Chapter 76

Episode 76

“You want me to… create a trading company?”

“That’s right. I’ve already decided on a name: Lucius Trading Company. I want you to establish an independent company, separate from our family’s influence. That’s your fifth mission.”

“I’m curious about your reasoning.”

If Jericho had said that, I would have questioned his sanity.

“Isn’t the Lucius Inspection Unit supposed to follow my orders? I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request. Your reaction is a bit cold.”

“I apologize, my Lady. But your order seems unrelated to the purpose of the Lucius Inspection Unit. The Inspection Unit was created to serve the family and the territory. Why a trading company?”

I wasn’t sulking because she hadn’t revealed her true identity.

We already had a lot on our plate. Even without official missions, we had to deal with the aftermath of the incidents in the capital.

And there was also the matter of House Gerard in the Dukedom. We had to uncover the connections between Lady Rosalyn, Baron Roman, and Grand Duke Hylix.

The situation had become even more complicated with the Duchess’s declaration of war.

“Now is not the time to be creating a trading company.”

“This is also for the territory and its people. So, I would appreciate it if you could do this for me. It’s not an order, but a request.”

People usually said, “It’s not a request, but an order,” but the Lady reversed the order to sway my heart.

“Is there a deadline or a specific goal?”

“Not yet. Consider this a side mission. I’ll give you the main mission separately, so don’t feel pressured.”

That was a relief. If it was a side project, we could work on it in our spare time. It seemed the Lady had decided to build her own power base.

Wait, a power base?

‘Does this mean she’s entering the succession race?’

A shiver ran down my spine.

It might seem strange to suddenly create a trading company, but in this world, trading companies weren’t just about commerce.

They handled logistics, assets, and even information. In other words, creating a trading company was practically a declaration that the Lady intended to take control of House Kalisto.

Grand Duke Hylix, the eldest son, was already involved in the Kalisto Trading Company. If a new trading company emerged, the siblings would inevitably become rivals.

‘This is getting interesting.’

It seemed like our trip to the capital had triggered the unveiling of the mastermind’s sharp fangs.

“I’ll start preparing immediately upon my return. Please rest well.”

“Take care. Oh, Sir Aubrey.”

“Yes?”

“I heard from my father that pardoning the Azure Dragon Knights was your wish. When he asked if you had any requests for saving my life.”

My suspicion that the Lady was concerned about Sir Romero was confirmed. I had already prepared an answer.

“It was to create a debt. A force like the Azure Dragon Knights has unlimited potential.”

The Lady smiled, and I bowed once again.

I returned to my mansion. It was past midnight, but my head butler, Balzac, was waiting for me.

“How was the banquet, Master?”

“It was fantastic. The food and drinks were excellent, and I received this medal.”

I touched the golden medal on my chest. A rare smile appeared on Balzac’s usually stoic face.

“Sir Jericho informed me. Congratulations, Master.”

“You’re now the head butler of a baronial family. You can walk with your head held high.”

“Shouldn’t I be even more humble now? Now, I’ve prepared a bath for you. Please go ahead.”

I took off my clothes and sank into the bathtub. The fragrant flower petals floating in the water refreshed both my body and mind.

A servant entered with a towel and fresh clothes.

“Master, do you need anything else?”

“No, I’m fine. Is Lady Selendis in her room?”

“I believe she’s training in the training ground.”

She was truly a dedicated individual.

I wasn’t tired today, so I wanted to discuss the trading company, but I didn’t want to interrupt her training.

‘She seems motivated after punishing Prince Arthur.’

Selendis had clearly chosen me as her role model. She worked harder every time I achieved something.

Even Jericho, who was pretending to be lazy, was the same.

He had been pestering me with questions about magic ever since I defeated the 1-star demonic beast with six Energy Bolts.

He wanted to know my secret. How I had mastered it so quickly.

Of course, I had no advice for him.

Magic materialized simply by thinking about it. There were no techniques or hand seals to teach.

Since then, Jericho had been practicing magic whenever he had the chance, activating his Enclave.

‘I can’t fall behind either.’

Now that my body and mind were refreshed, I sat on my bed and activated Enclave.

This was my mansion, a secluded location, so there shouldn’t be anyone watching, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

After confirming that the barrier was secure, I practiced fire magic.

*Whoosh!*

*Boom!*

A small fireball flew across the room, hit the Enclave, and vanished.

Next, I cast “Ice Bolt,” a water magic spell.

*Swoosh!*

*Clang!*

It was small and I could only fire one at a time, but with practice, the number and power would increase.

I had already confirmed that magic skills had a leveling system while training Energy Bolt.

Since then, I had been alternating between “Fire Bolt” and “Ice Bolt.”

