NABC Chapter 24
Chapter 24
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 24
This wasn’t just a simple preliminary investigation.
For any martial artist, there is a minimum qualification:
A spirit of self-improvement.
Even if one were a Sword Saint, incomparable to a mere Sword Master, their growth had not yet reached its end.
“Elder.”
I quietly handed him a teacup and spoke.
“As you know, our family has many enemies at the moment.”
“That’s true.”
“It’s a burden my younger sister Melissa cannot yet bear.”
“That’s also true.”
“So, would the Mielephon family be able to assist us? If you pledge your support, I will hand over what you need.”
Everything in life is give-and-take, after all.
At my proposal, his eyes twitched slightly.
“I’d like to help, but you know as well as I do. I am a noble of the Empire, not of the Bata Kingdom.”
If he were to get involved in this matter...
“No, it’s not that. To be precise, I’d only be borrowing your name. It wouldn’t mean permanently tying the count’s territory to your family but merely buying us some time.”
“Let’s hear it, then.”
“A method that wouldn’t raise much fuss even between different nations: a political marriage.”
“Hmm?”
His eyes widened in surprise.
“If rumors spread of an engagement between the Mielephon family and the Cascadia count’s family, the nobles of our small Bata Kingdom wouldn’t dare act rashly against us.”
What I proposed was simple.
A fake engagement.
“Even just releasing a rumor of talks would be enough to intimidate them.”
“Ha... hahahaha.”
At my suggestion, he let out a hollow laugh.
“You’re bold, knowing I wouldn’t be able to refuse such a fiery proposal.”
“I have no intention of inheriting the count’s family anyway. Even if the engagement falls apart later, my sister won’t get caught up in unnecessary rumors. Furthermore, since we wouldn’t name anyone specifically to proceed with the engagement, it won’t cause much trouble for the young ladies of the Mielephon family either.”
“Hmm...”
“You stand to gain much more than making me your apprentice.”
It was, in essence, a political marriage without a target.
“This is purely a transaction. However, I assure you it won’t be a deal where you’ll suffer a loss.”
As grand as words like "engagement" sounded...
In reality, all we needed to do was leverage the connection to a powerful family like Mielephon from the Empire.
“It’s not like it’s a real engagement anyway.”
After contemplating for a moment, he made his decision.
“Alright. If it’s as you say, it wouldn’t be much of an issue. That said, would you really stake your life on this for the sake of your sister?”
“She’s family, even if she can be annoying.”
At my response, he nodded.
“Fine. But understand this: what you’ve done risks the engagement becoming real. That’s the nature of rumors.”
“Even if talk spreads, it’ll just be rumors. The important part is that I have no intention of finalizing the engagement.”
“Well, then, I’ll be expecting your answer.”
At his words, I wrote a single sentence on a piece of paper.
And I handed it to him.
“Elder, I don’t believe what you truly want is to know how I mimicked sword energy.”
“This is...”
“This, I believe, is what you need most right now.”
What I wrote was a hint about the barrier faced by Sword Masters at the very top tier.
“The only one who can break through it is you, Elder.”
“You... just who are you?”
“Have I provided you the payment you sought?”
It was an odd conversation to have between a Sword Saint of the continent and a boy who had only recently become an Expert.
He said nothing, simply engraving the words on that paper into his mind with utmost seriousness.
* * *
“Lord, were you able to resolve the matter?”
“Let us return.”
While necromancy wasn’t mainstream magic, as long as I didn’t use forbidden spells, it wasn’t a problem.
After finishing some exhausting paperwork, I headed to the kitchen to carry out a plan I had been preparing.
“Leon! You bastard!!!”
Melissa stormed in, furious.
“What is it now? Did you eat something bad?”
“You drew on my face, didn’t you?!”
“...What nonsense is that?”
When I awkwardly avoided her gaze, she ground her teeth.
But soon, she sighed, letting it slide—for now.
“I won’t forget this. Just wait.”
Ah, she’s definitely going to hold a grudge.
I sighed involuntarily.
“More importantly, what’s this about an arranged marriage?”
“Oh... that.”
I glanced around and spread necromantic mana, creating a barrier around us.
“It’s a lie.”
“What?”
“I struck a deal with the elder. I answered one of his questions, and in return, I asked to borrow Mielephon’s name. It’s just a rumor about a political marriage—there’s no specific person involved, and no real discussions are happening.”
Melissa looked utterly baffled.
“And the Sword Saint accepted that?”
“What could he do? The benefits are greater on their side.”
At my answer, she looked at me like I was crazy.
“What kind of madman are you?”
“Why aren’t you asking about the monsters that attacked you or how many of your family knights were injured?”
“I’ve already received all the reports. Honestly, I think it’s better to give up on trying to understand you.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t because you were too weak to handle it?”
At my teasing, she grabbed a plate nearby and threw it at me.
Thud!
Of course, I had no intention of wasting a perfectly good dish, so I caught it.
For now, I set aside the small talk and focused on a more important challenge.
“If this succeeds, we can make some serious money.”
I kept working while addressing Melissa.
“As you’ve seen, Tyvel is dead, the royal nobles are restrained thanks to Mielephon, and the businesses are back in operation. However, the losses were significant, and the manpower shortage is severe. That’s where you come in. You’ll need to handle that.”
She sighed and nodded, seemingly resigned.
“I’ll take care of it.”
But she averted her gaze, seemingly unhappy with her unsteady body.
“What are you even doing right now? Eggs and milk? And what’s that?”
“Condensed milk. Take a guess.”
“Dessert? Sure, dessert businesses can make money, but the competition’s fierce. Will it even sell?”
“Delicious things always sell well.”
This world has plenty of desserts, but there’s still room for innovation in ice cream.
After being trapped in the Labyrinth, I often craved something sweet and cold.
Fortunately, I remembered a simple ice cream recipe from my past life.
It was a shame there was no vanilla extract here, but luckily, this world had liquid chocolate flavoring.
“Let’s mix this in.”
Adjusting between high and low heat, I whisked the ingredients together and placed the mixture into a magic tool with refrigeration properties.
I added a touch of necromantic chill for good measure.
Melissa, who had abandoned whatever she was working on, watched me in a daze.
After some time, I removed the partially cooled mixture and stirred in the next set of ingredients, eventually creating a thick, creamy substance.
“What is this? Some kind of soup?”
“It’s done. Now it just needs to freeze for about eight hours.”
“What? You’re freezing it after making it?”
“Yeah, it’s meant to be eaten cold.”
After placing it in the freezing artifact, I turned to her.
“It’s not perfect, but I think it’ll turn out pretty well. Look forward to it.”
“It better not taste awful.”
Despite her words, she seemed curious and excited, clearly a fan of sweets herself.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]