She couldn’t escape Eren’s gaze as he looked straight at her.
It sounded completely different from the way Virki had chattered and called out to her from the side.
When she pressed her lips shut, he seemed to take it as a refusal and met her eyes persistently, as if seeking permission.
“Is it not allowed?”
What was so special about a mere name? Virki called her by it freely, even shortening it however he pleased.
“Virki calls you by your name. Would that not be acceptable for me as well?”
He didn’t seem inclined to let it go until he received permission.
He never crossed the line unless he explicitly asked.
That trait felt like the very reason he had been able to endure being looked down on for so long.
After all, they were already married. He could just call her by name.
Liselotte answered with a soft, bashful smile.
“Why are you asking so formally? Do whatever feels comfortable.”
Once Liselotte gave her permission, he tilted his head slightly.
Holding her face fully in his rough palm, he stared at her endlessly, as if fascinated, and called her name.
“Liselotte.”
“…Yes?”
“Liselotte.”
What was it that he wanted?
After blinking for a moment, she seemed to realize and broke into a bright smile.
“Yes, Eren.”
Only then did his lips draw a long, gentle curve.
The first smile she had ever seen from him felt like something that would linger in her memory longer than she expected.
***
The East. Count Inhora’s estate.
Today, an unusually large crowd was coming and going from Count Inhora’s estate.
Those who had arrived with their carriages loaded with gold coins left smiling broadly, carrying small boxes in their arms.
“Ho ho, to think they’d release such a precious magic tool from the East even to merchant guilds in other regions.”
“If only I had more capital, I would have gone all in. What a shame. I hear the West already has a long line of reservations.”
Merchant lords who had gathered from all directions, east, west, south, and north, smacked their lips while hugging the boxes containing magic tools as if they were their very lives.
Some of them tilted their heads as they looked at the boxes.
“For us, it’s fortunate that we can obtain magic tools from the Magic Tower that were practically an eastern monopoly… but I can’t figure out why they’re suddenly releasing these.”
The East, more precisely the Ducal House Gloria, had suddenly opened a magic tool bidding through Count Inhora’s estate.
It seemed they were finally seeing the effects of all that groveling.
At the doubt someone voiced, everyone rolled their eyes, reading the room.
Soon, one man leaned in slightly and whispered.
“Isn’t it because of the recent issue with the Employment Department, the one that had many merchant families sign a collective petition?”
“Ah, right. There are still many who refuse to do business with House Gloria.”
“Exactly. That’s why the competition for this bid was absurdly low, wasn’t it?”
Recently, among merchant guilds, an atmosphere had spread where trading with the East was seen as an act of betrayal.
A merchant lord from the South wrinkled his nose and hinted,
“So they’re doing this to salvage their reputation, then.”
“Well, even I hesitated a lot before coming here. But where else could we purchase magic tools of this grade at factory price?”
“True. It’s far too big to ignore.”
High-grade magic tools produced by the Magic Tower could be considered guaranteed in quality.
Usually, when the Magic Tower supplied them at a fixed price, they were distributed in the East at a higher price.
But this time, an announcement had been made through the merchant bulletin that they would be distributed at the exact price set by the Magic Tower.
That meant that simply by purchasing them, one was guaranteed profits enough to buy at least twenty new carriages for free.
No matter how others viewed them, as long as they had magic tools, they would eventually make a comeback.
What did such petty convictions matter?
“Later on, everyone will regret not acting now.”
The merchant lords climbed into their carriages with sly grins and light steps.
“Alright, shall I check on my reserved regular clients first!”
The carriages that had arrived loaded with gold coins left Count Inhora’s estate one by one, noticeably lighter.
Clatter, clatter. Watching the merchant carriages recede into the distance, Count Inhora snapped shut the curtains of the reception room window.
He bowed obsequiously toward Anix, who was seated in the seat of honor, and slid onto the sofa with a rustle.
“Your Grace. We’ve handed everything over.”
“Did they say anything after seeing the magic tools?”
Anix asked in a kindly tone as he set his teacup down with a soft clink.
