Chapter 133

Chapter 133:  A Serious Discussion (2)

Mansachs was full of complaints.

“Roger, that bastard...”

One moment he was calling him a partner and spouting off sweet talk like he’d pluck the stars from the sky, and then—

Suddenly, he up and left, claiming he was quitting the hotel.

And where did he go? Out of nowhere, straight to the Imperial Palace in the capital, of all places.

There, he made a splash, caught the Emperor’s eye, and landed himself an even bigger opportunity.

As a result, now...

He was drinking wine with not one, but three of the most powerful women in the Empire.

Of course, he wasn’t jealous.

From the outside, it looked like he had the world in the palm of his hand, sharing a glamorous moment with the most beautiful women on the continent.

But as the second son of one of the Three Major Newspapers, Mansachs knew better.

Each of those women in front of him—every single one—was a terrifying beast.

They weren’t just beauties who seduced men. They were ambitious predators aiming to devour the world.

“What the hell did he go through to end up in a seat like that?”

Mansachs looked on with eyes full of concern, worried his business partner might get eaten alive in some ruthless deal.

At the same time, deep down, he felt a twinge of regret.

While they were cozying up to Roger like that...

How many exclusive scoops had he missed out on?

“Damn it… What a loss, what a damn loss!”

Sitting beside Yuria, he poured himself another glass of wine.

And downed it in one clean gulp.

Truthfully, Roger had fed him bits of information and story leads here and there, even after moving to the capital.

Thanks to that, Mansachs had managed to secure a solid footing at Gold Morning…

And there were even whispers within the company suggesting he be promoted to an executive role.

But Mansachs was still a noble’s son—the second son of a count’s household.

For someone who’d inherited his father’s ambitions, this level of success was merely an appetizer.

What he truly wanted was to sit down with Roger and be served the main course.

“When the hell is that meeting going to end?”

Growing anxious, he kept drinking glass after glass.

But no matter how many times he emptied his cup, the meal at that other table showed no sign of ending.

“Lord Mansachs, are you alright?”

Yuria, sitting beside him, covered her lips with her hand and asked in a gentle voice.

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“You’ve been sneaking glances at Roger’s table this whole time.”

Mansachs prided himself on being well-versed in social etiquette—someone who could hide his intentions without raising suspicion.

And yet, this petite woman, squirrel-like in stature, had picked up on him right away.

“Oh, I was just wondering what sort of discussion they’re having to be huddled together like that.”

The second son of one of the Three Major Newspapers didn’t particularly try to hide his thoughts.

His tone suggested that Yuria, of all people, was more than qualified to hear them.

“I can only imagine how much golden information is pouring out over there…”

The red-haired woman stared silently at the regretful young blond man.

Even in the middle of a meal, he was still thinking about work. He looked like a devoted golden retriever.

She, too, slowly turned her gaze toward her superior and the three women.

Then, as if she’d picked up on something only women could sense, Yuria smiled faintly.

“Roger-nim and you, Lord Mansachs… You actually have a lot in common.”

“Me? With him?”

At that, Mansachs clicked his tongue.

“No way. I have no idea what goes on in that guy’s head.”

He shuddered and quickly shook his head.

And understandably so.

“Roger’s a really strange guy. You wouldn’t believe he’s just twenty—he’s like an old man in a young man’s body.”

There were times when the count’s son had seen in Roger the same chilling gleam that his own father had in his eyes.

A kind of intensity only fit for someone at the top of a company—an air of absolute command.

“I think I know what you mean.”

“Right? Guys like that don’t get invited to hang out much—they’re ‘boring,’ apparently.”

Mansachs snorted, thinking of the idiots he used to rub shoulders with at various social parties.

People like Roger were fundamentally cut from a different cloth.

“Still, you spend time with him, Lord Mansachs. Like today.”

“Well…”

He paused at Yuria’s bright tone, caught off guard.

“He’s not much fun as company—but as a partner, he’s the best.”

And then, just like that, his gaze sharpened, mirroring the same look his father had once worn.

“When I work with that guy, I never feel like we’ll fail.”

His features began to resemble the sharp, calculating eyes of seasoned adults.

“Every time we team up, I start wondering what kind of wild thing is going to happen this time.”

Yuria stared at him quietly for a moment.

