80 – Get in line!
After the announcement of ‘Sensitive Heat Dissipating Mosquito Net’ & ‘Chicken Guardian’.
Ed’s status soared to the point where it almost broke the stratosphere.
This is because an 18-year-old genius engineer solved all the problems of heat and mosquitoes that no one had been able to solve before.
However, Ed gave all of this credit to the emperor.
Excessive status and influence are bound to make someone jealous, and if the source of that jealousy is the imperial family, it is obvious that there will be a lot of trouble.
So Ed added the imperial maker name to this product as well.
That alone was enough to boost the price by 25%, so it wasn’t really a loss for Ed.
Who would dare criticize an item certified by the imperial family?
“Please everyone line up in order!”
Now, in the main auditorium, a true scene was unfolding where nobles from all over the empire were lining up one after another.
This is because in order to enter into a rental contract for the imperial family’s items, ‘heat-sensitive mosquito net’ and ‘chicken guardian’, you must enter the contract room one by one and sign a 1:1 contract.
“Now, only one person can enter.”
So, ‘Anthony’ was in charge of the proceedings outside the contract room door.
Anthony is one of the members of the Shibalsagi club, and he took second place in this letter test and was able to take on the role of ‘contract guide.’
He was wearing an armband with the imperial emblem on his right arm!
If not now, when will he, the son of a baron, dare to put the count and marquis in line?
Of course, pledging loyalty to Edgar Fix was the best thing I did in my life.
Just by showing that he was in the ‘Edgar Fix Line’, didn’t the gaze of the nobles looking at him and his father’s expression change?
For this reason, when the nobleman standing right in front of the contract room asked, ‘Are you close with Edgar Fix?’, Anthony straightened his shoulders without realizing it.
Isn’t he actually Edgar Fix’s second loyalist?
“Well, we fought a little bit in the past. “Are we like best friends now?”
So Anthony showed a bit of bravado.
He said he was Edgar Fix’s best friend.
Of course, since he had criticized Edgar Fix every day, his conscience was pricked.
Honestly, Edgar Fix and I are closer to lord and subject than best friends.
‘It’s okay. Just be loyal from now on! ‘Long live Edgar Fix!’
However, he regretted all his past sins.
From dog waste that was no better than food waste, he was reborn as Ed’s second loyalist.
So the contract was proceeding smoothly.
Until the 4th Duke of the Empire appeared.
“······.”
A strong pressure that seems to be enough to suffocate this entire area with just that momentum.
They were all staring at Anthony with stiff faces.
En Cerni, who was under the gaze of those who were called the Grand Duke or the Duke of Gong, felt pressure as if his entire body was being pierced and bursting.
How dare he rank the kings of the four directions?
“Tell me. “Who should go in first?”
At this moment, Anthony wanted to run away somewhere.
The imperial armband that seemed to have made him invincible also felt useless.
“Uh… Well, that is… Uh…”
En Cerny looked at the princes standing side by side and his shoulders shook.
Adrian Graham, Grand Duke of the North.
Ileiya Cruel, Grand Duke of the South.
Bjornson Bernhard, Grand Duke of the West.
Adela Elmar, Grand Duke of the East.
They are all rulers in various fields whose superiority and inferiority cannot be judged, so how can they choose who to bring in first?
“It’s okay. There’s nothing to think about. “I guess I can go in first.”
At that time, Ileiya stepped forward with a slight smile.
The cold gazes of the other princes were focused on him, but he paid no heed and conveyed his words.
“Ed and I are already spherical. The first thing I thought about was Ed as my son-in-law. “I heard that your relationship with my daughter has deepened recently, but I’d like to talk to you.”
Geomseong spoke with particular emphasis on the word ‘son-in-law.’
It was as if he was declaring that you should not get involved since he is my son-in-law.
At this, Adrian, the Grand Duke of the North, opened his mouth with an expressionless face.
“Well. The reason our relationship has deepened is because she seems like my daughter. The first product I invented was named after my family. Moreover, if my daughter uses cold magic without hesitation, and she is inspired by it to name her family, then we are probably not an ordinary relationship.”
