《The Youngest Is Preventing the End of the World》 Chapter 1 Prologue. The Ending Can¡¯t Be the End of the World ¡°This world will be doomed.¡± A room without people. A young child with soft cheeks muttered sadly as she looked in the mirror¡ª ¡°Because of me the ewnd¡­ ouch!¡± I bit my tongue again. How many times has it been already? The angry me looked in the mirror once again and shouted. ¡°Just why out of all the people, am I Diana Cartier!?¡± I, who was just an ordinary college student, was reincarnated as the villainess of the novel, [The Ending Can¡¯t Be the End of the World]. It wasn¡¯t a great villainess either. It was a villainess that was brainwashed by the real villain and committed all sorts of bad things until the end. ¡®Even my few family members die because of me¡­.¡¯ I don¡¯t even know Mom¡¯s name nor face. ¡®The former Marquess of Cartier, that is, Dad, also died not too long ago on the battlefield¡­.¡¯ The only family I had left now was my two Older Brothers whose mothers were different. This is what people say about my Older Brothers and me. ¡®The First Child, who is good at fighting but lacks humanity, Gabriel Cartier (the next Marquess).¡¯ ¡®The Second Child, who is really good at fighting but too prodigal, Noah Cartier (a Sword Master).¡¯ And lastly, me, the Third Child. What people say about Diana Cartier is¡­ ¡°¡­The stupid youngest who doesn¡¯t know how to do anything, only believes in her cute face, and causes trouble, is her.¡± Whew¡ª With a sigh, I muttered. Yes. The youngest stupid child, was now me. When I grow up later, people will change ¡°cute¡± to ¡°pretty¡± and then continue to chat away behind my back. Tsk. ¡°The stupid youngest who doesn¡¯t know how to do anything, only believes in her cute face, and causes trouble, is her.¡± When I said my future out loud once more, a sigh came out again. To think that I learned that I have reincarnated as such a petty villainess thanks to the slip I had in the mine that I accidentally discovered. ¡®Of course, thanks to that accident, I learned that I was born as Diana Cartier. But¡ª¡¯ The moment I fell on the slippery moss stone floor. A ton of memories flashed through my mind. There were memories of my past life. And there were also memories of the kind of book that I read, that is, about this world. After realizing everything, I was in huge shock. The fact that I was a villainess¨C yeah, let¡¯s just say it like that. Of course, it wasn¡¯t good, but all I have to do is change my mind. Rather than that, the bigger problem was. ¡®Gasp! There¡¯s a fixed ending in which the world I live in will become doomed!¡¯ It would be an even stranger situation if I wasn¡¯t shocked. A while after I quit eating snacks that I liked, I thought about it. I soon realized one thing. ¡®Won¡¯t it be solved if I just don¡¯t destroy the world?¡¯ I knew, of course, that the end of this world was very important. ¡®First of all, as long as the magic stone mine is found in our territory, I must prevent [Lucifer] from sneaking into our house.¡¯ Lucifer. Unlike his good name of ¡®the one who shines¡¯, he was the real villain who took the lead in destroying this world. The one who brainwashed all of my older brothers, since it wasn¡¯t enough with just brainwashing me. What was worse, to the real main character¡­ ¡®Yeah, let¡¯s not think that far¡­¡¯ The urgent problem now was the fact that ¡®Lucifer¡¯ and his men are trying to steal the magic stone mine (that I discovered during the accident) in our territory. ¡®That¡¯s why, first, I have to protect the magic stone mine.¡¯ The magic stone mine, which will make our family, who had honor but no money, sit on a money cushion. It should never be taken away. ¡®Otherwise, I¡¯ll lose my family again.¡¯ The eldest older brother who had always been cold but always protected me, Gabriel. The little older brother who always bothered me but chose death for me, Noah. And the others who loved me. ¡®This time, I¡¯ll protect everyone.¡¯ Therefore, I must prevent the Villain¡¯s subordinates from entering our house. However, the problem is¡ª ¡®Bad Guy 1 was disguised as a candidate for management deputy and has already been interviewed, right!¡¯ Of course, I haven¡¯t been playing all this time. I prepared very, very thoroughly for the past few days. Therefore, this is the moment of the final battle¡­! In order to strengthen my will, I glared at myself in the mirror. ¡°This world will be doomed.¡± Good, this time I didn¡¯t bite my tongue. With this spirit¡ª ¡°But, I¡¯m not going to let that happen.¡± Yeah, I will prevent the end of the world with my own hands! ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Holding a thick pile of documents, I left the room in good spirits. Leaving Masha behind, a maid who found me opened her eyes wide. ¡°Young Miss Diana, today¡¯s tea time¡­ Oh my, Young Miss? Where are you going? That¡¯s the direction of Young Master Gabriel¡¯s office¡­ Young Miss? Young Miss!¡± *** ¡®It¡¯s noisy outside the door.¡¯ The man thought as he stroked his mustache. ¡®Well, it¡¯s natural that the atmosphere is chaotic since it¡¯s a family of poor nobles with only its name that is famous.¡¯ Sneering, the man sneaked, looking around. It was well organized, but it was a shabby office that had nothing expensive. The most expensive thing here was not an object, but rather¡ª ¡°¡­First of all, I don¡¯t see any problem.¡± It would be Gabriel Cartier, who was muttering to himself and looking at the forged documents. ¡°Haha. Of course. In front of whom would I dare put out a strange contract?¡± The man smiled sarcastically and secretly glanced at the next Marquess, Gabriel Cartier. Dazzling golden hair. Blue eyes. A solid body that made even frugal clothing look gorgeous. If he was put on the slave market, he would be a person who¡¯d be able to renew the highest price per night. ¡®But more than anything, the most valuable thing on that face is surely those eyes.¡¯ The man smacked his lips without realizing it. Gabriel¡¯s blue eyes that shone uniquely like jewels. It was eyes that indicated that he was the ¡®chosen one¡¯. In this world, there were people whose eyes changed into jewel eyes during the Coming-of-Age Ceremony. [Purple eyes are people destined to be loved by everyone] [Gold eyes are people destined to be great artists] [Red eyes are people destined to be either the ruler that will save or destroy the world] [Green eyes are people destined to raise their reputation through knowledge and wisdom] [Blue eyes are people destined to surprise the world with outstanding force] Gabriel Cartier had among those, the blue jewel eyes. ¡®After brainwashing him according to Master¡¯s order, I really want to have those eyes in my hand.¡¯ Blue jewel eyes will be sold at high prices on the black market. Hiding his dark innermost thoughts, the man opened his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s alright even if you want to look at the documents more, over and over again. Since I can wait right here.¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t because there was no problem with the documents. It was because it had been manipulated so well. ¡®There is surely no way that the novice next Marquess, who has only wandered around the battlefield during childhood with the former Marquess, can find such a thing.¡¯ Mocking him in his thoughts, the man said. ¡°By the way, I heard that the Youngest Miss had an accident the day she discovered the magic stone mine. Is she alright?¡± Gabriel frowned at the words the man brought up to hide his dark thoughts. ¡°¡­There were no major injuries, but no matter how I think about it, it seemed like she definitely hurt her head.¡± ¡°Pardon? Are you saying her head was hit? Was there any bad sign?¡± ¡°She started doing some things she didn¡¯t do before.¡± ¡°What kind of things did she do¡­?¡± ¡°I think¡­ Didn¡¯t she suddenly say that she would look at the household¡¯s property details ledger¡­?¡± The property details ledger? The Youngest who is known for spending the most money in the Cartier Family? ¡°And didn¡¯t she read a gold magic skill book that she couldn¡¯t even understand all night long?¡± A 10-year-old girl reading a gold magic skill book which was hard to understand, even for highly educated people? ¡°And she also started muttering to herself while looking at the Imperial law book.¡± No, I mean, what does a young child know about the Imperial law that she would look at that? ¡°She also asked to get a map of the continent, and on top of it, she drew some kind of marks on it for a while.