Chapter 250: You Know Me, Right? (4)
When Louis remained silent, Haide’s rambling voice continued unabated.
“We’ve retrieved a malfunctioning Transcendent from the Winter Continent, so you’re welcome to examine it at your leisure. However, I must warn you that identifying the cause won’t be easy. You’re aware of the skilled Techno Mages from the Royal Star Tower, aren’t you? Even they were unable to determine the source of the problem.”
“Hmph! You dare compare those worthless fools to us…?”
“Silence.”
”…”
Louis silenced Harold, who was about to flare up, and turned to Haide.
“Very well. But even if it’s a malfunction, why did you inform the Meldeyck Royal Family instead of coming to us? And why has the Meldeyck Royal Family kept this from us all this time?”
Haide answered with a smile, as if he had been waiting for this question. “It’s said that 2,000 Transcendent devices malfunctioned, causing both human casualties and astronomical financial losses for the Empire.”
”…”
“The expected compensation amount is so massive that the Empire requested our Royal Family’s consultation. Our investigation delayed our report. To determine the exact compensation, thorough investigation is necessary, isn’t it?”
Though Haide spoke these words, none present from the Tower of Wishes believed them. The Dominant Empire could have demanded compensation directly from the Tower of Wishes. Yet they had first sought help from the Meldeyck Royal Family—there must be a reason for this.
Louis could roughly guess what their deal was about.
It must be about tax exemptions.
For the Dominant Empire, both gold and Transcendents were urgently needed to maintain their current defense capabilities. Therefore, they would likely demand compensation in the form of both gold and immediately usable Transcendents. And not just a few, but an enormous number of them.
But would the Meldey Kingdom, which levies taxes on all goods imported, exported, and circulated within its borders, simply let this golden opportunity slip away? They would probably impose an exorbitant tax.
Even a dog eats half the food at home. No matter how powerful the Empire is, there’s no need to fear the Dominant Empire across the sea.
Conversely, the Dominant Empire would have to cater to the Meldey Kingdom’s whims in order to obtain the Transcendents.
If the Meldey Kingdom had made up its mind to block them, the Transcendent wouldn’t have been able to cross the sea at all.
Let’s see… What did the Dominant Empire offer then?
If the Dominant Empire had promised tax exemption, what had the Meldeyck Royal Family gained in return? Louis was curious about this.
His curiosity was immediately satisfied by Haide’s subsequent words.
“I imagine this compensation payment will be quite burdensome for the Tower of Wishes as well. But… if we have the Royal Family’s protection, we might be able to negotiate a fairly reasonable compromise?”
Louis realized with certainty that Duke Haidel, who had maintained composure throughout, held this very weapon in his grasp. A single word from Duke Haidel could drastically alter the compensation amount.
They’ve given them negotiation rights.
The Meldey Kingdom held the bargaining power on behalf of the Dominant Empire. Louis suspected they might use this rigged game to put a leash on the Tower of Wishes. No, his intuition told him it was certain. The master holding the reins of the wealthiest tower—what could be more enticing than that?
“What are your thoughts, Tower Lord?” Duke Haidel leaned back against the sofa’s armrest as if he’d said his piece. He gazed at Louis as if to say, Now it’s your turn to speak.
Louis smiled—a very savage smile.
“…How amusing.”
It was truly amusing. He wondered how that face, which he’d always considered a fool, would react now. Just thinking about it made him chuckle.
“Oh, before that—”
Louis’s gaze shifted to Duke Danyer, who remained frozen beside Duke Haidel.
The Duke finally snapped out of his daze under Louis’s piercing stare.
Louis’s voice hissed into his ear, “You gonna answer me?”
”…Yes?”
“I asked you earlier.”
“Yes?”
“You… know me, right?”
”…?!”
“Cat got your tongue? Should I carve you a new one?”
The murderous threat made Duke Danyer leap to his feet with a shrill cry. “O-of course I know you! Y-yes, I recognize you!”
He frantically nodded, his face flushing crimson. He’d risked another mouth appearing on his face - or worse, on the back of his head. After all, this was the Priest who’d once threatened to carve a hole in his skull instead of his cheek.
How did that monster end up here?!
