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Episode 66 - Theo Unleashes a Spy
Theo was walking around
the school with a puzzled look on his face.
(What am I going to do?
What should I do?)
He had just received advice on how to deal with
Lorea from a person from the trading company he was doing business with.
“Be careful" he
said. “She will use force to attack anyone who doesn't give in to her demands.”
“You mean she'll use
violence? But I thought it
was forbidden to use magic against the mages of the academy......”
“Yes, that's right. Apparently,
she has the means to get past the Academy's eyes and keep out of the way.”
“What do you mean?”
He told me.
There had been people like Theo who had traded goods
to avoid taxation.
However, when they had grown to a certain scale,
they were summoned by Lorea.
After that, some of them succumbed to Lorea's
threats and quietly folded their businesses, while others defied Lorea and
continued their businesses.
But all those who
continued, without exception, have disappeared.
“I don't know the
details of what kind of magic she uses. However, I am certain that she will use
the same trick again this time. Please be very careful.”
(I see, such means are
involved.)
Theo was impatient.
If it's a business
competition, I don't feel like we can lose, but when it comes to magical
combat, the other side has the upper hand.
(The other side is
stronger than us, so we should try to make the first move somehow, but if we
make a bad move, we will be defeated....... If that's the case, it's better to
strike back when they're already on the move..)
But it is not an easy
task. It is very difficult to be prepared for an attack that may come at any
time and in any way.
(If only we knew when
they were going to attack us........ maybe we should send out a spy.)
Theo was walking along with his arms crossed with a
difficult look on his face when Lynn appeared.
“Hey, Theo.”
“Lynn. What's with the
...... outfit?”
Theo looks at Lynn's outfit questioningly.
Lynn was dressed in a
crisp tailcoat, silk hat and walking stick, a pipe in his mouth, Rain on his
shoulder, and had a little mustache around his mouth for some reason.
At first glance, he looked like a clown, dressed in
formal attire but looking like he was going to a costume party.
“I'm about to go out
for dinner with a woman.”
“Ah, I see.”
(This guy has suddenly
become very flirty.)
To Theo, it seemed as if Lynn was not his true self.
(You've been influenced
too much by Yuwen.......)
Theo looked at his suddenly changed friend with
mixed feelings.
“So? Who do you have a date with today? Yuwen? Or that
girl Lilette who's been following you around lately?”
“It's Lorea-san.”
“I see. You're going on
a date with Lorea. ......HUH?”
“I happened to meet
Lorea-san at the academy the other day and we talked for a bit. I said I'd like
to have dinner with her sometime. We're trying to work out a peace settlement,
so that's good, right?”
Theo gulped for a
moment and then immediately laughed in amusement.
“Ahahahahaha. Yeah,
that's right, Lynn. That's exactly what I was looking for. Lynn is the one.”
Theo continued to a puzzle Lynn.
“Listen, Lynn? We're going to give Lorea all the information she
wants about our company. Just to show her that we have no intention of going
against her.”
“I see. That sounds
like a good idea.”
“By the way, Lynn, I'd
like to talk to that Illywia, if you don't mind. I was wondering if you could
put me in touch with her.”
Lorea had arrived at
the meeting place with Lynn, but was restlessly stamping her feet.
Not more than a few days after that, she received a
letter from Lynn inviting her to dinner.
“I'm sorry for rushing
you when you said you would wait for my reply. I really felt that I had to talk
to you soon.”
That's what the letter said.
It was followed by the name of the restaurant and
the date and time of a meeting place.
It was a restaurant that Lorea had never been to
before.
She couldn't resist her curiosity and said yes to
the invitation, but when she arrived, her anxiety began to rise.
(Was it really a good
idea to come here? I can't believe I'm going out to dinner with an enemy.)
It wasn't as if Lynn was trying to trick her.
He was already feeling a twinge of regret.
Lynn came over in a cheerful manner.
“Well well, hello.
Lorea-san. How are you?”
“Eh, Hello, good
morning.”
She didn't even make eye contact when Lynn called
out to her.
She looked around nervously, concerned about the
eyes around her.
Afterwards, Lynn tried to talk to her about a
variety of random topics, but she never seemed to relax.
Lynn soon realized that
he was walking with her and was concerned about how people saw them.
“Lorea-san. Would you
like to take a wagon ride to the restaurant?”
If we are in a carriage, we can shield ourselves
from the eyes of the people around us.
When Lynn said this, as expected, Lorea immediately
felt relieved and her face lit up.
“Yes, of course. I
think that's a good idea.”
“Then let's take the
most expensive carriage.”
Lynn ran toward the most expensive carriage in the
square, called out to the coachman, and had him pull it up to Lorea's side.