Then, she smiled softly and took a gentle sip of wine.

「――――――」

While idle chatter went on at the opposite table,

the table with just four people was alive with discussion.

Almost excessively so.

“Anyway, Roger. You’ve been to the capital now, so I’m guessing you won’t be heading back anytime soon?”

Echina, her cheeks faintly flushed with a touch of wine, asked.

Still, her eyes—sharp and honed like a knight’s—hadn’t dulled one bit.

‘Come to think of it, this might be the first time I’ve seen her drink.’

“Yes, I don’t think I’ll need to for now.”

Given that she was a knight, he’d assumed she drank often at group dinners—but now, with a bit of alcohol in her, there was a new softness to her voice that made her feel surprisingly human.

“Well, unless Archduke Harris asks me again for advice when he opens his business. Then I might need to head west at least once.”

He had already made acquaintances with her older brother.

And now they were even consulting each other about business matters.

At that, Istina—who’d already finished five glasses of wine on her own—smiled pleasantly.

“Wait, why is he asking a hotel owner way out in the North for business advice?”

“Exactly. That is strange.”

Echina chimed in as well.

Helena, the Western Grand Duke’s daughter, wore a thoroughly shameless smile.

“Well, that’s because Roger is talented in all sorts of ways. He already seems to know a lot about business, too.”

Everyone turned to look at me at once.

But I couldn’t exactly answer that what she said was true.

I couldn’t very well talk about the things I did back when I was the Chief Secretary.

“I’ve been studying it whenever I had the chance.”

When I gave a vague answer, their expressions all turned oddly sullen.

At some point, I’d started being able to pick up on even the slightest emotional shifts in these women who used to only ever wear serious faces.

“If that’s the case, we can help from our side. We’ve got plenty of professional managers.”

Istina quickly moved to counter Helena’s expansion.

She took a delicate bite of cheese, chewing softly as she continued.

“Our industry professionals would be far more helpful than Roger, who’s still just studying, don’t you think?”

But then—

Echina, who had been quietly listening, furrowed her smooth brow.

Like a knight drawing a hidden blade, she struck swiftly with one sharp line.

“You had professional managers?”

“Yes. We are the Silver Truth Church, after all.”

Istina responded with the full authority of the Empire’s most powerful religion.

Echina smirked, clearly pleased she’d taken the bait.

“That’s strange. Didn’t you once say you wanted Roger because you needed a professional manager? Seems your story’s changed.”

“……!”

Istina’s lips parted slightly.

A few drops of red wine spilled down onto her chest.

“If you already have industry professionals, then there’s no reason to take Roger with you, is there?”

“Exactly—how fortunate everything’s been resolved so nicely, Saint.”

Helena and Echina exchanged a quick glance.

As if they had silently agreed to take care of the circling she-wolf first.

“……”

The silver beast, realizing what was happening, immediately wiped her face of all expression.

And then, she mouthed the words silently:

“These stupid lionesses…”

But she had no choice but to clamp her mouth shut.

Because I was looking at her with a very pleased expression.

“Is that so, Istina? That’s wonderful news.”

I placed a hand over my heart and smiled at her with the brightest eyes.

“Since you’ll soon be promoted to bishop, the road ahead must be wide open for you. Congratulations.”

“Ah, well…”

It was definitely a compliment.

And yet, for the first time, Istina’s pupils trembled slightly.

“I suppose you won’t need my help anymore.”

“N-no! They’ve just been appointed—they don’t know anything yet!!”

Istina slammed her wineglass down on the table in protest.

“And the more managers, the better! Once I become bishop, I’ll have even more to manage!”

She had always been the kind of woman who handled every problem with cool-headed logic.

But now, with that rare flustered look in her eyes, the two Grand Duchesses chuckled quietly between themselves.

However, their amusement didn’t last long.

“You two won’t need to concern yourselves with me so much anymore either.”

“……?”

Because this time, I smiled at them with the purest, most innocent grin in the world.

“What do you mean by that all of a sudden, Roger…?”

“Yeah, what do you mean, ‘no need to worry’?”

Echina’s eyelids trembled slightly—enough that it was noticeable.

She even lowered the glass in her hand without thinking.

In response, I pointed to the blonde woman first.

