The sound of a knock on the door moved the three people’s eyes at the same time.
said Baron Campspryn in a strained voice.
“… This is Count Darren.”
“The tiger also came when I said it, so it appeared just in time.”
“Is there such a thing?”
When Baron Campspryn asked a proverb he had never heard before, Leo shrugged.
It was natural to not know a proverb used in Korea when talking about it here.
he pointed to the door.
“anyway. It looks like you’re still waiting. Hurry up and open the door.”
“Are you all right?”
“then.”
“then… All right.”
Baron Campspryn stood up and carefully opened the door.
Then, a middle-aged man with a generous physique pushed right in.
“Hey, workshop manager. I knocked on the door several times from the outside, but now I can’t open it… .”
As he spoke, Earl Darren’s mouth stopped abruptly.
“… Big hum. There must have been a guest.”
He glanced over.
If it was originally, I would have given Baron Campspryn a face first, but the atmosphere was unusual.
he looked around
‘There are four escort knights… .’
Drexla and four escort knights were waiting quietly in the corner of the workshop.
They were so still that you wouldn’t know if they were there or not if you weren’t looking carefully, but Earl Darren didn’t miss them.
The next thing that caught my eye was a boy sitting at a table.
‘… … !’
Silver hair is said to be dyed like a trend in the capital city, so it could be, but even silver eyes that sparkled like stars were visible.
Count Darren suddenly bent his back 90 degrees.
“It is an honor to meet a descendant of a noble lineage in a place like this, my lord! My name is Count Darren Fletcher.”
“Nice to meet you. It’s called Leo Asian Rom Karst.”
“ah. Leo you’re right! I really wanted to see you sometime, and it’s an honor!”
Count Darren smiled broadly at Leo.
“Anyway, the rumors are true.”
“rumor?”
“Yes. They say that poor Leo’s beauty is already shaking the capital… Seeing it in person, it seems that you are more amazing than rumors.”
Calling an ugly person handsome is clearly flattering, but calling a handsome person handsome is a sincere compliment.
He was a man with butter on his mouth.
He continued to praise Leo without a break.
Appearance, magical talent, or how I heard about the case of going on a campaign as a beggar of Hydra.
He pulled out everything and bit and sucked on Leo.
To be honest, if you were a normal kid this age, you would have developed a crush on Earl Darren right away.
Because people tend to like those who praise them.
However, Leo’s eyes didn’t look very emotional.
Considering his experience in Korea, he is over 30 years old, and he couldn’t look favorably on his opponent with these few words of flattery.
On the contrary, it was to the point of becoming even more wary.
“So, by telling my son about the day I met you, as an honor for the family… .”
“Let’s talk about that.”
“Ah yes. All right.”
“What brought you here?”
Count Darren’s eyes rolled at Leo’s question.
‘Come to think of it… Why is Prince Leo in such a small workshop?’
Although the Campsprin workshop has recently been attracting attention in the alchemy industry, it was not famous enough for the royal family to know about it.
If it was that big, Count Darren wouldn’t have been able to use his tricks to gulp the workshop.
Not knowing what he might have to do with the Campsprin workshop, Earl Darren answered cautiously.
“That… There’s a new alchemist over there named Sonia who is pretty good despite her youth. I love supporting such talented common people. hahahaha.”
Sponsor a commoner who works in a studio.
It must be a very insignificant reason in the eyes of the royal family.
That’s why it was good to wait for an excuse.
I don’t know why Prince Leo is here, but even if he had ties to the Campsprin workshop, if that’s the reason, it wouldn’t offend him.
Of course, when Leo heard that, sparks flew out of his eyes.
‘This bastard?’
It wasn’t enough that you messed around with the workshop, were you thinking of reaching out to Sonia yourself?
Leo’s eyes shone even colder.
“Right. Support the common people… . You are doing a wonderful job.”
“Uh ha ha. Didn’t we all receive the grace of King Karst, the founder of this country? In order to repay that, I am always working hard in many ways. In the future, I have the idea of moving that commoner to my studio where he can work better.”
Count Darren laughed.
At first, the Camp Sprint workshop had recently been open, so he approached to eat it himself.
But in the middle of it, I noticed that Sonia, who is a newcomer, has great skills, and that her beauty is also pretty good.
So while taking over the workshop, I thought of taking Sonia with me naturally.
You can have them work in your own alchemy workshop, or you can trick them.
Because when a noble like a count shows interest, the common people can’t help but feel embarrassed.
Of course, after hearing that, Leo’s expression hardened completely.
Leo decided in his heart.
‘You won’t put an end to me.’
* * *
Earl Darren spoke a few more words with Leo, then left the workshop on the pretext of an appointment.
Returning to his mansion, he made an impression.
“Why the hell was Prince Leo there?”
Today, I was thinking of giving up Baron Campspryn completely and engulfing the workshop.
I guess I’ll have to wait a few days and keep an eye on it.
After a while, when Prince Leo’s interest faded from the studio, he planned to start working again.
‘No matter how much you say royalty, you are still just a 12-year-old child. At that age, interests change quickly… I can start again in about a month.’
Earl Darren took care of his business after that.
Aside from the alchemy workshop, he entered various business fields.
It was a method of sneakily intercepting them by reaching out to places where they had no backing and skills.
It was possible because he himself was a count and one of the nobles close to him was a marquis.
After working for such a long time, around evening, the butler came to visit.
“master. I got a call from His Excellency, Marquis of Gessen. He told me to come see him because he has an urgent business.”
“Your Excellency the Marquis?”
Count Darren jumped up from his seat, unsuitable for his fat body.
