Recapture of Elte Trading Company (5)
3 days before the start of school.
Students began to return to the dormitories one by one, and news of the catastrophe that occurred at Ross Taylor Mansion also began to come to Aken Island.
As students who had returned to their homes during vacation returned to Aken Island with news, news about him also came in.
After going to Elte Store and getting my face stamped, I returned to camp and immediately started making contacts here and there.
The reorganization of power in the Elte Chamber of Commerce is deeply intertwined with the reorganization of power in the imperial family. Since there were more than one big name mentioned in the background, it was burdensome to ask anyone for help.
“I heard that the student council president will be returning to school soon. I hope the work at home goes well.”
Still, I was thinking of gathering people who could help right away and sharing information about my plan, but…
“Ziggs… why are your cheeks like that?”
“I had a fight with Elka.”
“Do you guys fight too?”
“It’s a bit long to explain…”
Ziggs Epelstein, the current second-year deputy head of the Ministry of Magic, had red, swollen cheeks in the shape of palms.
There was no need to ask who the culprit was, as he wasn’t someone worth going anywhere and getting beaten up.
“I tried to help Elka in various ways to support her life at the Lorail Museum… but I guess my method was too ‘wildlife-friendly’…” ”
What on earth did you do that the meek librarian slapped you in the face? “Is that right?”
“When I was at the Islan Mansion or the Ofilis House, an attendant was always there to wash my body. So, I was worried that Elka, who suffers from asthma, would have a hard time washing her body, so I took it upon myself…”
“No, that’s enough… Just stop there. It’s entirely your fault.”
One of the first people I contacted after returning from Elte Company was Ziggs.
This is because I heard that Elka returned home early due to academic work, and that Ziggs returned as well.
“I heard from Yenika. He said he ran into Yenika at the dock.”
“Yes. I returned to school around the same time as senior Yenika. We talked about various things at the dock.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hmm..”
“What does it matter what we talked about? I can’t even remember! What a great story it must have been! Argh! Argh!”
Incidentally, Yenika was also sitting around the bonfire.
It was a bit awkward to desperately try to explain what I had discussed with Ziggs at the dock, but since it wasn’t that important, I decided to move on.
And there was more than just Yenika and Ziggs.
“But for senior Ed, he appeared in a quite low manner, so I was embarrassed.”
Elvira Anniston, senior in the second-year pension department.
It may have been a somewhat unfamiliar sight for her as it was her first time coming to the camp, but upon seeing Ziggs and Yenika casually sitting near the campfire, she took a seat nearby.
He was definitely a person who could adapt quickly.
“The person who always spoke confidently even when asked for a favor, what happened to bring us together this time as if he were so regretful?”
I spent a full day visiting the Lorail Museum, the Trix Museum, and the Ofilis Museum.
I tried contacting everyone I could, but there were only a few people who would come and help me get to the camp.
Because vacation was not over yet, there were quite a few students who did not return to school, and most of the faculty and staff did not even come to work.
“I think this time it will be more troublesome than I thought. And it seems like it will create a very uncomfortable situation for you guys.”
The Sylvania branch of the Elte Company is now almost entirely in Dune’s hands.
Based on the support of the Elte Trading Company head office and the support of subordinates, employees were recruited one by one within the trading company.
Even though it was a large scale for something accomplished in just one month of vacation, it is not unreasonable when you think about the circumstances behind it.
From Persica, the second princess, to Rachel, the next Vice Principal of Hoeju Slog.
Considering Dune’s speaking skills, which are good at measuring the distance between people, it would not have been a task to appease the employees of the company in an instant.
Even for me, my brain stopped as I graduated early, received a settlement grant, and had long-term support from Elte Trading Company.
“But I won’t ask you to help me for free. I promise you the equivalent financial compensation. As you can see, I am now… a member of the Elte Company.”
I stood up, showing the cape with the Elte Company emblem on it.
The expressions on the faces of everyone gathered near the bonfire were strange. Among them, Yenika’s expression was the most spectacular.
“Ed… So you’ve completely become an employee of Elte Company?”
“Not now.”
“Now…?”
With that said, I sat down on the wooden workbench near the campfire.
It takes the form of looking down on everyone sitting together on a tree stump. The situation is appropriate for briefing on the situation.
“Lortel Kecheln will soon be stepping down from his position as chairman of the Elte Company. He has been stabbed in the back.”
Her name will be received differently by everyone.
