Chapter 61

Though there were several minor problems with operations, fortunately, both Aiden and he were impatient by nature, so they were soon resolved.

Moreover, with master craftsmen like Yvonne and skilled mercenaries being employed, it would have been stranger if things hadn't gone smoothly.

About two months after the Aisling Merchant Group established a forward base near the mountains.

The first results of the demonic beast equipment brand "Dikenting" arrived at Hartmann Castle.

"Your Grace, my eyes aren't malfunctioning, are they?"

"They're not malfunctioning."

"Is this number real?"

"If Aisling hasn't lied, it should be real."

Tap, tap.

His fingernail kept hitting the thin paper.

Arndt repeatedly looked at the paper, then elsewhere, then back at the paper.

But no matter how many times he looked, the figures written on the paper wouldn't change.

"A deficit of 1,937 gold coins..."

A sound like a groan escaped from Arndt.

He simply squeezed his eyes shut.

How nice it would be if money poured down like in a scene from a novel.

But that was just a story within a novel.

The reality he faced was much more cruel and petty.

While he wasn't without some expectations that things would go well, this seemed too severe.

According to the report, the reason for the deficit narrowed down to roughly one thing.

Even for excellent weapons, the number of buyers was limited.

Unless the royal palace placed a massive order for soldiers, people who needed weapons were limited.

Noble families, and commoner mercenaries.

Noble families often ordered weapons for their private soldiers.

But unless necessary, there was no need to use expensive demonic beast weapons.

He had thought commoner mercenaries would prefer demonic beast weapons since the quality of weapons determined life and death.

But with the price set awkwardly, there was no guarantee.

If they had done business in the east, the royal palace would have supported bulk purchases, and other merchant groups would have been involved, making low-priced, high-quality goods possible.

But now, Aisling had left the east.

It wasn't just the penalty fee paid in gold.

There were invisible penalties as well.

"As expected, we need to fill in the royal palace."

"What? Your Grace, what did you say?"

"Nothing."

Now that things had turned out this way, they couldn't go back.

Quitting the business they had started would result in severe losses for them as well.

They couldn't keep running Leandros in gambling halls forever.

"How do you think the research Aisling is conducting will turn out?"

"Since it's just started, it will probably take some time."

"Even if we suggest lowering the quality to reduce production costs, Yvonne would object."

"That woman's temperament is no joke."

High-quality items come with high prices.

That was an undeniable truth, whether in this world or the other.

If quality couldn't be compromised, then the price had to be justified.

Then, of course, they would have to target the noble market, but how could they persuade the nobles?

He was searching through the messily scattered documents on his desk, thinking if there was a good method.

A small envelope, precariously stuck between documents, caught his eye.

"What's this?"

"Ah, that's the invitation I gave you last night. Around this time, before it gets hotter, there's a hunting festival in the capital."

"Hunting festival... Ah."

He vaguely recalled the information Arndt had poured out during his visit to the capital in the previous iteration.

Schützenfest, a pre-summer hunting festival and a competition honoring marksmen.

A regular festival where nobles gathered in the capital, and, above all, a competition using various weapons.

Was it around this time?

He didn't think he would trigger a major flag by going to the capital during this period.

But if he went, there was a high possibility of meeting Yurik.

From Yurik's perspective, his appearance in the capital wouldn't be very welcome.

He was nothing more or less than an object to be stashed away and used when the time came.

But... thinking about it again, he wondered if he needed to care about that.

Since he had decided to live with as much visibility as possible this time.

If seeing him made the other party's blood boil, that was a win in itself.

Then there was only one remaining problem.

"Arndt, do you think Leandros would do well in crowded places? Would he go around chatting and mingling well?"

"You're not really asking me that because you don't know, are you?"

"I guess not."

There was no point in commenting on Leandros' communication skills at this point.

Damn.

Maybe he should just die once more and regress.

While he was deep in thought, a cheerful knock echoed through the office.

"Your Grace, it's Nabilov. Do you have a moment?"

"Come in."

As the door opened, the dim space felt conceptually brighter.

With a beaming face, Russel, who had a radiant and kind smile, strode in.

"Shall I draw the curtains? The sunshine outside is really nice, Your Grace."

"No. It's fine. Leave it. More importantly, what are you holding?"

"I received these from the maids on my way to change shifts. They always give me things, which I'm grateful for."

In the arms of the sheepishly smiling Russel were fruits, flowers, and what looked like breads.

It seemed his popularity in the castle was still exploding.

"You seem to get along well."

"Everyone is so kind. Though I always end up running here as I might be late for my shift after chatting about this and that."

