5. Signora (10)
In the office of the head of the Knights of Pebonius, a meeting was in full swing there.
All of the attendees were well-known talents in Mond. First of all, Jin, who is serving as the acting leader of the Knights of Pevonius after Captain Barca leaves on an expedition, and Keia, who is leading the cavalry that symbolizes the might of the Knights. And then there’s Lisa, the librarian, who can be said to be the brains of the Knights, and finally, me, who can be said to be the divinity of the Mond upper world.
The road restoration project led by the Knights of Pebonius was a national project. While the wind devil roamed the skies of Mond, the roads of Mond were not properly maintained. Monsters, including the Chuchu tribe, occupied the roads and installed facilities without permission. Moreover, the numerous raids that took place while the Knights of Pebonius were distracted were enough to turn the roads into a mess.
Roads throughout Mond were damaged. In these circumstances, supplying and transporting materials was a matter of enormous interest. As the road conditions were poor, the cost of transportation was higher, and freight rates were also bound to become more expensive. And considering the effort of bringing materials across the border through these poor roads, the cost was bound to be prohibitive.
In that sense, the reason the Knights of Pebonius chose my company as a partner was not simply because I was favorable to Mond. My top was the only one that could afford to suffer that much bleeding.
Besides, I had no intention of using those conditions as an excuse to cut costs. My goal was not money, but to build influence in Mond. On the contrary, it would have been better to use this opportunity to build a positive relationship with the Knights of Pebonius in the future by supplying materials at a somewhat lower cost.
So the meeting went smoothly without any shouting. I didn’t have any intention of charging a high price, and as a Knight of Pevonius, my options other than the top were the Uindan, and I wouldn’t want to die for that. Initially, the conditions I proposed were very cheap compared to the conditions that the Knights of Pebonius were preparing for. There was no way the Knights of Pebonius would reject my offer.
So, after confirming each other’s requirements, the meeting became a place for friendly conversation. I was sipping tea and chatting with influential figures in the Knights Templar.
Among them, the most impressive one was a beautiful woman with light brown hair. Her purple cone hat and robe revealed that she was one of those who searched for her truth. And compassionate green eyes and a warm smile.
The name of this older woman, who had an adult-like charm, was ‘Lisa.’ It is said that he is a close friend of Director Jin and was once a famous wizard. Now, I was just a librarian at a library where being lazy was my daily routine.
However, Lisa’s influence on the knights was not small. Although many knights, including Captain Barka, were absent, Jin, Keia, and Lisa were the core staff members leading the current knights. This fact was so famous that no citizen of Mond knew about it.
“hehehe, the owner of the top is an interesting person. If it had been other people, he would have raised the unit price and not lowered it…….”
At the same time, Lisa’s eyes drew an arc. That soft voice had a charm that somehow put people’s minds at ease. I smiled awkwardly at those words.
Somehow, I felt strange hearing the honorific title from someone like Lisa. It was a natural courtesy to use an honorific when meeting someone for the first time in an official setting, but for some reason, I didn’t feel that way toward Lisa. She was a woman with a very strong ‘older sister’ feeling.
“The Wind Demon Dragon incident is a national disaster. As a member of Mond, it would not be right to pursue only profit. Which… You can let go. I’m not used to being treated like that…….”
“Oh my, is that okay? “Thank you, I was tired of talking too long without having to do that.”
Lisa quickly accepted my suggestion. She smiled softly. She felt healed. She was worth it for the beauty’s smile.
Director Jin sighed after seeing that. She scolded Lisa.
“Lisa… “No matter what, it’s an official situation, so shouldn’t we be a little careful?”
“Hey, Jin is also speaking informally to Siwoo, isn’t he? It would be awkward for Si-woo to only hear polite words from me. Right, Siwoo?”
Then Lisa squinted one of her eyes. I nodded at her as if I was mesmerized by that glance. Kaya, who was quietly watching the scene, burst into laughter.
“You’re so out of your wits, Siwoo? “Wouldn’t it be difficult if the honorary knight caught you?”
“…… What am I doing? “It’s just because Lisa said the right thing.”
