Chapter 99

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In such a manner, La Pucelle and Estrella set off for the imperial capital, accompanied by Victor and Lala, via a teleportation spell.

The music competition will be held at the Imperial Theater, where Maria's concert was held before, and the martial arts tournament will take place at the Colosseum, which is in the opposite direction from the Imperial Theater. The preliminaries will be held alternately, with the music competition's preliminary round on the day after the martial arts tournament's preliminary round, and so on.

Eight teams will advance to the main rounds for both the music competition and the martial arts tournament.

Since this is a competition that gathers strong participants from all over the empire, just making it into those eight teams is a significant achievement.

A few days after the farewell party, I was in my study, with a chick on my lap, listening to reports from two individuals.

"Vitcha reported that both parties seem to have made it into the eight teams. Including those guys."

"That's within expectations."

Regardless of the music competition, it's understandable for the martial arts tournament.

In this martial arts tournament, really strong high-ranking adventurers don't participate. Why? Because the prize money for participating in the tournament is less than what they usually earn from their quests, and they are already famous, so they don't need to boost their reputation.

There are probably other individual reasons, but most of the participants are lower-ranked adventurers. These people have the skills but aren't well-known, so they want to gain fame.

That's the extent of what we need to be cautious about.

However, this time, there's an upset.

Surprisingly, high-ranking adventurers are participating in the tournament.

"Hopefully, before encountering those guys, we won't run into the Barbarian party or those guys."

"Hmm, that's a bit of a gamble. We can only rely on Romeo's luck with the draw..."

Mr. Romanov chuckled.

Romeo's luck... He says he has good luck, but I doubt he's ever been lucky.

Well, we'll do our best and leave the rest to fate.

"If they make it to the main rounds, the official betting should start. What's the plan for that?"

"I'll report on that."

The second adult in the study is Mr. Louis, the steward of Kikunoi. He stood up from the sofa, his gray hair swaying.

"Baron Balas was initially reluctant to put up the betting money, but when I flattered him by saying that a generous baron like him could easily afford to give a little to poor adventurers if it were profitable, he agreed. Regarding the ransom, I hinted that our lord holds the sales rights to Effet Papillon, and that the young master's decision to issue a warrant for those guys was his own, which his father resents and wants to punish. I suggested that we should use the rights to Effet Papillon as a bet to curb the young master's arrogance, and asked for his cooperation as bait. If successful, the profits from the rights would be split between the two families. I also conveyed that the earl is eager to establish a bond with the Balas family. The baron had no doubts and agreed to help, even writing a document to plot against the young master."

"Ah... Yes... I see. Thank you."

He must be putting on a show for me, but in reality, he probably used more flattery to appeal to his sense of superiority and greed.

He said he's good at such tactics.

Mr. Louis, who is also good at promoting himself, is extremely competent in practical matters. He identified unnecessary expenses from a single document, and pointed out the unnatural hiring and high salaries of people connected to my parents, leading to a significant turnover in the office.

He replaced the underperforming staff with people recommended by my grandmother's connections, with the help of Mr. Rottemeyer.

As mentioned in the diary, my grandmother secured the necessary talent to support Kikunoi until I grew up.

However, such capable officials are strict about waste and misconduct.

They were a hindrance to my father, who wanted to do as he pleased, and my mother, who wanted to indulge in luxury.

Over the years, most of them were either dismissed or reassigned to less important positions.

I owe a lot to my grandmother, but it had reached a point where it was no longer sustainable. Just before the line was crossed, Mr. Louis intervened, and I managed to make it in time.

According to Mr. Louis, some people have noticed the recent changes in the city, and a few have even investigated my actions. However, they thought it would take decades for me to gain control of Kikunoi, and they couldn't wait that long.

When Mr. Louis appeared, he initially sighed in disappointment, thinking nothing would change, but he quickly began to eliminate the staff connected to my parents.

The remaining staff have been calling back those who were recently dismissed, thinking that I, the young master of Kikunoi, was finally starting to take action against my parents.

"Is my move that obvious?"

"No, you've cleverly scattered the sales routes of Effet Papillon and taken the form of procurement, so only those who are observant would notice. However, the people gathered by your grandmother are indeed very perceptive."

"I see. I should thank my grandmother for that."

It's a bit complicated to see an example of how things can work out even if the top is problematic but the middle management is competent.

"I should also thank Ms. Rottemeyer. Thanks to her maintaining old connections, we were able to bring back the talent."

"She is invaluable. I will convey my gratitude to her. Also, please let those who have returned and those who have endured know that I am grateful."

"Understood."

He bowed and headed for the door, having finished his business.

Then, his gaze fell on Regulus, who was reading a picture book on my lap.

"...He looks a lot like his father. I hope he doesn't follow in his father's footsteps."

"Of course not. I won't let him go down that path."

"By the way, one of my subordinates who knew your grandmother saw you passing by. While I can guess what's inside you, I heard that you look exactly like your grandmother. It's a feast for the eyes to see the siblings together."

Despite his skill in flattery, he's not very good at it.

Well, it's fine.

As Mr. Louis left, I opened the page in my grandmother's diary where I had placed a bookmark.

I need one more setup, but I'll keep it a secret from Mr. Louis.

I put the chick down and asked Mr. Romanov, who was watching me.

"Mr. Romanov, how is the 'Ukibi' matter?"

"Lara has arranged with the guild headquarters to ensure that the match between those guys and Estrella will be conducted in that manner."

"Thank you. Now we can only hope that they will face each other."

"Yes. But it's impressive that you knew about such an old ritual."

"My grandmother was interested in the history of the empire and noted that the first emperor had divine-like powers thanks to this ritual."

From that note, it seems my grandmother was a history enthusiast.

In any case, it seems all the pieces are in place.

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