Episode 331 – Tossing the Bait (1)
“Didn’t you say you had something to ask me?”
At Italus’s question as he brought out tea, I closed the Dark Sales catalog and smacked my lips.
“…Mm, it just got resolved.”
“How dull.”
“Have you been well?”
“Once the burden was lifted, I’ve been sleeping fine.”
The Lenon Trading Company was now aboard the ship called the World Tree Union.
Italus, who had served as the captain until now, had handed the rudder over to me, so naturally, his burden had lessened.
Of course, proportionally, mine had increased.
Depending on the direction I led it, the fate of the Lenon Company could change.
“Aren’t you trusting me too much?”
“I do trust you, but not completely. What I trust is the World Tree Union itself.”
It seemed placing Lochter Felice here as a shield had earned his trust.
“Is Sir Lochter doing well?”
“He comes to the training grounds daily. A relentless training maniac. What’s interesting is that he frequently talks with Koristman, the dwarf chief. Neither Sir Lochter nor Koristman are the type who enjoy conversation.”
“They must share some connection.”
“Connection?”
“A swordsman and a craftsman—there’s only one thing they’d have in common, isn’t there?”
“Weapons, huh?”
The final creation of the Dwarf King.
Belin and Reyna.
From what I’d heard, Koristman seemed to have some hint about the twin swords.
I was curious what it was, but waiting was the right call.
If it were Lochter, he’d uncover the answer sooner or later.
“You’re saying to just watch quietly?”
“If you interfere carelessly, you might end up being deeply resented.”
“To be resented by Sir Lochter… that’s a bit frightening. Got it.”
Italus, making a displeased face, nodded and then suddenly seemed to remember something. He set his cup down and stood.
“Wait here a moment. I was about to call you anyway, so this works out well.”
“Is something wrong?”
“That curse my granddaughter suffered… there are others showing similar symptoms.”
My eyes lit up at his words.
“You found them?”
“Antonio hasn’t been sleeping as he investigates. Probably because it concerns his daughter.”
The tenacity of an enraged father was no joke.
Italus brought documents from the study and handed them to me.
The papers listed various names.
Roughly ten people, differing in age, gender, profession, and family background. As I furrowed my brow while examining the list, Italus, sipping his tea, asked,
“Do you know what they have in common?”
“Commonality? These people share something in common?”
“They do.”
I carefully reviewed the list again.
First, the Lenon Company deals in dwarf-made equipment.
Looking into the companies each person belonged to, they were ones that handled provisions, horses, lumber, and the like.
After a brief thought, I found their common link.
“They’re all tied to military supplies.”
As if my answer was correct, Italus gave a bitter smile and nodded.
“Exactly. Most of those showing symptoms belong to companies involved in the military supply business. Like us, their precious children, heirs, or even the company heads themselves are the ones afflicted. Most mistook it for an illness, not a curse.”
“An illness… that’s why it didn’t stand out.”
“Some of them formed partnerships with us in exchange for treatment. We used about half of a World Tree leaf.”
“You did well.”
“…There’s one thing I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
Just as he opened his mouth, Italus leaned back into the sofa.
A brief expression of contemplation.
Then he asked me,
“Do you believe all these curses were the work of Lord Azonne?”
“I do.”
“…You didn’t even hesitate.”
“Isn’t it a merchant’s instinct to chase profit? Among them, Lord Azonne is the best merchant. If you examine the vested interests between those afflicted and Lord Azonne, the answer becomes clear.”
Interests.
What was Lord Azonne aiming to achieve by targeting them?
As expected of a seasoned merchant, Italus quickly reached the answer.
With a hollow chuckle, he said,
“Does this mean a major war is about to break out in Hell Grime? Big enough for the key military supply companies of Aintrier to all start moving?”
“I can’t say for certain. But it seems Lord Azonne sees it that way.”
“War…”
Italus paused, lost in thought.
A region in Hell Grime where conflict was intense enough for war to erupt.
As far as he knew, there was only one such place within Hell Grime.
“Demtor?”
Currently, the stars of Demtor were splitting into factions and fighting. With the stars in conflict, the entire Magic Tower was growling, unable to devour each other.
In the case of the Lenon Company, which had once relied on the Wind Tower and the Ivory Tower as shields, they had received word that support from those towers was no longer possible.
It meant even maintaining their own towers had become difficult.
Tracing Lord Azonne’s actions in reverse, it became clear that the faction war in Demtor might not end as a simple power struggle.
If, by any chance, Demtor split in two and a civil war broke out…
Italus’s expression grew serious.
“The balance of power in Hell Grime would be completely overturned. This is no time to be sipping tea leisurely.”
“Do you know the details of the situation in Demtor?”
“No. Since the conflict started, an intel war has broken out between the towers, and all information from Demtor has been cut off. All I know is that the factions have split around Modin, the Lord of the Ivory Tower, and Gram, the Lord of the Black Tower.”
“Wouldn’t Lord Azonne know more?”
“Of course. Lord Azonne’s information network has always surpassed any merchant in Aintrier.”
If Lord Azonne was confident that war in Demtor would break out, then all his recent actions made perfect sense.