For Jenica, it will be a girl with somewhat complicated feelings, for Ziggs, it will be a Class A classmate and a merchant whose identity is unknown, and for Elvira, it will be a famous person whose name she has heard of but is of little interest to.
“I don’t know what you guys think, but I’ve received a lot of help from him in various ways… so I can’t pretend I don’t know.”
We have already briefly briefed on the fact that Dune took the lead in overturning the Sylvania branch of the Elte Company.
The problem is what I will do from now on.
“However, I can hardly use my magic right now and I am in a bad state… so I desperately need help.”
“Ahaha, so you’re asking us to invade the Elte Company and steal Lortel?”
Elvira smiled and spoke playfully, but the content was quite brutal.
“This is a really crazy proposal, but senior Ed… shouldn’t we also think about our academic life?”
“That’s right, Senior Ed. And I don’t think everything will be resolved just by blindly taking out Lortel’s recruits.”
What Elvira and Ziggs said also made sense.
Just rushing in, beating up everyone, and securing new recruits for Lortel is meaningless unless the fundamental background, such as the reorganization of power centered on Old Deck or the support of the Princess of Persica, is resolved.
“That’s right. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy for us to take the lead and change the macro political trend. There’s someone else qualified for that.”
“Are you the right person?”
“Princess Fenia will be back before school starts. I also received a letter. She is bringing Lucy with her.”
A carriage departing from the imperial capital Cloeron is heading to Aken Island with Lucy on board.
First of all, if you have Lucy, there is nothing to worry about in terms of powerlessness, and if you have Princess Fenia, who can fight a war of nerves on an equal footing with the Princess of Persica, you will have something to rely on in the political aspect as well.
“Hold on until Princess Fenia comes. If you have imperial power, you’ll be able to do it somehow.”
“I don’t like Lortel very much.”
It was a sentence that suddenly struck me.
These words came from a spiritist girl who was hugging her knees tightly and warming herself by the campfire.
Ziggs, who was sitting diagonally, swallowed dry saliva and looked at Yenika.
“Yes, Senior Yenika.”
“To put it bluntly… I hope Ed doesn’t take that kind of risk to save Lortel.”
For a moment, there was silence between the camps. Elvira was the only one tilting her head as if she was relaxed.
Suddenly, I looked at Yenika and saw that she had puffed out cheeks and a grumpy face.
The sight of him running at all costs to save Lortel is not received very pleasantly by her.
He said he would help with anything, but it seems like he didn’t feel comfortable contributing to rescuing Lortel.
In fact, just because Yenika doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a human heart.
No matter how much Lortel fought with each other, if he was cornered and pushed into a situation where he was on the verge of being thrown into the gutter… he would be heartbroken.
However, it seemed like Yenica did not want to put me in danger in order to save Lortel.
“But Ed… even if I try to stop him, once he’s decided, he’ll push through.”
“…”
“I can’t survive. Ugh…”
And then silence again.
The moment I left Ziggs, who was strangely watching Yenika, and was about to say something… Yenika raised her voice again.
“So what I can do is make Ed a little less dangerous.”
“It seems like I always end up worrying about you.”
“No, it’s because I worry a lot about everything in the first place. So… what are we going to do?”
Yenika’s eyes were already full of life.
I don’t like Lortel, but the distinction between public and private is clear.
Above all, Lortel was someone who always treated me kindly. It is better for me to have someone like that as the head of Elte Trading Company.
I came to such a strange conclusion, but… in reality, it was all just self-compromise.
Yenika just participates in my actions and agrees with my opinions. Let’s be thankful for that fact itself.
“Like I said, even if we steal Lortel, the timing is important.”
“There’s no need to steal it, right? You can just stay like this and report everything to Princess Fenia after she returns to school, right?”
“Unfortunately, it seems like time is not on our side.”
We were unable to extract all information from Elte Trading Company.
Above all, it is unclear how Dune will make Lortel come down from his position as leader.
Politics is ultimately a fight over causes.
In order to forcibly remove Lortel from his position as leader, there must be a justification for doing so.
However, Lortel, although somewhat cold-blooded, was always a principled leader.
There was almost nothing to catch, and if I had to say it, the dune side was much dirtier.
There is no way Dune, a well-intentioned person, would cause such a catastrophe without any certainty.
He did this because he was confident that he could create a cause to force Lortel to step down from his position.
― ‘Vacation will soon end and a new semester will begin in Sylvania. Until then, the matter will be resolved as long as we keep Deputy Lortel from doing anything.’
