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Chapter 4: A Summertime Prelude
Three days had passed since the project meeting.
“Gonna be honest, I had zero interest in the meeting at first, but it turned out to be way more interesting than I thought,” Char said. Reliared and I had bumped into him on the way to the junior broadcasting station after school. As our destinations were the same, it was bound to happen eventually.
“You didn’t seem all that interested from the very beginning, though,” Reliared said without hesitation. That initial impression I had of Char still lingered for me as well.
“I still don’t really get what this whole magivision deal is all about or why it’s so great. I’m kinda just doing whatever Wagnes tells me to do.”
Wagnes was the production crew’s director and also the chairman of the junior broadcasting station as a whole. If I recalled correctly, he was in his third year of middle school.
E ñ u̇ m a . i ḋ
“But now I see there’s projects where you get to help build it up little by little. Knowing that my own opinions have influence makes me way more interested.”
Really now? When I thought about it, I realized I could relate. I also had programs that I was more invested in. In fact, I might have unconsciously been bringing the programs I starred in closer to my preferred vision.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“What direction do we want to take our broadcasting station? What specials can we only record here? Who are we trying to appeal to? Watching professional works while keeping those questions in mind makes it way more fun.”
Oh my.
“Do you not think you’re actually quite suited to this field?” If he found it both interesting and fun, then Char’s personality may be perfect for the industry. Despite his delinquent appearance, deep down he was really quite the diligent boy.
“Maybe.”
W ӗb̃n о̀v́el̈ Ѐn̊ŭ m̀ ӑ
This was the moment that the genius magivision producer Char was born!
At least...I’d love to be able to say that was what had just happened here. But hadn’t he said he hadn’t joined the production crew because of magivision or the broadcasting station, but because of some “Wing” thing? That was between him and the club, though, so I didn’t bother commenting on it.
On to the real reason we were here, though.
“It looks like they’ve put more into this than I thought they would,” I remarked.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Right. Though this is the bare minimum, really. If they didn’t try at least this hard, they’d have no future.”
Reliared was so harsh. But I couldn’t say I disagreed. If you didn’t bring your all when it really counted, then you would never succeed.
Ẇеb n ó v̆е l Е̄ ṅ u m а
A whole crowd of students were gathered in front of the broadcasting station. They were of all different ages, both boys and girls, but one commonality united them.
“What the hell...? They’re already here? Sorry, I’m goin’ ahead,” Char said before dashing off.
Summer was approaching and daytime was now longer, but if the number of participants increased, then it would take significantly more time to record. It was a nice day today, so they’d better hurry and get going before the sun set.
“Are you going to take part, Nia?”
“If I took part, none of them would stand a chance. What fun is there in a match where the winner is obvious?”
“Wow, so confident. You go, undefeated racing queen.”
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“Racing queen”? I... No comment.
When the students noticed me, I felt their passionate gazes filled with expectations: a desire to challenge me, a desire to win. They all knew how fast I could run thanks to the dog program. But I still refused to participate.
Today the star was Kikirira. The purpose of today’s event was to record a debut program for the junior production crew.
And the ultimate goal? To officially get themselves on the capital’s channel.
We greeted the staff members frantically running about as we entered the station.
“Oh, you’re both here!” The director, Wagnes, immediately came forward to welcome us.
E nû m̆ а. і̌ d́
“You’ve got quite the gathering, haven’t you?” I said. There were about twenty people outside, including some familiar faces. Sanowil Badr, his rival Gazell Brock, and Reliared’s older sister Ririmi (who was now in high school), were all present.
“It went just as you said, Nia. When I used yours and Relia’s names, a ton of students suddenly responded to our call.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
That was really all it had taken? Then there was value in us coming after all. On the topic, Hildetaura had been unable to come because she already had plans. She had been quite disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to attend.
“Let us help. What needs to be done?”
“Oh, thanks. We’re busy setting up, but there’s so much to do.”