I was stung by Kaya’s words and made up an excuse for her. Keia and Lisa laughed again at that sight. In the end, I quenched my appetite and leaned back against the backrest. People like Lisa and Keia were a bad match for me.
Jin was the only one keeping his composure in this place. Because she was serious about everything, she was serious about this meeting as well. Even though the majority of issues have been negotiated.
“Now that I think about it, Siwoo, you want to regularly support the knights… ….”
“Oh, yes. “The problem remained.”
I raised my upper body as if I remembered something I had forgotten. Lisa’s eyes widened as if it was her first time hearing these words. Kay Aman, who had been listening to the story with Jin just a moment ago, just lifted her teacup in her relaxed posture.
If you think about it, it wasn’t that strange for the top to provide regular support to the knights. The Knights of Pebonius were not a charitable organization. It was clearly the governing body of Mond, and the budget was prepared based on taxes collected from Mond. In order for the budget to reflect even a little bit more of the work for commercial transactions, Mond’s merchants would donate donations.
However, last time I had already sponsored Mora worth hundreds of millions of won. Naturally, expectations regarding its scale were bound to differ.
“I think we need to discuss that issue a little more with the working staff, but I think we will still support Mora in billions of won.”
“…… Are you okay, Siwoo? “It’s not something I would say as a sponsor, but you probably know how important cash is to running a business.”
Director Jin’s worried gaze turned towards me. It was completely different from Lisa’s amused look. Kay, well, she was looking at me with suspicious eyes, as always.
Out of all of these, the only person who truly cared about me was Director Jin. I opened my mouth, feeling my friendship for Director Jin deepen.
“Well, that’s right. It’s okay though. I have a lot of ammunition prepared, so I don’t think I’ll run out of cash for a while. And again… ….”
Then, my eyes naturally turned to the table in the conference room. Other people’s eyes were also fixed on it. There was a sword there.
A brilliant light green sword body, and a platinum colored crossguard. The name of this sword, whose faintly flowing brilliance proves that it has the blessings of the wind god, was ‘Pride of the Sky.’ It was one of the weapons from the ‘Heavenly Series’ selected through the ‘Origin’ function last night.
Jin looked at the sword blankly again. She knew about it from Lumine, but she seemed to be quite interested in Jinnunmugu. Of course, as a swordsman, she can’t help it.
“…… Because there are ways to replenish cash. “As long as you manage your money well, you won’t have to worry about the financial soundness of the top as long as you don’t get greedy.”
A deep regret flashed across Jin’s face. She meant ‘a means to replenish cash’, which meant ‘the pride of the sky’. Even so, I had already revealed my plan to Director Jin and Keia before attending the meeting.
Of course, that was just a decoy, and there was a real plan, but there was no need to talk about it. Just by looking at Director Jin’s reaction, you could see how attractive this bait was.
“Perhaps the Knights will take over…” ….”
“No.”
Jin’s carefully told story was immediately interrupted by Lisa’s firm voice. Jin let out a deep breath. She seemed to know, but she seemed to be disappointed. Lisa continued her words in a cold tone, as if telling her to throw away even those regrets.
“If it were a weapon filled with the power of God, it would cost hundreds of millions at best, but with an astronomical amount of money having to be spent on road restoration projects right now, the Knights do not have that much power. “It’s a shame, but I’d better give up on this.”
Director Jin’s expression became noticeably glum. Keia looked at the figure and nodded her head.
“Well, Lisa is right. The knights don’t have the energy right now. But, if we talk to the cathedral, something might happen.”
Hearing those words, Director Jin’s eyes turned to Keia. Although he still seemed downcast, there was a glimmer of anticipation in his pure sapphire eyes.
“Anyone can see that it is an item related to the god Barbatos. It may be the Celestial Harp, or something older, that is prized in the cathedral. There is no way the cathedral wouldn’t be interested, right? “It may be difficult for the Knights alone, but if the cathedral shows interest, what might happen?”
Meanwhile, Kaya sipped her tea with a puzzled look on her face. His eyes glanced at me.
“And that’s what you’re hoping for, right? “As there are more competitors, the price goes up.”
I shook my head. Keia apparently couldn’t handle it. Even though he couldn’t fully understand my intentions, he was able to sense the true intention of asking me to spread the word.