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± As Gabriel continued speaking, his words were slowly becoming like he was talking to himself rather than talking to the man. So instead of responding to his words, the man was lost in his own thoughts. ¡®Did the Youngest Miss who was the biggest pain of the Cartier Marquess Family change?¡¯ For her to look at the Marquess household¡¯s property ledger, read a gold magic skill book, read through the Imperial law book, and even draw some kind of mark on the continental map? ¡®Is she crazy?¡¯ ¡°But it was said that she¡¯s not crazy. The Family Doctor said so.¡± ¡®Gasp! My goodness!¡¯ Gabriel said on time, as if he had read his mind clearly, the man freaked out inside. But he managed his expression casually. ¡°Even so, it¡¯s a relief that there is no big problem. Hoho. Ah, have you looked through all the documents?¡± The man quickly changed the topic again. He had spent too much time talking nonsense, so he had to work again now. ¡°What do you think? There is no problem with it, right?¡± ¡°¡­Hm. Yeah.¡± ¡°Then, would you like to slowly proceed with the contract?¡± ¡°¡­Sure.¡± Nodding, Gabriel picked up a pen. Thump. Thump. Thump. ¡°¡­?¡± That¡¯s weird. His heart, which had been calm while accomplishing every mission so far, was pounding. As if something strange would happen and things would go wrong. ¡®No, there¡¯s no way it¡¯ll be like that.¡¯ Everything was in its place. There¡¯s no way that something could get in the wa¡ª ¡°Wait a mwinute!¡± Bang¡ª! ¡°W-What¡¯s this!?¡± The man, who was very nervous, jumped up from his seat. When he saw the young child who opened the door come in, he opened his mouth. ¡°D-Diana Cartier¡­?¡± That silky silver hair. Those turquoise eyes reminiscent of a dense forest in midsummer. Those white and soft pudding-like cheeks. Thanks to her cute appearance which was like a doll, the man, who quickly recognized the child, was surprised. Just why was this house¡¯s Youngest in here? ¡°Article 34 paragraph 1 of the Imperial Law.¡± Huh? All of a sudden the Imperial Law? ¡°A person who has officially reached his or her tenth birthday can claim ownership of the private property that he or she has discovered or acquired, whose owner is unclear.¡± The small hand which was like maple leaves, hurriedly threw a document envelope the man¡¯s way. ¡°Ack!¡± The man who had been hit in the face by a thick envelope screamed. ¡°Wh-what is the mea, uugh¡­.¡± While the man was groaning, Diana shouted confidently. ¡°Acckword, no, ahem. Ac! Cord! Ing! To the relevant laws, I would like to inform you that I have the right to decide on the management of the magic stone mine I discovered a week ago in my family¡¯s territory.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Not only the man, but also Gabriel who had an absurd expression on his face opened his mouth. ¡°Diana Cartier. Just what are you doing right¨C¡± ¡°Older Brother Gabriel doesn¡¯t know anything other than fighting.¡± A 10-year-old child who mercilessly smashed the prestige of the next Marquess in front of outsiders said. ¡°For Older Brother Noah, as expected, well, I don¡¯t need to say it.¡± The prestige of the second son of the family who was not here was also destroyed. ¡°That¡¯s why, Older Brother.¡± Diana, who crossed her arms as if it was, of course, none of her business, said. ¡°Please entrust this mine to me!¡± ¡°No, to think that a mine will be entrusted to a 10 years old child?! What kind of statement even is that¡ª¡± The moment the man who couldn¡¯t hold back tried to interfere. ¡°And also, Older Brother. That person is a fraud.¡± Chapter 2 1) Let¡¯s Prevent the End of the World The man hesitantly stepped back due to Diana who was pointing at him with a smile. ¡°That, wh-what are you saying Miss! What do you mean I¡¯m a fraud? I don¡¯t know what misunderstanding you have, but you shouldn¡¯t accuse people like tha¡ª Aack!¡± Thud! Diana threw another pile of paper that she was holding at the legs of the man who was lying. Tuk. Tuk. The papers that spread out on the floor was¡ª ¡°T-This, how did you!?¡± An investigation document containing the details of the man¡¯s fraud. [Jay, a fraud who was active in the South Zone, hides his appearance?] [The possibility of fraud, Jay¡¯s new area of activity is near the Capital¡­.] It was a collection of exclusive newspaper articles that tracked the man¡¯s identity¡­ ¡°Eit! Damn!¡± Aware that the plan had gone wrong, Jay, the fraud, tried to run away quickly. At that moment. Something hit the back of Jay¡¯s head. ¡°EUAAAACK!¡± His sight became dark in an instant. Did Garbiel Cartier use his hand¡­? ¡°Da-damn it¡­. This¡­.¡± However, right before he lost his consciousness, the last thing that came into the eyes of the fraud was not Gabriel¡¯s cold face, but¡ª ¡°You bad guy! Did you think I¡¯d let you run away!¡± It was Diana Cartier¡¯s chubby cheeks¡­. *** Great! That was perfect rock throwing! No, it was throwing a cookie jar! Throwing a cookie jar (which was only the size of my fist) right to the head of the fraud who was trying to run away, made me proud. ¡°Older Brother! Since he¡¯s a really bad guy, don¡¯t just send him to the Capital. Rather, please interrogate him yourself!¡± Because he brainwashed Older Brother El and made him have a seizure¡­ Later, Older Brother¡¯s eyes¡­ ¡®It¡¯s okay. I blocked that worst future first!¡¯ I shook my head as I dismissed my scary thoughts, then I paused. ¡°Older Brother?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Older Brother Gabriel stared at me with an unfamiliar look in his eyes. How should I say this? Uhm¡­. That look in Older Brother¡¯s eyes was¡­. ¡®It felt a little like when a person found out that their house¡¯s baby was actually the leader of the neighborhood gangsters?¡¯ ¡­Was I too harsh? ¡®No matter how much of a hurry I was in, it seems like I shouldn¡¯t have thrown the cookie jar¡­¡¯ Seeing the fraud lying on the floor, the scattered paper, and the crushed cookie jar, I opened my mouth. ¡°Uhm. Older Brother Gabriel. I¡¯m sorry for making a fus¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t meddle in for nothing.¡± I¡¯m sorry for making a fuss, but he¡¯s really a bad guy!!! Before I could say so, Older Brother Gabriel continued. ¡°You little thing! Do you not understand how scary things work. And why are you, a troublemaker, behaving uncontrollably? If you get seriously injured¡ª¡± ¡°¡­.¡± My eyes were wide open. I waited quietly for the continuation of Older Brother El¡¯s words. Maybe at this rate, some words that show his worry about me would follow¡­ ¡°¡­The household became noisy for nothing.¡± Yup, as expected, I knew that it wouldn¡¯t be such words like that. Since our Oldest Brother had a dishonest personality. ¡°Just what is a kid like you thinking about these days that you do such dangerous actions without care¡ª¡± The moment Older Brother Gabriel tried to say something to me who was pleased with the fact that my guess was right. ¡°Ughh¡­.¡± Wriggle. Wriggle. Jay, the fraud, who was lying on the floor, wriggled. ¡®Gasp, it seems like he¡¯s regaining his consciousness.¡¯ The moment I was about to grab the cookie jar that I threw earlier. Press! Older Brother Gabriel, stepped on the man¡¯s back with his feet and pressed him down before looking at me. Eyes that shone like blue flames stared directly at me. ¡°Diana Cartier.¡± He said in a cold voice which was even colder than those eyes. ¡°Go back to your room.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± It¡¯s a relief I can leave it to Older Brother after this. When I nodded, he somehow frowned. Older Brother Gabriel quickly turned around and muttered something to the fraud. ¡°Because of you, I had to talk like I was angry at that kid for no reason¡­.¡± He coldly told me to leave because he doesn¡¯t want to show me his interrogating figure right? ¡®Phew. As expected, Older Brother El is always worried about me.¡¯ Shrugging my shoulders, I left the office. *** After I returned to my room. ¡®First of all, I handled Bad Guy 1 well.¡¯ I was very satisfied with today¡¯s result. However, stopping Bad Guy 1 didn¡¯t solve everything. Even so, I was able to avoid starting on the wrong foot. ¡®So, the next thing to do is¡ª¡¯ Tok. Tok. At the sound of knocking on the door, I came to my senses. ¡°Young Miss, may I go in?¡± A voice with a slight dialect was heard over the door. ¡°Yup! Come in.¡± It was Masha, my exclusive maid, who opened the door and came in. In her hand she was holding a tray of cookies and children¡¯s tea for tea time. ¡®Ah! It¡¯s today¡¯s snack!