Chapter 187
Chapter 187: The Master of the Trade Route (24)
“Then I’ll be waiting for good news, Roger.”
“Please leave it to me.”
After receiving the problematic sword from Eric,
he moved on to meet with the investors from Royal Luton.
Thanks to that, I was able to escape the face-to-face meeting with the lions, and I heard from both association heads that I should come to Nord soon.
The reason for going to Nord was simple.
It was to see the hidden factory of Luton Pharmaceuticals in preparation for full-scale investment.
Of course, the business itself was legal.
The only issue was producing the medicine in advance and distributing it before the official permit came through.
Since it was a low-cost drug, the plan was to clear out the inventory before similar competing products flooded the market.
“They really are frighteningly clever when it comes to things like this.”
It would’ve been nice if he’d inherited some of Father’s traits in a better way.
――――――
Alone in the carriage, I was heading home for the first time in a while.
With the improvements made to the trade route, the condition of the roads had significantly improved.
Now that such a long distance was being traveled over paved roads, I could feel the passage of time.
At the same time, I was reminded again of the overwhelming influence of the Grand Duke of the North.
In the past, just the travel time to the Nord Mountains used to take a full day.
But thanks to the recent road improvements, it had now been reduced to nearly half a day.
“Let’s see.”
I leaned out the window.
Holding down my windswept bangs, I gazed toward the distant Nord.
“As splendid as ever.”
The largest city in the North.
Once the cultural hub that vastly outshone even the Imperial capital.
And now, my hometown and the place where my family would rise again.
I had returned to that place.
“Sir, shall we head straight to the Erian Hotel?”
“No, go to the place written here instead.”
I handed the coachman a note.
After checking the location on the map, he gave a slow nod.
“This is His Grace the Archduke’s private property.”
“That’s right, so take a route with little foot traffic.”
The coachman, who had been with me for quite some time, nodded again.
He was the same friend who had proven himself during the offensive on Edward’s mine, and he handled the carriage with practiced ease.
Indeed, the factory’s location couldn’t have been more discreet.
Not only was the road unpaved, but we didn’t pass a single person the entire way.
Occasionally, a merchant's wagon came from the opposite direction, but even that vanished once we entered Eric’s property.
‘This really is a place where no one would find it.’
After passing through a dense forest path, a vast open plain came into view.
There, in stark contrast to the surroundings, stood clean, spacious factories lined up neatly.
A single parasol had been set up at the entrance.
Sitting beneath it was none other than Lud Sent, the head of the Medical Association I had met a few days ago.
“So you've arrived.”
Sipping a glass of whiskey, he rose leisurely to his feet.
Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he slowly approached my arriving carriage.
“Welcome, Lord Roger.”
“Have you been waiting long?”
As I stepped down from the carriage and asked, Lud Sent waved his hand leisurely.
“No need— I just got here myself. Shall we take a look right away?”
“Certainly. You're a busy man, so let’s move quickly.”
Around the factory, a large number of private mercenaries had been hired.
Most of them were former knights, skilled individuals brought in at great cost.
They didn’t seem like the type who would easily betray their liege.
‘The security is tight. No wonder I didn’t find out in my previous life.’
Of course, if I had been the chief secretary back then, I would have caught on immediately, but at this point, there was no way I could have known what Eric had been up to.
Meeting Linie really did feel like a stroke of luck.
“Nervous? No need to be— it’s all a legitimate facility.”
Of course it was.
The issue wasn’t the facility itself, but the early production before regulatory approval and the hidden side effects being used to reap massive profits.
“Not at all. I just felt a little carsick on the way here.”
I gave a light smile and played it off.
“For motion sickness, nothing beats water infused with Dilman herbs—. You should pick some up on your way back.”
“Haha…… thank you.”
As expected of the head of the Medical Association, he had plenty of knowledge in the healing arts.
Still, I couldn’t understand why someone like him had chosen wealth over honor...