“Lady Helena has already resolved the issue with her eldest brother. She’ll ascend to the position of the next Grand Duke of the West without trouble.”

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter didn’t respond right away, as if she had no rebuttal at hand.

At a loss for words, she just stared at me in silence.

“And Lady Echina, you managed the factory and business exceptionally while I was away. That’s more than enough.”

The Northern Grand Duke’s daughter was the same.

“From now on, unless we happen to collaborate occasionally, I won’t have any more reason to bother you.”

I gave them a wide, cheerful smile, wearing a look of complete ease.

“……”

It should have been a moment of shared celebration.

Yet suddenly, the atmosphere turned solemn—like a funeral.

‘Did I say something wrong…?’

I slowly looked around at the three women, now visibly crestfallen.

Then, Echina was the first to speak.

“Yes… I suppose you’re right.”

“……”

Istina and Helena said nothing, but they seemed to agree.

“Then what are you planning to do from now on, Roger?”

As a true knight, Echina was the first to ask about my future.

“My goal, you mean?”

For once, I didn’t answer her question right away.

I merely stared quietly into the reflection of myself from ten years ago, rippling in the red wine.

I’d already given up on the future of being a Chief Secretary when I chose this path.

‘What can I become from now on?’

The conclusion came easily after a brief moment of thought.

The reason I’d died in my previous life was because I was someone’s underling.

I would become someone no one could touch.

That would be the goal of this life.

“I’m going to make the foundation I manage the greatest in the Empire.”

In truth, that declaration was tantamount to a declaration of war against the two noble houses and the national religion sitting before me.

It meant I planned to surpass them—and rule from above.

Perhaps this moment marked the true crossroads of my life.

Whether the women before me would become my allies—or eventually, my enemies.

“The greatest in the Empire, huh…”

Echina rested her index finger against her lips, falling into quiet contemplation.

Helena and Istina were no different.

‘They’re probably weighing whether I’ll become an obstacle to them.’

Once they returned, they might re-evaluate their relationship with me altogether.

And I chose to silently respect whatever grave decisions they were about to make.

.

But...

Surprisingly, they seemed to reach a conclusion quite quickly.

Right then and there, the three of them looked straight at me—and each smiled with a peculiar glint in their eyes, the kind only they could wear.

“So, you're saying you won’t be settling here?”

“That’s just like you, Roger.”

“Certainly.”

I couldn’t understand why they were smiling.

After all, on my path to expanding the Erian Foundation, there was a real chance I’d clash with them.

If I grew the hotel business, I could end up facing off against Freya of the Northern Grand Duke’s house.

If I expanded into the arms industry, I might find myself competing with Edward—or even Eric.

If I went west, it would be Helena. And if I headed for the capital, Istina.

And yet, despite all that, they seemed to respect my goal, their expressions relaxed and composed.

Perhaps this was the kind of confidence and ambition only those who stood at the top could possess.

“Then it looks like we’ll be depending on each other for many joint ventures going forward.”

Helena crossed her arms.

Her blue eyes always sparkled when business was brought up.

“Indeed. And during that process, I expect there’ll be quite a few things that’ll need the Church’s approval.”

Istina took another sip of wine.

Her seventh glass. A terrifying saint.

“There’ll be plenty of occasions when you’ll be competing with our family too.”

Echina no longer touched her fork.

As if she now had her eye on a new and far more appetizing dish.

“So then, we’ll have to keep working together, won’t we?”

“That’s right. It’ll be a long journey.”

I agreed, taking a sip of wine myself.

For some reason, the drink was going down especially smoothly today.

“Won’t that journey get lonely, though? Around this age, most people start thinking about marriage or building a family.”

Echina asked the question as if she were completely unaffected by it herself.

I gave an awkward smile and shook my head.

“I figure if I keep working hard, the right person will come along.”

But somehow, that offhand comment seemed to hit a nerve, because the women fell silent for a brief moment.

Then, they all laughed—and raised their glasses at the same time.

“Yeah, if you keep working hard, someone will come.”

“That’s right. Just naturally.”

“To that day of Roger’s—let’s have a toast.”

At last, our table made a toast, and the mood of the restaurant lifted along with it.

Silently, I felt a bit of gratitude for these sincere business partners who were cheering me on.

Completely unaware of what that toast might have meant to them.

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