¡¯ Masha put the tray down in front of me, who was clearly excited, and glanced at me. ¡°Young Miss. Um¡­ About you breaking in when Young Master Gabriel was having a conversation with an important guest earlier¡­. Ah! Breaking in means intervening.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± I laughed as Masha looked at me and explained the fairly difficult word for a 10-year-old. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. I broke in and made a mess.¡± ¡°¡­A-a mess?¡± ¡°Yup! But, it¡¯s okay. That guy, he was a fraud, you know? A bad fraud.¡± ¡°YES?! The candidate for the management deputy who came to sign the contract was a fraud?!¡± ¡°Yup, yeah.¡± ¡°Oh my goodness.¡± Masha, who opened her mouth wide, looked at with admiring eyes. I said while eating cookies. Nyam nyam. ¡°That¡¯s why Older Brother Gabriel won¡¯t be angry about my behavior today. You don¡¯t have to worry about me being scolded, Masha.¡± ¡°Y-Young Miss.¡± Masha¡¯s eyes opened roundly as if she was surprised by what I said. Her eyes became teary. ¡®Phew. It¡¯s natural for her to be surprised like this.¡¯ Because not too long ago (before I remembered my past life), if Masha was worried about me¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like a kid!¡± Or. ¡°Who do you think is an idiot!? How arrogant of you for a maid!¡± As I screamed like this, I also threw things, you know. What was even worse was¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t want to wear the clothes you made for me!¡± I even tore the clothes that Masha, who was skilled with her hands, personally made for me with care. ¡®Pheww, you stupid self.¡¯ That time, the expensive glass lamp I broke and the high-quality ceramics I had, just how much was it all¡­. As the calculator in my head started working, I felt like I was going to cry. Fortunately, now that I¡¯ve come to my senses, no, I¡¯ve got to know both my past life and the future at the same time. ¡®From now on, I¡¯m not going to squander money! I¡¯ll make money and feed everyone instead!¡¯ If things followed the original, after the fraud entered, our house gradually became poorer and poorer. To the point where we couldn¡¯t even pay our employees back. That¡¯s why, one by one, they left our house, but¡­ ¡°¡­Young Miss, why are you looking at me like that?¡± Masha, who was in front of me, tried to take care of me until the end. If Masha hadn¡¯t been hit in the eye by the desk clock I threw. And if she hadn¡¯t gone blind¡ª Wouldn¡¯t she have stayed by my side until the end? ¡°Young Miss?¡± I smiled at Masha, who was still looking at me with a strange expression. ¡°You were surprised because I did something unexpected earlier, right? Sorry for making you worry.¡± ¡°Yes?! Young Miss is, a-apologizing to me?!¡± Surprised as if she had just caused a game to go bad, Masha soon realized her mistake and shook her head. ¡°N-No! Young Miss, I¡¯m alright. However, if Young Miss gets on the wrong side of Young Master Gabriel¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Masha.¡± I knew what Masha was worried about. ¡®She¡¯s probably worried because us three siblings don¡¯t seem to be on good terms on the outside, right?¡¯ In the old days (= me before knowing my past life and future) I actually hated my two older brothers. I was jealous of them who were special because of their jewel eyes, totally different from me. ¡®What¡¯s so important about changing eye colors that I even used poison and deceived people about the color of my eyes?¡¯ At her Coming-of-Age Ceremony, the original Diana Cartier¡¯s eye color doesn¡¯t change. So she changed the color of her eyes with a paralytic drug, ready to die. She changed them to purple eyes, a token of being loved by everyone. ¡®It¡¯s enough if my family loves me, but what else did she want?¡¯ What a fool. I shook my head, recalling what I did in the original work. Of course, I pledge that I would never do such a thing. ¡°Are you really alright, Young Miss?¡± Masha was still worried about me. I smiled brightly. ¡°Yup. Since Older Brother is not a person who will abandon me just because our mothers are different.¡± ¡°¡­Young Miss.¡± Masha¡¯s eyes became teary at the thought of it. ¡®It must be because in Masha¡¯s head now, I¡¯m the young Young Miss who is in a different state than usual because I suddenly had an accident, right?¡¯ Phew, anyway. It¡¯s because Masha is too nice. ¡°If there is anything difficult, I want to be of help even if I lack the skills. Young Miss.¡± Masha was carefully reading my mood. ¡°I¡¯m really okay.¡± Her worries weren¡¯t just because Gabriel and I seemed to have a bad relationship. ¡°Well, what can I do with a person who gave birth to me and left me alone.¡± In fact, Diana of the original work was not twisted from the beginning. The reason why I went off tangent was¡ª ¡®It was because of the incident where my mother, whose real name and identity were unknown, disappeared as soon as she gave birth to a newborn baby.¡¯ That¡¯s why, there were all sorts of rumors. Diana Cartier was of low blood, her biological mother was murdered, etc. ¡®How could a 10-year-old not be shocked when she found out about such things?¡¯ I still get angry when I think about it, even though I already know everything. Still, I was able to calm down quickly. Because¡­ ¡°I have Older Brothers with me, and there is Masha and other people too.¡± At what I said, Marsha gasped and her eyes glowed. ¡°Oh my gosh! When did our Young Miss become so mature like this¡­!?¡± Ah, but it¡¯s a little burdensome if you say it like that. ¡°Hm, hm. Anyway, don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯m okay, Masha.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Young Miss!¡± After laughing at Masha, who looked happy. I took a sip of cold tea. ¡®Um, it¡¯s not good!¡¯ As always, the tea made by our butler was the worst. I hurriedly ate the remaining cookies, savoring the taste that made me feel rejuvenated. I said to Masha, who looked at me happily. ¡°By the way, Masha, prepare me a carriage. I have to go out.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re going out? Suddenly, where to?¡± Marsha was worried because I recently went out a lot to prepare to drive out the fraud. ¡®I also want to take a rest since I¡¯ve done something big today¡­.¡¯ But I couldn¡¯t be like that because my work was not completely finished yet. ¡°Yup. Since I need to get someone to sell the magic stones for me.¡± Chapter 3 Inside the running carriage. I was looking out the window with sparkling eyes. Opposite me was¡ª ¡°Young Miss, don¡¯t sit too close to the window. The carriage is running.¡± Masha watching me with a worried look. Originally, I was going to go out alone today. But Masha, who heard me say I would go out inexplicably said, ¡°How could I send the Young Miss who is only 10-year-old outside alone?¡± She looked so sad when she said that, so how could I say no¡­. ¡®Rather, it would have been great if I recalled all the memories of when I was around 15.¡¯ Then, it would¡¯ve been alright even if I went out alone or did all sorts of activities, right? Thinking so, I soon shook my head. ¡®¡­No. It¡¯s already late by then.¡¯ When I¡¯m fifteen, Older Brother Gabriel¡¯s brainwashing would have already progressed considerably. It would be also around that time when Older Brother Noah lost one arm. ¡®Come to think of it, now was the perfect time.¡¯ After all, the time when I discovered the magic stone mine was the best time. Since this was the time where I could still change everything and prevent it from being the same as the original ending. ¡°It may be dangerous because this place¡¯s road is still not organized.¡± At Masha¡¯s worried words, I nodded gently. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be careful, Masha. Thanks for your concern.¡± ¡°¡­! N-no. It¡¯s my joy and reward to take care of the Young Miss comfortably!¡± Phew. Masha, too, is really¡­ How is she going to live in this harsh world if she¡¯s this nice? ¡®As expected, I¡¯ll have to protect Masha from now on.¡¯ Just like Masha reminded, I stepped back a little and sat down, before once again looking out the window. ¡®Ah, so this was what our territory was like again.¡¯ The place which became the background of the original novel, [The Ending Can¡¯t Be the End of the World]. Namely, the ¡®Rata Empire¡¯ of the Western continent where I lived was a huge country. ¡®It¡¯s enough for me to say that about a third of the entire Western continent was the land of our empire, right?