"Shall we sneak around next to my cousin? Look at her face that is completely angry."
Ren wasn't going to reveal this secret right now. He didn't even know why Elena was in disguise, and he wasn't going to have any fun revealing this. He was just about to pick up evidence, not circumstances, by standing by.
Then, it was necessary to figure out why Elena was dressing up and doing something.
"But if you get caught by me, you're going to celebrate."
By then, Ren will roll the snowballs he had in his hands down the hillside. When it rolls, rolls and becomes a snowball, it will hit Elena as hard as it can.
"Ah, it's so exciting."
Ren couldn't stop smiling and laughed wickedly. The more secrets he knew, the bigger the snowball will be. At that time, just imagining Elena, who was hit and flying away, he was already filled with joy.
***
Leabrick patted the desk in her office with a stiff face. Four people were standing in front of her, but they could not raise their heads as if they were ashamed.
"You have no idea who L is?"
"I-I'm sorry."
"Even though I gave you that much time? Are you incompetent, or are you not willing to find them?"
"…"
The aides closed their mouths and bowed their heads, unable to even make excuses. They've been in charge of the Great House for more than a decade, but this was the first time they felt so lethargic. They felt like they were possessed by a ghost. There was no evidence or trace of L's existence anywhere in the capital.
"Why aren't you talking?"
"…"
"Since you haven't found L, you must have come up with a countermeasure for them. Or did you not even come up with it?"
Leabrick questioned them in a low-pitched voice. The failure of one scheme is the beginning of another. They danced like traps, and only when the overlapping schemes complemented each other in their interaction did they become perfect. Leabrick had always done that with her schemes, and she demanded the same of them.
"G-give me a little more time."
"Ha."
The four were nervous as Leabrick sighed briefly. There were countless intellectuals who wanted to somehow find themselves in the GreT House. The Great House was the most perfect backdrop for spreading one's will. Even now, the academy was filled with geniuses and intellects who were studying under the auspices of the Grand Duke. Some of them would be graduating this year. Considering that the geniuses and intellects were coming from below, the four limbs had been able to hold out for a long time. It was because they had demonstrated their abilities while handling the large and small affairs of the Grand Duke for almost a decade.
"I did then, didn't I? Give you one more chance."
"…"
"I gave you a chance as promised, and you didn't live up to it."
Leabrick spoke in a tone that didn't mix any emotions, despite being face to face for years.
"I think it's time to step down."
"V-Viscountess!"
The aides fell down in unison and begged with their heads stuck in the carpet. But Leabrick's expression didn't change a bit.
"Get out."
"…"
When they heard Leabrick's determined words, the aids sensed that it was over. They stood up one by one and bowed their heads to Leabrick for the last time.
"Thank you for all that."
They turned to drooping shoulders and left the office like remnants of defeat. It was a lonely exit for them, who were all in charge of large-scale projects as a proponent of the Grand Duke.
And how long has it been? She heard a knock outside the office and two young men dressed in neat clothes came into the office. They greeted Leabrick politely as if they had made an appointment beforehand.
"Hello, I'm Artil."
"I'm Luminus. Long time no see."
Luminus, with his intelligent appearance and glasses, and Artil, with his short hair and masculine impression, were graduates of the academy under the patronage of the Grand Duchy. They had gained experience and years of experience while moving from place to place in the outside world under the orders of Leabrick, and had returned to the Grand Duchy to help Leabrick on behalf of the thrown out limbs.
"Welcome."
The two young men paid another silent tribute to Leabrick's greetings.
"Will you just let your ex-predecessors go like this?"
"They know too much."
As soon as he looked up, the young men talked about disposing of the limbs. The way they spoke as if they were cutting a man's life as they did a tree trunk was brutal in its calmness.
"I've already taken care of it."
Leabrick gave Lorentz a secret mission. Kill them as soon as they leave the Grand House.
"What happened?"
"The land purchase of the slums is in its final stages. Some of them were united in demanding higher compensation, but they recruited officials from the imperial family to manipulate them into unauthorized buildings and evict them without compensation."
"There was room for some backbiting, but we needed an example. And it was much easier to buy other slum sites."
Leabrick nodded satisfactorily. Being young is good. They don't look back or measure, they act decisively. In that context, the previous four died, perhaps due to age.