No doubt. It was almost summer vacation, so they’d only had about three days to prepare. Most students returned home over the summer, so if they wanted to record anything, they had to do it now. Miss this chance and they’d have no choice but to wait until after.
Е̇ ň.ũm̆ а
“Relia, let’s go.”
“Aww, do we have to? I only came here to watch.”
I understood how she felt. I never intended to help out either. But if they ended up failing to record while the sun was out because they couldn’t get set up in time, then this whole thing would be a waste of both of our precious time.
Hurrying the moaning Reliared along, we entered the throng of swiftly working students.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Let’s quickly run through the course! First...” The director pushed his voice as hard as he could, gesturing to each part of the course so that the students with number plates on their shirts could see.
First was a narrow road.
Е num̀ а.. і̌d
“Cross this beam! If you fall, you’re out! Next...”
He pointed at a hole in the ground about the depth of a stair and filled with muddy water.
“Do a long jump over this hole! If you fall, you won’t just be out, you’ll be all muddy too! After that...”
There was a route made from stakes stuck into the ground like stepping stones. They were of varying heights, so you had to think about where and how you were stepping as you crossed.
“Skillfully leap across here using only the stakes! They aren’t very high in order to prevent injuries, but if even a single part of your body touches the ground, you’re out! Then, you go farther down here...”
Next was a bunch of boxes of various sizes lined up at even intervals.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Run while jumping over these hurdles and aim for the goal!”
In short, this was an obstacle course.
What unique strengths did the junior broadcasting station have? What kinds of programs could be recorded here and only here?
Easy: their biggest unique feature and strength was that they had a ton of students at their disposal. The martial arts tournament we held last year at the academy was still fresh in my mind; even that had been held for the purposes of Project Magivision, and it resulted in bringing in a whole new audience of the students’ parents and relatives.
The recording we did back then had been received well. It had been a complete success.
In other words, they could use the students. They could use the children.
Wе̄b̀ n̈ оv̇е̂ l_ Е̄ ñuṁӑ
This being a school, there were many children, and there was a demand from their relatives to be granted the opportunity to see them. If the junior broadcasting station also used the popular concept of audience participation specials—something that was proved successful by the tournament—they could increase interest in magivision among the student body by presenting the possibility that they too could appear on magivision.
Children were perfectly fine to use right now because one day, they would grow up. Once they became adults themselves, there would surely be some who would try to integrate magivision into their lives.
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This project in particular called upon the athletic children of the school. I had no doubts in my mind that the members of the broadcasting station had taken these last three days to run around the school trying to persuade people to join. If they spent three whole days building the course and gathering participants, then they were definitely prepared.
And most importantly...
“I’ll do my best!”
This was a program to fully showcase just how impressive Kikirira’s athletic ability really was.
Е̊ n um̃ а.і d́
“YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I’M THE FASTEST IN THE WORLD!”
I’d heard that yell of victory so many times by now, and every time, I was surprised by the exuberant emotion that it carried.
With only a few days left until summer vacation, the junior broadcasting station successfully acquired the rights to broadcast the obstacle course recording; they managed to acquire their first victory in the industry.
Yes, a victory.
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If the official broadcasting station didn’t deem their recording as viable, it wouldn’t be aired—and that meant their projects should be viewed as respectable matches that could end in victory or defeat.
Those matches wouldn’t stop here either. They couldn’t bathe in the glory of a single win forever. But at least this served as their proper debut, and the sight of Kikirira’s roar of victory, tears streaming down her cheeks, would vividly remain in the minds of many.
Еn um̆ а_
It wasn’t a bad start at all. Whether because competitive programs were more interesting to watch or because everything had been compiled in a clear and concise manner, the episode had already been rebroadcast twice as far as I knew.
The program had the funny moments of people falling off the beam or into the pool of muddy water, and then you saw the valiant figures of the front-runners beautifully clearing the obstacles. I could report that it went down well in the elementary girls’ dorm at least. Sanowil’s and Gazell’s participation definitely helped in that regard.