¡¯ Even in the original, it was not a small country. It was all because of the previous emperor that the land became as wide as it was now. He fought so many conquest wars to the point that conquest was rumored to be his hobby. That¡¯s why, the Marquess of Cartier, who had the most outstanding swordsmanship in the Empire¡­ Namely, my biological father also had no choice but to go to war that often. ¡®But people ridiculed my Father as the Emperor¡¯s Dog, right?¡¯ ¡°You bad people.¡± At the words that I spit out while unknowingly pouting my lips, Masha made a face of gasping. ¡°Y-Young Miss? Why are you suddenly saying something bad¡­.? B-by any chance, is the carriage uncomfortable?¡± Ah. It looks like Masha was scared that I would suddenly be mean again like before. Let¡¯s make her feel at ease. ¡°Emm. It¡¯s not that, but looking at our territory reminds me of the bad things people say about Father.¡± ¡°Yes? What did people¡­¡± ¡°People saw Father and said that he¡¯s ¡®the Emperor¡¯s Dog who can¡¯t even take care of his own house properly¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Surprised by what I said, Masha shouted. ¡°Young Miss! Just from where did those words¡­! The former marquess wasn¡¯t such a person!¡± ¡°Right, that¡¯s right! Even though Father only prioritized going to the battlefield and didn¡¯t take good care of Older Brothers and me, he wasn¡¯t like that.¡± Nodding, I continued to talk. ¡°In the first place, it can¡¯t be helped because His Majesty the late Emperor ordered Father to stay on the battlefield. Father is his subject, so how can he disobey His Majesty¡¯s words?¡± At my words, Masha sweated a lot. ¡°T-that¡¯s right. The former Marquess was away for a long time under the order of His Majesty the late Emperor, it was never because he had no interest in the Young Miss¡­.¡± ¡°Of course, I know everything, too. Those people cursed at Father, because they were jealous of him for making so many contributions on the battlefield.¡± But the problem is¡­ ¡°But what Father got from being cursed so much was not much. Rather, because he was away from home often, he couldn¡¯t take good care of his territory.¡± ¡®No, I mean, if he fought so hard and won like that, he should¡¯ve come back receiving something!¡¯ But my biological father, who was only good at fighting, didn¡¯t get much from the Imperial Family. He did get a few medals, but¡­ ¡®There¡¯s no big benefit for that other than a discount for watching a performance!¡¯ Even if I thought about it again, it was something that made me angry. ¡®If you fought so well and made so many contributions, you should have at least gotten some land, Father!¡¯ When I burst into anger at someone who was already no longer alive, Masha said. ¡°S-still, we respect the former Marquess because he worked hard to protect the Empire.¡± I nodded my head. ¡°Yup. However, other people swear at Father as ¡®a dog of the Imperial Family who is only good at fighting and has a complicated relationship with women and even has a dirty personality¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Ah, come to think of it, I¡¯m really worried about Older Brothers. My Older Brothers look a lot like Father. Especially, Older Brother Noah who resembles him by having complicated relationships with women, so, huft.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°No matter how I think about it, I think I¡¯ll have to harshly scold him once I get home and make him calm down.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Turns out there¡¯s a lot that I have to do, huft.¡± I let out a deep sigh and shook my head. ¡®Really¡­ I¡¯ll be very busy in the future.¡¯ First of all, keep an eye on Older Brother Noah so that he doesn¡¯t do anything weird. And then, help Older Brother Gabriel from behind so that he can focus on marquess matters. Making a business that sells, of course, the magic stone that came out from the magic stone mine, as well as other business items. ¡®And make a lot of money from the business and let our family walk on the flower path.¡¯ When I clenched my fist, thinking about the most important thing to do. ¡°Hm, hm, hm!¡± Masha, who coughed like clearing her throat, said. ¡°Uhm, Young Miss. Didn¡¯t you say you were going to catch, ah, no, meet the management deputy candidate?¡± ¡°Yup, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°But, this is just a shopping district, right? Shouldn¡¯t you go to the side where the Merchants Association is to meet someone who can become a management deputy?¡± Oo, Masha. You¡¯re sharper than I thought? As expected, she was worthy of being my head maid, exclusive maid, and the maid who attends to me. Although I only had one exclusive maid who was Masha. ¡°Yeah. If it¡¯s as usual, it is right to go there and obtain a person.¡± Nod. Nod. I nodded and agreed. ¡°But what I want is not there, you know.¡± There were quite a lot of Imperial nobles who did business. Some nobles who were born with a commercial sense ran their own business¡¯ management personally. However, those who did not have business skills or started their businesses late had a management deputy first. ¡®That¡¯s why people usually bring in executives of merchants¡¯ associations in each region or experts who are popular in the capital.¡¯ Jay, the fraud would be beaten by Older Brother Gabriel by now. As expected, his disguised identity was a management expert who was successful from the Capital. Anyway, it¡¯s not like one could obtain a management deputy just by going to any place¡­ The carriage that I rode stopped in front of a bookstore whose sign board was worn out. ¡°Young Miss. Are you sure this is really your destination?¡± It was natural for Masha to look confused. But I confidently opened the carriage door and jumped off. ¡°Yup! Masha, wait here for a second.¡± ¡°Yes? However, Young Miss.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be right back!¡± A few more times, Masha said that I couldn¡¯t go, as if she couldn¡¯t let me go alone. However, once I thought about the other party that I would be meeting, it was still better for Masha to stay here. ¡°Wait here for a second. Ah, no! Not here, but go to a nearby cafe for a while. Now, here. I¡¯ll give you my allowance, so you can buy a cake. The strawberry cake at the cafe over there is delicious.¡± ¡°No, Young Miss. That¡¯s not it¡ª¡± By forcing the money into Masha¡¯s hand, I stood at the door. All right. Then, let¡¯s go in now¡­ Huh? Jump. Jump. I tried running towards the doorknob, which was a little higher than what my hands could reach. ¡­I can¡¯t reach it¡­? No, but I¡¯m 10 years old! Although I¡¯m a littleeeeeeeee shorter than the others! Even so, I¡¯m still 10 years old! ¡®Just why in the world can¡¯t I reach this¡­¡¯ Ah, right. So I guess this door has no choice but to have the handle on a place higher than other places? ¡®Because the owner of this store is a bear hybrid¡­!¡¯ The doorknob, which had been tailored to match the owner, was a little bit, just a little bit higher. ¡­Even so, if it was only that much, wouldn¡¯t I be able to reach it if I ran as I jumped? Let¡¯s give it a try. Jump, jump! Jump. Jump¡­ ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°¡­Heup.¡± Is it because of my mood that I heard the sound of someone desperately holding back their laughter from behind¡­? I turned around with my hands still stretched out toward the doorknob. ¡°Uhm, Masha, the door, can you open it for me¡­?¡± At my words, Masha was unable to hide the tips of her twitching mouth, and with that I got off from the carriage. Unlike me, she, who opened the door easily, said. ¡°Please come back safely, Young Miss. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± I nodded at what Masha said with a big smile. As I quickly entered the door, I felt like I heard a shout from behind. ¡®Nob¡ª What is she saying?¡¯ Uh, Masha¡¯s words to herself were not important anyway. My face, which was the youngest of the Cartier Marquess Family, in the future would be that of a great merchant owner¡­! ¡°Welcome.¡± I was shivering in shame, but a nice voice entered my ears. Moving my head in the direction of the sound¡ª ¡®Ah, so it¡¯s that person.¡¯ I could see a solid and dignified body of a man sitting in a rocking chair. A build a little bigger than that of a normal person. Skin with a subtle brownish color. A face that seemed to avoid eyes unintentionally when encountered while passing through the road, and cute ears on top of the head. ¡­He was scary, but cute. ¡°Hello.¡± I lightly pulled the hem of my dress and greeted him with light courtesy. At such a greeting, the bookstore owner looked slightly surprised. No matter how lightly I dressed up, there was no way that it didn¡¯t show who I was from my outfit. ¡®Above all, my hair and eyes are not that common either.