I raised my hands as if I was surrendering. I decided to reveal a little bit of my intentions.
“Actually, I have an idea where this thing will end up going. “It’s just that the more bidders there are in the process, the more advantageous it is for me.”
“…… “It’s the Wooindan.”
Chief Jin was able to deduce my plan with only small clues. Director Jin’s expression became serious for an instant. She held the teacup and closed her eyes. She seemed troubled.
“There is no way Siwoo will help the Wooindan… In the end, this means that the item is bait, right?”
I nodded at Director Jin’s words. Hmm, Lisa looked at me with her arms crossed. Keia just looked at Director Jin without saying anything. Anyway, the final decision-maker here was Director Jin.
That was the position that Director Jin held. A knight respected and trusted not only by the knights but by all citizens of Mond. Although she had not yet received her acting ticket, the rumor that she had been appointed as the next Knight Commander was a half-truth in Mond.
After remaining silent for a while, Director Jin took a sip of his tea and put down his cup. A thud sound rang out.
“Well, actually, I can’t even guess what Si-woo is thinking… I’ll believe it. “So far, Siwoo has never done anything harmful to Mond.”
Lisa opened her mouth as if she had been waiting for Director Jin’s words of trust. It was a soft yet relaxed voice.
“Then I guess I should talk to the cathedral first? If possible, it would be nice to have high-ranking officials come and go. “The more you do that, the easier it is for rumors to spread.”
Kia was the one who continued Lisa’s words. As always, he had a knowing smile on his face. He had an amused look in his eyes.
“Then it is decided. “Let’s move now, because I just happened to have nothing else to do.”
I swallowed my voice, feeling a little sorry. Actually, there was no need to take such an active role, but I felt like I had somehow made the Knights of Pevonius into accomplices.
“Well, I’m sorry everyone… In a way, it’s my personal problem, but I got caught up in it…….”
“There’s no need to think like that, Siwoo.”
It was Director Jin who responded to my awkward apology. Director Jin was looking at me with a soft smile. He was a truly beautiful person whenever I saw him. Even that golden hair and blue eyes.
She was a blonde beauty who looked like a painting. The way she looked at me was so warm that I avoided her gaze out of embarrassment.
“We are ‘friends,’ right? “The Knights of Pebonius never abandon their friends.”
Then I remembered the conversation I had with Director Jin the last time. It was a long time ago. At that time, I donated 100 million mora and said this.
I want to become a friend of the Knights of Pebonius. Those words have now become a reality. It was an incredible feat achieved in just a few months.
I was now a Mond. Yes, I guess I should live as a Mond person. No longer ‘Baek Si-woo’ but ‘Si-woo’.
To shake off the lingering regret in my heart, I deliberately smiled brighter. And the moment I was about to say thank you.
“Well, but Siu… ….”
Director Jin looked around and opened his mouth in confusion. I looked at Director Jin with questioning eyes. The same was true for Lisa and Keia.
She asked, blushing a little and avoiding my gaze.
“That would be the last sword of that type…… ?”
It seemed like she couldn’t let go of her obsession with the sword.
**
After a discussion session disguised as a meeting, it was already evening when we arrived at the accommodation. Since I left the lodgings around lunchtime, I spent a few hours talking with the knights.
Now that I think about it, I asked Director Jin about ‘Klee’, and it seems that most of what Klee said was true. Did you say that he was entrusted to the Knights of Pebonius three years ago, and that Cle’s mother was ‘Alice’, a famous adventurer? She is said to be the author of a famous book called ‘Tivat Cruise Guide’, and I felt like I had heard that name somewhere else.
Of course, there was a possibility that it was an illusion. Where have I heard the name of a famous adventurer? I had colleagues, including Lumine. Even if I didn’t have to look into the adventurers’ circumstances, there were many people who would protect me.
I opened the door to the accommodation and entered. The door to the dorm opened with a clanging sound. And the cone hat seen in the restaurant.
Dark blue hair resembling the night sky, and eyes with a pale green jade glow. That haughty posture symbolized her pride. One of my colleagues who had recently joined was ‘Mona’, who was now also my peer friend.
Mona’s gaze naturally shifted to me. I shook her hand and said hello.
