The establishment Cornelia was guiding Kaito to this time wasn't the Sharon Trading Company—the headquarters of her own house—but rather the Victor Trading Company. While it operated under its own name, the Sharon Count House provided significant funding and held substantial sway over its operations, effectively making it a subsidiary.
Although the Sharon Count House and the Sharon Trading Company were headquartered in the capital of the Arclesia Empire, the Victor Trading Company was located in a different city entirely—one Kaito had never set foot in before.
Their plan was to meet at the capital first and then travel to the shop using a teleportation magic tool.
Cornelia had arrived at one of the capital’s teleportation gates—their designated meeting point—a full hour ahead of schedule. She waited in silence inside a carriage parked in a space reserved for the nobility.
As the daughter of a Count, Cornelia would have drawn far too much attention had she waited for Kaito in the crowded public area of the gate. Instead, a servant was stationed at the gate to intercept Kaito upon his arrival and escort him to the carriage.
Cornelia intended to step out and greet Kaito once she received word of his arrival, followed by their departure via teleportation magic. Until then, she remained inside, methodically organizing her thoughts.
I’ve already sent a formal notice to the Victor Trading Company, and every other arrangement is perfect, she thought. Kaito-sama is coming alone this time. Setting aside the Phantasm King, who is supposedly always by his side, there shouldn't be any repetition of that chaos from the tea party.
There was no risk of Kaito suddenly bringing along world-class figures as companions today, and she had prepared every detail of the itinerary with the utmost care.
Unlike Marie’s Rich Baron House, the Sharon Count House was a family of significant financial standing. They possessed several teleportation magic tools, ensuring that travel would be effortless.
...However, rumors will be unavoidable. Since we are meeting in the capital, people are bound to speculate about my relationship with Kaito-sama. I suppose petty gossip doesn't matter much. But given how Kaito-sama has been seen with Eris-sama lately, the rumor mill will surely churn with talk of him becoming close to the noble daughters of the Arclesia Empire. Anyone trying to disparage him or set honey traps will likely be erased before we ever have to lift a finger... The real headache will be dealing with the other ladies at future social gatherings who will undoubtedly badger me for advice on how to get close to him.
In noble society, the status of being Kaito’s "friend" carried staggering influence. Given how Eris and the Hamilton Marquis House had been reaping massive profits lately, many would surely crawl out of the woodwork hoping to be the next to benefit.
Of course, no one would be reckless enough to pitch themselves directly to Kaito—the risks were far too high—but those recognized as his peers would certainly be interrogated.
I’ll likely have to coordinate with Eris-sama to handle this, she sighed. Everything is supposed to be perfect... but what was it she called it? The flapping of a giant dragon? I truly hope this concludes without incident.
Cornelia still lacked sufficient perspective. After all, she had only just met Kaito. Her level of experience was incomparable to that of Eris, who had weathered countless storms of social stress. Cornelia believed that because her preparations were so exhaustive, everything would be fine... or perhaps, haunted by an inexplicable unease, she was simply desperate to convince herself that her plan was foolproof.
However, in the realm of Kaito, "perfect preparation" was often nothing more than a flag signaling an impending "unforeseen incident." Cornelia simply didn't have the experience yet to realize that.
Deep in the southern reaches of the Demon Realm, within the fortress where Needsveld—one of the Four Great Magic Dragons—dwelled, the dragon was walking through the halls when a passing subordinate called out to her.
"Oh? Are you heading out, Anego?"
"Hmm? Ah, yes. I have plans with Eingana. I’m going to see a performance by an orchestra she recommended. What was the name... apparently they're playing in a trade city in the Arclesia Empire. I’m going to go have a listen."
"Heh, an orchestra? I can never sit still for stuff like that—I get all restless. I’ve never been able to listen to a whole concert, so it's not really my thing, but I hope it's good. Oh, that’s right. If you’re going anyway, why not invite Big Bro along?"
"You mean my Comrade? That is a tempting idea, but inviting him so suddenly might be an imposition. I’ll ask him some other time."
"Fair enough. Sorry for stopping you, Anego. Have a safe trip!"
"Indeed."
With a faint, acknowledging smile, Needsveld departed for the Human Realm—specifically, for the very city where Kaito and Cornelia were headed.
Serious-senpai: "Exactly. You must never let your guard down just because he's alone at first. He’s the kind of guy who pulls off 'chance encounters in the city' with casual, terrifying ease..."