5. Signora (12)
It was not the first time that Wooindan showed interest in Mond. In the past, Snezhnaya’s executive officer called ‘Doctor’ came and tried to exert influence. I heard that Amber, Kia, and Director Jin had a hard time back then.
I heard that the Uindan wanted to conscript Mond citizens, but the matter became complicated when a Snezhnaya diplomat who had been summoned by the home country died at Mond Castle. Of course, it was resolved well in the end, but the Wooindan’s ambition to devour Mond did not subside.
The woman sitting in front of me was the proof. She is an alluring beauty with her rich white blonde hair braided in an old-fashioned way.
Her name was ‘Signora’, she was the executioner said to be the strongest in Snezhnaya, and she was a monster who ranked 8th among them. No matter how weak she was, there was no doubt about her power to unilaterally push the God of Mond, and her intentions were so deep that it was difficult to read her true intentions.
Signora took advantage of the prolonged Wind Demon Dragon incident and took control of Mond’s supply chain. It was a fatal situation that the internal supply chain was taken over on the Tivat continent, where road conditions were poor and hazards existed. Then, in the end, we had no choice but to rely on trade with foreign countries, because the longer the distance, the greater the distribution costs became beyond imagination.
Now, the amount I sold last time and the fact that regular commercial flights have started are stabilizing consumer sentiment, but this was only a temporary measure. Signora must also be bothered by me. I was the one who interfered with their plans at every turn and was hostile to the Order of the Wooin on behalf of the Knights of Pevonius, who could not cause friction with the Order of the Wooin. If it wasn’t annoying, it would have been weirder.
Signora was looking at me with light gray pupils. Even so, she was leisurely sipping tea, as if she didn’t really care what I was doing. However, it was Signora who had business today, not me.
With that alone, my plan was a half-success. I asked Signora while savoring the delicate scent rising from the teacup.
“I don’t know if the car will fit her mouth.”
“…… Heh, not bad. So?”
Signora said that and put down her teacup. She asked in her usual haughty voice.
“You can probably guess why I came, right?”
I let out a light laugh. The response was as to whether it was even necessary to ask such a question.
“Isn’t that obvious? “You probably didn’t come to assassinate me.”
“That wouldn’t be bad either.”
Signora took my joke without thinking. She was sitting with her legs crossed, glaring at me with her eyes showing a dull look of boredom.
“…… But, there’s no need for me to move to kill a brat like you, right?”
“Would you like to… “Then shall we get to the point?”
As I said that, I took out the items I had prepared. A light green sword body, and a crossguard made of platinum. Its heavy weight hinted at the destructive power this sword possessed. The gently flowing power of the wind element was the breath of the god who ruled Mond.
‘Pride in the Sky’, that was the business that made the big man, who was probably the executioner of the Wooindan, take action. For the Woindan, more important than influencing Mond was collecting items containing the power of God.
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‘Pride of the Sky’ was the highest level among them. It was a token of the promise that God Barbatos shared with his henchman. The power of the wind god was not inferior to that of other gods. Even the ‘Pride of the Sky’ was a weapon.
In a place like the Tivat continent where blood and struggle were the norm, the value of well-made weapons was beyond imagination. Needless to say, it was even imbued with the power of a god. This great sword that I am holding now was a product that could cost an astronomical amount of money with just one piece.
As soon as I took out the ‘Pride of the Sky’, Signora’s eyes changed. She would know, too. This sword was not one of the small items related to gods that the Woindan had collected so far. It was an item of the same level or greater than the real instrument that they tried to rob from the cathedral, that is, the ‘Harp of the Heavens’. He must have felt this all the more as he was the executive officer of the Wojindan who was obsessed with the power of God.
Signora looked at the ‘Pride of the Sky’ without saying a word. After a while, her lips fell. Signora had a rather serious face.
“…… That’s pretty cool, where did you get it?”
Instead of answering, I shrugged my shoulders. Signora hummed and snorted her laughter. Her attitude was that she knew it would happen. Instead, she asked me another question.
“I believe that it is not a moth that you can say anything about just by touching it a little.”
“It is the business owner’s duty to confirm the quality of the product. Of course you can touch it.”
I then carefully placed ‘Pride of the Sky’ on the table between Signora and me. Signora stroked the face of her sword with her careful fingers. And I observed the blade closely, and also looked at the light green brilliance circling her sword body for a long time.
The more this happened, the more the Signora’s expression changed every moment. Her face looked interesting, embarrassed, and irritated. Signora finally put down ‘Pride of the Sky’ and let out a faint sigh. It was a sigh filled with somewhat complicated emotions.
