[Side story] Double-arm scale (1)
No matter which branch of Elte Company you go to, there is a large double-arm scale in the lobby.
It is obvious what the exactly horizontal scale symbolizes. It’s fairness.
This is a group with a reputation for doing whatever it takes to maintain their grip on the commercial world. It is truly ridiculous to see such people advocating fairness, but the bigger their size, the more important their cause becomes.
Hypocrisy is not an option, it is a necessity.
Some people might clap their tongues at the hypocrisy of Elte Trading Company, but people who have opened their eyes even a little to the commercial world tend to nod their heads.
In the end, leading a group means having a worthy cause for every minor decision.
Even if it is blatant hypocrisy, one must act like a good person.
Lortel Kecheln knew damn well. Even though he always hides dark and dark intentions, he puts on a smile on his face and emphasizes fairness to others.
“Is this a justification?”
Slog Keldlux, head of the Elte Chamber of Commerce, muttered while lowering his head.
On the desk was a portrait and resume of Lortel Kecheln, the current acting president of Elte Chamber of Commerce.
Along with the profoundly grown beard, wrinkles showing signs of age are harmoniously placed on the face.
The merchant’s wide leather coat, which was neither luxurious nor simple, had an old-fashioned fur trim on it.
Narrowing the corners of his eyes darkly was a habit that veteran Slog Keldlux had whenever he concentrated on something.
Commercial city Old Deck.
The port city that stretches along the Samiel coastline on the west side of the Cloel Empire is responsible for almost half of the empire’s logistics distribution. The Imperial Capital, Cloeron, the Holy City, Carpea, the Land of Innovation, Talkaren, Rameln Mountain Range, Cohelton Lawless Zone, all the way to Aken Island at the southern tip of the continent… If logistics are to be distributed to any central region of the empire, this port city must be passed through.
A place where large and small merchants gather together to compete. It is a golden land where self-interested merchants gather to make even a penny more.
If you walk along the city’s dock early in the morning, you can see merchants and workers rushing around on the streets earlier than the morning sun.
A city of people who are busy trying to put even more pennies into their pockets.
Anyone who was born, raised, and spent their entire life in a place like this will have a similar way of thinking. The same goes for Lortel Kecheln.
“Is this business expansion?”
Slog was lost in thought as he read Lortel’s business plan to further expand the commercial route leading to the capital city of Carpea.
The nominal leader of the current Elte Company is Slog Keldlux, but most of the real power is held by Lortel Kecheln. It won’t be long before Lortel will try to ascend to the position of leader himself.
If you want to take action, now is the time.
“okay. “What is always important is the cause.”
While muttering those words, Slog quietly closed his eyes.
“It has already been a long time since the Golden King Elte left this earth. It was time to abandon the name ‘Elte Chamber of Commerce’…”
In the spacious office of the head of the central branch of Elte Chamber of Commerce, there was only silence.
*
“You went all the way to Pulan? “Because of research work?”
When Lortel Kecheln stopped by the Rosstaylor mansion, the heat of the summer had already subsided.
It was still a bit too muggy to call it fall, but it was cool enough to call it summer.. that kind of weather.
Lortel, who graduated from Sylvania Academy and worked as a store manager at Old Deck for a few months, soon began working outside to expand a new business.
Opening new trade routes while dragging along a few trustworthy confidants is not something that a company owner usually does on his own. The plan was to complete as much practically important work as possible while he was relatively free and had not yet been given his position back by Slog.
In particular, he was concentrating all his efforts on opening a new trade route with the capital city of Carpea.
Due to the cultural characteristics of Carpea, where Telos believers are gathered, it is very easy to identify items in demand, and the demand for each period itself is calculated without difficulty.
Telos Cathedral’s Great Prayer Meeting, Lent Period, Saints’ Prayer Service, Feast of the 11 Saints, Central Baptism Day… If we could provide not only all the basic maintenance materials for the central organization, the Holy Church, the sales would be enormous.
Lortel, who received information that Seonghwangdo’s supplies were currently being purchased by various merchants at a heavy cost, wanted to somehow come up with a way to establish a conversation with Seonghwangdo’s key figures. If Elte Trading Co. takes full charge of helping with the purchase, Seonghwangdo will be able to save a lot of incidental costs.
The person I visited in the process was Ed Rosstaylor.
“Yes, Pulan has been doing some research on the highest-ranking spirit. “In the process, I came across a rather valuable item, and I may need help with the appraisal.”
“That’s not difficult, Senior Ed. “Please include appropriate letters when necessary.”
The opening of school at Sylvania Academy is not far away.
Ed Rosstaylor, who is in charge of selecting new students and class assignment for Class A students, will be very busy during the semester. In particular, expectations were high at the academic level because the most promising students had to be managed exclusively.
I am currently getting my affairs in order at home, but it will soon become more difficult to see my face.