“Mona, I’m here.”
Mona looked at my face and laid down the book she was reading on her table. She then stood up and greeted me with a welcoming voice.
“Welcome, you came back early today?”
“Well, in fact, if the conditions I presented are met, it would be a great blessing for the Knights of Pebonius. There was no fighting. “I just came back after chatting.”
I talked to Mona for a while. The story about the contract that we talked about today at the Knights of Pebonius, and even the story about ‘Pride in the Sky’ that I was too excited to say last night.
Because they were all related to the work of the top, it was necessary to include Mona as well. Mona nodded her head and listened to my story, but tilted her head during the ‘Pride in the Sky’ part.
“…… ‘A weapon filled with the power of God’?”
“Yes, at that level, the Wooindan can’t help but react.”
I felt like the story was going to be long, so I sat down. It was across from where Mona was sitting. Mona followed me and sat down, her doubts still unanswered.
I took out her glass from my ‘backpack’. And then she brought out ‘Dandelion Wine.’ Since I was still on an empty stomach, it was a little difficult to drink alcohol right away, but as long as it was enough to get me in the mood, it would be fine.
I gestured to Mona and pointed to her glass. She meant would you like a drink?
“No, I’m done…” Rather, a weapon filled with the power of a god?”
With those words, I poured dandelion wine into only my cup. A refreshing scent spread out along with a crunching sound. This taste and aroma was so unique that you would never know it unless you tried dandelion wine.
I was thinking about how to explain the ‘Origin’ function, and since I wouldn’t be able to understand it anyway, I decided to just give an overview.
“So, I have the power to randomly retrieve valuable items by investing a certain amount of resources. I think it’s similar to the ‘backpack’ function. It’s hard to explain… That’s what I got from it. Of course, even though I scraped away all the resources I had accumulated so far, only one came out.”
Mona’s eyes narrowed with a hmm sound. It looked suspicious, but what could Mona do? Finally she sighed and nodded her head.
“Yes, that’s right… But why would you sell something so precious?”
“Because then the Wooindan will be interested.”
The moment I said those words, my voice sank without me realizing it. It was because it reminded me of Signora.
This was the woman who touched Lumine and left a penetrating wound on my arm. How could I forget?
“It’s an item filled with the power of God. Even if you can’t do it, it’s worth hundreds of millions of won. Wooindan is showing an abnormal obsession with the ‘power of God’. “What should they do to raise hundreds of millions of mora?”
“…… At the very least, we will have to give up the supply chain within Mond.”
It was indeed Mona’s reasoning. Her words cut to the heart of my plan.
No matter how great the capital power of Northern Bank was, it was only when talking about scale. No matter how large the size of the capital was, whether or not it had cash that could be moved immediately was a separate issue.
The reason Wooindan can now monopolize the supply chain in Mond is, of course, thanks to Signora’s sharp intuition, which took advantage of the Wind Demon Dragon incident, but also because it has the capital power to maintain such a supply chain. And to maintain a supply chain of that scale, an enormous amount of cash was needed.
Of course, under normal circumstances it wouldn’t have mattered. Wooindan was not idle while maintaining its supply chain. By distributing the goods supplied in this way, profits are made again, and the cash earned is invested back into the supply chain. But what happens if urgent power is needed at this time?
And what if the emergency payment is hundreds of millions of mora in cash? At the very least, the Wooin Corps operating in Mond alone could not handle that amount of cash. Even the Northern Bank, which controlled the financial resources of the Tivat continent, had limitations in its ability to immediately prepare cash.
Then there was only one way. Even if you give up the supply chain, you secure cash. In the end, the bait called ‘Pride in the Sky’ was a means to force Wooindan to choose between two choices.
Is it a weapon containing the ‘power of God’, or is it Mond’s supply chain?
For this purpose, he even went to the Knights of Pebonius and asked for their cooperation. There was a bidding war for ‘Pride of the Sky’, and as the price became more expensive, the amount of cash that Wooindan had to move had to change. However, I wouldn’t be able to give up the weapon that contains the ‘power of God’.
However, Mona reacted negatively to my words. She asked me cautiously.
“But…” Do you think the Wooindan will let go so easily?”
“That can’t be possible.”