No matter how late the time is, when the Marquis of Gessen calls, you must run right away.
“I’ll leave immediately, so get ready.”
“All right.”
* * *
Earl Darren visited the mansion of the Marquis of Gessen so quickly that his chin shook.
Late at night he called to himself.
I was delighted with this fact.
‘Your Excellency Marquis is that friendly with me!’
If it was a face-to-face relationship, there was no way he would call at this late hour.
Arriving, he was immediately guided by the Marquis and greeted with a smile.
“Your Excellency Marquis! I heard you found me!”
“You. What are you doing?”
“… Yes?”
However, the Marquis of Gessen started screaming at him as soon as he arrived.
“Did you not hear me? What are you doing!”
“Oh, no… .”
Earl Darren’s neck tightened.
I couldn’t understand what the situation was.
It was so different from what he had imagined when he came.
The Marquis of Gessen looked at him with a pathetic expression and said,
“You. I’ve been forced to take over various businesses before. Only places run by commoners or weak nobles cleverly evaded the law.”
“That, that… .”
A cold sweat broke out on the back of Earl Darren’s neck.
What he did was half illegal, but the other half was legal.
Among other nobles, there were many who dealt with things in this way.
Especially those who have a strong prestige and a back stomach like Count Darren.
That’s why I haven’t had any problems so far, but it’s a different story when I trip and fall like this.
said the Marquis of Gessen.
“Actually, that’s what a lot of other people do, so I don’t really care as long as it doesn’t harm me. But in the meantime, they even sold my name. I was completely unaware of that.”
“… … .”
The Marquis of Getsen was one of the greatest nobles in the present Roman Kingdom.
Naturally, there were many people who wanted to have a relationship with him, and Earl Darren was one of them.
Every year he gave a large sum of money to the estate of the Marquis of Getsen.
That’s why he boasted that he was friendly with the Marquis of Getsen, but from the perspective of the Marquis of Getsen, he was just one of many nobles who followed him.
The Marquis of Gessen looked at him disapprovingly.
‘I didn’t really like him before, but… Fool.’
I knew from before that Count Darren often used dirty tricks, but I didn’t really care.
no. He was the one who gave himself a huge amount of donations, so it was right to turn a blind eye to him halfway.
But now it’s different.
Today, he entered the royal palace and met Prince Leo.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen him since he’s such a busy prince, and he brought up the story of Count Darren.
-There’s a workshop I’m interested in these days, but it’s difficult because of Count Darren. He didn’t seem like a very nice person… As it turned out, I heard that Marquis of Gessen is close with you. Are you really close with him?
-… Absolutely not, lower. I am someone I don’t even know.
-Right.
That’s exactly what Leo said.
However, it was different from the perspective of the Marquis of Gessen.
I felt a great sense of danger.
‘I can’t ever cause a crack between me and the lower class because of this guy.’
He even thought of supporting Leo as the next king.
In such a situation, it was a specification to buy a ridiculous misunderstanding.
“If you don’t want to be on the agenda for next month’s monthly meeting, take care of all that stinking business right away. All clean!”
“Go, Your Excellency!”
“Or should I do it myself?”
“… Oh no. I will take care of everything as you said.”
“I’ll give you a week. If you can’t solve it cleanly within that, I’ll go out on my own.”
“… … .”
Count Darren’s face turned pale.
* * *
The Marquis of Gessen ordered the liquidation of all illegally obtained businesses within a week.
But is selling a business something that can be done so quickly?
It wasn’t like selling something for a penny or two on the market, and I had to find a buyer who was good enough to at least get my investment back.
However, bad news comes one after another.
Rumors spread that the businesses of the Earl of Darren had been abandoned by the Marquis of Gethsen.
“Someone spread such ridiculous rumors!”
“I-I don’t know either. Rumors spread all of a sudden among merchants and nobles… .”
“aaagh!”
For Earl Darren, it was a crazy thing to do.
A business out of sight of the great nobility.
No matter how good it was, there was no way anyone would live on it.
If things go on like this, they won’t be able to sell even at bargain prices.
Count Darren ran and ran, but the situation was not good.
You might just have to go out of business.
At that time, a person visited Count Darren’s family.
“Hello, Count. My name is Gawain, who runs the Gawain Information Guild.”
“… It’s a name I’ve heard before.”
Earl Darren made an impression.
I had heard of it because it was the largest organization in the world behind the capital, and recently it was expanding its influence domestically and internationally.
“therefore. Why did you come to see me?”
“I came here because I heard that you are having trouble recently.”
“… Keep things simple.”
“I want to acquire businesses that I want to sell.”
Earl Darren’s eyes widened.
I’ve been wanting to find a buyer, but I can’t believe this kind of savior is coming!
A smile formed on Earl Darren’s lips.
“Oh oh. Welcome. ha ha ha yes. How long have you been looking for it?”
“How about this?”
Gawain smiled and carefully whispered the amount.
Hearing that, Earl Darren’s eyes widened.
The smile that had been on his lips earlier had disappeared.
“What crazy! Are you kidding me? If I sell it at that price, I can’t even get a tenth of my investment!”
“Then there is nothing you can do.”
Gawain shrugged.
“If you don’t like it, shall we go?”
However, Earl Darren couldn’t bear to say that.
Because Gawain was the only buyer that showed up over the past week.
“… I will think, think a little.”
“As much as you like.”
Gawain smiled softly and nodded.
Leo’s voice was playing in his ears.
– The price is slashed without mercy. Even if he took over for free, he would have no choice but to sell it.
Thief Leo