Chapter 9

"Why are you telling me, a mere merchant, such an important matter?"

In Richel's room within the mansion.

Mark, the head of the Cadet family who handled all the high-end goods, put down the teacup of tea he had been served and asked, after Richel had summoned him, saying she wanted a new dress.

After dismissing everyone, Richel told Mark everything about the past before the reversal.

Of course, she made sure to set up a magic device to prevent eavesdropping.

"Yes, it's simple.

I trust you."

Saying this, she held the teacup and smiled gracefully.

Of course, Richel didn't trust Mark 100%.

However, Richel had no choice but to bet on him.

A young lady who hadn't even come of age couldn't secretly command knights, and Richel had no one she could move on her own. Her father, Guen, was on the king's side and wouldn't listen to his daughter who wanted to defy the royal family.

Without relying on her father, to gain people, she needed funds.

To fight against the royal family, she had to prepare forces while taking on the corresponding risks.

If she didn't have Mark, who had the financial power, on her side, she would stumble at the first stage.

At this point, Richel had no pieces in her hand.

Without a piece that could be a force, there was no way to fight.

This was a gamble.

Because she knew his character from before the reversal, Richel chose to talk to Mark.

To make the most of his character, which would try to live up to the trust placed in him.

Richel remembered.

When she was 13, before the reversal.

"You owe a debt to my mother, Lady Rachelle."

Saying this with a smile was Mark, the head of the Cadet family, the leading merchant in the territory.

A middle-aged man in his thirties with brown hair.

He had almost given away all his wealth to help Lamdithia, who was economically struggling after being attacked by Gardbaum.

While they did have a lot of business together, they weren't close enough for him to go to such lengths.

When Richel asked why he would do so much, he told her that her mother had given his mother, who was very poor and couldn't even buy medicine, expensive medicine and helped her.

When Mark was considering retirement due to poor health, the war broke out, and he donated his wealth to Lamdithia.

"I have nothing left, but if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know."

Saying this, Mark smiled.

Two years later, he passed away due to illness.

Although it was a promise from before the reversal, she had no choice but to bet on his good character.

Even though it felt wrong to use him... since she had sworn revenge on the gods, she couldn't afford to choose her means.

"As I explained earlier, in the future, you will throw all your wealth into saving our family from a crisis out of gratitude to my mother.

That was the promise, to rely on you if anything happened."

"…I see."

Mark looked at Richel as if trying to read her.

Indeed, it would be unreasonable to believe such a fairy tale-like story.

Richel herself would have raised an eyebrow if someone told her such a story.

"Of course, I don't expect you to believe me right away.

So..."

Saying this, Richel handed Mark several sheets of paper.

"What is this?"

"This is a list of commodity price increases that I know about.

Next year, a new fuel that can replace magic stones will be announced as developed in the magic city of Cleatros, and the price of magic stones will drop significantly due to its initial success.

As a result, several adventurer guilds will declare the abandonment of dungeon exploration and focus on discovering the new continent.

However, it will become known that the fuel developed in Cleatros puts too much strain on magic devices and breaks down quickly, and two years later, the price of magic stones will rise to more than twice its current level."

"I see. If what you say is true, it is indeed a profitable opportunity."

Saying this, Mark unconsciously stroked his chin.

"If you doubt it, here is this paper.

It also lists the disasters that will occur soon in various places.

The closest one is the poor harvest in the Radu territory.

A drought will occur in the Radu territory, which is a wheat-producing area, and the price of wheat will skyrocket.

First, I suggest you observe the situation with this."

Richel smiled.

"Miss, who else knows about this story besides me?"

He asked while looking through the paper.

"Right now, only you.

I only recently recovered my memories."

As she said this, Mark suddenly turned the paper Richel had written into ashes with a fire spell.

Richel watched this expressionlessly.

She had failed.

He probably thought her story wasn't worth believing.

That's why he burned the paper.

Richel regretted her misjudgment.

She had believed that he would trust her more if she told the truth rather than being vague, based on her knowledge from her previous life.

She should have gained more trust before proceeding with the story, she thought.

To fail in the first gamble...

She was shocked but tried not to show it on her face.

She had only been rejected by Mark.

Mark wasn't the type to leak secrets to others.

As she was thinking about other options,

"Miss, please don't write down such stories on paper in the future.

If the other party is a country, leaving evidence is a bad move.

Memorize everything.

I will also provide you with a magic device for secret communication in case of emergencies."

"…Understood…"

Richel asked, and Mark smiled.