Chapter 23 Theater and the Dark Business Plan
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I drove my carriage toward the commercial district of the Royal Capital, the feeling of last night’s win still warm in my chest.
Hooves beat against the cobblestones. The evening air slipped through the window, still carrying heat. The commercial district, packed with stone buildings, was already alive.
The smell of wheat drifted from the bakery. Voices passed faintly in the street.
My destination was a room in a trading house arranged by the slave trader Lazarus Zaitz—a meeting about the theater-style restaurant I had ordered built the other day.
* * *
”This is an honor, Xenos-sama. We have been waiting.”
In the reception room waited Balthazar Zaitz, his usual grin plastered on a greasy face. His flashy clothes stank of cheap perfume.
But today, a thin, sharp-eyed man of about fifty stood beside him. The high-quality butler’s uniform fit perfectly. He had an air of stillness—nothing like Balthazar.
”And who is that?”
”At once, sir. This is Gregor, a butler who has served our guild since my father’s time. My father insisted he come along, fearing a fledgling like me might not handle an important deal with Xenos-sama…”
(Is this a father worried about his son’s recklessness, or a move to keep me in check? Either way, Lazarus is crafty.)
I nodded to Gregor and sank into the leather chair. The seat creaked.
”Get straight to it. Give me a report.”
”Y-yes! With the war chest you gave us, Xenos-sama, we first secured the theater. We bought a building in the heart of the Royal Capital’s pleasure district—an old opera house. Renovations are moving forward, and most staff are hired,” Balthazar reported proudly, sweat beading on his forehead.
His voice pitched a bit high, perhaps from excitement.
The war chest I can use freely—the Grimlock family funds—totals roughly 430,000 gold coins. I can also draw up to 400,000 gold coins from the bank through credit.
A combined 830,000 gold coins is my starting capital.
Of that, roughly 30,000 gold coins have gone toward securing the theater, hiring staff, and starting interior work. That leaves 800,000 gold coins.
Of course, I don’t carry 800,000 gold coins on my person. It is a right to withdraw from a special account at the Royal Bank under my signature. Payments are made with high-value bills or through underground banks.
Gregor spoke quietly. His voice was low and calm, unlike Balthazar’s.
”Xenos-sama. We have gathered skilled chefs, hall staff, and dancers from Zahara. However…”
”—Hm?”
”We lack the ‘flower’ that should be the centerpiece. If we had one dancer who could draw every customer’s eyes, the whole show would improve, but…”
Gregor spoke calmly, but I saw a clear business sense in his eyes.
”I see. Don’t you have anyone good among your own wares?”
I asked Balthazar. He shook his head, looking troubled.
”We have decent quality, but for someone to carry the center role, they lack power.”
Then Gregor stepped forward, as if waiting.
”That is why, Xenos-sama, I have interesting news. A ‘commodity’1 perfect for the task will appear at the upcoming ‘Banquet of Shadows’. Would you consider attending?”
’Banquet of Shadows’.
The highest-class dark auction run by a network of underground groups.
They say all sorts of “valuable items”—ignoring law and ethics—are traded there.
Just hearing the name, I caught the sweet scent of danger hiding in the dark.
In my mind, I pictured suspicious basements and expensive “goods.”
”Oh. Tell me more.”
”Yes. They are sisters—a legendary dancer and a singer known by name in the Kingdom of Zahara. After a twist of fate, they are to be put up for auction at this event. Their beauty and art are treasures. If we secure them, our theater’s name will roar through the Royal Capital in one stroke.”
Gregor’s words carried certainty.
Sisters. A dancer and a singer.
Not bad.
The theater is almost ready, and there is still plenty of room in the war chest.
I should not be cheap here. I must secure the best flower.
”All right. Balthazar.”
”Y-yes!”
”I will give you as much money as needed. Get those sisters, no matter what. That’s an order.”
”Yes, sir! Leave it to me, Xenos-sama!”
The auction has rules for who can participate.
Anyone lacking the proper credentials must use a proxy to bid.
Balthazar’s eyes were bloodshot with excitement—happy to have earned my trust. His face looked silly, like a child on his first errand.
* * *
After the meeting, I stood to leave. Balthazar called out.
”What is it?”
”A-ah, Xenos-sama! If I may, I have a wonderful idea that could bring profit to the theater!”
—Oh?
Balthazar stepped closer, step by step, as if plotting.
I held a small hope for this low-level lackey.
