HTACS 70

Chapter 70

The Trista family’s office.

Reflecting the family’s disposition, this office—filled with magical tools rather than decorations, and magic books rather than cultural volumes—is reserved exclusively for the family head.

Only the family head, a select few cleaning servants, and guests personally summoned by the family head are permitted entry.

Considering that most guests are received in the reception room and led to parties held in the hall, being invited to this office alone signifies that one is an important guest of the Trista family.

And, in my opinion, this was truly important business.

“Now then, Your Highness. Let’s discuss the compensation.”

“Hmm. Let’s do that.”

“First, the compensation is—”

“No, I’d like you to hear my proposal first.”

“Pardon? Yes.”

Money talk is the most important thing in the world, right?

Being in control of the compensation discussion—what a happy occasion.

There’s more I can ask for, and more I want to ask for, than I thought.

Now, let’s activate the skill.

Here we go.

“**【Let’s begin the compensation discussion.**】”

—

Count Glass Trista felt, on a visceral level, the shift in the prince’s presence before him.

From the moment he said just one thing—”Let’s begin the compensation discussion”—the young man before him seemed immense.

Like the weight of an audience with His Majesty the Emperor.

To possess that level of pressure at such a young age.

“Wh-what I can offer is…”

“I already told you. I said I would make a proposal.”

“…Ah, my apologies, Your Highness.”

Do not defy him. First, probe.

And perhaps it’s just his imagination—he might be cowed simply because the other is an imperial descendant.

Count Glass Trista cautiously met Wolfram’s eyes, and then—

“I don’t need to state my achievements—haven’t I already proven them?”

“Th-that’s right.”

Count Glass found himself averting his gaze without meaning to.

Yes.

He had proven it.

This young man, Wolfram von Lohengrin, had used an unknown secret method to deal with the monsters.

That method spread in an instant and was able to clear the slimes infesting the mines owned by the Trista family.

Not just the mines near this family—this mysterious method would spread to all the family’s mines.

In other words, he had brought a revolution to the mining industry.

If this situation hadn’t been resolved, the family would have suffered immense damage, placing a tremendous burden on the daughters who would carry the family’s future.

But this young man—the one chosen as Ayla’s partner, her future husband—appeared naturally, resolved things casually, and acted as if he didn’t realize the weight of what he’d accomplished.

Count Glass Trista decided to toss out one bait.

“Before that, please allow me to express my deepest gratitude. You have truly done a great thing.”

Expressing gratitude here was a poor move for a merchant.

How could a debtor praise the creditor’s achievements and voice thanks?

If Count Glass Trista had received such a greeting, he would have seized on it and extracted far more.

But Wolfram simply smiled lightly and brushed it off.

“Don’t mention it. It wasn’t such a big deal. I just used a bit of knowledge to easily resolve it.”

“…Is… that so.”

He couldn’t continue.

He realized that resolving the slimes was 【by no means a great feat】 for him.

Just this resolution alone could easily devour all the other surrounding mines.

For a simple example—deliberately spread Mining Slimes, buy up the shutdown mines at a bargain price, and use this method to clear them—just imagine the annual profits… Literally, the winds of reform would blow through the mining industry.

“I have no intention of taking petty immediate profits.”

“Whoa…!”

As if scolding Count Glass for his impure thoughts, Wolfram spoke in a low voice.

“Count Glass Trista. I want to give you an opportunity.”

At those words—”give you an opportunity”—he felt his heart race.

As if the words were imbued with mana.

An irresistible proposal.

“…An opportunity, you say?”

“I don’t want to simply discuss exchanging goods for this matter.”

“…My insight is lacking—I don’t fully understand. May I hear your true intent?”

“I pride myself on turning fantasies into reality, even on a small scale, with my own hands.”

“That’s true. Just from what I’ve heard from Ayla, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been impressed.”

“I’m confident I can achieve it with my mind, but sometimes—unfortunately—without material support, some things cannot be realized.”

“What you mean is…”

“Wouldn’t you like to stand by my side, supply the materials I desire, and see just how far the world can be changed?”

“Ah…”

For a moment, his heart nearly stopped.

