Episode #183. Do you know what a black business is?
* * *
“Today too?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“I don’t know how many days it has been.”
“It’s been almost three months since the incident started. After he came, it only got worse.”
“I’m worried.”
“Don’t think about useless things. Thinking and judging is the princess’s job. We just have to follow the orders given.”
“Indeed, it is.”
As if to correct the mind that has been disturbed by useless talk.
The two knights, who kept their mouths closed again, stood upright in their seats like statues and closely guarded their surroundings.
but they didn’t know
That there was a single shadow that slipped overhead, taking advantage of the momentary gap in the conversation between the two knights.
[It’s a real security guard. Leviathan wasn’t even like this.]
‘That’s because the Leviathan you saw is only a branch. If you’ve been to the Black Dragon Palace, you wouldn’t be able to say that.’
[well. No matter how tight the security there is, I don’t think it will be as good as here?]
‘Do you think so?’
[Of course.]
Yuna-kyung replied immediately.
And from the hallway to every nook and cranny of the garden walls. Looking at the knights who were strictly guarding every point, his tongue hung out.
[No, those knights aren’t even sleepy, are they? How come he stays there all night without blinking an eye?]
‘There’s no way that a master of the Seven Dragons’ Association would get tired just by staying up all night for one or two nights.’
[Wei Ling unnie always has clear dark circles.]
‘That’s because she didn’t stay up all night for a day or two.’
[…It’s a new feeling, but do you know that Guardian is really a black company?]
‘What are you talking about like this? In the old days, it was common to give a loaf of bread mixed with sand and half rotten wine and have them work for days or nights.’
[That’s not even black, it’s a black hole company, right? It’s at the level where a revolution will happen right away!
]
[Do you think that absurd logic would work?!]
‘It worked in countries with sword masters. That’s why the Age of Heroes was such a mess.’
Limon smiled and moved cautiously.
Not to mention moving without making a sound, not even making a sound, of course, hanging from the ceiling or climbing a wall.
His movement, which grasps all the sights of the guards deployed in all directions and moves thoroughly, aiming only at blind spots, is truly exquisite.
It was a trick that any spy would want to learn.
But Limon was not vigilant.
It was because he knew that the only knights he could see were not the only guards.
Phaging.
Proof of this were the two knights who appeared in the place where Limon had been before.
After taking a quick look around and confirming that there was nothing wrong, Limon clicked his tongue inwardly as he saw them disappear beyond the space again.
‘This is why the blue dragon clan.’
I don’t know if there’s something important, but I’m going to go beyond the space even if it’s just patrol.
It was a feat that was only possible because the blue dragon clan was born with the psionic ability of space movement.
That’s why Limon couldn’t move easily.
Even if I avoided the eyes of the originally deployed guards, there was no way I could do anything about the guards suddenly popping out in front of my eyes.
Even so, it is possible because he is a sword master who can sense the distortion of space in advance.
A normal spy would have been discovered long ago.
“Tsk, is it impossible to reach the main building after all?”
A long time to wander around like that.
In the end, after staying up all night and not getting any results, Limon returned to his room and clicked his tongue.
Thanks to that, Yuna-kyung, who stayed up all night with Limon, grumbled briefly.
[At the very least, it would be more convenient if I could move freely.]
“Say something that makes sense. Is there any way to summon all the blue dragon clans in the castle?”
[I tried this because I was so frustrated.]
Yuna-kyung grumbled.
For her, who was basically a teleportation player, the place where she was immediately discovered after teleporting was as frustrating as underwater.
[So what are you going to do now?]
“Well… I guess I’ll have to give up going inside secretly.”
[Surprisingly, you give up quickly.]
“It’s just a waste of time if you try to do something impossible.”
Limon shrugged.
He is a sword master, not a thief master.
Thanks to his long experience, he was better at stealth than most thieves or assassins, but it was impossible to secretly break through such a strict security net.
‘I don’t know if it’s my prospective bride… that’s impossible.’
Limon himself denied the thought that suddenly came to him.
Li Qingyu, the princess of the Black Dragon Clan, who excelled at stealth and infiltration, would be able to dig deeper than that.
However, it was impossible to call her, who was too busy to keep up with her, to such an event.
“As expected, I have no choice but to pry at the insider.”
[Can that be?]
“Everyone has a mouth. I didn’t hear anything while walking around today.”
[What are you listening to? Speaking of what I heard all night, it was only a few small words.]
“If you keep picking up even such small talk, it becomes an unexpected treasure. It’s more effective if you can get close and secretly do the judo newspaper.”
This is Countess Sea Serpent.
The knights standing guard, as well as maids and chores passing by, were members of the Blue Dragon clan or those living with them.
What kind of small talk they share, what they care about, what they don’t like.
All of that could be an important clue.
Watching Limon speak based on his long life experience, Yuna-kyung put on a puzzled expression.
