Mess 170

170.

“What on earth is going on here!”

The son, who heard the news belatedly, stormed in, seething with barely suppressed rage.

“An accounting audit! At this rate, everything will be discovered—”

“Herba!”

At the count’s command, the young heir flinched.

“…Watch your tongue.”

The count, at last regaining his composure, signaled to his son. Only then did the heir of Baglosa realize he had entered without closing both doors behind him.

He hurriedly shut the doors and paused to steady his breath and calm his agitation.

“What exactly is happening here?”

But he could not so easily conceal his anxiety.

“An accounting audit without any warning!”

The Baglosa heir pounded his chest in exasperation.

“…Haven’t you heard anything?”

The count was just as frustrated. There should have been some advance warning before such an event took place.

“You know perfectly well.”

The Baglosa heir spoke in a despondent tone.

“A few days ago at the banquet, that….”

His measured words could not mask the anger in his breath.

“Why on earth did you do such a thing…!”

Count Baglosa sighed, laden with reproach. He, too, had never imagined that the crown prince would dare such a thing openly.

It was maddening enough to have suffered such humiliation, but even more so that his son had deliberately made a spectacle of himself by confronting the White Magician at the crown prince’s order.

‘If only I hadn’t summoned him to the capital for no reason!’

He had taken pity on the boy, who was meant to remain in the territory as punishment for a past misstep. But now, thanks to the crown prince’s foolish blunder, he was about to be dragged into disgrace as well.

‘…But that isn’t the real problem now.’

There were graver matters at hand than his son’s reputation.

As Count Baglosa pressed his fingers to his brow in the grip of a headache—

“…Couldn’t this be that woman’s doing?”

The Baglosa heir ground his teeth.

“Count Validus! It’s definitely that woman’s work!”

“Validus?”

“Think about it! Every time our plans have been disrupted, that damned woman has always been around!”

He insisted, firmly convinced it must be her doing this time as well.

“…….”

Count Baglosa had thought the same.

“No.”

Until just a moment ago.

“Validus is undergoing an audit as well.”

This time, all merchant guilds registered with the Empire that exceeded a certain scale were being subjected to audits.

That included both the Kia Trading Company, owned by Validus, and Luni’s shop, which had recently become quite fashionable.

“It could just be a ruse!”

“Count Validus himself is absent right now.”

At the count’s look of exasperation, the Baglosa heir faltered.

“…You mean he isn’t even in the capital?”

Seeing his son’s confusion, the count clicked his tongue.

“There’s no one there at all—not in the company or the shop—so the audit began immediately. They were the first to be targeted!”

“…….”

“Don’t you see it yet?”

Count Baglosa was on the verge of losing his temper.

“This means the Emperor is reconsidering the succession!”

Even if the Emperor and Validus were working together behind the scenes, neither Baglosa nor even the crown prince himself could intervene now.

“You fool…!”

To be caught so plainly by an audit was no mere show of power.

“This acknowledges the rivalry between the crown prince and the third prince for the throne! This audit is a way to identify and scrutinize the key factions supporting each of them!”

Count Baglosa struck his chest with a clenched fist in his frustration.

“…….”

Seeing his son’s vacant, belated realization, his anger only rose further.

“And why in the world did you have to confront the White Magician at the banquet!”

“But Father, His Highness—”

“So you obey every order without thought? If he told you to die, would you?”

“…….”

“With so many nobles present, what possessed you to make a show of standing in the White Magician’s way!”

Even remembering it now, the count found it preposterous and glared at his son.

“The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that I made a mistake. I let you come up far too soon….”

Baglosa’s heir felt a wave of resentment.

But that was the end of it. He had no way to refute his father’s words. He and Baron Catio’s son, along with the other young nobles who had tried to block the White Magician, were all now objects of ridicule.

A heavy silence descended between father and son.

Count Baglosa’s mind raced, searching for any way to resolve the situation. If they weren’t careful, all their secrets could be exposed.

‘…Has the Emperor caught on?’

But the count quickly dismissed the fear.

When the explosion happened at Mars Harbor, he’d thought they’d be found out then, yet nothing had come of it.

‘Still, I should keep my head down for now.’

He’d been terrified enough when he heard Validus had taken land near the capital’s outskirts—land owned by the temple—as restitution.

Especially since the black phosphorus he’d hidden in the underground of that place still weighed heavily on his mind……

‘Sometimes the lamp is darkest underneath itself.’

If he made a careless move, it could all be exposed.

He could imagine the damage they’d suffer from the audit. Still, for now, silence was both his only defense and his only weapon.

‘I’ll wait until things quiet down….’

Count Baglosa decided to bide his time.

But the world rarely cooperates with one’s wishes.

That very noon,

News arrived that the Kia Trading Company had filed suit against the Baglosa Trading Company. Count Baglosa was so shocked, he collapsed where he stood. It was a debt collection suit.

Kia, having bought out all the bonds issued by Baglosa, petitioned the court to suspend Baglosa’s operations until the debt was repaid in full.