“…… Okay, how much? “Depending on the price, there’s nothing that Wooindan can’t buy.”
I snorted inwardly. It was nonsense to say that there was nothing that could not be purchased. The Wooindan wanted to obtain this sword at all costs.
My fingers tapped the table. Tap, tap, tap. I looked worried, but Signora was pretending to be calm, as if nothing had happened. It was not an easy opponent. Although she was the same bailiff, the Signora was of a different kind than Tartaglia.
Still, still. I remembered the signora I saw that day. The day she, without hesitation, ripped the heart of God out of Venti’s body and drove an ice pick into her arm.
The essence of Signora was that of a wild beast. That much was no different from Tartaglia. However, while Tartaglia was a lion with a violent temper, Signora was a black panther with her claws hidden. A cunning hunter who hides in the grass and waits for opportunity.
The enemy I had to deal with from now on was that kind of person. Snezhnaya’s female leopard, possessing both external strength and a cunning nature.
“…… Well? Actually, I don’t know much about new items, but I do know that something like this is worth the price. “No matter how much demand there is, supply only happens once every several decades to a hundred years.”
“So, how much is the ‘price of asking’?”
I looked at Signora without saying anything. The Signora gestured with his chin arrogantly, as if telling him to speak quickly. I willingly agreed to do so.
“One billion mora.”
Ha, Signora burst out laughing. She sneered as if she was dumbfounded.
“Isn’t that too greedy? Although it is certainly a valuable item, it does not mean that there are no substitutes. “Each country owns several new items.”
Hearing those words, I looked at Signora without saying anything for a moment. Signora was staring at me as if asking if I was wrong. In the end, I sighed and asked Signora.
“…… “Then, let’s listen to Signora’s opinion.”
“400 Million mora.”
Huh, an absurd laugh burst out. This time the laughter came from my side. I shook my head.
“Signora, haven’t you already heard everything? It’s not just the Woindan that want this sword. I am from Mond. Of course, we are coordinating opinions with Mond first.”
“No matter how much they offered, it doesn’t change the fact that the appropriate price for that sword is 400 million.”
“No, the appropriate price varies depending on demand. And recently, when you think of ‘the power of God,’ there are places where people turn to buy it.”
Signora’s eyebrows twitched slightly. A look of annoyance began to appear in her eyes. I didn’t care whether it was like that or not and continued talking.
“The price proposed by the Knights of Pebonius and the Cathedral is 600 million mora. Even if you can’t do it, you should get more than that.”
“Wait a minute… “I need to point out one thing, right?”
At this time, a low growling sound began to flow from Signora’s mouth. Her gaze became noticeably colder. A threatening aura rose from Signora’s body.
“Just because we’re a member of the Woindan, it doesn’t mean we buy and collect items related to the ‘power of God’ at any price.”
Whoosh, the wind blew. The illusion of a vacuum being created around the Signora.
“…… “There are many ways to have things in the world other than buying them.”
I felt like I was out of breath. And her hands and feet were shaking. I once experienced this sensation.
Tartalia, when he emitted energy waves, the objects around him trembled. Signora is now taking control in her own way. In the tightrope walk of negotiation, just enough that it can’t be an issue.
If you pointed out this problem, you could just make the excuse that you couldn’t control your emotions. If Signora was truly trying to threaten me, it was normal for an ordinary person like me to be driven to the verge of fainting. I couldn’t find fault.
So I forced my trembling body to calm down. And the corners of her mouth twitched up. Signora pretended nothing was wrong and looked at the sight with an amused expression.
Damn b*tch, is this fun? Threatening ordinary people who have no power with force? But I wasn’t foolish enough to put those feelings into words. I spoke in as calm a voice as possible.
“…… Then, why don’t you take it and try it? However, at that time, the Knights of Pebonius and the Cathedral will be keeping it somewhere.”
Hearing those words, Signora burst into laughter and said, “Fuuu. And soon she burst into laughter as if she couldn’t hold it in anymore. It was a burst of laughter. An alluring yet attractive shout struck my ears.
She laughed for a while, but then looked straight. I didn’t even feel any reverberations of emotion. Signora just stared at me.
“It’s fun… you. “Then did you think I would be scared?”
“…… “I’m just talking about it in terms of efficiency.”
I continued her words, feeling as if her chest was being squeezed by Signora’s increasingly strong momentum. After calming down her panting breath for a moment, I looked into the eyes of the Signora who was staring at me without saying a word. There was still no trace of emotion in her gaze.
