The Baby Villain Dreams of Conquering the World

Chapter 72

Episode 72

At Athanas's words spoken in a regretful voice, Benio stood up as if he had been waiting.

It seemed he was worried with many outsiders coming and going in the castle, as he didn't hesitate at all.

But the person needed now was neither Athanas nor Benio.

"I want to go with Isaac, not Oppa."

"Huh?"

Benio, who was getting up from his seat, stood awkwardly.

Isaac, as if he sensed something, approached smoothly with a very natural smiling face.

"I actually had a book I promised to buy for the Young Lady this time. I promised to read it to her before she sleeps tonight, she has such good memory."

Anyway, he was quick on the uptake.

"I'll also take this opportunity to organize some business plans. That way, we'll be able to discuss business-related matters after daybreak."

Isaac, who deliberately smiled excessively, indirectly stated that they couldn't discuss business matters until tomorrow, then picked Flora up in his arms.

And with a continuously smiling face, he exited the dining hall and walked through the quiet corridor.

When he judged there was no one around, the smile plastered on his face completely disappeared.

"Those damn XX who are so good at sniffing out the smell of money."

Following the Money Ghost, he looked like an angry evil spirit.

Intense but quiet anger echoed through the corridor.

"They are hyenas who came targeting Lucifer's money! They didn't even glance our way when we requested help before, but look at them swarming in now that it seems profitable!"

"Uung, they were too obvious."

"Right? If it's visible even to the Young Lady's eyes, that means how blatant they are! But the Duke...!"

Seeing his expression of frustration driving him mad, Flora nodded as if she understood everything, and his face immediately colored with emotion.

"Even the Young Lady can see it, so why can't the Duke or the Young Master see it?"

'That's just how the big bears are.'

Both are inherently kind people, so they think others are the same.

They would never even consider that bad people might try to swindle them.

"Why should we give rice cakes to hateful people? I don't understand."

His voice, filled with sorrow beyond anger, carried the hardships and sadness he had experienced.

"Exactly. However we earned it, we can't give it away easily."

Flora patted Isaac's shoulder to comfort him.

"Right? I knew the Young Lady would understand my feelings! You deliberately mentioned the office incident earlier too, right?"

"What are you talking about? Flora just said she's pretty because she's pretty, and mentioned they didn't bring gifts because they didn't bring any. Their attitude wasn't welcoming by anyone's standards, right?"

"That's right, everything the Young Lady says is correct."

Isaac nodded vigorously. No matter what she said to deny it, he had already formed his own thoughts and accepted them.

But his voice, which had briefly gained energy, soon sank again.

"But the Duke will definitely suggest working with them, won't he? No matter how arrogant and insolent their attitude is, he'll surely believe that cooperation and symbiosis is the path to development for everyone! Yes, that's the kind of person he is!"

At words that could be either curses or praise, she was at a loss for words.

'Phew, poor Isaac. That the only person he can pour out these feelings to is the five-year-old Young Lady he serves.'

When will our big bears shed their gentle appearance and become reliable? Worry comes first.

While quietly listening to his grievances, Flora felt his lamentations had reached an end.

"Hey, I have a good idea..."

She whispered something in his ear.

After hearing it briefly, Isaac blinked, then tilted his head.

"Would that be alright?"

"Why wouldn't it be? If we're going to share, tell them to be grateful and participate."

A faint light appeared in his eyes, which had been filled with pain until just moments ago.

What appeared in the eyes of someone who thought only the danger of falling into a quagmire remained was newly blossomed hope.

Along with the joy of being able to play a trick on someone he disliked.

"Then... I'll proceed once according to the Young Lady's words. Thinking about it, it doesn't seem bad, no, it seems good! The Duke will surely be satisfied too!"

At Isaac's appearance, nodding with a bewitched expression, Flora smiled satisfactorily.

He took Flora to her room, laid her on the bed, covered her with the blanket up to her chin, then headed toward Athanas with cheerful, humming footsteps.

And the next day, an unexpected story was delivered to the vassals who had happily participated in breakfast.

A 'Mercenary Guild Development Establishment Plan Contest to Serve as the Basic Foundation for the North's Eternal Glory and Development.' An unexpected business plan competition that no one had anticipated.

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Athanas didn't get angry at the vassals who had visited suddenly and kindly arranged the annex for them as lodging.

That place, which should have been a peaceful resting spot, was currently accumulating full of dissatisfaction.

"No, what on earth is this supposed to mean?"

"It's not about the gold mine, magic stones, or Shalias business that would clearly be profitable, but the mercenary business?"

"No matter how little trust they have in us, are they really trying to evaluate our usefulness through a contest! My pride is so hurt I can't stand it!"

At the sudden message from Duke Lucifer, the vassals gathered at the castle couldn't escape their shock.

"And! Why should I have to plan a business for mere mercenaries?"

"If they don't want to share business with us, they could just say so. To express it so indirectly, I never thought they were such sly people!"