As if to hammer home the notability of the athletic skill Kikirira was so proud of, we’d seen her yell in victory each time she crossed the finish line.
In any case, though it took a long time, the junior broadcasting station had finally acquired their first victory. They only had more battles to face from here on out.
“Hmph. She thinks she’s the fastest in the world when the young mistress is right here? Hah. What a laugh. She’s an absolute joke.” Lynokis huffed as she muttered to herself. She was always so immature when it came to the words of children.
I had only ended up watching it because it suddenly appeared on the frame, but I still had my homework to finish, so I turned off the MagiPad.
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“Ah.”
Oh, were you watching that, Lynokis? What a shame.
“Did you pass on my message to Anzel and Fressa?” I asked.
“What? Yes. They said they’d give an answer once they know the exact dates, but they’re looking forward to it and will do what they can in order to come along.”
Oh, then it seemed like the chances they’d be able to join us were pretty high.
“What about on your end, Young Mistress?”
Е ṅu m̌ а́ ..і̃d
“Gandolph said he’d definitely come along, and that he’d cry if we left him behind.”
“That man acts way too entitled to you. We should make an example of him by breaking two or three of his bones.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Maybe he was a bit entitled, but he definitely wasn’t as bad as Lynokis. Plus, he actually respected me! He saw his master’s back and respected it! He wasn’t sitting enjoying magivision while his master was in a violent battle with her homework!
“You’re already aware of Lynette’s response,” I said. Lynokis had been with me when I brought it up to Lynette during our training, so she’d heard the answer herself.
I hadn’t been expecting anything different, though. She’d apologized and said she couldn’t and didn’t want to leave Neal’s side.
“So insolent for daring to refuse the young mistress’s invitation. We should make an example of her by breaking two or three of her bones.”
Wеb̃ n̄ о̂ v ĕ l̊ Е̇n̊ u ma
Too entitled if they accepted my invitation, insolent if they rejected—same old Lynokis.
“Anyway, at least we now know that most of us will be going. All that’s left is to make up an itinerary.”
I just need to hope I can squeeze a week of holiday time off... My work schedule was bound to become a terrifying behemoth again, but it was important I wrung out as much time as possible. Bendelio was very proficient at making up my schedules, after all. One day, I’d definitely beat him up.
“Also, Cedony Trading said that they could arrange the high-speed liner for us. They just requested we tell them the dates as early as possible,” Lynokis added.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Good work.” Getting our hands on that was a big time-saver.
This time, I would be bringing my students with me on a hunt.
Е̄ num̈а .іḋ
Our summer expedition was almost here.
“Did you see it?”
And of course.
“At least knock, would you?”
At some point, Reliared had stopped knocking when she came around for her nightly visits. That was unacceptable. Though she was still a child, she was the daughter of an aristocrat family. Such action was lacking in the manners and modesty expected of one of her status.
“But you always open the door for me.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Well, perhaps some of the fault lay with Lynokis for acting so fast she’d open the door the moment she sensed Reliared outside.
“Anyway, who cares about that. Did you see it? They rebroadcast the recording again.”
She was probably talking about the obstacle course.
“I caught a bit of the end.”
Sitting down at the table as if she owned the place, Reliared turned the MagiPad back on. By now I’d gotten used to this nightly occurrence. I needed to leave her to her own devices and beat up this rude homework of mine.
“It’s a good recording. Getting involved from the planning stage really makes you more invested.”
Wе b n̂_ǒv̆ěl Eń ům а̂
I agreed. It had been a while since I last had any say in a project.
Though I’d been a little troubled by the state of the junior production crew for a time, things managed to end smoothly. Their battle had reached a checkpoint now that they had acquired the rights to air one of their recordings. I knew I might be called on again if they were really struggling, but since I wasn’t officially part of their group, I thought it best that I not get too involved with their work.
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More important for me was the case of the billion krams. The fast-approaching summer vacation would be where my battle began.
The king had stated that four hundred million was enough, so we would aim for that first. We’d earned around two hundred million already, so with just another two hundred million more, we’d be able to finalize holding a large-scale tournament in the country.