However, there are some things that can be inferred from Dune’s dialogue.
When the ‘new semester’ begins, Lortel will step down from his position as head of the school. In other words, you have to steal Lortel before the semester starts.
“So, are you saying we should go out there on our own, beat them all up, and take Lortel out?”
As Elvira spoke without hesitation, I shook my head.
“Then you guys won’t join in.”
At those words, Elvira smiled as if she had hit the nail on the head.
“It takes more determination than you think to throw mud on such a huge board that includes the imperial family and the giants of Old Deck.”
“It doesn’t matter to me, but I am afraid that the Elkhana Islan family will be affected.”
“Me too. I’ve caused trouble to the Anniston family more than once.”
“So, you guys should ‘join’ Elte Company’s plan. Rather than rebelling against it.”
At those words, Ziggs and Elvira tilted their heads for a moment. He complains that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
“Your role… is to stop Taily.”
I beg your pardon?
I raised my hand and stopped him from answering. You might be wondering what kind of nonsense this is.
“I’m going to kidnap Ayla.”
*
“Eh Ed… Is this really true…? Is this right…?”
The entrance to Lorail Hall in the middle of the night.
Lorail Hall, the honor student dormitory, may not have as good facilities as the ultra-luxury Ofilis Hall, but it is much larger in size. It
only consists of one building. Unlike the Phillies Building, it is made up of a total of 5 buildings, so it
is not noticeable at a glance. The reason why it is larger is simple. It is because there are many students who use it. Still, it is quiet compared to the Dex Building, which is a general dormitory.
It is still vacation. Since it was some time left, the lights in almost all the rooms were turned off. Still, some of the rooms of students who returned home early had lights on, but among them, only a few lights on the second floor, which was the target, were not turned on.
After wandering around for a while, I quickly found Ayla’s room. “ Do
n’t worry, Yenika. I heard that I have a solution.”
After I declared that I would kidnap Ayla myself, Yenika was shocked and followed me.
“I’ve done everything so that we can handle it cleanly without any problems.”
“That’s… ! What do you mean…?”
Yenika seemed to be having a major internal conflict as she followed behind me.
Even so, isn’t kidnapping someone an act that goes beyond the line? Is she thinking something like that? What am
I? She is not a person who has lived a clean life to the point where she can decide between right and wrong. It is funny that she feels guilty and hesitates now.
However, Yenica seems to be deeply conflicted as to whether she also feels hesitation in attracting innocent people. Although she said that she would do anything for her, if you were to ask her if she could really engage in such a blatant crime that harms others… Yenica had to worry.
“Yes… but… it’s Ed, so it all means something. ”
I guess there is this…?”
“It’s difficult to blindly trust that much…”
It would be better to show it directly rather than explain it in detail.
However, Jenica clasped both hands, as if she had put an end to numerous internal conflicts on her own. He holds it and says,
“Okay… let’s go… Ed… I said it with my own mouth… Whatever you ask, just say it… Yes…”
I was more than happy to see his appearance being more solemn than necessary. I swallowed my dry saliva.
“Let’s do it… Let’s do it…”
After saying that, we headed towards the second floor window leading to Ayla’s room. Climbing up using the spirit that Yenika had quietly made manifest was more difficult than we thought. No.
So I approached the window on the second floor of the Lorail building and quietly lifted it up. The door was unlocked, so it opened right away.
“I’m coming in…!”
Yenika closed her eyes tightly and hurriedly rushed inside. I We also went in together.
Inside the student’s private room in the Lorail building.
Ayla’s neatly organized room came into view at a glance. It
wasn’t that large, but it still had everything you needed. A study desk, a closet, a bed, a small table, and even a private bathroom.
Strangely girly. It’s a room full of elegance. A few cute dolls, portraits of family back home, and things like hair care combs and hand mirrors are scattered here and there.
The moonlight becomes the only light source and softly illuminates the room. In the center of the room, Aayla Tris, a girl with chestnut brown hair, was sitting quietly.
He looks eerily calm, looking straight at the window we entered through.
“Huh huh…!”
As soon as she made eye contact with Ayla, Yenika was surprised and her shoulders trembled.
He was immediately caught trespassing into someone else’s room without permission. Did he think he was asleep because the room was dark?
Ayla slowly raised her head, looked at us, and spoke.
“You’re here.”
