Ch.214214. A Letter? Who’s It From?

“The price of demon blood has skyrocketed. It’s time to release our stored inventory.”

No matter how much one should strike while the iron is hot, I was on the verge of being overwhelmed with work.

As soon as I returned to Lake Territory, I was in a meeting with Castleton in the study.

I skimmed through the report on demon blood prices that Castleton had prepared and spoke.

“At this price, it is indeed time to sell, as you suggested.”

“Yes, since there’s always demand for demon blood, the market price will crash quickly.”

“Then start selling immediately and send a letter to House Parseche as well. Tell them it’s now acceptable to sell the demon blood.”

“Understood. And…”

Castleton trailed off, his eyes suddenly gleaming.

“What happened with the Majangcho business?”

“Judging by how quickly you’re asking, you must be quite curious.”

“Of course! It’s a treatment that makes hair grow abundantly—who wouldn’t be interested?”

Castleton’s voice was slightly excited.

I raised the corner of my mouth and placed the contract signed in Pandera Territory on the desk.

“We’ve secured exclusive rights to sell the treatment made from Majangcho.”

“Is, is that true?”

“Yes.”

Castleton scanned the contract and was visibly shocked.

“70% profit distribution… how did you manage to secure such an unbelievable contract?”

“It’s a long story. Anyway, it’s not a losing business for Pandera Territory either. That’s why they signed the contract.”

“Haha… anyone who sees this contract would call it a slave contract.”

“Contracts are never just what they appear to be on the surface.”

Castleton’s hands trembled with excitement as he held the contract.

“And, and we just need to handle the sales?”

“Yes, it will be much easier than dealing with demon blood.”

“Wow… if we’re just handling sales, my workload will be significantly reduced.”

I hesitated at Castleton’s words before adjusting my posture.

“…Are you struggling on your own?”

“It’s not overwhelming yet.”

Castleton had been handling everything alone—procuring demon blood, storing it until prices rose, and managing sales.

Now with the Majangcho business as well…

While he might be able to manage now as he claims, if more work is added in the future, it will be too burdensome for him to continue alone.

“I’ll try to find someone suitable to help.”

“It’s, it’s fine. I just need to handle sales for the demon blood now, and the same goes for Majangcho, right?”

“It’s only two things now, but more work will come in the future.”

After hesitating, Castleton nodded.

“I understand what you mean.”

“Good. So let’s just endure a bit more until we find someone.”

Castleton placed the contract back on the desk and continued.

“But while people already know about the demon blood price surge, so we can sell it naturally, what should we do about Majangcho?”

“For now, we’ll start by selling it secretly to nobles first.”

“Hmm, do we really need to keep it secret?”

“We’re going to set the price insanely high.”

Castleton stroked his chin and tilted his head.

“In that case, nobles will buy it, but won’t ordinary territory residents be unable to afford it?”

“That’s exactly why we’re selling it to nobles first with a premium. It’s essential to spread rumors like ‘This is extremely rare’ and ‘We don’t know when the treatment will run out.'”

“Ah… then nobles will try to buy the treatment by any means necessary, fearing they might miss their chance.”

“And the effects won’t be immediate. They’ll need to take the treatment consistently to see results after a month.”

“…What?”

While Loris was indeed a villain who kidnapped people for his own gain, reducing the effectiveness was quite an ingenious idea.

If hair grew overnight, people would notice immediately, and rumors would spread unintentionally.

Moreover.

If the treatment was made solely from Majangcho, it would be a one-time purchase, but if the effects were gradual, people would continue buying it consistently, doubling the profits.

It was truly killing two birds with one stone.

I shrugged my shoulders toward Castleton.

“That way, rumors won’t spread as much, and sales revenue will increase.”

“Wow… young master, you’re truly amazing.”

“Of course, once the business stabilizes, we’ll make it available to our territory residents at a lower price. The same goes for all territories under House Alphonse.”

I was babbling excitedly, and Castleton let out an exclamation of admiration.

“I still have a long way to go to catch up to you, young master.”