If war broke out in Demtor, the flames would certainly spread across all of Hell Grime. And if at that moment, Lord Azonne had a grip on Aintrier’s military supply companies, he would wield immense power within Hell Grime.
An uncontested dictatorship might be established.
The world of Azonne Vistas.
I placed the report down before the now grim-faced Italus.
“This report effectively exposes Lord Azonne’s plan.”
The clue of the curse and Italus’s seasoned insight.
Through these two elements, Lord Azonne’s grand scheme came to light.
‘So Azonne is preparing for war.’
The civil war in Demtor wasn’t in the original novel.
Of course, I was the one who had instigated this by freeing the Ivory Tower Lord and triggering Demtor’s division.
I hadn’t expected it to escalate into full-blown war, but a civil war in Demtor was beneficial for the World Tree Union.
“What do you plan to do, old man?”
“Now that I’ve grasped Lord Azonne’s intent, I must act.”
“Act?”
“If we sit idly, we’ll be devoured. This is Aintrier. We must play by Aintrier’s rules.”
A city of merchants.
A collective of interests that come together and fall apart repeatedly.
If Lord Azonne’s backdoor dealings became known, the military supply companies would band together to resist.
Lord Azonne might be the ruler of Aintrier, but he didn’t control every company.
“You mentioned that you’ve built partnerships with some of the names on the list. Do you think Lord Azonne knows this?”
“He’s probably found out by now. The ones cured of the curse likely rejected Lord Azonne’s offers.”
I nodded firmly and stood up.
Several lingering questions had been answered through this conversation.
“I now understand why the Kunta Soul-Binding Doll was sold to the Everfell family.”
“Everfell? The doll’s owner is Henry, the Everfell Company head?”
“Haven’t things been noisy around his mansion lately?”
At my question, Italus narrowed his brow and nodded.
“You mean the sudden increase in rats recently? Don’t tell me they’re from Everfell? Why?”
“Because the Lenon family has the leaf.”
“The leaf? You mean the World Tree leaf?”
I nodded and gave him a brief explanation of the negotiations with Everfell.
After listening, Italus stroked his chin and shared his thoughts.
“So they’re watching me to see if I’ll go to Lord Azonne with the leaf. Worried that its value might drop.”
“That’s likely.”
“In this situation, Lord Azonne would surely want the leaf. Seeing that those afflicted were cured by it, he must be curious about the power it holds.”
“And Henry conveniently provided him with a sample.”
“Then Lord Azonne now has the leaf in his possession. Could that introduce a new variable?”
“Variable? What kind?”
“Like casting a new curse immune to the leaf’s energy.”
“Not impossible.”
Lord Azonne likely didn’t cast the curses himself, meaning someone helped him.
Now that he had the leaf, that person would surely react to its power.
‘Reto said the curse resembled the aura of the Frost Lord…’
Lyon Martrein had definitely died at the World Tree. I’d confirmed it personally.
So he wasn’t the one.
That meant someone connected to the Frost Lord’s heart was staying near Azonne. I needed to confirm it.
“Is it possible to plant someone near Azonne?”
“Let’s consider it impossible.”
“…Mm.”
“If you’re thinking of sending a capable person to monitor Lord Azonne, give up. He owns too many items with mysterious powers. If you approach with common sense, you’ll be discovered and fall into danger.”
I had considered using Karl briefly, but nodded and dropped the idea.
Karl would’ve made a good observer, but we still hadn’t located Special Investigator Richard.
If Richard was already lurking near Azonne, Karl might end up in danger.
“Then instead of us approaching them, we need to make them move first.”
“What do you mean?”
“How long would it take for a rumor to spread throughout Aintrier?”
“If it’s provocative or important, less than a day. Aintrier is sensitive to information.”
I nodded and wandered the room for a bit, thinking.
Then an idea struck me.
“Please spread a rumor that I handed over all the leaves to the Everfell Company.”
“All of them?”
“It’s technically true. I gave them all in exchange for the elves. So it shouldn’t be a big problem. The sooner the rumor spreads, the better.”
“…Alright, I’ll do it.”
If word got out that Henry of Everfell possessed a large quantity of leaves, Lord Azonne’s side would surely react.
And the curse caster would move along with them.
“One more thing. The Kunta Soul-Binding Doll—let’s make it known that its owner is the Everfell Company head.”
The mysterious competitor who had fought over the Kunta Doll with Everfell.
I wanted to know who it was.
By now, with the doll already sold, they were likely feeling like a dog who lost the chicken it chased.
But if they learned that the doll had gone to Everfell?
They’d certainly react to the rumor, especially if they’d chased it obsessively up to 21 million gold.
This time, I planned to toss Henry as bait and see where the nibble came from.
“I’ll be stepping out for a bit.”
Once Italus left the room, I picked up the Dark Sales catalog.
It was the book I’d received from the Golden Mask before coming here.
I opened it and checked the price of [Mana-Flare Spider, Cricket].
“9 million gold, huh. It’s gone up quite a bit.”
Last time, I made it look like I scraped together everything to offer a messy top bid of 8,130.511G.
She must think 9 million is unbeatable now.
So I bumped it again, to a messy 9,213.111G, and closed the book.
Would she think I’d gone all in again?
This time, it should start to give her a headache.
By tomorrow, the Spider Queen Azolett might just blow her top.