And then it began pounding several times harder than before.

“There is a place for you on the stage that will change the world, Count.”

“O-oh, ohhh…!”

That one word was enough.

Not mere profit and loss, not just revenue sharing—he wanted to board the ship heading toward the future. That’s what this young man was saying.

Like a creature granted passage onto the ark.

Count Glass’s eyes trembled endlessly, like a believer witnessing a miracle.

“The things I will create from now on will change Zefflin, change the empire, and eventually open a new world.”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

“Will you follow me?”

Count Glass didn’t answer with words.

Because nothing is lighter than a merchant’s word.

He simply knelt on one knee, placed his left hand over his heart, and extended his right hand to the young man.

A truly noble gesture—meaning “I offer you my heart.”

—

I did it.

Count Glass’s action was the posture of loyalty taken by nobles who value honor!

“…Rise. I am still far too lacking to receive your loyalty.”

“Y-yes. Understood, Your Highness.”

This was, in fact, the result of understanding this matter, my future, and the Trista family’s characteristics to the fullest.

You could say I inferred the most plausible course of action by combining the original work with reality.

For example, in the original, Ayla Trista torments Kelterus up to Act 2, but her actions change in Act 3. She suddenly gathers talent, poaches them, and as a result goes berserk, points a blade at Eve, commits the grave crime of “opposing the student council president,” and is subjugated and expelled by Regina Sierra and Kelterus.

But the Trista family’s finances were actually quite sound.

Ayla’s downfall must have started with this mine shutdown incident.

The game didn’t provide detailed explanations for this part, but that’s my guess.

Especially when you recruit Spica in the game—her starting equipment was inferior to other first-years, which further supports this.

To put it simply, a problem occurred in Ayla’s family.

Ayla thought talent was the only solution, and as a result, the Ayla faction was formed, she fell out of Eve’s favor, clashed with Eve, dragged Regina into it, and was ultimately subjugated.

And the Trista family was shattered. Spica somehow enrolled but was impoverished. That’s my rough inference.

But I don’t want to see that.

Ayla, Spica, and even Count Glass here—they’re all pretty good people, aren’t they?

So…

“First, what I want is mutual exchange.”

“…Exchange, you say?”

“Yes. I want not money from the Trista family, but rare ores and materials.”

“Hmm. When you say rare ores, up to what tier are you referring to?”

“From ordinary 9-tier stones, up to—if possible—the 1-tier Seven-Color Ore.”

“Whoa! But the Seven-Color Ore is… that, a legendary item, isn’t it?”

“That’s just how I’m putting it. What I want is, in essence, a right—the right to make the first bid on minerals mined by the Trista family.”

“…The right to bid, you said.”

“Yes. I will pay money. Additionally, for the monster countermeasures at the mines and for items made from ores received from the Trista family, I’ll share information on the prototypes.”

“…That’s overwhelmingly advantageous for us. We’ll cooperate.”

I nodded slightly, and inwardly cheered.

It worked.

It sold.

To be honest, even if I took payment now, it would only be a few tens of millions of lin at most. That’s the maximum.

But the items that appear in the late game can’t be bought with just a few tens of millions.

So I wanted materials—and I got them. I secured the backing of the Trista family, who boast the best mining industry in the west.

To get this much benefit just from killing a few thousand slimes—this world is far too kind to me.

I guess selling the dream must have been the key factor.

You know—Ayla is rebellion, Spica is revolution, the Count is reform… I spun some grand dream about how “if you don’t invest now, you’ll miss out,” and it worked pretty well.

Of course, since it’s a bidding right, I have to pay money, but even so, it’s an enormous gain.

No matter how much money you have, there are things you can’t obtain.

As I nodded at that thought, Count Trista threw out something strange.

“However, this is still just a fair transaction. I can hardly say I’ve obtained a ticket to accompany Your Highness’s dream.”

“…Is that so.”

Well, if there’s more to give, I’m not going to refuse, am I?

Haha, it’s hard for me to refuse when an elder offers. I’ll gratefully accept.

Now, what should I ask for?

What my convenience store lacks most right now is…

Ah. That’s it.