[That’s only true for people who have a little bit of a linguistic side. The team leader can’t do that, right?]
“…What do you think of me?”
[What is it? You’re an exciting swordsman who uses his sword before words.]
“…”
Exactly!
[evil! why are you hitting It’s not like I said anything wrong!]
“In the case of blasphemy, the more you tell the truth, the more severe the punishment is, man.”
After such twists and turns, Limon turned to the investigation instead of the infiltration investigation.
However, that didn’t mean that from that day on, I started running around the county’s house and meeting people.
That’s why it was advertised as a spy.
After all, Limon had other things to do besides digging up information.
* * *
“How about Lee?”
“Hmm, not bad for something rushed.”
“…You are probably the only violinist in the world who evaluates Guarneri that way.”
The auction price alone is at least in the billions.
Julia is dumbfounded by the harsh criticism of the three great violin instruments, which are invaluable considering their historical value and rarity.
But Limon’s answer was sluggish.
“What can I do to feel more regretful than the violin I used to use?”
“If you say that, I have nothing to say.”
Julia smiled bitterly.
How was Limon’s performance with the deep black violin?
As much as I had heard it on air, I knew that it was neither an exaggeration nor a lie.
“Don’t worry too much about anything. Even though I borrowed it, I know that this is a good thing.”
“I really appreciate it. Because the only person willing to lend a Guarnelli to a musician he has never seen before is Count Sea Serpent.”
“That’s what you have to do to repay them with a performance.”
“Well, that’s the theory.”
After laughing out loud, Julia took out her Stradivarius violin and smiled lightly.
“Now then, shall we start preparing for that great performance?”
“However much.”
All I have is my daughter, a chair and two violins.
In the middle of the garden, where there was no sheet music, Limon nodded calmly, and Julia accepted it as a matter of course.
After Julia got into position, Limon followed her and put the violin on her shoulder.
In the maze of flowers that Countess Sea Serpent is proud of, a gentle melody rang out.
* * *
The main building of the Countess of Sea Serpent.
Among them, in the office located on the top floor, Rose opened her mouth in a clear voice.
“Are you saying that Prince Carol really requested an interview with the crown prince?”
“Yes, you should already be interviewing by now.”
“Is that so…”
Lucas, a man in fancy armor, said with a serious face to Rose who was immersed in trouble.
“Don’t worry too much, Princess. Even Prince Carol cannot infringe on our clan’s authority.”
“I think so too, but I am concerned that even as a member of the royal family, Prince Carol’s pressure will be a burden.”
Rose sighed.
If you’re a common player, Carol is a magic lord who raised the Magus Guild into a force comparable to the Sea Serpent count family in just 30 years.
If he went ahead regardless of means, even they would have a hard time responding.
“Even if he cuts off donations right now, more than half of the philanthropic projects scheduled for next month will be reduced or difficult to proceed.”
“That… is definitely a concern.”
Lucas also frowned at Rose’s point.
The scale of the charity project that the Countess Sea Serpent and the Magus Guild have been working together for decades is enormous.
However, if the Magus Guild, which covered more than half of the expenses, withdrew, it would not have been easy for even them to fill the void.
It was for this reason that Rose opened her mouth after careful consideration.
“Sir Lucas, just in case, please plan a generous budget for next month.”
“Are you saying that even if the donations from the Magus Guild are cut off, we can proceed with the charity work as it is?”
“yes.”
“To do so, it seems that some important projects, including the Norwegian oil field development, will have to be put on hold or reduced, but would that be okay?”
Lucas asked with a serious face.
A large company is an existence that can grow only when it continuously invests huge amounts of money as much as it makes money.
Even if you don’t see a deficit right away, you had to take a big loss in the long run just by turning the funds you should have spent on the original business into donations.
However, there was no hesitation in Rose’s answer.
“We cannot neglect the difficulties of those who are living a difficult life because of our family’s circumstances.”
“You are right.”
Usually, if you’re a businessman, the first thing that comes to your mind is whether you’re insane.
Rose said it was natural, and Lucas accepted the order with a light smile.
It was a decision and response that was only possible because the princess had a 100% monopoly on all shares in the holding company, and among them, the benevolent Blue Dragon clan.
But that’s for a while.
Lucas immediately hardened his face again.
“By the way, I heard that the princess didn’t sleep until late last night.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep last night either. I wandered around the city for a walk until I had the energy to sleep.”
“…You mean until after four o’clock in the morning?”
“Anyway, it’s not quite like that. It was a little before four.”
“After all, that means you only slept an hour last night.”
Lucas sighed naturally as a member of the Blue Dragon clan before being an aide to the princess and an escort knight.
Because there was no member of the Blue Dragon family who didn’t know that Rose’s day started at 5:00 in the morning.
Rose responded calmly to him.