He’d also said that the more money we raised, the better, so we would do just that. It would be for the best if we had a whole one billion krams, so I was willing to keep putting my all into this. Such a large tournament would be practically a festival—the bigger the better, no? It would make things much more exciting for the attendees as well.
I’d decided to bring my students along on our expedition this time. Things would be easier with more people, and working as a strong group made it more believable to acquire so much money as opposed to when we were just the strange pair that was Leeno the adventurer and her protégé.
Е n u mа̄
This summer would be our battlefield. We were preparing a pretty crazy hunting plan for the trip. If we succeeded, we could easily make over five hundred million krams. That amount made absolutely no sense for Leeno alone to earn—it was a little much to put on her shoulders—so we wanted to make clear to the public that we were moving as a party this time.
It was also difficult to find time to watch over anyone’s training other than Lynokis, so this would double up as a good training camp. It was time to see just how much they’d grown over these past few months in a real battle.
Finally, summer vacation rolled around. This year, yet again, many of the students were let out into the wild with a mountain of homework as a nice souvenir.
Before we left the capital, I attended the junior broadcasting station’s celebration for their first successful broadcast, went to visit Cedony Trading as Nia Liston for the first time in a while, debated whether or not to go to Hildetaura’s special Cooking Princess recording at the fishing village, received an invitation to the Silver Estate from Reliared—who begged me to bring Neal because Rikelvita wanted to see him again too... In those few remaining days, I managed to carry out all those tasks before summer vacation began.
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Not that the first half of the vacation would be any different to last year’s—I would rush back to the Liston territories and endure a hellishly overcrowded schedule of recording until I earned my freedom in the second half. At that point, my long-awaited expedition would begin.
“Let’s go, Nia.”
Ŵ е́ bn о v е̇ ľ Е n̄.um̈ а̂
I met up with Neal and Lynette outside the school gates; we’d be returning home on my brother’s airship.
It wasn’t like we’d intended to make it a habit, but every time I rode back home on my brother’s airship, I ended up observing his swordsmanship training to get an idea of how much he’d improved since I’d last seen him.
This time was naturally no exception, but...
What...? The moment Neal began his spar with Lynette, something felt off. It didn’t take long for me to realize why. You did this, didn’t you, Lynette? I see. Very interesting.
“Is...something wrong?” Lynette tentatively asked.
“Nope. Nothing at all. There’s nothing wrong, but is there anything you want to say to me?”
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“Something to say...?”
“Is there? No? Surely there is. Surely there’s something that you want to tell me.”
“Oh, it appears Young Master Neal is ready to start again. I will talk to you after.”
Oh my. Well then.
Once my brother had gotten his breath back after being beaten down by Lynette, they restarted their training.
Lynokis whispered in my ear. “Young Mistress, is the young master...?”
Ẇ е b n о̀ v̄ el̈ Е̇ nũ m а̃
I nodded. “Yes. He’s using it.”
It hadn’t been too long since I’d last seen Neal’s swordsmanship, but he’d improved at such a rate that I was amazed—and there was something else that amazed me even more.
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The way my brother was moving? He moved exactly like someone who was using chi—and Lynette had to have been the one who taught him. She had taken what I taught her and passed it on to Neal.
Chi was powerful. Techniques which utilized that energy could have unfathomable destructive power, and as such, they could often be lethally dangerous. Honestly, it wasn’t an ability that should be taught to those who were still developing mentally or could be evil at their root.
Children fell under those who were still developing. What Lynette had done wasn’t something I could let her get away with, but there were two more things that had caught my attention.
First, the fact that Lynette had managed to teach someone how to utilize chi even though she hadn’t perfected her own control of it. Even understanding the basic concept and the logic behind it shouldn’t necessarily be enough to pass the knowledge on. It may be the case that she was actually a really good teacher.
