Chapter 60

Translator: Willia

‘Gold does not rot. Do you know what that means?’

His father asked with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance. His clothes were neat and tidy, but neither the fabric nor the design was any different from a farmer’s.

‘It means that the value of gold does not change with the passage of time.’

Young Lucas answered.

‘Wrong.’

At his father’s words, Lucas tried to think of another answer, but nothing came readily to mind. His father finally drew his gaze away from the distance, turned to Lucas, and gave him the answer.

‘It means its value grows even higher as time passes.’

‘I will remember that.’

‘Tell me one more thing.’

‘......Since its value rises, the more of it you hoard......’

‘Wrong.’

This time, his father declared him wrong before he had even finished speaking.

‘It means gold is nothing more than a lump of yellow rock. Spend it while you can. As much as possible. In the end, the success or failure of running a merchant company is determined not by how you make money, but by how you spend it. None of my rivals understood that.’

‘I will remember that.’

Lucas seemed to mechanically feed his father’s words into his head and mechanically give the same reply.

His father looked at him and shook his head.

‘No. That is not what you need to remember. What you must remember is that no matter how many of those yellow rocks you spend, in the end, you will possess nothing. The prices of goods fluctuate, and power is ever-changing. Do you know why men of power fall? Because they delude themselves into thinking they can possess everything. As long as you abide by this principle, our merchant company will live forever, even if war breaks out and the King changes.’

‘......I will remember that.’

‘You must possess nothing. You will never be able to possess anything. Remember that. That is why I adopted you, Lucas.’

‘......’

His father turned away again and gazed into the distance.

Lucas did not understand. If you can have everything, why say you cannot? Isn’t that simply because you lack the ability, Father?

That was what the young Lucas, seemingly devoid of emotion, thought.

Every day had weather of its own, and of them all, the days after rain around the turn into autumn were the cleanest and freshest.

If one could fully savor such a washed-clean day, perhaps the heart would become clean as well.

But Lucas could not focus on his inner self right now. He slowly rode behind the wagon, staring fixedly at Valery.

Valery rode at a walk ahead of the wagon, so Lucas could see little more than his back most of the time. Only when Valery turned his head to check their surroundings could Lucas catch a glimpse of his profile.

Even though that gaze was not directed at him, Lucas could not tear himself away from it.

Why? No answer came to mind, but his heart pointed in one direction. He wanted it. He wanted that gaze, the gaze of someone who feared nothing in the world and therefore seemed to look down on everything in it.

He wanted that composure, the ease with which Valery trampled his enemies, cut them down, snatched arrows from the air, and still walked forward as though nothing had happened.

“What are you staring at so intently?”

Ivy asked from the wagon bed as she spoon-fed Priest Eirik finely cooked porridge.

At first, Lucas did not realize she was speaking to him, so he failed to answer immediately. Then he came to his senses, smiled, and said,

“I was watching in case another enemy appeared ahead.”

“Liar.”

“What do you mean?”

“You were looking at Valery.”

Even though Ivy was riding in the wagon bed, she knew exactly that Lucas had been watching Valery as he rode ahead of the wagon.

“He simply happened to enter my sight while I was watching the road.”

“You kept staring at the same place.”

“......Am I not allowed to look? Are you interrogating me?”

“No. It’s just that you have the eyes of a thief. If you’re thinking of stealing something, don’t even dream of it.”

“Heh heh heh......”

Eirik let out the peculiar chuckle of an old man as he listened to their exchange.

“Do not take it too badly. The child simply wishes to protect her companions.”

Lucas gave an incredulous snort.

“Priest, and you, little girl. I suppose living in some remote mountain village has left you ignorant of the ways of the world, but I am the Deputy Head of the Lokir Merchant Company. With my father ill, I am effectively the one running the company. The Lokir Merchant Company is the finest merchant company in the North, and even across the entire kingdom, it ranks among the top five. I can hire mercenaries and raise an army, and if I wished, I could buy a choice fief or even a noble title. What could someone like me possibly steal?”

“I know that, but......”

Ivy was about to argue back when Eirik took hold of her sleeve and shook his head. He meant that there was no need to say anything more unpleasant.

Ivy respected the priest’s wishes and said nothing further, but she glared at Lucas with her round, boiled-egg-like eyes as though warning him.

Lucas was so dumbfounded that he no longer wanted anything to do with people like this. He nudged his horse forward and moved to the front of the wagon. Then he addressed Valery.

“My thanks are overdue. Thanks to you, I was able to get through that crisis safely.”

Valery glanced at him as he came alongside, then turned his gaze away again without giving him another look.

“I see.”

