Two days prior, the young blonde boy sat across from his father in the opulent offices of the Gustav Merchant Company in Rulm, the bustling trading city of the empire. The boy's father, Gustav, was a stoic man with silver streaks running through his hair, the result of the stress and old age that came with running such a successful business.
"Father, I'm serious. My instincts are telling me there's big money to be made in the North. Please let me establish a branch there," the young man pleaded.
His father's face grew even more serious. "I cannot allow that. Even if you won't inherit the company, you're still my son, and the North is a very volatile place right now. There's no way in hell I'm letting you go there."
"But if it's risky, it also means the opportunity is larger," the young man argued, slamming his hands on the table. "I'm going there either way, with or without your permission."
Gustav let out a heavy sigh. "Listen, Crassus. Greed is good, but too much will burn you alive. The risks here outweigh the profits. There's no point to money if you don't live to use it."
Crassus felt a pang of disappointment in his chest. "That isn't what you taught us, Father."
Gustav rolled his eyes. "Oh, you have to be kidding right now. You're only 13 years old, and if you think I'll let you go into a potential war zone, stop being delusional."
"But I can smell the profit," Crassus insisted vehemently, shaking his head.
"Enough," Gustav barked, calling for one of his guards to escort Crassus back to his room. "Ralph, take Crassus to his room and make sure he doesn't leave anywhere."
As the guard entered the room, Gustav turned to Crassus with a warning. "Also, just so you know if you try to run away, or if you successfully do end up doing so, you will not be allowed to enter here. So think carefully of your choices."
With tearful eyes, Crassus looked his father dead in the eye. "Father, at least give me a chance to compete with my brothers. You know as well as I do that I'm capable of handling the company. So why not give me a chance?"
Gustav looked at his son for a moment, his expression blank. "I have no issues with giving you a chance, but this is too great a risk."
"Fine. How about we make a compromise?" Crassus said as Ralph let go of his hand.
Gustav raised an intrigued eyebrow at Crassus' proposal. "Hmm?"
"I make a single visit to the Grand Duke. If I can convince him to allow me to establish my own branch of the company there, you will let me remotely manage the company from here," Crassus explained, punctuating his statement with a pointed finger.
"And if you can't convince him?" Gustav asked, his expression skeptical.
"I will never speak of this again," Crassus replied, his face taking on a sharp edge.
Gustav pondered the offer for a moment. "And how long do you think this visit will take?"
"I don't know. However long it takes, I suppose," Crassus replied with a shrug.
Gustav let out a long sigh. "Haaaaah… they do say you can't win against your own children. Fine, do as you want. But if I feel that anything dangerous is about to happen, you will return immediately, no questions asked. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," Crassus replied enthusiastically.
"Fine. You can leave today," Gustav said, shooing his son out of the office.
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Back in the present, Crassus had arrived at the Duchy and was promptly guided to Dante's office by the head butler. Of course, meeting the Grand Duke of Valoria was no small feat, and Crassus' abrupt visit was only allowed because Gustav had given him a letter of recommendation to show the Duke. As one of the wealthiest men in the empire, such a letter held great value.
Despite the lack of a proper scheduled meeting, Crassus was taken to the Duke's room at the young boy's request. "Duke, you have a-" the head butler began, but was interrupted by Crassus.
"Please, introduce me as a guest," the young merchant said with a smile on his face.
"You have a guest," the head butler continued, opening the door for Crassus.
"I don't remember having a meeting scheduled for today," Dante said as he put his quill away and looked at the head butler.
Before the head butler could reply, Crassus barged into the room without much formality. Being the third child of a merchant, the boy was clearly not very well versed in the mannerisms of the nobility. "Greetings, Grand Duke. I apologize for visiting you without prior notice. My visit here was decided quite abruptly," he said.
"Is that so? But is it not rude to not introduce yourself when meeting someone of higher social standing?" Dante said, ignoring most of the ill-mannered actions of the boy.
"My apologies, I am Crassus Denison, fourth son of Gustav Denison, the head of the Gustav Merchant Company," Crassus said, his cheeks flushing red with embarrassment as he bowed before the Duke.
"And what does Gustav want, sending a child to my palace?" Dante asked as he took the letter of recommendation out of the head butler's hand.
As Dante read the letter, Crassus began to speak, "I am here, Your Majesty, not as the son of Gustav Denison, but as a businessman. And I am here with an offer you cannot refuse."
Turning his head away from the letter and towards the young merchant, Dante spoke in a domineering tone, "Go ahead, then. But just so you know if you are here as a businessman, then you must be prepared to act like one."
"Yes, sir," Crassus said as he bowed his head a little.
"So, what is your proposal?" Dante inquired as he folded the letter, put it on top of his table, and leaned forward.
"Before I do that, I want to know what you are planning, for my proposal could change drastically depending on your response," Crassus said, meeting Dante's gaze with confidence.
After staring blankly at Crassus for a minute, Dante replied, "Hmm, hold on for a minute," as he pulled out a video communication crystal from his drawer.
After pouring a decent chunk of his mana into the crystal, Dante watched as a hologram of Hans appeared before him.
"Why have you called this early, my lord?" Hans questioned with a startled expression on his face.
"Hans, where is John?" Dante asked with a serious look on his face.
"He's eating breakfast. Should I give the crystal to him?" Hans asked.
"I would like that, yes," Dante replied with a nod.
John walked in just as Hans handed him the crystal. "What's the matter, sir?" he asked.
Dante gave a short description of the situation to John, who had been looking at him with a confused expression. "There is a young man here saying he has an offer we cannot refuse. He wants to know our plans for the north."
"Before we continue, who is this young man?" John asked, taking a piece of salamander meat into his mouth.
Dante gestured for Crassus to come forward. Once he was close enough, Dante handed the crystal to the young merchant. "Ahh, I assume you are His Majesty the 3rd Prince. I am Crassus Denison, the son of Gustav Denison, and I am here to make a business offer."
"So what do you say? Do I tell him a portion of the plan?" Dante asked after getting the crystal back from Crassus.
"Go ahead. I'm about to reach our destination too, so I'll talk about this with him at a later date myself. And if he truly is who he claims to be, I'm sure it won't be a bad idea. My instincts are telling me that, at least," John said with a shrug. "It likely won't make a difference if he's lying. There's very little someone can do to damage us right now."
"Hmmm, by when will you arrive?" Dante asked after thinking over John's words.
"Tonight at the earliest," John replied after turning to Nicholas and asking the same question.
"Good. We will talk more once you get there, then," Dante said as he nodded lightly.