Ed Rosstaylor did not take on any major tasks, perhaps because he wanted to spend his time at least a little more leisurely as the rest period was just around the corner. I was just organizing simple report documents in the garden of the mansion.
“…”
The central garden of the Duke of Rosstaylor can only be described with the cliché expression that it is bright and beautiful.
As it was a mansion site managed exclusively by a competent maid, it had a magnificent and beautiful mansion comparable to the imperial garden.
A suitable tea table was set up in the center of the mansion, and if you look at them sitting side by side with their younger brother, each doing their own work… they look quite similar to each other, so it feels like you are looking at an ordinary brother and sister who are everywhere.
However, one is a high-ranking spirit teacher who is the continent’s most powerful magic researcher and the youngest full professor, and the other is a girl who holds the title of matriarch of the continent’s most powerful ducal family.
If there are people who should never be turned into enemies, it would be these siblings. What is truly fortunate is that, thanks to their long relationship, the two are infinitely friendly to Lortel.
“Senior Lortel must be busy with business these days~. “There have been so many bad rumors about Old Deck these days. Are there any major setbacks in running the business?”
“well. There are always a lot of problems. “We are just solving everything one by one.”
Lortel smiled and responded to the pleasantries Tanya, who was working with her quill pen, made.
Even though Tanya had gained enough power to become one of the best on the continent, she continued to call Lortel her senior. To be honest, Lortel was in a position where he would not be dissatisfied even if he was treated as a subordinate, but it felt like he had a strange intention, as if he was constantly tied to school ties, and Lortel felt uneasy.
Of course, Lortel gave up his position as a senior and treated her with respect, but Tanya seemed determined to maintain that attitude. However, there is no such thing as a sly snake that always just smiles and does not explain the specific reason.
She is no longer the Tanya she was back then, who was swayed around according to Lortel’s intentions. Thinking back to when he first entered Sylvania, Lortel had a sly look that made you wonder if they were the same person, and the years seemed to have passed.
“Well, even if we talk about business-related matters, we can only scratch the surface… Ugh!”
However, it still seems absurd to try to bring black tea to my mouth and burn the roof of my mouth because it is so hot, so I can’t get used to it.
“Onii-sama… the temperature of the tea… it looks like a new maid brought it out…”
“Leave it alone, Bell would have already checked and gone to reprimand her.”
“Bueeeeek- Bueeeeek-”
Tanya, who was making a fuss while sticking out her tongue, put down the quill and closed the document she was checking. It seemed like the immediate work to be done had been completed.
Ed, who was reading the conference papers, was still with his legs crossed and his eyes glued to the papers. Since a distinguished guest named Lortel came to visit in person, it seemed like he was busy trying to finish the work as quickly as possible.
It is difficult to get used to the fact that the acting chairman of Elte Trading Company, who is treated as a VIP wherever he goes, is pushed aside from the business documents in front of him. But I can’t help it. This is the Ross Taylor duchy.
Rather, Lortel smiled at ease.
No matter how long you see him, Ed Roth Taylor will always be Ed Roth Taylor. It is truly typical of this man to show a look of welcome to Lortel when he visits him, but not to put his work on the back burner.
As I waited a little longer, I saw that Tanya had lifted the tablecloth and was looking at the space under the tea table.
“Stop thinking about useless things, Tanya.”
“Ugh! Oh no… Can’t I just stare? “You can check it.”
“…Why are you checking…”
“…”
Lortel could not help but tilt his head at such a mysterious conversation between siblings.
Eventually, Ed put down the quill and shook out the documents, making sure that the work he had to check immediately was completed.
“Anyway, my impression has improved a lot. Lortel. It seems a lot brighter than when it was Sylvania. Since I’m going to officially pretend to be a member of the family, I need to show off my appearance in many ways. Goes well.”
“Oh, I see~. Since I have pretty reddish-brown hair, it would be nice to have it loose and loose if possible. Senior Lortel.”
Although the two people were praising Lortel’s appearance, their inner meaning was completely different.
Ed is literally just talking about Lortel’s appearance as beautiful, but Tanya seems to be seeing right through the effort Lortel has put in. Is this just my intuition as a woman?
She took her hair down, which she usually tied up to one side, and put on a pretty blue rose hairpin and wore a navy blue skirt. It may seem decorated or not, but even that feeling is intentional. It is the result of effort.
As for why he went out of his way to improve his appearance, as Ed said, it may be that he wants to gain authority as the head of the company in advance… but in fact, it is right to focus on the fact that he came to see Ed.
It goes without saying, but I can’t help but feel better when Ed purely praises the exterior.
Lortel has heard so many formal compliments while living as a merchant, but it is a strange feeling that he shrugs his shoulders and gets excited every time Ed says something. I thought I was completely immune to praise, but I am woefully defenseless in this area.