“To introduce myself once more, I am Lucas, Deputy Head of the Lokir Merchant Company. My father is currently ill, so I am effectively running the company. As for the Lokir Merchant Company, it is the finest merchant company in the North, and even across the entire kingdom, it could be counted among the top five. I would personally like to make sure you are properly rewarded. Is there anything you desire?”

Valery turned to Lucas. He studied him silently for a moment before answering.

“Have bathwater prepared when we reach the manor.”

“......Ha ha, how modest. Is there nothing else you need?”

“What I want is not something you can give me.”

“And what is it that you want?”

“An answer to why I should live.”

“......”

Lucas was momentarily speechless. It was the last thing he had expected to hear. Had this man studied philosophy or something? What in the world was he talking about?

It was a misunderstanding, but Lucas suddenly felt as though he understood why Valery traveled with a priest and a Warrior Monk.

“Ha ha ha...... Forgive my rudeness. You were so skilled at riding and wielding a sword that I did not realize you were such a cultivated gentleman. There is a Northern-style sauna at the manor. I shall have a hot bath prepared as well. Normally, only honored guests are permitted to use them, but I will personally give the order.”

“Thank you.”

“But are you truly not interested in the Valkyrie? Men of your skill can be counted on one hand. I imagine the Trial of Valor would be easy enough for you.”

“The Trial of Valor?”

“So you truly had no interest. You must pass the Trial of Valor either yourself or by putting forward a Champion. There is a Joust and a Swordsmanship Contest. For about a year after the Valkyrie arrived, there were many casualties, but there has been a fair bit of turnover by now, so not nearly as many people participate anymore. After the Trial of Valor comes the Trial of Wisdom. His Excellency the Duke of Nearcaster personally asks questions about the ways of the world, and you must answer them. If you pass even that, you must bring the most precious treasure in the world as a gift before you finally earn the chance to meet the Valkyrie. I have made it through the Trial of Wisdom.”

“......You’re going to marry her? The Valkyrie?”

“That’s right.”

“Why?”

“Fools are nothing more than moths drawn in simply because she is a Valkyrie, while clever men weigh the practical benefits and keep their distance. But I am neither.”

“......”

“The symbolism of the Valkyrie, the Divine Bloodline, and the attention of the public. People do not understand that attention itself can become money. But I do. And you can make a great deal of money from it. I cannot give you an answer to why you should live, but I could teach you that secret.”

Valery let out a scornful breath through his nose and turned away again. That same look of disdain was back in his eyes.

Lucas found himself wondering if he had done something wrong. He also felt indignant, yet at the same time, he wanted to catch Valery’s attention again.

He did not seem to care for money. He did not seem especially interested in women either. Nor did he appear hungry for honor. Then what in the world was he interested in? Did someone like this really exist? Truly?

Yorik, who had been watching Lucas from the driver’s seat, wondered what had gotten into the man. Seriously, he was making things uncomfortable.

“Then what is it that you want, Lucas?”

Unexpectedly, Valery asked him a question. Since he had agreed to stay at Lucas’s manor, he apparently had no intention of treating him with complete coldness.

“Well, I suppose I want something different from what everyone else has, something only I can possess. Like the history of the royal family. Do not misunderstand me. I have no intention of insulting the King. I merely mean the story. You know, the history of House Vǫlsungr that everyone knows, their history of suffering. The grudges and revenge, and especially the love story of the twin brother and sister. A sacred story permitted only because they possess the Divine Bloodline, only because they are the royal family.”

Lucas spoke with a faintly dreamy look in his eyes, as though reminiscing about some wistful memory. Then he turned toward Valery and flinched in shock.

Valery was glaring at him with killing intent.

For Valery, anything concerning his family and bloodline was both a trauma and a deep-seated insecurity.

He had improved greatly thanks to House Winsloe and his friends, but that did not mean the wound had disappeared.

There had been a time when he hated it to the point of madness, and after drinking Dragon’s Blood, he had come to empathize with the searing pain and sorrow bound up in it.

Lucas’s words had just scraped across the deepest wound in Valery’s heart and aggravated that insecurity.

To hear that desperate hatred and revenge, that pain and sorrow, treated as nothing more than an accessory filled Valery with a profound sense of insult and even the urge to kill.

Even if Lucas had said he wanted to kill the current King, Valery would not have been this angry.

“I don’t care whether you marry the Valkyrie or make a fortune. But don’t cross the line. I won’t say it twice.”

Valery glared at Lucas so fiercely it seemed he could kill him with his eyes alone. The thin film of moisture over his eyes made them gleam.