Count Inhora nodded hurriedly.
“Well, would those small-time merchants even be able to recognize high-grade magic tools?”
“Oh come now, they weren’t magic tools that had been used much. Selling them at their proper price is still a gain for them.”
Baron Valles, who was seated across from them, nodded in agreement.
Only then did Count Bion, who had been sitting at the very end, lift his head.
Having finished signing something, he passed the paper to Miro and asked,
“Is this written correctly?”
“Yes, that is correct. Thank you for your trouble, my Lord.”
Miro was already holding the papers he had received from Count Inhora and Baron Valles.
With his objective complete, Anix rose from his seat without hesitation.
When the three nobles also stood up, he raised a hand to stop them.
“That’s enough. You loaded the payment onto my carriage, didn’t you?”
“Ah, of course. Is this our first time doing business? That said, um…”
Count Inhora glanced at him cautiously and asked carefully,
“Since my House acted as a proxy bidder, I was slightly worried and wanted to ask… There won’t be any issue with it being secondhand magic tools, will there?”
“Didn’t I say I hadn’t used them much?”
Anix, who had been smiling gently until just moments ago, fixed him with a hard stare.
At that chilling shift, Count Inhora quickly bowed his head.
“My apologies, Your Grace. I was just concerned…”
“Enough. The send-off is done, so we’ll be in touch again later.”
“Yes, yes… Please take care.”
After signaling Miro with a glance, he strode out of the reception room.
As if accustomed to it, he left the estate and boarded the carriage that the coachman had waiting.
Facing Miro inside, he asked,
“Will this be enough?”
“Yes. This should roughly cover the cost of summoning Lady Diana’s priest for now.”
“That’s a relief.”
Only then did Anix let out a quiet sigh.
They cleaned up the used magic tools and sold them to the merchant guilds.
They had sold items that were originally far more expensive at a proper price, so the buyers ought to be grateful.
One week without magic tool deliveries.
Belatedly, Liselotte sent over a rebuttal brief related to the lawsuit for terminating the contract with the Magic Tower.
Even then, the rebuttal concerning the North was being postponed again and again, using defamation as an excuse.
Recalling this, Anix clicked his tongue sharply.
Recently, the atmosphere of the Ducal House had grown rapidly more tense.
As if by design, three minor subjugations had occurred within the span of a single week.
Thanks to the newly hired mercenaries doing their job properly with the help of magic tools, nothing showed on the outside.
But if this dragged on any longer, it would no longer be possible to hide it.
“Considering the weekly wages for the hired hands and the maintenance costs…”
No matter how thoroughly he scraped things together, one month was the limit.
Frowning, he asked Miro,
“Have you received all the documents?”
“Ah, yes. Please do not worry. Within today, I will resend a rebuttal brief and request that the Central Court proceed with the case quickly.”
Fortunately, Miro was handling things swiftly and efficiently.
One month. If they could endure just one month, everything would be resolved.
***
[Rebuttal Brief
Case: Lawsuit for Termination of a Magic Tool Supply Contract
Plaintiff: Virki Baskerville
Defendant: Eastern Ducal House, Duke Anix Gloria.
(1) From the plaintiff’s rebuttal brief alone, it is not possible to determine which act of the defendant violated which clause of the contract.
(2) The defendant provided the plaintiff with time to review the contract in advance, after which the plaintiff gave consent.
(3) Accordingly, the contract that was subsequently executed was a contract concluded by mutual agreement and carried out in accordance with lawful procedures, and the relevant evidence is attached below.
Evidence No. 1: A letter in which the plaintiff expressed intent to enter into the contract.
Evidence No. 2: Three confirmation statements from Count Inhora, Baron Valles, and Count Bion, stating that the magic tool supply contract in question is a standard contract.]
No sooner had the rebuttal brief been sent than a reply came back the very next day.
While Liselotte was reading the report in her room, Hedmilton blinked and continued speaking.
“So… it seems Grandmother has already gone ahead and purchased one of the magic tools that were recently supplied through House Inhora.”
