Chapter 165

Chapter 165: Master of the Trade Route (2)

After devising the operation to establish a knight order on the plains of the Nord mountain range—

Echina left to formally discuss the matter with the Commander of the Black Knights.

Baron Obi took charge of all transport-related duties during the founding of the knight order, and it was decided that I would handle bringing in the construction experts.

Of course, I hardly knew any architects myself.

However, I was quite familiar with people likely to have strong connections in that field.

Those who would indirectly benefit from the improvement of this trade route—

Namely, the House of the Western Grand Duke, located just below the North.

There was no need for me to personally head west to meet them.

I had already invited them to Nord ahead of the monthly meeting.

As it was the end of the year, this was the busiest time for entertainers’ events.

Using that as a fitting pretext, I extended an invitation to the Western Grand Duke’s family to my hotel, and they graciously accepted my offer.

“The Bennett Tolkien Year-End Concert for Filial Piety.”

Naturally, the Western Grand Duke, infamous for his harsh personality, would hardly enjoy a concert.

However, a major figure was scheduled to attend today’s event, so he would have had no choice but to participate out of courtesy.

Namely, Bennett Tolkien’s biggest fan...

Her Majesty the Empress Yekaterina.

He wouldn’t dare miss the opportunity to maintain a favorable relationship with the Imperial Family.

As I expected, the House of the Western Grand Duke accepted my proposal.

And a few days later—

They arrived at the hotel, dressed in dignified white formalwear, along with Harris and Helena.

“……”

‘I didn’t expect the whole family to come...?’

Even if the younger brothers were absent, the key members of the family—Helena and Harris—had also come along.

Perhaps this was for the better.

Since both Helena and Harris were familiar with me, they might lend even more weight to the matter.

“Welcome, Your Grace.”

I greeted them beneath the giant elephant statue.

The Western Grand Duke, his platinum-blonde hair meticulously swept back from his forehead, silently observed the well-maintained hotel.

“The hotel is nice. It has a noble charm, even though it was built recently.”

“Thank you for noticing. Here at the Erian, we aim to go beyond being a simple hotel—we strive to become part of Nord’s history.”

At my smooth, cream-pasta-sauce-like comment, the Western Grand Duke let out a faint chuckle, as if it were ridiculous.

Still, he didn’t seem particularly displeased by my tone.

“You’re quite ambitious.”

“To maintain a steady relationship with the big names before me, I must try all the harder.”

Even though I always spoke this way, there wasn’t a trace of exaggeration or falsehood in what I said.

So, it didn’t come off as arrogance, but rather as charm.

“It’s been a while, Lord Roger. Have you been well?”

“Of course. And I imagine you’ve been quite busy lately, expanding your business ventures.”

Harris shook my hand warmly.

If only all the grand dukes’ sons were this kind and well-mannered.

The Empire’s golden age would likely last for at least another hundred years.

“Haha… thanks to you, I’ve been having a wonderful time.”

“Didn’t you recently expand the number of branches quite a bit?”

When I spoke with an expression full of interest, he responded in a tone that showed he truly appreciated the recognition.

“That’s right. Four in the capital, and we just opened two new ones here in Nord.”

Six locations in the Empire’s largest cities—

Harris clearly had a remarkable talent in the food service industry.

“Then you must be going back and forth overseeing things yourself. That must be exhausting.”

“Not as much as you, Lord Roger. You’ve got deep shadows under your eyes.”

“Me…?”

At his words, I tilted my head slightly in confusion.

Then, Helena, who had been quietly listening beside us, naturally stepped forward.

“Seriously, what have you been doing that your eyes are always so dark underneath?”

She reached out her pale hand and casually pinched the fabric of my suit jacket.

Then, as she smoothed out the slight wrinkle, she gazed into my dark eyes.

“Looking at you like this, you really do seem like a black fox.”

“A fox, is it? If anything, please call me a dashing wolf or a lion.”

I replied with an easy smile, looking down at her.

But Helena only shook her head slowly with a soft smile in her eyes.

“No, you’re definitely a fox. You don’t live in a pack, and you try to do everything on your own—that instinct is exactly the same.”

She covered her lips lightly with the back of her hand, as if teasing me.