¡¯ However, the bookstore owner quickly erased his surprised expression and calmly said. ¡°There are not many things that the Miss may like here. Are you sure that you came to the wrong store?¡± I recognize who you are. And this is not a place for you to come. I smiled at the words that held such a meaning. ¡°No. I came to the right place.¡± ¡°This is a small bookstore that mainly deals with boring specialized books.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the books that I came for. It¡¯s you.¡± ¡°¡­What does that mean?¡± The bookstore owner looked at me with puzzled eyes mixed with wariness. Of course, he¡¯d be like that. Who wouldn¡¯t be flustered if a child who suddenly appeared told you that the child had something to do with you? What was worse, is if you were someone who had some kind of secret, then even, even more would one be worried. ¡°Tezent Poe, the smuggler.¡± The name of the bookstore owner which was called before he could even introduce himself. No, that famous smuggler Tezent Poe¡¯s eyes opened wide. I smiled at him and declared. ¡°I¡¯m here to appoint you as the distribution deputy for the magic stone mine of the Cartier Family.¡± Chapter 4 ¡°¡­Just what does that mean?¡± At last, Tezent, who was dumbfounded, jumped up from his seat. It didn¡¯t look like he was acting. ¡®In fact, that kind of behaviour is understandable.¡¯ I nodded my head. ¡°To think that I¡¯m trying to entrust you, a famous smuggler, with the distribution of a magic stone mine. It sounds weird, right?¡± ¡°No, Miss. What I want to say is¡­¡± ¡°But you weren¡¯t originally a smuggler.¡± Grinning, I continued to talk. ¡°You were an ordinary merchant, but because the current Emperor, no, the Emperor¡¯s uncle, suddenly turned the items you were carrying, out of all things, into banned imported items, you became like that.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Tezent Poe gave a surprised expression. I continued my words. ¡°You were originally a merchant who mainly distributed specialized books and special herbs. Right?¡± Tezent frowned. Do I have to insist on my denial even more? Should I even be angry? I could feel it from his expression that he was thinking that way. After a moment. ¡°¡­Ha.¡± Tezent Poe nodded. ¡°Yes. It was indeed like that until the previous Emperor died.¡± ¡°Yup, only up until three years ago.¡± Three years ago, after the death of the previous Emperor who was eager to conquer. The one who became the new emperor, was the only son of the deceased Emperor who was only 10 years old at the time. ¡®That child is also the real main character of the original work.¡¯ Anyway, the Emperor who was 10 years old at that time (he was now 13 years old) was young. For the young and inexperienced Emperor, the Emperor¡¯s uncle, Grand Duke Judah, was declared regent. ¡®At first, everyone trusted and supported Judas.¡¯ In fact, at first, Grand Duke Judah did quite a good job. There weren¡¯t even any obvious suspicious occurrences. However, he banned the import of several items for no reason. One of them was¡ª ¡°Do you still bring treatment medicine for [Night of the White Desert] these days?¡± ¡°¡­So you really know everything.¡± Tezent Poe muttered as if he were surprised and nodded. ¡°Yes. Since there are still people who are infected with [Night of the White Desert].¡± [Night of the White Desert] was a rare disease. Cause of infection, unknown. Symptoms, white spots all over the body. Progression, a painful death within a mere few days. ¡®Anyway, the medicine for such a rare disease would almost never be used on a daily basis.¡¯ That¡¯s why people thought that the Grand Duke¡¯s import ban decision was strange and there were no particular objections. Until a few years later. All those who opposed the Grand Duke¡¯s opinion suddenly caught ¡®Night of the White Desert¡¯ and eventually died of it. ¡°Of course, it isn¡¯t easy because surveillance is even more strict than before.¡± At Tezent Poe¡¯s words, I smiled. ¡°Yup. You are surely a merchant who is capable enough to get such a difficult item.¡± ¡°¡­Now I¡¯m just a smuggler disguised as a bookstore owner.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a stigma, you know.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Tezent Poe, who looked at me with a strange expression. Hm, was it not good to side with one who was a ¡®Stigma¡¯? ¡°And a smuggler who brings in things that save people is way better than the Grand Duke who killed people in order to rule the country.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± This time, too, as expected Tezent Poe¡¯s expression was strange. Uhmmm, are even compliments not working? If that¡¯s indeed the case, there is no other choice but blackmail! ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t have any thoughts of telling anyone that you¡¯re Tezent Poe. That¡¯s why please cop¨C no! Please cooperate!¡± Huaang! Why does my pronunciation always fail me when it¡¯s important! Out of all the times!? ¡®Starting today, I¡¯ll practice my pronunciation when I get home!¡¯ While sniffing inside, I looked at him with sharp eyes. Anyway, I have tried the blackmail! The effect? ¡°¡­.¡± Tezent looked at me with a strange expression. What was worse, he was muttering something. But it seems that perhaps he¡¯s saying ¡®Did she say cooperate?¡¯ or something like that¡­? Maybe it was because of my mood, but it also seemed like his mouth was twitching¡­ ¡°Miss.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Is he trying to give me an answer? Since I even blackmailed him, it¡¯ll be great if he gives me a good answer! ¡°First of all, I¡¯d like to ask. Just who in the world told all these facts to the Miss?¡± It was all written in the novel that I read in my previous life though? If I said so, he¡¯ll definitely think I¡¯m a crazy kid, right? ¡°Uh. That is a secret.¡± I laughed, hehe, and put a finger on my mouth. Since it¡¯ll be difficult to answer if he keeps on asking, let¡¯s quickly change the topic. ¡°Anyway, the important thing is that I want you to distribute the magic stones, which will be produced in our territory¡¯s magic stone mine. In return, I¡¯ll protect you from now on!¡± ¡°The Miss will protect me¡­¡± Tezent Poe, who was looking at me like a kitten who was pang, puffing its chest fur out to the front, rubbed the space between his forehead. ¡°To think that it¡¯s a magic stone mine? Weren¡¯t you supposed to manage the mine through a merchant from the Capital?¡± ¡°Ah, that person was a fraud.¡± ¡°Yes!?¡± ¡°Older Brother Gabriel must be scolding him well by now.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Perhaps that fraud is already in a pretty rough state, right? Although it¡¯s all because of his own deeds. ¡°There is a talented person right here in our own territory. So why would I take a person who¡¯s from somewhere else?¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t this not up to the Miss¡¯ decision? Young Lord Gabriel is¡­.¡± ¡°But that mine is my own? That¡¯s why I¡¯m also the one who gets to decide on the deputy.¡± ¡°Yes?! Is that the truth?! Does Miss Diana inherit the mine?¡± At Tezent¡¯s overly surprised figure, I wanted to just¨C ¡°Gosh.¡± ¡®¡­Older Brother Gabriel had told me to do so¡­ right?¡¯ I recalled the scene earlier. BANG! I opened the door, and entered, revealing that the deputy candidate was a fraud, and¡­ I said that since Older Brother Gabriel and Older Brother Noah were both idiots who only knew how to fight, I¡¯d be the one to manage the mine, then¡­ I threw a cookie jar at the back of the head of the fraud who was trying to run away, then¡­ ¡®What¡­! Did I not receive an¡­ answer?¡¯ Older Brother Gabriel was worried that the fraud would harm me, told me to go quickly, but we did not talk about the mine. Anyway, he stopped me and didn¡¯t say anything else, right? ¡®Then, what. Surely I can say that he had given permission.¡¯ Even if it wasn¡¯t true, I had to insist. I had to. Otherwise, the future would lean towards that of the original ending, resulting in the end of the world¡­ ¡°¡­No matter how lacking the eldest son is in knowledge about territory management, there¡¯s no way that he¡¯d pass the magic stone mine to his younger sister¡­¡± Tezent muttered something to himself, but I didn¡¯t care that much. Rather, it was important to persuade him somehow and hire him. ¡°Tezent.¡± When I called his name deliberately, his eyes turned to me. ¡°What does Tezent want to do as a merchant?¡± ¡°¡­Yes?