“Yes!”
Lortel himself quickly swallowed his breath at the sudden voice. I can’t believe I’m so excited that I end up saying something that’s almost a formality. This is a rudimentary mistake that cannot be imagined on the commercial front.
The good news is that this is not a commercial front, but an outdoor tea table at the Ross Taylor mansion.
“Hmm… thank you for looking at me that way. “It’s time for me to consider my status…”
Ed didn’t seem to attach much importance to it, but I guess it could be said to be a woman’s intuition… Tanya’s eyes were already narrowing slightly. What does the eye smile mean? How did Tanya become such a tired person? There is nothing wrong with saying that the environment makes the person.
“Well, you must be busy, but I’m glad you came all the way to Ross Taylor’s home to show your face. I feel like I want to clear up some of my past worries, but let’s talk openly at dinner. First… let’s talk about business first. is not it?”
Ed got straight to the point and came in.
Yes. Even after graduation, Lortel Kecheln continued to flirt with Ed and show affection like a sly fox… First of all, I prioritized handling the piled up work.
At this point, I can already guess whether Lortel came for business reasons or simply to flirt with Ed.
“And once the business talk is over, there is something else to talk about. Um… I’m from Pulan…”
“Brother, now is not the time to talk about such things! Day! Let’s talk about work first! Isn’t it? aha!”
Tanya suddenly slapped the table and raised her upper body, raising the tempo of the story.
“Actually, it is obvious that it is the story of Elte Trading Company. I heard through various sources why Mr. Lortel is busy these days. “I was thinking you would visit soon.”
In the end, all important decisions of the Rosstaylor family come from Duchess Tanya Rosstaylor.
“You want me to connect you with Seonghwangdo Island, right? If possible, to Saint Clarisse at the top.”
Did you understand it up to that point? In fact, if you know Lortel’s whereabouts, it is not difficult to infer that much.
Lortel smiled rather than answering.
“Connects are an asset. Moreover, if we can work directly with the person who is the heart and idol of the Telos Church… at the level of our Chamber of Commerce, we will give the maximum in return…” “There
is no need to repay.”
Tanya didn’t even look embarrassed by Ed’s words that came out without even warning.
The attitude of simply saying the obvious. Those words, thrown out casually while sipping tea as if nothing had happened… were both expected and unexpected.
The acting chairman of Elte Chamber of Commerce and the highest decision-maker of the Ross Taylor family.
There are words that always follow places where power meets the pinnacle of power.
Negotiation of interests, gains and losses, war of nerves, contract guarantee, confidentiality deadline.
In the cold, icy array of words, each person stares at every single period of the contract in order to hold even one more penny in each other’s hands.
The negotiation table was such a space in Lortel’s difficult life.
However, the man in front of me casually says that he will just do it.
In fact, it is natural. The two have already confirmed each other’s existence to the point of exhaustion.
Ed Rothtaylor is from Lortel Kecheln.
Lortel Kecheln is Ed Rothtaylor.
‘My person’.
He transcends the interests of gain and loss and ultimately takes his side until the very end… To Lortel Kecheln, he is the first person in his life to be entrusted with everything.
It seemed like a moment of confirmation that even though both parties were busy with each other’s business and duties, they had never forgotten each other… Lortel was speechless for a moment.
From the position of Duchess Tanya, who is in charge of the Rosstaylor residence, she would like to use this as an excuse to make various demands to the Elte Company.
However, after Ed made such a sharp declaration, Tanya did not say anything more. Basically, since Ed entrusts all matters related to the management of the mansion to Tanya and trusts Tanya’s judgment… If Ed comes forward and says something like this, Tanya doesn’t really object.
Usually, there is a good reason for that.
At this point, Lortel felt the tip of his nose twitch, but wiping away tears and politely saying thank you was not the right answer.
This is natural for Ed, and it is also natural for Lortel.
When Ed needs help, Lortel helps. If Lortel needs help, Ed helps.
There is no calculation or understanding involved in the process.
It has become an obvious fact, like the proposition, “one plus one.”
“is it so.”
With a voice that seemed to creep in, Lortel succeeded in smiling as seductively as a fox. As expected, the facial expression management was so perfect that even Tanya, who had become an adult, didn’t even notice.
“We will discuss detailed practical matters at the dinner party.”
Lortel smiled and said this to Ed. Ed nodded, saying he understood.
“Well, I’ve taken care of all the urgent matters right now, so you can go in and get some rest until evening! “It hasn’t been long since we returned from Pulan!”
Once the story was over, Tanya spoke again in a lively tone.
“okay? “I’m not that tired.”
“Body fatigue accumulates without you even realizing it. “Senior Yenika, who went to Pulan with me, didn’t even go back to the Baron’s residence and lay down all day today!”
There, Lortel’s expression slightly hardened.