Pajik-.
A small crack appeared on Ileiya’s forehead.
Because Adrian’s words are offensive.
He had already received reports from his subordinates that the relationship between Isabella and Ed was unusual, and he was most wary of the Grand Duchess of the North.
I couldn’t hand over my son-in-law to that devil-like child.
“hahahaha. I wonder if you guys are getting older too. “It’s amazing to see that you care so much about such false rumors.”
But at that time, Bjornson, the Grand Duke of the West, who had been quietly staying behind, intervened.
As Claire’s father, he needed to treat the rumors about Enya and Isabella as false for the sake of his daughter, who had not yet made any progress with Ed.
Only then will Claire be able to properly justify herself as a latecomer.
‘Yes. ‘Fight yourselves as much as you can.’
Meanwhile, there was someone quietly watching the war of nerves between the three archdukes.
From noble mtl dot com
It was Adela, the Grand Duke of the East and the owner of the Elmar family.
The reason she can so leisurely watch the war of nerves between the three archdukes is because a marriage alliance with Edgar Fix is impossible in the first place.
She has only one son, Lucas Elmar.
‘If you can’t have it, make sure everyone doesn’t have it.’
So, the best thing for her is that not all of the Archdukes can obtain the Edgar Fix.
It is obvious that if one of the archduchys has Edgar Fix, who receives the protection of the imperial family and exerts influence in all aspects of the empire, the second-in-command of the empire will be born.
That situation had to be prevented.
“hahahaha, it’s a lie. “Everyone who is in the know knows this.”
“Heh heh. “Isn’t it true that rumors tend to spread exaggeratedly because their form is unpredictable?”
“On the contrary, I think it is admirable to exaggerate. “Aren’t you denying reality too much?”
So, Adela quietly watched the dukes bickering.
I supported their fight and prayed that they would quietly destroy themselves by next year.
“I…”
In the meantime.
Anthony carefully intervened among the archdukes.
The guy who couldn’t figure out who to bring in first quickly asked Ed about the order and tried to tell him the news.
“Well, I asked Ed directly. “I will guide you through the steps.”
The princes, who were engaged in a war of nerves, focused on Anthony’s next words.
Now, a treasure that cannot be missed called ‘Edgar Fix’ is at stake.
They did not want to give up even the slightest thing.
“The first person to serve is Sir Adella of the Grand Duchy of Elmar. Oh, please eat it inside…”
However, the results were unexpected.
The Elmar family, which had no contact with Ed until now, was chosen.
Adela must have never thought that she would be singled out first, as she opened her eyes wide and pointed at herself with her index finger.
“···? Are you sure? “She wanted to see her mother first?”
“····Yes. “Eh, Ed clearly meant that.”
However, when she checked again, she was correct that she had been singled out first.
A faint smile spread across Adela’s face.
“Yes, among the four grand duchesses, she wanted to see her maiden’s family first. As rumored, he is the future of the empire, with a wealth of insight, culture, and humility.”
“Ha, hahahaha… Yes.”
“Okay, take the lead. “I want to see the future of the empire.”
Adela said that and stood in front of the contract room door.
Finally, Anthony bowed her head and opened the door, and Adela walked inside where Ed was.
Ileiya, who was looking at Adela’s back with a bewildered expression, muttered in a dejected voice.
“Son, son-in-law…”
***
The next day.
Ed succeeded in signing contracts with most of the noble families of the empire.
As a result, she was able to distribute her products evenly throughout the country.
‘Now all we have to do is deploy informants.’
And Ed decided to actively take advantage of this.
It’s as if someone comes to periodically check the water purifier installed in the house.
He decided to dispatch his informant under the pretext of checking ‘Responsive Heat Dissipating Mosquito Net’ and ‘Chicken Guardian’.
In this way, we will be able to look into the trends of demonic religions spreading in each region.
‘It would be appropriate to hire a Dream Guardian.’
However, Ed had no intention of selecting just anyone as a ‘mosquito net manager.’
Since the Dream Guardians lost their jobs due to the products he developed, he decided to hire Dream Guardians with preferential treatment in order to preserve their livelihood.
