volume 3 - Chapter 125 (1/2)

TL: One more chapter coming in about two to three hours later. This chapter is kind of complicated and I’m not sure if it’s easy enough to understand. Just ask which part you don’t understand and I’ll see what can be done.

Chapter 80 – The story of fishes swimming in chaos (2)

Amandina watched Redi’s back as he limped away, while Yula was beside helping him walk.

“Are you letting them just leave, my lord?” She asked.

“What do you expect me to do here? Instead of letting them pile onto our problems, it’s better to dismiss them.” Brendel answered simply.

“But I still feel like you’re scheming something.” She glanced at him with slight suspicion.

Brendel rubbed his nose with a dry smile: “Is my character that awful in your eyes? I thought that I did things openly in the past.”

“Yes, it would appear so. But I have never thought that my lord has ever done things that appear to be as simple as they look. I recall that you arranged miss Freya to enter the Royal Cavalry Academy, which could be seen like a friend’s encouragement, but I would think that it is because you noticed the fights between the Royal Faction and the Regional n.o.bles.

If I recall correctly, the Royal Cavalry Academy is within princess Gryphine’s private lands, and she’s the most outstanding individual out of the current royal family members. Not only that, the younger and weaker brother of hers is strictly cared for by her, almost like a guardian and not as an older sister.

Based on the king’s health, it is likely that the princess will become a Princess-Regent in the future. Once that happens, my lord’s action will also become a long-term investment.”

Romaine nodded quickly when she heard the words ‘investment’.

“These other invisible investments that you made from the time that I met you might not look like they are of any use in the beginning, but once my lord has your lands and reap the benefits that you have sown earlier, then you will become a direct supporter of princess Gryphine.

If it is someone else, I would think nothing much of these actions that have been done, but the people close to my lord will surely understand that your ambition is nothing as straightforward as it seems.”

Amandina looked up to Brendel: “Am I wrong, my lord?”

The young girl took a long breath after she finished her speech. She had spent a lot of time speculating in the past few days because Brendel’s actions were becoming stranger and stranger, to the point where she did not understand them at all, and she did not wished to fall behind too much.

Especially if she was the chief advisor.

Brendel blinked a few times before he answered: “You’re close enough.”

[Although you missed a few points.]

He thought to himself.

[Rather than call it an investment, I would rather call it a relations.h.i.+p. There’s no need for me to gain ‘honor’ here, what I need is something I can grow and use in the future. A gamer is different from a lord, especially when I have ‘that’ land in mind.]

He could have waited until the civil strife within Aouine reach its highest point, with Madara invading the kingdom with its full might, until the Princess-Regent would finally not be able to control the situation, then garner the biggest profits by stepping in at that point.

But he did not do so.

His attachment to the people in the game made him send the future G.o.ddess of War to the princess, and believed that these two brilliant women would not disappoint him. Even if he predicted wrongly, at least he would not leave behind any regrets.

Still, he did not expect Amandina to know his thoughts that well, so he merely smiled and gave a neutral reaction. She certainly showed off her intelligence if she was able to predict that much.

He turned back to look at Romaine who looked like she was having fun. She did not seek to understand why Brendel needed to do what he did, and only wanted to help him do the best he could in his plans.

[The future ahead might call for even more drastic measures. Sometimes knowing too much hurts, and one might not attain happiness, Amandina…… But looking at Romaine makes me feel it’s a pleasure on its own.]

“Beyond that,” Amandina continued: “The money made from the auction was invested into Miss Romaine’s goods which were subsequently used for the celebration after the Madara war. The returns were then poured to gain deep access into this local region. This is the first time that I realize that having gold coins is an amazing thing. Miss Romaine’s touch seemed to go permeate into the complicated n.o.ble society and the underground thieves’ guilds.

There wasn’t even a need to maintain a good relations.h.i.+p in order to gain access to the information too. I thought it was only at Bruglas that contact was made with the Brotherhood of Thieves, but it seems like it was done much earlier.”

“This is one of the reasons why I formed a coalition of merchants.” Brendel admitted it: “But it is not for the reason of acquiring more money but power. Once people brought themselves into some form of any system, even if they have their own personal agenda, their actions would most likely benefit others just like how the circulation of goods would bring about abundance.”