I declared. The opponent was ‘Signora’. I don’t know much about her, but even though I only met her once, I could sense what her essence was.
She was a wild beast. Even if she got bitten, she would never take it lightly, and I realized that fact that day so vividly that my arms tingled.
But just because the Signora wasn’t giving up, she wasn’t one to stay still. I added, shrugging her shoulders.
“But don’t worry, I have my own thoughts…” “I don’t think I can stand it without seeing that woman’s face distort at least once.”
And then I took a sip of the dandelion wine in the glass. Just thinking about Signora, no, just thinking about that time made her thirsty and she couldn’t bear it. The helplessness of having to watch Lumine fall, and the anger at the reality that her life was only saved by Signora’s mercy, were still burning in my heart.
Mona lowered her gaze at my words. She seemed to be thinking about something, but then she finally sighed and said,
“…… Listen carefully, Siwoo. “Actually, I had another glimpse of your fate not long ago.”
Hearing those words, I turned my questioning gaze towards Mona. Mona didn’t like spying on other people’s fate. Because the moment she sees fate, she has no choice but to be bound by that fate. She even did this the more deeply entangled she was with him.
Recently, Mona and I had become very close, and Mona was probably starting to get caught up in my fate. In such a situation, she was doomed, which was not like Mona.
“What’s going on? “You don’t like seeing my fate.”
“Well, there was a reason for that…” Uh, whatever.”
Mona twisted her hair as if she was somehow embarrassed by my question. When I saw that her cheeks were flushed and she was avoiding my gaze, it seemed like she had something to hide.
I wanted to ask a little more about the reason, but I couldn’t help but be intrigued by Mona’s next words.
“In the fate I saw… I saw a future where you would fail, Siwoo. I don’t know what’s going on. Burning buildings, shouting… “You were standing among the devastated people.”
Hearing those words, I sighed and leaned against the backrest. Perhaps taking that as a signal to continue, Mona continued her words.
“I didn’t see such a fate before. It’s probably because you did something last night. And that decided your future. Destiny has already been decided. “You can’t change it, but you can at least minimize the damage.”
Mona spoke in a somewhat sorrowful voice. Her eyes showed unconcealable concern and affection for me. If anyone looked at such a beautiful woman with her longing eyes, her heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.
I kept silent. Mona concluded her speech by adding a few words.
“So, can’t we just give up? I don’t know what happened, but it was a mistake to touch the Woindan so hastily. That’s what fate says. If you take a little more time and prepare for a bloody competition…….”
“Mona.”
I called Mona’s name quietly. Mona stopped talking, and her gaze fell on my eyes. I looked into her eyes and thought. Such beautiful eyes, because I could tell how much she was thinking about me by the torrent of emotions swirling within them.
Thank you. So I decided to tell her the best I could.
“Do you believe in fate?”
“…… Of course.”
Mona answered like that. These were words that conveyed unwavering faith.
“I am an astrologer. “If astrologers don’t believe in fate, who will?”
“Then just quietly watch.”
Mona and my gaze crossed in the air. I let out a light laugh.
“I’ll make you believe in me more than fate.”
Mona’s breathing stopped at those words. She looked at me for a moment. With a blank, unintelligible face.
For a while, it was time for me to raise my glass and sip dandelion wine. Only then did Mona’s mouth open.
“…… “It’s cringy.”
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“Hey.”
Hearing my voice sounding like it was unfair, Mona snorted and turned her head.
“Hmph, are you stupid? Who knows that if you say that, it will make your heart flutter? Anyway, I warned you. “You are responsible.”
With that, Mona got up and walked up the stairs with her brisk steps. I looked at Mona with dumbfounded eyes, then tilted her head.
“…… Hmm, was that really cringe-worthy?”
It seemed like he was a little drunk. I quenched my appetite in embarrassment. I drink and talk for no reason.
I was ashamed of what I said after drinking, so I poured another drink into my glass. And I drank it all down.
“Wow, this is what dandelion wine tastes like… Glad you settled in Mond…….”
Then I thought. I guess I’ll have to keep my mouth shut after drinking for a while.
*
Mona thought as she climbed the stairs, out of breath. I think my heart is broken.