Chapter 101: The Trump Cards
Chapter 101: The Trump Cards
Roel Ascart was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling above with a dazed look. He couldn’t help but look back on everything that had happened over the course of the day…
It all started from lunch onward.
The days without Alicia were dark and difficult, but Roel knew what was important to him. If he wanted to survive, he would have to continue working hard so as to gain the strength required to pull out his death flags.
Thus, after a short post-lunch nap, he began his usual afternoon training. It consisted of him swinging his sword repetitively, forming muscle memory for sharper reflexes.
Swinging the sword was an exhausting exercise, so Roel was bound to start perspiring. Due to that, he would usually take a bath after his training before moving on to his studies. Today was no different, just that it was snowing outside.
Of course, how could mere snow stop Roel’s determination to become stronger? One must know that he had already resolved himself to reach Origin Level 5 as soon as possible. There was no way he would allow weather to be an excuse for him to slack off!
Therefore, Roel began his training beneath the falling flakes. The snow didn’t impede the training at all; on the contrary, it actually felt good. Due to the cold weather, he hardly sweated at all. All in all, it was a relatively enjoyable training session.
However, when he finished up his training and returned indoors, he found himself faced with an agitated Anna.
“Young master, your clothes are completely soaked!”
“Ah, indeed. It’s snowing outside, so it’s inevitable that my clothes will be soaked.”
“This won’t do. Young master, you’ll get sick at this rate! Quick, take them off. I’ll prepare a warm bath for you right away!”
Roel was intending to bathe right away anyway, so he didn’t pay much heed to Anna. He followed his personal maid’s instructions, taking off his clothes and enjoying a warm bath. Everything was still normal up to this point.
It was after he finally finished his bath that things began proceeding in a queer direction.
“Young master, let’s check your temperature!”
Roel glanced at the thermometer, which looked surprisingly similar to the ones in his previous life, with a doubtful look on his face. The thermometer was one of the few magic tools that had permeated the lives of the ordinary populace on Sia, so there was nothing surprising about it. What surprised Roel were Anna’s sudden actions.
“You could have caught a cold from wearing wet clothes earlier. I think it would be best to check your temperature just to be safe.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Roel didn’t think that he was ill, but he still went along with it so as to assure Anna. He placed the thermometer into his mouth and kept it there for three minutes before finally passing it over to Anna. Yet, who could have thought that Anna would gasp in shock upon seeing the results on the thermometer?
“Young master, you’re ill!”
Anna informed Roel with a grave look on her face, leaving the latter stupefied.
“Huh? I’m ill?”
“Indeed! Your temperature is two notches higher than that of a healthy human. You need to head to your bed and rest right away!”
With a wave of Anna’s hand, an army of maids immediately dashed over and escorted Roel back to his bedroom.
“No, wait a moment. Are you certain that I’m ill? I don’t feel anything though. I think that I should be alright…”
“Young master, the old master has assigned me to take good care of you. I am responsible for taking care of your health, so I must ask you to cooperate with me.”
Anna dabbed her eyes to dry her tears as she spoke with a worried voice. Under such circumstances, Roel was left with no choice but to remain in bed for the entire afternoon. He started at the ceiling above him with eyes reminiscent of a dead fish as he waited for time to pass in boredom, but the more he thought about it, the more suspicious he felt the scenario was.
This isn’t right. The last time I practiced my swordsmanship in the snow, Anna didn’t bother checking my temperature or anything of the sort. Why would she suddenly do it now? It was snowing much heavier back then, and I was nearly drenched through.
Unable to make sense out of the situation, Roel finally chose to attribute it to the servants and maids getting a little oversensitive due to his poor condition recently. Just as he was about to try his best to nap a little, he suddenly heard frantic footsteps in the corridor outside.
Then, the door burst open.
“Big brother Roel!”
The person who rushed into the room had the familiar face that Roel had been longing to see for several days now. Alicia’s face was filled with anxiety. The instant she saw Roel lying in a daze on the bed, her eyes began to redden.
“Wuu, big brother Roel, it’s all my fault. I’ll never do it again.”
“Ah? A-Alicia?”
Roel stared at the little sister whom he hadn’t met for quite a while as he wondered if he really was ill and hallucinating. Before he could decide whether it was real or not, Alicia had already leaped right into his embrace, sobbing tearfully while apologizing to him.
It was only when Alicia’s maid entered the room shortly after that Roel finally snapped out of his daze.
Holy Sia! Anna, you really are a genius!
He immediately understood the intentions behind Anna’s peculiar actions earlier on. Given that an opportunity to resolve the conflict was right before him, there was no way he would give up on it. He immediately loosened his tightened muscles, allowing his body to slump over Alicia as if he was on the verge of passing away.
“Alicia, it was all my fault. I realized that I was neglecting you, and I feel deeply regretful about that. You don’t know how lonely I have been without you. I really don’t want things to remain so tense between us. Will you forgive me?”
“Yes yes, I’ll forgive you! Lord Brother, as long as you get well, I’ll forgive you for anything! Wuu, I was actually not that angry either. It’s all my fault. I kept turning you away for nothing…”
Alicia spoke in self-reproach as she wiped off her tears. Her innocent appearance made Roel feel deeply guilt-ridden, but thinking about how things had been the last few days, he decided to persist in his act just this once.
“Alicia, I have been thinking about it over the last few days, but the thought of the possibility that you hated me made me feel as if my heart was being sliced into innumerable pieces. I found myself at a loss as to what to do.”
“How can that possibly be true? I’ll never hate you, big brother Roel!”
“Never?”
“Never!”