“Ah, do you also do metal forming and processing? And I’ll need a mage with skills in magic engineering and golem crafting.”

“I’ll arrange it immediately. But what do you intend to use them for?”

“For the dream.”

“As you command.”

—

For about a week after that—aside from a brief return to Zefflin to pick up items—I stayed at the Trista family estate.

Of course, I wasn’t resting—I figured out what my convenience store needed most right now, and making it took quite a while.

‘Hmm, rather than shaping steel plates from scratch, it seems better to modify existing items to create it.’

‘Whoa, how did you think of this… Is it possible? Well, I’m not sure. But my soul is crying out to make it possible.’

‘Excellent. I’ve seen the future Your Highness envisions. Our Engineering Craftsman Union and the Golem School mages absolutely want to seize this opportunity.’

‘However, setting aside the making of it, operation will require a mage with exceptional mana control skills…’

‘Ah, aha. I see. That approach… Whoa. I’m simply astonished by His Highness Wolfram’s insight.’

And so, everyone’s dreams became one, and we created it.

A two-carriage linked magical automatic carriage—made by connecting two carriages!

—

When Ayla saw my carriage, her eyes widened and she asked.

“So you made this? Using that precious golem core…?”

“Mhm. That’s right.”

“D-do you know that golem cores can no longer be manufactured? One would go for tens of millions at auction… Even the imperial family cycles them for archmage protection…”

“……”

Wait,

Really?

“Damn—hmm. I know.”

Imperial Bloodline blocked my curse. Thank you, Imperial Bloodline!

No, wait—don’t be shaken by mere hundreds of millions, Wolfram. You must not be shaken. Don’t regret your choice.

“W-well, anyway. This is what my convenience store needs most right now. My store’s problem is location. If I run a regular service twice a day, customers will increase.”

“Still, it’s a golem core…”

“It’s fine. This is my goal.”

“Ah, Wolfram’s dream… Hehe. Yes. You need this level of generosity.”

Golem core.

The one I obtained by defeating the golem in the 1-4 Eastern Forest ruins—I used it as an engine, engraving activation magic formulas onto the carriage itself to make it move.

Naturally, the driving method is mana control, and it’s extremely difficult.

So, I hired Patrasche as the driver.

“…I’m really driving this? Master? Are you serious?”

“I’ll run it three times a day on a regular schedule for four days while I run the convenience store, and give you the other two days off. It’s a contract until I graduate.”

“I will faithfully carry out your will. My master.”

Patrasche, wearing a specially ordered suit with the W.R logo and a conductor’s cap, nodded.

Good. The driver is secured.

“Wolfram. Can I ride it too? Can I be the first to ride?”

“Go ahead.”

Ayla, who seemed the happiest about this creation, bounced around like a child, and I nodded.

And so, a week passed.

The results of operating the convenience store’s regular service were truly astonishing.

Even Patrasche, upon seeing the results, widened his mouth and turned his gaze to me.

“Master.”

“……”

“No new customers came, though. The Black Crystal young lady, the laborer, the assassin, and the chick are happy that it’s easier to come now… Ah, and that magically-gifted descendant too.”

“……”

“Is this the result you wanted, Master?”

“……”

“Master. Tomorrow’s a holiday. You know that, right?”

“…I know.”

“Oh, it’s empty, isn’t it? Wolfram, then I’ll ride the regular service one more time! Wolfram! Is that okay?!”

“…Go ahead.”

“Yay! Thank you, Wolfram! Patrasche, let’s go!”

“……”

The customer count didn’t particularly increase.

Ayla, Nephti, Rudika, Mille-feuille—even Eve gave it rave reviews.

Why…?

“Hmm. Master.”

“…What.”

“I don’t think anyone in their right mind would ride a carriage driven by a mysterious wolf.”

“…Ah.”

“Just so you know, I’m already contracted through the end of next year. Don’t break the contract with the fairy.”

“I… know.”

“Hehe… Tomorrow’s a holiday. I’ll go wander around a bit. Now, off to drive the regular service. Take care.”

The laughter Patrasche let out as he passed by me stung deep in my chest.

It was a bitterly cold spring.