179 - The Plan of the Successive Heads +α
"For the sake of the future, I think we should fight to some extent with the merchants and guilds of Beim."
With a serious expression, the Third Generation Head rested his elbows on the round table and covered his mouth with both hands, shifting his gaze across the people seated there.
Inside the orb. In the Round Table Room, I and the successive heads were seated. Only the Fifth Generation Head was perched on the edge of the table, having lent his chair to Mireia-san.
Those around me nodded with serious expressions, but I cast a doubtful look at them.
"What are your true intentions?"
At that, the Third Generation Head began to smirk, saying, "Oh? You can tell?" The Fourth Generation Head's glasses glinted, and his mouth twisted into a crescent moon shape.
"Beim is too dangerous. No matter how much she is the daughter of one of Beim's leading merchants, the fact that she can produce a hundred thousand gold coins is abnormal. Therefore, for the sake of the future, let us make them feel indebted to us. Wouldn't that make it easier to regulate Liel in the future?"
—In other words, it was natural for these people to want Beim's cooperation. However, they intended to impose some kind of regulation or pressure in the future.
"...Do you really want to do something that creates enemies when we don't even know if we can win?"
As I looked on in exasperation, Mireia-san smiled at me.
"Oh, it's fine, Liel. You mustn't underestimate merchants. If they feel like it, they are in a position where they can kill us at any moment with a weapon hidden in their clothes, all while kneeling before a noble."
The Seventh Generation Head agreed with Mireia-san.
"Not all merchants are like that, but it's best to seize interests that are too large to manage. Liel, this is for your sake. No, it is also for the sake of the future continent."
The Fifth Generation Head looked up at the ceiling.
"Don't underestimate the power of merchants and money. It would be bad if they started controlling the continent from the shadows. Well, winning is a given. Now, the time has come to decide what goal we are winning toward."
Looking at the smiling Mireia-san, I thought to myself—
This person told me to call Vera's father 'father-in-law,' but was that just to provoke him... every single one of them is black-hearted.
—But even so, having received support from Vera, I was at a stage where I could start moving again. For my next action, I indeed had to decide on a clear future position.
"My future position, was it?"
The Seventh Generation Head nodded with a serious expression.
"That's right. It's not enough just to win. The lives of at least nine brides depend on your shoulders. Furthermore, there are those who have followed you. I will absolutely not permit you to die and become a hero. We are cooperating because you decided to fight and live. Throw away any clumsy desire to be a hero."
The Third Generation Head looked at me, leaned back into his chair, and rested his hands on the armrests.
"Well, it wouldn't be interesting if you were killed as a fellow member of the Walt family even after winning. It's true that Celes is the sin of the Walt family. However, we will not accept Liel being killed as well. If it means Liel dies... to be blunt, I wouldn't mind if a long era of chaos came to the continent."
The Fourth Generation Head pushed up his glasses with a finger to correct their position and straightened his back.
"Even if we win, various things will change depending on Liel's position. What is the ideal way to win? Is that possible? And what do we aim for in the future? To put it another way, the difference is whether Liel stands at the front to destroy Vanseim, or whether he puts someone else at the front to destroy Vanseim."
Mireia-san summarized it simply.
Giggling, she covered her mouth with her hand.
"In short, it's whether Liel becomes a king or not. Will you aim for a position like a Prime Minister? Or will you reclaim the Walt family's territory? Even if we say 'king,' the name changes depending on the method of governance."
Whether to reclaim the territory I should have inherited.
Or to embed myself deeply into the core of the nation.
Whether to stand at the front and become a king.
The Fifth Generation Head looked at me with a serious expression.
"I can't tell you to decide right now, but decide soon. Thanks to Vera, we can move faster than imagined. If you don't decide your future position, we can't decide how far to clash with the guilds and merchants."
The Third Generation Head clapped his hands. He clapped twice, and with a smile that seemed to instantly clear the darkened atmosphere, he spoke.
"Well, right now is just the preparation stage. We can make as many corrections as we want from here. Just think about it. Also, shall we provoke Fidel-san, the father-in-law? It seems his daughter is his weakness."
As the Third Generation Head looked pleased, the Fifth Generation Head remarked.
"Daughters are things you send off eventually. I wonder what he's thinking, doting on her that much."