“Well then, take your time and look around.”
Private mercenaries approached and opened the factory gates.
Just as its scale suggested, an expansive interior unfolded before my eyes.
“Good heavens……”
There were large facilities extracting juice from giant Anes herbs and refining them.
And employees, clad in clean medical uniforms, were busily producing the medicine.
It was clear this was where the 70 billion gold investment had gone.
Once the Emperor’s permission came through and the factory began full operation, it would churn out massive stock in no time.
“You haven’t started production yet, I see?”
“We're doing a final check to make sure there's nothing that could interfere with the review process inside the Empire.”
They really weren’t careless.
Even though they clearly had both associations in their grip, they remained cautious to the end.
“The Emperor is the kind of person who strictly separates public and private matters. If anything goes wrong, there’s no telling what might happen, so we must be careful.”
“Agreed. He’s a frightening man.”
I nodded, affirming his words.
The Emperor Leonidas I knew was indeed a very prudent man.
“Well, it doesn’t matter if things go wrong after I get my retirement fund. I’ll just say I realized how serious the situation was and decided to step down.”
Honestly, if I reported this to the Emperor right away, Lud could be punished.
But doing that would mean I couldn’t deal economic damage to Eric.
This man in front of me was essentially nothing more than the Grand Duke’s tail.
“When is the final review that will go up to His Majesty?”
“Next week. All three of us will gather and brief the Emperor directly then.”
A week, huh.
Just the right amount of time.
Until Anes makes it into the foundation of the singer, Cindy.
“Now that we’ve seen the factory, shall we get down to business?”
“Sounds good. Let’s hear it.”
We returned to the parasol at the factory entrance.
He poured me a glass of whiskey himself and continued.
“How much are you planning to invest, and by when?”
“I’ll be heading to my office right after this to write the check. The bank is the Royal Bank, so I’m sure you’ll find it trustworthy.”
Lud chuckled in satisfaction at my clear-cut answer.
As he generously filled my glass with large ice cubes using the tongs, he said,
“Good, good— clean and precise, just like a seasoned investor. Eric sure has a reliable friend.”
Of course he’d believe it.
I’d thrown in my entire fortune.
“Well then, I’ll see you again soon with good news.”
I put on that trustworthy smile I always wore beside Eric.
Afterward, I got back into the carriage and waved out the window.
“To Old Luton.”
“Yes, sir.”
The coachman didn’t even glance at the factory.
True to someone I’d employed for years, he looked only ahead and naturally steered us out of the property.
“Phew……”
I only let out a breath once we arrived in Old Luton.
Returning to such a familiar place made my heart feel noticeably lighter.
The streets were bustling with people.
So many things had happened here.
It used to be a ghost town, but I had turned things around by gathering artists and holding a massive fashion show.
Thanks to that, the price of the Erian Hotel, once only a few billion, had soared to nearly 100 billion gold.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Thank you.”
As the carriage stopped in front of the red carpet, familiar faces came to open the door for me.
They were the same staff who had been with me since the day I first took over the hotel.
Thankfully, most of them still remained here.
“You must be tired, sir.”
“It must have been cold up north.”
Though they were just junior staff, I was close enough with them to chat casually.
“I traveled comfortably, no worries. You’re the ones working hard out here.”
I gently patted their shoulders and casually slipped my hand into my jacket pocket.
The freshly signed, smooth checks slid into their pockets one by one.
“Are the guests in the lounge bar?”
“Yes, I’ll escort you right away.”
The staff, now beaming after receiving their bonuses, guided me inside.
On the way in, the elephant statue in the lobby greeted me.
――――――
As I passed it and entered the lounge bar...
“Roger!!”
My friend, who always reminded me of a golden retriever, waved at me.
Sitting across from him was a special guest, waving as well.
“Mansachs, how’ve you been? Attorney Anna, you’re here too.”
“It’s been a while, Director.”