He carefully placed something on his desk.

It was a small white bear carving.

"And this is a gift for Your Grace. I carved it from the leftover Vormi teeth!"

"Wow, it's cute. Thank you."

"No, Your Grace, if you call that cute..."

"But it really is cute. Look, Arndt. It's so well carved. Isn't this artisan level?"

"It's not to my taste, Your Grace. It's a bit creepy."

But it was cute.

While turning the bear carving, which was about the size of his index finger, this way and that, he asked Russel.

"Russel, have you ever been to Schützenfest?"

"I've heard a lot about it, but I've never been. If one hoped to join the Holy Knight Order, one had to cut ties with secular matters first."

"Is that so? Would you like to go this time?"

"Wow, really? Can I go too? I'd love to."

Hanging from the waist of Russel, who was delighted like a child, was a sword bestowed personally by him.

What are you so happy about, 

You're being used right now.

* * *

After deciding to participate in Schützenfest, the castle became even busier.

This was because someone of ducal status couldn't use an inn in the capital, so they had to go to a townhouse.

The townhouse, which had been neglected for quite a long time, though not as much as the main castle, couldn't possibly be in good condition.

Arndt went up to the capital first to personally hire servants for the townhouse and repair the mansion.

Before that, he introduced his personally selected close aides to him, prepared the castle for summer, and worked to save finances, leaving the castle in a state of complete exhaustion.

Seeing that, he thought they needed to hire a head butler soon.

But thanks to Arndt's tearful sacrifice, when they arrived, they were greeted by an impressive mansion.

Early summer roses, tangled and blooming profusely along the newly replaced fence, flaunted their calculated wild charm.

Past the fragrant entrance, the interior garden revealed a small artificial stream decorated with dainty sculptures, gurgling softly.

Lamps firmly tied to drooping branches added to the artistic atmosphere, and the stone floor was spotless without a single broken corner.

The Hartmann townhouse, welcomed by a huge black gate, was beyond imagination.

It showed signs of careful consideration for a design that wouldn't fall behind the capital's trends while being usable for a long time.

A low-saturation red carpet, golden candlesticks, solemnly drawn wine-colored curtains, and tapestries in calm colors.

The staircase leading to the second floor was clearly visible from the hall, and the high windows, capturing both the sky and the spacious garden, gave a sense of openness.

"Your Grace, was there any discomfort during your long journey?"

"The journey was good. But Arndt, you look like half your face is gone."

"I just couldn't sleep much. I'm fine."

Arndt, who was removing his cloak, had dark circles under his eyes.

He ordered the main castle's servants who followed behind him to arrange the luggage and tried to attend to him.

"No. Go and rest a bit. Your expression really doesn't look good."

"But Your Grace. Who will prepare Your Grace's bedroom if not me?"

"Even when we were at the main castle, someone else did it besides you. We can't have you collapsing later."

"But."

Arndt looked around and lowered his voice.

"Young master, no, Your Grace, this is your first social event."

Schützenfest was the first noble official event that Arenheit was participating in.

Before Hartmann's downfall, it was due to overprotection, and after Hartmann's downfall, they were too busy making a living.

So it seemed to hold various meanings for Arndt.

A new Duke, the first social event, the first capital debut.

That must have been why he had been so passionate about it.

He looked at Arndt and lightly patted his shoulder.

"Don't be nervous. We'll participate in many such events in the future. Our reputation has already fallen to the bottom, so there's nowhere further to fall."

"Still..."

"You can rest well for two days. I don't plan to attend the eve's ball, only the hunting festival. I'll rest in the meantime too."

Arndt finally reluctantly nodded.

Watching him stagger away while holding his outer garment was quite pitiful.

For his sake too, they should achieve good results at Schützenfest.

The one fortunate thing was that, having come up in such a hurry, they were excused from participating in the events during the hunting eve period.

During that time, while resting, they gathered bits of rumors about the central nobles they would soon meet.

And so, four days later.

He, Leandros, Russel, and Arndt left the townhouse.

After loading various hurriedly procured equipment onto a larger-than-usual carriage and traveling for half a day, they arrived at a vast forest.

An expansive forest located near the capital,

At the entrance to the forest, carriages, servants, and soldiers were already finishing event preparations.

While he wouldn't have thought much of it normally, this time somehow.

"It's disorderly."

Leandros, who was looking out of the carriage window, said.

A strangely hazy atmosphere.

A dark forest with slight cloud cover.

The curtain was rising on Schützenfest, the competition to determine the kingdom's premier martial arts and marksman.