Chapter 67

“You want to do what in the lower district?”

“I said I’m going to set up a street stall in the lower district.”

“……?”

“You look like you want to ask if you heard me correctly, Avenger.”

“And you, Young Master, look like you want to say, ‘No, you heard me perfectly.’”

I was impressed. Finally, Avenger and I had reached a point where we could communicate without words.

Adele, watching us, offered her assessment. “You two seem to get along well.”

“We actually do. Avenger is my most trusted right-hand man, after all.”

“Hmm.” Adele turned her gaze toward Avenger. “For someone who’s a ‘trusted right-hand,’ the Chief Steward seems to oppose everything you do. Like the other day, he was against hiring the guards, wasn’t he?”

“Pfft. You only say that because you don’t know the full story. Everything I do has a plausible reason, but financially, it’s practically a tightrope walk. Avenger is the one who somehow keeps us from falling.”

“Ooh.”

Unable to listen to our conversation any longer, Avenger clenched his fists.

“I’m hearing this as a sign that I’ll be stuck cleaning up after you again this time. Did I hear that correctly?”

“Spot on, Chief Steward Avenger.”

“…It is truly an honor to serve in the holy duty bestowed upon me by the Young Master.”

As he spoke, Avenger gritted his teeth. He was glaring at me with a lethal smile.

Yikes, I should stop teasing him now.

“Ahem… anyway, back to the main point…”

But then, Avenger spoke up abruptly. “Yes. Let’s get back to the point. It seems my reinforcements have arrived just in time.”

“Reinforcements?”

Just then, the door burst open. It was Izack. As soon as he entered, he shouted at me.

“Absolutely not.”

“True reinforcements indeed,” I muttered.

Izack strode toward me. “I don’t know what you’re plotting, but this will undoubtedly cause a stir. Bringing lower district residents to the upper district was already a risky decision. But now you want to open a shop in the lower district?”

Avenger chimed in to support Izack. “He’s right. If a riot breaks out in the lower district, it will be difficult to control the situation even with Mr. Izack there. No, it would be absolutely impossible! The mere fact that a disturbance occurred would fan the flames of the conflict between the upper and lower districts!”

“Wait, wait. Why are you all being so serious? This is just something like door-to-door sales. We’re selling items for people with mobility issues; we can’t exactly tell them to climb all the way to the upper district to buy them, can we?”

Whoa, now. I waved my hands in the air to calm them down.

“And besides, why are you already opposing me before you even know what I’m planning to do with the shop?”

—Slam!

Izack struck the desk. “It’s obvious! You’ve been swayed by Vina’s words and now you’re thinking of peddling those wheeled chairs in the lower district!”

Avenger chimed in again. “And using that as a starting point to expand the influence of the upper district market into the lower district!”

Whoa. They actually hit the nail on the head. Is this the synergy of A-rank talents?

‘But you’re still far off.’

I wagged my finger from side to side. ‘Most of what you said is true. But that’s all. You’ve got the details all wrong.’

“First, let’s address the misunderstandings you both have.” I turned my gaze toward Izack. “First, Mr. Izack. I have absolutely no intention of asking you to help with the street stall in the lower district.”

“It’s a situation where even my presence might not be enough. How do you plan to handle Malik’s men without me? And Malik himself will surely retaliate. How are you going to negotiate with them without me?”

“There will be no negotiations.”

“What?”

“A government negotiating with a puppet regime? How unsightly. You can just sit back and watch, Mr. Izack.”

I barked at him with intentional arrogance. He looked like he wanted to say more, but I didn’t give him the chance. I turned my attention back to Avenger.

“And Avenger. I’m not so foolish that I would send upper district people down there just to add fuel to the fire of our conflict.”

“Then what on earth do you plan to do?”

I answered, “Only lower district people will go to the lower district. I will run the shop using only employees who are originally from there. And for only one day, at that.”

“Vina, I’d like you to help with the shop in the lower district.”

“You want me… to sell those wheeled chairs in the lower district?”

I nodded at Vina’s question. “In exchange, I’ll give you one chair for free.”

She seemed unable to fully grasp my words. “But I’m a carpenter. I’ve never sold anything like that before…”

“I’m not asking you to sell a certain number by a certain time. You just need to set out the wheeled chairs for a bit and answer questions from people who show interest. It’s fine if you sell them on credit, and it’s fine if you accept promissory notes.”

“Selling on credit is fine too?”

“Yes.”

“Then why me…?”

“You have a sister, don’t you?”

When I asked that, Vina flinched. Why so surprised?

“You mentioned it during the interview. That you have a younger sister with mobility issues.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“For just one day, the first day the stall opens—I’d like your sister to help promote the shop.”

“Mmm…”

“It’s just for one day. I’m not asking for intense soliciting. Just having her move around the area in the wheeled chair would be enough. Other employees will be there to help.”

Vina seemed to be weighing her options. I didn’t rush her. I simply waited patiently until she reached a decision.

“…If it’s really just for one day…”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

She was still looking at me out of the corner of her eye, clearly suspicious. Of course she was.

The terms were just too good to be true.

However, I intended to keep my word.

‘Don’t you worry, Vina. You won’t need to stay open for more than a day anyway.’