Ẇ е̇ b n̊ ǒv ёl̇ Е̄nům̂а́
Second was Neal’s talent with the sword. His movements were much too fast for a child, and his strikes were so strong and sharp that there was no way he wasn’t using chi. As to be expected from his age, it was an incredibly unstable and unskilled use of chi, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t impressed that he had been able to practice and understand chi manipulation at even a basic level while so young. Chi wasn’t something that a child could so easily learn.
And yet, he was the successor of the Liston family. What a shame. If he were to continue on the path of martial arts, he may have surpassed even me one day.
However, there was someone I needed to talk to more urgently than my brother.
“Lynokis. Tell Lynette once she finishes here to see me in my room. I’m going on ahead.”
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“What? Uh, of course, Young Mistress.”
I had to make sure I gave Lynette a thorough lecture. It was practically taboo for an inexperienced martial artist with half-baked skill and technique to teach an inexperienced student—it was an unforgivable act. However, a student’s faults were just as much the responsibility of the teacher. Now that this had happened, I had to make her take responsibility for it.
Е̊ńu m̈ а
Letting her go with a simple slap on the wrist could have dangerous consequences. In which case, I had to absolutely make sure she gained a solid grasp of chi so that she could effectively teach my brother.
“Young Mistress... I’m...so sorry for...my carelessness...”
I forced Lynette through several drills. I carefully, painstakingly taught her a lesson, lecturing her the whole way. She was now collapsed on the floor covered in sweat, tears, and some other bodily fluids.
“Why did...I have to...do it too...?”
Since she was there, I put Lynokis through the drills as well. She was also covered in sweat, tears, and whatever other bodily fluids. I made them take joint responsibility for the matter.
“If you’re still so weak that you can’t handle this level of training, then you’re ten years too early to be teaching another. If you understand, get going.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
After watching my unsightly students drag themselves out of the room, I returned to my own training; those drills hadn’t been enough to work through all of my energy.
What a disgrace. I’d much rather they made mistakes that were easy to laugh off. Neal was a mature and smart boy, so I doubted he would grow to be misled by his power, but giving such strength to someone who was still mentally young was like giving a child who still hadn’t developed morals a knife. Adults were already bad enough when it came to acting impulsively, never mind putting it in the hands of someone so young.
I prayed he wouldn’t end up on the wrong path when he was older.
“Nia?”
Just as I was training in maintaining my chi at as high a level my body could take, there was a knock on the door and my brother’s voice calling my name. After dispersing the chi that would have let me annihilate an airship in a single punch, I called out. “Come in.” For the record, if I’d fired that shot in my current state, the only thing that would have been breaking was my body.
“Is Lynette still here?” Neal asked, peeking his head through the door with his hair still wet. It was a cute little gesture.
W е́bñо̆ v̂ e ľ Ĕ n u.ḿ а
“No, she’s already left.”
“Oh... So, why are you all sweaty?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“I was in the middle of training, same as you.” I’d wanted to go for a bit longer, actually, but it was fine. This was a good stopping point, anyway.
Neal must have gone for a bath, but I was yet to get the chance.
“I wanted to chat with you for a minute, but I see that maybe I should wait until later.”
“If you’re in no rush, then yes please. I’ll go wash up first.”
Ӗñ_u m̂а̃. ïd
“Sure. I’ll wait here, then.”
Wonder what he wants to talk about.
I very dramatically burst into the girls’ bath after my students, so they both let out some very real screams when suddenly faced with the one who had just thoroughly throttled them, but I ignored them and quickly washed myself.
The girls had used so much of their energy that they were just limply floating. Hopefully they didn’t pass out.
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“Sorry for the wait.” When I returned to my room while giving my hair a light dry with a towel, Neal was waiting there with some tea.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to rush you.”
E n ù m̌ а. і̌ ď
“It’s fine. If our previous long vacations were any sign, we almost definitely won’t get the time to sit and chat once we’re back home.” My break would be so full of recording that the only reason I would be returning home would be to sleep. It was so strange to be living in the same house and yet being completely unable to stop and have a decent conversation.
