Several ideas about what could be done with that seemingly uselessnd crossed my mind.
I wanted to spread out a map and draft all sorts of ns, but this was the royal court.
‘It’s hard to act on this now, but once I have some leeway, I’ll have to give it a shot.’
Setting those thoughts aside, I focused on the figure seated on the white throne before me.
“Your Highness, I am deeply honored by your grace.”
Despite receiving and of ice and frost, I expressed my gratitude without showing a hint of disappointment.
“To Arad Jin, I bestow the title of count along with 200 gold coins.”
The voice of Haita continued.
‘Two hundred gold? That’s decent.’I slightly curved my lips upward while keeping my head lowered.
‘If you give me cheapnd, you’d better at leastpensate with money.’
Considering the perpetually strained finances of the High Tower, this was a bold and generous decision.
‘This must mean they’ve gained a bit of financial breathing room.’
I could roughly guess why such an extravagant gesture was possible.
The purge had left some vacant territories in the north.
Turning those into directly governednds would increase the High Tower’s tax revenue.
And above all, thanks to the recent profits from Arad Salt, ie from the empire had been flowing in steadily.
“However, the 200 gold will not be paid all at once but will be distributed over three years. Twice at 70 gold, and the final payment at 60 gold.”
Amid Haita’s solemn officiation, the title ceremony proceeded without interruption.
“Arad Jin.”
Then came the grand finale.
Arina, the Grand Duchess of the North, stood up from the throne with a ceremonial sword in hand and walked toward me with deliberate steps.
She was dressed in a noble tunic made of silk and rian cloth, with a leather cape draped over her shoulders like a robe. At her waist, she carried the bag I had crafted and presented to her without fail.
“Back then, in the Demonic Realm, I made a promise to you.”
Standing before me as I knelt, she began to speak in a low voice.
It was the first time I’d heard her voice since the ceremony began.
“I said I would grant you a wish. If it’s something within my power, I promised to grant it.”
Her voice seemed to tremble slightly.
“Your wish… Speak your wish.”
Her cheeks and the tips of her ears appeared faintly red.
“I shall state my wish, Your Highness.”
“Y-Yes!”
Unfazed by Arina’s reaction, I calmly voiced my prepared wish.
“I wish to establish a tradingpany. Not just any tradingpany but an official one authorized by the crown!”
“Ah… So that’s your wish again! There’s no avoiding it… Oh…?”
“Pardon?”
“…Huh?”
Something seemed amiss in ourmunication.
“A tradingpany? Establishing an official tradingpany is… truly your wish?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
For some reason, Arina’s ears and face turned even redder than before.
“Y-Yes… A wish like that is easy to grant. Ahahaha… Hahaha!”
Arina’s face betrayed a mix of embarrassment and relief, coupled with an odd tinge of regret that shed in her blue eyes as she avoided my gaze.
‘What’s going on? I ryed my wish through Isabelle ahead of time.’
On the other hand, I tilted my head, puzzled by Arina’s visible fluster.
***
The Morning Before the Title Ceremony
“So his wish is to establish an official tradingpany?”
Arina had already heard of Arad’s wish through Isabelle.
It might have seemed simpler to hear it directly, but Arina didn’t dare to do so.
If she had to face him and hear something about marriage proposals or imperial edicts again, she feared she wouldn’t be able to make a sound decision.
“Yes, mydy. His wish is to establish an official tradingpany.”n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
“Hmm…”
“He’s a merchant at heart. He sold food using Arad Salt back in Haven, and he even traded in the Demonic Realm with his Golden Carriage. Isn’t it just like him?”
Even Isabelle’s rarepliment didn’t fully convince Arina.
“If it’s an official tradingpany, taxes will decrease, but ownership will belong to me. Even so, he wants an official tradingpany?”
“Well, everything in the north technically belongs to you anyway.”
“Nominally, yes… but who really believes that?”
“In any case, it’s a good thing. The Rune Trading Company, the only official one under Renslet, is already struggling to manage Arad Salt. It doesn’t seem like a bad idea to establish another one now.”
Arina only half-listened to Isabelle’s words, preupied with deciphering Arad’s true intent behind his wish.
‘Could it be… he’s lulling me intocency only to propose during the ceremony?’
Her imagination spiraled into conjectures that left her face burning.
‘Ughhh…’
Caught between baseless expectations and concerns, she agonized to the point of losing sleep and appetite.
***
The Day of the Ceremony
“I shall state my wish, Your Highness.”
“Y-Yes!”
Atst, Arad voiced his wish.
“I wish to establish a tradingpany. Not just any tradingpany but an official one authorized by the crown!”
“Ah… So that’s your wish again! There’s no avoiding it… Oh…?”
“Pardon?”
“…Huh?”
The wish she’d spent all night agonizing over remained unchanged.
“A tradingpany? Establishing an official tradingpany is… truly your wish?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Y-Yes… A wish like that is easy to grant. Ahahaha… Hahaha!”
Despite the unbearable embarrassment, Arina couldn’t help feeling a strange mix of regret and frustration.
“By chance… Is there another wish? I would grant you one more, just this once.”
“What I have already received is more than enough. To ask for more would be unfair.”
“Ah… Well thought out.”
Her tone, unmistakably deted, escaped her lips.
‘Yes, this is… This is how it should be. If I asked for another wish, this is the right response. Feeling regret now is absurd. This is right.’
Her hand holding the ceremonial sword trembled slightly.
‘Perhaps… he’s heard about it. That’s why he’s hesitant.’
For a moment, the ominous jinx about the short lives of past Renslet Grand Dukes and Grand Duchesses crossed her mind.
‘Yes, this is how it should be. Arad, for your safety and longevity…’
Suppressing her regret and lingering sense of loss, Arina concluded the ceremony by lightly tapping Arad’s head and shoulders with the ceremonial sword.
***
The North was vastpared to its poption.
Forparison, it was about the size of the Korean Penins, and its location and terrain were simr to that of Denmark in Europe.
Of course, the entirend wasn’t governed by the Grand Duke alone.
The Northern Grand Duchy referred to the Renslet stronghold, known as the High Tower, the Great Northern Wall, and a few directly controlled territories.
The rest of the North was ruled by noble families made up of Northern people loyal to the Grand Duke of Renslet.
In line with the feudal norms of the continent, a Grand Duke, a high-ranking noble, could grant or revoke titles up to the rank of count.
In this northernnd, a new count—a high-ranking noble—had been created.
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