I focused on fire and water magic because they were the most common elements.

Common elements meant they had a wide range of applications in this world.

I had already reached level 6 with “Energy Bolt,” a non-elemental magic, so I planned to raise “Fire Bolt” and “Ice Bolt” to a similar level.

I could reach level 6 quickly if I sacrificed some sleep.

*Boom!*

*Clang!*

After practicing for a while, I exhausted my mana.

‘The reason I can level up my skills so quickly is because of my mana capacity.’

In typical games, you couldn’t use magic many times when you first learned it. Your mana was limited.

But I had an excessive amount of mana. Was it a transmigrator perk? It took me about two hours of continuous casting to deplete my mana.

I eventually got the hang of it and could alternate between spells seamlessly, like a macro.

‘I should get some sleep now.’

I drank a glass of sleep-inducing wine that Balzac had prepared and went to bed.

The next day, I headed to Inspection Unit headquarters with Selendis early in the morning. My mana, depleted from last night’s practice, had fully recovered.

Chloe, who was dozing off at the reception desk, jolted awake when we entered.

“Gasp! I-I wasn’t sleeping! I was checking the visitor log! Really!”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Um… G-Good morning.”

“You don’t have to come in so early. Get enough sleep. You can arrive later next time.”

“Yes…”

Her flustered demeanor was adorable. Even Selendis smiled.

“Is Jericho here yet?”

“Yes! He’s in his office.”

“I have something to discuss, so you join us too, Chloe.”

“I’ll be there after I finish organizing!”

We gathered at the table a few moments later. It was rare for all four of us to meet unless we were making important decisions. Jericho looked serious.

“What’s so urgent that you came here without resting?”

“Are you telling me not to come?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. I’m enjoying the good life thanks to you, Inspector.”

“The fifth mission has been decided.”

All eyes were on me. I was curious about their reactions.

“We’re creating a trading company. That’s the Lady’s order.”

“What? A trading company?”

“Yes. She wants us to create the best trading company in the Kalisto Dukedom.”

Jericho looked dumbfounded. He knew how much money, effort, and time it took to establish a successful trading company.

“Why a trading company, of all things? Our priority should be dealing with the monsters in the territory. The incident in Caribe is a serious matter.”

The appearance of a 1-star demonic beast in Caribe had put the surrounding territories on high alert. The invisible influence had caused an increase in monster activity.

The Kalisto Dukedom was no exception.

The Black Dragon Knights and the Azure Dragon Knights were already on monster extermination missions.

“I agree. But the fact that she ordered us to create a trading company in this situation suggests she’s entering the succession race.”

“…Succession? You’re saying the Lady wants to inherit the family?”

“It’s just a guess for now.”

“The Inspector’s guesses are always accurate, so it must be true. Ugh, that’s scary.”

“You all know that the Lady is a special person. She’s ambitious. The broken engagement and the incidents in the capital have created an opportunity for her.”

Jericho and Selendis, both indebted to the Lady for their lives, couldn’t refute my opinion.

“Anyway, as the Inspector, I have to start the fifth mission. If you have any good ideas for establishing the Lucius Trading Company, feel free to share them.”

“That’s easier said than done. The Kalisto Trading Company already dominates the market in the Dukedom. All the other trading companies are practically subsidiaries of Kalisto.”

Of course, there were no antitrust laws in this world. It was perfectly normal for the Duke’s trading company to monopolize the market.

“Can’t we use the family’s influence?”

“She ordered us to create a company completely independent from the family, so it’s best to act independently.”

“The Inspection Unit is the Lady’s private organization, but it’s already recognized by the Duke. Even if we create the company ourselves, I doubt we can escape the family’s influence.”

“We can worry about that later. Our priority is to find a product that can generate profit as quickly as possible.”

In typical transmigration stories, the protagonist would find a talented merchant and recruit them as a subordinate. Unfortunately, I was just a transmigrator in name only. I had no prior knowledge of this world.

So, I had to think of a simpler solution.

After a moment of contemplation, Jericho cautiously offered his opinion.

“I think there are two main options. First, we could sell information.”

“I’ve already considered that. What’s the second option?”

“The most profitable option is long-distance trade. We buy large quantities of valuable goods from distant lands and sell them here.”

Importing expensive fabrics, herbs, and spices from the East could definitely generate a lot of money.

“But that requires a foundation, doesn’t it? We can’t start a large-scale trading company from scratch. We’ll need mercenaries to protect our goods during transport.”

“You’re right. But I can’t think of any other options. It’s too peaceful to deal in military supplies… And processing monster corpses isn’t very profitable.”

Wait, monsters?

A brilliant idea flashed through my mind. I couldn’t help but smile.

This was it.

An opportunity to make a fortune.