The hand slamming down on the table conveyed intense anger.

Marquis Strode, sitting in the highest seat among those gathered, maintained his composure while stroking his long goatee.

"Could it be because we treated the Young Lady too poorly that they're treating us like this?"

Just when he was already irritated to death, hearing words that touched on his mood, Marquis Strode shouted out.

"Talk sense! Would they set aside loyal vassals like us over such a trivial matter? Just because we gave proper instruction to the Young Lady?"

Considering that Marquis Strode was the only one who got angry about her sitting in the office, it would be understandable for others to have complaints, but everyone watched his expression, kept their mouths shut, and nodded.

"He's not the type to mistreat us over such personal reasons. I'm not sure if this is appropriate to say, but he's unnecessarily upright."

Above all, Athanas wasn't that petty of a person.

Someone unnecessarily stubborn and honest who silently endured both the Executor Bureau's unreasonable demands and the vassals' disregard, would such a person mix personal feelings into official matters just because his daughter was reprimanded?

Anyone hearing this would scold them for talking nonsense.

"Then do you believe he seriously planned this nonsense? Does he dislike sharing profitable business with us that much?"

"Although we refused when they requested financial help before, wasn't that because we weren't in good situations either?"

As complaints continued, Marquis Strode slammed the table fiercely.

"What did you take my words from earlier as! Is Duke Lucifer someone who moves based on personal feelings?"

"Then do you mean he threw this at us thinking this business would genuinely be helpful?"

"Foolish! Why can't you consider that someone else is making us eat this?"

At the consecutive shouts, someone made a sound of brief realization.

"Now that you mention it, Lucifer has that Money Ghost!"

"From when he left to take the Young Lady to her room yesterday, he had an unusual atmosphere, it seems he's determined to torment us. How dare he be so arrogant."

"Just because he's a mage, does that make him special? Despite being merely the second son of a baron, he acts like a Duke just because the Duke keeps him by his side. I guess this appearance never changes. I wonder if the Duke knows we haven't visited the ducal castle because we dislike seeing this!"

Although they hadn't visited the ducal castle simply because Lucifer was bothersome and they judged him useless and unhelpful, their rationalization was excellent.

"Then what do we do from now on? Do we really have to take on this business? This business that looks like it will fail no matter how you look at it?"

"That's right. Why would the Imperial Family have permitted this business? They clearly issued permission judging that it would definitely fail anyway."

Since there's a reason the term "abandoned Lucifer" exists, everyone nodded as if each word was correct.

Then, a knock sounded on the conference room door of the annex where they were gathered.

"I'm very late."

Count Vittora, who had praised the mercenary business last night, looked at the gathered people and slowly entered.

"I don't know how he can be so bold when we called this meeting so long ago."

At the open criticism, he, who was sitting in an empty seat, opened his mouth with an expressionless face.

"I was on my way after asking the family head's aide some questions related to this contest. I hurried here immediately after hearing quite helpful information, but I guess you're not curious about what this content is?"

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Not long after the contest announcement was made, Count Vittora was in a quite offended state.

"Damn, it seems the world really has no intention of being on my side."

Unlike everyone else who ignored it, he was quite serious about the mercenary business.

So while others were aiming for jackpot businesses like gold or magic stones, he went to bed harboring dreams and hopes of shining through a new pioneering business.

But then to deliver news that they would hold a contest related to the mercenary business as soon as morning came?

He swallowed his sorrowful feelings while thinking of the previous Count lying sick in bed.

〈I want to see our house succeed in business again before I die.〉

The previous Count was what people commonly call a business addict. His passion for business was great, and his achievements weren't bad either.

But not everything always went well, and as small failures piled up, trust in him in the industry hit rock bottom.

His love for business was greater than anyone's, but no one would invest in him or try to collaborate, so he eventually developed mental illness.

But even while lying sick in bed, living day to day and suffering, he wanted to restore the honor of being a house successful in business.

"So this business was indeed being pushed by the ducal house. What a pity."

No matter how hard he wanted to prepare, he would inevitably hit the one-week time limit, and it wasn't like he had ample wealth to bring ideas to life either.

"Our house will be forever separated from business, so I have no face to go see my father."

Since he wasn't particularly talented in business from the start, in a way, this might have been the inevitable result.

'I should have just properly continued being an alchemist as before, instead of quitting because I inherited the house.'

To shake off his sorrowful feelings, he tried to drink daytime alcohol, ignoring the vassals' gathering summons.

That's when someone came looking for him.

To be precise, a small, white sparrow came to his lodging and knocked on the window.

The cute-looking sparrow glared at him as if asking why he took so long to open the door, then dropped a small piece of paper and disappeared.

Come to the main castle's garden within 30 minutes.

Though trying to write properly, the quaint handwriting was clearly that of a young child.

'What is this?'

Just when he thought it might be a prank and decided to ignore it, the final postscript caught his eye.