“…”
“Wait a minute. I packed my luggage. Let me take out my luggage bag. Ugh. Ugh…”
Ayla didn’t look that surprised and took out the luggage bag she had prepared in advance.
“One change of clothes would be enough… right? Would it have been better to bring toiletries too? Would I be tied to a rope or something? Would it be better to wear clothes that I don’t mind getting hurt…” ”
… going out to play? That’s not true, so you should minimize your luggage.”
“But since you don’t know what the environment will be like where you will be staying after being kidnapped… it would be a good idea to prepare as thoroughly as possible.”
Is this really a skilled teaching assistant?
It’s not a skill I’ve experienced after being kidnapped once or twice… but since I’m this skilled at it, even from the kidnapper’s point of view, I feel strangely awakened.
“…??”
“…What is that strange expression?”
“…????”
There is no soul in Yenika’s expression as she looks at Ayla’s face and mine. I feel like I am asking with my face why it is happening so naturally and smoothly.
“It’s the business of the merchant, the Tailley’s, etc… Well, it’s a complicated feeling in many ways… but since they say they need me, there’s nothing I can do. They owe me a lot of things. Even though I’m a humble person, I’ll ask you to take care of me, senior Ed… ”
Jenica looked dumbfounded as she saw Ayla greeting her so politely.
I check Tailley’s growth and help him grow as much as possible, while also taking care of the business at the same time.
With this one issue, I aimed to finish all my worries about the scenario, my curiosity about Tailley’s specs in the power dispute with the Elte Company, and my preparations for the upcoming battle to subdue Bellbroke…
I quietly took Ayla out.
“Oh! Wait a minute! I came out without folding my blanket! If the housemaster catches me, I will deduct points, but can’t I go and fold it now and come out?!”
There was a minor problem, so including the time I took Ayla back to the room and returned… there was a bit of a delay.
Can this really be called a kidnapping…??
Wouldn’t it be disrespectful to the real kidnappers who work hard to kidnap people…??
*One agreement was reported and submitted as a document.
It was an agreement reached at the Sylvania branch of the Elte Chamber of Commerce. When I opened the contents, I found out that it was the contents of a secret agreement between Ed Rosstaylor, a student at Sylvania, and Dune Grex, a working committee member of the Sylvania branch of the Elte Company.
The content wasn’t very complicated. It was a document symbolizing the collusion between Ed Rothtaylor and Elte Corporation.
‘Oh my…’
The private room of the 2nd princess of the Rose Palace located inside the Cloel Imperial Palace.
As she received the report from her aide, Princess Persica looked at the document with interest.
The man named Dune Grex is certainly resourceful and clever.
They quickly figured out what position Ed Rosstaylor holds in the current imperial family.
By dragging him into the Elte Company and creating a collusion relationship, the imperial rulers want to take control of the Elte Company.
They are accustomed to raising their own value in that way. It has a sly-like appearance that is characteristic of those who are skilled in the art of living.
Therefore, Persica began to become even more interested in the name Ed Rosstaylor.
He is a fallen aristocrat whom Lucy Mayril, the survivor and hero of the Rosstaylor family, is so obsessed with, and there are so many people within Sylvania who are trying to attract him to their side.
‘Has Colossus Slog done something of his own?’
A giant slog from the Elte Company that supports the Princess of Persica.
I gave him a little help to get him into the position of leader. It seems that he established a connection with Ed Ross Taylor as a proof of his loyalty to him.
As a result, if the Elte Company comes under the influence of the Princess of Persica, they will be able to officially meet with Ed Rosstaylor. Ed Rosstaylor would also be a member of Elte Chamber of Commerce.
‘I’d like to meet you.’
Princess Persica doesn’t even know what Ed Ross Taylor looks like. I only heard it through news.
However, according to the recent political situation… it seems clear that he is an extraordinary person.
He is such an important figure that even Princess Selaha and Princess Fenia pay close attention to his movements. However, to Persica, he is a man beyond the darkness, surrounded by a veil and whose identity is unknown.
Princess Persica smiled quietly and imagined Ed Ross Taylor.
Scarily, imagination always unfolds in an ideal direction.
For no reason, drawing the dark side of the ideal… Princess Persica quietly folded the documents.
Now, the competition for imperial power will become more intense.
This is not the time to be lost in delusions like when you are stuck in a library reading a lot of books.
Persica quietly stood up and headed outside the Rose Palace.
Times are changing and the power structure is also ready to be overturned.
Persica… had no intention of giving up her power.