It was his usual dry observation. However, Mireia-san looked happy.
"Father is clumsy, isn't he?"
That is what she said.
The next day, after returning to Beim.
Having returned from my journey, I fell asleep as soon as I returned to the mansion, exhausted. However, when I woke up, I was summoned by Adele-san—.
"What is this?"
In a room where a mountain of documents was piled high, I yawned in front of Adele-san, who looked like she was about to cry.
It wasn't that my fatigue hadn't gone away, but rather that the fatigue had finally caught up with me because I had spent such intense days recently.
I had many things to think about, and I expected to be busy again with the Trace Company matter once I returned.
However, Adele-san cried out.
"These are documents from Zain and Rolfis! Why on earth are there so many! What did you do, Liel-san!"
Behind Adele-san, Maxim-san was flustered. He was trying to comfort her, but the words wouldn't come out.
I pulled one sheet from the mountain of documents and checked its contents.
"...Why is a document like this here? I have nothing to do with this."
Then, the Fourth Generation Head gave me advice.
"Hmm. Do they intend to request work because they value your processing ability, or do they want to show that there is a connection... well, it's probably because this Adele girl does her work so earnestly and thoroughly that they kept sending them one after another. Even so, there are many questionable documents."
Is that how it is? Thinking so, I said to Adele-san.
"Isn't it because you handle your work so earnestly that they increased? In the first place, it's not my work, so it would have been fine to send them back."
At that, Adele-san slumped down and sat on the floor.
"H-how could you~"
"M-my lady!! Please wait. I will prepare cake immediately. A sweet cake! Cake!"
Maxim-san shouted Adele-san's favorite food, somehow managing to stop her from crying. Adele-san, with tears in her eyes, tried to complain to me after holding back her sobbing, but—.
"Liel! Is it true that research funds have been secured!"
—Damian burst into the room, opening the door with such force that the wind blew away the piled mountain of documents.
He had a smile on his face and was accompanied by three automatons.
"Ah, the Master has a smile like a young boy... this is for permanent preservation."
"Now we can purchase the equipment we wanted, Master."
"Liel-san, good job."
The way the third one called me 'Liel-san' irritated me slightly, but I endured it. Basically, like Monica, they had little interest in anyone other than Damian.
If I asked, they would do the work, but the level of effort was far too different compared to how they treated Damian.
Then, Monica appeared in the room, carrying a tray in one hand with cake and drinks prepared on it.
"You mass-produced machines. Giggling away without doing your work... chicken coward, you're lucky to have a capable maid like this Monica. You fortunate man."
After preparing the cake and drink in front of Adele-san, Monica also prepared a drink for me.
Adele-san, with teary eyes, aggressively stabbed the cake with a fork, and as she ate the cake, she said regretfully.
"...It's delicious."
Maxim-san smiled while looking at Adele-san. His cheeks were flushed, and I felt like I had seen something I wasn't supposed to see.
"The young lady is beautiful even when eating cake."
While drinking my beverage, I responded to Damian.
"Now, Liel. So how much support were you able to extract? You managed to get fifty thousand, right?"
To the excited Damian, I spoke honestly.
"I'm not receiving support from the company, but it was decided that I'd personally receive a hundred thousand. Prepare a list of the equipment you want. Also, keep the budget to fifty thousand."
The plan to revive Monica's sisters as Golems.
Because of that, it was necessary for Damian to work hard.
Should I consult Vera and ask if the equipment can be sourced cheaply? Also, I'll need her to introduce some craftsmen.
Then, the automatons spoke.
"Liel-san is stingy."
"How much do you think the Master has been looking forward to buying equipment?"
"Stingy. Liel-san is stingy!"
The three automatons spoke to me teasingly. Then, Monica produced and readied drills that were more impressive than the ones she had before.
"I will not permit insults toward the chicken coward! I am the only one allowed to insult him!"
...You shouldn't insult me either.
Readying the drills that rotated with a low, undulating sound, Monica glared at the three automatons. The three of them also drew and readied their respective weapons.
However, as for Damian.
"Fifty thousand, huh... then, for that and that... ah, but without that device, the research..."
He had already begun writing a list of what to buy. Moreover, he was writing it on the back of some documents that were lying around.