"What's L's track record?"
"I'm sorry, but I haven't found a tail yet."
The short-haired young man quickly added on.
"We don't have to be in a hurry. If it's our estimate, we'll be hearing from them soon."
"Will they call you soon?"
Leabrick narrowed her eyes and looked.
'Now that the purchase of the land in the slums has been completed, don't you think we should start construction right away? By that time, they'll be offering to sell the land they bought."
"How can you be sure?"
"I don't have any evidence, but the circumstances certainly suggest that information has been leaked. When you look at the pre-purchase of the Noblesse Street core abstract, it looks like they were after the money. The time to take the first construction is the time to buy at the highest price."
The young man with short hair standing next to him also showed his thoughts.
"Wait for now. L is seeing through us. It's not too late to move after L's reaction rather than fretting."
"I will."
Leabrick nodded softly. The guesses of the two young men were exactly in line with her idea.
Sect 10. Crisis
"Senior, please send a letter in L's name to Grand House."
The words from Elena's mouth made Khalif shine with hopeful eyes.
"Are you finally going into negotiations?"
"No, I've told you before, there's no negotiation. If they want to take the land, they'll have to pay the money I want."
Elena seemed uncompromising on that part.
"How much are you going to ask for?"
"A hundred times the purchase price."
"What, what?"
Khalif stammered in surprise. He expected it to be at most ten times, and really no more than twenty at most. No, he thought, realistically that would be too high. How could it be a hundred times more? He respected and followed Elena's opinion, but he couldn't shake the impression that this time it was too much.
"You don't want to sell it, do you? Won't the Grand Duke go crazy? Sell it at that price?"
"They're going to buy it. No, they have no choice but to buy it."
"How confident can you be?"
Khalif raised an eyebrow. He couldn't ignore the fact that Elena always showed results that went beyond the norm, but that price was too much. Elena held out the letter, as if it would be too much trouble to explain it all.
"It's a draft to the Grand House. Please also tell my father to hire a ghostwriter and be careful not to be tracked."
"May I read it?"
Elena nodded, and Khalif looked at the letter. Based on Elena's behavior so far, he was guessing that she was not trying to sell at a low price. Khalif's mouth dropped open as he read the last letter.
"Is the value of the land you've bought so high?"
"Yes, once Noblesse Street is completed, the rest of the capital's land will be worth less than that."
"I-I don't believe you. No, I can't believe it."
"Sometimes reality is more irrational."
"If this really happens, we may be able to buy an empire with the wealth of the Grand Duke."
Actually they would. Even now, the word that the Grand Duke is said to be circulated above the imperial family, but after the completion of Noblesse Street, the Grand Duke will have overwhelming financial power to the extent that it cannot be checked even if the remaining four families join forces.
'I have to stop it before that.'
Money is power. Leabrick invested the proceeds from Noblesse Street in the creation of the 3rd Division and the 4th Knights, and even equipped them with overwhelming military power that even the imperial family could not target. When it comes to that time, Elena flies, and even if she puts in long and hard work, revenge would be far away. Knowing this, Elena intervened at every turn to cause damage and deal a blow to Noblesse Street. The sale of land in slums was part of that.
"Now do you know? Why they have no choice but to buy at the price I offer."
"I understand it with my head, but it's kind of a big scale to accept it."
Khalif bit his lips again, folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.
"Please tell my dad that he did very good, but the tail should never be stepped on."
"Okay."
"The same goes for the purchase price. Send an agent to the other upper levels and say that you will receive the money in gold coins, imperial money francs, and kingdom centum. I'm sure my father will take care of this much properly."
After all this time, it was sheer luck that Emilio had been able to help her. It was true that Khalif was capable, but he was still inexperienced and limited in areas where he could maximize his strengths. He was still not enough to close such a deal with a Grand Duke.
Elena was the same. She had an eye for the big picture, but little practical ability to handle it on her own. For this reason, Emilio's presence is a reliable one.
Just look at this deal alone. Washing was essential to prevent the tracking of the payment received by the Grand Duke. If they set up an agent to receive the payment using the other upper levels and laundered it through the Castol Chamber of Commerce, it would have been difficult to trace even for Leabrick.
Although she was in danger of Ren, she wanted to say thank you for having a helper like Emilio.