¡± Tezent looked flustered at my sudden question. I didn¡¯t wait for his answer. ¡°For me, Tezent. As a member of the Cartier Family, I want to make everyone in our territory smile.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the territory¡¯s people¡­?¡± ¡°Yup. It¡¯d be great if the people don¡¯t have to go to the Capital to buy good quality things, and if there was also a big hospital where sick people could get treatment right away¡­¡± There were a lot of things that were lacking in this land. There were no large hospitals, no busy commercial streets with all kinds of stores, and also no good performance halls to watch performances. ¡°And I also understand it requires a lot of money to do that.¡± The stronger the land of our Family, the stronger the power of our Family, and the more bad guys would not dare to cross our house. When others say power, they may think of force first, but¡­ ¡®There is already an Older Brother who became a sword master at the age of 7 and another Older Brother who became a sword master at the age of 10, so¡­¡¯ What I needed now was another power, and not the same kind. ¡°I¡¯m sure the distribution of the magic stones will bring a lot of money.¡± A large sum of money. Tezent¡¯s eyes shone at the words. No matter how much he pretended to be the owner of an old bookstore, he was originally a merchant. ¡®There is no way that a merchant won¡¯t listen to that and keep indifferent.¡¯ ¡°¡­Do you think that that money can achieve what the Miss wants?¡± ¡°I think Tezent, a merchant, would know better about that than I do.¡± Shrugging, I looked straight up at him. ¡°The most important thing is that I know no one can do this better than you.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°When you have made up your mind, come to find me at the Marquess Household.¡± Tezent looked at me with an expression that was hard to read. But I wasn¡¯t very worried. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting. Zen.¡± Calling his name which he used for pretending to be the owner of an old bookstore, I headed to the door. Now, as long as I go out in a cool way, today¡¯s work is over! Jump! Jump¡ª Jump¡­ Jump¡­ ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± After a brief silence. Tezent, who approached without saying anything, opened the door for me. ¡®Ughh, Bear Hybrids are so mean! Why are your builds so big¡­!¡¯ I scurried out, as if running away. While pretending not to hear the laughter coming from behind me. *** Ughh. Really. Just what kind of embarrassment is this? Because of the embarrassment that I had suffered twice today alone, I grumbled as I returned to the Marquess Household. Even so, I had finished two important things, so I thought I¡¯d slowly eat dinner and rest. However, ¡°Just what in the world are they doing, going on endlessly?¡± Chapter 5 As soon as I got off the carriage, what I saw was Older Brother Gabriel with cold eyes. Masha, who was next to me, was surprised. ¡°Y-Young Master Gabriel.¡± She quickly bowed her head, her body shaking. ¡®Huft. Martha is also very¡­ she can¡¯t believe it even though I already said that Older Brother Gabriel isn¡¯t a scary person, different from his cold looks.¡¯ Okay. Then let¡¯s mediate and show that Older Brother is a soft person if you come to know him! ¡°Older Brother! It¡¯s good that you came. I just came after meeting a management deputy, who is not a scammer. I think he¡¯ll be able to greet you soon.¡± At my report, Older Brother¡¯s eyebrows scrunched up. ¡°Did you say you got a deputy?¡± ¡°Yes! Although he is now the owner of a small bookstore, he was already with several merchants when he was young because of his mixed Sid race blood. Our territory¡¯s people¡ª¡± ¡°It seems that you¡¯re only thinking of useless things with that little head of yours.¡± The loudly babbling me paused. Gabriel¡¯s eyes which were looking at me were unusual. That expression is definitely¡­ ¡°It¡¯s better for you to stop and stay home calmly while I¡¯m still saying it nicely.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Next to me, Masha quickly opened her mouth on behalf of me, who wasn¡¯t saying anything. ¡°I-I apologize, Young Master Gabriel! I will immediately send the Young Miss to her room and watch¡ª¡± ¡°Older Brother El.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± When I called Older Brother Gabriel by his nickname, not only Masha but also Older Brother Gabriel looked surprised. Although it was only for a very short moment. I spoke towards him, who was stunned, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m a little busy for the time being, so it seems that I won¡¯t be able to stay at home.¡± ¡°What? What does that mean? Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go to the Capital.¡± Older Brother Gabriel¡¯s face hardened at my answer. ¡°The Capital? Why would you go there?¡± ¡°We have to give a report to His Majesty the Emperor that we will run the magic stone mine earnestly.¡± Although the magic stone was found in our land¡­ To sell it, it required the Imperial Family¡¯s permission. In other words, I had to go to the Capital no matter what. ¡®And there are also things I need to do privately.¡¯ ¡°Just why in the world would you go for that? What does a young child like you¡ª¡± ¡°Then, would Older Brother go? You know it¡¯s the red wolf hunting season soon. Older Brother surely has to lead that hunt.¡± After all, it was very important to hunt the red wolves that often came down from the mountains to harm people during this period. ¡°Since I can¡¯t possibly replace you for that, I¡¯ll be the one to go to the Capital.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯ll go? That¡¯s nonsense.¡± Raised eyebrows. Cold eyes which are as frosty as ice. His voice, which was just as cold as his eyes. Anyone with eyes could see that he was angry. But I wasn¡¯t fooled by that face. ¡°Thank you for your worry.¡± ¡°Worry? Who is worrying¡ª¡± ¡°The fact that you¡¯re worried about me so you don¡¯t want to send me alone, I know everything.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Yeah. I said that I know everything. The future in which Older Brother El, who seemed to hate me more than anyone else, died to save me. Of course, I couldn¡¯t say that openly in front of Older Brother. ¡®I¡¯ll be treated as a crazy kid because I hurt my head, right?¡¯ ¡°Hm.¡± I cleared my throat and said. ¡°Anyway, since Older Brother El is busy and can¡¯t go to the Capital, and we don¡¯t know when Older Brother Noah will be back¡­ I¡¯ll go!¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than other people going, right?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Even though he knew that I was right, Older Brother Gabriel shut up as if he was unwilling. ¡®Anyway, since he¡¯s stubborn.¡¯ I stealthily approached him, who didn¡¯t show any sign of giving permission anytime soon, and grabbed his hand. ¡®Whoaa. His fingers are really big and firm¡­!¡¯ Unlike my soft hands, I admired his hard calluses. When I pulled his hand, Older Brother El flinched and froze. That image was certainly¡­ ¡®He looks like a big-built lion, it¡¯s cute!¡¯ If I could, I would have liked to pat his head, too. But, let¡¯s give it up because my hand can¡¯t reach. Instead. ¡°I¡¯ll be back safely. Until then, please protect our house well, Older Brother!¡± After patting the back of his big hand a few times. Smiling, I walked away with quick and short steps. Behind me, Masha followed urgently. ¡°O-oh my! Young Miss! Isn¡¯t Young Master Gabriel scary?¡± After walking for a while, when Gabriel¡¯s figure completely couldn¡¯t be seen anymore, Masha carefully asked. ¡°Huh? Not at all.¡± ¡°Not at all? Are you saying that you¡¯re really not scared?¡± Masha made an expression like she didn¡¯t believe me. It wasn¡¯t that I couldn¡¯t understand such a reaction. ¡®Since in the past, I couldn¡¯t even speak properly in front of Gabriel.¡¯ From a child¡¯s perspective, Gabriel didn¡¯t seem to be a good adult. ¡®Since his eyes are scary, his expression is cold, his voice, and his tone, too. All of them are unfriendly.¡¯ What was worse, he often even said words such as ¡®useless¡¯, ¡®pointless to do¡¯ towards me. But I know now. ¡°Yup. Older Brother El is just a little unskilled in expressing himself, but he¡¯s a good person.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Masha was still giving me a look like she didn¡¯t believe my words at all. ¡°What¡¯s this, Masha. Are you doubting me? I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s true.¡± I recalled what Older Brother El had said to me earlier. ¡°You know, Older Brother said it earlier. He said, ¡®It seems that you¡¯re thinking useless thoughts with that little head¡¯.