The plan was set into motion immediately that weekend.

“Plan” might be a grand word for it, but in truth, there wasn’t much for us to do.

‘All we’re doing is setting up a stall on a busy roadside in the lower district.’

“I’m counting on you, then.”

I spoke as I handed an envelope to the employee standing before the lower district gate. The man tilted his head as he looked at the envelope he’d reflexively accepted.

“What’s this?”

“Your weekly wage. Since you won’t be able to do your regular job while you’re helping with this, I’m giving it to you in advance.”

“Prepaid? Hah.”

The employees from the lower district who had agreed to help didn’t hesitate; every one of them lunged forward to snatch up their envelopes.

At that moment, Adele stepped forward. “Be careful. These people…”

I cut her off, placing my index finger over my lips.

‘I know who they are, too.’

The employees were practically beaming as they loaded the wheelchairs onto the carriage. They hurried the coachman along, telling him to get moving. I waved at Vina and the others as they headed down toward the lower district.

A few of them responded to my farewell with strangely crooked smiles.

Once they were off, I turned to Adele. “Well, let’s head back. We have work to do. Work.”

Suddenly, Adele grabbed my sleeve. Out of nowhere, she asked, “Why are you causing this kind of trouble on purpose?”

I didn’t play dumb and ask “What do you mean?” I simply smiled and replied, “Just watch. I’m about to show you that there’s always someone a level above those who think they’re clever.”

The news arrived around evening. Avenger pushed open the dining hall doors and rushed inside, looking frantic.

“Young Master!”

“Please tell me the first day of business ended safely and the wheeled chairs sold well.”

“What?! What are you talking about? The employees dispatched to the lower district show no sign of returning. I sent Mr. Izack down there, but…”

“He won’t find them anywhere, will he?”

Avenger shouted at me. “Several of the employees you sent to help Vina were Malik’s men! Did you send them on purpose, knowing this would happen?!”

I answered dryly. “Why ask something so obvious?”

“Young Master, what on earth are you thinking? Surely you aren’t planning to use this commotion you deliberately caused as a pretext to tighten control over the lower district!”

“You’re quick on the uptake. They plundered the private property of Denabi Castle. That provides more than enough justification for the Denabi government to make a move on the lower district.”

“The residents down there won’t see it that way; they’ll be laughing at us! Using this as a justification for control will trigger a massive backlash!”

“Exactly. You all are so smart. I really am blessed with talented people.”

I spoke as I waved my fork in the air.

“In this situation, how can you…?”

“However, you’re always just one step short.”

I stood up and walked toward the dining hall exit behind Avenger. I placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “Avenger. Trust me a little. I’m not a fool.”

“Young Master…”

I gave him a thin smile and walked past him. “If you keep just stepping in my shadow, you’ll never be more than the person who cleans up after me.”

I left the dining hall, and Adele followed.

Avenger, however, did not follow.

Adele caught up to me and asked, “Why did you speak to him like that?”

“It’s annoying.”

“That the Chief Steward doesn’t understand your intentions? Is your pride wounded because he doesn’t realize you’d never make such a foolish move?”

“No.” I glared at Adele. “The fact that you read my intentions before my own right-hand man did… that’s what I find intolerable.”

So, I had every right to be a little sulky.

I headed straight for the gate. Just then, I saw someone climbing the uphill path from the lower district. It was Izack.

“…”

I looked at him—his mouth held in a tight line—and asked, “Not a single one came back, did they?”

At that moment, Izack’s fist lunged toward me.

-Thud.

It was Adele’s hand that caught it. I took two steps back. I knew Adele would block him, but I was still a little spooked.

Izack spoke as if spitting the words out. “Let go.”

Adele looked back at me. I said, “Let him go.”

Once Adele released him, Izack didn’t try to attack again. However, he spoke savagely.

“You. You did this knowing it would happen. Are you planning to invade the lower district using this as an excuse?”

“Well, I suppose? They ran off with the prepaid wages, the wheeled chairs, and even the stall’s sign. It’s a pretty good excuse for the Denabi government to have a ‘word’ with the lower district.”

“…Don’t make me laugh. You induced them to do this. This wasn’t committed by them—it was committed by you!”

I replied firmly. “No. That was their choice.”

Izack protested violently. “The ones you sent to help Vina! They were Malik’s subordinates! And yet you say that? How is this any different from tossing a fish in front of a cat and praying it won’t eat it?!”

“Wasn’t Vina someone who had nothing to do with Malik? And yet, she disappeared along with them.”

“She…!”

Izack gnawed on his lip. After a long silence, he spoke again. A small bead of blood had formed on his lip.

“I’ll go catch them and bring them back.”

“Mmm. That would be a problem.”

“We can’t touch the entire lower district over a trivial matter like this!”

“So I should just endure it?” I asked him. “Endure it when a carriage is attacked, endure it when goods are stolen, and endure it when trust is betrayed? Is that what you’re saying? But I believe you said last time would be the ‘last’ time. Regarding the attacks.”

“This wasn’t an attack.”

“Right. It wasn’t.” I agreed simply. “That’s why I’m going to endure it. Me, and the upper district.”

“…?”

Izack looked up at me. I said to him, “To be honest, I’m disappointed, Mr. Izack.”