Inside the Arclesia Empire’s imperial palace, Eris and Marquis Hamilton—both of whom had been frequenting the castle with dramatic regularity of late—were joined by Chris in a high-level conference.
The three of them reviewed the documents in their hands, their faces tight with concern as they processed the gravity of the situation.
"The situation is moving far too quickly, and the scale is even larger than we anticipated," Chris murmured. "We have Count Sharon and Lady Cornelia scheduled to arrive the day after tomorrow, so we will learn the full details then. However, the information we have already gathered suggests a significant turn of events."
"The movements among the Dragon King’s subordinates have already surpassed our estimates, but to think the Winged Race would show their hand as well..." Marquis Hamilton added, looking up from his own files with a grim expression. "And now, a closer partnership between the Sharon Trading Company and the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company is all but a certainty."
The recent activity surrounding the Rich Baron House had already forced the Hamilton Marquis House into a flurry of administrative work, but just as things had finally seemed to settle, the Sharon Count House had suddenly surged into motion.
"The Sharon family will certainly have their hands full, but our primary concern must be Cornelia-sama," Eris said, her gaze fixed intently on the reports.
While the Sharon Count House was a formidable power among the nobility, the Hamiltons and Chris had originally assumed there would be no need for the imperial family to get involved. However, the sheer scale of the shift and the fact that multiple crises were developing simultaneously had changed the calculus.
"Exactly," Chris agreed. "With a partnership as massive as the one with Seditch, the Sharon Count House will be spread thin. There is a high probability that their support for the Victor Trading Company will be delayed or fall through entirely. The movements in the merchant sector are particularly dangerous right now."
"Indeed. Cornelia-sama is brilliant, but she simply lacks experience," Eris noted worriedly. "Negotiating against seasoned veterans of the trade will be an uphill battle. I suspect they originally planned to support her by seconding personnel from the Sharon Trading Company, but they likely won't have the manpower to spare now."
The women were worried for Cornelia, who would soon have to step up to the negotiating table as the representative of the Victor Trading Company. Cornelia had not been raised to manage a merchant firm; she was still in the middle of a crash course in management following her recent encounter with Kaito. Compounding the issue was the fact that the previous president of the Victor Trading Company had been far from competent, having required the Sharons to bail the firm out of financial ruin.
Under normal circumstances, Sharon’s top experts would have been assigned to guide her, but the partnership with Seditch—the world's largest trading company—had effectively paralyzed the Sharon family's ability to provide external help.
"I never imagined a day would come where we would seriously consider imperial intervention for the Sharon Count House rather than the Rich Baron House," the Marquis admitted.
"When it came to the Rich family, the Lord Trading Company—one of the Five Great Trading Companies—intervened early on," Chris replied. "Other major firms kept their distance, presumably to avoid drawing the Lord Trading Company’s ire. But this time is different. While the Sharon Trading Company is powerful, there are plenty of others that equal or surpass them. They won't ignore a prize this lucrative."
Chris looked over the list of major firms showing active interest, her expression weary. To put it bluntly, the Victor Trading Company was a sitting duck. It promised massive profits, yet its new representative was inexperienced and lacked any backing outside of the overextended Sharon family. Even with Seditch involved, their interest was tied to the Sharon family specifically, leaving the Victor Trading Company vulnerable.
"Count Sharon cannot attend the negotiations himself," Chris continued. "If he did, the other merchants would mock them, saying Cornelia cannot even speak without her father’s permission. The lack of a strong backer for Lady Cornelia is the crux of the problem. While the imperial family should not intervene lightly, depending on the circumstances, I may have to—"
If Cornelia had a backer powerful enough to command respect independently of her family name, the situation would change instantly. But such a benefactor could not be summoned out of thin air. Just as Chris was weighing the risks of imperial intervention, an aide rushed into the room and whispered urgently in her ear.
"They withdrew?" Chris blinked, her composure momentarily slipping. "Are you certain? You may speak freely here. Tell us exactly what happened."
"Yes, Your Majesty! Several of the trading companies you ordered us to monitor have shifted course almost simultaneously. It hasn't been officially announced, but they are already recalling their prepared capital. They appear to be completely abandoning their designs on the Victor Trading Company."
"Even before they’ve begun their initial probes? Was it a warning from the Phantasm King-sama? No... she wouldn't normally step into a simple profit dispute. Do you know the cause?"
Chris had kept a close eye on several large-scale firms, but the news of their total withdrawal was baffling. For organizations of that size to retreat without even sitting down at the table was utterly unnatural.
As Eris and Marquis Hamilton listened with bated breath, the aide spoke with a hesitant, almost disbelieving look.
"It is not yet confirmed, but we have received one piece of incredible intel. It is said that the Ruler of the Gold Vein has moved."
"Tetra-sama?!" Chris was stunned. "As an individual? Not as a representative of the Seditch Trading Company?"
"Yes, so it seems."
The shock that rippled through the room was palpable. Tetra, the Ruler of the Gold Vein, possessed wealth and influence of such terrifying magnitude that she could theoretically collapse an entire nation’s economy on a whim. The idea of such a titan involving herself in this affair was beyond anyone's wildest expectations.
Eris and Marquis Hamilton shared Chris's profound astonishment. It was a turn of events that defied all logic—and yet, as the three of them looked at each other, a single, unwavering conviction formed in their minds.
This was Kaito’s doing. It had to be.