Chapter 15: One Step (3) Tick. Tick.
The second hand echoed quietly in the office.
"..."
The president of Veritas Trading broke into a sweat, glancing at me nervously. Beside him sat two other shareholders—likely his son and daughter—their faces frozen in tension.
"All that's left is for you to sign."
The president looked as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment.
They probably viewed this as exploitation, or perhaps a flat-out seizure. And they might be half right.
"The payment is four million dollars. It will be transferred immediately upon signing."
"...Pardon?"
The eyes of all three widened simultaneously. Their expressions were a mix of shock and disbelief.
"Four… did you say four million dollars?"
"Yes. In cash."
"..."
They exchanged looks before the president wiped his brow with a trembling hand.
"Th-that is certainly a large sum of money. Far more than the actual value of our company. But this is a family business my late father spent his entire life building…"
I let out a small chuckle. I could see why the Imperial Guard usually just resorted to taking things by force.
Give them an inch and they'll take a mile… No, let's not think like that. At the very least, I shouldn't become the same kind of scum they are.
"Forget the fairy tales and just sign quietly. I'm sure your father would have wanted you to have a comfortable retirement."
I looked from the president to his son and daughter. They looked to be only about twenty-two or twenty-three.
"You have to think about your children's future as well. I'll even let you keep a one percent stake."
Stubbornness wouldn't help them, and persuasion was a waste of time for me.
In the end, if the world falls without the future changing, we're all going to die together anyway.
"Ah…"
The president let out a low groan of contemplation for a long while before finally stamping the seal with a shaking hand.
"...Here it is."
"Good."
I took the contract and spoke to the hollow-faced president.
"Please handle the handover with Dieter Schmidt. Turn over every piece of information you held as the owner."
"...Yes, sir."
The president left with his children. Their slumped shoulders as they walked away were a bit pitiful, but, oh well.
"Hmm. Not bad."
I sat in the chair of the now-empty president's office. It was shabby, but it had the essentials. It was only a forty-minute drive from the Sentinel Knights headquarters, so the location wasn't bad either.
Vrrr— Vrrr—
The terminal in my pocket vibrated.
"Jun?"
The caller ID read 'Jun Kandel.'
Just seeing the name made me feel sick. Old memories surged up like bile.
I frowned and answered the phone.
"Hello."
—It's been a while, Sir Max. This is Jun Kandel.
Jun Kandel was the legitimate heir of the Kandel family. Kandel was one of the pillars of the Empire, rivaling the Ebenholtz family—essentially, he was my rival.
"What is it?"
—Nothing much, I just heard some rather interesting news. I heard you had a bit of a clash with a Major from the Imperial Guard?
As expected, Rodriguez had gone running to Kandel to wag his tail the moment he could.
"I wouldn't call it a clash. A fly was just being annoying on my way out."
I heard Jun Kandel's low chuckle through the receiver.
—Yes, I understand. However, it seems it will be difficult for us to act as if nothing happened. A formal member of the Imperial Guard was murdered, after all. There's been some talk within the Guard.
"Is that so?"
So what, you bastard? This snake-like prick always talked in circles with that greasy voice. A piece of human trash who wasn't even—
—Sir Max. I heard you have your eye on the 'Egoros White Porcelain' in the upcoming auction.
White porcelain.
...White porcelain?
Is he talking about a vase? Why a vase all of a sudden?
I searched through my memories for a moment.
—Sir Max? Are you there?
Thump!
At that moment, the virus inside my body gave a powerful throb, and my vision shifted violently. A scene from the past unfolded before my eyes like a film rewinding.
'It's the Egoros White Porcelain! The starting bid is three million credits!'
'Number 131, four million!'
'Number 151, four point one million!'
'Number 131 again, four point five million!'
'Ah~ Number 151 calls five million!'
'The competition between 131 and 151 is fierce!'
"...Ah."
That did happen.
The Egoros White Porcelain. There was a rumor that drinking water from it would improve one's virility.
