A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

71 – Sell Everything Except Your Wife and Children (3)

Dinner.

At sunset, I stood in front of the first gateway with Lord Mente.

In front of the gateway, not the castle wall.

“Master.”

“Stop it, Master.”

“What was I trying to say?”

“Aren’t you going to make fun of me by saying that your face is as red as the color of the sunset over there?”

“Tsk.”

Sir Mente’s sly expression made me preemptively block him just in case, and he immediately clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“I finally got a taste for teasing.”

“It’s all an act.”

“Bullshit.”

“It’s true.”

“Why don’t you just say that everything St. Geo Nostrum does is for justice and fairness in this country?”

“…You’d rather swear.”

I was shocked to suddenly be treated like an incompetent king, but I couldn’t say anything.

“Did you hire the wrong teacher?”

“Isn’t it true? It’s me who keeps my mouth shut about you secretly selling out the country like this. If it were someone else, I would have reported it to Gibraltar or something right away, right?”

“…It’s done.”

I stepped forward and stretched out my hand toward the first gateway.

‘Open.’

Rattling.

The gateway opens.

The first gateway to the empire, which should have been tightly closed, begins to open left and right.

“Hello!”

As soon as the door opened, I heard a familiar woman’s voice.

“Mom is here!”

“Who is the mother?”

“You’re my daughter’s mother!”

Chairman Erwin appeared wearing a black suit and glasses.

“He is the knight who sleeps in the same bed with my child every night and protects him, so in fact, Master Gray is just like my son!”

“Yes, yes. Just show me the stuff.”

“That’s too much, really. Are you disappointed that you didn’t see me at Sirene?”

“The Crown Prince came to Se Irene alone, so he wouldn’t have been able to meet him.”

If the relationship between the two kingdoms had been better, if the people of the empire had been able to get off the ship, not just the crown prince.

President Erwin must have participated in the masquerade ball.

Maybe that-

“Why are you wearing glasses?”

Instead of a mask, wear those glasses.

“He also has good eyes.”

“It’s pretty.”

“You’re pretty enough without glasses.”

“Ahaha. You only talk about things like that to the girl you like, Master Gibraltar?”

Erwin giggled and handed me the black bag he was carrying.

“Ta-da. This is the sample. Want to check it out right now?”

“I’m going to check, but would you like to come inside first?”

“Oh, yes.”

Erwin came inside and stood right in front of me, and I immediately closed the door to Gibraltar Gorge.

“Are you really thorough?”

“Maybe one of the reporters will come to take pictures of the canyon.”

“If there was such a person, I would have told you a long time ago. Ah, Lord Mente! It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while, Chairman Iperia.”

“Oh, by the way. You can call me Erwin. Gray. Would you like to look at some things? “I want to hear a story from Sir Mente.”

“Hmm…”

Originally, Sir Mente would have let the two talk.

Sir Mente also knows in detail about the Whites, and he also knows about Astasia.

In other words, Sir Mente-

“Today, granddaughter Astacia kissed Gray Gibraltar’s cheek.”

“…”

“I made a bet, and you won it.”

As usual, I regularly told Chairman Erwin about Astasia’s life

“Hmm. Kiss me…”

Chairman Erwin looked at me meaningfully, and I silently opened the lock of the black iron bag.

“Has my daughter already saved it? Seriously?”

“I don’t know.”

“Master Gray. What do you think, my daughter?”

“I think she is really pretty, just like her mother. She is a beauty with a bright future, and she will become the prettiest beauty in the empire… No, on the continent.”

Answering appropriately, I took out the items in my bag.

“Rather than that-“

“Really? Then are you going to get married?”

“…Didn’t we meet to talk about business?”

“Even talking about marriage is a business!”

I wanted to talk about the ‘sample’ in the bag, but Chairman Erwin seems to be more interested in this story.

“…If necessary, if permission is obtained from the parties concerned, and ultimately, if the marriage becomes a symbol for peace, there is nothing that cannot be done.”

“Hmm.”

“Even if the two groups cannot unite through marriage, the ritual as a symbol of staying close to each other and not fighting is definitely meaningful.”

“You talk a lot.”

Erwin lowered his upper body and made eye contact with me.

“So is Astasia good or bad?”

“It’s not a bad thing.”

“Do you love me?”

“What do you want to hear?”

“Well, the most Gibraltar-like story?”

Erwin looks at me through his glasses

“I looked around at a lot of men in the empire, and I thought Master Gray would be the best.”

“As Astasia’s shield?”

“In many ways?”

“There’s a lot of risk in embracing something just because you love it.”

“Are you changing the subject again, or are you asking this knowingly?”