“The Knights of Pebonius and the Cathedral are organizations representing Mond… If there is a conflict with those two, it won’t just lead to being kicked out of Mond, it will escalate into a diplomatic issue. Even if you are a member of the Wooindan, you may not be able to bring about the ‘pride of the sky.’”
At that point, I took a deep breath again. Then, with trembling hands, I picked up the teacup and drank it all down. Only then did I feel like my throat, which had been a bit dry, became moist. I finished speaking in a more calm voice.
“It’s not a wise choice to complicate something that can be solved with money… At least for people like us.”
Hearing those words, Signora chuckled and lost momentum. Only then did I take a deep breath. I tried to act calm, but I was so frustrated that I was dying. I glared at Signora with resentful eyes, but she didn’t even pretend to notice.
She held the teacup in a relaxed posture. And with her legs crossed, she said to me:
“That was a very touching statement. It is unwise to complicate something that can be solved with money… “That is definitely true.”
I said nothing, took a deep breath, and glared at Signora. It was an atmosphere that made you feel as if everything would just go smoothly. But I knew.
Signora couldn’t have done that. The Signora closed her eyes and sipped her tea, then she opened her eyes again. Her eyes were still extremely cold.
“…… “If only I didn’t have any doubts about his intentions.”
With that, Signora put down the teacup with a thump. She uncrossed her legs, tilted her upper body and approached me.
My reflection was reflected in her pale gray eyes. The exterior was definitely beautiful. The scent of a captivating woman wafted through me.
“Why did they bring out the new product now? “He is the one who would know best that we are collecting the ‘power of God.'”
“…… “Wasn’t it a game you knew everything about?”
“Yes, that’s right. “You want to restore Mond’s supply chain.”
It was plain and straightforward. Tartaglia was like that, but the language the Signora used was the language of the powerful. She doesn’t need to dress up or hide anything. It was something the weak did. However, Signora’s language was more refined.
Her eyes shone fiercely. She had the eyes of a wild beast staring at its prey.
“…… What confidence? “Did you think I would give up on either of you?”
My heart started beating violently. Now, the Signora took her bait. More definitely than anything else. But this was also a gamble for me.
Now was important. The Signora had sunk her teeth into it, and had to be dragged into the mud with such certainty that she could no longer pull it out.
“…… “What if I don’t give up?”
Signora’s gaze became fierce. I twitched the corner of her mouth once again. Yes, that was it. Although she has kept it well hidden until now, her true nature is that of a beast.
I must have been annoying. You must have been annoyed. You can’t kill me, and you can’t use capital to kill me either. Until now, she had been patient for the greater good of exerting influence on Mond, but Signora’s true intentions were probably not that way.
So, it exposes the nape of her neck. It was a pure white nape. The neck of a prey, such as a rabbit, that would normally be killed by just biting it.
If it were a wild beast, you would never be able to take your eyes off it.
“At least hundreds of millions of mora. Can Mond move that much cash while maintaining its supply chain? “I don’t know if I can borrow the help of other bailiffs, but I heard that Snezhnaya’s bailiffs don’t cooperate that well.”
Signora smiled. It was a fierce smile. But she was still hesitating. Her eyes were trying to read deep into my heart.
But it was only a matter of time. She was already halfway there.
Ask, I kept repeating to myself.
“…… Or are you not confident?”
The moment I said those words, I immediately took a breath.
Whoosh, something approaches. It was an intangible force. It was spinning as if it were constricting my neck. The sharpness of a blade, the sense that it may not harm me right away, but could harm me at any time.
The spirit of life, the signora, was sincere. She wanted to kill me. That alone makes my body tremble. My heart was pounding, and my hands and feet were stiff. Compared to now, the threat just now felt like a charm.
But the corners of my mouth did not go down even though they were trembling. I was laughing.
Okay, ask.
“Signora, my final offer is 800 million mora.”
Signora looked at me without saying a word. Her gaze made no sense whatsoever, and when her coldness reached its peak, she did not even give any feeling. And that’s what Signora meant, that she really wanted to bite me to death.
In that short and long time, I was out of breath several times. Signora’s mouth finally opened.
“…… Good.”
Huh, I let out a light laugh even while I was shaking. Yes, you asked. Signora loosened her grip on me and leaned her body back against the backrest.
Her appearance with her legs crossed was the same as usual. She was haughty and arrogant as always. It did not look like the murderer who had been threatening me with his life just a moment ago.