“Anyway, isn’t there somewhere we can sit? Looks like we still have time before the performance.”

Finishing her teasing like a true heir to the Grand Duchy, she immediately switched back to a leader’s tone.

Leading the Western Grand Duke and her brother, she followed me to the VIP lounge of the hotel.

As we passed through the lounge, the Grand Duke silently observed the nobles filling the hotel.

He was meticulous, someone who never let any moment pass without careful thought.

Even the smallest detail was enough for him to assess what kind of person I was.

――――――

Four people took their seats at a long table.

The refreshments weren’t brought out by other staff, but personally by Yuria.

She was visibly nervous as she poured tea, clearly overwhelmed by the presence of the stern Western Grand Duke she was meeting for the first time.

“How has the Luton family been doing lately, Roger?”

“I’m no longer the secretary of the Grand Duke’s household, Your Grace.”

I responded slyly, gently pushing a plate of refreshments in his direction.

But of course, such words held no weight with the Western Grand Duke.

“Are you not in a close alliance with Archduchess Echina? If something major were to happen in the successor competition, she would surely inform you.”

“…I suppose it’s true—I can’t offer pleasantries in front of Your Grace.”

I returned to a relaxed tone and responded to him politely.

After all, it was a question I had expected.

Rather than being the first to bring up my ties to the Grand Duchy, it was more courteous to let the other party ask first.

Especially when the one across from me was from the House of the Western Grand Duke—a long-standing rival of the Luton family.

“In fact, there was one major development recently. It concerns the trade route beyond the Nord mountain range.”

“A trade route… I heard Duke Luton has been putting great effort into it lately, but it seems they haven’t selected an overall supervisor yet?”

That was information that had only circulated within the Luton family.

Yet the Western Grand Duke, from his far-off estate, had a rough grasp of the situation.

“It must be tied to the upcoming succession, no? With such a large-scale project, I doubt the decision was made lightly.”

“That’s correct. The one selected as the overall supervisor will, in effect, become the most likely candidate for the next Grand Duke.”

Helena also appeared deeply interested.

Though she had a fragrant tea from the East in front of her, her focus was entirely on our conversation.

“It must be a real headache for you as well, considering your opponent is likely the eldest son.”

The Western Grand Duke understood well the power of an heir’s legitimacy.

And he surely knew how difficult it would be for Echina—who had only just risen as the Sacred Candidate—to defeat him.

“So, do you have a solid plan in place?”

Ordinarily, it would be best not to concern oneself with the internal disputes of another noble house.

Yet the reason the Western Grand Duke was digging so persistently must lie elsewhere.

I could easily guess what that reason was.

‘Because of that trade route we just mentioned.’

Once a trade route opens in the North, the region that would see the most merchant traffic after the capital would be the West.

In the end, depending on who becomes the overall supervisor, the Western Grand Duke must decide whom to align himself with.

And chances were, he hoped it would be Echina.

After all, since I was close with her, he would find it much easier to secure favorable trade agreements once the route opened.

“Yes, I’ve prepared a comprehensive plan.”

“So soon? I thought the proposal had only just been brought up.”

The Western Grand Duke gave a short, surprised laugh.

At that, Helena—seated beside him—puffed up her shoulders proudly, as if saying, See?

“I told you, didn’t I? If it’s Roger, he already has everything planned.”

“Thank you for your confidence, Your Grace.”

I expressed my gratitude to Helena, who had believed in me from the start.

Then I began outlining my plans to the Western Grand Duke.

“His Grace the Grand Duke of the North has proposed a trial to determine the overall supervisor—constructing a trade city beyond the Nord mountain range.”

“So whoever builds the most plausible trade city wins, is that it?”

The Western Grand Duke chuckled, calling it a typically Luton-like idea.

Yet his eyes remained chillingly unreadable, locked in a cold expression.

As if he envied having children so capable that such a competition could even be proposed.

Of course, he had a talented daughter—Helena. Still, it seemed he found the idea of making one’s children compete amusing.

“That’s right. However, since there’s limited quality land near the trade route, Echina and I both selected areas a bit more remote.”

“The reason?”

The Western Grand Duke crossed his arms with a doubtful look.