“I’m telling the story at face value.”

I took Erwin’s hand and raised it toward my chest.

“Do you feel like I’m lying right now?”

“Are there things that cannot be conveyed unless expressed directly in language?”

“Is that so? Then how would you please record it and deliver it to the imperial family?”

After taking a deep breath for a moment.

“Gray Gibraltar has a rational interest in the imperial granddaughter of the Astasia von Tersian Empire.”

Just like that, Erwin gave the answer he wanted.

“Hmm…”

“Is this enough?”

“It feels like I’m bowing down to receive you, but I’m grateful you even said this.”

Erwin chuckled and stroked my head.

“You’re just a master at deceiving people. But I’m not deceived?”

“…What does that mean?”

“Well? It probably has various meanings, right? Like the meaning behind your words.”

“Are you okay with playing with words with a 13-year-old?”

“Yes. Good. Ah-ju. Ahaha.”

There is no answer.

I guess they don’t even want to give a hint in that direction.

“Okay, I have a guess, but let’s be quiet.”

“Guess? Hmm, what does it mean?”

“Is this the source of capital for Iperia Industries?”

Erwin’s eyes sank slightly.

“Hmm…”

“If I’m wrong-“

“Um, no! You’re probably right. You’re right, but that’s why we’ll have to keep it a secret.”

Erwin narrowed one of her eyes and put his index finger to her lips.

“Lord Mente, please pretend not to notice?”

“…No.”

Sir Mente, who was watching quietly, snorted.

“If you tell a story that only you know and keep it a secret, how will anyone hear?”

At those words, I felt embarrassed for a moment.

“So, that is…” ” .”

“Master Gray? If the answer is correct, I’ll give you a kiss on the cheek!”

“…”

Sir Mente twitched his lips, and I had no idea what to say.

“Oh my. I guess you really don’t like kisses from old ladies… ?”

“…The word Aiferia is neither an imperial nor a kingdom language.”

It is difficult to find the correct answer.

“Lord Mente. Where do you think these words usually come from?”

“If I get it right, will I get a kiss on the Chairman’s cheek? I don’t know. Master, tell me.”

“…If we look at the languages with the most similar types of sounds.”

This is not the correct answer.

“It has similar properties to the names of several elves recorded in history books.”

“Hey.”

“But elves have pointy ears, and Chairman Erwin’s ears are no different from those of an ordinary person.”

I’m just making wild guesses.

“Someone among the elves must have bought land in the empire 500 years ago. That’s it.”

“It’s not 500 years, though.”

Chairman Erwin grinned.

“I got half of it right, so I guess I should give them a prize?”

He placed his hand on my forehead and lightly kissed my forehead.

“God’s protection.”

Nothing happened.

“…Hehe, what do you think? Does this make you look a bit like an elf?”

“How would I know if I’ve never seen an elf?”

In this life.

“But if you think about the story in the legend, the elves are definitely beautiful like Chairman Erwin.”

“You don’t say a word wasted. If you create a company later, you will be a pretty good businessman.”

“Pretty good?”

“I can’t say it’s great! Gibraltar is more faithful to emotions than reason.”

I guess so.

Well.

‘If I were crazy about money, I would have supported the crown prince a long time ago.’

If you were just trying to make money, you wouldn’t have cared what happened before the regression.

Things of the past are things of the past.

A thing from a lost timeline that isn’t even connected to the present.

If the past affects the present, there is no need to bring up the past, which has nothing to do with the present, just because of my memory.

“As you said, I am Gibraltar.”

That doesn’t work.

I can speak more clearly after seeing the crown prince in person.

“No matter how much you try to understand with your head, in the end you have no choice but to follow what your heart tells you.”

Because the emperor’s shadow still lingered in the crown prince’s memory.

* * *

Sometimes, strong emotions paralyze reason.

This is especially true of love.

If you fall in love with a person, you will continue to act emotionally no matter how much the opposite s*x says no.

“Father.”

“…Okay.”

Right now, this item in my father’s study is like that.

“It was sold for 3,000 thalers.”

“…So, what if converted to gold?”

“I would say it’s approximately 3.9 million gold.”

“…This photo album was sold that expensively?”

“What was sold at the regular price has to pass through people’s hands again.”

My father picked up a booklet contained in a black box.

“Oh, I see.”

On the front of the magazine, which had the words ‘Imperial Women’s November Special Emergency Issue’ printed on the front, was a photo of a man riding a white horse, and that man was, of course, our Lord Crimson Gibraltar.

“It is also evidence that there is a spy in the Gibraltar territory who took a close photo of the Count, so it is a photo with strategic value.”