But clearly something has changed. I thought to myself, squeezing my still shaking arm and forcing it to calm down.
“Instead, I will also place a condition on this side. “In order to raise that much cash in a short period of time, we have to give up a lot.”
Signora’s gaze had changed. She didn’t have those eyes when she first looked at me mischievously. Her harsh gaze reminded me that I was still nothing to her. I was her enemy.
I looked at Signora without saying anything. Cold sweat was flowing down my back. Signora saw her like that and continued speaking as if nothing had happened.
“I will charge a penalty. If the transaction does not proceed properly, the amount of damage we will receive is calculated in various ways…….”
I laughed quietly at those words. It was nonsense. No one has ever so blatantly said that they would impose a penalty for failing to make a deal. It makes sense in theory, but it was something that should have come up when discussing detailed contract terms and was not an issue that could be treated as a core issue like it is now.
Because it was a rare occurrence for a deal to fall through. But there was only one meaning for Signora to say such a thing already.
“…… “400 Million won.”
To prevent the transaction from happening. It also meant that he would get the ‘Pride of the Sky’ and stop the deal from happening.
Signora gave me a look as if asking me how I was feeling. I shook my head, looking a bit tired.
“It’s too much. 400 Million won…….”
“This is the price I initially said was the appropriate price for the item. We’re paying double that. “If this is the case, you will also be able to stand up for the Knights of Pebonius and the Cathedral, right?”
I glared at her without saying anything. Signora’s words hid one more thing.
‘And with 800 million won, your intention to make Mond give up its supply chain will be fully realized.’
So, since Wooindan had a hand that they were giving up on, it meant that I should also give up a hand that I was giving up on.
But that wasn’t the only meaning. The signora was acting foolish. What she would do, neither she nor I knew.
400 Million mora, it was a lot of money. No matter how much I was, if that amount of cash was flowing out, I had no choice but to become anxious about running the business. For a while, we won’t even be able to dream of keeping the Wooindan in check. Maybe he could have crushed my upper part in the process.
But it was an expected fight. Even though I was exhausted, I kept a smile on my face. It was a fierce smile that resembled Signora’s.
“…… Great. “I guess we’ll have to watch out for thieves for a while.”
“Well? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
One week until the day of battle, the ‘Pride of the Sky’ trade contract was concluded through the mediation of the Knights of Pevonius.
The rules were simple. If the ‘Pride of the Sky’ is exceeded, 800 million mora will be paid, and if the transaction fails, the party at fault will be compensated 400 million mora.
But beneath those rules, people who had no intention of standing above the rules in the first place were moving around.
**
The upper building was cluttered. This was because the number of security personnel had increased several times. Among them, there were even knights dispatched from the Knights of Pebonius. In addition, access to secret safes located in the basement has become more stringent.
It was decided to store only the ‘Pride of the Sky’ there. Access to all top people, including me, was blocked. It was a cast iron door that had been soldered shut. The door would only open on the morning of the transaction day. As if that wasn’t enough, the place was guarded by several layers of security.
In fact, it was true that even then, I could not feel at ease. The opponent was Wooindan. It wasn’t strange no matter what I did. What would happen if Signora rushed in right away, froze all the security personnel and witnesses to death, and played a role?
Of course, this would not be done because the risk was too great. However, it was true that even just one possibility was threatening. To that extent, Wooindan’s extraordinary spirit was beyond imagination. It was also the reason why I stayed in the upper office until late at night.
Of course, there was one more reason today. As I increased the security force in the upper building, I cooked and fed the guards all day so they would be a little safer. Since my cooking has a strengthening effect, it was something I had to do just in case.
However, the problem was that I overexerted myself for the first time in a long time. Lately, I’ve been working on paperwork all day, and it seems like I’ve lost a lot of muscle. I was leaning against the back of the soft chair in my office, sighing.
It was Mona who looked at me pitifully. Lumine was already standing guard near the secret safe in the basement. She and Mona were originally helping me with security, but now it was time for a break. No matter how strong a human being she was, she couldn’t be on guard 24 hours a day.
“…… So why did you volunteer to do physical labor? Just by looking at it, it’s Saenim’s style.”
I was so upset by Mona’s scolding that I stood up. Then, because my soggy body was painful, I eventually frowned and leaned back against the backrest.
“No, I’m Saenim’s style? “I, too, was once a person who did everything without any worries.”
Mona looked at me as if she was a little surprised by my grumbling. But I was proud. In reality, when I was in real life, I never tried to make money.