—It seems you really do want it.
I understood Jun Kandel's intent. Once, I had been obsessed with such useless collectibles, but I had no interest in them now.
"Yes. I do want it. It's a genuine antique, the likes of which haven't been seen in a while. However."
—...However?
If I was going to let him win, I needed to play the part.
"Unfortunately, it seems I won't be able to attend the auction this time. I've been quite busy lately."
It was a signal that I would yield the porcelain to him, and Jun Kandel laughed with satisfaction.
—I understand. A small gift will be delivered to you soon.
The deal was closed in an instant.
I had traded a vase for a small gift, and it was obvious what that gift would be.
—Until next time, then.
Jun Kandel hung up.
"...His voice is as annoying as ever."
Setting aside the porcelain and Rodriguez, I thought about the strange phenomenon that just occurred.
Regardless of being a regressor, it was difficult to remember every trivial detail from decades ago.
Yet, the memory of that auction from long ago had returned as vividly as if it had happened yesterday.
The cause was likely—
"Was it you?"
I placed my hand on my collarbone.
Clearly, this fragment of the virus had revived my memory.
In that case.
"...Dig deeper into my memories."
I closed my eyes.
The memories buried in the dusty drawers of my mind. Things I had glimpsed in passing. Among them, I focused on future knowledge that could specifically be turned into money.
'That southern mine, I heard it's been a total bust lately. Forget mana ore, even usable iron ore has dried up.'
Past memories unfolded before me like a panorama.
A lavish but somewhat decadent noble salon. A space filled with the thick smoke of cigars and the scent of expensive perfume.
'Getting into the mana stone business at a time like this is foolish. It's much smarter to invest in capital real estate.'
'True. Our family has disposed of almost all our shares in the southern mines. It's like pouring water into a broken pot.'
It was a time when I mingled with nobles and discussed business.
That period when I was drifting away from the Knights and my life was spinning its wheels.
'They'll probably start the closing procedures for all of them within a few years. There's nothing left in that barren land.'
'...Tsk. Some people have all the luck, while those Republic bastards find mana stones every time they dig into the ground.'
Those nobles had said the South, once the cradle of mana stones, was finished. Thanks to that, I had sold off the mines I had bought in advance back then.
But one day, at a certain moment, a news report had broken.
The headline of that newspaper appeared clearly in my mind.
[Unidentified Mana Fluctuations Detected in the Rommilton Mountains, Beston County, Southern Hermes Province… Academia Suggests "Possibility of Discovering Large-Scale Mana Ore Vein"]
"Found it."
I opened my eyes.
Beston, Hermes. The Rommilton Mountains. The mana stone mining industry required massive initial costs and the risk of failure, but it was the epitome of high-risk, high-reward—once you hit the jackpot, the profits were astronomical. Besides, Ebenholtz would cover all the mining costs anyway.
I hurried out of the president's office and approached Dieter, who was sitting in a corner of the outer office.
"Mr. Dieter. Did you hear? I've acquired this company."
"Yes."
"Do you have some loyalty to the previous owner, or—"
"No. I am an employee of this company."
"...That's a relief."
As expected, Dieter was a man whose inner thoughts were hard to read.
"From now on, you will have full authority over this company. At the same time, you will have to perform duties as my personal secretary."
I had the illusion that Dieter's face brightened slightly.
Perhaps he was someone who actually enjoyed overworking.
"First, your first work order. You are to purchase all the land in the Beston County area of Southern Hermes. Do it as quietly as possible so rumors don't spread."
Dieter looked up at me and nodded.
"Yes. I will do so."
Then he buried himself back in the mountain of paperwork. The man didn't even have a computer. It meant he was processing everything by hand.
"I'll get you a computer. Do you know how to use one?"
He looked up again.
"I will learn."
He pushed his rimless glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"...Right. Good luck."