When I heard the name Pulan, I wondered if it was possible, but…
“Yenika… senior…?”
“Oh my, Senior Lortel… You don’t know the details of the itinerary, after all. Well… Brother Ed went to Senior Yenika’s hometown, the two of us.”
Is it an illusion that I feel a slight excitement as Tanya speaks while covering her mouth?
Hiding a strange smile, Tanya whispered to Lortel in a tone that seemed to contain her true intentions.
“Well, since it’s so far away, it’s hard to send a lot of people, so… I gave the carriage to the two of us so that we could go there alone. With one coachman. As you know, you two aren’t the kind of people who would go somewhere and get kidnapped, right? So, it’s most efficient to go there with just the two of you. “Just the two of us.”
Just the two of us.
I didn’t like the tone that seemed to emphasize that part, but Lortel was having a hard time managing his facial expressions, so it was difficult to go into detail.
“I don’t know what happened in Pulan, but anyway, since it was just the two of them, they definitely handled everything well. I don’t know how reassuring it is from my perspective. “A person like Ed’s brother is in the mansion, and someone like Senior Yenika is a vassal.”
Tanya trailed off but continued speaking subtly.
“Next time there’s something to do, it’s okay if I send just the two of you?!”
“Don’t make a fuss, Tanya…”
“Yes…”
Tanya responded politely and slumped down in the chair, but the way she cocked her nose and smiled seemed to have a lot of intention.
Lortel glanced at the tip of his chin, then inhaled and exhaled a small sigh. Actually, there is nothing to be too upset about.
However, I can’t help but be curious.
How far have these two people… gone?
*
After sending Ed off to take a short rest, Lortel walked along the garden.
In fact, the biggest reason why he came all the way to Duke Rosstaylor’s house was to make a deal with the Holy Emperor, but after hearing the story about Yenika, he seems to be a little distraught.
Thanks to the merchant’s unique calmness, he didn’t show it outwardly, but he couldn’t help but have random thoughts. They must have stayed together for a long time in their own space, with no vassals or people using the mansion.
I know that Ed’s personality is such that he will never cross the line, but he still doesn’t know what’s going on in the world.
What if two people crossed into an unknown world? What if we held hands and walked through a fairyland across a distant rainbow?
What if we danced hahahahoho along the garden where pretty pansy flowers were blooming…………… In short, what if we slept together for one reason or another?
Lortel had no choice but to swallow dry saliva.
From what I heard, Yenica hasn’t returned to the Baron’s residence yet and is taking a break here at the Ross Taylor Mansion.
How would you react if you encountered Yenika?
Lortel could imagine it without difficulty.
While she was busy surviving day to day on the commercial front, the expression on her face that Yenika would make after leaving for their own country with Ed’s arm in her arms… Let’s
try to come up with all the possible cases.
Will he raise his nose and snort triumphantly at Lortel?
Will he look at Lortel with a pitiful expression and laugh?
Or will he brag and mock Lortel?
When it comes to Yenica, the first case seems the most likely. In any case, he must have been alone with Ed for a long period of time and communicated a lot, so he would try to express a sense of psychological superiority.
Lortel had to be prepared to handle that proud expression, which looked cute on the outside.
“Ugh…”
I saw Yenika sitting in a small pavilion in the garden in the distance. Did you come out for a moment to get some air? It was an unwelcome encounter for Lortel, but it was an ordeal that he would have to face at some point.
I can’t exactly predict how far Ed and Yenika’s progress will go or how Yenika will react. Still, Lortel somehow approached Yenica with a smiling mask on.
Yenica has come up with numerous ways to express her superiority toward Lortel and has completed a simulation of how she would respond to them all.
In any case, Lortel’s smiling mask will never come off. After thoroughly preparing my mind, I raised my voice in a polite tone.
“Oh, Senior Yenika. “There you are.”
Yenika, who was quietly touching the persimmon flowers hanging on one side of the pavilion, suddenly raised her head. Then he makes eye contact with Lortel.
Yenika always pouts or looks wary every time she sees Lortel who comes to the mansion. I thought that since I had the right opportunity this time, something would be revealed, but…
“Oh, Lortel is here! long time no see! “You’re very busy with business these days, right?!”
Yenica said hello to Lortel with a smile as pure as white drawing paper.
There is not even a single sense of caution or crisis inside.
“But the weather has become much cooler! I’m glad it’s not hot… Anyway, I’ll just go back to my room. I’ve been out too long, so my retainers might be worried… See you later for dinner! huh!”
Yenika returned to the mansion, waving cheerfully with a smile full of pure brilliance. Even as he walked away, he continued to wave at Lortel with a bright smile.
“…”
Lortel stood still and gathered his thoughts.
“……”
“…………………………………………”
And cold sweat pours down came out
This was the most dangerous reaction… more than any reaction I could have expected from Jenica…