The two of them looked noticeably more refreshed since I’d last seen them.
Especially this punk, Mansachs— he’d shed his boyish look and now carried himself like a proper adult.
“What’s this? Even wearing a tie today?”
“Ah... Lady Freya gave it to me. She said not wearing it would look even tackier…”
The moment he mentioned the noble lady, he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
It was obvious—there was something going on between them.
“Anna, you’ve been well too?”
“Of course. Ever since Senior Tabor got settled, things have gotten much easier for me.”
These two had once endured hard times in unfavorable positions. Now, each had found their place.
Things had clearly improved for them lately.
Mansachs had unearthed countless scoops for Gold Morning.
And now, he was even dating the eldest daughter of Luton—the most powerful family in Nord.
Thanks to that, he’d recently overtaken the eldest son and was now being considered a serious candidate for the company’s next CEO.
“Looks like you've been through a lot. You’ve lost quite a bit of weight.”
Anna was no different.
Her close ties with Tabor had earned her strong backing in the legal world after he was promoted to Chief Prosecutor.
“Seriously. Your already sharp eyes have gotten even more intense.”
“Have they? Well, the Nord Mountains are bitterly cold, you know.”
Unlike when I was dealing with Lud, I gave them a genuine smile.
After that, the three of us enjoyed a long-overdue tea time.
“I heard about it. Sounds like a huge deal.”
“Right. It could even become the biggest case in Nord’s history.”
Having heard the news in advance, both of them now wore serious expressions.
In response, I casually glanced around the area.
Fortunately, I couldn’t spot any of Eric’s men inside my hotel.
“If this ends well, everything will be over. The master of the trade route will soon become the master of the Grand Duke’s house.”
The Grand Duke of the North.
That essentially meant becoming the second-in-command of the entire continent.
They understood the weight of that title well—each of them sipped their tea in silence, attentively listening to my plan.
“For now, there’s nothing we need to do. Until next week, when Eric and the association heads meet with the Emperor, we wait.”
“We just have to hold off until the Emperor gives his verbal approval, and production of the stock begins in earnest?”
The sharp-minded Mansachs chimed in.
“Exactly. Once I offer up my 8 billion as production capital, things will accelerate. And right when all the investment funds have been spent— that’s when we hit.”
“So Cindy’s medical foundation needs to expose the issues with Anes at just the right moment.”
I nodded.
“No matter how deep Eric’s influence runs within the Empire, he has no reach into the Northern Kingdom. That’s what I’m aiming for.”
I raised a finger and pointed it at Mansachs.
Gold Morning, which had broken countless exclusives, currently ranked number one in industry credibility.
All those golden pieces of information I’d handed over were finally paying off.
“Once Cindy’s foundation releases the Anes report, blow it up into a major story. And make sure to include criticism about how the far more medically advanced Empire somehow failed to notice the problem.”
“Don’t worry. That’s exactly the kind of thing we’re best at, isn’t it?”
Mansachs sipped his tea and flashed me an OK sign.
“You can casually mention it to Freya. As the eldest daughter, she’s probably already aligned with Echina’s faction. She’ll be helpful when it comes time to strike at Eric.”
“I’ll drop a light hint. But I’d rather not get her too deeply involved.”
This bastard.
Just how far have things gone with the eldest daughter?
I had to make an effort to suppress the twitching corners of my mouth.
Now that I looked closely, his skin looked firmer too. He must be very well loved these days.
“Strange. You two have completely opposite vibes.”
Even aloof women must like puppy types.
“What is?”
“Nothing.”
I gave him a long, sulky stare, like a mountain fox sizing up prey.
Then I shook my head and let out a deep sigh.
“I want to settle down too, like you— build a stable family.”
Anna and Mansachs both stared at me silently after hearing that.
This time, they were the ones giving me that blank look.
“What? Why are you both looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
“No, it’s not, you little punk……”