“No.”

“…I see. This material, paper full of an imperial scent that is completely different from parchment. This paper is definitely something of value. Well, seeing as it captures a photograph so accurately…”

“Isn’t it?”

The reason why magazines are expensive is not because the paper is expensive, and it is true that they are valuable from an intelligence perspective, but the person who paid that money to buy them is not the Imperial Intelligence Service.

“It sold well just because my father was cool.”

“…”

“And this money, the women of the empire paid a premium for it. The regular price is 50 thalers.”

“…So.”

My father held the Empire magazine in his hand and waved it.

“I put together a collection of photos taken of me from far away and put them up for sale…”

“Not only were they sold out, but there were also cases where they were sold at a much higher price than the regular price due to limited quantities.”

“…”

“In fact, according to imperial law, this is something that stands on the border between illegal and legal.”

There is a concept of portrait rights in the empire, but the portrait rights are limited to ‘citizens of the empire’.

“If my father becomes a member of the empire later, he may sue this magazine for arbitrarily taking pictures of my father and selling them…”

“We can’t put Chairman Erwin in trouble.”

“Yes.”

The magazine was published by a shell company under Chairman Erwin and Iferia.

“No matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand why it was sold for such a high price.”

My father kept tilting his head and shaking the magazine.

“Isn’t it just a short booklet with a picture of me, taken secretly? The empire could print it out in large quantities like it prints newspapers, but it’s still a bit expensive to pay that money to buy it.”

“Father, do you think that’s all you’re worth?”

“That’s not true. I don’t know why the people of the kingdom would know, but the people of the empire would pay so much money to buy my photo.”

My father still had a serious expression on his face, even his eyebrows his furrowed, lost in thought.

“Could it be that they are trying to place a curse? They are using a photo to cast black magic from a distance. Use the spirit to find the man in the photo and torment him.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then?”

“Literally, it’s because you’re handsome?”

“…It’s an empire?”

“Yes.”

For me, I don’t think it’s particularly strange.

“The empire is not an orc empire, there are people living in the empire, but their eyes are the same.”

Just looking at a handsome and pretty woman brings a satisfying effect.

“For example, if you think this is your mother and not your father-“

“Never sell.”

My father looked with a straight face and raised his voice.

“When I was at the academy, your mother’s portrait was sold for a high price.”

Was there something, an anecdote in the past?

‘I don’t know this story.’

I only heard stories about my father and mother during their time at the academy, and this is the first time before and since my return to hearing from my father directly.

“How much did it sell for?”

“I don’t know. But I do remember that the art club president who painted the portrait suddenly paid off all of the family’s debt and bought a castle.”

“…Perhaps.”

“Yes. There is only one person who paid that much money.”

“Father?”

“…”

My father glared at me for a moment, but I read his expression right away.

“Aha. I tried to buy it, but you couldn’t?”

“…I just couldn’t keep it because of the official event with Carmen. If I had been a little faster, I could have survived.”

“Then of course the person who bought it-“

“Saint Geo Nostrum.”

As expected.

“One day, I raided his room. I was a member of the student council.”

“Is that okay? Even if he was a prince back then.”

“I went to see him because I heard he was causing disorderly conduct in the dormitory. He is… Sigh. I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“It looks like they at least kissed the photo.”

“…Write it.”

Something.

“Use it.”

It feels like more than that, but if I talk any deeper, my father will call me to the sparring room.

It’s pretty predictable.

Sucking silver and trampling on it in its dreams, that’s probably what they did to Grimm.

“By the way, Dad, it might be easier to understand. It’s your pictorial.”

“Do you mean that the women of the Empire kiss my pictures like St. Geo?”

“If I just kiss you, I’ll be happy?”

“Huh…”

“I will just worship and serve you like a god or an idol.”

“…”

Idolization and deification of Crimson Gibraltar.

“Just as many believers donate to a cathedral, they consider their father an idol and will give a lot of money, whether it be for Tallerization or support for Gibraltar.”

And, religious paintings.

“Father, wouldn’t you like to make a bet with me?”

I took out a sample magazine.

“This. How much does Queen Carmen live for?”

“…”

My father answered with a more serious face than ever.

“…5 million?”

“In that case.”

I made the shape of a gold coin with my hands.

“I will take the difference as pocket money?”

Three days later.

An anonymous donor to the orphanage announced his intention to donate an additional 10 million gold.

“I love you, Mom, no. Thank you for your donation. I will use it for a meaningful cause.”

It was a secret to my father that he included a photo of him wearing a white shirt soaked in the rain at the gym as an appendix to a magazine.