That posture only made his already burly frame stand out more—like that of a general.

It was clear that if I didn’t present a convincing reason, he would absolutely not lend his support.

Even Helena, for once, looked slightly nervous.

If I wasn’t careful, it could come off as if Echina and I were falling behind the two sons.

Even Harris, usually only concerned with the culinary industry, stared at me intently.

“The point of this test is…”

Matching their expectations, I narrowed my eyes and responded calmly.

The way I used to when I managed countless people alone during my time as chief secretary.

“It’s not about depending on merchants, but building a city that merchants want to depend on.”

I scooped out the teabag from the East.

Then I lifted the elegant teacup from the South.

“For a city to survive in this barren mountain range, it needs clear productivity—even before merchants begin to arrive.”

“That’s true. The more active the city is, the more interest it’ll attract from merchants.”

Helena added, assuming the same pose as her father.

Clad in a beautiful green dress, when she folded her arms, her curvaceous figure was all the more striking.

“That’s why we’re going to establish a knight order on the wide plains. Then, we’ll build a city to support that order and secure self-sufficiency.”

A knight order to guard the great mountain range—

The Western Grand Duke and Helena immediately sensed that the scale would be considerable.

“What are the chances that the knight order will actually be established?”

“Quite high. Our Erian Foundation is currently collaborating with the Imperial Academy on admissions processes. We can secure manpower by assigning newly graduated knights.”

I slowly turned my gaze toward the large landscape painting of the Nord mountain range on the wall behind the Western Grand Duke.

The guests from the West naturally followed my gaze.

“The population passing through a trade route is estimated to be at least twenty thousand. That means, under military law, the knight order would need to be at brigade level or higher.”

“At least 3,000 to 5,000 members, then.”

Like exchanging chess pieces, Harriet and I traded lines one after another.

“And to accommodate their lodging, meals, and living space, the city itself will need to be quite large. We can also secure imperial subsidies.”

“What do you expect from the West?”

The Western Grand Duke disliked roundabout speech, so I answered him plainly.

“First, I’d like to request architects and workers affiliated with the House of the Western Grand Duke.”

“Why, when you already have perfectly capable workers within your own domain?”

A critical moment.

I took a breath and wore a relaxed smile.

“The West is known for its wetlands, which means construction there always requires meticulous groundwork from the very start. The mountain range also has unstable terrain, so your workers would be the most suitable for the job.”

This time, I respectfully gestured toward His Lordship Harris.

“Besides, the young lord is currently expanding into the restaurant business. We could secure high-quality establishments, and the Yekaterina family could open new branches at a lower cost—mutually beneficial, wouldn’t you say?”

To finish, I turned to look at Archduchess Helena.

“And if Echina becomes the master of the northern trade route, I could also request improvements to the roads not only toward the capital, but toward the West as well.”

What lord would refuse an opportunity to increase their sources of income?

For Helena, who would soon rise as the next Grand Duke, this too would be a great opportunity.

“Hmm…”

He asked what I wanted, and in response, I presented only the benefits of investing in me.

Harriet fell silent for a moment at the sight of my polished pitch.

And then, when he finally spoke—

“You…”

The Western Grand Duke looked at me more seriously than ever before.

“This entire proposal—was it all dressed up just for Echina? Or did you genuinely have our Helena in mind as well?”

‘…?’

At his question, I blinked slowly, narrowing my already thinly opened eyes.

Naturally, it was all to ensure everyone could live well.

“Of course, I’m speaking with Helena in mind as well.”

Before the silence could stretch too long, I answered swiftly.

At the same time, I offered a gentle smile to the golden-haired lady beside me.

“I’ve always hoped to maintain a strong relationship with Your Grace.”

At that, Helena let out a soft chuckle and finally took a sip of her tea.

She hadn’t added any sugar to her tea today, for once.

“I’ll take those words as a lifelong promise.”

“Of course, Your Grace.”

I smiled as I always did—easily, without overthinking—and lifted my cup with him.

But at that moment, I had no idea.

What the Western Grand Duke truly meant by “relationship.”

Harriet and Helena shared a faint, curious smile.

Only Harris and I clinked our cups from afar with unguarded, carefree grins.