¡± ¡°Yes, he surely did say that. That was a warning not to act recklessly, right?¡± At Masha¡¯s question, I shook my head. ¡°No, no. That¡¯s his words. But what he means is that, ¡®Since you are still young, don¡¯t worry about difficult things and make yourself comfortable, my dear Younger Sister¡¯.¡± ¡°Yes..? Are you saying that that¡¯s what it means?¡± At my interpretation, Marsha looked like she couldn¡¯t believe it at all. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. And, again, from what Older Brother said¡­¡± It¡¯s better for you to stop when I¡¯m saying it nicely = Don¡¯t do anything dangerous because I¡¯m worried. ¡°¡­ Are you saying that Young Master Gabriel really said it with that kind of meaning!?¡± Masha, too, oh my. Did she live all this time fooled by his cold facade? Well¡­ Older Brother Gabriel was indeed the type that gets a bit misunderstood by people around him. However, If you know him, he¡¯s a good person, my Big Older Brother. ¡°Older Brother El is a thoughtful person even though he¡¯s a little bit blunt.¡± ¡°¡­Young Miss.¡± For some reason, Masha looked at me with a very sad face. ¡®Just what in the world is with that expression?¡¯ It was like she was feeling bad, like the feeling one feels when one sees someone playing only with their imaginary friends because they don¡¯t have any real friends though¡­ Or is it just because of my feelings? ¡°The Young Miss is really¡­¡± Masha, who sighed, said, ¡°I will serve you better from now on. So that you don¡¯t get lonely¡­¡± Masha, who said so, diligently took me back to my room. She even braided my hair prettily again. She also made me sit on a chair with a soft cushion. Being left alone, I screamed after a while. ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s true that Older Brother El really likes me a lot¡­!¡± *** Inside the office. Sitting in front of his desk, Gabriel Cartier silently looked down at his right hand. ¡°Older Brother El.¡± It seemed that the feeling of the small, warm hand tapping him still remained. ¡°¡­.¡± A tiny smile raised on his lips which seemed to have never made a smile other than for ridicule. But the smile was quickly erased. Tok. Tok. ¡°Come on in.¡± At his permission, Chedes, the butler, appeared with silent steps. ¡°Young Master Gabriel. The fraud fainted.¡± ¡°¡­How weak.¡± Gabriel, who mercilessly interrogated Jay, the fraud, just a few minutes ago, said coldly. ¡°No matter how I think about it, it seems that it¡¯s true that he¡¯s an insignificant petty fraud.¡± ¡°Then, considering that he is such a person, the forged position was a little too perfect.¡± ¡°Do you suspect that by any chance there¡¯s a force behind him?¡± ¡°Indeed. Looking at the materials that Diana gave, no matter how much I think of it, I still think so.¡± ¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me, did the Young Miss find all the materials herself?¡± ¡°Yeah. It was impressively complete and earnest.¡± A faint smile spread on his cold face. But soon his cold face came back as if he was asked when did he ever do that, and said. ¡°Keep his breath in moderation. Let¡¯s dig a little more before we hand it over to the Capital Security.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± The butler, who answered politely, took a moment to read the air before opening his mouth. ¡°Uh, Young Master Gabriel. Will it be alright?¡± ¡°What will?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the Young Miss going to the Capital. No matter how different she is these days, can she really have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor alone¡­?¡± The butler, whose words lost strength at the end, was worried. It was natural to worry. If one knew the Diana Cartier from the past, then even, even more. But that child really changed. ¡°I¡¯ll be back safely. Until then, please protect our house well, Older Brother!¡± One by one, the changed figure of his youngest sister after the accident came to mind. She went through the law book, read the gold magic skill book, and looked at the family ledger. And her sulky figure when she got scolded after she was caught stealing snacks from the kitchen¡­ ¡°¡­urely was cute.¡± ¡°Yes? Young Master Gabriel? What did you say just now?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing.¡± Before he knew it, Gabriel was murmuring with a soft and relaxed face. ¡°Let¡¯s trust her once. That child is cut¨C hm. That child is my younger sister.¡± *** It has been three days since I met Tezent Poe. I still haven¡¯t heard from him. But I wasn¡¯t very worried. ¡®After all, the distribution of magic stones is a big deal, and it will not be easy to make up one¡¯s mind.¡¯ Still, I¡¯m saying that it¡¯ll be better if he could come before I go to the Capital. Two days later, it was time for me to head to the Capital. Of course, it did not matter if I met Tezent after I came back. Still, it was better to organize my work before I went to the Capital. Even now, I was still busy packing my things. ¡°Uhmm, let¡¯s see. Another thing to bring¡­¡± I thought while secretly putting a cookie jar into the luggage bag which was prepared by Masha. ¡®As expected, two jars of cookies must be not enough, right? If I add one more bottle, uhmm¡­ But I have to bring a whole jar of candy, too, though!¡¯ I didn¡¯t put much in my luggage, but it felt like my bag was going to explode already. ¡°Huft. Why is the bag so small?¡± When I pouted¨C Tok. Tok. ¡°You can come in¡ª AH! Hold on! Don¡¯t come in yet!¡± I needed to hide the cookie jar that I had yet to put in! If I didn¡¯t, then it would be taken away by Masha again! ¡®Before it gets taken away, there¡¯s not enough time to eat it all and clean it up!¡¯ Darn it! First of all, as I was in a hurry, I hid the cookie jar, which I hadn¡¯t packed, by my bed. ¡°Okay! Now you can come in¡ª huh?¡± Chapter 6 2) The Unexpected Encounter Of course, I, who thought Masha would come in, opened my eyes wide. The person who entered my room was an unexpected person. ¡°Young Miss.¡± It was a young red-haired man dressed nicely in a black butler uniform. As soon as I saw him, I shouted reflexively. ¡°Chedes! Forget the black tea! I won¡¯t drink it!¡± ¡°Yes? Are you rejecting my black tea again today? Don¡¯t tell me, did yesterday¡¯s black tea also not suit your taste?¡± The butler of my family, Chedes, made a sad face at my rejection. But I surely can¡¯t drink that tasteless black tea today, just because I fell for that face. ¡°Yup, it wasn¡¯t good. Very.¡± At my firm answer, Chedes grasped his chest. ¡°U-ugh, to think that yesterday¡¯s was also not good¡­. Yesterday, I specially put one more spoon of honey because I paid attention to it, though!¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why it was weirder, because of the mixture of bitter and sweet flavors¡­.¡± There¡¯s no way it¡¯ll be delicious just by adding honey. The tea, in the first place, was boiled tastelessly¡­ Why does a person who¡¯s a butler not know that, gosh. ¡®In fact, isn¡¯t it that it can¡¯t be helped since Chedes originally didn¡¯t receive any butler training?¡¯ ¡°No matter how it is, next time, how about I brew the tea in water with honey from the start? Since Young Miss like sweet things, if I do it like that, wouldn¡¯t it suit your taste?¡± ¡°What did the honey and the tea leaves do wrong? Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t do it. Even in the future, don¡¯t even think about making tea.¡± Leave the precious honey and tea leaves alone. As soon as I shook my head, Chedes sighed. ¡°Young Miss. Won¡¯t I also have to practice so that I can make tea well¡­.¡± ¡°Eyy, it¡¯s okay. Although Chedes can¡¯t make tea, you¡¯re good at fighting.¡± ¡°Young Miss. I¡¯m a butler, though?¡± Chedes, refuted, saying that what¡¯s the use of fighting well for a butler. I shouted proudly at him in response. ¡°I don¡¯t know about other families, but it¡¯s considered done if my family¡¯s butler can fight well even if he¡¯s not good at brewing tea!¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Anyway, today, forget about the black tea! No, I won¡¯t drink black tea until I go to the Capital. Just give me cookies.¡± ¡°Young Miss¡­. You don¡¯t like my black tea, but you are eating the cookies that Derek made?!¡± ¡°About that, it¡¯s because whatever the chef makes is delicious.¡± ¡°¡­Heeuk, how can the Young Miss!¡± Chedes once again grasped his chest with a face like a person who was beaten by a gasping cat. ¡°To think that the tea I brewed with all my heart didn¡¯t suit Young Miss¡¯ taste!