“Haha! Anyway, focus on selling the demon blood for now. House Parseche must also have a considerable amount, so the price will crash soon.”

“…Then couldn’t we send a letter to House Parseche asking them to delay their sales?”

“No need. We already have a contract where a portion of their demon blood sales revenue comes to us. And since we’ve successfully contracted the Majangcho business, there’s no need to be greedy.”

“Understood. Then I’ll proceed with selling the demon blood first.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

Castleton bowed with a straight posture and left the study.

As if he had been waiting, Federicks entered.

“Young master, there are only ten days left until the coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Sigh… has time passed so quickly already?”

“I was worried you might not return in time for the ceremony.”

“Hmm, is the ceremony being properly prepared?”

Federicks placed a white paper on the desk, apparently having prepared it in advance.

I lowered my head slightly to see it was a list of invitees for the coming-of-age ceremony.

“You’re sending one to House Parseche too? They’ll be quite busy with business now…”

“Still, it’s proper etiquette to send an invitation given your relationship with them. If they have circumstances preventing attendance, they’ll send a letter in advance.”

I nodded and skimmed through the invitation list, then nearly jumped out of my seat in shock when I saw a familiar name.

“Are, are you out of your mind!?”

“What are you referring to?”

“You’re sending an invitation to the Etherian Princess as well!?”

I shouted loudly, and Federicks let out a deep sigh.

“Please don’t get angry and think calmly. What do you think would happen if the Etherian Princess found out she wasn’t invited to your coming-of-age ceremony?”

“…It would be terrible. Lake Territory, which even defended against the Demon Wave, could be destroyed overnight.”

“That’s exactly my point. The difference between sending and not sending an invitation is significant.”

“What if I make the excuse that I forgot to send the invitation because I was busy preparing for the ceremony?”

Without missing a beat, Federicks continued.

“Then the Etherian Princess might erase Lake Territory from the Eastern Continent.”

Sigh…

He was the type of person who could do that and more, making Federicks’ words sound far from a joke.

I pressed my throbbing temple with my fingertips.

“Fine. Send an invitation to the Etherian Princess.”

“Understood.”

“…Preferably late. It would be better if the letter arrived at the imperial palace just two days or one day before the event.”

“I’ll try my best. Though, it’s unlikely the Etherian Princess would not attend the ceremony regardless.”

As I kept sighing, Federicks placed another letter on the desk.

“A letter? Who is it from?”

“It’s for Rio.”

“Oh, really?”

I immediately opened the envelope and skimmed through it.

It wasn’t anything special—just information about where he was currently hunting demons, and that he and his companions apologized for not being able to attend the ceremony due to the distance.

“Well, they’re heroes for peace, so they might not be able to attend. It’s just a coming-of-age ceremony after all.”

“…Pardon? Heroes for peace?”

“Never mind. Is this everyone who’s getting an invitation?”

“Yes. Are there any additional people you’d like to invite? Jawill Wilson mentioned you formed deep connections in Pandera Territory.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

“No. Pandera Territory is in a difficult situation right now, so sending an invitation asking them to attend a coming-of-age ceremony would be impolite.”

“What about others?”

“Hmm… I think this is sufficient? If I think of anyone else to invite, I’ll let you know later.”

“So apart from the Etherian Princess, there’s no one on the list you’d prefer not to invite?”

I pointed at the list of invitees.

“By the way, I see names of people I don’t know—who are they?”

“Ah! Those are nobles who have friendly relations with House Alphonse. Baron Byron Alphonse sent me the list in advance. It’s proper etiquette for us to send the invitations directly.”

There were more people than I expected.

The thought of being surrounded by so many people already made my head spin.

But what could I do?

It was just one day to endure.

I pushed the list of invitees toward Federicks with my fingertips.

“Alright. Send out the invitations according to the list immediately.”

“Yes, I’ll be going then.”

“Wait, wait!!”

“…Yes?”

As Federicks was about to turn away, I gave him a desperate look.

“…One last question—do we really have to send an invitation to the Etherian Princess?”