Adele tried to say something, then stopped. Perhaps she realized that saying anything to Damian was useless.
Then, after finishing her cake and sipping her drink.
"Liel-san, may I ask one thing?"
"What?"
"Thank you for your hard work this time. Since it seems you earned a considerable amount, you won't be troubled by food, clothing, or shelter for a while. However, considering the defeat of Celes, there is inevitably a problem regarding funding. A hundred thousand gold coins for an individual is an astronomical amount. But when looking at a nation..."
Yes. To face a nation, a hundred thousand gold coins is not enough. Especially if the opponent is a great power like Vanseim.
"I know. Fortunately, I was able to make a name for myself during the journey. Merchants should be more eager than ever to sign exclusive contracts. The funding issue should be resolved soon... ah, no, that's not right."
Maxim-san, who was standing behind Adele-san, spoke.
"What do you mean 'not right'? There were rumors even in Beim. Was it the Trident Sea Serpent? I believe merchants will be eager to sign exclusive contracts."
Yes.
I had defeated such a massive creature. My evaluation would rise more than before, and the contract amounts would likely skyrocket.
But even then, it wouldn't be enough. And the plan of the successive heads was—.
"No, how should I put it... I'll have to become enemies with the merchants and guilds for once."
A stunned Adele-san dropped the cup she was holding. That served as the signal, and Monica and the others, who had been glaring at each other, got to work.
They briskly took out cleaning tools and began tidying up the mountain of documents. Moreover, the four of them cooperated to clean the room.
"Ah, I'll take this one."
"Then I shall take this."
"Then I'll do this part."
"Then the special unit, Monica, will handle this."
Are these guys actually on good terms?
"...What are you saying, Liel-san?"
"No, just Liel is fine. I prefer being called without honorifics."
Sighing, I pondered what to do from here on.
—Trace Company.
"That scoundrel! What do you mean by making my Vera contribute to him!!"
An agitated Fidel was shouting loudly during the family breakfast.
Vera was eating calmly, and Gina had invited her boyfriend, Roland, to breakfast. Normally, Fidel would try to kick Roland out, but after hearing about Vera, he had no time to bother with Roland.
Gina took this opportunity to ask Roland for his impressions of the breakfast.
"How is today's breakfast, Roland?"
"Eh, um... it's delicious, Gina-ojousama."
Hearing that, Vera nibbled on her bread.
"Just 'Gina' is fine. You probably call her that anyway, right?"
Roland, giving a strained smile while breaking into a cold sweat, was mindful of Fidel. However, Fidel's consciousness was not directed toward Roland.
"Vera! Father has no intention of accepting such a guy! No matter if he's a lifesaver, recognized by the crew, a highly skilled adventurer, and a former noble... damn it!!"
Fidel also seemed to be struggling with the part of him that wasn't a father.
After all, Liel was a prime catch. Even if his taste in women was bad, he hadn't heard that he treated them poorly. The merchant part of him was likely whispering that it wouldn't be bad to form a connection by marrying off his daughter.
It felt like Fidel, as a father, was strongly opposing that.
While eating, Vera said to Gina.
"What? Do you have breakfast together every morning?"
Gina looked down slightly, blushing.
"Um... yes. I thought I'd try to get him accepted."
Vera thought to herself.
I feel like it might be counterproductive. Well, if he shows his face in the family setting like this even if he hates it, Father might compromise.
Both Vera and Gina received many marriage proposals. That was because they were daughters of one of Beim's leading merchants.
However, Fidel did not let such people get close to the two of them.
It could be seen as overprotectiveness, but at the same time, Vera realized it was also a way of teasing those around them to increase their own value.
Father as a merchant, and Father as a father, huh. Being a father is tough.
Thinking about it as if it were someone else's problem, Vera looked at Fidel.
"Damn it! Who was it! Who said the crew wouldn't let anyone lay a finger on Vera! To have even the crew convinced, it must absolutely be a skill!"
Vera, exasperated, spoke.
"I told you it wasn't, right? Enough already, just finish your meal quickly. You're busy today too, aren't you? I'm busy today as well."
"S-sorry. Do you have plans today?"
Once Fidel calmed down a bit, Vera said.
"Yes, Liel is coming to the house."
At Vera's words, Fidel flew into a rage once again—.