¡± ¡°Excuse me. The more heart you put in, the worse Chedes¡¯ tea tastes, though¡­?¡± ¡°I, Chedes, with the honor of the butler of the Cartier Family, will one day brew a tea which will surely be recognized by the Young Miss!¡± Ugh. Turns out it¡¯s no use even if I try to stop him. I eventually decided to give up. ¡°Yeah. Cheer up, Chedes! They say that everyone should have big dreams! Even if they don¡¯t come true!¡± ¡°¡­.¡± For some reason, at my support, our butler¡¯s shoulders drooped. ¡°Yes, a dream that won¡¯t come true¡­.¡± ¡°Yup. Anyway, forget about the black tea, get going now, Chedes.¡± ¡°N-No. Young Miss. I didn¡¯t come here because of black tea. Actually, a guest came to find you and I was going to tell you that¡­.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve said that quickly!¡± So Tezent has come! I told Chedes to bring him quickly. Soon after, Tezent appeared in my room¡¯s drawing room. Sitting dignifiedly on the sofa, I welcomed him calmly. ¡°Welcome, Zen. I¡¯m sorry I kept you waiting.¡± At my greeting, Tezent took off the hat he was wearing and greeted me. ¡°No. I greet Miss Diana of the Cartier Family.¡± ¡°Yeah, sit down on your seat comfortably.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sitting on the seat opposite of me, together with answering, Tezent¡¯s expression was stiff. ¡®¡­Don¡¯t tell me, did he come to tell me that he can¡¯t do it?¡¯ I-It didn¡¯t seem to be like that, though. I¡¯m sure this talk will be a good opportunity for Tezent, too, though? The moment the flustered me was thinking about how to start the conversation. ¡°Miss.¡± Tezent opened his mouth first. ¡°Do you have any thoughts about the details for the method of developing or distributing the sales of the magic stone mine?¡± ¡°Ah! If it¡¯s that, I had prepared the documents. Please look at this.¡± I handed over two documents that I had written as best as I could in advance. ¡°One is the letter of appointment for the management deputy. Ah. It¡¯s not as Tezent Poe, but it¡¯s a letter of appointment and contract that was written under your other name, Zen.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re very meticulous.¡± ¡°Of course! And the other one is the magic stone mine¡¯s sales business plan. Please look at both of them.¡± ¡°Yes, then excuse me for a moment.¡± Tezent¡¯s eyes glowed sharply as he looked at the documents that I handed over. Although he was indeed frowning while looking at the documents with such a face that a child who passed by would burst into tears¡­. ¡®Turns out the Sid race, which is bear hybrids, have a strong (?) feeling in everything. The ears are cute, though.¡¯ After Tezent examined the documents, I looked at the pricked ears on the top of Tezent¡¯s head for a moment. ¡°¡­Do you need?¡± At Tezent¡¯s words when he finished reading all the documents, I was surprised. Huh? Is my written plan that bad? I clearly went through it carefully over and over again, and there was nothing wrong with it, though¡­ ¡°You asked do I need. What does that mean?¡± When I asked, trying not to show how flustered I was, only then, did Tezent speak properly. ¡°Do you really need me in this business? The plan is already perfect like this, though.¡± Ah, and I thought it was something serious¡­ ¡®I thought he was asking if I needed this kind of document because it was such a mess!¡¯ I breathed a deep sigh of relief inside. To think that it looks pretty good in the eyes of a former merchant and a now smuggler, Tezent, who must have gone through all the hard work. ¡®I guess I did a good job!¡¯ I, who was more relieved, smiled. ¡°Thank you for the compliment. But no matter how good the plan is, I can¡¯t carry it out myself.¡± ¡°So, in other words, you¡¯ll handle the important things in person and all things apart from that, you want to leave them to me.¡± At Tezent¡¯s words, I nodded. ¡°Yup. In truth, Tezent and I, we haven¡¯t even known each other for that long, so I can¡¯t entrust mine management to you outright.¡± ¡°That is correct. Since early times, merchants should not trust others recklessly.¡± Smiling as he talked, Tezent paused. ¡°Ah. Of course, the Miss is a noble, not a merchant.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a noble, but I might become a merchant. I¡¯ll run a merchant store myself, too, you know.¡± ¡°A merchant store? By any chance, are you going to establish a merchant store that specializes in distributing the magic stone?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m thinking of selling not only magic stones but also various other items. Of course, first of all, it will focus on selling the magic stone.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± He, who seemed to be thinking about something for a while, opened his mouth. ¡°Then, can I ask you one thing that I¡¯m curious about?¡± ¡°Yup. You can comfortably ask me anything.¡± ¡°What is the reason that Miss choose the Western Continent Gold Magic Skill Union as your first distributor? I¡¯m sure you know that the Eastern Continent Magic Island purchases the magic stone at a much higher rate than that place?¡± Gold Magic Skill. A power (magic) that is embodied by mana, a power (alchemy) that is created by mana. ¡®A ¡®Gold Magic Skill User¡¯ can be seen as a sorcerer who can even do alchemy, right.¡¯ And those gold magic skill users have been largely divided into two since long before. The Western Continent¡¯s Gold Magic Skill Union. For short, [W.M. Union] The Eastern Continent¡¯s Magic Island, without having to cut it short, but generally known as, [Magic Island] Since a very long time ago, these two places, which were created by the gold magic skill users in the west and the gold magic users in the east, have fought hard. The reason for their fight was nothing special. ¡®I¡¯m the best! And you¡¯re bad!¡¯ ¡®No, I¡¯m the best and you¡¯re the worst!¡¯ ¡­It was a relationship in which they were fighting like this. To be honest, money was a little more abundant in the Eastern Continent¡¯s Magic Island. ¡®Since the Eastern Continent is also stronger in alchemy than magic, they sell a lot of gold magic skill tools.¡¯ That¡¯s why, when merchants had something they wanted to sell to the gold magic skill users, majority took it to Magic Island. Because they know well that they¡¯ll buy the product at a high price without saying anything. ¡®Thanks to it, surely the W.M. Union lost quite a lot of materials related to the high-quality gold magic skill to the East, Magic Island.¡¯ Of course, I was well aware of that. And I had a different sales strategy from the general merchants. ¡°Of course, I know. However, the W.M. Union, along with our Empire, belongs to the Western Continent.¡± ¡°Are you trying to be loyal because we¡¯re from the same continent?¡± Tezent looked at me as if he was looking at a young child who had immature thoughts. Such a face like he was thinking that his opponent was cute but is also a bit young. I smiled brightly. ¡°No. Since if I sold the magic stone first to the gold magic skill users on another continent who may someday become our enemy, I can even forge up treason without Grand Duke Judah, who has been in a bad temper.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Tezent was surprised as if he couldn¡¯t even think of what I said. I kept talking. ¡°Of course, for exports to some degree, even the Imperial Family will surely turn a blind eye to it. But I can¡¯t sell the most to Magic Island. And we¡¯ll end up paying a huge tax, too.¡± It was a conclusion that I got after, tok tok, tapping the calculator. No matter how much the Magic Island bought the magic stones at a high price if the Imperial Family set a tremendous amount of export taxes¡ª ¡®Uhmm, plus minus zero? Maybe not until that.¡¯ Anyway, it was clear that a considerable amount of tax would have to be paid. Considering such many things, rather, it was better to sell the magic stone in large quantities to the W.M. Union from the start. ¡°Moreover, although the W.M. Union is rated a level slightly lower than the Magic Island this very present¨C¡± I stopped talking for a while and grinned. ¡°Eventually, if the supply and demand of the materials go smoothly, the W.M. Union will also soon reach a level similar to the Magic Island.¡± In the first place, the W.M. Union wasn¡¯t inferior to the Magic Island because they were not skilled. The biggest reason was that the supply of high-quality magic stones wasn¡¯t running as efficiently. ¡°That¡¯s why, once it¡¯s done, I¡¯m thinking of making it so that the W.M. Union can increase its strength. Only then¡ª¡±