I worked part-time at a restaurant, and I also worked part-time at a logistics center loading and unloading. However, the part-time job of loading and unloading was so hard that I had to work hard every day, so I quickly quit.
“Are you talking about where you originally lived?”
“Yeah, well…” That’s where people live too. “Someone has to engage in physical labor for the world to run.”
Mona looked at me with some interest. He seemed to be curious. It was also the sad fate of the wizard family.
“…… “It must have been very difficult, right?”
At those words, I burst out laughing. Then, I accepted Mona’s words in a calm voice as if it was no big deal.
“Is there anything in life that isn’t difficult? However, I felt a bit deprived because I was working while everyone else was studying… But, well, what can I do? “That’s my life.”
Mona was silent for a moment at those words. She seemed a little hesitant every time I brought up a story about reality. The same thing happened last time when I didn’t share my concerns in front of Lumine and Fissle. She considered my concerns special.
Actually, it was a big worry for me too. The only person I could confide in was Mona. She thought she had made up her mind, but she still couldn’t let go of her regrets.
So I had to make this plan succeed. And I had to put down roots in Mond.
“Well, you know… “Are you finished worrying?”
In response to Mona’s cautious question, I turned my attention to her. Mona looked a little hesitant, and she asked me.
“What I was thinking about in Liyue. You discovered something connecting your world and the continent of Tivat. “Isn’t that why you’ve been thinking about it all this time?”
“…… It did.”
I answered in a slightly calm voice. And then I worried. How should I answer? What was the answer I gave?
My mouth opened with a sigh.
“It’s nothing special, it’s just…” ….”
And that moment.
A loud bang shook the earth. The feeling that the entire building above was shaking. I was making a confused noise, but Mona made the first move.
Mona ran up and hugged me. The office shook, and books, tea cups, and various decorations fell and shook. It was when I thought that if I did something wrong, I might get hit by one of them.
With the sound of “Pop,” My vision completely changed. Along with the sensation of cold water grazing my face, the ground I was standing on changed.
It was outside the building. It was noisy there too. People were screaming, and the building was slowly collapsing with a sound. And the rising flames.
I leaned against Mona and let out a helpless laugh.
‘
Wooindan, these are crazy people. I should have realized this when I heard the story from Gamwoo. What kind of thieves do things so extravagantly?
“…… “Could it be that Klee went there?”
My cognitive dissonance was broken immediately. Lumine came up from the basement. Her beauty was like a lily flower shining alone in a world of disaster where ash and fire were scattered.
Her expression was urgent. Lumine looked around, and when she saw me, she looked relieved. She rushed at me.
“Siwoo!”
Lumine immediately examined my body. I stroked her face and scanned my clothes for any scorched spots. However, thanks to Mona, I escaped in an instant. Rather, I was worried about the security personnel who would have remained inside.
Suddenly, Mona’s prophecy came to mind. She said there was a fire. However, I only thought there would be a fire, but I had no idea that there would be an explosion big enough to tilt the entire building.
“What should I do…” Are you okay, Siwoo? I was very surprised. Something exploded underground…….”
“…… Black?”
A cold and cold voice came from next to me. It was Mona. She asked Rumine again, who was looking at me with worried eyes and an urgent expression.
“What happened to ‘Pride in the Sky’?”
At those words, Lumine looked at Mona without saying anything, and eventually she sighed.
“…… Late. The whole land was sold. “I think it was at least from the outskirts of Mond.”
North Korean soldiers, dig a tunnel. My impressions were simple enough, but others were not.
Mona’s expression distorted after hearing that answer. Lumine avoided that gaze. Mona immediately raised her voice.
“Let’s form a tracking team right now…… !”
“That’s enough.”
It was I who stopped Mona. Mona was shocked at the sound of my voice and glared at me with her face.
“I told you so! You shouldn’t mess with the Woindan, you can’t avoid fate, so it’s fate…….”
“It’s as planned.”
Mona’s expression suddenly turned stupid at my words that were said casually. Lumine, who was biting her lip and blaming herself, was also startled and looked at her face.
I was looking at the burning building in despair, bitterness, and as if there was nothing I could do.
If I had known that the entire building would collapse, I would have ripped more from the Wooindan. I felt confused.
“…… What?”
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“Go ahead with the plan.”
As I responded to Mona’s words of disbelief, I looked at her. The pale green jade eyes contained me, with the burning world in the background.
“I told you so.”
And then I smiled. It was a slightly sad smile.
“…… “I will make you believe in me more than fate.”
Now, all I can do is done.
All that was left was the final negotiation.