The court agreed.

The next day, Count Baglosa hurriedly filed an injunction to suspend the shutdown, arguing that halting the supply of tea leaves to the Empire would be ruinous. Indeed, tea was a luxury and a necessity in the Empire that could not be done without.

But, contrary to his expectations, his petition was dismissed.

The court had determined that suspending Baglosa’s operations would have only a negligible effect on the Empire.

For there was now another trading company ready to take up the tea trade.

Almost as if this turn of events had been foreseen, Kia immediately began importing and distributing tea throughout the country.

“There is absolutely no legal issue here.”

Gran, Validus’ chief legal counsel and the attorney for Kia, gave an official statement to the journalists who came for comment.

“Tea is classified by law as a ‘major controlled item.’”

If a monopoly trading company is not able to handle supply and distribution, the law stipulates that the state-designated company will handle it instead.

“There was a precedent for this five years ago.”

When the tragedy struck the Kia family and the trading company’s doors closed, Baglosa had enjoyed a monopoly on tea.

“Nothing is changing.”

Gran spoke calmly.

“What problem could there be in restoring things to their rightful order?”

The only thing happening was that matters were returning to their former state.

---

Even as turmoil rocked the capital, the country retreat remained serenely peaceful.

“Waaah!”

“Big sister! Big sis!”

“Monsteeers! Monsters!”

Except for the occasional shrieks of children when confronted with Serapi’s artwork, the days passed in utter tranquility.

“Wow…”

Batisa, watching from the sidelines, was quietly appalled.

“I always thought Serapi could do anything well.”

“What do you mean? This is impressive in its own way.”

Luni giggled as she explained the drawing.

“You see, this is a demon-banishment picture, so terrifying that even the fiends of hell would flee in terror!”

“I think even my sanity would run away from it, never mind the demons.”

“Don’t underestimate its efficacy. Once, I slept with it under my pillow and had the best night’s sleep of my life!”

While Luni and Batisa openly teased her,

“…….”

Serapi regarded her own work with deep seriousness.

“Doesn’t it look well drawn?”

To her eyes, her skill was being honed and refined day by day.

“…….”

“…….”

Yet all those present silently disagreed.

The style was reminiscent of some ancient demonic sealing circle, scratched by the bloody fingernails of cultists bent on imprisoning the lords of hell.

“What exactly did you draw…?”

Luni gathered her courage to ask.

“I’m working on a new fruit friend to add to our main product, ‘Orchard Friends.’”

“Fruit….”

So it was fruit, after all.

Batisa mentally insisted that the blurry, mold-ridden creature in the picture was indeed a fruit.

“The trio of peach sisters is especially popular with adults, so I thought this time, I’d target grown-ups specifically.”

“Have you chosen which fruit yet?”

“We already have peach, pineapple, and kiwi….”

Serapi tapped her drawing thoughtfully.

“So now, I tried drawing a plum.”

A plum, of course.

Luni slowly nodded her head.

“Did you know? Dried plums work wonders for constipation.”

“From today, my snack of choice is dried plums.”

Luni’s eyes sparkled.

“In that case, what if we created a new story featuring only dried fruits? This could be a whole new health product line….”

Right then and there, the two began brainstorming new products.

“Can I join in, too?”

Batisa pointed at herself with a tentative finger.

“As an investor, Batisa, your participation is a must!”

“Shall we go even bigger, then?”

“How so?”

“Well, here’s what I’m thinking…”

“You two!”

Unable to watch any longer, Lady Kia swept over with a lecture.

“You’ve come to the country to rest, not to talk shop all day.”

“But Madam, just look at this!”

Luni showed off their new ideas eagerly.

“Can’t you smell the money?”

“Smell of money, my foot—”

Lady Kia, halfway through reprimanding them, paused. Her sharp old eyes lit up keenly.

“Hmm….”

Lady Kia pulled up a chair and joined them.

“Come to think of it, these fruit friends? I hear they’re quite the moneymaker.”

“The day we first sold those peach sisters, revenue from my shop exceeded the monthly average by a huge margin.”

“In that case, what about collaborating with other products altogether?”

Serapi’s eyes grew wide.

‘She’s thinking just like me!’

Her gaze drifted to the large vase displayed in the villa—one Lady Kia had created in collaboration with a famous porcelain workshop in Bia.

That vase had so many preorders that the waitlist stretched a full year in advance.

Not to mention the dressing tables and wardrobes made in partnership with top furniture makers.

“It would be best to focus on products not commonly found in the market. That way, we can gradually branch out into related industries….”

Lady Kia laid out plans much clearer and more concrete than Serapi had imagined.

“I love you, Grandma!”

“From now on, I’m calling you grandma too!”

Serapi and Luni flung themselves upon her in delight.

“My late husband must be fainting in heaven at the sight of this.”

For all her gruff words, the look she gave her two granddaughters was achingly warm.

“…Oh.”

Just then, Lady Kia seemed to remember something.

“The one who killed your uncle’s family has emerged.”

Serapi’s jaw dropped.