I wanted to see how he would change when given a big job.
”…Let’s hear it.”
Balthazar’s eyes gleamed with a strange light.
Like something moving deep in a swamp.
He swallowed hard and leaned forward, unable to contain his excitement.
”Y-yes! How about selling the dancers’ ‘used’ clothes in an auction? After hard exercise, costumes soaked with sweat and a maiden’s scent! I am sure this will sell for high prices among fans!”
For a moment, time stopped.
His words echoed in my ears, and in the back of my head, alarm bells rang.
At this truly shallow idea,
I felt something cold rise from my gut.
I channeled the murderous feeling rising from deep in my heart into an ice-cold voice.
”…I’ll kill you. What the hell are you playing at?”
”Hieee!! I-I am serious! This Balthazar is serious! This idea will be a big business!!!”
He begged, looking desperate, for the success of his perverted plan.
His eyes were full of pure desire and a merchant’s spirit—it bordered on madness. From his mouth came the smell of sweat and cheap perfume.
”……I see.”
I sighed deeply and decided to file that proposal away for now.
I held back the nausea rising in my throat.
It would be a waste to end this man’s perverted idea with just murder.
”Well, I’ll think about it.”
I was thinking of a wholesome restaurant for families, so using his idea for the main store was out of the question. If I released something like that, I would drag the Grimlock name through the mud.
However….
(It might not be bad to hold a dark auction for ‘gentlemen’ in the theater’s basement.)
A glamorous show on the surface.
A place for deeper desires in the back.
Holding a special show where the dancers’ costumes revealed even more might be an option.
Deep in the dark, I felt a shiver—the thrill of discovering a new vein of gold.
”…Hmph.”
A dry laugh slipped out—the laugh of a predator toying with its prey.
(Not bad. A truly not bad idea.)
My dreams are growing.
I left the trading house, my heart racing with the possibilities of a new business.
Behind me, I felt Balthazar’s hot gaze, still excited.
—
Summary:
Xenos meets with his subordinates in the Royal Capital to review the progress of his new theater business. Upon hearing that they lack a standout star, he is convinced to participate in the illicit Banquet of Shadows to acquire rare talent. The meeting concludes with a repulsive yet potentially lucrative business proposal from Balthazar, which Xenos tentatively considers for an underground venture.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Lazarus – Lazarus Seitz is a cunning, sallow-skinned slave trader with slicked-back black hair and deep green eyes. As the father of Balthazar and a powerful figure who controls the merchant guild, he maintains a long-standing business relationship with the Grimlock family, consistently supplying them with slaves.
• de – A particle used in the aristocratic name of the Margrave Albion de Blanchefort.
• Xenos – Reincarnated as a hated, “Zero Mana” nobleman, the calm and calculating head of the Grimlock family masks his immense power behind a facade of incompetence. Using his deep knowledge of the game script, he manipulates the underworld and key figures like Mina to achieve his goals. He remains cold and strategic toward enemies while acting as a benefactor, currently forcing an annulment with his fiancée.
• Balthazar – A short, plump Zaitz Merchant Guild heir with greasy skin and a scent of pastries, he is the fawning, arrogant son of Lazarus Seitz. Serving as a proxy for the Grimlocks and Xenos, he is known for his questionable ethics and grotesque business proposals. Easily intimidated, this trembling merchant often sweats under pressure, masking his insecurity with childish arrogance and expensive, stained attire.
• Mina – Kai’s younger sister is an innocent, childlike maid serving Xenos in the Grimlock household alongside Lilia. Separated from Kai after being sold to a slave trader, she is deeply loyal and affectionate to her master—even wearing a dancer’s outfit at his request due to her lack of adult subtext. Fearful of strangers, she has soft brown hair, anxious eyes, and an adorable white rabbit kigurumi.
• Gregor – A butler who maintains a stoic and professional demeanor. He remains observant and composed even in dangerous, illicit settings. A companion to Xenos who is typically cool-headed but becomes pale with shock during the auction. A lean, sharp-eyed butler with a calm and professional demeanor, serving the merchant guild since the time of Balthazar’s father.
• Grimlock – Xenos, heir to the influential Grimlock noble house, commands both the family’s prestigious military legacy and its vast financial assets in the Royal Capital. As the household’s head, he upholds his duty alongside his father, Gaius. Their deep bond is anchored in guarding the nation’s borders while leveraging their significant standing and credit to maintain the Grimlock name’s dominance.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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