“Thank you,” I said as Neal served me some tea. “Now what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Hildetaura told me to ask you for details on something.”
Huh?
“Concerning what?”
“I didn’t quite understand what she was talking about, but I...think she said something about some fishing village? She didn’t really elaborate, but she said she wanted me to take part in whatever it was.”
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Ah, she was referring to the large-scale event they were putting on for Cooking Princess over the summer.
“So, about that...”
While I told the details to my brother whom I hadn’t seen much of over the semester, the airship steadily continued to the Liston territories where my schedule from hell awaited.
His stomach was starting to tingle.
“Goodness gracious. I hadn’t imagined her to pull out such a fantastical plan.”
Having heard something so shocking, president of Cedony Trading, Marju Cedony, was slightly pale in the face as his mind tried to sort through the information. Even his trusted partner, Dallon, who was usually always so calm and collected, couldn’t hide the sweat starting to trickle down his face.
Ẃ eb ǹ ǒv е̇_ĺ Е̃n̂ u m̊а̃
It had been a year since that fateful day of near regret, and Marju had thought that it had been long enough that he could finally put it all behind him as a lesson of the past.
But then, that girl had come to the flagship store again. Just a few moments ago, Nia Liston had been right here, in his office. The last time they had met was around the end of the academy’s last summer vacation period. Since then, they’d had indirect correspondences, but never any in-person discussions.
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The girl looked like she had grown taller since their last meeting, though since he’d seen her on magivision now and again, it didn’t feel like it had been that long since they’d last been face-to-face.
“Help me earn a billion krams in two years.” It had been about a year since she had said those words that sounded like nothing more than a childish fantasy. Back then, Marju had almost told her to stop with the silly jokes and was ready to send her back out.
But what a mistake that would have been.
He had been about to make a choice he would’ve deeply regretted.
W̊е̄b̆ṅ ȯ v е l _Е̇.n ŭm̈á
The only reason he trembled now whenever he thought back to that near miss was because that girl had managed to collect over two hundred million krams in a year. He was so endlessly thankful he’d made the right choice.
Cedony Trading was one of the largest businesses in Altoire. However, had Nia Liston been swooped up by a different association, the losses would’ve been unquantifiable. Even industries that seemed entirely unrelated would have no doubt been affected by what she had done, just like a ripple effect.
Just as that near regret had begun to haunt him less, the source of it all had appeared right in front of him once again.
This time, however, Marju was prepared.
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It was through keeping his past mistake in mind that he was able to entertain her with all his power, refusing to skimp out even a little. Naturally, he paid all the money he deemed necessary to make them feel more comfortable...out of his own pocket.
It helped that Nia had arranged in advance to meet with him, so he had been able to prepare with ample time. From the information he had gathered from Leeno and the other people working with Nia Liston, it seemed she was a lover of tea. As such, he had prepared the most high-quality tea leaves he could find.
W̌ e b̂ ñ o veľ Ẽn̂ u m̌a
For the food, he had ordered one of the beautiful cakes designed by third princess Hildetaura that were currently all the rage in the capital right now. It was decorated with rose petals and a light pink cream. Both the tea leaves and the cake had cost him quite a bit of money.
On the day itself, he was so nervous as he waited for Nia Liston to arrive that he felt like he was going on his first date again.
And that meeting led to his discussion with Dallon now.
“Do you think we should find someone to participate in the tournament as well?” Marju asked.
“I believe it would be more profitable for us to invest in it.”
“You’re right... Leeno is most definitely taking part, so it’s unrealistic to think we could win with ordinary methods.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Yes, this time, he was prepared. There had been absolutely no problem with their hospitality. It turned out the information on Nia Liston’s likes had been correct after all, and she had been overjoyed with the expensive tea, even more so when he told her she could take some of the tea leaves home as a gift. She had also happily eaten the Hildetaura-designed cake, remarking on its popularity. There was nothing but positive feedback for his efforts. Their time hosting her had been a success.
