In a room of the Sharon County, Count Sharon, the head of the family, sat together with the Countess, their eldest son and heir, and Cornelia. Anne, her husband, and several other close retainers stood by at their sides.
Every one of them wore utterly exhausted expressions, as if so great trouble had occurred…… yet all they had done was hear the contents of the letter sent by Cornelia.
Of course, even that alone involved such a drastic shift in circumstances that even Count Sharon felt like holding his head in his hands. However, as a high-ranking noble who had long exercised sharp political skill, he drew on his deep experience, let out a heavy sigh, and began to speak.
[……There are mountains of things we need to consider. But when multiple situations overlap like this, the best approach is to deal with what’s already certain, one step at a ti. Cornelia.]
[Yes.]
[We had already been moving with this in mind, but our house will purchase the managent rights to the Victor Trading Company, and you will be installed as its representative. For the ti being, the current company president will remain in his position, but you will hold the final decision-making authority. Once things stabilize to a certain degree, we may need to appoint soone else as president. However, for now, we will keep internal changes within the Victor Trading Company to a minimum and bring it under the umbrella of the Sharon County. See to it as such.]
[Understood.]
As for this matter, it had already been decided that once they judged the current Victor Trading Company unable to handle the large number of orders coming from the Dragon King’s subordinates, they would buy out the managent rights and seat Cornelia as the representative.
In fact, Cornelia herself, though it had been an intense crash course, had been studying business managent in earnest, understanding that this outco was highly likely.
[Just in case, I’ll ask your wishes…… Do you want a fiancé?]
[If I were to take a fiancé at this point, it would only beco a source of conflict. And as for my own feelings…… to be honest, I don’t have the capacity right now to think about anything other than myself.]
[Indeed. At present, you are like a hen that lays golden eggs…… It would be better not to give anyone an opening to take advantage. As for the official explanation…… yes, we’ll say that since your value within the County has risen too high, it has been decided that you will not take a fiancé in order to avoid family conflict until the legitimate heir is formally nad successor…… If the need arises later, we can hold a formal successor designation ceremony and announce it then.]
If a noble young lady, neither the legitimate heir nor currently engaged, were set to beco the head of a company expected to generate enormous profits, it was easy to imagine engagent proposals flooding in.
Thus, in order to prevent a succession dispute, they decided that for now, she would not take a fiancé. In effect, this was almost the sa as declaring “Anyone who proposes engagent under the current circumstances is practically an enemy”, making it more than sufficient as a deterrent.
In truth, Cornelia and her elder brother had a good relationship, and it was almost certain that he would inherit the family. Cornelia had never even received education as a successor, so there was no real risk of a succession dispute, but the reasoning served as a warning to outsiders.
[What we must do first is expand the workshop…… though that will also require securing more craftsn. Increasing production quickly may be difficult…… We may have no choice but to set priorities.]
[Yes. How about prioritizing those introduced by Kaito-sama? If we fra it that way, it would be harder for others to complain……]
[That may work with nobles, but are Miyama Kaito-sama’s na and reputation recognized among the Dragon King’s subordinates and the Wingeds?]
At the eldest son’s question, Cornelia tilted her head in thought. Certainly, among nobles, Kaito’s na was well known…… but to ordinary citizens, he was not particularly famous.
Whether the vast numbers of the Dragon King’s subordinates or the Wingeds, who had little interaction with other races, would accept matters simply upon hearing Kaito’s na was uncertain.
In reality, however, even the lowest ranks of the Dragon King’s subordinates had been inford of Kaito’s existence by Magnawell, and the Wingeds practically revered him as a ssenger of the Gods…… but naturally, the mbers of the Sharon County were not aware of that much.
[We should confirm that first. As for the Dragon King’s subordinates, we can inquire when we send our replies to the Dragon King’s letters. As for the Wingeds, we’ll confirm during negotiations…… Still, the Wingeds…… Are they truly seeking to trade with us specifically for the exclusive brushes?]
[……The Wingeds take particular pride in the beauty of their wings, so I don’t think it’s impossible. However, regarding trade with them, perhaps we should first speak with that Viscouncy that has held a monopoly until now……]
The Countess responded to Count Sharon’s words. Of course, it was the Wingeds’ freedom to choose whom they associated with, but up until now, the arrangent had effectively been a monopoly. If another trading window were to open, it would change that situation.
At the very least, they needed to be careful not to give the impression that the County was slighting their Viscouncy.
[……That Viscouncy may be part of the reformist faction, but they belong to a different political group than we do. It would be safest to have Her Majesty act as an interdiary.]
[And regarding this letter from Al-sama…… should we confirm its aning with Kaito-sama?]
[……We have little choice but to do so. It may be disrespectful to Al-sama, but misunderstanding her intentions would be a far greater problem.]
As for Al’s rather chuuni-style letter, they agreed to verify its aning with Kaito. They could hardly reply by saying they did not understand its contents, yet they also could not afford to misinterpret it. Thus, they judged that asking Kaito, who was said to be close enough to Al to be called her sworn ally, would be the correct course of action.
And indeed, it was the correct decision. It truly was the correct decision…… However, if they did so, there was a possibility that Kaito, being considerate, might offer “I’ll attend the negotiation eting with Al-san”.
And if that happened…… with Kaito, who enjoyed extraordinarily high favor among the Wingeds, acting as an interdiary, they would likely be guaranteed trade terms incomparably better than those of the Viscouncy they currently dealt with. The mbers of the County would once again find themselves clutching their heads in disbelief…… But at this point in ti, there was no way they could possibly foresee such an outco.
Serious-senpai : [A case of chuunibyou causing secondary damage…… Because Al strangely holds a high position and considerable ability, things are becoming unnecessarily complicated…… The County’s suffering continues. And it looks like Chris is about to get casually dragged into this too……]
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