His gaze was sharp even normally, but now that he was deliberately glaring as though he meant to kill him, Lucas’s mind and body froze so completely that he almost felt as though he were already dead.

And yet, at the same time, he felt a strange exhilaration at having finally captured Valery’s full attention.

Overwhelming fear and exhilaration. Those opposing emotions were a rare thrill no amount of money could buy, especially for someone who lived on the pleasure of his own self-importance.

Valery snapped his head away as though warning Lucas not to speak to him again. Only then did the breath caught in Lucas’s chest finally break free, and he began gasping for air.

“Hey, Deputy Head. Why don’t you move to the back? Stop bothering people.”

Knut spoke from where he rode beside the wagon.

Lucas was not the sort of man to follow someone else’s orders, but his head was in disarray, and he was dazed and frightened, so he gradually dropped back. By the time he reached the rear of the wagon again, the old man and the little girl he could not stand the sight of came back into view.

Knut urged his horse toward Valery.

“Told you. He’s a moron.”

Valery had been trying to calm his anger on his own, but at Knut’s words, he snorted out a laugh. Suddenly there was no need to struggle to suppress it. His anger scattered in an instant.

“I’ll admit it.”

“Live long enough and you really do see everything. I used to think everything would be perfect as long as you had enough money. People really do need to learn. Like me.”

Yorik spoke.

“I’ll admit that too.”

“If he pesters you one more time, I’ll give him a whole bowlful of abuse. You can deal with the aftermath, Valery.”

“Thanks. Do that.”

Valery turned to Yorik and smiled. It was not a smile granted to just anyone.

Lucas was behind the wagon and could not hear what they were saying, but as he watched the scene from behind, something twisted inside him yet again. He himself did not know why.

The group left the village in the morning and arrived at the headquarters of the Lokir Merchant Company around evening. Valery’s group could not help but be impressed.

It was not merely a single manor. The place was practically on the scale of a fief. Various workshops clustered around the manor at its center, and vast, fertile farmland stretched around them.

All of it belonged to the Lokir Merchant Company. Its reputation was well deserved. Of course, none of it had been built by Lucas. It had all been the work of his father, Lokir.

Valery’s group headed toward the manor. Up until then, they had thought Lucas was nothing more than a moron, but from here on, they began to feel some of his authority.

Farmers and workshop laborers who were just finishing their day’s work bowed to Lucas even from a distance.

A crowd of riders came pouring out from the manor and hurriedly asked after Lucas.

“Are you all right? We learned of it too late. We heard there was an attack.”

None of Lucas’s attendants had survived, so naturally the company headquarters had been late to learn what had happened.

“I am fine. Thanks to these travelers here, I escaped without so much as a scratch. They are honored guests, so prepare the sauna and hot baths for them and see that they are treated with the utmost care. Quickly.”

The company’s warriors had been alarmed, but relief washed over them when they saw their Deputy Head unharmed. They immediately began bustling about to receive Valery’s group.

When they had almost reached the manor, a young lady who looked around fourteen or fifteen came running out in a dress.

“Brother!”

“Oh dear.”

His younger sister had a habit of making a fuss over everything, so Lucas quickly dismounted, worried that she might hurt herself. Then the two embraced like siblings who had not seen each other in ten years.

“Ah, I was so worried, Brother......”

“I’m fine. I’m all right.”

Lucilia buried her face in Lucas’s chest and cried for some time before suddenly lifting her head at the nearby sounds of hoofbeats and rolling wheels.

And then she saw him. A man bathed in the crimson sunset.

A man? No. To Lucilia, Valery looked like a beautiful being beyond humanity, regardless of sex, and her mind went completely blank. The moment was brief, but the shock was enough to engrave itself upon her forever.

Mounted atop the jet-black Snow, Valery gave her a single indifferent glance and simply rode past.

He might ordinarily have offered a greeting, but he had little desire to become involved with anyone from this family. More than anything, he wanted a proper wash for the first time in ages, and his thoughts were filled entirely with the sauna and hot bath.

Lucilia stood there blankly for a moment, her gaze following Valery as he passed.

“Those travelers are the reason I returned safely. They are my benefactors, so if you happen to meet them in the manor, mind your manners.”

“......What?”

“I said, mind your manners.”

“What have I done that was rude?”

“No...... Never mind. Let us go inside for now. I’m tired after taking care of business.”

His subordinates had done all the work of cutting up the bodies in the village and hanging them up while Lucas himself had merely stood there at the appointed time, but considering what had happened to him on the way back, it was true that he was mentally exhausted.

The brother and sister walked hand in hand, but neither paid any attention to the other. Both simply stared after the same man as he disappeared into the distance.