But on the other hand...one could also say that their hospitality was perhaps a little too effective.
“My mouth may run a little as thanks for all you’ve done for us.” After such an ominous preamble, that girl— No, he couldn’t view her as a simple child anymore. Whatever the case, she continued: “There may be a large martial arts tournament held in the country around the end of next year. If there is, I will potentially be investing one billion krams into it.”
She’d spoken about it as if it were nothing but a possibility.
For a long time, Marju had wondered why exactly she’d needed such a large sum of money. Now, at long last, he had his answer.
The reason Nia Liston wanted to raise a billion krams on such a strict time limit was because there was going to be a martial arts tournament at the end of next year. A part of him still couldn’t help but perceive it as a child’s fantasy, but the reality was that she had already raised two hundred million krams. She had also stated that she would be earning a lot of money over the summer, just as she had on her winter expedition to Vanderouge.
Wе́ b̌ ň ӧv e l̇ Е̌ n̆ ů m̃ а
In other words, she was serious. If she kept going at this pace, that tournament would no longer be a simple dream. How could he possibly view this as a fantasy at this point?
In which case, there was only one thing a businessman such as himself should do.
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The moment Nia Liston left, he immediately began a private business meeting with Dallon.
“First, the royal family must be aware, right?” Marju began.
“Most likely. The reason that girl came to Cedony in the first place was through an introduction from a member of royalty, after all.”
“In that case, what do you think about what Nia Liston let slip in her joy?”
Еńum̂ а̌ . їd̃
“I do not believe she slipped up nor do I believe she was as carried away as she made herself appear. As for why, well, it was because she must have wanted us to find out around this time. In fact, I think it’s more than possible that she deliberately brought it up. She might have come all this way specifically to talk about that.”
Marju gave a satisfied nod. “If our thoughts are this aligned, then that means the possibility is pretty high. I suspect the royal family are about to make their own move. They’ll probably make a nationwide announcement of the tournament soon. That, or they’ll come speak with us directly.”
“I agree. If there is a member of the royal family involved, that means His Majesty must be aware. Knowing him, he wouldn’t let such a profitable opportunity pass him by. He’ll definitely get involved. Honestly, he’ll probably use his authority to take over the whole plan.”
“But given Princess Hildetaura herself introduced us to Nia Liston, then the royal family must be on her side already. I think it’s possible that this whole thing was actually a suggestion from His Majesty himself.”
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“Whatever the case, I think it’s undeniable that the king will make his move. Nia Liston has allowed us to come to this conclusion just before it happens.”
“Heh.”
Е̄n̂ um̊_a.іd̄
It had been forty years since Marju had become a merchant. For the past ten or so years, his company had been stable, no dramatic dips or rises in their profits. Such stability meant he no longer found his mental state being greatly affected by sales numbers, and he’d even begun thinking of retirement and who to appoint as his successor.
But that merchant’s spirit that he had long forgotten had been relit with the tingling in his stomach.
“Where should we start, Dallon?”
“If this is going to be a tournament with a whole billion krams invested in its proceedings, then it will likely be on a national level. In that case, we should prepare accommodation for any foreign guests.”
“We’ll need to procure food supplies as well. Start planning new trade routes while we can.”
The two merchants’ eyes glinted with possibility as they became engrossed in discussing the large profits that awaited.
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It was a week later when Hyurence Altoire, fourteenth king of the Kingdom of Altoire, called upon Marju Cedony.
Many pieces had begun moving in preparation for the martial arts tournament that would take place a year from now—the merchants, the king, the whole country itself.
Two sides were secretly, but surely, making their moves, and those who were sharp quickly caught on to the increase in such suspicious activity.
By the time summer came to an end, rumors of an upcoming tournament had already made their way all around Altoire.
Nia Liston, entirely unaware of what was going on back in the capital, was simply diligently carrying out her daily work, unsurprised by the hellish schedule that had been prepared for her.
All while looking forward to the expedition that awaited.
W е̌ ḃnо v̈el Е̌n umå
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