Lorea was thrilled with Lynn's thoughtfulness.
Lynn continued to please Lorea in the carriage.
“Lorea-san. I'm
thinking. I think that as long as we're under your control, everything will be
fine.”
Lorea's face lit up.
“You think so too? That's what I thought, too.”
“Yes, I've never seen
anyone as good at managing people as you are.”
“That's very nice of
you to say.”
“No, I'm not flattering
you or exaggerating. You are the only one who can levy this much tax. It would
not be an exaggeration to say that it is thanks to you that the Mage
Association's finances are in good shape.”
Lorea couldn't help but
let a smile slip across her cheeks.
“If you take control of
Alfredo's distribution, everything will be fine. That's why this settlement has
to work.”
"Yes, of course.
You're right.
She was in a good mood the whole time she was in the
carriage.
(I was worried, but it
looks like we're in the right direction. Lynn's reverence is genuine.)
But when they finally arrived in front of the restaurant,
Lorea looked suspicious.
“Wait a minute. It says
here that this place is for Wyngarde nobles only. Are you sure?”
“It's fine. I also
attend the royal tea parties in Wyngarde.”
Lynn walked into the restaurant as if he were
entering his own garden.
“Hey, Master. Hello.”
Lynn called out to the man who was tending the reception
in a friendly manner.
“Oh, Lynn-sama.
Welcome.”
(This guy again.)
The owner of the store
acted smiling on the surface, but secretly he was bitter that a non-Wyngarde,
Lynn, had entered the place.
(You're of lower rank
than me. You little shit.)
But he also knew that Lynn was Illywia's favorite,
so he couldn't just ignore him.
“Master. Is there a
seat available?”
“Of course, of course.
Please come in. When Lynn-sama is here, even if the place is full, we can't
help but make room for him. Please make yourself at home with your companion
for as long as you like.”
“Let's go. Come on in.
Lorea-san.”
“Ah, yeah. Okay.”
(Who the hell is this
...... boy?)
Lorea looked at Lynn with a kind of fear in her
eyes.
Lynn told Lorea about
the inner workings of their company, just as Theo had told him to.
When Lorea heard Lynn's story, her face became
tense.
(These guys are making
this much money.......)
On one hand, she is convinced that the amount of
taxes collected should be reduced, but on the other hand, she feels threatened
by Theo again.
Lynn did not miss the change in Lorea's expression
and quickly put in words to ease her mind.
“It's nothing to worry
about. Both Theo and I have already decided to join Lorea-san's army. The fact
that I am exposing the inner workings of the company in this way is the best
evidence of my devotion. As long as we can agree on the terms, everything will
be fine. Then we'll be under your control and become your pawns to work for
you. Then all the wealth in Alfredo will flow to you.”
“Yes ... that's right.”
Lorea regained her
composure after hearing Lynn's words.
She was already giggling imagining a future where
she could use Lynn and Theo as her pawns. She wondered how much wealth she
would be able to amass by putting them to work for her.
“So? How much do you
want to hand over the business to me?”
“How about 200 million
legica?”
“T-Two hundred million?”
Lorea couldn't help but stammer.
(There's no way I can
come up with that kind of money.)
She managed to keep her
composure so as not to show weakness.
“That's a lot of money.
Of course, it's not something I can't afford. But it's not an easy sum to come
by.”
“That's true. Well, how
about you become the largest shareholder? We are planning to make the company a
public company soon. Would you be willing to buy 5% of the shares for 10
million legions?”
Lorea's mind went
blank. She was not very good at this kind of calculation.
“Well, let's see...
Yeah. Well, that's true. That offer sounds good and bad......”
“Hmm? It seems that the food has arrived.”
When Lynn looked towards the door, he saw that the
court cuisine of Wyngarde was being served.
“Lorea-san. I'm sorry,
but could you please discuss what you just said with me later? I'm not very good at talking about difficult things
when I'm eating.”
“Eh, yeah? Well, if you
say that, I can't help it. Let's talk about this again later. I'll listen to
you.”
As Lorea said this, she
was inwardly relieved that the conversation had broken down and she could save
face in front of a younger man.
“Come on. Please eat
before it gets cold. These are the best of Wyngarde's culinary delicacies from
the mountains and seas, full of extravagance and elegance.”
Lynn went on to talk
about the culinary delights of Wyngarde. It was as if he were an expert on the
cuisine of Wyngarde.
The day ended with Lorea confirming that she would
settle with Theo and that she would buy Theo and Lynn's company.
They parted for the day, promising to go out for
dinner again a different time.
Next time: Episode 67 “Cerberus,
the Demon Beast”
Lynn... He's amazing. I have much to learn...
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