leaving his hometown. Being a small territory, we’re always short on talent.”

“After hearing that, I should thank you for letting Jawil Wilson go.”

In the middle of our meaningless conversation, Village Chief Loris hesitates as if remembering something.

“By the way, I don’t see Clara around?”

“Ah! Clara’s mother’s treatment is taking longer than expected, so she’ll need to stay a bit longer.”

“…I see. Clara is also someone essential to our Pandera Territory.”

I adjust my posture to test Village Chief Loris.

“Speaking of Clara, do you know what her mother’s illness is?”

“I don’t know.”

“It seems she’s been poisoned.”

“Poisoned?”

Village Chief Loris’s eyebrows twitch.

I continue speaking nonchalantly, without showing awareness.

“I don’t know the details, but she’s definitely been poisoned.”

“Hmm… I wonder how she got poisoned?”

After checking with my Eye, I confirm that Village Chief Loris shows no mental change.

This likely means it was Brond acting alone.

“Well, treatment is the priority right now, so I don’t know exactly how or why she was poisoned.”

“I see. Will she be able to recover soon?”

“It might take some time. I heard she’s been poisoned with something that’s difficult to cure with ordinary antidotes.”

“…Please do your best for her.”

“Yes, I will. Oh, and…”

I trail off, then change my expression before continuing.

“Jawil Wilson mentioned that you wanted to meet me.”

“That’s right.”

“May I ask what this is about?”

At my question, Village Chief Loris glances around, subtly surveying the surroundings.

Then he clears his throat.

“Ahem! I was surprised to hear that Jawil Wilson is a knight for the Alphonse family.”

“What do you mean by that…”

“Actually, I’ve known about the Alphonse family. Especially you, Selden Alphonse of Lake Territory.”

“Oh, is that so? I’m not particularly famous in my family, so how did you know about me?”

Village Chief Loris smirks at my words.

“You’re being too modest. The rumors about how Selden Alphonse made enormous profits from Pale Fruit have already spread far and wide.”

So that’s it.

In other words, he approached Jawil Wilson to meet me?

No wonder…

When I came to find Brond to participate in the monster hunt, Village Chief Loris suddenly arranged this meeting. Now the puzzle pieces are falling into place.

I casually scratch the back of my head a couple of times.

“The Pale Fruit was just good luck.”

“I believe business requires luck too. Moreover, you didn’t hesitate to use your profits to build defenses and even stop the monster wave. You truly seem to have remarkable foresight.”

“I’m embarrassed by your praise, Village Chief Loris.”

“Honestly, I wanted to meet you. And to think that Jawil Wilson is your knight… what a coincidence!”

The compliments continue endlessly after that.

I hold my teacup, which has already gone cold.

“…May I ask why you wanted to meet me?”

Village Chief Loris clears his throat again.

“Ahem! I’ve been finding it quite difficult to manage Pandera Territory lately. The byproducts from monsters alone aren’t enough to sustain the territory financially.”

This is ridiculous.

Just selling the furniture and luxury items in this house could probably feed the people of Pandera Territory for years, yet he’s pretending to be struggling…

He should at least have removed the furniture and luxury items before saying such things.

I barely manage to swallow the curses that almost escape my lips.

“Is that so? Well, I was exiled and ended up managing Lake Territory against my will, but I also found territory management to be quite challenging.”

“Yes, there’s so much to worry about, and the funds for managing the territory are becoming increasingly scarce. It’s truly hellish. On top of that, the population is gradually increasing.”

“You must need a solution, Village Chief.”

At my words, Village Chief Loris’s eyes sparkle.

“That’s right. That’s the main reason why I wanted to meet you, Selden Alphonse.”

Village Chief Loris looks at me desperately.

I felt I should continue pretending not to understand.

“Then should I lend you some funds? Since it’s Jawil Wilson’s hometown, I can trust you enough to lend you money.”

I speak hesitantly, as if troubled, and Village Chief Loris laughs heartily with wide eyes.

“No matter how desperate I am, I’m not that shameless. I’m truly grateful just for the offer.”

“Then how can I help you?”

At my question, Village Chief Loris puts on a serious face.

“Actually, the reason I requested to speak with you is because I want to do business with you.”

“You want to do business with me?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hmm… I was thinking of establishing an academy…”

Village Chief Loris makes a fist, extends his index finger, and shakes it from side to side.

“I’m not trying to horn in on your business.”

“Then what?”

“I was hoping you could help me with the business I’m currently planning.”

“What kind of business are you planning?”

Village Chief Loris lowers his head and whispers quietly, even though no one else is listening.

“Do you know about a treatment that makes hair grow?”

“A treatment that makes hair grow?”

“Yes, a liquid treatment that you just drink, and your hair grows.”

“…Pardon?”

Village Chief Loris is an experienced, seasoned person.

If I show even the slightest hint in my expression, I’ll arouse suspicion.

I needed to act as if I knew nothing about the Majangcho.

My acting seems to have worked, as Village Chief Loris’s shoulders tense up.

“As people age, some naturally stop growing hair. Whether it’s genetic or due to burns on the head… the reasons vary.”

“Ah… come to think of it, I do know someone who can’t grow hair.”

“But if they drink the treatment I’ve created, their hair will grow.”

“Even on heads with burn scars?”

“Yes, as the hair grows, it will naturally cover the unsightly scars.”

At this point, I add another layer to my act.

I clench my fist tightly and make my lips tremble.

“Y-you can make such a treatment?”

“Yes. Does it interest you?”

“So if you drink this treatment, when do you see results?”

“It doesn’t work immediately, but hair will start growing within a month.”

As expected, just as I thought.

Village Chief Loris is brewing Majangcho and mixing it in small quantities with water or other medicinal ingredients to create the treatment.

Hair growing immediately after drinking it?

If that happened, rumors would spread like wildfire, so he’s deliberately slowed down the effects.

A thorough and cautious personality.

That was Village Chief Loris.

From then on, the conversation was dominated by Village Chief Loris.

Once he got started, he freely shared details about the business.

Of course, since I hadn’t given a definite answer yet, he omitted the important parts…

“Hmm, I think I’ll need about two days to think about it. It’s an intriguing business, but as I mentioned earlier, I already have many ventures underway.”

“Two days is perfectly fine to wait.”

Now that the conversation is more or less over, is it time to meet Wortman?

I also need to ask why Berik was captured.

Rising from my chair, I smile at Village Chief Loris.

“Then I’ll stay in Pandera Territory for just a day or two to think it over.”