Chapter 84 An Unexpected Visitor
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”It’s easy to contact Father or Brother about this. But… Moon Moss shouldn’t have any medicinal effects or toxicity, right?”
”…Yeah.”
”I think Moon Moss has been used in some form throughout history. But, this epidemic has been troubling the region for a while.”
That’s the painful part. According to this data, except for recent outbreaks, the epidemic hasn’t been seen in about 100 years.
It’s strange that Moon Moss, which isn’t toxic, hasn’t spread the disease. That’s because it’s been continuously used in Lana’s territory. Sherry’s theory that it’s neither medicine nor poison is also incorrect.
I admitted that point honestly.
”If Moon Moss has toxicity, we would’ve known by now… I agree with that. But for now, the most suspicious thing is Moon Moss, as far as I know.”
”…I see. I’ll trust Alba’s opinion. We’ll do whatever we can for now.”
Lana tilted her head, looking puzzled.
”But if Moon Moss is suspicious… I should be showing symptoms too. I’ve eaten it dozens of times since I was a child.”
”Hmm…”
It seems Lana can’t easily accept that hypothesis either. That’s unavoidable. Even I’m just deducing it based on the common points with Claire’s case.
- If Moon Moss is the cause, why did it start showing toxicity recently?
- Why did it slip through the list of toxic plants by botanists?
I can’t reach a convincing conclusion unless I clarify these points. But the similarity in symptoms is too coincidental.
”I’ll investigate these questions further. I’ll show you the data too.”
”Yeah… please. Right now, you’re the only one I can rely on.”
Lana’s eyes showed her genuine concern for her family. I couldn’t give up here either. Let’s continue the investigation.
* * *
After parting with Lana, I returned to the mansion. When I opened the entrance, one of the butlers whispered to me.
”Sword from the Dupont Company is waiting for you in the reception room.”
”What’s going on?”
”In the evening, suddenly, he arrived. He said he had been waiting for the young master, but… He even brought a letter of introduction, so I had no choice but to let him in…”
”Show me the letter of introduction.”
The letter of introduction handed to me by the butler was formal and had a seal attached. It was from a Count’s family, a distant relative, but even a butler couldn’t ignore it at this point.
”What are you going to do, young master?”
”No choice. Let’s meet.”
I sighed and headed to the reception room. I deliberately opened the door loudly and entered with an intimidating air.
Sword, sitting on the sofa, furrowed his brow, but didn’t show the same short temper as last time. I sat down on the opposite sofa and spoke to him.
”I’ll skip the formalities. What’s your business?”
”…It’s about White Lily Cafe. I heard from a financial merchant that you’re planning a big deal.”
Tsk. I mentally clicked my tongue. The investment in White Lily Cafe was using Meer’s merchant guild as a front. But it seemed impossible to deceive this guy, who had met me directly.
Whenever a big deal is made, it’s inevitable that waves will occur. It’s not Meer’s fault. It’s just that this guy, who had been laying a net, didn’t have any gaps.
”So? Are you backing out?”
”No way. It’s not that… It’s a more personal matter.”
”A personal matter? What do you mean?”
Sword’s attitude had an air of arrogance, but at the same time, I could see his intention to talk. Since he had brought a noble’s letter of introduction, I shouldn’t do anything rough.
”So… Our first meeting had some misunderstandings, but as business partners, we should be able to trust each other. That’s how it should be.”
I didn’t understand the meaning. I looked at him, and Sword cleared his throat.
”It’s not a big deal. My goal is the collection of antiques that Claire’s father possesses.”
”Huh? What’s that?”
”It’s better if you don’t know the details, but he’s a skilled collector. He used his connections, both open and hidden, to gather quite a few items. I have a high evaluation of that collection.”
”You want the antique collection of the late Aide…?”
”Yeah, you might think it’s silly, but I’m dead serious.”
Sword had his arms crossed, but his gaze was strong. Did he really come here for that kind of business?
”Did you tell Claire?”
”Of course. But she refused, citing her father’s will. And at that time, there was a bit of a commotion over debts… Well, the real intention was different, I suppose.”
”What do you mean?”
”I told you, didn’t I? The surface and the underside… A collector’s desires can’t be suppressed. To be frank, there are probably some legally gray items, and some that have mysteriously disappeared from somewhere…”
It sounded like Aide’s collection included stolen goods. He continued.
”Claire might have sensed something, but she’s unaware of the contents of the collection. So she won’t reveal anything outside. If we just leave it as is, there’s no danger.”
”……”
”But it’s a shame to let such a valuable collection sleep at White Lily Cafe. I’ll pay you, so I’d like to take it. Of course, I’ll pay you for your trouble as well.”
”…You want me to be the middleman?”
”Of course not, I don’t want to take any risks either. To be honest, I want everything… But I’ve got my eyes on a few items. At worst, those will do. Please persuade Claire to let go of them.”
”I don’t know what to say…”
”It’s not a bad deal, is it? If it goes well, I’ll give you 500 gold coins.”
Five hundred gold coins would be equivalent to around 500,000 yen in my previous life on Earth. It’s an outrageous amount of money to get just for persuading Claire.
”…Specifically, what do you want from the collection?”
”Oh, come on. If I reveal my hand that far, the negotiation won’t work out, will it? If you want to grasp the value, you should investigate on your side.”
With that, Sword stood up.
”Well, that’s the end of our talk. I have a meeting, so I’ll take my leave.”
”Alright… I’ll think about it for a bit.”
”I’m looking forward to a favorable response. If you have any news, please contact me at Dupont headquarter.”
I watched Sword leave, then sat back down on the sofa with a thud. There’s no reason to accept his offer. I just put it on hold because of the flow of the conversation.
Even if Aide’s collection includes stolen goods, it’s not a big deal if we just dispose of them. It’s not worth getting caught by the police.
More than that――a subtle sense of discomfort has pierced my heart. This conversation with Sword feels off somehow, but I can’t put it into words.
Well, whatever. I’m tired anyway. I need to read through the documents from Lana some more. I’ll confirm with Claire tomorrow.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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