The memory of that day still haunted him. The Priest of the Church of the Divine, whose divine presence could split the sun itself. The master of the astronomical debt strangling the Empire’s neck. To Premier Duke Danyer, this man was more terrifying than the reaper himself.
Yet here he was, at the Tower of Wishes to meet its Lord, and the Priest of the Church of the Divine had materialized like a specter. Worse still, this divine leader claimed to be the very Lord of the Tower.
It’s over… All is lost.
Danyer lacked the courage to negotiate with such a being. Indeed, no one in the Empire would have fared better.
The Duke’s reaction transformed the atmosphere in the chamber. The Tower of Wishes’ people stood bewildered, none more so than Duke Haidel himself.
“What’s going on…?!” Duke Haidel’s flustered question drew a silent, venomous glare from Duke Danyer.
Shut up! Keep quiet!
Sensing the unspoken rebuke, Haidel clamped his mouth shut in bewilderment. Louis’s lips curved in satisfaction.
“Good. What’s your name?”
“D-Danyer, Your Highness!”
“Ah, yes, Danyer. How’s the Emperor doing?”
The Emperor? The one I know?
…The thought echoed across the assembled faces.
Louis addressed the ruler of the vast empire as casually as a neighbor’s bachelor next door. But what truly stunned the crowd was Danyer’s response.
“W-Well, of course! He’s in perfect health!”
Duke Danyer’s matter-of-fact acceptance of Louis’s presumptuous attitude left everyone utterly bewildered.
“Then, then, you should stay safe. If even a hair’s worth of trouble befalls the Emperor and those bastard sons… you’ll have to deal with the consequences.”
“You needn’t worry, Your Majesty! We always prioritize your health above all else!”
“Good, keep up the good work. Continue like this in the future.”
“U-Understood.”
“Ah, and you came to the Autumn Continent for the Transcendent issue?”
“That’s correct!”
“I’ll send some of our men to handle that. Unlike those Meldeyck Royal Family scoundrels, our men can fix it. As for the losses you’ve suffered… let’s negotiate a deal where we’ll deduct a month’s worth of interest. Any objections?”
Of course, there could be no objections.
I was prepared to return empty-handed and simply be relieved that everyone had survived. But now they’re offering to waive a month’s interest. The Empire’s debt isn’t just a few coins. For them, the mere ability to skip a month’s interest payment is sufficient gain. As for Dan, he couldn’t even raise an objection. He simply nodded quickly, hoping Louis might change his mind.
“None! Absolutely none! There’s nothing!”
“Dan.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll give you a week. If your feet still on the Autumn Continent within a week, today’s conversation never happened.”
“Huh?!”
“What are you doing?”
“Y-yes?”
“You’re not going? Do you have time to sit here idly?”
Even if they left immediately after packing, the time was too tight to secure a ship for the Winter Continent.
Realizing this, Danius hastily dashed away.
“Goodbye. No need for a proper send-off.”
Louis waved his hand dismissively at Danius’s retreating back.
The sudden turn of events left everyone speechless, their jaws agape.
Meanwhile, Louis turned his gaze toward Haide.
“You mentioned your second reason for coming was to discuss compensation. What now?”
”…”
“The person who should hear this just left.”
Duke Haidel snapped out of his daze at Louis’s taunting tone.
“W-What’s this?!”
“Shall I remind you of the first reason? What was it? ‘The Royal Family will mediate, so you should apologize’?”
”…”
“Apologize?”
Louis’s smile turned icy.
“When we could easily bring their heads as gifts from those Duke House bastards hiding… they dare tell us to apologize?”
“T-Tower Lord, please calm down…”
Haide’s face, which had been trying to smooth things over, now clearly showed his disbelief at the situation.
Ignoring this, Louis continued:
“And what else did they say? That we have a symbiotic relationship with Syron?”
”…”
“That’s some creative nonsense. Mutual benefit? Don’t make me laugh. Our Tower of Wishes created modern Syron from a backwater village nobody knew existed. How is this mutual benefit? Syron was just a parasite on our Tower of Wishes. Isn’t that right?”
The entire staff of the Tower of Wishes vigorously nodded in response to Louis’s question.
Douglas and Erica’s reactions were particularly intense.
“Absolutely not!”