In the first place, to understand the trends of the Demonic Cult, you need someone who can use a certain amount of mana, and they were the perfect people for that role, as they were people who could take the risk of being ripped off by mosquitoes in exchange for money, and they were also mana users.
‘The results are quite good.’
In this way, Ed was able to reap many harvests from this work.
Not only did I get the justification to dispatch my informants all over the country, but I was also able to make many connections during the contract process.
‘I can’t believe you have become friends with the heads of the grand duchy so quickly.’
In particular, the most notable achievement was the relationship with the four grand ducal families.
As a result of many conversations during the contract signing process yesterday, it was revealed that all of the four major ducal families wanted to establish a constructive relationship with him.
With this, Ed succeeded in laying the foundation for the ‘Family Quest’ that must be cleared one day.
If you keep in touch and build a good relationship, the day will come when you can actively intervene in the Grand Duchy and complete the quest.
You can clear the ‘Family Quest’, which can be completed only when you graduate, more quickly.
***
In a dark room without a single light.
Charlotte was lost in her thoughts, hugging her legs.
This is because the official notice posted on the bulletin board is causing her confusion.
[Notice]
We are recruiting managers to manage ‘Responsive Heat Dissipating Mosquito Net’.
Preferences: Dream Guardian.
A short official document written in just two lines.
However, Charlotte knew very well what intentions were contained in this official document.
It was about sponsoring the Dream Guardian, who lost her job due to Ed’s invention.
So, it must have been written down as ‘Dream Guardian’ preferential treatment without any special conditions.
‘But…’
But she still wasn’t applying for this crappy part-time job.
I couldn’t bear to do that.
Because her pride does not allow it.
“······.”
Of course, if someone sees themselves like this, they might scoff.
How dare you show off your pride?
Ed said he would make money easily, but she was so stupid that she couldn’t even take it, so why is she sitting alone and shaking in despair?
She may make such harsh criticism.
‘I don’t want to show myself like this…’
But Charlotte didn’t want to show her crush like this.
She walked comfortably on the rails he had laid down, and she didn’t want to be the scoundrel who begged to be given a free ride.
She was just a fellow academy cadet who liked Ed, and like Enya and Isabella, who were always confident and pretty, she wanted to stand in front of Ed on an equal level.
‘·····In the end, I will receive help from Ed again.’
However, Charlotte had a hunch.
Even though these worries continued, she ended up groveling in front of Ed and saying that she needed money.
That dull, down-and-out girl has always been who she was, and her life was designed to be that way.
-Kwoowoouk….
However, Charlotte held her necklace tightly.
This is a gemstone that has not yet become a diamond.
Charlotte still remembered the day when Ed gave her this ore as a gift.
No, it was a big event that changed her life completely, beyond her vivid life.
Isn’t this ore a commemoration of the fact that oneself can also become beautiful and be reborn?
So, Charlotte wanted to become a diamond herself.
Even though she looks like a stone now, she wanted to one day become a sparkling diamond and stand in front of Ed.
Isn’t that why she braved fear and jumped into the Dream Guardian?
-Sigh.
Charlotte wiped away the tears that were welling up.
Clutching the necklace that Ed had gifted her, she vowed that she would definitely stand up for herself.
Hasn’t she always received help from Ed?
She felt like if she rode comfortably on the rails that Ed had laid this time, she would never be his equal.
No matter what happened, she had to overcome this crisis on her own.
-Gooooo…
Soon, Charlotte began to gather her mana.
In a dark room, bluish mana radiated and a flower bloomed.
It was a technique for creating the natural world that only the Verdian family could perform.
“Flower! “I’m selling flowers!”
She is a humble person and the only means of earning money she can.
It was about making flowers bloom and selling them.
So, Charlotte picked up the beautifully bloomed flowers and began to think about how to sell them.
Finally, Charlotte put the flower back and closed her eyes.
If she wanted to become a product, she had to make flowers that were more special than this.
This is the product that everyone needs and wants, just like the product Ed created.
“······.”
Charlotte’s night deepened.