Alicia affirmed her words with resolution, leaving Roel feeling deeply touched. He reached out to hug the silver-haired girl before him tightly, and the latter relished in the familiar embrace as she pressed her cheeks against his.
After the turmoil of the last few days, Alicia felt like her heart had finally settled down. Thinking back and considering how she had recently acted, she thought that she needed to give herself a warning to never be so silly as to hurt herself and her loved ones anymore.
On the other hand, Roel felt that color had finally returned to his monotonous world. Taking a few deep whiffs to replenish his depleted stock of Aliciatonin, he felt like his body and soul were being swiftly recharged. Even the surrounding air smelled sweet. His mood simply soared like an eagle that was just freed from its shackles.
Indeed, having a harmonious family is the most important of all!
He pulled away from the hug and looked Alicia in the eye.
“Alicia, let’s never have a cold war with one another anymore, alright? At the very least, please don’t avoid me anymore in the future.”
The last few days had really traumatized Roel. He rubbed Alicia’s cheeks softly as he spoke these words. Alicia also nodded obediently in response.
“Mm, I have learned my lesson. If big brother Roel bullies me in the future, I’ll just cry out loud.”
Alicia replied with tear stains still lingering on her face. The sight of this caused a stabbing pain to Roel’s heart. Her pitiful appearance somehow left Roel feeling a little flustered.
“No, I was the one at fault here. I’ll never do it again.”
Roel said as he hugged Alicia once more. Slowly, the atmosphere between the two hugging children grew a little intimate. The other maids, who had been watching this scene by the side, smiled quietly amongst themselves before backing out of the room. Anna continued looking at the two children, who had made up with one another in just a single minute, and her usual knowing adult smile appeared on her face once more.
This should be enough.
Anna slowly retreated to the door before walking out and carefully closing the door shut.
With this, the first ever mission of the Roel X Alicia Ship fanclub was a perfect success.
…
Rosa Merchant Confederacy, Rosa City.
Ausier Street.
This name was not very well-known amongst the common populace, but there were no nobles on the Sia Continent, regardless of their country of origin, who didn’t know about this place. Spanning 2000 meters in length, it was the heart of the prosperous Rosa City. It wasn’t a particularly long strip of land, but it was rumored that over 70% of the world’s fortune was centered on this plot of land.
Extravagance was second nature to this street.
Kaiser stones, mined from the Kaiser Mountain, had a translucent and clean appearance that gave off a faint and comfortable glow under the sunlight. It was typically used as an ornament in the architectural design of the mansions of high nobles, but here on Ausier Street, it was used as mere pavement.
Several thousand pieces of expensive Kaiser stone gave off a gentle glow that made one feel as if treading on light. It was an ostentatious show of financial power that made minor nobles go green with envy.
There were also warm lights that brought about a calm atmosphere, enhancing one’s tendency to splurge; the constant comfortable environment within stores despite the changing weathers outside; expensive trees that gave off a soothing fragrance…
As long as one observed closely, there were always surprises hidden along this street. These surprises were present for a single purpose though—profit.
The Sorofyas had created the most extravagant environment in the world, but this extravagant environment, in turn, marketed itself and naturally drew in high-value individuals to shop here. Royals of powerful countries, princes and princesses of smaller countries; every single person who walked this street was of exalted standing, and it was common for them to spend a great deal of money to obtain what they wanted.
Probably those who didn’t splurge on this street wouldn’t dare claim that they had been here either.
This project that cost an astronomical sum was the foundation the Sorofyas had built up over the past century. Every single change along this street, be it the locations of the vendors or renovation of the road surface, was all planned out meticulously.
In the noble sector of Rosa City, the leaders of major merchant associations were all currently gathered in the reception room of the Sorofya mansion, awaiting the release of the new plans for the street. Ausier Street was the private property of the Sorofya House, so every single store had to clear the Sorofyas’ annual check in order to continue operating in the following year.
Today was the day the annual checks would be conducted.
In the elegantly furnished room they were all sitting in, the leaders of the major merchant associations had their heads slightly lowered out of respect, displaying none of the arrogance that money and power usually brought about.
Sitting on the chair right in front of all of them was a young girl, who seemed oddly out of place in this solemn atmosphere. Her auburn long hair flowed sleekly down her shoulders, and her emerald eyes were both clear and calm. She carried a dignified and reticent atmosphere, and this was the impression most people had of her.
Charlotte Sorofya.
Without any showy accessories or beautiful dresses, her very existence itself felt majestic and noble, as if all luxuries in the world ought to belong to her.
It was said that the Sorofyas had inherited their bloodline from high elves. In the legends, the high elves were a race that governed the wealth of the world, and mortals would unhesitatingly offer their all to them.
Here at this gathering, it felt like the legend had manifested itself in the real world. The girl carried the grace of the high elves and was calmly reading through a set of financial reports in her hands, her emerald eyes reflecting no fluctuation in emotions at all. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
She raised her head lightly to look at a man sitting before her, and a voice that was cold yet carried a pleasing quality, reminiscent of songbirds, sounded.
“I have read your financial report. Mister Robert, it looks like your revenue has grown greatly this year.”
“Yes, Lady Charlotte. It’s all thanks to the support of the Sorofya House.”
A smile broke out on Robert’s face as he began voicing his gratitude toward the Sorofyas. Unexpectedly, Charlotte didn’t appear to be too pleased by his attitude. Instead, a frown was forming on her forehead.
“This is the first time you’re here?”
“Yes, Lady Charlotte. Our merchant association only joined Ausier Street last year. This is the first time…”
Robert rubbed his hands together before as he responded to Charlotte’s question. But, before he could finish his words, a cold and sharp voice had already interjected.
“Is that so? You need not return next year then.”