“Haha, exactly! Syron was rolling in cow dung on the streets until we came along! What has Lord Syron ever done? He’s just been fattening himself up with the wealth we created!”
If you were to ask any resident of the Syron Territory right now how their current prosperity came about, a hundred out of a hundred would answer: “The Tower of Wishes.”
Douglas, Erica, and Floria were certain about this.
Haide broke out in a cold sweat at the words of these living witnesses to history. His upper body, which had been leaning back against the sofa moments before, now leaned forward slightly. All traces of his former arrogance had vanished. His face now showed only bewilderment, absurdity, and anxiety about how to resolve the current situation.
Haide let out a soft sigh.
“Sigh… Of course, I won’t deny that your help was crucial in creating the current Syron. But don’t forget that the foundation of the Tower of Wishes lies in both Syron and the Meldey Kingdom.”
“So what?”
“There’s no benefit in making enemies with the nobles… or the Royal Family in this kingdom.”
“Are you threatening us now?”
“Threatening? I’m merely expressing concern for the Tower of Wishes’ future.”
“You’re going to make life difficult if we don’t apologize?”
”…”
Haide fell silent.
Yet no one mistook his silence as anything but tacit agreement with Louis’s words.
His behavior itself exerted a subtle pressure.
This approach stemmed from a single conviction:
Since the foundation built over centuries by the Tower of Wishes rested within the Meldey Kingdom, even the Tower of Wishes itself wouldn’t risk alienating the entire realm.
But such reasoning could only exist in those who knew Louis far too little.
Louis clicked his tongue at Haide’s silent expression. “You’re spouting nonsense.”
“Lord of the Tower… That’s rather harsh.” Haide frowned.
But his expression quickly changed as Louis continued. “Kids, pack your bags. We’re moving out.”
“Huh? Moving?” Erica repeated.
Louis smiled. “Would you stay here when those royal bastards are openly trying to ruin our business? They’re practically kicking us out—might as well take the hint.”
Erica’s eyes widened. “R-really?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
“Well, but… we have Transcendent production facilities here. Reinstalling them elsewhere would cost a fortune…”
“Why should we care about that?”
“Of course!”
“Immediately contact the Autumn Continent… no, the entire world. Tell them our Tower of Wishes is moving. We’ll settle in the place that promises the most generous relocation funding.”
“Ah…!”
“It might take some time, but even if we can’t create Transcendents within 5 or 6 years, that won’t mean our downfall, right?”
“That’s true!”
“While we’re at it, let’s expand to a larger facility when we move.”
“Wow! That’s fantastic!”
Haide’s heart sank as he listened to Louis and Erica’s conversation.
No! This can’t be happening!
It seemed the Lord of the Tower was serious about this. Haide immediately realized how catastrophic this would be for the Meldey Kingdom. In the modern era, Transcendents were the key to a nation’s power. And the Tower of Wishes was the only place capable of producing the highest quality Transcendents.
The Meldey Kingdom’s current prosperity was possible precisely because the Tower of Wishes stood within its borders.
Hadn’t the recent acquisition of negotiation rights from the Dominant Empire been to permanently bind the Tower of Wishes to the kingdom and control it?
Yet what if rumors began circulating that the Tower of Wishes was moving?
Countless nations would likely come crawling, clutching gold and begging for its presence.
The color drained from Duke Haidel’s face as Louis observed him with amusement.
“It’s the foolish man blinded by greed who slaughters the goose that lays golden eggs,” Louis scoffed.
He rose from his seat as he spoke.
“Douglas, sprinkle salt in the room after our guest leaves.”
“Why salt?”
“When something impure comes and goes, salt purifies the space. It prevents evil from lingering.”
“Ah, is that so? I’ll scatter it in every nook and cranny! Cr Cr Cr!”
Leaving behind Douglas’s cheerful laughter, Louis headed toward the door.
“T-Tower Lord! Tower Lord, please wait!”
Haide, his face pale, urgently rose and reached out, but Louis didn’t even glance back as he exited through the door.
“T-Tower Lord!”
Amidst Haide’s cries, Douglas opened his mouth with a smile.
“Harold.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Go fetch some salt.”
“I’ll be right back! Cr Cr Cr!”
Like master, like disciple.
Harold burst into laughter as he left the room.
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