The more I saw of him, the more of an eccentric he seemed, even more so than the rumors suggested. He seemed like a stubborn man who couldn't be judged by common sense, but that was exactly why he was more trustworthy.
Dieter Schmidt.
You are my first secretary.
* * *
Meanwhile, Rodriguez thought he had received good news.
He walked out to the backyard of the Imperial Guard headquarters with an air of triumph. Lieutenant General Strassen was waiting there.
"Loyalty!"
Rodriguez saluted first. Strassen, dressed in civilian clothes, smiled.
"Have you heard the news?"
"Yes, sir. I heard the agreement with Duke Kandel went well."
"...Yes. An agreement was reached."
Strassen nodded. Rodriguez's cheeks flushed with excitement.
"That is a relief. I believe this incident will be another turning point for the Imperial Guard. By cutting away the stale nobles who have maintained power under the guise of tradition, our Guard will—"
"—We've decided to discard you."
"Step into the fore...?"
Rodriguez's long-winded speech cut off abruptly, his expression freezing in an instant.
Rodriguez tilted his head as if he had misheard. Strassen let out a deep sigh.
"Rodriguez. You must not know much, being a country bumpkin from the East."
The Lieutenant General stepped closer, grabbed Rodriguez by his tie, and whispered.
"Ebenholtz is a name you do not touch, even if it belongs to a newborn puppy."
In an instant, men in uniforms emerged from the shadows. They roughly grabbed Rodriguez by both arms.
"G-General? What is the meaning of—"
"Shh. Handle it quietly."
"General! General Strassen! What is this, what are you doing! General!"
Rodriguez let out a scream as he was dragged away. At some point, his mouth was muffled, and Strassen clicked his tongue, muttering to himself.
"Moron."
No matter how reckless he was, Maximilian was Zebestian's only son. He was a noble of a status that a peasant like Rodriguez couldn't even dream of looking up to.
"This is why country bumpkins don't know their place."
Strassen pulled a silver toothpick from his inner pocket and cleaned between his teeth.
Sshhk. Sshhk. Sshhk.
Like removing a scrap of food, someone's head was severed.
* * *
My last day at the main house.
Engie delivered the small gift from the Kandel family. It was a duffel bag. When I unzipped it, Rodriguez's face was inside.
"Yeah. I've confirmed it."
"Yes, sir."
Jun Kandel had obtained the porcelain at a relatively cheap price in the recent auction, and Rodriguez's head had been taken. It meant the price of Rodriguez's life was worth a single piece of pottery.
He was a trivial man to begin with, but the high nobility of the Empire evaluated human worth even more coldly.
"Engie. Did Father say anything?"
"I did not make a separate report."
Engie's squinted eyes curved into an arc.
"He likely knows. He is probably proud. However, Sir, if this was for your father's sake, you do not need to go this far."
Engie seemed concerned about my sudden change. Around this time before the regression, I would have just been going around exploring fine dining restaurants.
"No. I did it because I wanted to. It has nothing to do with my father."
I stared intently into Rodriguez's closed eyes.
"A bastard who didn't know his place tried to act like my equal."
I handed the bag back to Engie.
"Burn it. How are the preparations for the move?"
"Everything is finished."
Everything from the wooden sword my mother had made for me as a child to my well-worn books had been packed into moving boxes. The furniture I used, like my sofa and bed, had already been moved to the new mansion.
Engie had likely taken care of even the smallest details I hadn't mentioned.
"Engie. Before I go, can I look through the Ebenholtz armory?"
I was looking for a sword. I had to hunt down the Head-Eaters, and no matter how I thought about it, trying to stand alone without the family's help was just foolish pride.
I had to make the most of what I was given. We have an 'enemy' for whom I must do exactly that.
"Of course. The entire armory belongs to you, Sir. Please, follow me."
Engie opened the door. His gesture as he led me was as kind as always.
...To be honest.
I was sadder when Engie died than when my father's head was hung in the street.
I was a truly unfilial son.
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